"Hmm?"
Hanzō of the Salamander felt the tremor in the ground.
Boom!
A massive head burst through the soil, followed by a surge of blood erupting from below.
Hanzō's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the head emerging from underground.
"Ibuse!!"
Yes—his ultimate weapon. The highly poisonous Ibuse, the creature that had brought him fame.
"Damn it! What the hell happened?!"
With Ibuse's death, his combat power had taken a major blow. More than that, Ibuse had been with him for years. To say he felt nothing would be a lie.
Boom!
The ground cracked open again, and Kazuyama Gekkō emerged alongside a swarm of long snakes.
Hanzō glanced down and saw it—they'd dug straight through and eliminated Ibuse!
That damned little brat!
"Hehehe, before it died, your Ibuse told me it hated—hated you, old geezer, for not saving it."
"You used it for years, and even as it was beaten within an inch of its life, you didn't notice. You're a lousy master!"
Kazuyama's venomous tongue went into full swing again. Coupled with his wicked grin, Hanzō looked like he was about to explode.
"You little bastard!"
"Die!"
Ibuse's death pushed Hanzō over the edge.
Sickle in one hand, his other forming hand seals, he and his clone launched a simultaneous attack on Kazuyama.
[Ding! Detected that the host used cruel means to kill Hanzō of the Salamander's beloved pet, and further taunted him verbally, completely breaking his mental defenses. Reward: Fire Release: Explosive Tag Array.]
Kazuyama heard the notification and felt like he'd been slapped.
What kind of trash reward was that? He had no interest in the technique.
Whatever. Now wasn't the time to gripe about it—dealing with Hanzō came first.
He resumed control of the Titan Python—not from within, but remotely via a chakra link, commanding it to attack.
The massive serpent plowed forward like a bulldozer, flattening everything in its path.
No matter how Hanzō or his clones struck, the Titan Python ignored them. The sickles bounced off harmlessly, leaving no mark.
"Water Release! Water Dragon Bullet!"
Seeing that physical attacks were useless, Hanzō unleashed several water dragons, momentarily stalling the Titan Python's advance.
Meanwhile, Hanzō himself charged toward Kazuyama.
"You brat—don't think having Senjutsu makes you invincible!"
"My Iaijutsu can cut through anything!"
Kenjutsu: Chain Sickle Double Slash—he struck again, the scythe's blade slicing straight toward Kazuyama's neck.
"You think you're the only one who knows swordplay?"
"Take this!"
Kazuyama didn't know real Kenjutsu—but he wielded the Kusanagi Sword, which was sharp enough to make up for it.
He raised it to block, sparks flying as the sickle clashed with the blade.
"Huh?"
Hanzō stared, stunned to see his sickle chipped from the impact. He glanced at Kazuyama's weapon in disbelief.
"Surprised? Didn't expect that, huh?"
"This baby's the Kusanagi Sword!"
Kazuyama shoved Hanzō back. With the sword in hand, he radiated confidence, like he was untouchable.
Of course Hanzō knew the legend of the Kusanagi Sword—he just never expected this kid to be wielding one.
And clearly, the kid didn't even know how to use it properly.
"What a waste!"
"Says you! What, Amegakure can't afford decent weapons? Always swinging around that busted sickle."
They clashed again, and the verbal jabs kept flying.
Kazuyama showed exactly why he was one of Konoha's Twin Stars. Sure, he lacked technique—but he had chakra and the Snake Princesses on his side.
When he couldn't block, they defended for him. When his stance faltered, they adjusted it.
Hanzō wasn't fighting a boy—he was fighting a battalion.
"Damn it... at this rate, I'm getting nowhere."
"Curse you, Ibuse!"
Frustration surged. Hanzō had already started thinking about retreat. Continuing the fight now was meaningless—especially with Ibuse gone.
The forest was a battlefield from edge to edge.
Konoha and Iwagakure shinobi were dropping everywhere.
Elsewhere, the Five-Tails, Kokuō, had broken free of Gamaken and Jiraiya's suppression and was now launching a fierce counterattack.
Jiraiya was struggling to hold his ground.
Kazuyama sensed Jiraiya's predicament and narrowed his eyes.
"Time to wrap this up. Jiraiya's barely hanging on."
With his natural energy perception, he could feel Jiraiya's chakra weakening. Holding off the enraged Five-Tails this long was already impressive.
"Alright, we'll channel chakra for you. End it quickly."
Kazuyama gripped his sword with one hand and formed seals with the other.
He commanded the Titan Python to seize Hanzō's clone, coiling tightly and hurling it far away.
Hanzō used the opening to rearm himself.
"Iaijutsu!"
"You think I'm scared?!"
Kazuyama swung the Kusanagi Sword again.
If the sword had a soul, it would've been screaming.
Kusanagi Sword: You maniac! I'm a sword, not a machete! Stop treating me like one!
Kazuyama: Relax, you're indestructible. What's the problem?
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed as Hanzō's sickle shattered—its front half clanging to the ground.
But Hanzō wasn't fazed. His assault wasn't over.
As they clashed blades, dozens of explosive tags suddenly appeared beneath Kazuyama's feet, wrapping around his legs.
Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation. Hanzō used the technique with terrifying precision.
Caught off guard, Kazuyama had fallen for it.
"Explode!" Hanzō roared.
Boom!
Smoke billowed as the explosion detonated.
But when it cleared, there was no trace of Kazuyama in the blast zone.
"Old geezer, you really thought that would hurt me?"
"Fire Release..."
"No!"
The moment he heard Kazuyama's voice, a chill ran down Hanzō's spine.
A second later, an inferno engulfed his position.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.
Flames roared across the battlefield as Kazuyama grinned. He could feel it—Hanzō had been hit.
Maybe not dead, but seriously burned? Definitely.
"Go!"
He pointed toward the Five-Tails.
The Titan Python surged forward, swallowing Kazuyama in one gulp before charging toward the new target.
At the same time, Kazuyama bit his finger.
"Summoning Technique!"
The snake clan's brilliance returned to the battlefield.
Kinrin, Seirin, Korin, Yulin...
All five snakes unleashed—charging straight at the Five-Tails.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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