Chapter 52: The Gap in Weapons

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: The Gap in Weapons

Hanzo of the Salamander, having distanced himself from Uchiha Xuan to the tail of the salamander, looked grimly at the scythe in his hand. The weapon that had accompanied him through half a lifetime of battles was now covered in chips and notches. Moreover, a glaring crack had appeared across the entire blade.

This crack was precisely the source of the crisp sound he had heard moments earlier.

In terms of weapons, he had been utterly defeated.

"Is your weapon a Divine Artifact?"

Setting down his scythe, Hanzo of the Salamander asked Uchiha Xuan with a darkened expression.

Although his scythe was not a particularly famous weapon, given the materials used in its forging, it should have been more than a match for even a blade of Kusanagi’s caliber.

Yet, against the ornate, ritual-sword-like blade in Uchiha Xuan’s hand, it had proven completely incapable of holding its own.

This forced Hanzo to suspect that the weapon in Uchiha Xuan’s hand might very well be a legendary Divine Artifact.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

"Earth Style: Yellow Spring Swamp!"

Before Uchiha Xuan could respond, two furious shouts rang out simultaneously.

It was Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who had been successfully cured of their poison by Tsunade. They had witnessed the entire battle between Uchiha Xuan and Hanzo of the Salamander. Noticing that Uchiha Xuan had damaged Hanzo’s weapon, they immediately unleashed their ninjutsu, hoping to disrupt Hanzo and create an opening for Uchiha Xuan to attack.

"Hmph."

A surge of water enveloped Hanzo’s body, and his figure vanished once more.

When he reappeared, he was already on the ground beside the salamander, causing Orochimaru and Jiraiya’s attacks to miss entirely.

Having evaded with a Body Flicker, Hanzo of the Salamander cast a cold gaze toward Tsunade atop the Slug Sage’s head.

"It seems it will be troublesome if I don’t deal with you first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hanzo swung his arm, sending a large cluster of kunai tied with Explosive Tags flying toward Tsunade.

"Tsunade!"

Seeing this, Jiraiya cried out anxiously from the side and quickly used Body Flicker in an attempt to intercept the kunai for her. However, how could his speed possibly compare to Hanzo’s?

"Explosive Flame Array!"

As Hanzo’s icy voice echoed, all the Explosive Tags attached to the shuriken activated and surged toward Tsunade’s legs.

"Damn it, I can’t dodge this!"

Facing the oncoming Explosive Tags, Tsunade’s expression turned grim.

Yet, in the next moment, a mark in the shape of the Eight Trigrams on her wrist flashed, and a brilliant Golden Light shimmered before her eyes.

"Xuan!? Get out of his attack range, quickly!"

For a moment, Tsunade, who had been prepared to endure the damage from the Explosive Tags, panicked upon seeing the golden figure appear before her. The warmth on her wrist made her realize that Uchiha Xuan must have used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach her side.

"Don’t worry, everything will be fine."

Uchiha Xuan’s calm voice sounded in Tsunade’s ear. Simultaneously, a dazzling Golden Light instantly enveloped the two of them.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions erupted one after another, yet they could not shake the cocoon-like Golden Light in the slightest.

This miraculous sight caused Jiraiya to halt in his tracks, staring in shock at the massive golden cocoon. Meanwhile, Orochimaru, not far away, flashed a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.

"Golden Light again. Compared to your Lightning Release, what truly stands out should be your swordsmanship and this peculiar Golden Light. The title ’Thunder Calamity’ doesn’t suit you."

Looking at the cocoon of light, Hanzo of the Salamander returned to the top of the salamander’s head and spoke in a low voice.

"And the technique you used just now to return to that medical ninja’s side—that’s the Second Hokage’s Space-Time Ninjutsu, isn’t it? It seems I need to retract my earlier comment about you being slow."

Hanzo of the Salamander gazed at Uchiha Xuan emerging from the cocoon of light, his eyes filled with appreciation.

"Are you alright?"

Jiraiya and Orochimaru approached Tsunade’s side and asked quietly.

"I’m fine. Xuan’s technique has strong defensive capabilities."

Tsunade glanced at Uchiha Xuan, then shook her head slightly as she spoke to the two.

"His Water Body Flicker Technique is too fast. It’s difficult for our attacks to hit him, and the only one who can keep up with him is Jonin Xuan."

"In the upcoming battle, we’ll do our best to create an opening for you. Manda and the others have limited time, so we must defeat him while they restrain that salamander."

Orochimaru, keeping a wary eye on Hanzo of the Salamander, approached the group. After glancing at Manda and the other two beasts entangled with the salamander, he spoke in a low voice.

"Speed... Hah, I almost forgot about that skill. Leave Hanzo of the Salamander to me."

Upon hearing this, a flash of golden light suddenly gleamed in Uchiha Xuan’s eyes. He then looked at Hanzo of the Salamander in the distance and smiled faintly.

"Xuan, if you get injured, immediately use Flying Thunder God to come to me for treatment. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, when covering for Xuan, be careful not to accidentally harm him."

Tsunade was momentarily stunned by the smile on Uchiha Xuan’s face, then turned to Orochimaru and Jiraiya—or rather, specifically to Orochimaru—and gave a serious instruction.

"Hah, don’t worry."

Seeing Tsunade’s serious expression, Orochimaru licked the corner of his lips and spoke coldly.

"Before that, come forth, Gardevoir."

A Summoning Formula unfolded beneath Uchiha Xuan’s feet. Amidst the swirling white mist, a green and white figure appeared.

"Gardevoir~"

As soon as Gardevoir appeared, she gave a slight bow to Uchiha Xuan and Tsunade. Her graceful demeanor caught Jiraiya’s eye.

"Wow! What a beautiful Summoning Beast!"

"Gardevoir, use Trick Room on that guy over there! Then coordinate with me."

After summoning Gardevoir, Uchiha Xuan formed a single-handed seal in front of his chest. The Yin Seal on his forehead activated, rapidly replenishing the Chakra he had consumed.

"Gardevoir~"

Upon hearing this, Gardevoir immediately looked toward Hanzo of the Salamander in the distance. A brilliant blue light surged in her eyes—an outward manifestation of her psychic power.

For Pokémon, assisting their trainer is of utmost importance. Thus, Gardevoir was now operating at two hundred percent focus.

With everything ready, Uchiha Xuan swung the horizontal blade Biyi in his hand.

"Then... let’s go!"

As his words fell, Uchiha Xuan’s figure instantly vanished from his original position. When he reappeared, he was already atop the salamander’s head. During his battle with Hanzo of the Salamander, he had long since planted a Flying Thunder God mark on the salamander.

Seeing Uchiha Xuan suddenly appear before him, a look of realization flashed in Hanzo of the Salamander’s eyes. He immediately swung the broken scythe in his hand.

However, the next moment, Hanzo of the Salamander was suddenly stunned as he watched Gardevoir appear beside Uchiha Xuan. He had guessed that Uchiha Xuan had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and had placed a Flying Thunder God mark on Ibuse.

But how could a Summoning Beast also know the Flying Thunder God Technique? And when did you place the mark? Could it be... on Uchiha Xuan himself? ’No, the position where this Summoning Beast appeared is about three meters away from Uchiha Xuan. This Summoning Beast itself has mastered Space-Time Ninjutsu?!’

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