The sudden explosion of the entire pond directly blasted the trap-laden area into a deep pit. Even some of the other traps Sasuke had subsequently laid were engulfed by this explosion, all rendered useless.
A small mushroom cloud rose from the crater. Not only were the two dust-covered shinobi who had narrowly escaped stunned by the sight, but even Sasuke and Hiruzen, who had been hidden on the hill, looked on with shock at Hibari's trap.
Although they had heard Hibari boast about the trap's power, it wasn't until it truly detonated that they experienced the overwhelming sensation...
"You really are a demolition genius, brat..." Sasuke swallowed hard, speaking with awe.
Hiruzen also commented, somewhat moved, "I've learned a lot... Hibari, this method can't be spread carelessly, or it'll cause a lot of trouble."
Before Hibari could respond, Hiruzen suddenly paused and said, "No wonder you said your jutsu was worthy of S-rank... Looking at this explosion, I think if it really comes to fruition, it could indeed be considered an S-rank collaboration ninjutsu!"
In fact, it wasn't just them who were shocked; Hibari himself was a little stunned. While he had anticipated a fierce explosion, he hadn't expected the effect to be so perfect this time.
Looking closely, the surrounding area was dense forest, so the oxygen content should have been higher, intensifying the combustion and explosion...
Despite his thoughts, Hibari was ultimately better prepared. He quickly returned to normal, saying a little smugly, "Don't you see who set the trap? This power is just so-so, ah ha ha ha ha!"
Before Hibari could boast further, Sasuke spoke, "Hiruzen, Hibari, you two go deal with those two. We can't rule out enemy reinforcements, so I'll cover you here..."
Hearing this, Hiruzen nodded swiftly, stood up, and prepared to launch a preemptive attack while the smoke obscured their vision.
However, before he could act, Hibari said, "Hiruzen-nii, you cover me. I want to test my own strength!"
Hiruzen considered this. The mission was simply to buy time until Hokage-sama arrived; there was no need for a total annihilation. Since Hibari wanted to test his skills, he might as well let him go first. He could follow behind, covering him and stepping in when necessary.
Thinking this, Hiruzen nodded and said, "Then let's see what you can do..."
Hibari's lips curved into a confident smile. He said, "Leave it to me..."
As his words fell, Hibari stood up, stomped his foot, and vanished from the small hill with a Body Flicker Technique.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the explosion, the leading shinobi also picked himself up from the ground after the shockwave. Without dwelling on why the pond had suddenly exploded, he quickly said, "Stay alert, beware of enemy attacks..."
This shinobi was indeed very experienced; even facing such an event, he didn't panic too much. No wonder he was entrusted with the important task of leading the vanguard.
No sooner had his voice faded than several shuriken and kunai swiftly flew out from the smoke of the explosion, heading directly for him and his sole surviving subordinate.
As for the other two? They were probably already blown to dust; finding their corpses would be lucky.
Facing the incoming ninja tools, this shinobi showed no panic. He swiftly pulled out a kunai and accurately deflected all the shuriken flying towards him.
He didn't know who was attacking, but it was likely a Konoha shinobi, and more likely... perhaps the renowned Sasuke Sarutobi, whose name alone commanded immense pressure!
Therefore, he had to remain extremely vigilant to deal with the potential crisis.
Before he could think further, two large Fuma Shuriken suddenly flew out from the smoke. One headed straight for him, the other for his surviving subordinate.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!" The experienced leading shinobi quickly used the basic C-rank Water Style ninjutsu.
The next second, he forcefully spat out a stream of water, directly hitting the Fuma Shuriken, forcibly changing the shuriken's trajectory and making it crash into a nearby tree, its sharp blade embedding itself in the trunk.
Meanwhile, his subordinate swiftly drew the sword from his waist. Then, with a burst of strength, he also accurately blocked the Fuma Shuriken. However, before he could even feel smug, the Fuma Shuriken exploded with a 'bang!' and transformed into Hibari.
That's right, this was Hibari's 'Substitution Shuriken Technique,' which he had used to deal with Tobirama.
The moment of transformation, Hibari had already blocked the man's blade with a kunai in his hand. Then, under the man's surprised gaze, he lifted his leg and kicked him in the abdomen.
"Crushing Rock Kick!" Hibari grunted, a burst of chakra power erupting from his leg. This was the Senju clan's family taijutsu, Monster Strength!
With a 'bang!', the shinobi was directly sent flying by Hibari's kick, spitting blood. Before he could even display his full abilities, he crashed into a large tree. His body twitched twice, then fell silent, either knocked unconscious or instantly killed.
