Madara turned into a fiery red streak and plunged down from the sky.
Jiraiya and Tsunade braced themselves.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Madara unleashed a straight beam of dragon fire.
Madara's Dragon Fire Technique was nothing like Sasuke's. It was much faster—whoosh, and it was already in front of Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Its range was smaller, like a beam of flame.
A standard Dragon Fire Technique shot flames in a straight line, but fire was still fire. It couldn't possibly move faster than the wind.
Madara's Dragon Fire Technique condensed into a beam. Its range was smaller, but it was faster and more penetrating.
With just one strike, the dragon fire pierced Tsunade's shoulder.
Madara controlled the flames, trying to cut Tsunade in half.
But Tsunade gritted her teeth through the pain and rolled away.
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Jiraiya didn't just stand there watching while Madara attacked Tsunade. He unleashed his own Senjutsu.
His white hair instantly grew at an incredible rate, reaching his waist. Then it hardened, and he fired it at Madara like countless senbon.
A barrage of Hair Needle Senbon shot toward Madara. They were fast, covered a wide area, and had powerful piercing force.
Even Madara was struck by several needles.
The pain only made Madara more fired up. "Interesting. Very interesting."
Madara landed on a rock and looked at Jiraiya, a faintly amused smile on his face. "Your name is Jiraiya, right?"
Madara clearly knew who Jiraiya was.
During the Second Ninja World War, Jiraiya had taken Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan as his students.
Madara's Rinnegan was in Nagato's possession. He must have had White Zetsu keep an eye on him, so of course he knew about Jiraiya's bond with Nagato.
A Leaf Ninja had gone to teach Ninjutsu to refugees from a Small Nation? Didn't he know who had turned the people of the Land of Rain into refugees?
Jiraiya knew. He understood perfectly, and still chose to teach them.
If he'd been after the Rinnegan from the beginning, that would have made sense. But he hadn't been. Jiraiya had taken them in simply out of guilt.
"You're a bleeding heart, just like Hashirama. But you don't have his strength. One day, you'll pay for your actions."
Jiraiya had no idea what Madara was talking about.
"What are you babbling about? Take this—Sage Art: Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
Jiraiya's Fire Style techniques always combined with Toad Oil. They were no longer ordinary Fire Style techniques, but had the properties of a Kekkei Genkai.
With Senjutsu boosting them, this was a Kekkei Tōta technique.
The Great Fireball could cover an entire room, and the Senjutsu enhancement made it at least ten times more powerful.
Madara couldn't dodge a Fire Style technique with such a wide range in time, so he simply didn't bother.
He clapped his hands together, and his words became reality. "Wood Style: Wood Golem Technique!"
In an instant, a giant wooden golem rose from the ground beneath Madara's feet. Its face resembled a Ghost-Faced Arhat, and a Wood Dragon coiled around its right arm.
It was as large as a Tailed Beast.
Jiraiya's oil and flames came rushing in, but the golem easily blocked his Great Fireball.
The Wood Golem Arhat was a Forbidden Technique-level Wood Style technique, on par with Perfect Susanoo.
Tsunade stared at the Wood Golem Arhat, which towered like a small mountain, her pupils contracting.
"You can even use Grandpa's Wood Golem Technique? Damn it, Madara Uchiha! What have you done? You stole Grandpa's power!"
"Hahaha..."
Madara laughed loudly. "You never thought the power that should belong to the Leaf Village would turn against you, did you?"
"Cough, cough..."
Orochimaru emerged from the ruins. His Eight Branches Technique had been worn down by the Wood Dragon, but in exchange, it had also worn down the Wood Dragon.
Orochimaru stared at the enormous golem beneath Madara's feet. Its sheer size alone was enough to fill him with immense pressure.
Even now, Orochimaru had underestimated Wood Style.
No wonder Danzo had been so obsessed with Wood Style, constantly ordering him to replicate it.
