Reigetsu had merely instinctively questioned Hibari's identity as a shinobi, so he didn't expect the guy to immediately curse at him, sounding as if he had some grudge. This infuriated Reigetsu.
Immediately, Reigetsu suspected that the person before him might be one of those Iwagakure bastards who attacked the Daimyō's Manor. After all, if there was anyone he had grudges with over the years, it was mostly those from Iwagakure.
"You're from Iwagakure? Did you attack the Daimyō's Manor?" Reigetsu demanded furiously.
However, Hibari wasn't actually from Iwagakure, so he had no qualms. He immediately shot back, "I Iwagakure your mother's hammer! The road's wide enough; you take your high road, and I'll take my narrow path, okay? Why do you have to seek death?!"
Reigetsu became even more confused upon hearing this. If the opponent were truly from Iwagakure, it would be absolutely impossible for them to casually utter such derogatory and disrespectful words. And he genuinely felt that this guy in front of him seemed to have absolutely no reverence for the words 'Iwagakure.' Therefore, it was highly likely he wasn't from Iwagakure.
With that, Reigetsu asked again, "Then are you a Kirigakure rogue ninja?"
"Why should I tell you so much?" Hibari snapped back impatiently, then formed a hand seal at his chest and muttered, "Release!"
The next second, as the Transformation Jutsu unraveled, smoke erupted around him. The tattered beggar's disguise vanished, revealing a figure clad in black, wearing a pure white mask—the appearance of a shinobi.
Although he revealed his shinobi appearance, Hibari had no identifying marks on him, making it impossible to tell anything. However, Reigetsu had no intention of continuing to question him; further questioning would likely only invite more insults. He wasn't so masochistic as to ask for trouble. It was better to subdue this guy and take him back for a thorough interrogation.
Meanwhile, having already exposed his shinobi identity, Hibari couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on Reigetsu. Settling the score right here was the priority!
So, the instant the Transformation Jutsu was released, Hibari had already grabbed the short sword at his lower back. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he shattered the ground beneath him and charged at Reigetsu with extreme velocity, his cold blade striking mercilessly.
As an expert, Reigetsu naturally wouldn't let Hibari just chop off his head. Thus, at that critical moment, his kunai precisely blocked Hibari's short sword. Then, both simultaneously kicked at each other's chests.
In that instant, their movements were synchronized, and their legs inevitably collided in the air. Neither gained an advantage, but they both used the force to create distance between them again.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Reigetsu quickly formed hand signs for a Water Release ninjutsu. The nearby lake water immediately surged. In Reigetsu's view, the environment here was perfectly suited for his fighting style; it was his home turf.
Hibari's movements were also swift. As Reigetsu formed hand signs, he too formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Reigetsu roared, and a massive water dragon emerged from the lake, charging towards Hibari with tremendous power.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!" Hibari also roared, and a giant mud dragon churned out from the ground, directly colliding with the water dragon.
In an instant, due to the elemental advantage, it shattered the water dragon into splashes and then continued to assault Reigetsu.
Reigetsu remained unfazed. He raised his hand in a specific posture and quietly said, "Water Pistol!"
As his words fell, a water droplet, the size of a bullet, shot from his finger. Though small, the water droplet carried immense power, striking Hibari's Earth Dragon Bullet and splitting it in two.
However, no sooner had his action concluded than Hibari unleashed another ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Fire Ball!" Hibari opened his mouth and spat out a ball of fire, which shot towards Reigetsu.
Reigetsu's reaction speed was not slow at all. With a simple hand seal, the already damp ground beneath his feet surged, and a Water Wall Jutsu instantly formed, blocking his path.
However, what he didn't expect was that the next second, the mysterious shinobi used another ninjutsu.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
A transparent Wind Release energy sphere rapidly caught up with the Fire Ball. Then, with the wind fueling the fire, the Fire Ball swelled to more than twice its original size, powerfully striking the Water Wall Jutsu. It instantly evaporated the water wall, and the scorching flames then violently crashed onto the ground, causing an explosion.
And just an instant before this explosion, a figure had already rapidly retreated, creating even more distance between them.
"Earth Release, Fire Release, Wind Release... a shinobi with three natures? You must be an elite from one of the hidden villages. Who exactly are you?" Reigetsu stared intently at Hibari, his eyes full of doubt.
"I told you already, I'm your dad!" Hibari cursed Reigetsu again, without holding back.
