Chapter 83

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A green figure moved swiftly across the battlefield. Under Might Duy's overwhelming speed, the Rain Village ninja had no chance to resist.

The explosive tags on their bodies were nothing more than decorations; even if they exploded, it would only happen in the sky.

"No wonder he's called Duy-sama," the other Konoha ninjas couldn't help but marvel.

Unlike the original timeline, where Duy struggled to gain recognition, here he was admired on the battlefield.

Most importantly, he always fought with all his might to save everyone, something even Orochimaru couldn't always manage in the heat of battle.

With such noble qualities, Might Duy naturally earned respect and admiration.

"Every time I see Duy's battles, it doesn't feel like a typical shinobi fight," Orochimaru remarked.

In shinobi battles, strategy and psychological warfare are often key, as raw strength alone isn't enough. One must utilize all available resources to create opportunities for victory.

But Might Duy was different—he didn't care for such tactics. With just his fists and feet, any strategy or psychological games were rendered useless, as they would be quickly shattered by his sheer power.

Standing nearby, Ran watched Might Duy's display of might with a complex expression. The gap between them was evident; as long as Duy was officially recognized as a Jonin, he could easily be evaluated as an elite Jonin—a leader capable of commanding Konoha forces in battle.

Yet, Duy remained a Genin. Due to Konoha's current lack of personnel for evaluations, Duy's rank had not been reassessed.

Watching Duy dominate the battlefield, the Rain ninjas only intensified their assault. With the sounds of exploding tags and fire erupting around them, Orochimaru licked his lips.

"Deceptive information, huh?"

It seemed that the battle between Chiyo and Hanzo had indeed ceased. A purple mist began to spread across the battlefield, and at this moment, the Rain ninjas turned and retreated. A massive figure descended from the sky with a thunderous crash.

"Boom!"

The giant salamander stood tall on the battlefield, its toxic mist spreading. Even Might Duy had to retreat, rejoining Orochimaru's side.

"Duy-kun, please look after the others," Orochimaru said, his gaze fixed on the figure standing atop the salamander—Hanzo of the Salamander had finally arrived on Konoha's battlefield.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Duy responded, understanding that he was no match for Hanzo. The man's poison mist was too strong a counter for his abilities.

"Thank you, Duy-kun."

Orochimaru charged forward, signaling all the Konoha ninjas to retreat. If the Konoha ninjas continued to engage, the toxic mist could cause devastating losses to the entire camp.

However, even as he advanced to confront Hanzo, Orochimaru had no worries about what was happening behind him. Might Duy was someone he could truly rely on.

Rolling up his sleeves, Orochimaru revealed strange runes on his arms.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A giant purple snake appeared on the ground, standing opposite the giant salamander.

"Orochimaru!" Hanzo's face was heavy with determination. This opponent was no easy feat, and Hanzo had only decided to engage after his recent increase in strength.

"Looks like you've defeated Chiyo," Orochimaru said from atop the snake's head, looking at Hanzo.

Hanzo remained silent, swiftly forming hand seals.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

He tilted his head back and released a massive torrent of water, quickly engulfing the surrounding area like a sea. The salamander opened its mouth and sprayed purple liquid.

"Poison Spray."

The water and the purple liquid mixed, turning the water into a poisonous stream, bubbling like lava.

"It hurts!"

Manda roared in pain. Although the poison hadn't covered its entire body, the parts touched by the water experienced excruciating pain.

Orochimaru, however, was prepared. His hands moved swiftly, forming seals.

"Immortal Seal: Conversion Technique!"

A transparent barrier enveloped Manda, causing the poisonous water to flow into it as if into a void, making the barrier shine even brighter.

Hanzo was well aware of Orochimaru's techniques, having fought him several times before. This jutsu allowed Orochimaru to absorb and reuse the opponent's techniques, making him incredibly difficult to deal with.

Controlling his salamander, Hanzo charged forward. The two colossal beasts clashed, their heads colliding with a loud thud, while Orochimaru and Hanzo engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Serpent shadows filled the air, and torrents of water covered them. Their movements were so swift, they seemed to flash between the two summoning beasts.

Compared to Hanzo, who was limited to Water Style techniques, Orochimaru had the upper hand with his versatility. Though their strengths were evenly matched, Orochimaru had a broader arsenal of jutsu at his disposal. Earth Style techniques were continuously used, and rocks and mud occupied a significant portion of the toxic water, resembling islands in an ocean.

Their battle shifted from the summoning beasts to the small islands, their figures clashing repeatedly.

"Your strength has indeed grown, Hanzo," Orochimaru commented, licking the blood off the blade of his Kusanagi sword.

Hanzo clutched the wound on his shoulder, feeling the poison seeping into it, only to be neutralized by his own body's poison.

"Your strength hasn't changed much," Hanzo sneered, noticing Orochimaru's purple arm, where the poison was seeping out.

Unlike the original timeline, the two were now evenly matched.

In the next moment, they clashed again. Despite Orochimaru seemingly having the upper hand, Hanzo's true strength lay in his omnipresent poison mist. Fighting in such an environment would slowly wear Orochimaru down.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

Orochimaru launched an attack. The small island under Hanzo's feet turned into a muddy swamp, trying to swallow him.

But the swamp only engulfed a stream of water. From the poisonous water, Hanzo emerged, swinging his scythe at Orochimaru, only for Orochimaru to turn into a swarm of snakes and envelop Hanzo.

Snake Clone Technique.

Hanzo, in turn, dissolved into water.

Water Clone Technique.

Once again, the two stood on their respective summoning beasts, facing each other with cautious expressions.

"You're quite a handful, Hanzo the Demi-God."

"You're not too shabby yourself, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru let out a cold laugh, clasping his hands together.

"I have one more jutsu. If you can withstand it, we'll withdraw from the Rain Country battlefield."

Hanzo narrowed his eyes. For Orochimaru to say such a thing, this jutsu must be formidable. And yet, he still gave a warning.

"Prepare yourself, Hanzo!"

Orochimaru pressed his hands to the ground.

"Immortal Seal: Final! Infinite Snake!"

A small white snake appeared in Orochimaru's hands and began to grow at a visible rate. Meanwhile, the surrounding water, rocks, and earth started to shrink.

After releasing the jutsu, Manda vanished in a puff of smoke, and Orochimaru's body disintegrated into countless snake shadows.

There was no sign of Orochimaru anywhere.

In just a moment, the small white snake had grown to the size of the salamander, charging straight at Hanzo.

(End of Chapter)