"Desert Sand-Thorn Forest!"
Crocodile braced both hands against the ground, continuously drawing on the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit. Countless mounds of sand rose up, forming a forest of spikes.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen formed a hand seal with one hand.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A razor-thin stream of water shot from Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth. Its immense pressure sliced through the surrounding sand spikes.
"Great Sand Wave!"
Crocodile swept out one hand, and his arm merged with the sand on the ground. It transformed into a towering wave of sand, dozens of meters high, blotting out the sky as it surged toward Sarutobi Hiruzen to bury him.
"Water Release..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained composed, once again countering with Water Release, which had the advantage against sand.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A massive torrent of the same scale poured down, soaking into the gaps in the sand. In an instant, the sand grew heavy, and Crocodile could no longer control it.
The enormous sand wave collapsed in a moment, turning into a mass of wet sand.
"Hmph!"
Crocodile gave a cold snort.
Although his strength had improved rapidly, water remained a fatal weakness for him.
It was an inherent flaw of the Sand-Sand Fruit, and one that was difficult to overcome until he reached a certain level of strength.
"But it's not like I've done nothing about it!"
Crocodile brought his hands together, striking a hand-seal pose. Then Chakra surged through his body, its presence already quite formidable.
The people of this world had far stronger physiques than the Ninjas of the Ninja world. One could say they started out with Chakra, or even Chakraton.
"Desert: Sand Colossus!"
The sand rose once more, gathering into a ten-meter-tall giant with a stern expression, as imposing as a Deity.
Unlike ordinary sand,