Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 195 Hanzo the Salamander

After circling twice, Hanzo the Salamander realized the seriousness of the situation, but he was at a loss in the face of the illusion that enveloped the entire Land of Rain.

He was able to break free from the illusion only because his original Kage-level strength had been reborn after breaking free from his cocoon, and his entire life form had been sublimated, which was enough to barely withstand the power of the wide-area illusion.

However, he was not capable of waking up his subordinates on his own—not to mention all the ninjas of Amegakure, even the Nanami, who were the easiest to rescue, could not be saved by Hanzo of the Salamander.

If Hanzo of the Salamander had encountered such a bizarre situation normally, he would have turned and run without saying a word. He is no longer the headstrong "demigod of the ninja world" he once was, and he is very clear about the limits of his strength.

Even after undergoing a rebirth and experiencing a significant leap in strength, creating a huge gap between him and Kage-level powerhouses, he was still helpless against this powerful illusion technique. In comparison, if he were willing to kill indiscriminately, it would be easier to wipe out all the ninjas in Amegakure.

The current Hanzo of the Salamander, after improving his life essence, has reached the same level as Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Perhaps his poison ability is a step below that of the Wood Release Sage Mode and the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, but in terms of life level, the two are indeed completely equal.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been immune to Uchiha Hiu's genjutsu, considering his genjutsu skills weren't very good, and he didn't have the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Unfortunately, the problem arose in the Land of Rain and the Hidden Rain Village. No matter how ruthless Hanzo the Salamander was, he could not possibly abandon his country and his village.

Just then, a massive aura of chakra suddenly appeared from afar. Hanzo of the Salamander trembled slightly as he looked towards the source of the chakra aura.

"This feeling... is it that guy? Uchiha Touyu..."

Hanzo of the Salamander had an incredibly deep impression of Uchiha Hiyu, after all, it was from Uchiha Hiyu that Hanzo obtained the Poison Technique Training Scroll, which led to his almost complete transformation and fate-defying evolution.

However, Uchiha Tou's immense strength and terrifyingly oppressive aura terrified Hanzo of the Salamander, leaving him almost constantly filled with dread.

It wasn't until later, when Nagato Uzumaki suddenly appeared, openly contacting the Five Great Nations and issuing arrest warrants to hunt down Tou Uchiha, and Tou Uchiha never showed up again, that Hanzo of the Salamander's worries were slightly relieved.

In a flash, many thoughts raced through Hanzo's mind: the Akatsuki organization and Nagato Uzumaki, which had suddenly undergone a major change and even altered their fundamental principles; the genjutsu that enveloped the entire Land of Rain; and Uchiha Touya, who had reappeared out of nowhere...

He could sense that these three things were closely related, but even with Hanzo the Salamander's extensive life experience, he couldn't figure out exactly what had happened.

However, before Hanzo of the Salamander could think any further, the figure of Uchiha Tou appeared before him. The immense chakra almost distorted Hanzo's senses, filling his face with horror.

"Hanzo the Salamander... I really didn't expect that just one scroll of poison techniques I gave you would give me such a big surprise!"

"Tsk, it's clearly the kind of poisonous technique that's quick and easy, depleting one's life force, yet you've managed to forge a path of rebirth, even enhancing the very essence of your life... You're probably the first person in the entire ninja world to improve their life essence through self-cultivation!"

Among those who can improve their life essence without relying on bloodline potential, Uchiha Tomo only knows Orochimaru. In recent years, Orochimaru has made great strides in scientific research and, through various scientific modifications, his own life essence has reached a very high level.

In addition, there were women in Uchiha Tou's harem whose life essence had been elevated to a certain limit, but there were no others.

However, Orochimaru relied on science, and Uchiha Tou's harem was built by him; they didn't rely on any kind of cultivation.

Such a traditional approach, relying on cultivation to improve the essence of life, has only been accomplished by Hanzo the Salamander so far.

