In the last confrontation, both Hanzo the Salamander and the Salamander had already experienced the trickiness of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
After destroying the border base, the Salamander's attention wasn't on its contractor at all, but on the boy who destroyed its tail and almost killed it a few months ago.
Opening its huge mouth again, sucking in countless tons of water, the Salamander didn't spit it out as a water column but stored it for a charge.
When it saw Gojo Yoru teleport and disappear, it immediately turned its head towards Orochimaru's direction and spat out a huge stream of water again.
Glancing back, Orochimaru didn't use Water Release to accelerate and dodge but formed the seals for the Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
"Roar..."
Just as Gojo Yoru and Jiraiya appeared beside Orochimaru.
A deafening roar resounded within the water prison.
Then a huge water dragon, carrying Gojo Yoru and the other two, flew out of the water prison, swaying its body to dodge the huge water column also shooting out of the water prison.
Unfortunately, the water dragon's volume and speed were far inferior to the water column spat by the Salamander, and it was soon hit and exploded.
Fortunately, before the water dragon was hit, Gojo Yoru and the other two had already detached from it and landed in the rainforest where rain was pouring.
Splash...
Seeing that the border base had been destroyed by his partner, and Gojo Yoru and the others had escaped the water prison, Hanzo the Salamander stopped maintaining the water prison form.
Countless tons of water scattered, roaring and spreading in all directions like ocean waves.
The surging waves, much higher than the forest trees, submerged a large area of trees.
Whether it was Gojo Yoru and the other two who had just escaped the water prison, or the Rain ninjas who used Body Flicker to reach the outskirts of the border base forest, ready to support Hanzo-sama or help him block enemy reinforcements, all were submerged by the giant waves.
But that was all.
Everyone present was a ninja with strong Chakra control or mastery of Water Release Ninjutsu. They easily used the underwater forest or controlled the surrounding water flow to neutralize the impact of the giant waves, preventing their bodies from hitting trees and getting injured.
When the waves dissipated, the rain curtain like a steel curtain submerged the forest again.
A world of white haze deprived everyone of long-range vision.
The splash splash sound also filled everyone's ears with only the sound of pouring rain.
Gojo Yoru and the other two, as well as Hanzo the Salamander, didn't hide in the rainforest but stood on top of large trees, using the Sensing Technique to capture each other's positions.
If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move... the few people were in a stalemate like this.
Until a boom broke the atmosphere.
A giant beast, like a fish leaping out of the water, opened its bloody mouth to swallow the entire tree under Orochimaru's feet, also wanting to eat him.
Orochimaru was already prepared. The moment he felt the tree under his feet shake, he burst out the pre-condensed Chakra, turned into a blur, and leaped into the air. At the same time, he formed seals with one hand, holding a wind blade and waving it at the Salamander.
If it were a few months ago, the Salamander could have shattered Orochimaru's Wind Release with a tail whip and continued to attack Orochimaru with undiminished power.
But now, the Salamander had lost its strongest weapon.
Perhaps this wind blade still couldn't break its powerful defense, but it would bring pain.
Thus, the Salamander turned into a cloud of white smoke and returned to the summoning world.
Orochimaru continued to form seals in the air. Before landing on another large tree, he spat out a stream of airflow towards Hanzo the Salamander's direction.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The airflow expanded, turning into a highly compressed vortex storm, like an indestructible sharp blade, instantly cutting through large trees, blowing away the dense rain curtain, kicking up a large cloud of dust, and roaring towards Hanzo the Salamander.
The wind was fast, but Hanzo the Salamander was faster.
Like space-time teleportation, he flickered constantly on the treetops of the forest, escaping the range of the vortex storm in the blink of an eye.
Swish—
Appearing on a tree again using Body Flicker, a curved blackness suddenly appeared in the rain curtain in front of Hanzo the Salamander.
It was a Chakra blade surrounded by black electric arcs.
Hanzo the Salamander raised the sickle connected to a chain to collide with this black blade.
The next second, the sickle was cut off without even emitting a crack.
Seeing this, Hanzo the Salamander didn't show a shocked expression but smiled slightly.
Instead, Gojo Yoru, approaching under the cover of the rain curtain, had his pupils constrict slightly, then teleported and disappeared.
Boom—
As soon as he disappeared, a huge explosion resounded.
It was the familiar Shadow Clone self-destruction.
