Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-44437908-20200705150010/@comment-6769189-20200706174503

Few things
 * We dont know when Hashirama became strong. Until EMS and his Sage mode, Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna were basically equals
 * We don't know when he developed Wood Release, which is what made him so powerful
 * We don't know when or how he learned Sage Mode. Most likely he learned it from someone else, which would fit with the "strength through bonds" theme of Ashura, but ultimately we dont know
 * Ashura's descendants had stong bodies so him being able to heal actually makes sense.
 * Ashura was Indra's equal, if not superior, after he obtained his own power