Uchiha Touyu didn't know whether Hanzo of the Salamander was lucky or had such amazing talent; he probably had both!

To be precise, Hanzo the Salamander is a perfect match for poison techniques, and given that he was able to become a demigod in the ninja world despite being a ninja from Amegakure, his talent is undeniable.

The combination of these two factors, along with a crucial element of luck, led to Hanzo the Salamander's remarkable transformation.

"What...what exactly do you want, Uchiha Tou!? Don't forget there's still a war going on here in the Land of Rain! Uzumaki Nagato is in the Land of Rain, aren't you afraid he'll discover your whereabouts?"

Hanzo of the Salamander gripped his scythe tightly. Although he felt that his current strength was more than ten times that of his younger, peak years, the fear in his heart surged like waves as he looked at the Uchiha in front of him, who was smiling and completely unguarded.

So much so that this hero, who once fought against several great nations alone and earned the title of demigod through his powerful skills and extraordinary courage, only dared to borrow Nagato's name to intimidate his opponent.

"Heh, is that really what you think?"

Uchiha Touyu crossed his arms and chuckled as he said:

"As a veteran Kage-level ninja who experienced the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, I don't believe you have no doubts at all—why did I dare to launch such a massive genjutsu in the Land of Rain, on Nagato's territory? Why did Nagato suddenly seem like a different person, leading the Akatsuki in a war to unify the world... If I hadn't made any preparations, would I have come here to die?"

Hanzo the Salamander's hand, gripping the sickle so tightly that his knuckles were almost white, spoke in a low voice:

"You teamed up with Nagato Uzumaki? How did you manage to convince him? How did you manage to get that guy Nagato to betray his ideals?"

"You can think a little bolder..."

Uchiha Touyu said something meaningful that made Hanzo of the Salamander's expression change drastically:

"You, you mean... you really completely controlled Nagato Uzumaki? Impossible, with the Rinnegan's resistance to genjutsu, there's no genjutsu that could control him."

Uchiha Touyu did not answer again, but carefully examined the Salamander Hanzo who was now full of vitality. After breaking out of his cocoon and being reborn, this old man, who was now almost 70 years old, returned to his youth and returned to his peak state of 30 years old. Moreover, both his blood and energy and his spirit were many times stronger than his peak state.

"It feels like a complete transformation, as if I've been reborn... This cultivation method could perhaps be renamed the Hundred Poisons Heavenly Silkworm Technique... However, without Hanzo of the Salamander's special physique, attempting to cultivate it wouldn't just be a matter of nine deaths and one chance, it would be a hundred deaths and no chance of survival."

"However, regardless, this guy is a very valuable sample... After all, even I improved my life essence by accumulating a large amount of resources. In that respect, I'm not even as good as Hanzo the Salamander."

While Hanzo the Salamander was still muttering things like "impossible," Uchiha Touya had already made his move without hesitation. With a flash, he threw a punch, and with a bang, Hanzo the Salamander in front of him exploded into a pool of purple liquid.

This pool of colored liquid was extremely corrosive. It made a sizzling sound as soon as it hit the ground, corroding a large hole in the ground. The liquid that splashed onto Uchiha Touyu instantly corroded most of his body.

As if melting, Uchiha Hiu opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word. He was like an ice cream cone slowly melting under the scorching sun. However, when he had only melted halfway, his original flesh and blood body revealed its woody essence. Clearly, this was just a wood clone.

"Hmm... is this your new bloodline limit? The nature of your chakra has completely changed; this should be called a poison clone!"

Not far away, Uchiha Touyu revealed himself, saying a few words as he looked at the pool of venom. However, Hanzo of the Salamander, who had also appeared, clearly had no intention of arguing and immediately formed hand seals without saying a word:

"Poison Release - Great River of Poison!"

Thick purple venom gushed out like a terrifying river. Just by looking at how even the ground was melting, Uchiha Touya knew that Earth Release defensive ninjutsu would be completely eroded in the first instant.

