5 Chapter 5: Hanzo Retreated

The air in the sky rapidly heated up, and the rain falling from the sky mysteriously came to a halt.

A dragon-shaped flame emerged in the sky, but unlike the usual red flames of Fire Release, the dragon-shaped flames conjured by the Soaring Dragon Flame Art were purple.

It gave off a mysterious and untouchable sensation.

In the moment when Asahi made his move, Hanzo quickly formed hand seals, unleashing a multitude of jutsu.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique."

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique."

Three jutsu transformed into torrents and rushed towards the Soaring Dragon Flame. Water and fire created a stark contrast.

Water Release jutsu flowed like a waterfall, while Asahi's Fire Release resembled an ancient Dragon charging into the waterfall.

The strong contrast made it seem as if Asahi would be defeated in the next moment.

However, would reality be that simple? Of course not.

Throughout history, water has always been the natural enemy of fire, but if the quality of fire was exceptionally high, it could reverse the roles and control water.

Was the Soaring Dragon Flame technique high-level? Certainly. To be blunt, the level of the Soaring Dragon Flame was akin to the Amaterasu flames of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Coupled with Asahi's power at the level of the Six Paths, the quality of the Soaring Dragon Flame was incredibly intimidating.

So, in the moment of collision, Hanzo's jutsu evaporated instantly. Meanwhile, the Soaring Dragon Flame Technique, with undiminished might, charged toward Hanzo.

It was so fast that Hanzo couldn't even dodge. In his dire situation, the ninja world's demigod had no choice but to close his eyes and await the arrival of death.

But several seconds passed, and all he felt was a slight warmth in front of him. He opened his eyes to find a purple blaze in front of him. Hanzo couldn't help but be amazed by Asahi's strength. Such a powerful jutsu, yet he could keep his chakra concealed and wield it with such finesse.

On the sidelines, the three Sannins were also left dumbfounded. They knew Asahi was strong, but they had no idea he was this powerful.

Who is Hanzo? He's one of the strongest figures in the ninja world, yet he has absolutely no resistance against Asahi.

The three Sannins secretly swallowed their saliva. "Where did this powerhouse come from, and why did we have no information about him before?"

Asahi slowly dissipated his chakra, and the inverted fire dragon in front of Hanzo gradually faded away. Rain began to fall from the sky again.

Asahi didn't kill Hanzo, primarily because Hanzo's presence was necessary for the stability of the ninja world in the future. If he killed Hanzo and unforeseen events occurred, it wouldn't be conducive to Asahi's plans.

Secondly, Asahi had never killed anyone before, and he wasn't mentally prepared for it. That was the most crucial factor.

"Hanzo, you've lost," Asahi said, and then he quietly observed Hanzo.

Hanzo respectfully bowed to Asahi. "Thank you for sparing my life, sir."

"I am Hanzo of the Salamander. I will keep my word. When I return, I will issue orders to the Hidden Rain Village to treat you with the utmost respect if they ever encounter you in the future."

With that, Hanzo didn't say more and turned to leave.

[Ding! The mission is completed, and the Ninjutsu Infinite Space technique has been distributed.]

As Hanzo walked further away, Asahi withdrew his gaze.

He didn't pay attention to the three of them, who had almost depleted their chakra. He still had some time left on his experience card, and he wanted to use it for reflection.

Closing his eyes, Asahi silently felt his own body. The three Leaf Sannins, seeing that Asahi wasn't speaking, didn't dare to rush him and patiently waited.

Two minutes later, Asahi opened his eyes, and the indomitable aura on him dissipated. He looked like an ordinary person who had just finished practicing. His clothes, which had dried earlier, were instantly soaked again.

Of course, the Leaf Sannin didn't think this way; they had just witnessed Asahi's strength moments ago.

Asahi, who had opened his eyes, felt extremely relaxed. In just a few minutes, he had a clear view of his future path. There wouldn't be any bottlenecks on his path to cultivation. He believed that with systematic training over the next few years, he could become as strong as a Kage-level ninja and roam freely in the ninja world.

"Leaf Sannin? That's a good name," Asahi praised, looking at the disheveled Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.

The three of them just smiled bitterly. "Sir, you're joking; we're just defeated in battle."

"Well, you three are some of the rare talents in the entire ninja world. If you didn't already have a teacher, I'd consider recruiting you into the Tazuna Clan."

Asahi waved his hand dismissively, showing no concern.

Was it embarrassing to lose to Hanzo? Not at all. These three individuals were all under twenty years old, and when they teamed up, they forced Hanzo to go all out. That was already quite astonishing.

Hearing Asahi's words, the three of them didn't know what to say for a moment.

However, true to their status as the legitimate successors of Konoha and the future Fifth Hokage, Tsunade directly extended an invitation, saying, "We regret that we can't join the Tazuna Clan. Sir, since you don't belong to any ninja village, would you be interested in coming to our Leaf Village?"

Asahi rubbed his chin, "Konoha, huh? The largest ninja village in the ninja world. If I have the time in the future, I'll come for a visit, but joining is another matter."

"I'm used to being free-spirited. Even if they make me the Hokage, I won't take the job. It's too troublesome."

Hearing Asahi's response, Tsunade and the others weren't surprised at all. If he had accepted without hesitation, they would have been suspicious.

"Well, that's a shame. If you ever come to Leaf, please do let us show our hospitality." The three of them expressed their regret.

"Don't worry, if I ever visit Konoha in the future, I'll look you up. When that time comes, don't try to brush me off," Asahi joked.

Seeing Asahi so easygoing, the Three Ninjas' initial nervousness eased.

"Don't worry. As long as we're in Konoha, we'll definitely show you the unique features of the village," Jiraiya said with a hearty laugh. However, Asahi could detect a hint of lecherousness in his tone.

Unique features of Konoha? Like gambling and other vices?

Asahi had some mischievous thoughts but wisely kept them to himself. He didn't want to risk tarnishing his image in front of these powerful individuals.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it. Alright, I won't keep you any longer. I imagine you're quite busy with the upcoming ninja world war. Go on ahead."

Asahi waved his hand and didn't say much more. He knew it was best not to linger around this strong ninja for too long.

The Sannin naturally didn't refuse. They had their own missions to complete and return to the village. Besides, being around Asahi felt somewhat intimidating.

"We'll take our leave then. Thank you, sir, for saving our lives. If you ever need anything in the future, please feel free to ask."

With a bow, the three of them rushed westward, seemingly heading back to Konoha.

Asahi didn't watch them leave. Instead, he turned his gaze eastward, as if there was something important there.