Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals Battlefield

Orochimaru curled the corners of his lips and clapped his hands.

"As expected of Tsunade, it only took one punch to finish him."

Tsunade looked at the unconscious Suikazan Fuguki with satisfaction; she could finally vent the frustration she had been holding in.

The previous duel had been truly stifling.

Orochimaru was surprised that the battle had gone so smoothly. He closed his eyes to ponder for a moment before walking over to the great sword, Samehada.

Upon sensing Orochimaru's approach, Samehada struggled to shift its body away.

What a fascinating creature. To think it can fuse with a human—I truly want to dissect it and see what it looks like inside.

Hearing this, Samehada scurried to Orochimaru's feet, desperately trying to curry favor.

In Orochimaru's view, what kind of impact did such a fusion have on the body? It was truly a subject worth experimenting on. He formed hand seals.

"Five Elements Seal."

He concentrated chakra into his five fingers—the five elemental attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—and pressed them directly onto Samehada.

Samehada struggled violently against the seal.

Orochimaru would never give it a chance to escape; the sealing was completed.

Wrapped in glowing runes, Samehada lay motionless like a dead fish.

Orochimaru stroked his new acquisition with satisfaction. Now he could take it back for a proper study; he hadn't expected such a harvest from coming to the Land of Whirlpools.

Suddenly remembering something he had almost forgotten, he formed hand seals.

"Contract Seal."

This was an auxiliary seal designed to sever the bridge between a summoner and their contract.

With everything packed up, he hoisted Samehada onto his back.

Watching Orochimaru shoulder the sword, Tsunade suddenly remembered that she was the one who had defeated Suikazan Fuguki, and she blocked Orochimaru's path.

"Wait a second. I was the one who took down Suikazan Fuguki with my fists, so the great sword Samehada in your hands should belong to me."

Orochimaru understood Tsunade's intent perfectly and pulled his wallet from his robes.

"Tsunade, just name your price for Samehada."

Tsunade realized Orochimaru knew her well, so she didn't feel awkward and held up a hand.

"For the sake of our partnership, five million ryo."

Orochimaru hadn't expected Tsunade to be so ruthless. His eye twitched as he handed over the money; it seemed he would have to find an opportunity to win it back later.

Tsunade took the money, beaming with joy, and waved her hand to signal that they should continue forward.

The thick fog that had blocked the road had thinned, the path ahead becoming clear, and within moments, the mist dissipated entirely.

Uzumaki Ashina stood alone in place, gazing up at the brilliant sky.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Uzumaki Ashina from the northern battlefield, along with Uzumaki Shiro from the western battlefield and Jiraiya from the southern battlefield, quickly converged on the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

Gathering before the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, Uzumaki Ashina stared at the magnificent structure before them.

"Come, let us shatter these damned ice crystals."

Tsunade charged forward, gathering chakra in a single, peerless strike, and slammed her Heavenly Foot of Pain into the barrier.

The northern Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals cracked inch by inch, opening a gateway. Inside, Minazuki Junhyo stood in the center, while Elder Keimei lay riddled with senbon, his status unknown.

Uzumaki Ashina's expression shifted, and he formed hand seals.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves."

He inhaled a massive amount of air, compressing his wind-attribute chakra into dozens of light-waves that rotated and sliced toward Minazuki Junhyo like a machine gun.

Minazuki Junhyo stared at the incoming wind blades, tilted his head slightly, and with a flicker of his body, vanished directly into the ice crystals behind him.

Seeing the opponent's movement speed, Orochimaru's eyes flashed. A Kekkei Genkai.

Tsunade rushed forward to check on Uzumaki Keimei's injuries, breathing a slight sigh of relief; though he was covered in wounds, his life was not in immediate danger.

As she lifted Uzumaki Keimei to return to the others, a cold glint flashed, and a shuriken suddenly appeared right before her eyes.

It shot straight toward Uzumaki Keimei. With no time to react, Tsunade could only use her arm to block it. She let out a muffled grunt and retreated to her original position.

Uzumaki Ashina rushed in to provide cover. Orochimaru realized that even though he had been watching closely, the shuriken had simply materialized out of thin air.

"Watch out for his shuriken. They are made from the moisture in the air and can appear anywhere."

Before Orochimaru could finish, Minazuki Junhyo, merged within the ice crystals, formed a single-handed seal.

"Multiple Ice Shuriken."

Dozens of shuriken erupted from behind Orochimaru. Having realized they were made of ice, he was prepared. Several small snakes poked their heads out from his sleeves, their infrared vision scanning the surroundings; the temperature dropped wherever the shuriken condensed.

The snakes alerted Orochimaru, and he flickered his body, dodging forward.

Minazuki Junhyo was slightly surprised. To think he could see through my Ice Shuriken. A pity, but my goal has already been achieved. He formed hand seals.

"Ice Style Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals."

The ice crystals destroyed by Tsunade were immediately replenished.

Seeing that the reinforcements had arrived only to have all three of them trapped within the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, Tsunade narrowed her eyes and remarked:

"Look at you, Orochimaru. You were standing outside just a moment ago; how did you manage to get yourself trapped in here too?"

Minazuki Junhyo noticed the opponent still had time for idle chatter, and his voice rang out.

"I truly never expected the princess of the Senju Clan, Tsunade, to come all the way to the Land of Whirlpools for a rescue mission. I am truly honored."

Unable to tolerate his sarcastic tone, Tsunade gathered chakra into her fist, channeling her Strength of a Hundred.

"BOOM!"

She punched the ground, shattering the earth into massive boulders, then used her immense strength to lift and hurl the rocks one by one.

Minazuki Junhyo moved rapidly within the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals; whenever a boulder struck a crystal, it would shatter, only to be immediately replaced by a new one.

Realizing her actions were a waste of stamina, Tsunade used the Body Flicker Technique, charging directly toward the exterior of the ice barrier.

Only then did Minazuki Junhyo make his move, forming seals with one hand.

"Ice Style: Ice Pillar."

He summoned an ice pillar to intercept Tsunade as she charged outward. Tsunade's expression shifted slightly; did he really think a tiny ice pillar could stop her?

She activated her Strength of a Hundred and smashed it directly into the pillar. The ice pillar failed to delay her for even a fraction of a second, shattering instantly and obscuring her vision with shards.

In an instant, Minazuki Junhyo appeared right beside Tsunade.

"Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals."

Within the mirrors, Minazuki Junhyo's movement speed could be increased without limit.

"Ice Style: Dragon-Breaking Fierce Tiger."

The ice and snow transformed into a fierce tiger that struck Tsunade viciously, sending her flying back.

Tsunade's expression changed; how could he possibly have such speed?

After hitting his target, Minazuki Junhyo immediately returned to the ice crystals and formed seals with one hand.

"Ice Style: Black Dragon Storm Kill."

He utilized the temperature within the ice crystals combined with the ice itself to create a blizzard; unable to escape, they had no choice but to endure the baptism of the storm.

Tsunade was taken aback by the sudden, violent snowfall, and her body temperature began to drop.

"Think of something fast, or we're going to end up as ice pops in here."

Orochimaru felt the small snakes inside his sleeves; affected by the freezing weather, they had become unresponsive. He had to find a way to break free.