The northern front line of Konohagakure.
The commander-in-chief was one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.
With the situation 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 Water.
That was the famous land of hot springs...
Of course, Jiraiya would not neglect his duty now, but wars always ended eventually, didn't they...
When that time came, his exhausted body and mind would need healing.
Inside the command tent, he carefully observed the troops stationed throughout the border. From the corner of his eye, he kept glancing at the Land of Hot Water on the edge of the map.
Let's end this war quickly. I really want to travel around and gather inspiration in peace...
Suddenly, a ninja rushed into the command tent without reporting in.
"J-Jiraiya-sama!"
"The sensory ninja detected an enormous amount of Chakra at the front line!"
"It far exceeds that of a ninja... It's very likely a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki!"
Jiraiya's brows furrowed deeply.
Unless they were ninjas like Roshi and Han, who had fought many times using the power of their Tailed Beasts.
Normally, none of the villages knew anything about the Jinchuriki of other Hidden Villages.
Especially Kumogakure. There had been no news of its Jinchuriki for many years. According to intelligence, their Tailed Beasts had been sealed inside the Six Paths Tools all this time.
Was it the Two-Tails or the Eight-Tails?
Had Kumogakure found a suitable vessel?
That location... could also belong to Iwagakure...
I should go take a look first.
Having personally witnessed the power of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, Jiraiya did not blindly overestimate himself.
"Report 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 scene was already a complete mess. The Leaf Ninja stationed there had suffered heavy casualties.
Whoosh!
Before Jiraiya could figure out what had happened, a Kunai shot toward him, aimed straight at his face.
Clang!
Jiraiya swung his arm and knocked the Kunai away, then turned his gaze toward one spot.
Between the shadows of the trees, a group of people appeared using the Body Flicker Technique. The man at the front wore a hood, his left eye covered by a black eyepatch. His face was stern and resolute.
"It's Jiraiya. Long time no see."
Jiraiya's expression turned solemn as he looked at the newcomer and spoke in a low voice.
"Dodai... Is Cloud Village planning to tear up the peace treaty?"
A close aide of the Raikage and a Bloodline Limit ninja who wielded Lava Release, he held a position in Kumogakure almost equal to Jiraiya's in Konohagakure.
For someone like him to appear... there was no doubt this meant war had been declared, right?
"Don't Konoha and Iwagakure have a treaty as well? Yet you showed no mercy when killing Iwagakure's ninjas."
"Dodai, stop wasting your breath on them!"
A robust young man with dark skin and pale-yellow hair spoke loudly:
"I heard your Uchiha are very effective against the Four-Tails. Give us a few Uchiha with awakened eyes—preferably that one called Kagami Uchiha—and we'll withdraw!"
Jiraiya took a step back. After hearing that, he no longer wanted to waste words.
Anyone who coveted his village's comrades could never be tolerated!
And what was more...
They had demanded his disciple right off the bat!
Do you really think the Toad Sage is a vegetarian?!
Hai–Xu–You–Shen–Wei
Dodai sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly shouted:
"Everyone, scatter!!"
Slap!
Ninja Art—Summoning Technique!
Summoning: Toad Release!
Boom!!
After an earth-shaking roar, a colossal figure descended from the sky like Mount Tai!
A rough voice reverberated through the heavens.
"Hey, hey! Jiraiya, you idiot! You should know that I was getting ready to eat at this hour!"
He had a gigantic pipe clenched between his teeth, bandages wrapped around his waist, and a short sword tucked into them.
He was none other than the leader of Mount Myōboku's Three Toad Summoning, Gamabunta.
"I'll buy you a drink later. The enemy is troublesome."
Jiraiya's gaze remained fixed on one person.
His hair was half white and half green, and there was a purple marking on his right cheek...
That ominous Chakra...
Jiraiya quickly made his judgment.
"Gamabunta, use oil!"
"Got it!"
The Cloud Village ninjas spread out among the trees.
"What a huge toad! Super huge! Giant!" said a dark-skinned child wearing sunglasses in a strange tone.
"Bee, focus."
A stared excitedly at the giant toad. "The Three Toad Summoning! Let's use this Konoha Sannin as our first battle to make a name for ourselves!"
"OK! A-Bee~ Make a name!"
"Watch your defenses! He's about to use a wide-area ninjutsu!"
Dodai was an outstanding sensory ninja. After detecting the giant toad and Jiraiya drawing on massive amounts of Chakra, he hurriedly warned them.
A still lacked experience. He could have exchanged a few more words and perhaps found an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
He had been given the title of A at such a young age, making him careless.
Whoosh!!
Gamabunta's cheeks bulged, and a vast amount of oil sprayed out.
At the same time, Jiraiya released Fire Release.
A combined ninjutsu.
Fire Release—Toad Oil Flame Bullet!!
Scorching flames erupted in an instant, as if they could devour everything completely.
The blazing fire carried astonishing heat and destructive power.
Fueled by the oil, its impact was tremendous. Towering trees were smashed apart and burned to ashes in an instant!
Seeing that the situation was bad, A immediately grabbed Killer Bee and retreated at top speed, fleeing beyond the flames' range.
With that person present, he was not worried about his comrade's safety.
Lava Release—Rubber Wall!
Dodai converted the Chakra within his body into rubber and sprayed it from his mouth, forming an elastic protective membrane to shield everyone.
However, the Toad Oil Flame Bullet possessed not only the scorching properties of fire but also tremendous impact. The moment it made contact, it nearly shattered the membrane.
"Mr. Dodai, I'll handle this."
A detached voice rang out. Red Chakra began to surge from the body of the Cloud Village ninja with two-toned hair.
A terrifying aura rose into the air. With a single swing, a gigantic crimson Chakra claw whipped up a violent hurricane!
The fierce flames were blown back, and Gamabunta hurriedly leaped high into the air.
In midair, Jiraiya looked at the ninja wrapped in a Tailed Beast cloak and counted the number of tails.
A bead of cold sweat slid down.
It was... the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki...
This is bad.
Boom.
Jiraiya summoned another small, pale-purple toad. It even had a pair of tiny wings.
He quickly took out paper and a pen, wrote a coded message, and stuffed it into the toad's mouth.
"I'm counting on you. Take this information to headquarters!"
The purple toad flapped its wings and flew away as Gamabunta crashed to the ground.
"So it's a Tailed Beast..." Gamabunta muttered, resting a hand on his sword hilt.
Forget the Eight-Tails—even if it were the Nine-Tails, this toad boss wouldn't be afraid.
"Blue B, leave that big fellow to you. Leave Jiraiya to us!"
A returned with Killer Bee. He did not know how to deal with such a huge opponent.
But if the opponent was human, then even if the Hokage were here, they would still dare to charge in and unleash a Liger Bomb!
"...All right."
As a famous ninja, Jiraiya's fighting style was known by all sides.
The combined ninjutsu he performed with Summoning Beasts was too powerful. It was best to split up and deal with him separately.
"Mr. Dodai, you should withdraw first. This is no longer a battle you can participate in."
Blue B's voice was cold and distant. His original personality had not been like this.
But after becoming a Jinchuriki, he discovered that the way everyone around him looked at him had changed. It left him increasingly exhausted in body and mind, and unwilling to become too close to his comrades.
Before you continue