This enraged Reigetsu. He quickly formed hand signs and retorted, "I hope you'll still be so stubborn after I catch you later!"
Hibari also swiftly formed hand signs and shot back, "When I beat you up later, don't you dare cry for your daddy and mommy!"
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon!"
The two ninjutsu clashed again. The Earth Release still held the advantage. However, the next second, a dense mist suddenly enveloped the area, causing Hibari to frown involuntarily.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu?" Hibari murmured softly, tightening his grip on his short sword.
Unlike his past ignorance, he now clearly knew that Reigetsu was also a master swordsman. Using this Hidden Mist Jutsu likely meant he intended to obscure Hibari's vision and defeat him with his sword.
Meanwhile, amidst the spreading mist, Reigetsu formed a hand seal for a summoning jutsu. Then, with a 'poof!', a large scroll was summoned. He quickly unsealed the scroll, and instantly, a large, cloth-wrapped sword appeared.
"Samehada... don't disappoint me too much..." Reigetsu murmured softly, then snatched the great sword Samehada from the ground, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and vanished into the enveloping mist.
At this moment, Hibari held a short sword, his heart filled with caution. He continuously released his chakra to sense his surroundings. Unlike ordinary mist, the clash of fire and water could indeed generate dense mist, obscuring vision. However, that kind of mist was merely water vapor and couldn't block chakra perception.
This Hidden Mist Jutsu, however, was different. It fell within the realm of Water Release ninjutsu, and the mist itself contained the caster's chakra. Therefore, it could greatly interfere with chakra sensing, effectively making enemies 'blind.' This jutsu had even managed to interfere with the Rinnegan's vision in the future, which shows how special it was.
Thus, even though Hibari was now releasing chakra to sense his surroundings, he still found nothing. In this desolate wilderness, no one else would appear. With Reigetsu silent, the entire scene became completely quiet, and the atmosphere gradually grew oppressive.
Just as Hibari was bracing for an attack that could come from any angle and contemplating a counter-strategy, a sudden burst of wind pressure came from behind him.
Without time to think, Hibari swiftly blocked with his short sword. He then felt an immense force. Fortunately, Hibari's own strength was formidable enough that he managed to block the heavy pressure of the great sword Samehada with his slender short sword.
However, because the mist obscured his vision, and because Hibari had never expected that bastard Reigetsu would possess the special great sword Samehada at this time, by the time he noticed the unusual bandages on the sword, it was already slightly too late.
The great sword Samehada suddenly flared open. Its sharp scales instantly shredded Hibari's arm, causing blood to flow freely. Not only that, Hibari also felt some of his chakra being plundered, as if something had taken a bite out of it.
'Impossible... Samehada?' Hibari sharply retreated a step, thinking this to himself.
In Hibari's memory, the great sword Samehada was wielded by one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, its first owner being Fuguki Suikazan. How was Reigetsu suddenly wielding this sword to attack him?
But the facts were before him. And upon closer thought, it seemed the Hozuki clan had always had a tradition of collecting famous swords. In the future, Mangetsu was also able to skillfully use all seven ninja swords. In other words, these seven ninja swords might have all been possessed by the Hozuki clan at some point!
'What a pleasant surprise... I've long felt that the sword in my hand was a bit too 'brittle.' I really like this great sword Samehada...' Hibari completely ignored the injuries on his arm. Instead, a crazed smile spread across his lips as he thought this.
However, before he could think further, the great sword Samehada was currently in Reigetsu's hand. He saw it once again tear through the mist, striking at Hibari from a tricky angle.
Hibari didn't fall into the trap this time. Instead, his body moved, and he performed two swift backflips in quick succession, deftly dodging the attack.
At the same time, he rapidly formed several hand signs.
"Wind Release: Great Storm!" After Hibari landed, his hand signs were complete. Simultaneously, his chakra surged, and the previously calm wilderness grew turbulent. A fierce wind suddenly appeared, gradually blowing away all the mist.
At the same time, Reigetsu, with the great sword Samehada on his shoulder, finally appeared in Hibari's line of sight.
"You think blowing away the mist will turn the tide? Speaking of which, Samehada really likes your chakra... It says it's delicious..." Reigetsu said with a wicked grin, looking at Hibari's still bloody arm.
"Samehada... Hehehe, sure enough, it likes my chakra? Funny, I like it too..." Hibari murmured softly.
Perhaps Reigetsu hadn't exerted his full power yet, but Hibari had only just begun to warm up!
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