Time rewound to before Suna's assault on the Konoha camp.
A streak of dark red tore through the rain.
Ryo landed steadily on a slick, slanted steel beam, his stance calm and composed. The power surging through his body was ceaseless. This was a true qualitative leap.
The essence of the great sword style inherited from Shanks had imprinted itself into every nerve. The Kusanagi Sword in his hand no longer delivered brute slashes. Each swing was infused with the intent to sever everything.
Armament Haki flowed around the blade like molten black lava, giving it an indestructible texture. Even more shocking was the physical talent he displayed. His speed left spider-web cracks beneath every step on the rusted metal. His strength made the sword's slicing wind shrill and piercing. His endurance and recovery were so immense that the fatigue and injuries from earlier battles were rapidly fading.
His opponent, the once-feared "Demigod" Hanzo, now looked wretched.
Hanzo activated the Body Flicker Technique again, black pressure tightly condensed around him.
Sssk. The thick metal pipe beneath him split cleanly, as if hot metal had passed through butter, the fracture shimmering with black light.
Behind the breathing mask, Hanzo panted heavily. His grey-green ninja uniform was torn in many places. Though the wound on his left arm had been treated, every movement brought searing pain. His actions were clearly slower and less fluid than before.
"Damn brat!" Hanzo cursed internally. Trial attacks, poison mist, powerful Water Release, compound techniques—his proud arsenal was either blocked, dodged, or countered by this red-haired youth. The enemy's sword was getting faster, his strikes sharper, and that black energy—Armament Haki—rendered Hanzo's defensive jutsu useless.
What unsettled him most was his opponent's speed and perception. Even his Body Flicker was nearly being read. Every movement felt like walking a tightrope over a blade.
Ryo's offense was relentless. His eyes were sharp like a hawk, his perception deadly.
A sword strike came down. Hanzo didn't dare block. He flickered away, leaving behind a deep crater. The metal floor twisted and shattered like it had been hit by artillery.
Ryo shifted his foot, sliding low like a shadow. The Kusanagi Sword gleamed like a cold star, stabbing directly at Hanzo's ribs.
Startled, Hanzo flickered again at the last second. The sword tip scraped his armor, igniting sparks and tearing cloth.
In a rush, Hanzo flung several poison-coated shuriken, infused with Wind Release chakra. They howled through the air.
Ryo didn't dodge. His eyes locked on.
The finely-forged shuriken struck the black blade like eggs against stone. They deformed and ricocheted instantly, embedding into a nearby steel wall. The poison hissed against the rust.
Ryo flicked his wrist. The Kusanagi Sword swept in a perfect arc. Its energy didn't radiate outward but focused entirely at the blade's tip.
The sword light flashed in three places at once, cutting off the three most likely locations Hanzo could reappear using Body Flicker.
Sssk.
Hanzo's left shoulder guard shattered. A fresh wound appeared, deep enough to reveal bone.
He staggered back, a grunt escaping as true panic flashed in his eyes.
His trusted techniques had failed. His speed was suppressed. His defenses crumbled before this strange black energy and deadly swordsmanship.
If this dragged on, he would die.
"I can't keep doing this!" the thought screamed in his mind. He feinted and rapidly formed hand seals.
Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique.
A thick white mist burst out, not poisonous but regular water vapor, covering a wide area of ruins. Visibility plummeted instantly.
At the same time, chakra exploded beneath his feet. He no longer dared to fight head-on. Using Body Flicker, he turned and bolted toward the area behind the main tower. That region was surrounded by high steel fences. It was the direction of the Poison Swamp.
He fled with everything he had.
"Running? Trying to reach your summon?" Ryo's silver eyes gleamed coldly. His perception pierced the fog.
Without pause, he became a streak of black lightning that tore through the rain, plunging into the mist in pursuit.
Killing intent fused with the momentum from his breakthrough. He locked onto his target like a death grip that wouldn't let go.
At the edge of the ruins, a few loyal Ame jōnin saw their leader, the "Demigod," being hunted down and panicked.
But the lingering force of the sword strikes, the twisted metal fragments, and flying sword energy had turned the battlefield into a storm of death.
Any ninja trying to get close was shredded before even stepping in.
Several cries were cut short in the rain, vanishing like stones into a torrent.
They could only watch the gray-green figure flee into the mist, powerless to help.
At this moment, their only remaining value was to die buying Hanzo a single extra breath of time.
Several of the most loyal shinobi made their decision. Even knowing it meant certain death, they rushed toward Ryo's path, hoping to block the Kusanagi Sword, even if only for half a second.
...
Time shifted back to when Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru ambushed the Salamander Ibuse.
Deafening roars and the explosion from Tsunade's monstrous punch had turned the entire area into hell.
The massive body of Ibuse thrashed in the purple poisoned swamp.
