Having read through both documents in turn and confirmed no other suspicious points, Hanzō led Hii Kōri back inside and solemnly wrote two replies, stamping them with his personal seal.
"Now that business is concluded..."
Handing the replies to Hii Kōri, Hanzō slowly began in a low tone: "Interest exchanges, political dealings... Leading villages and nations naturally requires such public means. But ultimately, we are still ninjas."
He stood, aura instantly filling the entire room.
Fatigue? Age? Mere traces of rust—as if this truth is revealed, the vicious sword named Hanzō unceremoniously stripped away that boring rust, sharp edge.
"Care to stretch your limbs with this old man? Light contact only. Let me see just how stiff the backbone of Suna's new generation can be."
"That's... truly an offer I can't refuse."
Pinching his empty nose bridge, Hii Kōri finally laughed—not his professional smile, but genuine pleasure.
Recently, to verify his conceived advanced application of Demonic Descent, he'd spent considerable energy on Tsunade, intensifying her hatred toward him.
This kind of one-sided outpouring with impure motives grew tedious over time. Sparing with a top-tier ninja like Hanzō was a luxurious diversion indeed.
And Hii Kōri could tell: beyond testing him, this was also a 'return gift' from Hanzō.
"Quite refreshing."
Hanzō chuckled lowly, said no more, and turned toward the door leading to the rear courtyard.
The stone-paved courtyard was wide and orderly; drainage could be clearly seen flowing in the continuous rain—apparently designed for the Land of Rain's environment.
Old and young, they stood at opposite ends of the courtyard. The noisy rain seemed to become mere background sound, accentuating their soaked silence.
"But regarding what Hanzō-senpai just said, I think there are two minor omissions."
Hii Kōri's voice became somewhat indistinct, obstructed by the rain.
"Oh? Do tell."
Kusarigama in hand, Hanzō didn't assume a combat stance—just casually swung the scythe in the rain. Yet even so, his aura pressed down on the entire courtyard like hell's needle mountain.
"Firstly—"
Before his words faded, Hii Kōri's figure suddenly blurred, leaving a hazy white trail in the rain.
Clang!
Kunai and kusarigama clashed, stirring up a bell-like vibration, shattering the rain curtain around them.
"I don't actually consider myself a conventional ninja."
Hanzō could clearly read a sense of granted and sincerity from the youth's misty gray eyes. "I'm simply pursuing technique itself!"
Water Release: Wave Riding Strike!
Not prolonging the deadlock, Hii Kōri condensed a water staff, stepped on the water film covering the courtyard, and smoothly slid, swinging at Hanzō's side.
"Interesting."
Hanzō's signature Water Shunshin activated just before the staff struck. Yet the dispersed water didn't fall—it solidified midair like statues.
"Your Wave Riding Strike is quite impressive. Kōrin fell to this, didn't he."
The hardened water blocks, drawn by Hanzō who had ducked behind Hii Kōri, transformed into dozens of sharp water blades thrusting at the youth. Hanzō's tone was quite determined, yet showed little resentment.
A long-time subordinate's signature technique—if he couldn't recognize it, that would be laughable.
But Hanzō wouldn't develop killing intent over this now. The dead are never as valuable as the living—an eternal ninja tradition.
"Indeed."
Hii Kōri's water staff churns midair, drawing rainwater into a water wall. Maintaining stability while applying turbulent flow inside—this was the hallmark of his delicate operation.
The condensed water blade were shattered by the turbulent current. The red-haired youth braced one hand on the water wall, turning to deliver a kick that trailed a freezing water blade.
Hanzō grunted, blocking the hardened water blade with his kusarigama, and Shunshin-ed again.
From then on, not just Water Shunshin's flows, but ground water, falling raindrops—all water in heaven and earth seemed unified and dominated by an invisible force.
"But... 'pursuing technique itself'? How much of my Water Release you can learn is up to you."
Before Hanzō's words faded, the condensed water bodies were detonated into countless tiny droplets, shooting from all directions.
Pfft pfft pfft!
Mere droplets, yet under Hanzō's manipulation, they became countless heavy lead shots, carving tiny 'bullet holes' in the stone courtyard.
"Tch!"
Caught in this airtight, dead-end-free barrage, Hii Kōri couldn't help clicking his tongue.
Though this technique's killing range was short—beyond two meters it barely dented stone—the density would gradually carve a body into strips of flesh.
'So this is the older generation's "light contact"?'
Internally complaining, Hii Kōri's movements didn't pause. Flipping his wrist, he raised a water wall around himself.
The impact water bomb struck the wall and were dissipated by its turbulent flow. Simultaneously, several cryptic water snakes clung to the ground, silently twining towards Hanzō's feet.
Hanzō snorted, seemingly casually stomping. A condensed chakra pulse entered the ground, dispersing the water snake before they could approach.
As we all know, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet shapes water into a 'dragon' form to rush at opponents.
But this raises a question: does shaping techniques into complex forms increase power?
The answer, of course, is no.
This behavior itself doesn't have a substantial impact
The technique itself has an effect. Yet it plays a symbolic role: having the energy and control precision to shape such 'meaningless' forms even in combat is a way for the strong to showcase their surplus.
Of course, choosing 'dragon' imagery also serves to intimidate enemies.
Hanzō's Water Release had none of this flashiness—as old-school as the man himself.
