"As expected, you and I are the same kind of people who live for battle."
Jörmungandr's words didn't surprise Butō at all. He could tell from Jörmungandr's demeanor and aura that they were the same kind of people, both pure battle maniacs.
"I can promise you that if I defeat you, I will spare your lives. When we return to Iwagakure, I will ask the Lord Tsuchikage to spare you and your companions. As long as you abide by the rules of Iwagakure, you may even be allowed to join us in Iwagakure."
Butō is confident in his own strength and admires Jörmungandr's power, and does not want such an excellent opponent to die meaninglessly.
"You really dare to say that. Let's talk about that after you win. You're far from being able to capture me and bring me to Iwagakure. But since you're so generous, I won't be stingy either. If you lose, I'll spare the people behind you."
Jörmungandr spoke with arrogance, regarding Butō strength as nothing special, yet he dared to utter such boastful words.
Moreover, even if he were to lose, taking him away would depend on whether Aizen, who was behind him, would agree. It wasn't that he underestimated the Iwagakure ninjas, but even if their strength were three or four times greater, they still wouldn't be a match for Aizen.
Jörmungandr's arrogant tone angered the Iwagakure around him, but they didn't care about the Butō. No matter how much they talked, they would only know the outcome after a fight. Only the one standing at the end could decide everything, and the winner would be king.
With a wave of his hand, the surrounding Iwagakure retreated, clearing a huge battlefield for the Butō team.
Then, looking at Aizen, who remained motionless behind Jörmungandr, he asked, "Shouldn't your companions behind you step back a bit?"
"No need, I promised I wouldn't bother him. And you don't need to worry about your attacks affecting him, because I'll be in front of him."
Jörmungandr full of confidence. He didn't believe that the battle with Butō would be out of his control; with his strength, he could completely control the aftershocks of the battlefield to the extent he wanted.
"If that's the case, then you'll have another weakness. I don't want to fight someone who can't use their full strength." Butō frowned slightly upon hearing Jörmungandr's confident words and advised again. He didn't want his opponent to have any reservations when fighting him.
"Don't worry, it's just that your words aren't enough to make me bother him."
Jörmungandr's repeated dismissive remarks caused Butō's initially calm heart to turn into anger. Having been Kage Level for several years, this was the first time he had been so disrespected.
However, seeing Jörmungandr's determined look, he gave up trying to dissuade him, only thinking to himself, "You'll pay the price."
Once all the Iwagakure had spread out, Butō and Jörmungandr a glance and immediately charged toward their opponent at lightning speed.
The moment their fists and palms collided, a powerful shockwave erupted, seemingly threatening to Iwagakure. At the same time, the shockwave stirred up debris, forcing the surrounding Iwagakure to cover their faces with their hands, as the terrible environment made it difficult for them to see the battle clearly.
They waited until the shockwave subsided before opening their eyes again and looking towards the center of the battlefield.
Jörmungandr and the Butō who were originally in the center have disappeared. Only the occasional explosions and the sight of the ground cracking tell us that the two are fighting.
"So strong! Both Master Butō and that enemy are incredibly strong." Those in the Iwagakure unit watching the battle couldn't help but exclaim in awe of the scene.
"That's right, it's just a pity that we can't see the specific details of their fight." The person next to him echoed, though his tone was tinged with regret.
Because the speed at which the two sides fought was too fast, it exceeded the range of vision that ordinary ninjas could perceive; only those with special Dōjutsu could see it.
In the center of the battlefield, the two sides were engaged in fierce offense and defense, exchanging punches and kicks, but no matter what kind of attack they launched, it would be blocked by their opponent.
At the same time, after fierce fighting, both sides saw each other's strengths and weaknesses in Taijutsu.
In Jörmungandr's eyes, his Taijutsu skills were poor, but his body was strong. He could withstand many attacks, but in Butō, he could only withstand a few blows from Jormungandr.
In the eyes of a martial artist, even if their physical body is weakened, their skills are superior to Jormungandr's. As long as they find a weakness in Jormungandr's physical techniques and attack the enemy's body, they can eventually bring victory.
However, these are all impressions formed during the initial battle; only with the passage of time can one truly determine who has the advantage and who is at a disadvantage.
If Aizen were to judge the final outcome, he would believe Jörmungandr win, because he knew that Jörmungandr's physical regenerative abilities could compensate for any shortcomings in technique, allowing him to withstand many attacks and gain the upper hand.
Although Butō was not weak, he lacked understanding of Jörmungandr, thinking that Jörmungandr's physical body was only stronger than that of ordinary people, completely unaware that his physical body had long exceeded the imagination of ordinary people. This is the reason for Butō's defeat.
After a long period of Taijutsu combat, seeing Jörmungandr still full of energy and feeling the pain in his own limbs, Butō realized he had miscalculated. Only then did he understand what Ōkura Suke had meant by "amazing recovery ability."
Therefore, he decided to change his strategy and find new ways to defeat Jörmungandr.
When Wudou and Jormungandr clashed again, Wudou took advantage of a weakness in Jormungandr's physical abilities and suddenly pushed Jormungandr away.
Thus, the previously intertwined Butō and Jörmungandr separated again, one in the north and one in the south, facing each other in opposition.
"What, isn't Butō- san going to fight with his hand-to-hand Taijutsu?" Jörmungandr he watched Butō forcefully push him back.
"Indeed, I can't beat you in Taijutsu, not in technique, but simply in physical strength. If we're talking about pure Taijutsu skill, even two more of you wouldn't be a match for me." Butō admitted that his Taijutsu were inferior to Jörmungandr's, but his tone carried the arrogance of a victor, believing that Jörmungandr somewhat unfair.
Because he certainly had the right to think so, he had technically outmaneuvered Jörmungandr. If it weren't for Jörmungandr's terrifying physique, the battle might have been decided much earlier.
In fact, Jörmungandr wasn't really bad at Taijutsu, but opening the Eight Gates, while granting him immense power, also weakened his Chakra control, preventing him from using refined Taijutsu techniques.
If you want to change this weakness, you can only learn the Power Strong Fist like Might Guy, or create your own moves after understanding the principles of Strong Fist.
" Taijutsu ultimately come down to the body. No matter how powerful your techniques are, I can overcome all skill with sheer force."
Jörmungandr admitted that he was slightly inferior in Taijutsu skills, but he was satisfied that he had won in a real Taijutsu battle.
Butō understood that he had lost in Taijutsu, but he was not discouraged.
"Although you won in Taijutsu, don't forget that in ninja battles, Ninjutsu ultimately decides the outcome."
After acknowledging that Jörmungandr's Taijutsu was superior, Butō began to run quickly. He figured that since he had lost in Taijutsu, he would get his revenge in Ninjutsu: "My intelligence suggests that you seem to be a pure Taijutsu ninja. So, what will you do against my Release Technique?"