Even if someone could avoid the direct impact of a wide-area jutsu, they still couldn't completely escape its follow-up effects or secondary damage... unless they managed to teleport using spatial techniques.
After Haseo's Water Release, the training ground had turned into an open stretch of water where his abilities could shine. Though he'd already mastered Fire Release, it remained just one art among many—most of the techniques he currently wielded were still rooted in Water Release.
Combined with the mist created by the scorching heat of Fire Release, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade's three-man team found themselves isolated within this watery battlefield.
It should've been near-impossible for them to synchronize their attacks… yet even as Haseo thought that, reality slapped him in the face.
Don't forget—his opponents, though young, were among the most gifted ninja, and more importantly, they weren't the only ones capable of large-scale jutsu.
A sharp whistle rang out first—a blade slicing through the air—followed quickly by the unmistakable storm of incoming shuriken.
Haseo looked up to see a storm of shuriken blotting out the sky—Sarutobi's signature [Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique] once again in play. That damned Third teaching such a high-level A-rank move to kids? Didn't he worry they wouldn't get it right?
Well, at least Orochimaru would probably nail it without breaking a sweat.
To avoid getting turned into a pincushion, Haseo—who was standing on the water's surface—swiftly dashed backward to safer ground. Soon, he exited the thickest part of the mist, and visibility improved significantly around him.
He dodged in time—but no sooner had he landed than he sensed movement beneath the water's surface. Then, from half a meter underwater, a hand shot out from the ground.
[Earth Release: Underground Head Severing Technique].
The attacker had chosen the perfect spot—it should have allowed him to grab Haseo's ankles exactly. But the technique-user must've forgotten—one thin layer of water was all it took to disrupt the timing. Even if those short arms stretched across that tiny distance, that slight delay robbed the attack of its surprise.
As soon as Haseo detected Jiraiya's attack, he leaped lightly backward again to evade. Just then, however, another strike followed up.
The thick mist was torn apart as a blur shot through it like [Flying Swallow], gliding low across the water straight toward him.
So Jiraiya was just a decoy? Tsunade had hurled her teammate Orochimaru forward like a living projectile.
Now airborne, Haseo appeared helpless—seemingly about to be struck down.
But appearances could be deceiving because even in such a sudden and unexpected situation, his hands remained clasped together. With a swift motion, his fingers shifted into another hand seal.
The water on the ground rushed toward Haseo's landing point, then erupted outward like a massive spring, gushing forth in even greater quantities... If the earlier Water Dragon Jutsu had been like a fierce and quick jab, this technique now was like a swinging hammer—seemingly slow, yet unstoppable.
[Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave]—that was the final jutsu Haseo completed.
[Water Colliding Wave (B)], [Exploding Water Colliding Wave (B)], and [Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave (A)] were all variations of the same technique at different power levels. Given Haseo's chakra reserves, attempting the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave wasn't even an option; just using the regular Exploding Water Colliding Wave, combined with his previous techniques, had drained his chakra completely.
In fact, that single ninjutsu alone consumed over seventy percent of his chakra. Objectively speaking, unless fighting against a large group, there was practically no reason to use such a technique in one-on-one combat or small skirmishes.
The heavy, forceful surge crushed forward. As for Jiraiya, who had buried himself underground, it went without saying—he was trapped, unable to escape under the immense pressure. In essence, he'd dug his own grave and buried himself inside.
Orochimaru fared only slightly better. Rushing forward, he slammed straight into the wall-like wave of water. Further back, Tsunade also got caught in the current.
Haseo's final jutsu had placed the trio in a desperate situation—but after exhausting his chakra, did he still have the strength to finish them off?
The answer was yes.
Earlier, his three water clones had merely entangled each opponent briefly before retreating into the water. Now they moved through the water at an incredibly high speed, dragging both Tsunade and Orochimaru—who had already been swept up in the Exploding Water Colliding Wave—deeper into the depths.
The Second Hokage wasn't just the strongest user of Water Release; he was also known as the fastest ninja ever. This man had always pursued speed with relentless passion. Besides the Flying Thunder God, he also possessed the ninjutsu "[Water Release: Surfing Strike]," which enabled rapid movement within water currents.
Standing unsteadily atop the water surface, Haseo watched as the chaotic roar across the training field gradually quieted down. Eventually, the only sound left was the faint dripping from his body into the bay, like tiny ripples formed when a drop touched the water surface—fleeting and fragile...
The training battle ended.
Haseo's clones pulled the nearly oxygen-deprived trio out from underwater. After all, it was just a sparring session—no one intended to let them drown.
"Pretty impressive, right?" Sansho asked Kagami Uchiha, who had watched everything unfold from the sidelines.
Reminded by Sansho's voice, Kagami Uchiha finally snapped out of his daze. Though his expression remained calm, his tone betrayed his inner turmoil: "It's not about whether he's impressive or not—he's something entirely unique. Combining different jutsu and hand seals together… how did he do it? How is that even possible?"
Kagami could roughly understand what Haseo had done. Yet even though everything happened under the gaze of his Sharingan, he couldn't figure out exactly how Haseo had managed it.
He recognized every jutsu Haseo had used. But the way those hand seals were woven together truly left him bewildered.
Kagami Uchiha imagined, if he encountered such an opponent on the battlefield and tried to copy their jutsu… it would only make him look mentally disabled and foolish, without yielding any actual results.
Just as Kagami Uchiha was sinking deep into self-doubt, Haseo had already arrived with the unconscious trio.
"Uh… Sansho-sensei, I think I might've overdone it a little," Haseo said awkwardly. He really shouldn't mess with kids—although during the fight, those kids actually had a brief moment where they nearly beat him.
Right now, Jiraiya and the others looked pretty pitiful—even Tsunade, who was usually seen as a gorgeous woman… no, let's be honest, even Tsunade, who was a real cutie—still wasn't a nice sight to see while drooling and rolling her eyes.
"It's fine. We expected this outcome when we brought them here in the first place. Letting them suffer a bit will benefit them—it'll keep them from getting too full of themselves." Sansho deliberately allowed Jiraiya and the others to experience some setbacks to prevent them from being overly confident. She took Tsunade into her arms, briefly examined her, then continued, "Your tactics are undeniably effective in actual combat—they overwhelm unprepared opponents completely… Given that, your next training direction is decided. First, you need to increase your chakra reserves sufficiently to sustain battle; second, besides Fire Release, you must quickly master a third Chakra Nature Transformation."
Merely combining two Chakra Natures was far from enough to fully unlock Haseo's potential. To genuinely catch enemies off guard, he should at least command three different natures.
To put it plainly, what Sansho meant was simply this…
If you're chasing excitement, then go all out.
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