The clash of the two ninjutsus, Wind Release·Sand Wrist and Water Release·Blast Water Punch, stirred up the sky with mud and sand.
Despite Shamon utilizing Wind Release, the medium was sand, soaked by the flood, promptly transforming into mud upon contact with the ground.
"Curses! To summon this much water so effortlessly, Tobirama's water Release surpasses even the Mizukage's!"
In the distance, Shamon encircled by swirling sand displayed a displeased expression. Once his sand became wet, controlling it became challenging, significantly weakening its potency. He dreaded powerful water ninjutsu the most.
In such an environment, logic dictated that Tobirama needed to expend more chakra to counteract his jutsu, and the mud on the ground was rapidly drying.
Yet, Tobirama, seemingly indifferent to the surroundings, faced Shamon with the confidence of the Senju clan, asserting his dominance over chakra control.
"Unexpectedly, I still have a chance. Wind Release · Sand Shuriken!"
Shamon lunged toward Tobirama at remarkable speed. Raising his hand, the airborne sand coalesced into a barrage of sand shurikens, sweeping toward Tobirama.
Simultaneously, a stream of darker sand gathered in Shamon's hand, forming a peculiar javelin-like shape.
"Hmph, a futile attack."
Tobirama sneered, forming swirling water spheres in both hands. He manipulated the water into two colossal, rotating water blades, charging towards Shamon. The blades carved out two water trails on the ground.
"Water Release·Water Wall!"
Even though Tobirama wasn't a taijutsu specialist, his physical prowess could instantly defeat the average Taijutsu type Jonin.
Most of the sand shurikens filling the sky were effortlessly dispelled by Tobirama, who raised his hands against the two water walls, completely unaffected.
"Hmph, quite confident, then try my technique honed over years studying the power of the Shukaku! Wind Release, Sand Spear!"
Shamon's hand-formed spear took shape. Crafted from the densest sand deep underground, this high-density weapon surpassed metal in strength.
Infused with a considerable amount of chakra, it transformed into a brown shadow hurtling toward Tobirama.
While seemingly unassuming, this attack was a potent and straightforward ultimate move, Gaara's most powerful single ninjutsu in later years—the Spear of Shukaku!
"Humph! Water Release, Water Blade Wave!"
Tobirama recognized the potency of the unadorned spear. The swirling water walls in his hands shrank again, forcefully slammed in front of him, unleashing a spiraling torrent toward the sand spear.
Observing this, Shamon sneered covertly, swiftly forming a hand seal. The ground's sand wriggled as if alive, morphing into two hands that grasped Tobirama's feet!
"Sand-bound Coffin!"
"What?!" Tobirama was caught off guard as the sand surged up along his feet, temporarily imprisoning him.
"Pfft—!"
The robust sand spear proved unexpectedly formidable, piercing through Tobirama's water Release like a bamboo shoot breaking through a barrier, stabbing the momentarily immobilized Tobirama.
"Is victory ours?" Observing the scene from a distance, Chiyo revealed an excited smile on her otherwise stern face.
However, Ebizō simply shook his head, choosing silence over words.
"Boom!"
The sand spear struck Tobirama, erupting into the sky and triggering a violent explosion.
Shamon, unfazed, maintained a serious expression as he formed hand seals. With a resounding roar, he pressed his palms to the ground, releasing a burst of chakra.
"Quicksand Waterfall!"
"Crash-"
A massive amount of sand surged forth like a landslide and tsunami, enveloping an area of thousands of meters.
Towering sand waves, reaching tens of meters in height, swallowed everything in their vicinity. The once barren land transformed into an expansive desert, devoid of any vegetation.
"Oops! Shamon-sama is about to use that technique! Quick, retreat!"
Several Sand Ninjas, gripped by fear, hastily led Chiyo and Ebizō away. Anbu's Tsushima and others, recognizing the perilous situation, distanced themselves.
"Pay the price for your arrogance!"
Tobirama's figure remained unseen on the desert's surface. Shamon's tattooed face exuded madness, a cruel smile gracing the corners of his mouth.
Chakra of immense magnitude poured into the ground without regard for consumption as he bellowed, "Wind Release Sand Waterfall Mass Burial!!"
"Boom-boom-boom-!!"
It seemed as though thousands of exploding talismans beneath the ground detonated simultaneously. Dust filled the air, the earth quaked, and everything, from sparse plants to hard boulders hundreds of meters below ground, was instantly pulverized into fine powder.
"God...God! Such power! We can't contend with Shamon's strength!"
In the distance, a few of Tsushima's team members gazed with horror at the unrecognizable scene, their nervousness palpable.
"Hahahaha, Tobirama, didn't expect it, not interested in playing hide-and-seek with you at all. Even if you don't show yourself, you know how good it is this time? Hahahaha..."
Shamon, a bit breathless but laughing uproariously, assumed Tobirama couldn't have escaped the ninjutsu's range and must be seriously injured.
"Hahaha... Tobirama, why haven't you surfaced? Are you too injured to come out?"
Shamon laughed for a moment, but the surroundings remained desolate, and no response came.
"You..."
Shamon grew uneasy. Regardless of his confidence, he couldn't believe the recent move had killed Tobirama outright. Tobirama couldn't have escaped, right? So where was he?
"Idiot, right above your head." In the distance, Takeshi emerged from the ground, expelled a mouthful of sand, and regarded the foolhardy Shamon with disdain.
"This... this chakra, isn't it?!"
"Above you!"
Startled, Shamon raised his head sharply, and a colossal water current crashed down, submerging him in sand!
"Sell it—!"
Shamon struggled in pain underwater, countless bubbles escaping his mouth. The waterfall-like water flow suppressed him, rendering him immobile.
"Pfft—"
The submerged Shamon turned into a pool of mud, his real body surfacing elsewhere, coughing up water.
"Impossible! Ahem—you can't! How did you escape my ninjutsu?!"
Shamon stood on a pond, soaked but disregarding his appearance. His eyes widened, gasping violently, as he incoherently questioned, "How did you escape?"
Tobirama, having executed the Water Release : Great Waterfall technique from the air, landed on the ground, regarding Shamon with an indifferent expression, as though observing a troupe of self-amusing clowns.
Several kunai, which had been holding back the peculiar fuinjutsu, descended from the air and landed near Tobirama.
"What's this...?"
The ascetic stared at the kunai in disbelief but found nothing amiss.
"I simply tossed a kunai into the air using the Flying Thunder God technique, then chose a suitable location to reappear and happened to catch a glimpse of your performance."
Tobirama sneered inwardly. At that moment, he sensed the Shamon's chakra fluctuating violently. With a casual wave of his hand, he launched kunai into the air a few hundred meters away as a preemptive strike.
"Damn... you slippery bastard!"
Shamon exclaimed in frustration. The set of ninjutsu he had just executed consumed a considerable amount of chakra and yielded no favorable results. The situation was turning against him!
"Oh? Do you think I intentionally avoided a direct confrontation with you?"
Tobirama looked at Shamon with a playful smile, then swiftly formed hand seals. His chakra, more vast than that of Shamon, suddenly surged violently.
"Water Release: Great Explosive Water Rush!"
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