Filthy—truly filthy.
Surrounded by the thick poisonous mist, Hanzō of the Salamander seethed with disdain toward Kazuyama.
As a ninja, ambushes were part of the game. But hiding in the shadows and endlessly launching sneak attacks like this? That was just downright dirty.
The Iwa ninjas around him retreated quickly, and in no time, Hanzō was the only one left in the area.
After all, that deep purple gas was no joke—just inhaling a trace of it could be fatal.
"Tsk tsk, he's got patience, I'll give him that."
"So, Snake Princesses, how should we deal with him?"
Kazuyama remained calm and unhurried. With the three Snake Princesses assisting him, he was basically untouchable.
But the poison from the highly toxic Ibuse wasn't infinite. Even in this slow-release mode, it would eventually run out.
"Hmph, still not coming out, brat?"
"You do realize this is the Land of Fire, right? If I keep releasing poison like this..."
"Nothing will survive around here."
Hanzō watched the silence stretch on, and aside from continuing his taunts, he had no moves left.
For the first time, the so-called Demi-God found himself feeling helpless.
"Clang!"
Suddenly, a kunai came flying his way. He swatted it aside with a casual swing.
"Damn it! I knew you were still—"
The sudden attack triggered Hanzō's rage, but he didn't even get to finish the sentence.
A figure flashed before him. A long snake struck his body—and in the next instant, both he and Kazuyama vanished from atop Ibuse's head.
Ibuse froze in confusion. His master? The enemy? Where had they gone?
When they reappeared, both were midair.
"You little bastard! How dare you!"
As he felt himself falling, Hanzō was furious.
Kazuyama slowly shed his invisibility. A strange glow radiated from him, with three long snakes—one red, one blue, one green—coiling around his body. He had entered Sage Mode.
While Hanzō dropped straight down, Kazuyama floated effortlessly in the air, watching him descend.
"Come on, old man. You need to step it up."
"Trading blows on the ground? What's the fun in that? I brought you up here—nice, right?"
"Or is this too boring for you?"
"Alright then..."
Kazuyama gave a sly grin and brought his hands together.
All around him, countless crystal senbon began to take shape.
"If I'm not mistaken, you folks from Amegakure have a technique called Senbon Rain."
"I wonder if my Crystal Release: Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers can live up to it!"
A storm of crystal senbon rained down on Hanzō.
Under normal conditions, this kind of attack wouldn't faze Hanzō. But in midair, he had nowhere to evade, and the freefall left him vulnerable.
Still, he was the man known as a Demi-God. Even with the odds stacked against him, he didn't flinch.
"Hmph! Damn brat!"
"Fire Release: Explosive Tag Array!"
He hurled a handful of explosive tags into the sky, forming a seal with one hand as his eyes burned with fury. The tags exploded above him in rapid succession.
Infused with his chakra, the blast enveloped the sky overhead, creating a barrage to counter the rain of senbon.
The explosion's force also helped propel him downward even faster.
"Damn brat!"
"I'll kill you!"
With the wind howling past his ears, Hanzō was burning with rage.
As he roared, Kazuyama's lips curled into a smirk.
[Ding! Host's continuous actions have thoroughly disgusted Hanzō of the Salamander, completely shattering his worldview. Special reward: Ninjutsu Amplification +5%.]
As expected of a Demi-God of the ninja world—this reward wasn't bad at all.
But Kazuyama didn't just let the roar go unanswered.
"Oh? Still not enough?"
"I honestly didn't expect a mighty Demi-God to beg for more."
"If hitting you lightly doesn't satisfy, fine!"
"Let me turn it up a notch."
Channeling natural energy, Kazuyama's voice rang out clearly in Hanzō's ears.
With a surge of Crystal Release, massive crystal boulders began forming high in the sky.
"If senbon weren't enough, how about some rocks?"
"Hope you like them, old man."
"Drop!"
A rain of crystal boulders plummeted from the sky, and Hanzō's eyes went wide.
"Damn it!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
These massive chunks weren't like senbon. A direct hit from one of them would be devastating.
Forced into action, Hanzō quickly gathered chakra and unleashed a jutsu. A giant water dragon erupted from his mouth, coiling around him before surging upward.
"Oh? You can use Water Release even mid-air?"
"Then I'll give it a try too."
"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!"
A massive fireball lit up the sky. Even the fierce water dragon paled against its intensity.
The sheer force of the Fire Release startled Hanzō.
But as a seasoned legend of the ninja world, while surprised, he remained composed and continued casting his jutsu.
This time, however, the water dragon didn't surge upward—it curled inwards, forming a defensive coil around him.
Boom!
Fire met water, crystal boulders rained down, and in an instant, the sky turned chaotic.
The Iwa ninjas watching from a distance could only stare, eyes wide with disbelief.
"See you around, old man!"
Hovering above the chaos, Kazuyama glanced down at the pinned Hanzō and tossed out a cheeky farewell before flying openly toward the Land of Fire.
Still bracing against the crashing fire and stone, Hanzō glared after him, eyes burning red with fury.
He wanted to shout back, but the overwhelming weight of the flames and boulders left him frozen, helplessly watching as Kazuyama disappeared from view.
Only when he was about to crash down did he finally feel a slight relief. Ibuse rushed over and caught his master just in time.
The impact was so intense it forced Ibuse's massive body to sink into the ground.
With Hanzō no longer directing him, Ibuse had already stopped releasing poison, and the remaining gas had nearly dissipated.
The last traces of the toxic mist were swept away by the violent air currents from the clashing jutsu.
Once all the flames had vanished and the boulders had shattered, Hanzō finally let loose a furious roar.
"You brat from Konoha!"
"I swear, I'll kill you!"
For all his years dominating the ninja world, this was the angriest he had ever been.
A brat so disgustingly underhanded, with such revolting tactics!
He was ready to explode from sheer fury. If he didn't kill that kid, he'd never sleep again!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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