Jiraiya sprinted through the air as if it were solid ground, closing in on Ōnoki with astonishing speed.
Facing the charging Jiraiya, Ōnoki raised his hand, his jutsu already prepared.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
A transparent cubic barrier rapidly elongated into a rectangular prism, shooting back toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya stomped down hard, creating visible ripples in the air beneath his feet as his figure vanished.
"Sage Art: Shave!"
In an instant, Jiraiya appeared right in front of Ōnoki, his fist swinging with a howling gust of wind. Ōnoki knew full well the weight behind that punch.
Taking a hit like that would be disastrous.
At the last moment, he leaned back, watching the fist whistle past his face—
Only for an overwhelming force to slam into his jaw, sending him hurtling backward.
"Sage Art: Frog Kata!"
Jiraiya retracted his fist, observing Ōnoki's airborne form with no intention of letting up.
Raising one arm, he condensed an enormous Rasengan in his palm—far larger than his own body.
"Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!"
With another step, Jiraiya flashed ahead of Ōnoki's trajectory and hurled the massive spiraling sphere downward.
At that moment, Ōnoki smelled death.
Clasping his hands together, he roared:
"Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique!"
His body abruptly halted its backward flight, subjected instead to crushing downward force. Like a boulder, he plummeted toward the earth.
Wind screamed past Ōnoki's ears.
Jiraiya refused to relent. This was his best chance to eliminate an enemy Kage.
He chased Ōnoki's descent, the colossal Rasengan trailing behind him—
But Ōnoki's enhanced weight made him fall too fast.
Realizing he couldn't close the gap, Jiraiya crossed his feet mid-air, forming a seal with his legs.
(If Uchiha Kin could weave signs with his breath, foot-seals were hardly unreasonable.)
"Sage Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
His hair erupted into wild growth, lashing toward the falling Ōnoki like living tendrils.
When the strands coiled around his body, Ōnoki's face darkened. He slashed at them with a kunai—
Only to find the white hair impossibly tough.
The threads yanked him upward, shortening the distance to Jiraiya.
Ōnoki's eyes locked onto the titanic chakra sphere behind the Sannin.
If that thing connected, he'd be lucky to leave behind bone fragments.
"Killing me won't be so easy!"
Ōnoki clasped his hands again, chakra surging into his palms.
Dust Release morphed into a conical shape, its needle-point aimed at the oncoming Jiraiya.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!"
The conical barrier expanded rapidly, its piercing tip alone deadly enough.
Jiraiya barely twisted aside as the spike speared through his shoulder—a hair's breadth from his heart.
Seeing the cone's interior begin to glow, he hurled the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan without hesitation.
"BOOM!!"
A shockwave rippled outward in concentric rings.
When the dust cleared, Jiraiya and Ōnoki stood suspended in the sky, locked in a stalemate.
Blood-soaked Ōnoki's robes from unseen wounds.
"Konoha's powerhouses truly are endless," he spat, glaring at Jiraiya.
"Flattered."
Jiraiya matched his gaze grimly, pressing a hand to his shoulder.
Even in his direst moment, Ōnoki had wounded him.
The Tsuchikage's reputation was well-earned.
Meanwhile.
Rewinding to the moment the trio split—
Tsunade stood her ground, staring down the colossal salamander before her.
"Seems I got the weakest one."
She gritted her teeth. Anyone bearing the title of "Kage" was formidable, and she worried for Jiraiya and Orochimaru—
Especially Orochimaru, who'd already expended much of his energy before the fight. Facing the Kazekage alone was risky.
Though Hanzō was hailed as the "Demigod," Tsunade doubted his strength. She'd memorized his entire arsenal.
In some ways,
she hard-countered him.
"Woman! Don't underestimate me!"
Hanzō scowled. If she was going to insult him, could she at least whisper? He was the leader of Amegakure.
(Even if the village was a shell of its former self, pride remained.)
"'Demigod'? Save the theatrics, you... old fogey!"
Tsunade vanished, reappearing fist-first in Hanzō's face.
"CRACK!!"
His body exploded into water droplets.
The real Hanzō materialized above, scythe arcing downward.
"Swish!"
Tsunade dodged—
Just as Hanzō spat a torrent of water.
"Water Release: Violent Water Wave!"
Tsunade braced, pivoting her hips before driving a fist into the deluge.
"Strong Fist Technique!"
The water shattered under the impact. She lunged, flipping mid-air to deliver a devastating axe kick.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
Hanzō water-teleported away, leaving his salamander to eat the blow. The creature pancaked into the ground, immobilized.
"Poof!" It vanished, reappearing at Hanzō's feet.
Hands already weaving signs, Hanzō bellowed:
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A tsunami erupted from his mouth, swallowing the battlefield.
The salamander added its own contribution, spewing purple venom.
"Toxic Spray."
Poison merged with water, creating a bubbling, lava-like river of death.
Since Tsunade wasn't a chakra-draining freak like Orochimaru, Hanzō could finally cut loose.
Tsunade wasn't fazed by the "Demigod's" oceanic-scale jutsu. With the spread of Foundation Internal Arts, such feats—though still rare—were no longer unimaginable.
"Not bad, 'Demigod' Hanzō. You do live up to the name."
This was her first time fighting him.
He was stronger than expected.
Now, she acknowledged his might.
"Then I'll go all out too."
Her hands formed a seal as the diamond mark on her forehead unfurled into intricate patterns.
"Yin Seal: Release!"
"Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth—Modified! Infinite Regeneration!"
Hanzō's eyes narrowed at the word "infinite."
That damned snake had a technique with the same prefix.
A very bad feeling settled in his gut.
...
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(End of Chapter)