Its deep blue scales glimmered coldly under the dim light. Its vertical yellow pupils were filled with madness and bloodlust.
Every tail whip or body slam sent poisonous sludge flying, the corrosive liquid battering fences and terrain, leaving scorched pits and thick smoke.
"Bunta! Suppress it!" Jiraiya stood atop the giant toad GamaGamabunta, his hair flaring wildly in the rain and wind.
He formed hand seals rapidly. A barrage of Fire Release techniques rained down on Ibuse's underbelly and joints, forcing it to shift position.
"Got it, Jiraiya-boy!" Gamabunta's voice boomed. With a pipe in his mouth and agile movements, he drew the short blade Kunshamon and slashed at Ibuse's exposed head.
Steel clashed with scale. Sparks flew.
Though the sturdy armor blocked most of the blow, the sheer force twisted Ibuse's neck. It let out a furious roar.
Its massive jaws opened. Fangs bared. A dense purple mist formed in its throat, carrying a sickly sweet stench.
"Watch out! The poison mist is coming again!" Tsunade warned sharply.
She wasn't riding Katsuyu but dashing along the sturdier ground by the swamp's edge, looking for a close-range opening.
Her monstrous strength caused quakes and explosions with every punch to the ground or Ibuse's body, disrupting its attempts to release mist or burrow.
Orochimaru moved like a phantom, slipping between shadows and ruins along the swamp's edge. He dodged indiscriminate attacks and poison blasts.
His Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes summoned countless serpents. Though most were deflected or corroded, some slipped through the scales and bit into weak points, injecting venom and disrupting Ibuse.
He wielded a Kusanagi Sword. He had collected several. His stabs were like a serpent's tongue—precise and vicious, aimed at eyes, throat, or inner mouth.
His golden snake eyes gleamed with cold calculation and murderous intent.
"Five minutes." Orochimaru's raspy voice cut through the rain and chaos. "It takes five minutes to build up the mist. This is the window."
The trio worked in perfect sync.
Gamabunta held it head-on, drawing fire and delivering strikes. Jiraiya harassed from range, suppressing vital spots. Tsunade waited for an opening to deliver a crushing blow. Orochimaru executed the deadliest attacks, aiming for vital points and interrupting the mist buildup.
But Ibuse, Hanzo's strongest asset, lived up to the title.
Its deep blue scales had absurd defense. Gamabunta's slashes, Tsunade's fists, and Orochimaru's sword thrusts barely left marks. Most were shallow wounds or internal shock damage.
Its massive body radiated poison. Even when not releasing mist, the surrounding toxins eroded chakra and willpower.
Without Tsunade's medical ninjutsu constantly detoxifying the team, they would've succumbed already.
Worst of all was its burrowing.
When pressured, Ibuse roared and dove into the swamp with unnatural speed, disappearing into the mud.
Boom.
Tsunade slammed the ground where it vanished, only to kick up poisonous sludge.
"It's gone again!" Jiraiya gritted his teeth.
Seconds later, the swamp exploded dozens of meters away. Ibuse's massive head burst out, jaws snapping at Jiraiya midair.
Gamabunta intercepted with his pipe just in time. The damage would've been fatal otherwise.
As the five-minute mark hit, Ibuse rose again. The mist billowed violently.
A purple cloud of death swept across half the battlefield. The toxin was so potent it corroded the air itself.
"Retreat!" Tsunade shouted.
The three and Gamabunta pulled back instantly. The toad's massive body moved with surprising agility.
Everywhere the mist passed, steel blackened and the ground was stained deep purple.
Ninjutsu thrown into the mist lost much of their power.
Farther off, elite Ame shinobi watched the giant beast in despair.
Attempts to assist the Sannin had failed. The poison swamp, expanding deadly mist, and the destruction from high-level clashes had created an absolute kill zone.
Anyone stepping in would be dissolved, corroded, or crushed instantly.
They could only watch helplessly as their guardian was surrounded, powerless. The lack of top-tier fighters left them feeling worthless.
"Our attacks can't land a decisive blow!" Tsunade smashed aside a blob of flying toxic sludge. Her brows furrowed. Sweat and rain ran down her cheek.
"It dives when we close in and spreads mist when we back off. This is going nowhere."
"My snake venom barely affects it. Its resistance is too strong." Orochimaru licked his lips, the manic light fading from his eyes, replaced by solemnity.
His Kusanagi Sword had just scratched Ibuse's eyelid before being flung aside. He was nearly counterattacked.
"We need to restrict its movement or find a truly fatal weak point."
Gamabunta exhaled a smoke ring, pointing his pipe at Ibuse's partially emerged form.
"Jiraiya, this thing's slippery as hell. We can hold it off, but taking it down quickly? Not happening. It's clearly playing a war of attrition with us."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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