Chapter 53

Even Chōjūrō's hands with the Dual Sword trembled slightly in front of the two-meter tall kid Ranmaru. Anyone would feel instinctive fear when they find themselves face to face with such a mountain of muscles!

"I'm not supposed to say this, but I'll still remind you that you can harm yourself if you're not careful with Shibuki..." the Jounin from the Hozuki Clan standing nearby seriously warned.

"Thank you for your concern, uncle," Ranmaru bowed shyly in response and returned his determined gaze to Chōjūrō, secretly promising himself that he would definitely become one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist for Yudao's sake!

"Let's start!" – a sharp scream sounded nearby.

Pooh!

Chōjūrō immediately stepped back while making hand seals: "Suiton: Water Wall Formation!"

A rushing stream of water immediately gushed out from the Mist Swordsman's mouth, forming a rising wall of water around him, devoid of gaps.

But he wasn't going to stop there.

And he continued deftly making hand seals.

Water Cloning Technique!

A moment later, an exact copy of Chōjūrō appeared nearby, peering intently at what was happening behind the water wall along with the original.

Boom!

There was a crash from outside. And Ranmaru's accelerating figure flew straight into the water wall with all his might, causing strong ripples to immediately roll across it.

At the same time, Chōjūrō frowned when he saw only a rapidly flashing silhouette outside. Ordinary Ninjutsu is almost useless against such a moving target!

Ranmaru, meanwhile, moderated his ardor a little in front of the massive wall of water flowing like a mountain river, and slowly raised the Explosive Sword above his head, and then furiously slashed with a simple blade.

Boom!

The terrifying brute force cut through the seething wall of water in one fell swoop like a knife through butter.

Ranmaru's face showed momentary confusion at the sight of two Chōjūrō in the resulting gap.

But the very next moment his brown eyes emitted a scarlet glow. And he easily discerned where the fake was and where the real one was!

"That same Dojutsu that Ameyuri mentioned?" – the Swordsman of the Mist whispered to himself, remembering the recent words of Ringo Ameyuri.

Suiton: Impact Water Flow!

Then a stream of water appeared under Chōjūrō's feet. The essence of this Water Release Ninjutsu is to create a rapid flow of water under the user's feet, for a subsequent jerk forward.

Just when Chōjūrō finished with the seals, Ranmaru broke through the cut water wall with Shibuki already brought up to him.

Suiton: Big Water Hand Technique!

With a quiet whisper, the Mist Swordsman's frail hands suddenly swelled several times and, tightly grasping the handles of the Dual Sword, blocked the Explosive Sword with a counter impulse.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The arena shook over and over again with a frightening roar.

With his brute strength, Ranmaru gradually pressed even Chōjūrō, and this despite the fact that he used two Ninjutsu types of support at once.

"Surprisingly, a close associate of the Fifth Mizukage managed to master the Great Water Hand Technique! Unfortunately, it is very limited in time without the Hydrification Technique of our Hozuki Clan. But... the battle is already nearing its end!" – The Jounin from the Hozuki Clan whispered to himself in amazement, without taking his gaze off Chōjuro.

Not only him, many experienced shinobi also saw where this was going.

Yes, at first glance it seemed that Chōjūrō was being mercilessly beaten, but in fact, he had already won.

Kid Ranmaru is too inexperienced.

Only absolute superiority in strength guarantees a shinobi victory, otherwise the scales can swing in any direction.

Soon, Chōjūrō felt a sharp pain in his hands, signaling the imminent completion of the Great Water Hand Technique.

But now is the time!

The Swordsman of the Mist looked into Ranmaru's red eyes with the thought that he might have already lost the battle if not for the brief mention of Ameyuri.

"Hiramekarei Release!" – during the next clash, Chōjūrō, using the basic ability of the Dual Sword, brought down a massive column of concentrated chakra on the enemy.

As a result, Ranmaru was not injured, but still staggered back.

Perfect moment!

The ignored Water Clone suddenly appeared right behind Ranmaru.

Suiton: Water Prison Technique!

Before the boy could understand what was happening, his hefty body had already found itself inside a massive sphere of water.

Not only was Ranmaru unable to breathe, but the sphere of water also exerted enormous pressure on every centimeter of his body.

"Wow, cool technique... gurgle..." muttered Ranmaru and immediately choked on the stream of water that poured straight into his mouth.

"Eh~" Choujuro shook his head.

You cannot escape from a water prison by force alone!

Nearby, Ameyuri's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Had Chōjūrō really developed this plan before the battle began, based on a small piece of information about the enemy's Dojutsu?

Piercing vision makes any distracting Ninjutsu literally a blank in Ranmaru's eyes.

And since the child had no experience at all, he concentrated on Chōjūrō himself, completely ignoring the Water Clone. This strategy was as simple as three pennies, but it was based on an accurate analysis of Ranmaru's abilities and behavior.

And as soon as Choujuro thought about ending the battle, the water sphere was immediately torn apart by a monstrous explosion.

"Yes, this cannot be! Did this kid blow up Shibuki right in his hands?" – onlookers widened their eyes at the explosion.

However, to their amazement, Ranmaru appeared unharmed among the dissipating clouds of smoke.

That's why even Chōjūrō, Ameyuri and Jounin from the Hozuki Clan widened their eyes after the simple onlookers.

How thick-skinned he turns out to be!

Shibuki is considered dangerous due to the fact that his explosions do not distinguish between either the enemy or his master.

"Pha, pha, come on, I almost choked there..." Ranmaru wheezed with Shibuki in his hand, frightenedly slapping himself on his hefty chest.

- That's it, you don't have to continue! - he quickly came to his senses and made a stopping gesture with his palm, noticing the boy's intention to continue their battle, and then secretly complained about the pain in his trembling hands: "Well, I'll definitely move my horses!"

- Ah... uh... did I pass or not? – Ranmaru sighed heavily and made the most pitiful face in front of the Swordsman of the Mist, but his unrealistically swung body still instilled primitive fear in people.

"It would be hard to call you a worthy master of the Explosive Sword, but..." Choujuro said quietly and, after a pause, added solemnly. - No one is better suited for this role than you!

In his estimation, it is likely that after mastering Shibuki, this child Ranmaru will be comparable in strength to the strongest Swordsman of the Mist of the last generation, and now a renegade... Hoshigaki Kisame!

Since Ranmaru's abnormal durability allows him to not have to worry about Shibuki's explosions, he can effortlessly annihilate most opponents in close combat without taking any damage himself.

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