"This is too sinister, right?"
Appearing on a treetop with a Flying Thunder God formula attached in advance, Gojo Yoru couldn't help but complain.
All along, it was Gojo Yoru who schemed against others. Including the battle against Hanzo the Salamander a few months ago, he successfully schemed against the Salamander and almost killed the man and beast.
But now, Hanzo the Salamander was obviously guarding against him. Not only did he not fight alongside the Salamander, but he was also guarding against Gojo Yoru's Chakra concealment, not exposing his main body at all, using Shadow Clones as bait.
Shadow Clones were indistinguishable from the real thing; even Gojo Yoru couldn't tell.
And the Sensing Technique was also Gojo Yoru's current weakness.
If he had sensing at the level of the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, even if Hanzo the Salamander split into Shadow Clones, the positions of his and the clones' Chakra would be exposed to Gojo Yoru's sensing.
But now, Gojo Yoru did sense Hanzo the Salamander's Chakra, just didn't know if it was the main body or a Shadow Clone.
If it was the latter, it meant Hanzo the Salamander had already used an extension technique of the Hiding Technique, hiding somewhere unknown.
Regardless of whether the Hanzo the Salamander in the open was a Shadow Clone or the main body, Gojo Yoru and the others couldn't turn a blind eye.
Shadow Clone assassination techniques were equally fatal.
Just one move, and Gojo Yoru realized Hanzo the Salamander's difficulty.
It was probably impossible to scheme against Hanzo the Salamander like last time.
Gojo Yoru didn't give up immediately, preparing to try a few more times before retreating if it didn't work.
Gojo Yoru didn't know that an invisible sensing eye was watching him from a distance.
"What nature transformation is the Chakra in that brat's body? Black Lightning, or is he merging a Kekkei Genkai?"
Space-Time Chakra had built-in high-dimensional shielding. In the entire Ninja World, those who could discover it... no, accurately speaking, intelligent beings, could probably be counted on one hand.
Even a Super Kage level powerhouse like Uzumaki Mito, because she mastered the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the top sensing technique, could only barely see that there was an energy with special nature transformation similar to a Kekkei Genkai in Gojo Yoru's body.
As for what nature transformation it was, she didn't know.
Only the Slug Sage discovered the Space-Time Chakra in Gojo Yoru's body as soon as it appeared and seemed to know what nature transformation this Chakra contained, directly calling it a "Miracle of the Ninja World."
This person and beast were superior to everyone in this generation of the Ninja World in terms of sensing.
Gojo Yoru didn't know that Uzumaki Mito had also discovered his secret. Currently, he only knew that the Slug Sage could discover his Space-Time Chakra, thinking it was due to Senjutsu, and was only wary of the three Sages.
But he didn't know there was another person who could discover the black Chakra in his body.
That person was Black Zetsu, who possessed high-dimensional sensing and could even discover the Chakra of Asura and Indra reincarnated for a thousand years.
In Black Zetsu's sensing, Gojo Yoru had two types of Chakra in his body.
One was ordinary, and the other was black.
Unlike the Slug Sage who could sense nature and often dealt with space-time, Black Zetsu's reaction was like Uzumaki Mito's, not knowing what nature transformation that black Chakra contained.
Seeing Gojo Yoru's body and weapon surrounded by black electric arcs, he thought this Chakra was similar to the Black Lightning secret technique developed by the Third Raikage, or that Gojo Yoru was in the process of merging a Kekkei Genkai.
From beginning to end, he didn't think in the direction of Space-Time Chakra.
Precisely as the son of the Progenitor of Chakra, he knew the power of the Space-Time attribute.
Even Kekkei Mora level space-time abilities were mostly fixed moves with single usage.
How could Space-Time Chakra exist in this world?
As for using the Flying Thunder God Technique consuming Space-Time Chakra, it didn't arouse Black Zetsu's suspicion either; he just thought both types of Chakra could use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Neither Gojo Yoru and the Sannin, nor Hanzo the Salamander, nor the Rain ninja troops watching from a distance discovered Black Zetsu's existence.
Boom boom boom...
Using Shadow Clones as bait successfully lured out Gojo Yoru.
Although the self-destruction failed to hurt Gojo Yoru, the feedback from the Shadow Clones allowed Hanzo the Salamander to grasp new intelligence.
