Half a year later.
In a nameless ravine somewhere.
"Boom."
With a massive roar, a nearby small mountain was instantly flattened.
Flames reflected on his body. Kakuzu, clad in a crimson Tailed Beast cloak, looked at the semicircular shockwave he had created, highly satisfied.
The power of the Seven-Tails was far greater than he had imagined; even he had spent considerable effort to master it.
"It seems you've mastered the Seven-Tails' power quite well during this time."
A man's low voice came from behind, interrupting Kakuzu's self-admiration. He shed his Tailed Beast cloak, turned around, and faced the owner of the voice.
Standing before him was an old man in a black robe, his eyes sharp as blades, cold and keen.
He was the strongest of the strong—Uchiha Madara.
"Hmph, you specifically appeared here. Are you finally going to send me on a mission?"
Having mastered the Tailed Beast's power within him, Kakuzu spoke with slightly more confidence when facing Uchiha Madara.
Uchiha Madara smiled faintly: "Don't be in a hurry. I'm just giving you a heads-up."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze seemingly trying to pierce through him.
"Before that, I still have some preparatory work to do."
Uchiha Madara looked up, gazing into the distance. That direction was north, towards Konoha.
Before formally giving Kakuzu his orders, he had to cause a little trouble for that brat Hiruzen, as a layer of insurance.
If plan A with Kakuzu failed, then plan B could seamlessly connect.
Compared to plan A, he personally favored plan B more.
The Battlefield
On a battlefield near the Land of Demons, Konoha and Amegakure were engaged in a fierce battle.
The ordinary soldiers from both sides lay strewn about, while only the main commanders remained on the battlefield.
Undoubtedly, the battle had entered a white-hot stage.
"You, who have accumulated countless merits on the battlefield at a young age, allow me to personally test whether your reputations are exaggerated."
The man standing atop his summoned salamander, Hanzo, looked down, adopting a condescending posture, provoking the four young individuals below him.
He was the man known as the Demigod.
On the battlefield, ordinary people would be scared out of their wits and scatter in disarray just by seeing him from afar.
Tōshirō was unconcerned. Meeting his gaze, his crimson eyes gleamed with disdain:
"Less talk. That line should be ours. The Demigod of the Ninja World, huh? Your reputation is quite resounding. I just wonder if it's merely an empty title."
Hanzo looked coldly at this arrogant junior.
He knew that the Uchiha clan was famously arrogant.
At this time, his strength and spirit were at their peak, and he wouldn't be easily provoked by Tōshirō's simple taunts.
Tōshirō licked his lips, eager to test him: "Once I defeat you, won't your title of Demigod change hands?"
Hanzo narrowed his eyes, sharp as an arrowhead: "If you can manage it, then come and take it."
Suddenly, Tōshirō lowered his head and shook it to himself: "No, forget it..."
Hanzo frowned slightly, somewhat confused about what he meant.
Tōshirō looked up and grinned: "I don't like the title of Demigod. Compared to Demigod, I prefer the title 'Incarnation of God' more."
"What an arrogant brat…"
From the first glance, Hanzo the Salamander felt that the brat in front of him was exceptionally arrogant.
However, possessing three kekkei genkai and the power of a Tailed Beast, he also had the right to be so arrogant.
"I hope you can maintain that defiant attitude."
Hanzo clapped his hands. More words were useless; broken bones were the best lesson.
He's coming…
Despite his outward arrogance, Tōshirō dared not be overconfident. Relying on his Sharingan's insight, he immediately detected the opponent's movements.
Without a moment to spare, the instant Hanzo finished his hand seals, Tōshirō also completed his, and the two, in a standoff, unleashed their attacks simultaneously.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu."
"Ice Release: Violent Pheasant Beak."
The water dragon and ice bird clashed, neutralizing each other, neither gaining an advantage.
Ice Release had a natural advantage over Water Release, yet despite this, it was still a tie.
After his initial surprise, Tōshirō quickly calmed down.
It was unexpected, yet also reasonable.
According to intelligence, Hanzo the Salamander was skilled in Water Release, taijutsu, Summoning Jutsu, and more.
His Water Release mastery was exceptionally high, even rivaling the Mizukage, known for Water Release, or the Second Hokage.
While there was a principle of mutual suppression among the five basic nature transformations, in the hands of masters, one often saw situations where the subordinate element gained the upper hand.
The fact that Tōshirō's Ice Release could even draw with his Water Release was, in reality, already a remarkable feat.
Ultimately, Tōshirō, being young, suffered from the disadvantage of his age. When he was a few years older, the outcome would not be like this.
While Tōshirō and Hanzo were clashing, Jiraiya, thinking himself clever, circled behind Hanzo, leaped, and aimed a punch.