No hesitation, no redundant maneuvers, every move precise and just right. His seasoned technique thoroughly suppressed Hii Kōri.
However, despite his genius, Hii Kōri's Water Release was 'brain-simulated' in his mental world; actual practice came only this year—plus of war. Compared to Hanzō's decades of immersion, there was indeed a significant gap.
But that's fine—he learns fast.
Eagerly absorbing Hanzō's Water Release techniques, Hii Kōri quickly adapted to his pressure. Leveraging extraordinary control precision, he repeatedly varied his techniques, breaking through Hanzō's blockade. and suppression.
After another Water Release exchange, Hii Kōri leaped from his water wall. Passing beyond the lethal range of hardened water techniques, he swooped toward Hanzō.
Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!
Hand seals blurred into afterimages. Hii Kōri directly manipulated the surrounding water into seven spiral water columns, screaming toward Hanzō from every tricky angle, nearly sealing off his evasion space.
Hanzō's expression remained unchanged. His kusarigama carved a shrill arc through the air, effortlessly severing all the water columns. The cold scythe blade didn't pause, suddenly shifting to a bizarre trajectory under Hanzō's manipulation, aiming directly at midair Hii Kōri.
"Rise!"
Hii Kōri uttered a soft cry, raising three water walls.
Not to block the scythe's sharpness, but to use turbulent flow to stir the chain behind it. In under a second, the triple water walls were shattered by chakra infusion in the chain. Yet by then, Hii Kōri had used this brief gap to close distance, slashing horizontally with a water-wreathed kunai.
But Hanzō's combat experience was immense. Startled but not chaotic, he flicked his chain; the weight on the other end struck the kunai's blade precisely.
Clang!
Another sharp ring. The water-wreathed kunai snapped at the blade. Hii Kōri had released the handle as the weight fell, dodging the rising weight and flying kunai fragments. Twisting, he stepped forward, then—
BOOM!
In the realm of divine speed, the increasingly viscos air was torn asunder. More dazzling than chakra and cursed energy was the awakening light wave from exceeding sound speed.
Hanzō could almost see the air compressing inch by inch, the rain within evaporating.
His already narrow pupils contracted further. Instinctively, he pulled back the chain's weight and scythe—then realized there was no time to defend. He released the chain and retreated a few steps on the water film.
Even so, the shockwave from the missed punch shook him, blood and qi roiling.
'Heavy strike!'
Forcibly suppressing discomfort, he hooked the falling chain with his foot and formed seals. A sphere of water trapped Hii Kōri securely.
Unlike regular Water Prison requiring continuous hand contact, Hanzō's Hard Water Prison had no such restrictions.
Trapped within, Hii Kōri felt pressure from all sides, unable to move like an insect in resin. Yet faced with this, he showed a barely perceptible smile.
Being inside like this allowed far clearer perception of the 'Hard Water's' chakra nature than facing those hardened blades.
Since Hanzō said 'learn what you can,' why hold back?
Seven Essence Release Gates: Open!
No longer limited to Yang Release—having balanced Yin and Yang, he tempered cursed energy into mixed chakra, erupting in surging flames that instantly boiled the Hard Water prison.
Understanding flickered in Hanzō's eyes.
Amegakure, specializing in assassination, naturally invested heavily in intelligence work. Having been active on the battlefield so long, retreating Amegakure ninjas would certainly have investigated.
That Hii Kōri was Chiyo's foster son needed no mention. But the previously uncertain intelligence—Hii Kōri being an exiled Uzumaki—could now be confirmed as fact.
After all, in this ninja world, those who could use Yang Release to such extent were either Senju or Uzumaki.
A popular weapon taijutsu expert himself, Hanzō had some knowledge of Yang Release. He could see how far Hii Kōri had advanced in this path.
Thinking thus, Hanzō didn't press the attack, instead waiting to see what other tricks Hii Kōri had.
His heart is not yet aged, Hanzō still cherishes his talent.
Hii Kōri, unaware of this, was completely immersed in his own 'artistic creation.'
To fully utilize bodily functions in combat, most powerful men had their own unique breathing methods. Inhale, exhale—adapting the body to breathing rhythm, overlapping power flow with breathing rhythm.
Slowly, slowly, infusing mixing energy throughout his body—through blood vessels, meridians, filling completely—then making that power, along with muscles, bones, internal organs—the entire body—soft.
Relax, soften, liquefy—as soft as fermented dough...
Then further, let the body drip, liquefy into unbound flowing water, vaporize into untouchable air...
This was Transcendent Relaxed Power.
In the works of the not-yet-insane Itagaki-sensei, techniques like 'Supersonic Punch' and 'Relaxed whip strike' were depicted. For this world's taijutsu experts, 'supersonic' wasn't an unattainable realm.
But this concept wasn't without
Merit.
Relax, relax, relax—soften, soften, soften—pushing the body and arms into the divine speed realm beyond even Shunshin's reach, softening flesh into 'dough' that could contain all 'filling'... Yin Release's 'imagination made real' and Yang Release's 'ultimate enhancement' merge here.
This was the new realm Hii Kōri had reached: Yin and Yang fused into one—the Yin-Yang Cross!
The Hard Water's chakra structure completely collapsed, evaporating like ordinary water.
Wreathed in a fiery aura, Hii Kōri's figure carved a beautiful arc like a crescent moon, still strikingly visible amidst the sky full of white steam.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!