Gojo Yoru mastered Black Lightning like the Third Raikage, and could cover the Chakra blade with it, turning the blade pitch black with amazing power.
His Body Flicker also incorporated Black Lightning nature transformation, equally amazing.
Combined with the ability to hide Chakra, in this rain curtain, the threat was even greater than a few months ago.
Hanzo the Salamander also had the idea of retreating; after all, his target was the border base.
But giving up such a godsend climate unwillingly, Hanzo the Salamander targeted Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
Kunai with explosive tags attached to the ends shot towards Orochimaru, who was using the Sensing Technique, under the cover of the rain curtain and the sound of rain.
That fleeting Chakra fluctuation woke Orochimaru up, and he used Body Flicker to dodge.
A series of explosions failed to engulf Orochimaru.
However, the flames generated by the explosions were not extinguished by the rain but merged to form a huge fire dragon, roaring towards Orochimaru.
Looking at the fire dragon that seemed to have a consciousness of its own, Orochimaru, who used Hidden Shadow Snake Hands to grab a treetop and rotate to the ground, also formed seals to create a huge earth dragon soaring into the sky.
Slash—
Just as the two giant dragons of different attributes collided, a cold glint struck from behind.
The sharp sickle, pulled by the chain, cut off Orochimaru's head in one strike.
Unfortunately, no blood splattered; Orochimaru's head and body both turned into a puddle of mud.
Orochimaru, using Earth Replacement and Earth Body Flicker to dive underground, just found the trace of Hanzo the Salamander's Chakra when he found that Chakra mass dissipated.
Looking from the outside, one would see Hanzo the Salamander turning into a puddle of water.
In the rainy environment, Hanzo the Salamander, whose Water Body Flicker was unrivaled in the Ninja World, could escape far away in an instant.
In the entire Ninja World, there were only a few people who could compete with Hanzo the Salamander in terms of Body Flicker.
Gojo Yoru was one, Hatake Sakumo was one, and the Third Raikage was one.
And Hanzo the Salamander was not only a grandmaster of Water Release but also a grandmaster of Fire Release.
Even on a rainy day, he could use the flames generated by explosive tags to form a huge fire dragon.
A game of hide-and-seek involving four people unfolded in the rainforest.
Knowing well that Gojo Yoru could burrow and hide Chakra, Hanzo the Salamander never left the ground, never stayed on a tree for too long, and never attacked Jiraiya and Orochimaru at close range.
Every time, he used Shadow Clones as bait. If Gojo Yoru wasn't lured out, he attacked Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
The attacks were either Water Release or Fire Release, deliberately revealing flaws to attract Gojo Yoru's assassination.
After several probes, Hanzo the Salamander also found a weakness of Gojo Yoru: his Sensing Technique was not proportional to his Body Flicker Technique.
At a young age, his Body Flicker Technique was already unrivaled in the Ninja World. Not only did he develop the Silent Step extension technique, but he also integrated the ability to hide Chakra and stimulate the body with Black Lightning. In an environment with restricted vision, even Hanzo was far inferior to Gojo Yoru.
But Gojo Yoru's Sensing Technique was just ordinary sensing.
Unfortunately, his Body Flicker was too strong, and he had the Flying Thunder God Technique. Hanzo the Salamander couldn't find a chance to kill him.
Neither assassination nor using his companions could succeed.
"Let's go. Stop fighting him. Wait until the rain stops."
Orochimaru, whose special mask was destroyed by explosive tags again, finally hesitated no longer and said to Gojo Yoru, who teleported over to relieve the siege.
"Okay."
Gojo Yoru nodded in agreement. Today, he was taught a lesson by the old schemer again.
Using "Black Lightning" to mask Space-Time Chakra, Gojo Yoru even used the Dimensional Slash in this battle and successfully insta-killed Hanzo the Salamander multiple times.
But the opponent was all Shadow Clones, incredibly sinister.
Gojo Yoru had to admit that Hanzo the Salamander was more cautious than him.
To kill this Demigod of the Ninja World, he either had to develop a sensing extension technique to crack the opponent's Hiding Technique extension technique or develop a new move to continue occupying the intelligence advantage.
Thus, Gojo Yoru teleported away with Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
Hanzo the Salamander didn't chase.
The rainy forest was an advantage for him and Gojo Yoru but a disadvantage for Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
If not to create opportunities for Gojo Yoru, Orochimaru and Jiraiya wouldn't have stayed.
