Did I arrive too late, Jiraiya Teacher

Normally, a shinobi's prime falls between the ages of twenty and forty.

A rare few can extend that peak.

Jiraiya was chosen by Sarutobi Hiruzen as a child thanks to his immense chakra reserves.

Training at Mount Myōboku transformed him from a Dead Last into someone who could catch up to Orochimaru.

His fighting style was the closest of the Sannin to Sarutobi Hiruzen's—extremely versatile, able to handle almost any situation.

The title "Sannin" was originally one tinged with shame.

It was only through Orochimaru and Jiraiya's later exploits in war that the name became legend.

Jiraiya had reached the limit of what a normal person could achieve.

A pity...

He was facing a monster.

The fierce, violent battle raged on.

A vast forest at the border of the Land of Hot Water was flattened to the ground.

Blue B, in a half-Tailed Beast Transformation, tilted his head back as yin and yang chakra compressed into a sphere at a 2:8 ratio.

Boom!

The immense pressure cracked the earth, sinking it in many places.

The duo of A and B stood behind him, their clothes somewhat torn.

"Bee, when we get back, eat more meat and grow up fast."

"If you could use the Liger Bomb with the same power as me, we'd definitely take that guy down!"

"I hear you, Older Brother! Yo! Baka Yaro~"

"Jiraiya, there's no way I'm blocking that thing..." Gamabunta, gripping his short sword with a frog's claw, was also breathing raggedly.

Normal tailed beast attacks were one thing, but a Tailed Beast Ball was something he had no counter for.

"Bunta, you go back first."

"If there's time, reverse summon me to Mount Myōboku."

"Hey! You think—"

Poof!

Before Gamabunta could finish, Jiraiya voluntarily dismissed the summon.

Using a summon beast partner as a shield against a Tailed Beast Ball was something he couldn't bring himself to do.

Earth Release—Multiple Earth Style Wall.

Layer after layer of thick earthen walls rose from the ground, followed by...

Ninja Art—Needle Jizo.

Silver-white hair wrapped around Jiraiya's entire body, leaving only one eye exposed.

I wonder if this can hold...

If only Orochimaru were here. His Triple Rashomon would definitely block it.

Whoosh!!

The massive Tailed Beast Ball howled forward, carrying the power to destroy everything in its path. Wherever it passed, the earth split apart, and the very air seemed to burn.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thick earthen walls were like thin paper, utterly useless!

It charged like a rampaging primordial beast, unstoppable.

In its wake, it left a bottomless trench.

It was close now.

Wrapped in layers of silver-white hair, Jiraiya could only hope his scalp was thick enough to hold out until Bunta found a toad to summon him.

"Have I come too late, Jiraiya Teacher?"

Warm chakra, like the sun, made Jiraiya lift a corner of his thick mane.

"Minato!"

"Jing!"

"Hey hey! Are you ignoring me?!"

Flowing crimson hair whipped through the air, spilling scarlet chakra.

"Kushina! How did you—"

"Let me knock this thing flying first, then we'll talk!"

The Chakra Cloak took shape in an instant, a black energy sphere coalesced.

Jiraiya's pupils snapped wide.

Kushina... she can already use the Nine-Tails' power?!

--

--

The air seemed to freeze in that moment, an overwhelming pressure making it nearly impossible to breathe.

Two colossal forces collided like comets.

BOOM!!!!!!

A blinding light erupted instantly, stinging the eyes—its brilliance even outshone the sun.

A massive shockwave, centered on the point of impact, exploded outward in every direction!

The ground, as if struck by a giant's hammer, split into countless enormous fissures.

Sand and stone flew, dust and smoke billowed—a storm of apocalypse sweeping across the entire battlefield.

When the dust cleared, Jiraiya retracted his long hair.

"Pretty pathetic, Lecherous Old Man."

The handsome youth with slightly wavy black hair turned back, a hint of amusement in his scarlet eyes.

"Just a single tailed beast."

"Ha..."

Jiraiya let out a hearty laugh, as if relieved.

"Show some respect for your teacher, brat!"

"It's Konoha's Crimson Eyes..."

Kagami Uchiha's appearance had long circulated in the black market, with backups in every major ninja village.

"What's with that woman... Isn't Konoha's Jinchuriki Kagami Uchiha?"

A's brain was hardly suited for analysis—he couldn't make sense of the situation before him.

At that moment, Jiraiya noticed the unremarkable little old man and looked surprised.

"Uncle Kosuke! You're here too!"

"Yes, Lord Jiraiya."

"...Please don't call me that."

--

Shushushu!

A group of Cloud Village ninjas arrived via Body Flicker Technique, the two sides facing off hundreds of meters apart, the atmosphere thick with tension.

"Red hair... Didn't intel say the Jinchuriki was an Uchiha?"

Compared to the varied hair colors of ninjas from different clans, the Uchiha Clan had been pure black-haired for generations.

"That's..."

"Crimson Eyes—Kagami Uchiha!"

A flicker of anger crossed Kagami Uchiha's face.

Just which bastard spread that nickname? It's too embarrassing!

He noticed the youth, Killer B—his traits were obvious.

Then the muscular guy beside him should be the Fourth Raikage A.

The Eight-Tails was still Blue B, huh.

Kagami Uchiha vaguely recalled that it was Orochimaru's dirty work that caused the Eight-Tails to break free from Blue B, and only then did Killer B become the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

Based on past intel, Blue B had probably become a Jinchuriki not long ago.

Rushing to drag him out for a walk so soon—guess that's Cloud Village for you.

Whether the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was that Red-Haired Woman or Kagami Uchiha.

Either way, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had definitely arrived.

A battle between jinchuriki was practically the same as an all-out war, and Cloud Village wasn't prepared for that yet.

Their original goal was just to test the Eight-Tails' power, and if they could plunder some spoils from the Land of Fire along the way, even better.

"Tch! It's Cloud Village!"

Kushina made no effort to hide her disgust.

Thinking back to the time she was kidnapped by Cloud Village years ago still sent chills down her spine.

If it hadn't been for Minato...

"Jiraiya Teacher, can you still fight?" Minato asked in a low voice.

Jiraiya, sensing the pull from Mount Myōboku, ended the call and said.

"Of course no problem, let me show this brat Kagami his teacher's cool fighting stance!"

"Don't worry, after catching you peeping at the women's bathhouse, I've already gotten a good grasp on just how 'cool' you are."

Kagami Uchiha let a Kodachi slide from his sleeve, lifted Sode no Shirayuki, and walked step by step toward the Cloud Village formation.

He showed no fear toward Blue B, who was in a half-Tailed Beast Transformation.

If it had been Killer B, who had fully reconciled with the Eight-Tails, Kagami Uchiha might have had to think twice.

But someone who had just become a jinchuriki—probably even easier to deal with than Roshi.

"Brat... walking over like that, you're way too arrogant!"

A couldn't stand such an insolent bastard and strode out of the formation with big steps.

Kagami Uchiha moved unhurriedly, each step precisely measured, as if strolling through a battlefield.

His crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan held not a trace of emotion.

"Get out of my way."

An overwhelming barrage of slashes poured down like a torrential storm!