Hanzo quickly detected this small trick. He glanced over his shoulder, and a slight smirk appeared beneath his mask.
Just then, the giant salamander beneath his feet swung its tail.
"So fast!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. He was in mid-air, making it difficult to dodge, so he could only cross his arms to block.
The giant brown tail lashed out at him, directly sending him flying like a broken kite.
While he wouldn't immediately lose his fighting capability, it was still likely to be quite rough.
"This idiot, he's acting recklessly before fully understanding the enemy."
Tōshirō cursed, glancing sideways.
Without needing to say anything more, Tsunade, with whom he shared exceptional unspoken understanding, grasped his meaning. She quickly moved towards Jiraiya, intending to heal him.
Hanzo understood the abilities of everyone present. With his seasoned experience, he instantly assessed the situation.
Tsunade, the medical ninja, had to be dealt with first.
His thoughts raced. With a flick of his hand, he threw several kunai, each wrapped with an explosive tag.
"Too naive."
While ninjutsu could be very powerful, it consumed a lot of chakra. To compensate for this flaw, Hanzo the Salamander liked to use explosive tags to make up for insufficient damage.
Using explosive tags could easily achieve the power of ninjutsu without consuming chakra. The only drawback was that it was quite expensive.
This kind of extravagant fighting style was simply not affordable for ordinary people.
The kunai wrapped with explosive tags were extremely fast. By the time Tsunade reacted, they were already at close range.
"Boom."
Explosions followed one after another, a chain of blasts. As the swirling smoke dissipated, Tsunade stood firm, her entire body blackened, but otherwise unharmed.
Earth Release: Earth Spear.
Tsunade dispelled the ninjutsu and continued running towards Jiraiya.
Tsunade's unharmed state made Hanzo frown, finding her somewhat troublesome.
Human energy has its limits. To achieve something great in one area, it inevitably comes at the cost of others.
This was why medical ninjas were generally considered weak. However, this simple truth did not seem to apply to Tsunade.
In that brief moment of thought, a fire dragon bit and attacked him, its fiery fangs reflected in his eyes.
Hanzo reacted extremely quickly, swiftly forming the hand seals for Water Release: Water Formation Wall. A water wall surged up from the ground, blocking the fire dragon's assault and creating a thick cloud of white mist, like a blindfold, obscuring his vision.
As if sensing something, Hanzo jolted and glanced sideways.
Several large pythons broke through the water mist, hissing and coiling, attacking with incredible speed.
Even as agile as he was, he was entangled by these snakes in an instant.
These snakes are incredibly strong…
Hanzo looked in the direction of the snakes, seeing a young man with a feminine appearance.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
"Tōshirō!"
Orochimaru quickly shouted, signaling to attack at once.
Tōshirō naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. He clapped his hands together, then separated them, his arms folded into an L-shape. From top to bottom, he unleashed a spinning ice wheel with spikes along its edge.
Ice Release: Eight-Part Ice Wheel.
The lightning-fast ice wheel spun rapidly, rubbing against the air and producing a sharp, piercing sound.
Just as it was about to strike the target, a sudden change occurred. Hanzo, along with the salamander beneath his feet, turned into a mass of liquid, scattering onto the ground.
Water Release: Water Body Flicker!
The Eight-Part Ice Wheel missed its target, flying into the air, extending far and wide, disappearing without a trace.
"What!"
Orochimaru's pupils constricted.
He had never seen such a powerful Water Body Flicker.
A normal Water Body Flicker involved the user transforming their own body into water for rapid movement. However, Hanzo's Water Body Flicker could transform both himself and his summoned beast beneath his feet into water for movement.
This was no longer just rapid movement; it was starting to develop in the direction of space-time ninjutsu.
Damn it, where did he go!
Orochimaru quickly scanned his surroundings.
"Behind you!"
Tōshirō's warning came too late. Hanzo, who had used Water Body Flicker to appear behind Orochimaru, had already struck, delivering a punch.
"Bang."
Orochimaru flew backward, rolling several times on the ground before stopping. As he awkwardly stood up, he saw a group of explosive tags, seemingly alive, crawling up his legs and quickly reaching his waist. His already bloodless face now turned even paler.
Damn it, when did this happen?
"Die!"
Hanzo smoothly completed a set of hand seals, channeling his chakra. The explosive tags on Orochimaru's body responded from a distance, igniting themselves.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's already pale face became noticeably whiter.
If he took this hit directly, with his physique, he would be severely injured even if he didn't die.
Just at this critical moment, a majestic voice rang out loudly, like a god descending.
ICE AGE…
In an instant, a cold blast swept through, instantly freezing his body and extinguishing all the burning explosive tags.
(End of Chapter)
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