Hanzō of the Salamander vs. Hiruzen Sarutobi (Part 1)

Hanzo continuously swung the iron chain in his left hand, sealing off every angle around him. The incoming giant shuriken were knocked from the air one after another, scattering into fragments across the ground.

As Hanzo ran, his Chakra gradually began to boil. Chakra from throughout his body continuously gathered in his right hand, and then he slashed fiercely toward Hiruzen Sarutobi with an enormous blade of Chakra.

"Blade Art: Void Severing Draw Cut!!!"

The surging blade energy instantly broke through the dense swarm of shuriken and continued on toward Hiruzen Sarutobi without losing any momentum.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not flustered in the slightest. They were still only testing each other, after all—what ninja went all out from the start? Standing still, Hiruzen calmly formed three hand seals in an instant: Snake—Boar—Dog.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spat a mass of earth imbued with earth-nature Chakra transformation onto the ground, where it swiftly turned into a brown earthen wall before him.

"Boom!"

The blade energy arrived in an instant and struck the earthen wall. After a brief stalemate, the wall shattered, but the power contained within the blade energy had nearly been exhausted as well.

Having used the blade energy to clear his way, Hanzo now charged before Hiruzen Sarutobi. He raised the sickle in his hand and viciously slashed at Hiruzen's neck. Hiruzen ducked beneath the attack, then swept his leg toward Hanzo's lower body.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi suffered from having no weapon. He could only use a kunai to desperately fend off Hanzo's sickle. After several exchanges, Hiruzen's Hokage Cloak had been sliced open in several places.

Under Hanzo's relentless pressure, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no opportunity to form hand seals despite trying several times. In the end, with no other choice, he deliberately revealed an opening. He hardened his body with Earth Release, took one of Hanzo's slashes head-on, and used its force to rapidly retreat.

The onlookers broke into discussion. Although both sides were merely probing each other and had yet to reveal their true strength, Hanzo's effortless manner contrasted sharply with Hiruzen Sarutobi's rather bedraggled appearance, leaving everyone shocked by Hanzo's formidable power.

After leaving the range of Hanzo's sickle, Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly threw off his Hokage Cloak, revealing a black, skin-tight Combat Suit beneath it. Silver Armor Guards engraved with the character "Fire" covered his shoulders and connected to his back. Two vertical Ninja Tool Pouches hung from his back, while a purple silk sash bound his waist. Mesh Wrist Guards covered his arms and calves, and green Laminated Armor protected his right arm.

He then slowly removed his Hokage Hat, revealing the Ninja Hat beneath, with green Laminated Armor on either side. A gust of wind blew past, sending the two extra-long straps behind the hat fluttering. Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly to Hanzo, "There is no point in this boring probing. Show me your true strength, Hanzo!"

After their earlier exchange, Hanzo had formed a rough assessment of Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength.

"Then the second round begins!" As Hanzo finished speaking, he completed the hand seals for the ninjutsu he had prepared.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

"To use Water Release on such a scale in a place without water... how powerful!" someone among the spectators exclaimed.

A simple B-rank ninjutsu produced an A-rank effect in Hanzo's hands. Torrential waves surged toward Hiruzen Sarutobi. Seeing the vast range of the technique, Hiruzen knew he could no longer evade it, so he decisively remained where he was and began forming hand seals.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"

As an upgraded version of Earth Flow Wall, it normally required several Earth Release ninja working together to perform it. Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi cast it alone with ease, truly living up to his title as the Ninjutsu Professor.

An earthen wall like a city rampart rose from the ground, standing firmly without being washed away and forcing the water to flow around it. Hanzo looked up to see Hiruzen Sarutobi standing atop it.

"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"

From his elevated position, Hiruzen Sarutobi unleashed this secret Fire Release Ninjutsu passed down through generations of the Sarutobi Clan. Intense, blazing flames rapidly came crashing down toward Hanzo.

Having already created a favorable battlefield, Hanzo had no desire to meet the attack head-on. He raised one hand before his chest, his Chakra erupted, and he vanished from where he stood.

"Water Release: Water Body Flicker Technique!"

Seeing Hanzo use Body Flicker to evade, a faint smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face. While the Earth Flow Rampart had blocked the attack, it had also blocked Hanzo's line of sight. Taking advantage of that, Hiruzen had created two Shadow Clones and used Earth Release to hide them underground.

Hanzo had only just come to a stop after evading when one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's Shadow Clones appeared behind him and unleashed a powerful technique at point-blank range.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

A sharp spear of lightning shot from the Shadow Clone's mouth, piercing toward Hanzo.

Sensing the intense Chakra fluctuations behind him, Hanzo hurriedly dodged, but False Darkness still grazed his left arm. Though he was not injured, the numbness of lightning coursing through his body slowed his movements.

Having landed a successful blow, Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared to press the advantage. The other Shadow Clone, which had just hidden itself away, appeared beside him and began forming hand seals together with him.