As soon as Hibari landed, he heard the voice of the leading shinobi.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
The next second, a sharp pillar of water attacked from not far away, heading straight for Hibari.
Judging by the timing of this Water Release, the leading shinobi seemed to disregard his subordinate's life entirely. If Hibari hadn't kicked him away, he likely would have been one of the targets of this jutsu as well.
'He's truly ruthless, and of all things, a Water Release ninja, my least favorite kind?' Hibari couldn't help but think to himself.
Despite his thoughts, his actions were swift. Forming hand seals to use a ninjutsu to defend was impossible. Moreover, Hibari's grandfather also knew Water Severing Wave, so Hibari was very aware of how strong this jutsu's lethality was. Ordinary defensive jutsu formulas would be difficult to block, so he wouldn't waste the effort.
With a light stomp of his foot, Hibari's eyes were fixed on the trajectory of the Water Severing Wave. Then, his body moved, leaping from the ground with an incredibly fluid and graceful movement, grazing the Water Severing Wave's path. He spun in mid-air, completely unharmed, and landed back on the ground.
At the same time, while performing these evasive maneuvers, his hands were not idle; he had already formed the hand seals...
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Hibari took a deep breath, expanding his chest. The next moment, Hibari opened his mouth and exhaled a powerful burst of wind pressure.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"
The leading shinobi's speed was also extremely fast. The moment Hibari's Vacuum Sphere flew out, he also opened his mouth and spat out a large water ball in retaliation, instantly intercepting Hibari's Vacuum Sphere mid-air. Both ninjutsu exploded, turning into a splash of water.
Only then did the leading shinobi have time to look at Hibari and speak.
"I thought it was Sasuke, but it's just a brat..." The leading ninja frowned, seeming greatly annoyed that his squad had suffered such a heavy loss at the hands of this youngster.
"Since when do shinobi judge strength by age?" Hibari said with a smile, while his hands began forming seals again.
The leading shinobi's lips curved slightly into a cruel smile. He said, "That's right, a shinobi's strength is never determined by age..."
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!" Hibari uttered softly.
As his jutsu activated, the ground in front of him rapidly changed. A river formed of mud suddenly appeared there, then rushed towards the leading shinobi with powerful force.
"Water Release: Grand Waterfall Technique!"
As his words fell, a large amount of water began to appear out of thin air, directly washing away Hibari's Earth Flow River. At the same time, these water streams continuously converged, forming a large water curtain, like a waterfall, accumulating its power.
"Damn it, not only is he a Water Release shinobi, but he also uses the very jutsu I hate the most... Although there's nothing to indicate his identity, this guy is very likely a Kirigakure shinobi..." Hibari couldn't help but ponder as he looked at the imposing Grand Waterfall Technique before him.
Despite his thoughts, his hand movements were not slow at all; he was furiously forming hand seals. Precisely because he hated jutsu like the Grand Waterfall Technique and Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave that could quickly turn the entire battlefield into a water domain, Hibari had specifically learned ninjutsu to counter them.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" Hibari quickly completed the hand seals, finally releasing it just before the Grand Waterfall Technique descended.
The next second, just as the enormous water flow surged towards Hibari, the ground beneath Hibari's feet underwent a drastic change.
A rock wall, like a fortress, instantly rose from the ground, carrying Hibari up with it. Earth Release inherently countered Water Release to a certain extent, so even the A-rank Grand Waterfall Technique failed to break through this wall. Large amounts of water flowed around both sides of the wall.
Watching Hibari's maneuvers, the leading shinobi felt incredibly surprised.
"So young, yet he's mastered so many ninjutsu, and he handles me with such familiarity. Does he often fight Water Release ninja? Is he very knowledgeable about various Water Release ninjutsu? What's most surprising is his chakra reserves... Even an exceptionally strong kid usually has limited chakra. How can someone his age continuously release so many powerful ninjutsu?"
Thinking this, the leading shinobi looked at Hibari, who stood atop the Earth-Style Wall, and said, "Kid, what's your background? State your name!"
Seeing the enemy ask such a question, Hibari felt a surge of delight. This meant that the strong shinobi before him had recognized his power and saw him as a worthy opponent!
Thus, Hibari's lips curved slightly into a smile, and he said, "I am a Konohagakure shinobi... Senju Hibari!"
Konohagakure, that didn't surprise the leading ninja. But the name "Senju Hibari" after it made his expression incredibly astonished.
"Senju Hibari... You're from the Senju clan?"
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