Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

On the battlefield, Hanzo burst into laughter as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hahaha, it's been a long time since I've met such an arrogant young man," he said, standing atop his giant salamander and looking down at Kaito. "If you think you can do it, then come on!"

"Kaito, don't be rash!" Jiraiya tried to intervene but was stopped by Orochimaru.

"Let him go. Have you forgotten his strength? He's not as fragile as you think."

A smirk played on Orochimaru's lips. "Besides, we might just get to witness a miracle."

"You mean... that's not really possible, is it?" Jiraiya looked at Kaito's back and murmured, "No, if it's him, he might actually be able to do it."

Kaito wasn't surprised that Hanzo was ready to fight; he had considered this possibility from the moment he decided to reveal himself. As he was now, he probably wasn't a match for Hanzo, but he didn't need to actually defeat him. Kaito just needed to display enough power to make Hanzo back down. He wouldn't risk his life in a deathmatch with a kid. At this point in his life, Hanzo was known for appreciating and nurturing talent; he wasn't yet the corrupt, old politician he would become.

"Then I won't hold back," Kaito said. He clapped his hands together, and the golden energy within him began to circulate rapidly, transforming into an icy aura that radiated from his body.

"Hiss, it's so cold! What's going on?" Tsunade, having finished her treatment, couldn't help but hug her arms.

Orochimaru exhaled a puff of white mist, a look of discomfort on his face. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head. He looked up and was stunned. "Is that… is it snowing?"

No, it wasn't just snow. It was mixed with a good amount of hail, which fell along with the raindrops.

"Snow? It's actually snowing in the Land of Rain?" Hanzo was the most shocked of all. This was the first time he had ever seen it snow here.

"This guy, his Ice Style has gotten stronger? He can actually affect the climate," Jiraiya said, the cold, icy rain pelting his face and making his skin sting. He seemed to remember something and quickly pulled his two companions back. "I have a feeling this is just the beginning. He wouldn't be wasting his energy just to make some hail."

Jiraiya's intuition was correct. The next moment, Kaito slammed his hands onto the ground.

"Ice Age!"

In an instant, ice and snow spread out rapidly from him as the epicenter. The salamander, not being agile enough, was instantly frozen, more than half of its body encased in ice, transforming it into an iceberg.

From the sky, it looked as if a massive, crystalline ice flower had bloomed upon the earth.

Hanzo, who had used a Body Flicker to escape to a safe distance, stared at the massive, translucent block of ice before him, unable to believe his eyes.

The Sannin, who had narrowly avoided being frozen themselves, were also shocked. "Hmph, we still underestimated him."

"Heh, the visual effect isn't bad. Worth the effort," Kaito said, nodding in satisfaction at his masterpiece.

Ever since he had grasped the Power of Aura, Kaito's focus in learning new skills had shifted from Fighting-type to Ice-type. As he learned more and more Ice-type skills, his control over the power of ice and snow became increasingly deft. He could manipulate various forms of ice with ease. Kaito felt as if he had become a user of an Ice Style Kekkei Genkai or had eaten the Ice-Ice Fruit.

Of course, the "Ice Age" he had just used couldn't compare to the original. He was, at best, a semi-Devil Fruit user.

But Hanzo was an extraordinary man who had seen his fair share of storms, and he quickly regained his composure. He released his summoning, sending the salamander away, and faced Kaito from across the hollow iceberg. "That was an impressive move, but it's not enough to make me retreat!"

"Is that so? Then come and get me!" Kaito beckoned provocatively with his finger.

"..." An inexplicable anger flared up inside Hanzo. He narrowed his eyes, his hands dancing in front of his chest, quickly forming a complex series of hand seals. A large amount of chakra gathered in his palms and erupted as a torrent of flames.

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"

Five writhing fire dragons flew out, bypassing the iceberg and rushing toward Kaito. Wherever they passed, the ice and snow melted.

Kaito stomped his foot, and four ice walls immediately shot up from the ground, intercepting all the fire dragons. The two collided, playing a song of ice and fire. A large amount of water vapor rose, quickly turning into new snowflakes that fell from the sky.

Kaito appeared before Hanzo, completely unscathed. Hanzo was shocked. "My Fire Style was actually blocked."

"Fire is strong against ice, but that's only under normal circumstances," Kaito said, spreading his hands. "This is my world of ice and snow. How could a mere little flame possibly break through?"

"In that case, I'll just have to pay a visit to your world of ice and snow myself!" Hanzo tightened his grip on his sickle and stepped onto the ice.

With chakra clinging to the soles of his feet, he moved as if flying, rapidly closing the distance to Kaito.

"Kaito, be careful! His swordsmanship is very strong!" Jiraiya couldn't help but shout a warning.

"Sorry, but my swordsmanship isn't half-bad either." Kaito drew the Clear Spring and Autumn's Feeling from his waist, becoming a dual-wielding swordsman.

He held the two swords in a cross shape in front of his chest, then swung them forcefully, sending out two slashes of blue sword energy.

"Dual Sword Style: Snow Light Flash!"

"Sword energy!" Hanzo was greatly alarmed. He sensed a strong sense of crisis and didn't dare to face it head-on, quickly using a Body Flicker to dodge.

The blue sword energy passed through his afterimage and struck a distant rock, leaving two deep marks. The ice energy contained within them then erupted, freezing the rock into an ice sculpture.

"He infused Ice Style into his sword energy. If Hanzo had dared to block that just now, he would have ended up like that rock," Orochimaru said in amazement. "With swordsmanship like that, in Konoha, there's probably only that one person who could compare to him."

"Mm," Tsunade shook her head with a bitter smile. "It seems he wasn't using his full strength last time. We would have a very difficult time dealing with swordsmanship this sharp."

"Sigh, and I actually wanted to take him as my student..." Jiraiya lamented.

This kid's future is limitless. The same thought arose in the minds of all three Sannin, though their attitudes and thoughts about Kaito differed.

Orochimaru wanted to understand the reason for Kaito's immense power. Tsunade wanted to pull Kaito into Konoha. Jiraiya, on the other hand, fully saw Kaito as the Child of Destiny and was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to guide him correctly.

While the Sannin were lost in thought, Hanzo had not given up. He flashed in front of Kaito, his sickle swinging down without hesitation.

Kaito, having stacked several layers of Swords Dance, swung his own swords to meet the attack without showing any weakness.

Clang!

The blades met, and Kaito stumbled, nearly losing his footing.

What incredible strength!

Before he could ready himself, Hanzo had already withdrawn his sickle and was striking again. Kaito grit his teeth and met the challenge head-on. A series of "clang, clang, clang" sounds rang out continuously. Sparks flew where the blades collided, and their figures blurred together in a fierce exchange.

But the longer the stalemate continued, the more Hanzo felt his hands and feet growing stiff from the cold. Even his sickle was now covered in a layer of frost. Gradually, he went from having the upper hand at the beginning to being evenly matched.

I can't let this go on! Hanzo's eyes flashed. During another close-quarters exchange, he spewed a mouthful of poison mist.

"Hmph, I was prepared for that." At the same time, a white light shone from Kaito's body. His movements were unaffected by the poison mist, and he blocked Hanzo's would-be finishing blow.

"How is that possible?!" Hanzo blurted out. "Why didn't my poison work?"

"Because I'm an all-rounder. As for medical ninjutsu and the like, I know a little something."

"..."

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