"Wood Release: Ranking Technique!"

Linked wooden shields rose from the earth, forming a massive wall that blocked the gushing, poisonous river. However, even this powerful defensive ninjutsu, capable of defending against Susanoo and tailed beasts, began to emit thick white smoke and hiss under the corrosive influence of the poisonous river.

Tiny black dots gradually appeared on the giant wooden wall. The black dots rapidly expanded, eventually turning the entire wall into a black, carbonaceous substance, causing it to completely collapse.

"It only held out for half a minute? I have to say, its destructive power is quite strong."

As the deadly poison broke through the wooden wall of defense and rushed in, Uchiha Hiyu calmly spoke, and a faint layer of chakra armor appeared on his body before he was submerged by the entire river of poison.

"Did you get it?"

Looking at Uchiha Hiyu submerged in the poisonous river, Hanzo of the Salamander uttered a sound of disbelief. From the pool of venomous water came a soft laugh:

"When someone has this question, it means their opponent definitely hasn't been eliminated!"

Amidst the churning waters, Uchiha Tobi, clad in Susanoo armor, slowly rose from the highly poisonous pool. Purple venom flowed down his chakra armor, hissing and emitting pale purple smoke.

He gently opened a slit in the armor on his arm, and purple venom flowed down, sticking to Uchiha Tou's clothes and instantly wetting a large area of ​​his sleeve. However, when it landed on Uchiha Tou's skin, it slid down as easily as aqua regia on glass.

"A very potent poison... a physically corrosive toxin, a neurotoxin with the fastest onset of action, and a common hemolytic toxin..."

"It's practically a mixture of multiple venoms, and not just the liquids on the surface, but even the fumes emitted after corroding objects are highly toxic... In a sense, your entire life system and chakra have completely become a toxin production factory. Is this the evolutionary path you've chosen?"

Breaking free from the cocoon and being reborn is the final step in the cultivation of poison techniques. The cultivation goal before that has actually determined the direction of evolution. In this respect, Hanzo of the Salamander's choice can be described as conventional and did not exceed Uchiha Tou's imagination.

However, when Hanzo of the Salamander saw Uchiha Hiyu catch the venom with his bare hands, he felt his scalp tingle and his teeth chatter. Others might not know, but did Hanzo of the Salamander not know how terrifying his venom was?

Don't underestimate this tiny bit of venom; it's actually contagious!

The poison scroll obtained by Hanzo the Salamander originally came from a book of demonic inheritance, but it was also modified by Orochimaru. In addition to the knowledge native to the ninja world, Orochimaru also obtained the cultivation method of the Silver Scale Poison Serpent in terms of poison making.

This venomous snake, from the Legend of the Condor Heroes, possesses a terrifying characteristic: it can use living organisms as petri dishes to continuously spread its toxicity.

When Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, made a bet with Zhou Botong, the Old Urchin, he fed a shark a drop of silver-scaled venom. The shark, poisoned and dead, fell into the sea and was devoured by other sharks. It immediately poisoned the other sharks as well, turning them into poisonous fish. These poisonous fish were then devoured by other sharks, further spreading the poison...

As a result, in a very short time, hundreds and thousands of sharks in that area were infected by that drop of venom. All the sharks were poisoned to death and turned into poisonous fish. The potency and contagiousness of the venom are unimaginable.

When Orochimaru was researching poison techniques, he also recorded some methods for cultivating snake venom. After being reborn, Hanzo the Salamander was known as the king of all poisons. After understanding the principle, he could immediately apply the characteristics of this venom to his own escaping techniques.

Therefore, whether you are completely submerged in Hanzo's venom or only get a tiny bit on it, the effect is the same!

Uchiha Hiyu's immunity to this venom also meant immunity to all of Hanzo's toxins, which was a truly hopeless situation for Hanzo.

"Alright, now that you've made your move, it's my turn!"

Seeing Hanzo's ashen face, Uchiha Touyu chuckled, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

(End of this chapter)