In a rainless forest, that would be Orochimaru and Jiraiya's advantage, and the difficulty of killing them would increase significantly.
Being entangled by them then might really give Gojo Yoru a chance to assassinate him.
The move that instantly killed fifty-five Sand ninjas, before confirming if it was the Flying Thunder God Slash, was the reason Hanzo the Salamander dared not approach with his main body.
Having achieved the goal this time, Hanzo the Salamander didn't linger either, leading the Rain ninja troops back to the Land of Rain.
Fighting a major power for the first time, and also encountering Hanzo the Salamander with several bottles of antidote per person for the first time, he didn't know that destroying the enemy's border base not only created a greater invasion opportunity for his side but also released the enemy's seal.
Returning to Amegakure, Hanzo the Salamander began to assemble combat units, preparing to formulate a combat plan to invade the Land of Fire.
But before the plan was formulated, the pouring rain that lasted for several days slowly turned into light rain.
Then a terrifying scene appeared at the junction of the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire.
Figures wearing flak jackets or armor turned into blurs flying out of the forest, quickly crossing the barren rocky area and entering the rocky mountain area of the Land of Rain.
This intelligence was quickly transmitted to Hanzo the Salamander by the reconnaissance team.
Hanzo the Salamander had a vague ominous premonition.
However, standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World, he didn't take it seriously at first, thinking this situation was actually a good thing.
Konoha ninjas actively entering the Land of Rain was a good thing for him. With his Body Flicker Technique, he would absolutely not give the opponent a chance to escape back to the forest area.
As long as a large-scale war broke out, even if they all had gas masks and goggles, they couldn't withstand the Salamander's poison a few times.
Inhaling even a tiny bit of poison smoke, they would die without the antidote.
Entering the rocky mountain area of the Land of Rain, replenishing supplies in time would also be difficult for them.
Unless they returned to the forest area, the support unit would be discovered by the reconnaissance team as soon as they appeared. Without him needing to act, the combat units could kill those support unit members.
The advantage is mine!
Thus, Hanzo the Salamander was about to lead the combat units to declare full-scale war on the Land of Fire.
Then... then he was dumbfounded!
The Konoha ninjas infiltrating the Land of Rain didn't choose a place as a camp at all. Instead, they split into four-man squads, dispersing to various places in the eastern territory of the Land of Rain, approaching Amegakure.
Wherever they passed, discovered reconnaissance teams would be attacked and killed by ninja troops.
Without waiting for the opponent's reinforcements to arrive, once the rain intensified, they would retreat decisively.
Lacking supplies, they would either return to the forest area to find the support unit for replenishment or hunt, or loot the villages and towns they encountered.
Although the outbreak of war caused many people to leave the Land of Rain or move to remote areas far from the junction of the three countries...
There were still many people who thought the war wouldn't affect this place and stayed where they were.
Encountering enemy ninjas, if the other party was kind, they might save their lives, only losing food and wealth.
If unlucky, their families would be ruined and dead.
Nagato's parents were the best example.
Hanzo the Salamander quickly realized the gap between a small ninja village and a large ninja village.
Even if it was just one battle line and weakened, Konoha's combat units still outnumbered Amegakure's combat units several times.
When they scattered and attacked Amegakure...
Amegakure's combat units couldn't withstand them all.
When their multiple ninja squads gathered, the opponent would retreat quickly.
Chasing them might lead into enemy ambushes and traps.
Because there were too few enemies coming to disrupt, Hanzo the Salamander couldn't take action; otherwise, he might fall into a trap, leading to Amegakure's walls being breached.
Although Hanzo the Salamander quickly thought of a countermeasure, which was to actively counterattack on heavy rain days and rainy nights...
But the enemy was too cunning. They either retreated to the forest area, hid to set traps, or the three major sensing clans rotated shifts. With reminders from reconnaissance teams and Anbu, once enemy traces were found, they would quickly evacuate, playing hide-and-seek with Rain ninja assassination squads in the rocky mountain area.
Worried about encountering enemy reinforcements, the Rain ninjas dared not chase deep, only attacking when finding an opportunity; otherwise, they wouldn't attack.
The only advantage was that unlike the previous probing period, which required returning to the Land of Rain for supplies...
