Konoha: This Uchiha is extremely sneaky

Chapter 548 Kabuto VS Salamander

Now that their location had been exposed, Dou was determined to make a quick decision.

However, Hanzo the Salamander, despite being hailed as a demigod, performed very poorly in his old age.

But they do have some skills; they're not someone you can just easily deal with.

Missing his first strike, he flicked his wrist, and the scythe, secured by the chain, spun in the air before slashing straight at the back of his neck.

That wasn't all. Right in front of Dou, a heavy iron block, whistling through the air, aimed at his chest and slammed down.

He attacked from both sides, displaying his seasoned combat experience from the very first move.

Blue chakra light emanated from his hands, and two thin chakra blades stretched and contracted erratically in Kabuto's grasp.

Clang! With two crisp sounds, he didn't choose to dodge, but directly used his chakra scalpel to knock away the weapons in front of and behind him.

He did not choose to dodge. Experts of this level usually have their own routines when they attack. If he chose to dodge, he might be caught in a continuous barrage of attacks.

"The Instantaneous Movement Technique!"

Although his opponent deflected his attack, Hanzo's offensive was not disrupted. With a high-speed teleportation, he closed in on Kabuto.

"Wow, so fast! No wonder you were once a demigod. I underestimated you!"

Kabuto wasn't the kind of power-type ninja who excelled in direct combat. Surprised by the speed his opponent unleashed, he swung his arm forward and, taking advantage of the moment when his opponent dodged the blade, retreated, intending to create distance between himself and Hanzo.

Whoosh!

The iron chain in his hand made a crisp sound. Hanzo raised his hand and swung it. The weight that Kabuto had just knocked away spun around his body and came flying through the air like a meteor hammer.

This time, it still hit his upper body.

It seems that Hanzo also knew that it was impossible to hit the enemy so easily.

By the time Kabuto dodged again, the scythe was back in his hand.

brush!

A blur flashed by, and Hanzo had vanished from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already behind Kabuto.

"That was close!"

Having dodged Hanzo's attack once again, he covered his pale arm and touched his cheek.

There, a streak of crimson blood dripped down.

Clearly, after only a few rounds of probing attacks, Kabuto realized how formidable Hanzo was.

"It seems that Jiraiya's strength is beyond my expectations. Moreover, the person manipulating you behind the scenes is probably not him."

The warm, smooth touch made Dou's mind calmer and his thinking clearer.

I originally thought that Jiraiya was able to seal Hanzo because of Fugaku Uchiha's help, but now that we've actually faced him, I realize how troublesome Hanzo was.

Jiraiya's ability to successfully seal him away amidst the combined attacks of the Second and Third Hokage and Hanzo truly far exceeded his expectations.

"That's not important. Now, have you decided how you're going to die?"

Ignoring Kabuto's words, Hanzo the Salamander did not rush to attack. Instead, he solemnly removed the respirator from his face, thus exposing his face.

He exhaled a long breath, and a faint purple mist enveloped him.

"It's salamander toxin!"

His expression changed, and Dou immediately held his breath, afraid of inhaling even a wisp of outside air.

"However, if you want to stay here or kill me with this, you're welcome to try."

He held a certain reverence for the infamous salamander toxin, but given his now unrecognizable body...

It's highly unlikely that they'll be harmed by this toxin.

Just as Dou was on guard against Hanzo's poison, a soft gurgling sound reached his ears.

"Is there an ambush?"

Upon hearing the noise, Dou immediately looked down at the ground beneath his feet. If he hadn't cultivated immortal arts and greatly enhanced his five senses, he wouldn't have been able to hear such a faint sound at all.

Without hesitation, he leaped up and landed on the top of the cave, then began to examine the spot where he had just stood.

"Is it salamander?"

Just as Dou jumped to the top of the cave, he saw that the originally calm ground seemed to have rippled.

A gigantic mouth covered with sharp fangs, like a deep-sea behemoth poking its head out of the water to prey on seabirds, swallowed whole along with air and seawater—no, it should be said, mud and rocks.

It bit through empty air, and as its jaws snapped shut, the sharp teeth collided with a loud "crack." The owner of that enormous mouth didn't reveal its true form; its body slowly sank into the soil and disappeared.

"It seems we need to find a way to deal with this summoning beast. Every time we land on the ground, we'll have to be careful of its sneak attacks... This won't do!"

He frowned. Dou looked like an upside-down man, stuck to the top of the cave. He clearly didn't intend to come down to the ground easily until the hidden dangers underground were resolved.

Fire Release: Exploding Talisman Flame Formation

Having just landed on the cave ceiling, before Kabuto could even figure out how to deal with the salamanders below, Hanzo formed a hand seal and slammed it onto the ground.

Beneath his feet, the once uneven cave ceiling shifted and writhed, revealing its true form.

"When?"

This left Dou utterly astonished.

Hanzo the Salamander had been right under his nose the whole time. When did he start tampering with the top of the cave?

The summoned beast, the Salamander, could be said to have been summoned and laid in ambush by the opponent before they even entered the cave.

However, once inside the cave, Hanzo hadn't missed a single move, so there shouldn't have been any opportunity for him to set up such a trap.

Could it be a clone?

He was filled with doubt, but now was not the time to think about such things. He still had to deal with Hanzo's attack, and the already lit explosive tags couldn't wait for anyone.

Rumble!

A dazzling flash of light was followed by a deafening roar that echoed endlessly.

In a confined space, sound waves reflect repeatedly between the walls. When a sound wave encounters a surface, some of it is reflected, while the rest is absorbed.

Once the echo dissipated, the already dim environment in the cave became even more difficult to see, compounded by the smoke that filled the entire cave.

"What's wrong with this guy? He shouldn't be this strong."

Hidden behind an inverted pillar, Kabuto glanced at the ground covered in rubble, his eyes sweeping over the motionless Hanzo, his heart filled with doubt.

Most ninjas resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation technique are unwilling to be controlled, especially powerful ones like Hanzo.

Even if they are forcibly restrained through talismans and ninjutsu, their own will is extremely strong, and they are constantly trying to find ways to break free from this control.

This results in them being able to use the ninjutsu they used in life, but their tactics will be very rigid.

Hanzo the Salamander below is different. Not only are his movements incredibly fluid, but his tactics are also so ingeniously arranged that he doesn't seem like a manipulated puppet at all.

(End of this chapter)