"Hmm?"
Hanzō of the Salamander also felt the ground trembling.
"Boom!"
The next second, a massive head burst through the ground, along with a flood of bright red blood gushing out from below.
When Hanzō saw the head emerging from underground, his eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
"Ibuse!"
Yes—that was his companion, his greatest asset, the poisonous salamander that had brought him fame.
"Damn it! What the hell happened?!"
The death of the salamander meant his combat strength had just plummeted.
And Ibuse had been with him for so many years—he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel anything.
"Boom!"
The ground split open again, and Gekko Chizan, along with countless serpents, emerged from the earth.
Hanzō took one look and realized what had happened—these bastards had dug a pit beneath him and killed his salamander!
That damn brat!
"Hehehehe, before that salamander died, he said he hated you—hated that you, that old fossil, didn't save him."
"You used him for so long, and when he was getting beaten to death, you didn't even notice. You're a really lousy master, you know that?"
Gekko Chizan's poisonous tongue went to work again, and with that wicked smile on his face, it was enough to drive Hanzō insane.
"You damn brat!"
"Die!"
The death of Ibuse pushed Hanzō past the point of reason.
Wielding his scythe, he formed hand seals with one hand. His water clones and his true body launched their assault on Gekko Chizan.
[Ding! Detected that the host cruelly killed Hanzō's beloved salamander and taunted him verbally, completely breaking his mental defense. Reward: Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation.]
Hearing that reward, Gekko Chizan felt like he'd just swallowed a pile of crap.
What kind of garbage reward was that? He didn't even want this technique.
Whatever. Now wasn't the time to worry about rewards—dealing with Hanzō came first.
Gekko Chizan reconnected with the Titan Python, though he didn't enter it this time. Instead, he used chakra to link and control it remotely.
The massive Titan Python was like a bulldozer, tearing through trees and flattening everything in its path.
No matter how Hanzō and his clones attacked, the Titan Python showed no fear—his scythe strikes left not even a scratch.
"Water Release! Water Dragon Bullet!"
Seeing that physical attacks were useless, several massive water dragons appeared once more.
The torrent of dragons managed to restrain the Titan Python's movements for the moment.
At the same time, Hanzō's real body rushed straight toward Gekko Chizan.
"Don't think that just because you've got Senjutsu, I'll be afraid of you!"
"My Slash can cut through anything!"
The scythe blade slashing directly at Gekko Chizan's neck.
"You think you're the only one who knows sword techniques?!"
"Eat this!"
Gekko Chizan didn't actually know swordsmanship—but the weapon in his hand was none other than the Kusanagi Blade, incredibly sharp beyond belief.
He used the Kusanagi to parry. When Hanzō's scythe clashed with it, sparks flew wildly.
"Hm?"
Hanzō was shocked to find that his scythe had actually chipped from the collision. He looked at Chizan's weapon in disbelief.
"Surprised? Didn't see that coming, did you?!"
"This baby here is the Kusanagi Blade!"
Gekko Chizan shoved Hanzō backward with a mighty swing, the aura around him radiating pure confidence—like he was saying, "I'm amazing, and you know it."
Hanzō, of course, knew the Kusanagi name. He just hadn't expected this brat to actually own one.
The problem was… this brat didn't even know how to use a sword properly.
"What a waste of good steel!"
"Who cares what you think? What, your Amegakure too poor to buy a decent blade? Still waving that busted scythe around every day?"
The two clashed repeatedly, their blades and their mouths both in constant motion.
Gekko Chizan proved why he was one of Konoha's Twin Stars.
Even if his swordsmanship wasn't great, he had chakra—and the Snake Princess—to back him up.
What he couldn't block, the Snake Princess did.
What he couldn't reach, she adjusted his stance for.
Hanzō wasn't fighting one man anymore—he was fighting an entire army.
"Damn it, at this rate, I'm not gaining an inch."
"Damn you… Ibuse!"
The thought of retreat had already begun forming in Hanzō's mind. There was no point in dragging this out any longer—especially with his summoning beast dead.
The entire forest was a warzone.
Konoha and Iwagakure shinobi were falling by the dozens every moment.
By now, the Five-Tails, Kokuō, had broken free from Gamaken and Jiraiya's suppression, launching a fierce counterattack against them.
Jiraiya was having a hard time holding up.
Gekko Chizan sensed Jiraiya's struggle and frowned.
"We need to settle this—Jiraiya might not last much longer."
Using natural energy perception, he could tell Jiraiya's condition was deteriorating fast. Facing an enraged Five-Tails, it was already impressive that he'd lasted this long.
"Alright, we'll help you gather chakra—finish him quickly."
Gekko Chizan gripped his blade with one hand and formed hand seals with the other.
He commanded the Titan Python to wrap up Hanzō's clones and fling them far away.
Hanzō seized that opening, his scythe flashing once more.
"You think I'm scared of that?!"
Gekko Chizan swung the Kusanagi Blade at him with equal force.
If the Kusanagi had a soul, it would've been cursing him out by now.
Kusanagi Blade: You bastard! I'm a sword, not a machete! That's not how you use me!
Gekko Chizan: Tch. You're tough and unbreakable anyway, what's the problem?
"Clang!"
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Hanzō's scythe snapped in half—the severed front blade clattering to the ground.
But Hanzō didn't even flinch; his attack wasn't over yet.
While they were crossing blades, dozens of explosive tags appeared beneath Gekko Chizan's feet, wrapping around his legs.
Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation.
This was a ninjutsu Hanzō had mastered to perfection.
Caught off guard, Gekko Chizan was hit.
"Explode!" Hanzō roared.
The explosive tags detonated instantly, smoke billowing everywhere.
But when the dust cleared, Gekko Chizan was nowhere to be seen in the blast center.
"Old man, that little trick of yours—if you thought it could hurt me, you were dreaming."
"Fire Release..."
"Not good!"
Hearing Gekko Chizan's voice, a chill shot down Hanzō's spine. A terrible premonition rose within him.
The next instant, a sea of flames engulfed the entire area where he stood.
Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame—unleashed in full force.
Gekko Chizan grinned as the flames roared. From his sensory link, he knew Hanzō had been hit.
Even if he didn't die… he'd be burned over half his body!
"Go!"
Gekko Chizan pointed toward the direction of the Five-Tails.
The Titan Python moved instantly, swallowing Gekko Chizan whole before charging toward Kokuō.
At the same time, Gekko Chizan bit his finger.
"Summoning Technique!"
The serpents' grand spectacle returned to the battlefield once again.
Jinlin, Kurohebi, Yamoryū, and Urokohane—
The Five Serpents all appeared together, their target: the Five-Tails!