Chapter 68: Kawaki vs. Hanzō

"Did you kill Shinda?"

Hanzō's eyes sharpened. Shinda was his top expert; otherwise, he wouldn't have become his "right - hand."

"So his name is Shinda."

"You can still see his body if you go now."

Kawaki stood holding his sword. After rescuing Tsunade, he had calmed down. In response to Hanzō's angry question, he merely replied casually.

"Then go and be buried with Shinda!"

"[Swordsmanship: Chain Sickle Two - Stage Strike]!"

Hanzō leaped down from the head of the Sanshōuo. The chain had already shot out ahead of him, swirling towards Kawaki's sword.

At this moment, the Sanshōuo didn't move and continued to gather Poison Mist.

Tsunade released the [Strength of a Hundred Technique], causing the Cursed Seal to fade, and then used the [Mystical Palm Technique] to heal Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

"Aren't you worried?"

Jiraiya was a bit puzzled. Kawaki was facing Hanzō alone, but Tsunade still had the mind to heal them.

"He hasn't activated Sage Mode yet. He should be confident."

Tsunade didn't stop her hand movements. She was one of the only two people who had seen Kawaki's strength after activating Sage Mode.

The other one, Shinda, was already dead.

She used the [Mystical Palm Technique] with both hands, one on Orochimaru and the other on Jiraiya.

"Watch my Sage Art from the Shikkotsu Forest!"

A Katsuyu Sage had somehow climbed onto Tsunade's shoulder, and she said proudly,

"I'm looking forward to it."

Orochimaru stared closely at the fight between Hanzō and Kawaki.

Kawaki instantly entered the Lightning Release Possession State, dodged the incoming chain, and engaged Hanzō in close combat with swordsmanship.

He raised his sword to block Hanzō's downward chop and then slanted his sword at Hanzō's neck.

Every strike was aimed at a fatal spot.

"Your swordsmanship is good."

Hanzō still had the energy to speak. He tightened the chain with both hands to block Kawaki's sword.

"Your swordsmanship is just average."

A slight smile appeared on Kawaki's lips. Every move of his sword targeted Hanzō's vital points.

For a moment, Hanzō could only defend and had no time to talk back.

Kawaki noticed that the Sanshōuo seemed to have finished gathering Poison Mist and by now, he also had an understanding of Hanzō's strength.

"[Sage Art: Lightning Flash]!"

Kawaki activated Sage Mode. The lightning on his body became even stronger, and his speed increased significantly.

Hanzō knew something was wrong and immediately used the [Water Body Flicker Technique], barely avoiding a sword thrust through his chest.

When he reappeared, he was already a great distance away from Kawaki.

Unexpectedly, Kawaki's target this time wasn't him at all, and he had no intention of chasing.

"[Sage Art: Torii Seal]!"

Six red torii gates fell from the sky, targeting the lurking Sanshōuo.

The six red torii gates accurately pinned the Sanshōuo, which was about to spew Poison Mist, to the ground.

"Ugh!"

A cloud of dust was stirred up, accompanied by the Sanshōuo's shrill cries.

When the dust settled, the six red torii gates had tightly locked the Sanshōuo's four limbs, head, and tail to the ground.

Its Chakra was sealed. It still emitted Poison Mist from its mouth, but it no longer had the strength to spew it out.

"[Swordsmanship: Fire Raijin]!"

Kawaki rushed towards the Sanshōuo at super speed. The friction with the air due to his high speed generated a large amount of fire.

From afar, it looked like a fiery thunder dragon.

In a flash, Kawaki sliced through the neck of the Sanshōuo.

The Sanshōuo didn't even have the chance to turn into smoke and was directly beheaded.

The head of the Sanshōuo, which was as big as a small mountain, fell to one side, and the blood instantly flowed like a river.

All this happened so suddenly that Hanzō didn't even have time to rescue it.

"Ibuse."

Hanzō let out a pained cry. This creature was not only his summoned beast but also a companion who had accompanied him in battles for most of his life.

