On the battlefield outside Konoha.
Boom...
The blast wave sent Jiraiya flying hard. He barely managed to steady himself after crashing into a large tree.
"Wheeze... wheeze..."
Half-crouched on the ground, Jiraiya panted heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from his body and splashed into the muddy earth.
Before he could catch his breath, he forced himself back to his feet and prepared to continue fighting.
The situation was extremely unfavorable for the Allied Shinobi Forces. Three or four of the defensive lines they had previously established had already been breached by Akatsuki's army. The battlefield was being pushed steadily backward, now less than ten li from the village walls.
The main reason for this was their lack of fighting power.
On the Allied Shinobi Forces' side, the only ones who could truly be considered Kage-level experts were Jiraiya, Tsunade, old Lady Chiyo of Sunagakure, and a mere handful of others.
The rest—including Uchiha Fugaku, who had lost his Mangekyō Sharingan; Hizashi of the Hyuga Clan; Kitsuchi of Iwagakure; Mifune, the samurai leader of the Land of Iron; and others—either lacked a decisive, overwhelmingly powerful technique or possessed abilities that were too narrowly focused. Though none of them were weak, they still fell noticeably short of true Kage level.
On Akatsuki's side, Demigod Hanzo, the Second Tsuchikage, the Second Mizukage, the Third Raikage, and the Third Kazekage were not only all genuine Kage-level experts, but stood among the very best of them. Thus, in terms of top-tier combatants, the Allied Shinobi Forces had been at a clear disadvantage from the very beginning.
If not for Jiraiya's extensive experience, allowing him to hold back both the Third Raikage and the Third Kazekage alone, the situation would have been even worse.
Whoosh...
Amid the shriek of