[Ding! Host, don't you have a Kusanagi sword? This system has specially tailored a sword technique for you. Not only are you not grateful, you actually despise it. Hmph, do you want it or not? If you don't want it, this system will recycle it.]
"I want it! Why wouldn't I want it? Even a fly is meat! What's given to me is mine!"
How could he refuse a reward that Kazuyama had worked so hard to obtain?
It was just that he felt there was something off about this Kenjutsu, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was because of the name switching.
Soon, the Five-Tails' roar brought him back to reality.
"Bastards! I'll kill you all!"
"Get out of the way!"
Boom!
Being pinned down by a giant toad that fell from the sky, Five-Tails completely lost control. Now, it was no longer Han who held consciousness, but Five-Tails Kokuō.
What a disgrace—what an immense disgrace.
A toad. A toad dared to treat her like this? Unforgivable!
Steam erupted from Kokuō's body, her power growing more terrifying by the second. Even with Gamaken pressing her down, he couldn't suppress her strength. At that moment, Five-Tails was slowly forcing her body upright.
That terrifying force made Gamaken and Jiraiya break into a cold sweat.
"Jiraiya, I can't hold him down."
"His power is too great."
Gamaken was already exerting every ounce of strength he had, but Kokuō was still rising steadily through sheer brute force.
"Hang in there, Gamaken!"
"Earth Release! Swamp of the Underworld!"
Jiraiya wasn't about to let this perfect opportunity go to waste. He formed hand seals, eyes wide with intensity.
As the ninjutsu activated, the ground beneath Kokuō turned into a muddy swamp.
Kokuō, mid-struggle, suddenly slipped as her footing gave way—her power misdirected.
"Damn it!"
With the swamp dragging her down and Gamaken holding from above, Jiraiya and Gamaken finally managed to suppress Five-Tails—for now.
Kazuyama, watching the scene, gave Jiraiya a silent thumbs-up. As expected of a veteran warrior—his ninjutsu and battle instincts were razor-sharp.
Boom!
An explosion echoed from the distance. That had to be the Four-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball going off.
Now that both Tailed Beasts were under control, the only thing left was...
Kazuyama turned his gaze toward the far end of the forest. His opponent was there.
Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly. Without hesitation, Kazuyama leapt backward.
A giant Ibuse burst from the ground the next second, mouth agape.
A man wielding a sickle charged at Kazuyama with astonishing speed.
"Brat, I've been waiting for you a long time."
Shwaaah!
That gleam of steel sent a chill down Kazuyama's spine. Without thinking, he activated Flying Thunder God Technique.
He vanished midair in an instant. Hanzō's slash missed, but the man remained unbothered.
The chain at the end of his sickle whipped toward a marked kunai—it was one of Kazuyama's own.
This was Hanzō's Kenjutsu. The chain was his secondary weapon, and in tandem with his sickle, it made for a terrifying assault.
Even the samurai of the Land of Iron hadn't been able to match him in swordsmanship back in the day.
Swoosh!
Just as Kazuyama reappeared, the chain arrived too.
"Damn it! He tracked my landing spot?"
"I'm outta here!"
But Kazuyama wasn't Minato Namikaze—he'd left plenty of backup escape points.
As he vanished again, Hanzō narrowed his eyes and retracted the chain, scanning the surroundings.
"Hmph, slippery brat."
"Ibuse, withdraw."
At his command, the giant salamander disappeared underground.
Hanzō gripped his weapon as water vapor began to rise. Water Clones formed instantly, rushing in all directions.
"Brat, if you won't come out, your comrades will be slaughtered."
"Heh, my blade is sharp—they won't even feel a thing."
His voice dripped with mockery. The clones charged off to kill Konohagakure's shinobi.
He didn't believe Kazuyama would stand idly by.
"Tch, old bastard. Using this trick to draw me out?"
"Fine. As you wish."
Kazuyama's annoyed voice rang out through the forest—alongside the sudden rise of crystal walls.
Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Clone Technique! His clones shot off in pursuit of Hanzō's duplicates.
"Hehehe, kids will be kids. A ninja should do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission."
"You're still too green..."
"Water Release! Water Formation Wall."
Before Hanzō could finish mocking him, a surge of bad premonition hit. A wall of water engulfed him instantly.
A long sword struck the barrier.
"You react fast, old man."
"But you're still not there yet."
"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
With sword in one hand, Kazuyama slammed the other into the ground.
At point-blank range, the summoning jutsu exploded, drowning the water barrier—and Hanzō—in a sea of serpents.
So many snakes filled the area that their battlefield became a writhing ocean of venomous reptiles.
"Damn, that brat really is Orochimaru's disciple."
"All those damn snakes."
From a high vantage point, Jiraiya's hair stood on end as he watched the serpents swarm.
The Water Formation Wall vanished beneath the assault, but Hanzō had already slipped away.
The remaining clones were also intercepted by Kazuyama's crystal doppelgängers.
"Humph. Orochimaru's disciple—you've certainly earned that title."
"But even your sensei wasn't my match. You still have a long way to go."
The sickle reappeared, its attacks even fiercer than before. Hanzō, moving with his Water Body Flicker Technique, was fast.
Kazuyama sensed the incoming strike behind him but didn't budge.
Three long snakes shot from his body, each glowing in a different hue, blocking Hanzō's path.
The older man's eyes flashed in surprise. His sickle had been stopped? And by three glowing snakes?
"Stinky fish, stay away from our Kazuyama."
"Sage Art! Snake Fire Technique!"
Tagitsuhime opened her mouth and spat a stream of crimson flames—venom mixed with fire, producing a deadly blaze with immense heat and toxicity.
"Sage Techniques..."
"I really underestimated you."
Flames engulfed his sickle. Without a second's hesitation, Hanzō threw the weapon aside and retreated.
When Kazuyama turned his head, his eyes had become serpentine, horns protruded from his forehead, and his entire body radiated a deadly killing intent—like venom incarnate.
"Didn't you know I've already graduated?"
"Come on. Last time, you blocked my path. Today, it should've been me coming for you."
As his words fell, the three Snake Princesses took their positions. Four pairs of serpent eyes locked onto Hanzō.
"Sage Art: Serpent Transfiguration Dance."
Kazuyama brought his hands together, and behind him, a massive snake shadow began to rise.