"Ryun!!!"
Seeing the explosion engulf Ryun, Jiraiya could not help but let out a grief-stricken roar.
Orochimaru had just used his Snake Hands technique, so when the explosion destroyed the snakes, he was also somewhat caught in the blast. The shockwave sent his body stumbling backward.
Just as he steadied himself, a grayish-brown giant salamander suddenly burst out of the water and swallowed him whole in one bite.
This was the salamander Ibuse, which had been electrocuted and flipped belly-up by Ryun earlier. It had recovered and secretly submerged into the river. Orochimaru's attention had been entirely focused on the explosion, so he failed to notice the giant creature underwater.
"Shunshin no Jutsu!"
At the moment of the explosion, Ryun formed a one-handed seal and activated the Body Flicker Technique. At this time, he was also under the effects of the Chidori's cell activation, and the combination made his Body Flicker Technique incredibly fast!
"So fast!!!"
Amidst the flickering lightning, he instantly teleported in front of Hanzō of the Salamander and thrust his Chidori forward.
"Water Style: Body Flicker Technique!"
The most lethal strike still missed.
Ryun quickly retracted his Chidori and swiftly formed another set of hand seals with his left hand.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Panther!"
The Chidori in his hand transformed into a lightning beast under his control, shifting into the shape of a panther as it shot toward Hanzō of the Salamander.
Hanzō's Water Body Flicker Technique was indeed unreasonably fast, but powerful techniques often had limitations. Since Hanzō had just used it once, Ryun refused to believe he could activate it again in such a short time.
The Body Flicker Technique placed high demands on the user's physical condition. Even jōnin would not use it frequently because the extreme speed placed a heavy burden on the body.
Ryun had just used an incomplete Lightning Body Flicker Technique, and now his legs ached terribly—his muscles were clearly strained. That speed had somewhat exceeded what his body could handle.
"What?!"
Faced with the lightning panther charging toward him, Hanzō of the Salamander showed a look of shock for the first time. It was the kind of surprise that came from losing control of the situation. This young man's attacks were getting faster with each strike!
Ryun's terrifying mastery over lightning was completely beyond his expectations.
The lightning panther was too fast, leaving Hanzō no time to form seals to defend himself. Moreover, he had just used the Water Body Flicker Technique and could not possibly use it again so soon.
"Drop!"
At the last moment before the lightning panther struck, Hanzō's body suddenly became heavy. He canceled the chakra on his feet and instantly sank into the river, narrowly avoiding the panther as it lunged overhead.
Ryun had no time to feel disappointed. He immediately swung his hand downward, and the lightning panther plunged into the river under his full control.
He could only hope that the lightning would conduct through the water and injure his formidable opponent.
After this, Ryun, exhausted from the massive chakra expenditure, knelt on the water's surface, gasping for breath.
Meanwhile.
Orochimaru had indeed been swallowed whole by the salamander Ibuse. However, just before being sent into its stomach, he crossed his hands and quickly used the Shadow Clone Technique!
With the sudden appearance of numerous shadow clones, even Ibuse's large mouth could not hold so many people at once. It had no choice but to spit Orochimaru and his clones back out.
After this, it did not recklessly attack Orochimaru again, who had now regained his footing. Instead, it dove back into the turbulent river.
Soon after, it resurfaced with a panting Hanzō of the Salamander on its back.
Hanzō was still able to stand. Ryun's last technique had indeed injured him, but it was still not enough to decide the battle.
The three of them were in terrible condition. Jiraiya was still suffering from the paralyzing poison and was in no state to fight.
Orochimaru had been covered in Ibuse's toxic mucus after being swallowed, causing red swelling all over his skin. In panic, he immediately washed himself in the river.
Ryun had strained his muscles from using extreme speed and exhausted a large amount of chakra from multiple powerful Lightning Style techniques. Even so, he was still in the best condition among the three.
"You three youngsters, you..."
"Run!!!"
Before Hanzō could finish speaking, the panicked shouts of Rain-nin echoed from nearby.
The three terrifying giant beasts had unknowingly fought their way to this area.
The Black Dragon fought against two opponents, its brutal close-quarters combat churning the river into chaos.
Many of its scales had been bitten off, and its ferocious maw dripped with thick, poisonous saliva.
Whenever it had a moment to breathe, it would lower its head to gulp river water, rinsing out the toxins.
These annoying toxic fluids made it harder to bite the slippery salamanders. Moreover, the massive dose of poison had numbed its jaws, making it difficult to exert full biting force.
Even so, it still held the upper hand in the battle. The Black Salamander was covered in wounds from the dragon's claws, and the smaller salamander had even lost its tail to the Black Dragon's bite!
The Black Salamander desperately wanted to escape back to the summoning realm, realizing it was no match for the Black Dragon.
Its prideful poison had little effect, and its teeth could only tear off scales, inflicting minor injuries.
This vicious dragon was the strongest opponent it had ever faced. The Black Salamander could only pin its hopes on Hanzō, waiting for him to defeat his opponents and come to its aid. But Hanzō was nowhere to be seen...
Left with no choice, the Black Salamander moved the battlefield toward Hanzō's location. If even Hanzō couldn't turn the tide, it would have to admit defeat and return to the summoning realm.
"Roar..."
The Black Dragon let out a terrifying roar, furious that it had failed to finish off the Black Salamander after so long.
It was, after all, a dragon. Fighting in its ideal aquatic environment, it had been bitten multiple times by a mere fish.
This outcome was unacceptable, so it stopped holding back its sage chakra and fully entered a rampage.
With a powerful swing of its thick tail, the entire stretch of the river boiled over. Towering waves rose one after another, and the terrifying flood was no longer something any human could withstand.
The enraged Black Dragon unleashed its ability to control storms and waves, riding a hundred-meter-high tsunami that crashed toward the Black Salamander.
Everyone on the river was now within the range of the colossal wave. Once it used this ability, it could no longer afford to care about anyone else's safety.
This was a large-scale sage technique—only the Black Dragon itself was unaffected by the flood!
"Damn it!!!"
Ryun cursed loudly, then forcibly used the Body Flicker Technique to reach Jiraiya, intending to carry him to safety.
"No time to escape! Orochimaru!!!"
The wave was already upon them, and the shore was still far away. Jiraiya prepared to endure the flood's impact!
Orochimaru immediately flickered next to the two. In the next moment, Jiraiya's long hair surged outward, wrapping around all three of them tightly.
Still not satisfied, Orochimaru stretched his hand outside the hair sphere, summoning a swarm of snakes that coiled tightly around the white hair ball, adding another layer of protection.
Boom!!!
The colossal wave crashed over them, sweeping every living thing in sight underwater.
The massive flood overflowed the riverbanks, engulfing nearby abandoned villages and submerging countless fields.