Despite the turbulent waves on the great river, dozens of Konoha water-style elites were still engaged in fierce combat with the Rain-nin reinforcement unit.
The river surface was in complete chaos, with summoned beasts and water-style jutsu nearly clashing together. Wave after wave made it difficult for the shinobi to maintain their footing, let alone fight to the death.
This situation tested everyone's chakra control to the limit. Those with poor foundational skills could easily be swept into the depths of the river.
As water-based combat beasts, the Black Dragon and the Salamander quickly escalated their battle to a life-or-death struggle.
The蛟龙 (Black Dragon), now submerged, displayed remarkable agility, quickly gaining the upper hand in close combat. It fiercely bit down on the giant salamander's body and forcefully pushed it above the water's surface.
"Roar——!"
The black salamander let out a pained cry. Hearing this, the two smaller salamanders nearby went berserk, attempting to rush to its aid. However, they were firmly blocked by Manda and Gamatatsu.
The battle between the giant beasts intensified. The two salamanders fought with reckless abandon, showing no intention of retreating to the summoning realm. Manda and Gamatatsu suddenly found themselves under immense pressure.
After being bitten, the black salamander secreted a thick, deadly toxin from its poison glands.
The moment the Black Dragon's tongue came into contact with the toxin, it went numb, and its jaws grew stiff, as if losing control.
Even worse, the black salamander's poison had a lubricating effect. As the creature twisted its body, the Black Dragon's grip began to slip.
Realizing that the slippery salamander was hard to maintain a hold on, the Black Dragon extended its claws, trying to pin it down. Unfortunately, with one powerful twist, the salamander managed to break free.
After the first exchange, the Black Dragon showed no visible injuries, while the giant salamander's body was visibly bleeding, clearly wounded.
Regrettably, due to its draconic transformation, the Black Dragon's fangs had lost their venomous properties.
Had it still possessed its original venomous fangs, a full injection of poison might have severely injured or even killed the giant salamander, given that it had already landed a bite.
The Black Dragon had gained far greater endurance, explosive power, and bite force than its previous serpent form, along with powerful limbs, indestructible scales, and two additional elemental abilities beyond its original earth nature.
Yet, it had lost its most lethal serpent trait—venom.
"Matriarch! Are you alright? Can you hold on?" Hanzō of the Salamander leaped back onto the salamander's head, his voice filled with concern.
The black salamander did not answer. Instead, it suddenly opened its maw and released an overwhelming cloud of toxic mist.
Purple poisonous smoke spread across the river. Hanzō suddenly shouted something unintelligible to the Konoha shinobi, but the Rain-nin, even at the cost of injuries, immediately began retreating.
"What's going on?"
The Konoha shinobi were momentarily confused. Why fear poison gas? Weren't they all wearing gas masks?
But within seconds, Orochimaru's expression changed drastically. "Beware the poison fog! Retreat now!"
Though he reacted swiftly, some Konoha shinobi and the other summoned beasts were briefly enveloped by the toxic mist.
"The poison… it seeps through the pores!" a Konoha shinobi realized.
As soon as he spoke, many noticed red rashes forming on their skin. The symptoms weren't painful or itchy, but a numbing sensation spread rapidly.
"Sage Art: Water Pillar!"
The Black Dragon ignored the salamander's poison mist. Gathering senjutsu chakra, it unleashed a devastating torrent of water from its maw.
However, due to the numbing effects of the poison, its movements were slightly delayed. The black salamander seized the opportunity to dive into the river, narrowly avoiding the lethal attack.
Hanzō, standing atop the salamander, also used a water-body flicker technique to escape to a distance.
"Ah——!"
Gamatatsu's agonized cry echoed through the poison fog.
Both it and Manda had been caught in the toxic mist, their bodies paralyzed. Meanwhile, the two salamanders remained unaffected.
One salamander viciously clamped onto Gamatatsu's forelimb, forcing it to drop its short sword into the river.
With venom seeping into its body, Gamatatsu had no choice but to dispel itself, retreating to Mount Myōboku to save its life.
Nearby, Manda had tightly coiled around the other salamander, its fangs sunk deep into the creature's flesh. It constricted with all its might, attempting to crush its opponent.
Manda was strong enough to handle one salamander, but the poison fog weakened it. With Gamatatsu's retreat, it now faced two enemies at once.
As the second salamander spat more venom and the first continued secreting toxins from its skin, Manda finally succumbed to the overwhelming poison.
"Lord Black Dragon! I can't hold on any longer!"
With a desperate shout toward the Black Dragon, it dispelled itself, returning to the Ryūchi Cave.
Had it not been for the Black Dragon's influence, Manda would never have fought so fiercely for Orochimaru or Konoha.
Even in its final moments, its last words were an apology to the Black Dragon for its failure—not a demand for a hundred human sacrifices from Orochimaru.
"Tch… useless trash." The Black Dragon scoffed, glancing dismissively at the spot where Manda had vanished.
It remained within the thinning poison mist, showing no intention of fleeing. A mere paralyzing toxin wasn't enough to make it retreat.
Meanwhile, the two now-unopposed salamanders swam toward it.
However, one of them suddenly sank into the river mid-swim before dispelling in a puff of smoke.
Earlier, it had been bitten by Manda. As time passed, the snake venom took effect, leaving it unable to continue fighting.
The salamander summoning species was no weaker than the three great sage summoning realms in terms of individual combat power. However, their numbers were far fewer, and they lacked sage heritage, which was why they weren't as renowned as the three great summoning realms.
In the original story, the salamander summoned by Hanzō fought Gamatatsu, Katsuyu, and Manda in a direct confrontation. By the end, Hanzō's salamander remained unharmed, while the three great summons had already retreated to their realms, leaving only the exhausted Sannin behind.
This demonstrated the salamanders' formidable strength. That Manda managed to take one down was already a testament to its full effort.
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