Dying right in front of him, Hanzō began to lose control of his emotions.

He dashed towards Kawaki like a crazy man.

Lightning Flash, Nine - Combo Strike

Kawaki transformed into lightning again. Wherever he passed, the ground turned into scorched earth.

Hanzō couldn't keep up with his speed at all and could only use the [Water Body Flicker Technique] again to try to save his life.

However, Kawaki was well - prepared. He passed through the water splashes and with the next strike, he cut both Hanzō and his Kusarigama in two.

Hanzō's eyes widened in disbelief.

His death was even more miserable than Shinda's, with the wounds on his two - sectioned body charred black and not a single drop of blood flowing out.

The Demigod of the Ninja World met his end here in the northwest.

Kawaki deactivated the Sage Mode and put away his eight - sided Han sword. Then he came to Tsunade and the other two.

"It's over."

"Yeah, it's finally over."

Jiraiya still sounded like he had survived a disaster.

"It's just the end of one stage."

Orochimaru looked at the Rain ninjas who had started to flee in all directions and had no intention of chasing them.

A more brutal war was still waiting for them. This was just the beginning.

"Are you injured?"

Tsunade took her hands off Jiraiya and Orochimaru's bodies, stood up, and put her hand on Kawaki's arm.

After a thorough check, she found that he had only exhausted some of his Chakra and then felt relieved.

"Is my Shikkotsu Forest Sage Art powerful?"

The Katsuyu Sage was beaming with pride.

"It seems I should also go to the Ryūchi Cave."

Orochimaru hadn't studied the immortality jutsu at this time. After seeing the power of the Sage Mode, he was naturally yearning for it.

"Be careful..."

The Katsuyu Sage originally wanted to belittle him a bit but then changed his mind when he saw Orochimaru's snake eyes.

This guy probably wouldn't care about the snake - like features that appeared after using the Sage Mode.

"No matter what's next, we can go back first."

Kawaki knew that the next battle would be against the Land of Wind, as the ultimate goal of the hawks in the Land of Fire wasn't the small Land of Rain.

"Then let's go."

Tsunade led the way out of the valley.

The Konoha ninjas also began to gather. The Katsuyu Sage gave the antidote obtained from Hanzō to Tsunade and then returned to the Shikkotsu Forest.

I gotta say, the Katsuyu Sage is really thorough. He's a pro at looting the dead bodies.

There was no need to chase the Rain ninjas who had fled after Hanzō's death.

In the original plot, after Hanzō defeated Tsunade and the other two, he signed a truce agreement with Konoha, and then Konoha invaded the Land of Wind.

Now, this truce agreement couldn't be signed, and the road to the Land of Rain was cleared.

The upcoming civil war in the Land of Rain would be a hell - bent fight.

A country without a leader could either give birth to a new leader in the war or be annexed by other countries.

However, the Land of Rain was located at the junction of three major countries, and no major country would be stupid enough to directly send troops to occupy it.

That would only prompt the other two countries to encircle and attack it.

The Land of Rain actually acts as a buffer to ease the conflicts among the three countries. However, after Hanzō's death, this function will probably disappear.

A Land of Rain where people can enter and exit freely cannot prevent conflicts among the three major countries.

Kawaki and his group led the remaining troops out of the valley. On the way, they met Sakumo and Dai leading the victorious Konoha Ninjas to come for support.

"Is Hanzō dead?"

After the battle, Sakumo realized that the one Kawaki had killed was not Hanzō and guessed it was a trap.

He immediately led his men to come for support.

"As dead as can be."

Kawaki gave an affirmative answer.

"Kawaki-kun single-handedly defeated Hanzō of the Salamander. His strength is unfathomable."

Orochimaru also rarely complimented someone. For the first time, he found that there was still a force in the world worthy of his trust.

A cold and clear smile appeared on his face, with a kind of coquettish beauty.

"Well done."

Dai had no other words. His White Fang and the raised thumb on his clenched fist already represented all his respect.

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