"It could only be this way."
Jiraiya and Minato exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison, agreeing with Bunta's decision.
"Then I..."
"ROAR!!!"
Before Bunta could finish his sentence, a low roar came from the distance, deep and intensely piercing.
The sound made the eardrums of the two men and one toad tremble.
"THUD!! THUD!!!"
Dull impacts continuously echoed from the ground as the outline of the Nine-Tails' massive body rapidly grew larger and closer.
"Not good!! Bunta, get out of here first!!!"
The moment Jiraiya saw the Nine-Tails, he realized something was wrong. Ronglin had come!
He immediately told Bunta to leave first, but the next second, the expressions of Jiraiya, Minato, and Gama Bunta all froze.
"Leaving so soon? You came all this way—why not stay a while longer?"
Ronglin slowly descended from the sky, floating at the same height as Jiraiya and Minato as he looked at the three of them with a smile.
"ROAR!!!"
In that brief instant, the Nine-Tails had already charged before them. It raised its head to catch Ronglin, then bared its fangs at Gama Bunta and let out a warning roar.
Not long ago, Ronglin had been preparing to return to the village when he suddenly sensed a powerful presence nearby. He had immediately come over with the Nine-Tails, never expecting to run right into them.
He had only just mentioned grilling a toad, and Jiraiya had gone and brought him such a huge one.
"That's impossible!!!"
After Ronglin arrived with the Nine-Tails, Kisame Hoshigaki and the other three quickly appeared as well. Standing beside the Nine-Tails, they glared at Gama Bunta with clear displeasure.
Just like Ronglin, the four of them felt irritated whenever they saw toads or slugs. Naturally, they would not give Gama Bunta a friendly look.
This was