The two men stared at each other in silence, then began forming hand seals at the same moment. Chiki's hands moved swiftly. He drew a deep breath and shouted, "Wind Release: Violent Wind Slash!"
A raging storm was sweeping through the battlefield, and the wind lent its strength to the jutsu. Countless invisible wind blades swept toward Hanzō a short distance away, cutting a clear gap through the falling curtains of rain and revealing the sheer scale of the attack. In response, Hanzō merely formed a single seal and spoke.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
In these conditions, it was not only Wind Release that received a boost. Water Release, too, gained an unprecedented increase in power. A wall of water formed before Hanzō, blocking the incoming wind blades. Even the razor-sharp Wind Release failed to pierce it instantly, instead bursting into countless sprays of water against its surface.
After a moment, the water wall suddenly shattered, seemingly unable to withstand the attack any longer, but Chiki could no longer spot Hanzō. As an experienced jonin, he knew that Hanzō had used the moment when the Water Formation Wall blocked his vision to change positions. Every seasoned ninja knew that trick. Only an inexperienced ninja would stand foolishly behind the wall.
Chiki quickly scanned every corner of his surroundings, but saw no sign of Hanzō. That left only one likely place. He leaped backward without hesitation. Almost simultaneously, Hanzō burst out of the earth beneath him, raising his sickle and swinging it at him.
Chiki thrust his kunai forward, meeting the sickle. Rather than striking the kunai's edge, the sickle pressed against its flat and forced it back toward Chiki. At the same time, the chain attached to the sickle coiled toward his body. Hanzō wielded the weapon as though