Naruto : Blazing Legend

Chapter 29: Big Water Explosion

Damn, the range is too wide to dodge.

Nara Shikakusa watched the serpentine shadows expand in his vision like death itself taking form. Time crawled to a standstill as Orochimaru's technique bore down on him, each snake head a promise of agony.

"Earth Release : Earth Style Wall"

An earth wall erupted from the ground just behind him, conjured by an unknown ally whose face Shikakusa couldn't see through the chaos. The Hidden Shadow Snake Hands crashed into the barrier with the sound of grinding stone, but several serpent heads punched through like bullets through paper.

Smart enough to recognize salvation when it appeared, Shikakusa immediately linked his benefactor with his shadow technique and yanked them both backward. The ground where they'd stood erupted in flames as Uchiha Izumiyama's fireball consumed the crumbling earthwork.

"Did I miss?" Izumiyama's frustration was cut short as pale coils wrapped around his torso like hungry pythons. "Too... fast..."

The snake—thick as a grown man's arm—constricted with methodical precision. Each breath became a struggle as ribs creaked under the pressure.

"Izumiyama-sama!" His subordinate appeared with kunai drawn, steel biting into serpentine flesh.

"Move!" Izumiyama saw the casual flick of Orochimaru's wrist as a single shuriken multiplied into a deadly constellation. The 'Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu'—a technique developed by the Sandaime himself.

Izumiyama's hands blurred in practiced counters, eight shuriken flying in perfect formation to intercept the attack. Metal sang against metal in a symphony of deflection, but three projectiles slipped through his defense like whispers of death.

Two wet sounds. Two loyal bodies crumpling to the water-soaked earth.

"No!" The word tore from Izumiyama's throat as his teammates—his brothers—hit the ground with shurikens buried in their chests. The ANBU appeared instantly, spiriting away the fallen with clinical efficiency.

Failed. They failed because of me.

The thought burned worse than any physical wound.

---

On Orochimaru's side of the killing field, efficiency ruled supreme. Bodies dropped without lag, far outpacing Jiraiya's more theatrical approach.

Neither Sannin bothered coordinating their efforts. This wasn't a battle; it was a lesson in humility delivered through overwhelming force.

But Rei had been watching. Learning. Planning.

Jiraiya's real body crouched beneath a female genin's feet in a position that would have been comical if it weren't so predatory. The girl remained oblivious to the hands reaching up from the earth until they dragged her screaming into the soil.

Fire and earth attributes. Massive chakra reserves. He can stay underground indefinitely, and the terrain favors him completely.

Rei's Sharingan swept the arena—an oval basin with elevated mounds rising four meters above the combat zone. The geography was Jiraiya's ally, giving him endless opportunities for ambush.

Time to change the rules.

"Yu, provide cover," Rei commanded without looking back. "Hanazuki, look into my eyes. Don't resist. Remember the seal sequence I'm about to show you, and match my chakra output exactly."

Hanazuki's pupils dilated as Rei's Sharingan spun, implanting the complex hand seal pattern directly into her muscle memory. The genjutsu was simple but effective—perfect synchronization without the luxury of practice.

"What are they doing?" The question rippled through the elevated observation posts as spectators noticed the three genin positioning themselves deliberately.

Smart boy, Hiruzen thought, pipe smoke curling around his weathered features. Jiraiya excels at earth and fire techniques, while Orochimaru's water affinity is merely adequate. Change the battlefield, narrow the gap.

Seventeen hand seals flowed like water itself: Ox-Dog-Monkey-Ram-Boar-Bird-Rooster-Dog-Bird-Dragon-Ox-Dragon-Ox-Snake-Dog-Monkey-Ram.

"Water Release : Exploding Water Shock Wave"

The torrent that erupted from their combined efforts defied rational explanation. Two genin—children barely past academy graduation—had just unleashed an A-rank technique that reshaped the entire arena. Water crashed outward in all directions, transforming solid ground into a shallow lake that reached the barrier walls.

Underground, Jiraiya's confidence evaporated with his oxygen supply. Who the hell cast large-scale water release? I can't breathe through earth techniques!

Several genin caught in the initial surge found themselves swept to the arena's edges, saved from drowning only by the boundary barriers. But Rei had deliberately aimed the largest volume at Orochimaru, forcing even the Snake Sannin to leap clear of the artificial tsunami.

A-rank ninjutsu... at his age. Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with something approaching respect. Impressive.

The gallery erupted in murmurs of amazement and calculation.

"Such massive chakra consumption for an A-rank technique..."

"Is this just to force Jiraiya above ground?"

"Another Uchiha prodigy. How interesting."

The water settled at roughly chest height for most combatants—1.5 meters of tactical advantage that had cost Rei sixty percent of his chakra and left Hanazuki barely conscious on her feet.

"Everyone else, focus on Orochimaru," Rei ordered, his voice carrying absolute authority. "We'll handle the Ero-Sennin."

Nobody argued. The title 'Ero-Sennin' had already begun its inexorable spread through Konoha's rumor networks, much to Jiraiya's eternal chagrin.

"Hold them off until we can support you," Shirakumo Hayama called out through gritted teeth, leading his team toward the distant figure of Orochimaru.

"Hey now!" Jiraiya's protest carried wounded dignity as he surfaced like some legendary sea creature. "I'm called The Toad Sage, not the Pervy Sage! You brat, I liked you before, but now I'll have to teach you some respect!"

But the damage was done. In years to come, that title would follow him across battlefields and into legend.

"Less talking, more fighting," Rei shot back, drawing his katana as he charged across the water's surface.

The aquatic environment transformed the entire dynamic. Water-natured shinobi found their techniques amplified and their confidence restored, while fire users like Izumiyama struggled against the hostile terrain. Five water-style specialists immediately converged on Orochimaru, their combined assault creating a wall of liquid death that even a Sannin had to respect.

Rei and Wada Yu reached Jiraiya simultaneously, their coordinated attack forcing the legendary ninja into defensive postures. Yu's taijutsu, while impressive for a genin, couldn't match decades of battlefield experience, but Rei's blade work kept him in the fight—intercepting killing blows and creating openings his teammate couldn't.

"Excellent swordplay, kid," Jiraiya acknowledged, forming seals with practiced ease. Blood welled from his bitten thumb as he slammed his palm down. "Let's see how you handle this!"

"Summoning Jutsu : Tekiwan Gama!"

An Iron Arm Toad materialized in a splash of displaced water—1.5 meters of armored amphibian fury, blue tattoos gleaming wetly as it launched itself at Rei. His forward slash met layered steel, the impact jarring his arms to the shoulder. The follow-up punch doubled him over and sent him skidding backward across the water's surface.

Damn it. I forgot his summons aren't affected by terrain changes.

Rei steadied himself, mind racing through possibilities. If Jiraiya had summoned Gamabunta instead of this smaller warrior, the fight would already be over. Clearly, even this examination had limits.

The realization crystallized his strategy—they didn't need to defeat the Sannin, just restrict them effectively enough to demonstrate competence. But the power gap remained massive, and numbers were their only real advantage.

Still, Rei had one technique specifically designed for opponents like Jiraiya. His success rate was ninety percent.

All he needed was the right opening.

As the Iron Arm Toad bounded toward him again, Rei allowed himself a predator's smile. Sometimes the best traps looked like desperate last stands.

Let's see how you handle this, Ero-Sennin.

****************

Additional chapters on my Patr*n

35 Advanced chapters & 5 Bonus chapters of Corpse Picker of Konoha

20 Chapters of Naruto : Blazing Legend

patre*n*com/IchigoTL