On the battlefield of the Ota District in the Land of Rain, Black Mist Shiraishi and Hanzo of the Salamander locked eyes. Amidst their tense standoff, Shiraishi took the first step forward.
The atmosphere in the air instantly became treacherous and unpredictable! Between Hanzo's subtle body movements, a faint, nearly imperceptible wisp of toxic gas began to leak from his respirator, encircling him.
As Shiraishi marched forward step by step, the surroundings seemed to gradually dim, until he finally came to a halt; only then did the sensation of an encroaching night begin to ease.
This brat's Genjutsu and deceptive methods are formidable; he's invisibly exerting massive psychological pressure on the surrounding Rain ninjas, Hanzo realized. He knew he couldn't allow Shiraishi to continue building this momentum.
With that thought, Hanzo slammed a single hand to the ground, instantly activating a second round of the Exploding Flame Formation.
Suddenly, the number of explosive tags beneath Shiraishi's feet reached an exaggerated amount. Amidst the boiling, rising flames, Shiraishi remained motionless.
The moment the countless tags detonated, Shiraishi rapidly spun a massive vortex of air, directly swallowing the explosions and halting their rampage.
While the Exploding Flame Formation was powerful, it relied primarily on the element of surprise; once seen through, expecting it to deliver a fatal blow to an opponent of this caliber was wishful thinking.
Hanzo narrowed his eyes. It was only after Shiraishi blocked the Exploding Flame Formation so nonchalantly that he began to view him as a peer-level opponent.
Shiraishi stood silently in place, his gaze lowering to the hilt in his right hand. Following the mysterious curve of the blade, he looked toward the tip and the earth it pointed to.
Instantly, countless Magnet Release particles transformed into a terrifying rain of arrows and shot forth.
The bursting silver blades exerted an invisible pressure. Although a thin drizzle continued to fall, it did not hinder the performance of Shiraishi's Magnet Release.
A combination of Genjutsu and Magnet Release!
This tactic of blending reality and illusion, under the onslaught of the arrow rain, gave observers a sense of unreality.
Though the move seemed casual, it fully demonstrated Shiraishi's current realm of power. Hanzo's expression turned cold as he transformed the surrounding rainwater into identical thin needles, launching them to clash fiercely with the Magnet Release in mid-air.
A confrontation of Rain versus Sand!
Suddenly, Shiraishi raised his head, his eyes—bright as blade edges—reflecting his opponent's silhouette.
With just that simple glance, the other Rain ninjas felt as if a divine blade were pressed against their foreheads.
The hairs on their necks stood up one by one, and the surrounding environment felt as if it had been carved out by a sword, turning into a sealed cage!
The combination of Genjutsu and his own aura put immense pressure on the ordinary Genin. Although Shiraishi was only eighteen, he was already among the top-tier powerhouses in the current ninja world.
"Fall back!"
Sensing his subordinates' distress, Hanzo shouted to break their fear. He leaned forward slightly and attacked with a Body Flicker.
Facing Hanzo's offensive, a long, distant sound suddenly erupted from Shiraishi's scabbard—a frantic cry like that of a wild beast, echoing in everyone's ears and hearts.
The moment this blade-howl appeared, it reached its peak. Shiraishi's left hand flicked and released, and his right palm suddenly unsheathed the Sage's Blade.
The blade-light carved through thirty meters of distance, slashing toward Hanzo. It seemed to suck away all the surrounding wind; the area within a twenty-meter radius felt as if it were being sliced apart, brewing all sorts of hidden dangers.
Wind Style: Cyclone Attack!
Shiraishi opened with a major Wind Style move. Compared to two years ago, when he couldn't fully control this technique, the power of Shiraishi's Cyclone Attack was now extraordinary.
Under the lock-on of the powerful airflow fluctuations, everything in the vicinity seemed to be drawn in.
The surrounding air turned into countless strands of ignited fuse-lines, constantly coiling and locking onto Hanzo.
In Hanzo's eyes, that brilliant, piercing line of light trembled as it cleaved toward him; every movement of the air seemed to hide a variation, corresponding to different methods of evasion.
Hanzo hesitated for a split second. During his Body Flicker, he felt that retreating was futile and defending was incorrect; the lines of airflow had invisibly formed a cage.
What a masterful combination of swordsmanship and Wind Style! Hanzo no longer wavered. Following his final judgment, he made his move.
A massive amount of purple toxic mist suddenly erupted from his body, gathering to form the shape of a purple venomous snake.
The moment the blade edge illuminated the air, he abruptly raised his hands, and the venomous snake rapidly dispersed in all directions.
The Cyclone Attack and the toxic mist became entangled, and the resulting explosion caused the toxin to spread even faster.
Hanzo's methods were quite ruthless; this move actually restricted the free-flowing nature of Shiraishi's Cyclone Attack. Rain continued to fall on both men's shoulders as the battle raged on.
In that lightning-fast exchange, Hanzo capitalized on the characteristics of his Salamander poison, displaying his full expertise.
The terrifying range of the poison mist's impact successfully halted Shiraishi's advance.
However, at that moment, Shiraishi's blade vibrated at high frequency, transforming into a second strike. Amidst the uniquely oppressive atmosphere, the Sage's Blade seemed to melt into the air itself!
A sense of danger spiked in Hanzo's heart. He kicked off the ground and arched his back, springing back over a dozen meters. Shiraishi's second strike missed, but the surrounding airflow became incredibly scorching.
The expanding high-temperature currents seemed to evaporate the local moisture. Amidst the rising white mist, Shiraishi and Hanzo continued their confrontation.
Though he still used the same abilities—swordsmanship, Black Mist, Genjutsu, and Magnet Release—this "Black Mist Shiraishi" was far more difficult and troublesome than the one described in intelligence reports from two years ago.
The fact that two Cyclone Attacks failed to deal a fatal blow to Hanzo was proof enough of the "Shinobi Demi-god's" strength.
Yet, at that moment, a brilliant light erupted from Shiraishi's blade, as if a sun were shining from it. Instantly, a massive, scorching airflow was generated. The surrounding currents gathered, and the domineering high temperatures pierced through the clouds above.
"Scorch Style: Great Sunny Day!"
The airflow condensed at a single point, transforming into a miniature sun in mid-air. It seemed to drive away the damp, rainy weather, bringing a scorching radiance to the field.
Around Shiraishi and Hanzo, the intense heat rapidly evaporated all surrounding moisture.
Is this move Scorch Style?
Unexpectedly, the high-temperature airflow from the silver blade signified that the power of Scorch Style had been perfectly integrated into the Sage's Blade.
The heat above indicated that Shiraishi had taken the Scorch Style taught to him by Pakura and recreated it in a different form.
Great Sunny Day was a very special weather-type card Shiraishi had collected; it allowed him to create a sunny weather condition for himself. Originally, the range of the "sunny day" created by this move was limited and couldn't possibly create such a massive spectacle.
But as Shiraishi continued to strengthen his Scorch Style training, the Great Sunny Day gradually merged into the Scorch Style system, becoming the Scorch Style: Great Sunny Day seen today!
Purgatory flames suddenly burst and scattered beneath Shiraishi's feet. The Fire-type skill system he had practiced for two years finally combined perfectly, constructing a trinity of Scorch Style, Great Sunny Day, and Purgatory.
Wind and Fire are not necessarily opposing elements; instead, through the momentum of Wind and Fire, power can be pushed to the ultimate limit.
"Senior Hanzo, this is the result of my two years of labor."
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