Now Rain ninjas could resupply very conveniently.
However, supplies were limited. When production speed couldn't keep up with consumption speed, resources would eventually be exhausted.
In wartime, no merchant caravans would come to trade.
Once Amegakure lacked supplies, they could only go to other areas to buy supplies or even go abroad to buy.
Located at the junction of three countries and being an enemy of three countries, going abroad to buy meant going to other small countries, making resupply even more difficult.
When other areas were also looted or supplies couldn't keep up, it would be the time of Amegakure's defeat.
And this was Konoha's goal.
It was now a war of attrition until Amegakure couldn't fight anymore.
This was undoubtedly a protracted war, and many ninjas were destined to die in this war of attrition.
Hanzo the Salamander also tried to break the deadlock, letting the Salamander take him underground to attack Konoha ninjas or using the Reverse Summoning Technique to drop from the sky.
Every time he attacked, with luck, he could wipe out one or two ninja squads, but mostly he could only kill a few people.
Because the Konoha side already had several bottles of antidote per person, scattering and fleeing upon encountering Hanzo the Salamander.
No matter how fast Hanzo the Salamander's Body Flicker was, he couldn't kill people who scattered and fled.
Whenever he acted, his scent would definitely be captured by Hyuga clan members kilometers away, or by the ninja dogs and insects of the Inuzuka and Aburame clans. Then Gojo Yoru and the others, or other high-level combatants, would encircle and suppress other ninja squads.
The border base was destroyed by Hanzo the Salamander's Reverse Summoning Technique. Konoha ninjas who mastered this intelligence wouldn't give other ninjas a chance to use the Reverse Summoning Technique.
To use the Reverse Summoning Technique to summon the Salamander, Rain ninjas had to do it from a distance, which also couldn't escape the Hyuga Clan's eyes.
When the Salamander appeared, ninja squads would continue to scatter and flee.
During this period, suffering losses from barriers blocking sensing a few times, Konoha lost multiple ninja squads.
But the gap in military strength and attrition tactics still made Hanzo the Salamander feel exhausted.
He also fought Gojo Yoru and the others several times, creating many opportunities to almost kill Orochimaru and Jiraiya or poison them.
But every time he was about to succeed, Gojo Yoru would use the Flying Thunder God Technique to relieve the siege, or they would run away when the antidote ran out.
And while they were fighting, it was when Konoha ninjas exerted their strength.
After a few times, Hanzo the Salamander didn't want to fight them anymore. Instead, he guarded Amegakure, resisting Konoha attacks during the day and light rain days.
At night and on heavy rain days, he actively attacked, creating opportunities for large-scale warfare.
Just like that...
Konoha ninjas and Rain ninja combat units stalled for a year.
Konoha Year 36, August 15th.
Unknowingly, Gojo Yoru was already twelve years old, and his birthday was just a few days away.
In this year, among the three battle lines, the fiercest fighting was naturally the border battle line and Amegakure.
The White Fang battle line and the Pot King battle line were both defending.
After all, to invade the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, they not only needed to cross the Land of Rain but also break through the enemy's border base and then attack the enemy's military base, which was too difficult.
Only the border battle line, because the border base had been destroyed, had to switch from defense to offense; otherwise, letting Amegakure combat units invade the Land of Fire's territory would be troublesome.
Fortunately, Amegakure's military strength was too small. If the Land of Rain were a major power, Konoha couldn't afford this war of attrition switching from defense to offense.
Even so, they couldn't do anything to the Demigod standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.
Under his protection and leadership, Amegakure was an enhanced version of the border base. Even without Konoha's powerful sensing barrier, it still defended for a year without being breached, and many times beat Konoha ninjas into fleeing in embarrassment.
On heavy rain days and nights, offense and defense switched.
Facing Rain ninjas known for assassination techniques and having home field advantage, Konoha ninjas could only flee, not even daring to gather together for fear of attracting Hanzo the Salamander.
After a year of war baptism, Gojo Yoru's changes were extremely astonishing.
First was his height; he had grown to 1.75 meters, almost as tall as Orochimaru.
Second was the change in his eyes and aura.
Possessing command authority, Gojo Yoru commanded multiple ninja squads in battle this year and killed many Rain ninjas. When serious, his eyes and aura revealed sharpness and dignity without anger; he was already a qualified all-rounder Jonin.
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