Timely Rain

"Kyusuke, Great Buddha, are you alright?"

Konan flew in mid-air, with a pair of angelic Paper Wings behind her, flapping incessantly in the wind and rain, resisting the gravity from the earth.

While Yahiko was suffering from multiple injuries, Konan's situation wasn't much better.

One by one, White Zetsu crawled out from the ground, and a group of about a hundred of them surrounded Konan and the other dozen or so people.

"Nothing serious, but these guys are monsters... They're too troublesome."

Kyusuke gasped for breath, watching as the cement blocks he had created were shattered by these white monsters, and his eye twitched involuntarily.

They had left the village ahead of time and divided the group into more than a dozen groups, leaving in different directions. However, just when they thought they had run far enough and could rest for a while, these white humanoid monsters suddenly emerged from the ground and killed more than a dozen of their brothers in one fell swoop.

Only Konan and Kyusuke reacted quickly enough to escape the sneak attack, but they were still trapped here.

If it were just Konan alone, it wouldn't be difficult for her to escape the battlefield with her Secret Technique. However, with Kyusuke, Great Buddha, and five or six injured companions still trapped, she couldn't bring herself to abandon them.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"

"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique"

"Water Release, Water Whip."

The White Zetsu launched a coordinated attack, unleashing a barrage of Ninjutsu that seemed to come out of nowhere, nearly annihilating Kyusuke and the others.

Those who were selected to fight here were basically among the higher-ranking members of the White Zetsu group. Although there weren't any particularly powerful individuals who could use the Wood Human Technique, on average, they were all around the level of Special Jonin or Regular Jonin.

No matter what, this army composed of White Zetsu is much stronger than Konan's ragtag group.

It has a huge advantage in both quantity and quality.

"Water Release, Water Wall."

"Secret Technique: The Cement Transformation."

The Great Buddha created a water wall, while Kyusuke used Secret Technique to turn the flowing water into cement. Instantly, a circular cement wall took shape, protecting the group of people in the middle. They could hear the cement wall being hit with loud bangs, but it was indeed sturdy enough to withstand a wave of bombardment without collapsing, only developing dozens of spider web-like cracks.

"Paper Rain."

In the sky, Konan fluttered her Paper Wings, shooting out countless paper fragments. With their astonishing speed and the tough structure forged by Chakra, the paper fragments possessed a destructive power comparable to Shuriken.

Konan, who possesses Secret Technique, can be considered the second strongest member of the Akatsuki Organization, second only to Nagato.

If it weren't for Konan's presence, the White Zetsu would have wiped out Kyusuke long ago. It was precisely because of Konan's ability to fly that the battle has been delayed until now.

But it's almost reached its limit now.

"Earth Release, Stone Skin."

The paper pieces struck the White Zetsu's bodies, but they bounced off as if hitting steel, making a clanging sound.

It wasn't that the White Zetsu had become stronger, but rather that Konan's attacks weren't as sharp as before. After fighting so hard, her Chakra was almost depleted, she had eaten several Military Ration Pills, and her meridians and muscles were starting to ache. All these reactions told her that she was about to reach her limit.

As a result, her attacks are now ineffective and do little damage to the White Zetsu.

"Is it going to end soon?"

The Paper Wings on Konan's back gradually lost their strength, unable to maintain her flight posture, and she began to fall.

"Konan!"

"Lord Konan."

As they watched Konan fall, Kyusuke and the others let out desperate roars, especially Kyusuke, whose eyes were bulging and two bloody streaks slowly appeared on his cheeks.

"Kill her. Leave no survivors."

A cold voice rang out from among the White Zetsu, revealing that even among these seemingly identical individuals, there was a clear hierarchy among them.

"Water Release..."

"Idiot, don't use Water Release Technique, use Wind Release Technique. Make sure she's completely dead."

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave"

"Wind Release: Gale Palm"

Wind blades shot towards the falling Konan from all directions, ready to tear her to pieces in the next second.

"Hey, what do you want to do to my pretty apprentice? Treating a girl so roughly is not a good look."

A huge black shadow swept across the sky, with a fat body, dark red skin, a short knife in its front paws, and a pipe in its mouth. It was a super big and cool Toad.

The wind blade was destroyed with a single swing of the short sword, and Konan was rescued by the white-haired man standing on the Toad's head.

"You damned Jiraiya, what do you want from me Jiraiya? I'm sunbathing, and what... what are these white monsters? You always attract monsters. Last time it was Shukaku, and this time I can't even tell what they are..."

The Giant Toad exhaled a large smoke ring, rolled its eyes upwards in dissatisfaction, and questioned the white-haired man standing on its top.

"Haha, Gamabunta, it's been a while since I've gotten you out for some exercise. Speaking of which, you should really get some exercise; you're ruining your lungs from smoking Tenten." Jiraiya, holding Chakra Konan had fainted from exhaustion, burst into hearty laughter.

"Hmph! My affairs are none of your business. Don't die from a woman's belly one day."

Jiraiya bickering with Gamabunta held his massive short sword horizontally in front of him, warily scrutinizing the White Zetsu. As a Toad who had fought countless battles and even battled Tailed Beast, Gamabunta was not as wild and violent as he appeared; beneath his carefree exterior lay a very cautious nature.

"To die on a woman's belly... that's definitely a blissful way to die. Alright, Gamabunta, clean up these little white things. I'm also very curious about what they are. I've traveled the Shinobi World for so long and have never seen these guys before."

Konan fainted, Jiraiya chatted recklessly with Gamabunta, but at least he didn't forget about the White Zetsu and their group of strange, unprecedented creatures.

"Retreat."

Within seconds of Jiraiya's appearance, an order quickly spread among the White Zetsu.

White Zetsu are not just fighting machines. Lower-ranking White Zetsu may not have much thinking ability, but those with good strength are quite intelligent and know most of the latest developments in the Shinobi World. Their intelligence network even surpasses that of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Jiraiya's arrival was unplanned; with their current strength, they were no match for the Sannin who were at the peak of their lives.

So the moment Jiraiya intervened in the battle, the mission to assassinate Konan was already considered a failure. Now the task had changed: to retreat without leaving a trace.

"Trying to run?! Gamabunta, do it!"

As a seasoned veteran, Jiraiya keenly sensed the unusual movements of the White Zetsu. He immediately stomped his feet twice in his wooden clogs, urging Gamabunta to act.

Despite its temper, Gamabunta knew what was important and noticed the signs of the White Zetsu fleeing.

With a flick of his wrist, he swung the massive short sword down.

"You little white monsters, stay here obediently!"