Hanzo immediately dove into the pool of toxic water, moving like a fish, disappearing from sight. His breathing apparatus allowed him to stay submerged without worrying about oxygen.
Moreover, his toxic water was so dangerous that almost no one dared to enter it. Even Orochimaru wouldn't touch it lightly, and it was something even Chiyo from the Hidden Sand found troublesome to deal with.
But Tsunade was not like most people.
As she placed her hand into the water, the purple liquid started to rapidly flow into her hand, as though being pumped. The water's surface didn't lower, but the purple hue gradually faded.
"Ninpō: Senchū Mandokude!" (Ninja Art: Thousand Spiders Poison Hand!)
This jutsu, originally created by Gin, had been improved by Tsunade. It allowed her to directly absorb any toxin and seal it in her hand, and she could also unleash the poison through her fists.
The jutsu's power and absorption speed were enhanced, although it sacrificed the original technique's growth potential.
The technique's essence was to create deadly hands that could wield increasingly potent toxins, potentially allowing the user to control poisons and even develop secret poison-related techniques.
However, since Senchū Mandokude didn't suit Tsunade's fighting style, she had modified it for her own use.
Hanzo, hidden in the water, noticed the purple poison fading and realized something was wrong. He swiftly emerged from the water, aiming a strike with his scythe at Tsunade's arm.
The purple toxic water had concealed Hanzo's movements, and Tsunade hadn't noticed his sneaky attack.
Just as Hanzo struck out of the water, her arm was severed and sent flying.
Hanzo leapt onto the surface of the water, watching her arm sink into the poison. The toxic water rapidly dissolved the limb, leaving it useless even if reattached.
"Seems like this woman isn't as terrifying as Orochimaru," Hanzo thought to himself.
However, before he could stabilize, Tsunade appeared right in front of him, her supposedly severed arm fully restored.
Before Hanzo could comprehend what had happened, Tsunade's punch was already headed his way.
Boom!!
Hanzo's body shattered into water, leaving nothing but a splash.
"Suiton!" (Water Release!)
Hanzo's hands formed seals, and his upper body slowly emerged from the water's surface.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!)
A purple water dragon burst from the water, rushing toward Tsunade with a fierce roar.
Tsunade flipped in mid-air and delivered a powerful kick to the water dragon, shattering it with brute force.
In the next instant, Tsunade's figure blurred, reappearing in front of Hanzo, her fist aimed directly at him.
The sheer force of the wind pressure preceding her punch immobilized Hanzo for a split second.
Boom!!
Once again, Hanzo's form dissolved into water. This time, countless explosive tags wrapped around Tsunade's arm, linking all the way up to her shoulder.
"Katon: Kibaku Enjin!" (Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation!)
Not wanting to give Tsunade a chance to escape, Hanzo immediately detonated the tags.
Boom!!
The intense explosion sent shockwaves through the water, creating ripples on the surface. Half of Tsunade's body was blown away.
Hanzo slowly emerged from the toxic water.
"Is it... over?"
Hanzo was puzzled as he saw Tsunade turn her head toward him. To his shock, her missing body parts were rapidly regenerating.
Tsunade swiftly tore a strip of cloth from her leg and wrapped it around her chest.
"What kind of jutsu is this?"
Hanzo had never seen anything like it. A wound like that would have killed anyone, let alone allowed them to recover.
"Go to hell and find out!!"
Tsunade charged at him again, her speed so incredible that Hanzo couldn't even react. Luckily, a long tongue shot out from the toxic water, wrapping around his leg and pulling him down.
Tsunade's punch hit nothing but air, creating a sonic boom and a gust of wind.
Standing on the water's surface, Tsunade once again placed her hand into the water, activating Senchū Mandokude to absorb more of the poison.
Ninpō: Byakugō no Jutsu! Kai! Mugen Saisei! (Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration! Modified! Infinite Regeneration!)
As the technique activated, seals spread across her entire body, instantly regenerating any injuries without interrupting her attacks.
As long as 70% of her body wasn't destroyed in an instant, and she had enough chakra, Tsunade could achieve near-immortality with infinite regeneration.
The original Byakugō no Jutsu couldn't reach this level, but Tsunade had modified Basic Inner Technique to partially fuse with it.
Using predominantly Yang chakra, this technique allowed her to achieve this effect.
Additionally, she had amplified her strength and speed significantly with the improved Basic Inner Technique.
Among all the shinobi, Tsunade was the one best suited to Basic Inner Technique, her physical augmentations being the most powerful.
This gave her the capability to perform techniques like Moon Step with ease, rather than relying on temporary methods like Jiraiya.
Hanzo, hidden beneath the water, was deep in thought. Although the poison was rapidly being absorbed, he wasn't worried. He had an unlimited supply of poison if needed.
What troubled him was Tsunade.
Her physical power was overwhelming, and the nearly immortal regeneration technique she possessed made her extremely dangerous.
She could afford to make countless mistakes, but he couldn't afford even one, or he would be obliterated.
"This woman... she's far more troublesome than Orochimaru."
Hanzo couldn't help but click his tongue.
Why were there so many monsters in Konoha? Orochimaru could absorb ninjutsu and chakra, which made Hanzo hesitant to use his jutsu recklessly. But at least with Orochimaru, there was still hope for victory.
With one slip, either of them could defeat the other.
But this woman named Tsunade...
Her immortality was far beyond reason.
As the water cleared, Hanzo knew he couldn't remain hidden any longer.
"Suiton: Mizukiriba!" (Water Release: Water Cutter!)
An invisible water blade emerged from the water, controlled by Hanzo as it shot toward the surface.
Tsunade didn't even flinch, letting the ninjutsu hit her. However, the wounds healed in less than a second.
At the same time, she finished absorbing all the toxins from the water, and her once pure white arm was now covered in purple splotches.
Seeing Hanzo's figure slowly emerge from the water in the distance, Tsunade stomped her foot, shattering the surface of the water as she appeared right in front of him, swinging her purple fist toward him.
Prepared, Hanzo used a Water Body Replacement technique, vanishing before the punch landed, leaving Tsunade punching air.
Hanzo stood on the water's surface, forming hand signs.
"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Water Clone Technique!)
Multiple clones of Hanzo emerged from the water, surrounding Tsunade.
Hanzo had realized something—he was no match for this woman.
Now, all he needed to do was stall for time.
To delay until his allies achieved victory.
(End of Chapter)
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