Jiraiya vs. the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and the A-B Combo

Konoha's northern front.

Jiraiya, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, served as Commander-in-Chief.

With the situation so tense, he had no choice but to remain in the Land of Fire and establish a defensive line.

There was another important reason he had chosen this place.

It was very close to the Land of Hot Springs.

That was the famously hot-spring-filled country...

Of course, Jiraiya would not neglect his duties now, but wars always came to an end eventually...

When that time came, his weary body and mind would need some healing.

Inside the command tent, he carefully studied the deployments along the border, though his peripheral vision kept drifting toward the Land of Hot Springs in one corner of the map.

Hurry up and end this war. I really want to travel around and take in the sights in peace...

Suddenly, a ninja rushed into the command tent without reporting in first.

"Ji... Jiraiya-sama!"

"Our sensory ninja detected an enormous amount of chakra at the front lines!"

"It far surpasses that of ordinary ninja... It may very well be a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki!"

Jiraiya furrowed his brow.

Unless they were ninja like Roshi and Han, who had fought repeatedly using Tailed Beast power.

Normally, no village knew much about the Jinchuriki of other hidden villages.

Kumogakure in particular had not had any news of a Jinchuriki for many years. Intelligence indicated that their Tailed Beasts had long been sealed within Six Paths Ninja Tools.

Was it the Two Tails, or the Eight-Tails?

Had Kumogakure found a suitable vessel?

That location... it could also be Iwagakure...

I'll go take a look first.

Having seen the power of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails with his own eyes, Jiraiya did not blindly overestimate himself.

"You report this to the village. I'll go take a look."

After gathering his ninja tools and scrolls, Jiraiya immediately headed for the border.

By the time Jiraiya arrived, the area was already a complete mess. The Konoha ninja stationed there had suffered heavy casualties.

Whoosh!

Before Jiraiya could figure out what was happening.

A kunai shot toward him, aimed straight at his face.

Clang!

Jiraiya swung his arm and knocked the kunai away, his gaze turning toward a particular spot.

A squad appeared in a Body Flicker among the shadows of the trees. Their leader wore a hood, his left eye covered by a black eyepatch, his features stern and resolute.

"Jiraiya. It has been a long time."

Jiraiya's expression darkened as he looked at the man and spoke in a low voice.

"Dodai... Is Kumogakure planning to tear up the peace treaty?!"

The Raikage's close adviser, a bloodline ninja who wielded Lava Release—his standing was nearly equivalent to Jiraiya's in Konoha.

For someone like that to appear... there was no question this was a declaration of war!

"Didn't Konoha also have a treaty with Iwagakure? Yet you showed no mercy when killing Iwagakure ninja."

"Dodai, stop wasting words on them!"

A brawny young man with dark skin and pale blond hair declared loudly,

"I heard Konoha's Uchiha were very useful against the Four-Tails. Hand over a few Uchiha clansmen with awakened Sharingan—preferably that one called Kagami Uchiha—and we'll withdraw!"

Jiraiya took a step back. Hearing that, he no longer wanted to waste words.

Anyone who coveted the village's comrades could never be tolerated!

Not to mention...

They had opened their mouths and demanded his own disciple!

Do they really think this Toad Sage is a pushover?!

Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Ram.

Dodai sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly shouted,

"Everyone, scatter!!"

Clap!

Ninja Art—Summoning Technique!

Grand Finale Technique!

Boom!!

After an earthshaking crash, a colossal creature descended from the sky like Mount Tai!

A rough voice rang through the heavens.

"Hey, hey! Jiraiya, you idiot! You know I was about to eat at this hour, right?!"

A massive pipe hung from his mouth, bandages wrapped around his waist, and a short sword was tucked at his side.

It was none other than Gamabunta, leader of Mount Myōboku's three troublemakers.

"I'll treat you to drinks afterward. The enemy is troublesome."

Jiraiya's eyes remained fixed on one person.

Hair that was half white and half green, with a purple mark on the right side of his face...

That ominous chakra...

Jiraiya swiftly reached a conclusion.

"Bunta, use oil!"

"Got it!"

Among the trees, the Kumogakure ninja scattered.

"What a huge frog! Super huge! Gigantic!" a dark-skinned brat in sunglasses said in a strange rhythm.

"B, focus."

A stared excitedly at the giant toad. "One of Konoha's Three Great Summons, huh? Let's use this Konoha Sannin as our first battle to make a name for ourselves!"

"OK! A-B, famous!"

"Focus on defense! He's about to use a large-scale ninjutsu!"

Dodai was an outstanding sensory ninja. Sensing the massive amount of chakra being gathered by the giant toad and Jiraiya, he hurriedly warned them.

A was still too inexperienced. They could have exchanged a few more words—there might even have been a chance to launch a sneak attack.

Receiving the title of A at such a young age had made him lack caution.

Whoosh!!

Gamabunta's cheeks swelled as he spewed out a massive amount of oil.

Jiraiya unleashed Fire Release at the same time.

Combination ninjutsu.

Fire Release - Toad Oil Flame Bullet!!

Blazing flames instantly surged forth, as though they could devour everything in their path.

The raging inferno carried astonishing heat and destructive force.

Fueled by oil, the fire struck with overwhelming impact, shattering and incinerating towering trees in an instant!

Seeing things turn bad, A immediately grabbed B and retreated at top speed, continually fleeing beyond the flames' reach.

With that person there, he was not worried about his companion's safety.

Lava Release - Rubber Wall!

Dodai converted the chakra within his body into rubber, spraying it from his mouth to form an elastic protective membrane in an attempt to shield everyone.

However, the Toad Oil Flame Bullet not only possessed the burning properties of fire, but also tremendous impact force. The membrane nearly shattered the moment it came into contact with the attack.

"Mr. Dodai, let me handle it."

An indifferent voice rang out. Crimson chakra rose from the Kumogakure ninja with yin-yang-colored hair.

A terrifying aura surged upward. With a mere swing of a massive crimson chakra claw, he whipped up a violent hurricane!

The raging flames reversed direction, and Gamabunta hurriedly leaped high into the air.

In midair, Jiraiya watched the ninja enveloped in a Tailed Beast cloak and counted the number of tails.

A bead of cold sweat slid down his face.

It's... the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki...

This is trouble.

Boom.

Jiraiya summoned another small light-purple toad, one with a pair of tiny wings.

He swiftly took out paper and pen, wrote a coded message, and stuffed it into the toad's mouth.

"I'm counting on you. Take this intelligence back to headquarters!"

The purple toad flapped away as Gamabunta crashed down onto the ground.

"A Tailed Beast..." Gamabunta muttered, placing a hand on his sword hilt.

Forget the Eight-Tails. Even if it were the Nine-Tails, this boss toad wouldn't be afraid.

"Blue B, leave that big fellow to you. Jiraiya is ours!"

A returned with B, uncertain how to deal with something that large.

If the opponent was human, then even if the Hokage himself were here, they would still dare to charge forward and give him a Lariat!

"...All right."

As a famous ninja, Jiraiya's fighting style was also known to every side.

The combination ninjutsu he used alongside his Summoning Beasts was too powerful. It would be best if they could deal with them separately.

"Mr. Dodai, you should withdraw first. What comes next is no longer a battle you can participate in."

Blue B's voice was cold and distant. He had not originally been like this.

But after becoming a Jinchuriki, he discovered that the people around him had changed how they treated him. It left his body and mind increasingly exhausted, and he no longer wished to become too close to his companions.