The large armies of both sides clashed fiercely, and the sound of battle reverberated far and wide. At this time, Hanzo and the others moved a few hundred meters away from the battlefield, arriving at an open space with no obstructions.
"Hidden Snake Hand!"
After assessing the terrain, Orochimaru raised his arms without hesitation, and snakes suddenly emerged from his sleeves.
"Hiss!"
Dozens of long snakes hissed, spitting out their tongues as they entwined towards Hanzo.
"Decisive indeed," Hanzo remarked with a light smile, drawing the kusarigama from his waist.
Swish! He sliced the dozens of snakes into pieces.
"Earth Release: Earth Flowing River!"
At that moment, the moist ground beneath his feet suddenly turned into a wide earth river. Hanzo narrowed his eyes slightly, realizing that while Orochimaru had launched the Hidden Snake Hand, Jiraiya had been preparing his Earth Release Ninjutsu. As Orochimaru's attack arrived, Jiraiya's ninjutsu was already completed. There wasn't even a gap between the two ninjutsus, making the connection seamless.
The unbalanced footing even caused someone as strong as Hanzo to lose his stability. But the attack wasn't over yet.
"Countercurrent!"
Jiraiya shouted as the earth flow river, which was supposed to wash Hanzo away, suddenly reversed its direction. The river's force pulled Hanzo closer. Hanzo looked up and saw Tsunade descending from the sky.
"Heaven Spear Kick!"
Tsunade's leg came down with such force that it made a sound as it cut through the air. Even Hanzo couldn't help but curl his lips in response to the sheer power behind the attack. Despite his unbalanced stance on the earth flow river, Hanzo managed to stand firm.
Swish!
Just before Tsunade's kick landed, Hanzo used the Body Flicker Jutsu to instantly move more than ten meters away.
"Boom!"
Tsunade's attack struck, destroying the earth flow river and causing gravel and mud to fly in all directions.
"This guy let himself get hit on purpose," Orochimaru, who had appeared beside Tsunade, remarked with narrowed eyes. He observed that while Jiraiya's earth flow river could reverse, the speed slowed during the transition. Hanzo seized this opportunity, using chakra to stabilize himself and then performing the Body Flicker Jutsu to escape. But seeing how easily he had maneuvered, Orochimaru realized that Hanzo could have avoided the Hidden Snake Hand altogether if he hadn't wanted to be hit.
"He's definitely worthy of being a man comparable to the Sandaime. He's really troublesome," Jiraiya added, staring at Hanzo with a serious expression. None of the three dared to take their eyes off Hanzo for a moment.
"Haha, good teamwork. I haven't seen such a well-coordinated ninja team in many years."
Hanzo's voice carried across the battlefield. Among the three, Orochimaru, with his unique ninjutsu, was responsible for luring the enemy, while Jiraiya, skilled in powerful Earth Release, controlled the enemy. Finally, Tsunade, with her immense strength, delivered the final blow. If her attack landed head-on, no matter how strong the ninja was, without special means, they would be at least seriously injured. Only ninjas of Hanzo's caliber could withstand their combined efforts; any other ninja, even those stronger than any one of the three, would fall under their coordinated assault.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"
Hanzo made a single-handed seal, and three small fire dragons erupted from his mouth. The speed of the fire dragons was astonishing, and their temperature so intense that the rainwater around them evaporated within meters. Despite the typically rain-dampened environment of the Rain Village, which usually reduced the power of Fire Release, Hanzo's Fire Release was overwhelmingly powerful.
"Earth Release: Earth Flowing Wall!"
In haste, Jiraiya pressed his hands to the ground, raising a thick earth wall.
Swish!
However, cracks began to form on the earth wall, unable to withstand the extreme heat and on the verge of breaking.
"Get out of the way!" Jiraiya shouted to the two beside him. Tsunade and Orochimaru quickly moved aside without hesitation.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
The earth wall collapsed within a second, and a water wall surged up in front of Jiraiya. The collision of water and fire created a hissing sound, but even so, the heat from the three fire dragons continued to evaporate the water wall.
Swish!
Jiraiya quickly jumped away, and seconds later, the water wall completely evaporated, turning into steam that filled the sky. The ground where he had been standing was scorched.
"Jiraiya, are you okay?" Tsunade asked urgently.
"I'm fine. How could something like that hurt me?" Jiraiya replied, blinking at Tsunade in a playful manner. Seeing his expression, Tsunade knew he was alright and refocused on Hanzo. The power of Hanzo's Fire Release was incredible, and he had executed the jutsu with just one hand. Though she had heard of one-handed seals, it was the first time she had witnessed it in action.
"Is this the man known as the demigod of the ninja world?"
Despite facing all three of them at once, Hanzo still seemed completely at ease.
"Ninjutsu: Poison Mist!"
Hanzo opened part of the mask that covered half of his face. After just a few breaths, the air in front of him began to change color.
"Is it the poison of the salamander?" Tsunade muttered. It was said that a salamander's poison sac had been transplanted into Hanzo's body, causing him to produce deadly poison with every breath. His chest rose and fell a few times, and the poisonous fog spread towards the trio.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Orochimaru quickly formed seals with both hands, and a strong wind blew the poisonous fog away.
"Heh," Hanzo chuckled faintly at the sight. The poisonous fog, though dispersed, polluted the air as it was blown away, surrounding Jiraiya and the others.
"What a terrifying poison!" Orochimaru frowned, sensing a fatal threat from the fog. The salamander's poison was indeed not to be taken lightly.
"Take this."
Tsunade handed a pill to Orochimaru, the same one Jiraiya had taken earlier, and swallowed one herself. Orochimaru followed suit. Though enveloped by the poisonous fog, the three remained unharmed.
"They can actually counter my poison," Hanzo remarked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade ignored his gaze, turning to Jiraiya and Orochimaru. "Although my special pills can counteract the salamander's toxins, they are limited to this type of poison mist. Its toxicity is greater than I anticipated."
"So from now on, we can't engage him in close combat, and we can't afford to get injured too seriously. If blood directly contacts this toxin, it'll be a big problem."
=========================
[Read up to 135+ chapter ahead and more Weakly Chapter Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================