Chapter 130: Rain Ninja Slaughter Tour (IV)
In the most exquisite, five-story stilt house at the very center of Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village).
Hanzō of the Salamander, dressed like a deep-sea diver, sat upright in the main seat, discussing the village's development direction and the recently delivered alliance treaty from the Land of Wind with his subordinates.
Just then, a guard rushed in, frantically dragging the Genin from the previous chapter.
"How dare you!" one of the council Jōnin immediately roared.
However, the Genin's terrified words quickly cut off the rest of the Jōnin's reprimand.
"Lord Hanzō! Lord Hanzō! Someone... someone is attacking the village!" the Genin stammered breathlessly.
"What!!!" The Genin's words were like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, shocking everyone in the hall.
Hanzō was momentarily stunned by the news. He immediately stood up and quickly walked over to the Genin, asking with a grave and serious expression: "How many? How many ninja are attacking our Rain Village?"
"O-one... one!" the Genin answered tremulously, unsure if it was from fear of Hanzō's authority or something else.
"Boy, you have a nerve! How dare you make a joke of Lord Hanzō of the Salamander!" another council Jōnin shouted angrily.
The Genin collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face, his eyes full of intense fear. He yelled desperately: "Lord Hanzō, I really, truly am not lying to you! That person... that person is wearing a pale moon-white kimono and has killed so many people! So many of our Rain Ninja! It was Lord Mitsuyama Otoko who ordered me to report to you immediately!"
The Genin invoking the name of Mitsuyama Otoko, the Rain Ninja Jōnin responsible for the eastern patrol, convinced the gathered Jōnin in the village's power core.
"Let's go. We will all go and see which arrogant individual dares to challenge the authority of our entire Rain Village alone!" A cold, fierce sneer appeared on Hanzō's face. The surging aura of a Kage-level powerhouse erupted from him as he led the way out.
Sensing the immense presence of Hanzō, everyone felt instantly reassured and calmed. They quickly followed Hanzō out the door.
Clash of Elements
Orochimaru wore a slight, composed smile, watching Mitsuyama Otoko's movements. In reality, he was fully on guard, ready to unleash a powerful counter-attack at any moment.
The Jōnin's dense chakra erupted fiercely, its violent fluctuations causing the surrounding rivers to churn and boil.
With the formation of the final hand sign and the infusion of all his remaining chakra, Mitsuyama Otoko finally unleashed his powerful Water Release jutsu.
Water Release: Water Dragon Cannon!
Splash! The rivers next to Mitsuyama Otoko suddenly erupted with a huge rush of water, as if high-pressure geysers had activated within them. Three colossal blue water pillars, nearly ten meters high and several people thick, surged from the water-rich rivers.
The moment the three water pillars left the surface, they converged dramatically in the air. In an instant, with a loud burst of spray, the head of a massive blue dragon, roughly the size of a small hill, burst out from the water column.
The dragon's roar Aowh! shook the surrounding area. From the gaping maw of the huge dragon, a high-pressure water jet, easily seven or eight people thick, instantly shot out, aggressively roaring toward Orochimaru.
The immensely powerful, high-pressure water jet created a vacuum layer in the air along its path, churning the air currents within a hundred-meter radius. The resulting strong gusts forced Orochimaru to narrow his eyes before the jet even reached him.
No longer daring to conserve his chakra, Orochimaru threw caution to the wind. Pure, deep-blue energy from his chakra system was instantly refined and funneled continuously into his hands.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!
Three solid, heavy, earthen-yellow walls of earth, each about half a meter thick, roared up from the ground, firmly standing before Orochimaru.
Boom, boom, boom! Three dull explosions rang out. The incredibly powerful high-pressure water jet penetrated all three solid earthen walls.
Though the water jet's power was astonishing, it was severely weakened after piercing the three Earth Flow Ramparts, reducing its size by nearly half and significantly lowering its destructive force.
Orochimaru's aura solidified. Chakra-Enhanced Strength: Heavenly Ankle Kick!
His entire body launched forward like a taut bow, bending his knees and springing toward the water jet. His right leg slashed through the air like a heavenly blade, turning into a breathtaking leg-kick.
Rumble! With a loud bang, he utterly pulverized the incoming water jet, scattering it into thousands of tiny water arrows that harmlessly dropped to the ground and dissipated.
The moment he landed, Orochimaru launched his counter-attack.
His hand signs instantly condensed. Earth Release: Great Swamp Hand!
The three earth walls, shattered and blasted through by the high-pressure water jet, had fallen onto the ground as a thick sludge. Triggered by Orochimaru's jutsu, the mud rapidly converged, from which an earthen-yellow Great Swamp Hand erupted, arcing through the air to crush Mitsuyama Otoko.
"Stop!!!" Just then, a familiar, powerful roar echoed from the distance, and the chakra signature of a Kage-level powerhouse suddenly surged into Orochimaru's senses.
Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat. He clearly recognized the source of the aura: Hanzō of the Salamander had arrived.
However, instead of stopping at Hanzō's shout, Orochimaru's wicked smile grew, and he added another thirty percent of power to the Great Swamp Hand.
Mitsuyama Otoko was initially thrilled to hear Hanzō's voice, and a flush of color returned to his pale face—which was drained from using all his chakra. However, the oppressive shadow of the descending Great Swamp Hand instantly cast a layer of dread over his features once more.
The earthen-yellow Great Swamp Hand obscured the sky and dropped heavily. Boom! It crushed Mitsuyama Otoko and the other remaining Rain Ninja Chūnin beneath it, killing them instantly. Crimson blood oozed out from the mud.
Orochimaru took a deep look at Hanzō, who was rapidly approaching using chakra-enhanced movement, then, without turning back, slipped into the dense forest behind him and vanished.
Hanzō of the Salamander arrived moments later. Seeing the pools of blood and the corpses covering the ground, he was enraged. He gnashed his teeth and whispered: "Orochimaru!!!"
The assembled Jōnin heard the name of the attacker from Hanzō's lips. The name was not unfamiliar to them.
The moniker "Orochimaru the Serpent Lord" was already widespread in the Ninja World. Half of the Jōnin present had experienced the mission in the southern Land of Rivers years ago and knew the name well. The image of the young man—gifted, powerful, and astonishing—naturally flashed into their minds.
They then inevitably considered how much that young figure must have grown over the years. Seeing the ground littered with corpses, a wave of dread simultaneously crashed over every one of them.
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