Jiraiya

In this moment of despair, he suddenly remembered something, a faint light flashing in his eyes. He abruptly turned his head towards the Anbu's direction, his aged voice filled with extreme urgency and authority, roaring, "Quick! Immediately go summon Tsunade and Jiraiya! Have them rush over as fast as possible! And! Have the Fuinjutsu squad assemble immediately! No matter the cost, set up the Four Red Yang Formation! You must trap him!"

The Anbu members did not dare to delay in the slightest, immediately turning and sprinting towards the depths of the village.

But it would take time for this order to be relayed, for Tsunade and Jiraiya to arrive, and for the Fuinjutsu squad to set up the Four Red Yang Formation.

Meanwhile, in mid-air, Itachi's pale red Susanoo was on the verge of shattering. Genki's giant hand was slowly tightening, its terrifying power continuously crushing Susanoo's form.

Pale red Chakra dispersed like a tide, Itachi's breathing grew weaker and weaker, the intense pain in his eyes almost causing him to lose consciousness. The shadow of death had completely enveloped him...

"Crack--Bang!"

Itachi's pale red Susanoo Armor finally couldn't hold on. The outer layer of Chakra completely dissipated, and the core skeleton was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, as if it would shatter completely in the next second.

The terrifying crushing force of the giant hand transmitted through Susanoo, causing Itachi's internal organs to ache as if displaced. Blood continuously trickled from the corner of his mouth, his vision blurring as black and red alternated.

He gritted his teeth tightly, his fingertips trembling as he tried to activate the Totsuka Blade again, but his depleted Chakra and the tearing pain in his eyes made him lose the strength to even form hand seals—the shadow of death was already within reach.

"Sage Art: Five Elements, Great Combined Bullet Technique!"

At this critical moment, an aged yet powerful shout pierced through the dust and smoke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer held back, his hands forming hand seals at lightning speed. With a loud "bang," four shadow clones identical to him instantly appeared, each occupying the east, south, west, and north positions, focusing their intent and forming hand seals together with the main body.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!" the main body roared, spitting out a fire dragon dozens of meters long, wreathed in raging flames. Its scales were clearly visible in the firelight as it charged towards the giant hand of the thousand-meter Susanoo;

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" A shadow clone slapped the ground, and surging water erupted from beneath the earth, condensing into a ferocious water dragon that slammed into the target with an all-crushing momentum;

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!" Another shadow clone completed its hand seals, the ground shaking violently. A heavy earth dragon formed from yellow Chakra, carrying gravel and mud, crashed down;

"Wind Style: Wind Dragon Bullet Technique!" The wind-style shadow clone activated its Chakra. Amidst the howling wind, a cyan wind dragon took shape, its sharp airflow like blades, accelerating towards the battlefield;

"Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon Bullet Technique!" The last shadow clone's body crackled with lightning. A purple lightning dragon, crackling with electricity, merged with the other four dragon shadows.

The five elemental dragon shadows intertwined and merged in mid-air, transforming into a colorful torrent of energy. The terrifying pressure, comparable to a forbidden jutsu, made the surrounding air boil.

"Rumble--!!!" The torrent violently collided with the giant hand of the thousand-meter Susanoo, erupting in a deafening roar. Blinding light instantly engulfed the entire area, and sky-obscuring smoke rose like a mushroom cloud, even shaking the ground violently.

Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew even more somber.

As the caster, he could clearly sense—his Great Combined Bullet Technique, unleashed with all his Chakra, had only left a few shallow white marks on the opponent's pitch-black Susanoo armor, not even enough to shake its defenses!

The energy beneath that black armor was as deep as a bottomless abyss, completely swallowing all attacks.

"Damn it..." Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fists, his aged face filled with powerlessness.

Could even an attack of this magnitude fail to buy Itachi a sliver of survival?

Just then, a bold and penetrating voice suddenly came from the night sky beyond the dust and smoke, carrying the unique Chakra fluctuation of Sage Mode: "Sage Art: Goemon!"

Before the voice even faded, a viscous sea of black oil suddenly descended from the sky, pouring down like a waterfall onto the giant hand of the thousand-meter Susanoo, instantly engulfing it;

Next, a violent Wind Style Ninjutsu howled, blowing the oil sea outwards and completely covering the surface of the giant hand;

Finally, a ball of flames even more ferocious than the Fire Dragon Bullet descended. The wind fueled the fire, and the oil enhanced its power. The three instantly merged, forming a sea of fire hundreds of meters wide. The terrifying heat scorched and distorted the surrounding air, instantly dispersing even the dust and smoke.

This was Jiraiya's signature Sage Art!

The three Ninjutsu, linked in sequence, caused their power to increase exponentially.

Finally—

"Crack... Crack..." The crisp sound of breaking, for the first time, clearly reached everyone's ears.

Everyone stared intently and saw that on the black armor of the thousand-meter Susanoo, where it wrapped around the giant hand, fine cracks appeared in the corresponding area. A piece the size of a fingernail broke off from the armor and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Just a small fragment from a single finger, yet it ignited a spark of hope in the Konoha ninja present!

And this brief delay was a lifeline in desperation for Uchiha Itachi.

He mustered his last ounce of strength and quickly formed hand seals: "Substitution Technique!"

With a "poof," Itachi inside Susanoo was instantly replaced by a log.

Almost simultaneously, a loud "bang" sounded. The pale red Susanoo completely shattered into Chakra particles filling the air, and the log was crushed into dust by the giant hand.

Itachi's true body appeared on the ruins a hundred meters away. The moment he landed, he staggered and knelt on one knee, gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently. The crimson in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only deep exhaustion and lingering fear.

The dust and smoke completely dispersed, and a figure slowly walked over from the distance.

The newcomer was tall, with white hair cascading down his shoulders, two distinctive red markings on his face, and faint toad-like patterns appearing on his skin. His pupils had also turned vertical—it was Jiraiya, who had activated Sage Mode!

On his left and right shoulders, respectively, sat two toads of different appearances: on the left was the larger Fukasaku, holding a pipe, and on the right was the smaller Shima, wearing a pink kimono.

One of the Legendary Sannin had finally arrived!

In fact, when Uchiha Genki launched his first thousand-meter slash, Jiraiya, who was investigating intelligence on the outskirts of Konoha, had sensed the abnormally terrifying Chakra fluctuation.

He immediately rushed to the scene, but upon seeing the sky-obscuring thousand-meter Susanoo, he instantly judged: his normal self was no match for it.

So, he decisively retreated into the shadows and, with the assistance of Fukasaku and Shima, spent half a day gathering natural energy to activate an incomplete Sage Mode, and only then did he rush over to save Uchiha Itachi.