"It seems that you three brats are still unwilling to admit defeat," Hanzo stood on the salamander, looking down from above, still gazing at Jiraiya and the other two indifferently, though there was a fleeting smile in his eyes.
"Attack his salamander first, and don't let it continue to spray poisonous mist!" Jiraiya said to Tsunade and Orochimaru. He had noticed that Hanzo's poisonous mist had spread hundreds of meters and reached the location of the battlefield.
The battlefield, which had been filled with the sound of killing, went silent. Tsunade and the others nodded, and at this time, all three had their eyes fixed on the salamander beneath Hanzo's feet.
Swish swish swish! Jiraiya formed seals with both hands at an extremely fast speed, as if his hands had turned into an afterimage. Seeing this, Hanzo narrowed his eyes slightly. Standing atop the salamander, he lightly tapped his foot, and the salamander seemed to understand.
Boom! The salamander's huge body used the ground for strength, then jumped directly into the air. Hanzo had clearly seen through Jiraiya's hand seals and knew the ninjutsu he was about to perform.
Swoosh! At the same time, Orochimaru and Tsunade also leaped into the air, and the former was also forming hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Whoosh! Suddenly, a violent stream of wind, like a storm, burst from Orochimaru's mouth. Although the Great Breakthrough was only a C-level ninjutsu, in his hands, its power reached a terrifying level. The wind raged violently, and even the huge salamander seemed to lose control of its movement.
Hanzo did not pay attention to Orochimaru, though. Instead, Tsunade charged straight at him through the storm. The veins on her fists bulged as she gathered tremendous power. With the size of the salamander being so large, it seemed impossible for it to avoid her attack amid all the chaos.
"Amazing, they can work together in such a short time," Hanzo observed, his expression unchanged, but a light smile appeared. "But if you're going to use brute force, you first need to ensure your own safety."
Swish! In the next moment, Hanzo jumped from the salamander and rushed toward Tsunade against the storm.
"Under such strong wind pressure, he's still able to move?" Orochimaru's pupils shrank in shock. Hanzo was advancing through the wind that had restrained even the salamander. Yet it had no effect on him.
However, just as Hanzo was about to reach Tsunade, the wind pressure became too strong, and it finally slowed him down.
Clang! At that moment, Hanzo, hindered by the wind, drew his Kusarigama in midair. The blade flashed, and the turbulent wind split into two under its stroke.
With a single slash, the wind release ninjutsu was cut open! The weapon continued its momentum, heading straight for Tsunade.
"Tsunade, get out of the way, it's enough!" Jiraiya shouted from below. If Tsunade were hit by the blade that could cut through ninjutsu, her body would be torn apart.
Before Jiraiya finished speaking, Tsunade's body sank suddenly in midair, and the blade passed over her head. She dropped down.
However, their goal had been achieved; all they wanted was to stall Hanzo.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" At this moment, under Jiraiya's palm, the ground turned into a swamp, expanding over ten meters and continuing to spread. As long as the salamander landed in it, not even Hanzo would escape easily.
Even if he saw through the ninjutsu, what could he do? But just when the salamander was a few meters from the swamp, Hanzo, midair, spat out a blazing flame from his mouth, covering the swamp.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The terrifying flames directly dispersed the turbulent wind that Hanzo had split earlier, overpowering everything.
Among the five chakra elements, fire restrains wind. But Hanzo's technique defied conventional wisdom.
This is the ninja standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world today, a man hailed as a demigod!
The flames swept across, instantly engulfing the entire swamp and even extending toward Jiraiya. Faced with such a powerful Fire Release, Jiraiya had no choice but to retreat.
The figures of Tsunade and Orochimaru, still in midair, were swept up by the aftermath of the flames.
Bang! The salamander landed on the ground, but there was no sign of it sinking into the swamp. Instead, it seemed to land on solid ground, causing the earth to tremble. Jiraiya's swamp had been solidified by the high temperature of Hanzo's Fire Release.
Seeing the salamander land steadily, Hanzo retracted his Fire Release technique, not letting it spread further.
Amidst the flames, two battered figures fell onto the solidified swamp, their bodies burned and blood oozing from scorched wounds.
Seeing this, Jiraiya quickly dodged to their side.
"Are you two alright?" he asked anxiously.
"Hah, the gap is huge," Tsunade and Orochimaru panted heavily, the fierce flames earlier having nearly evaporated the air around them. Both had been nearly suffocated.
Jiraiya, though not directly hit, was still injured. Even though he had taken a pill to counteract the poison, he was already covered in wounds from protecting Tsunade, and had just performed a large-scale Earth Release jutsu.
The three, having exhausted all their abilities, stood before the enormous salamander, looking up. Hanzo, who stood at the top, still looked down on them condescendingly.
They had reached their limit, but Hanzo appeared to not have even tried his best. The fierce wind and fire from earlier had also drawn the attention of everyone on the battlefield.
Many of the ninjas were horrified. Even from where they stood, they could feel the intensity of the battle.
"Jiraiya-sensei..." Minato looked toward the battlefield. He was the only one who knew the outcome of this battle, and his face showed concern.
Just then, a Hyuga ninja on the Konoha side was suddenly startled.
"At seven o'clock, there's a hundred ninja troops, from the Sand Village!"
His shout echoed across the battlefield, and Sakumo gradually turned toward the fog, spotting small black dots in the distance. The advancing Sand Ninja forces were now visible.
The faces of everyone on the battlefield changed drastically. Hanzo, still looking down at Tsunade and the others indifferently, spoke at this moment: "Three little brats, do you still want to hold on?"
"You should know by now that even if the three of you join forces, the gap between us is still insurmountable." His eyes were calm, but held a murderous glint.
"Even so, I will never admit defeat!" Jiraiya, though exhausted, had no intention of giving up. It wasn't for show; he had a reason he absolutely could not fail.
Orochimaru and Tsunade didn't speak, but their eyes showed their resolve. No retreat!
The three stood, murderous intent in their eyes, supporting each other, refusing to back down.
At that moment, Hanzo's murderous intent shifted into a smile.
"Haha, very good. You are worthy of being Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples," Hanzo laughed, his reaction leaving Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru stunned.
"I haven't seen such promising juniors in a long time. So today, I, Hanzo, acknowledge the three of you."
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