Battle, Part Nine

"I never imagined I'd have the chance to fight you in this lifetime, Hanzō!"

His answer was a flying scythe.

With a clang, the Iron- Toad knocked the scythe away and stood like an iron wall protecting Jiraiya.

Jiraiya looked at Hanzo, who stood opposite him with Hanzō, and couldn't help but sigh. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye!

Back then, he, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were just starting out when they fought Hanzō and earned the title of one of the Sannin. At that time, Hanzō was a demigod in the Shinobi World, a powerful figure who could shake the three major neighboring countries with his own strength. But now, all he sees is a living dead.

The once invincible demigod has long since faded into history.

"The dead should behave like the dead. Instead of sleeping peacefully underground, they come up here to cause trouble. Please, have mercy on me. I'm so old, and I'm still fighting and killing." Jiraiya sighed, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Earth Release: Yellow Spring Swamp."

Grief-stricken, Jiraiya showed no mercy in his attack. In the blink of an eye, a massive swamp stretched across the snow-covered forest, swallowing up more than a dozen figures and blocking Hanzō.

Hanzō, one of the Sannin Jiraiya.

Their final, fierce battle began!

"Uchiha, Gale Sword"

Wakizashi in flames slashed down, landing in the empty snowfield. In the silence, the light and shadow shattered, Second Mizukage appeared on the once-empty snowfield. He stood atop a giant clam, one hand pressed against the wound on his shoulder, his dark, lifeless eyes fixed on Shisui.

"No Genjutsu has yet been able to deceive my eyes."

Shisui gripped his Wakizashi horizontally, smiling as he looked at the Second Mizukage opposite him.

After parting ways with Itachi, he avoided Minato's battlefield and killed six reincarnated Jonin in one go, suppressing them with Fuinjutsu. Just as he was about to find his seventh prey, he saw the Second Mizukage hiding himself with Genjutsu, which was a very sophisticated Genjutsu.

Shisui was immediately drawn to it.

As the number one Genjutsu user in Konoha, he had conducted in-depth research on famous Genjutsu masters throughout history. Fortunately, the Uchiha Clan had an incredibly deep foundation in this area, Sharingan's Genjutsu had always been one of the Uchiha's most powerful tools for dominating the world!

Therefore, almost every Genjutsu master who is not from the Uchiha Clan can have their information found in the Uchiha Clan's library.

Such a famous figure as the Second Mizukage would naturally not be overlooked.

"Hozuki Gengetsu, a master of the Hozuki Clan in Kirigakure, the Second Mizukage, was proficient in Genjutsu. His summoning beast was a mirage, and he also possessed the Hozuki Clan's extremely powerful Secret Technique. It's a pity." Looking at the Second Mizukage's empty eyes, Shisui felt quite regretful.

It's truly a pity that I can't have a chance to fight the Second Mizukage at his full strength.

However, the Second Mizukage's Genjutsu abilities mostly relied on the power of that peculiar summoning beast, the clam. This summoning beast has always been alive and well, and its Genjutsu abilities have not been lost.

"Water Release: Water Balloon Technique"

The Genjutsu couldn't deceive Shisui's scarlet, diamond-like eyes, and the Second Mizukage instinctively began to change his fighting style.

Transparent bubbles floated in mid-air, drifting slowly toward the Shisui.

"Bubbles? They don't sound like a good thing!"

Although the Uchiha Clan has some records about the Second Mizukage, they are all very rough and it is impossible for them to have a complete grasp of all the tricks of a Kage. Apart from a few individuals, almost all the enemies who fought against this Kage are dead.

Shisui had no idea what those bubbles drifting with the wind were, but without a doubt, they weren't anything good.

"Whoosh!"

With a flick of his Shuriken shot out at lightning speed, accurately piercing the three bubbles.

The next instant, a deafening explosion reverberated in all directions. The shockwave ripped away the ground and snow, and two nearby large trees also suffered a terrible fate, snapping and falling over with a crack.

"Is this the Hozuki Clan's Secret Technique? It actually explodes! This is a bit tricky!"

Shisui retreated more than ten meters away, cautiously scrutinizing the Second Mizukage's every move. His expression turned serious; this enemy was not comparable to the previous six—they were on a completely different level.

Moreover, these Impure World Reincarnation beings were completely immune to Genjutsu, which frustrated Shisui, rendering his signature Genjutsu useless. Fortunately, his Ninjutsu and Taijutsu were quite good, and with the addition of the Body Flicker Technique, he still had enough fighting power.

"But this alone won't be enough to deal with a freak like the Second Mizukage!"

Shisui started racking his brains.

"Ice Release, blowing snow."

Large snowflakes danced and swirled in the biting wind, rising like a tidal wave and instantly engulfing the surrounding snow-covered forest.

The wind and snow were so thick that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

The same obstacles will also be encountered by those who have undergone the Impure World Reincarnation.

"Ice Release: Cold Spring"

Ice gushed forth from the snow, freezing each reincarnated person solid.

On his cool and pretty face, a Yuki Haku was a very kind child. He did not like fighting and killing, so he chose to stay at Konoha Hospital to treat and save people.

However, since the Impure World Reincarnation beings are not living people, slaughtering these things feels as natural as practicing human anatomy in a hospital—it's effortless, without any psychological burden or lingering trauma.

"Boom!"

Thunder rumbled, and azure light tore through the curtain of wind and snow, rushing out of the frozen area in an instant.

"Ice Release: Ice Mirror"

Ice Mirrors appeared scattered throughout the snowy forest, seemingly chaotic and disorderly, yet they complemented each other.

The moment the thunder roared, Bai sensed something was wrong. Without thinking, he created a series of Ice Mirrors and plunged into them. In the next instant, azure lightning struck the spot where he had just stood, and a fist the size of a bowl shattered the five-centimeter-thick Ice Mirror into pieces.

"Is it?"

The imposing, muscular man shrouded in Lightning Cloak, whom Bai recognized, had met A, a candidate for the Fourth Raikage, in Kumogakure during the Chunin Ninja Exams. Before leaving, A even came to the embassy to speak with Lord Katsuki and Lord Minato. At that time, A was already the Fourth Raikage.

However, now the Kumogakure is nothing but ruins.

It seems like only a short time has passed, yet it feels like the world has changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. The impermanence of life is truly lamentable.

"How pitiful!"

A hint of pity flickered in Bai Qingliang's eyes, which were as bright as black gemstones. The Cloud Ninja had truly suffered a terrible misfortune. However, even in death, the Fourth Raikage, who had served for less than half a year, could not find peace, as he was being used by the enemy who had destroyed the village.

There is nothing more painful than this. At least in Bai's opinion, if Ai were still conscious, he would probably be so angry that he would die again!

For some, a lack of awareness isn't necessarily a bad thing. (To be continued)