Unfortunately, the power of Hashirama Cells was more than most people could withstand.
After that disastrous experiment, Orochimaru had never dared to research Wood Style again, and Danzo had stopped asking.
Orochimaru suddenly felt that immortality wasn't so appealing after all.
Immortality without power was meaningless. Only the truly strong deserved to enjoy it.
Besides, Orochimaru sought immortality only to give himself enough time to master every Ninjutsu in the Ninja World. Like Liao Wu, he was also pursuing power.
Orochimaru moved in a flash and appeared beside Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Madara's power was overwhelming. It was clear from his fight against the Sannin that he was merely toying with them.
Sage Fukasaku said gravely, "Little Jiraiya, it looks like the only way to deal with him now is with a Sealing Technique."
Orochimaru snorted. "Then we still have to get close enough to him and restrain him, don't we?"
Sage Shima said, "Use that Toad Song from before!"
Sage Fukasaku nodded. "Right, that technique! I refuse to believe Uchiha Madara can dispel Mount Myōboku's strongest Illusion Technique."
"Little Orochimaru, Little Tsunade, hold off Madara's Wood Golem while we and Little Jiraiya get close to him."
Orochimaru stared at the oppressive Wood Golem Arhat. The Wood Dragon around its neck alone had given him a terrible time.
And now he had to deal with the entire golem?
But there was no other choice!
To be honest, if Jiraiya and Tsunade hadn't been unwilling to run, Orochimaru would have been long gone.
"Summoning Technique!"
Orochimaru summoned a dozen Great Snakes from Ryūchi Cave, while Tsunade recalled the Slug she had split apart earlier.
The Summoning Beasts charged forward and clashed with Madara's Wood Golem.
The Wood Golem was like a Heavenly Demon Descending Lord from the skies, truly an Earthly Tai Sui God.
One punch sent a Great Snake from Ryūchi Cave up in smoke.
The Wood Dragon on its right arm let out a roar, then stretched away from the golem. Dragon and snake clashed.
The Wood Dragon drained the Chakra from the Great Snakes of Ryūchi Cave in moments, leaving them shriveled like dried snakes.
"Slug: Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid!"
Standing on the Slug's head, Tsunade had it spray sticky acid. The Slug's acid was powerful enough to corrode one of the golem's arms.
But in the blink of an eye, the golem recovered by using the Chakra absorbed by the Wood Dragon.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade gritted her teeth as she watched. They were now fighting the First Hokage, the founder of the Leaf Village.
Jiraiya seized an opening and rushed to the top of the Wood Golem, facing Madara.
Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima formed hand seals.
"Sage Art: Demonic Illusion—"
Before the Two Toad Sages could finish their hand seals, Madara struck first.
"That move again? Do you think I'll fall for it twice?"
A Black Rod appeared in Madara's hand and shot forward, piercing Sage Fukasaku.
Sage Fukasaku was instantly bound by the Six Paths Black Rods. It was like having his pressure points struck by the Gentle Fist of a Byakugan user; he couldn't move his Chakra at all.
Not only his Chakra—even his movements were restrained.
"W-what is this?"
"Dear!"
Sage Shima stared at Sage Fukasaku in alarm.
Whoosh! Sage Shima was also bound by Madara's Six Paths Black Rods.
Madara had created the Black Rods using the Six Paths Power within him. They fell under the category of Yin Yang Release.
These Black Rods could control puppets, seal Chakra, and track targets.
Even Hashirama as a Reanimated Sage couldn't break their restraining power. Once pierced, the victim was locked down for life.
After taking down the two Great Sages of Mount Myōboku in quick succession, Madara kicked Jiraiya in the chest.
Jiraiya had once been caught peeping on Tsunade bathing and had six ribs broken, nearly dying from the beating. Now, in Sage Mode, his body was dozens of times more resilient than before.
Even so, being kicked by Madara felt just like being hit by Tsunade back then.
He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying dozens of meters.
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