Fudo quickly used Earth Release Hardening Technique, forcefully blocking Suigetsu's incredibly sharp horizontal slash head-on.
Immediately after, he seized the opportunity to pull back and threw a vicious punch straight at Suigetsu's head.
In an instant, Suigetsu's head exploded into a mass of water, while Fudo used the force of that strike to rapidly retreat backward.
At the same time, Fudo's hands swiftly formed seals before he slammed a palm against the ground.
A dull rumble sounded.
Earth Release: Antlion Technique!
The solid ground beneath Suigetsu suddenly began spinning while continuously sinking. The surrounding terrain turned into something like flowing quicksand, collapsing inward toward the center nonstop.
At that moment, Suigetsu's head, which had just dispersed into water, reformed once again.
When he realized he was gradually sinking into the bizarre trap, he bared his mouthful of sharp little teeth and sneered viciously, "Hmph! Too bad for you that you ran into me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Suigetsu's entire body suddenly transformed into a puddle of water and seeped directly underground without any obstruction.
Clearly, a move like Antlion Technique couldn't truly trap someone who possessed the Hydrification Technique.
Still, for Fudo, even this brief chance to catch his breath was enough.
Taking advantage of the moment Suigetsu submerged using the Hydrification Technique, Fudo suddenly spun around and fled into the distance without hesitation, trying to escape this dangerous place.
But at that very moment, the stone wall trap he had painstakingly arranged earlier suddenly burst open with a massive hole without any warning.
In an instant, a figure shot through like a ghost.
It was a white-haired ANBU member wearing a mask. The short blade in his hand had already been drawn, gleaming with a chilling cold light.
His figure flashed forward, slashing fiercely toward Fudo's chest at lightning speed.
Faced with the sudden deadly attack, Fudo's expression changed drastically, but he didn't panic.
With a furious roar, his hands rapidly formed seals, "Earth Release: Hardening Technique!"
Instantly, a strange power surged out from within his body and quickly spread across the surface of his skin.
In the blink of an eye, his skin turned grayish, as though he had put on an indestructible suit of armor.
However, despite using a defensive ninjutsu, Fudo still failed to block the ANBU member's fierce attack.
With an ear-piercing screech, the short blade forcibly cut through his Hardening Technique and left a horrifyingly large wound across his chest.
Blood gushed out nonstop, staining the ground before him red.
Shock filled Fudo's heart. He never imagined that a mere ANBU member could break through the Hardening Technique he took pride in with a single slash.
What shocked him even more was that before he could react further, the ANBU member had already retreated a step with lightning speed. Then he suddenly kicked off the ground with force and charged at him once more like an arrow leaving the bowstring.
This time, the cold blade light slashed directly toward Fudo's neck like a venomous snake striking.
'When had Fudo ever seen such terrifying speed?'
At this moment, he had no time to think of a countermeasure and could only instinctively raise both hands in a desperate defensive posture.
Slash!
The blade flashed past.
A piercing pain spread through Fudo's entire body. He discovered that one of his arms had already been severed, flying through the air in a bloody arc before crashing heavily onto the ground.
At the same time, his neck suffered a devastating wound, nearly severed halfway through. Blood sprayed wildly in every direction.
Accompanied by unbearable agony, blood erupted from the wound like a fountain.
Fudo's vision darkened, and his body began trembling.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only a low, hoarse "Hrk..." came out.
Then he collapsed backward like a pile of mud and slammed heavily onto the ground.
At that moment, Suigetsu finally crawled out from the dusty ground nearby with difficulty.
When he saw that Fudo had died within just two moves, an awkward expression appeared on his face.
After all, he had fought the enemy for quite a while earlier without managing to defeat him.
Steadying himself, Suigetsu quickly walked over to White Fang and respectfully asked, "Senior, how did you break through his defense so easily?"
Although Suigetsu knew this powerful man's identity, there were others present, so he didn't dare call him by name recklessly.
White Fang slowly sheathed the long blade in his hand, his calm gaze falling on the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave Technique Suigetsu had used earlier.
He gently shook his head and said softly, "Simply possessing great strength doesn't mean you truly understand swordsmanship."
After a brief pause, he continued explaining, "Swordsmanship isn't just about power and technique. More importantly, you must pour your spirit into it. Only then can you bring out the true essence of the blade."
After hearing that, Suigetsu scratched his head awkwardly. He was the type whose brain was practically smooth.
Although he possessed extraordinary talent, in front of a master-level figure like White Fang, he looked like a complete beginner who had only just stepped onto the path of swordsmanship.
After all, he was only seventeen years old. Even with his exceptional talent, he still had a long road ahead in training with the blade.
Looking at Suigetsu's somewhat immature and inexperienced appearance, White Fang sighed lightly and shook his head helplessly.
"Forget it. For now, you should focus on mastering the basics first."
Even though White Fang had already been revived for many years, he had remained hidden within the ANBU the entire time, silently carrying out his work.
Aside from completing ANBU missions, he spent most of the rest of his time completely devoted to refining his swordsmanship.
Within the ANBU organization, people knew there was an extremely skilled swordsman among them, but no one truly knew his real identity.
Just as the fierce battle here had finally come to an end, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out without warning.
The sound was like thunder rolling across the heavens.
BOOM!
Immediately afterward, bursts of wildly arrogant laughter continuously echoed from the other side of the city wall: "HAHAHAHA!"
Constant explosions and Shukaku's crazed roars kept coming from the other side of the wall.
Hearing the commotion, White Fang's expression hardened as he swiftly slid the long blade in his hand back into its sheath.
Then he immediately gave two concise hand signals to the nearby ANBU members.
The ANBU instantly understood and nodded before quickly dispersing to carry out their respective tasks.
After finishing this, White Fang's figure flashed forward like an arrow released from a bow as he sped toward the damaged section of the city wall.
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