Minato Arrives

Jiraiya suddenly appeared and shoved Orochimaru away with one hand.

Orochimaru's snake pupils instantly narrowed into vertical slits at their widest. "Jiraiya!!"

Madara plunged his sword into Jiraiya's heart, and Jiraiya's eyes immediately dimmed.

Liao Wu closed his eyes. "It's over, Jiraiya!"

Perhaps this was the sorrow of being a Ninja. Once someone embarked on the path of the Ninja, a tragic end was all but inevitable.

Being a Ninja was the profession of an assassin, and assassins usually did not meet good ends.

Tsunade, pinned beneath Liao Wu, stirred slightly, as though she had sensed Jiraiya's final moment.

"You idiot, you fool, you were always like this. Why were you always like this?"

Orochimaru loudly cursed Jiraiya.

His body had long since been remodeled into the shape of a snake, giving him far greater vitality than an ordinary Ninja. Even if he was stabbed in the head, he could still hold on.

Even if things became worse and Madara Uchiha killed him, Orochimaru still had a way to resurrect himself.

After the Second Ninja World War, Orochimaru had begun dabbling in the Human Body Forbidden Technique. He had countless methods of preserving his life.

Even if the entire Ninja World were destroyed, Orochimaru might not necessarily be destroyed with it.

But Jiraiya did not know that. In Jiraiya's eyes, Orochimaru was still a mortal of flesh and blood, still his companion.

His voice seemed to break apart. "O-Orochimaru... the village... the village will be in your hands from now on. You must believe in Teacher. D-don't defect..."

In a daze, everything from the past seemed to echo through Orochimaru's mind.

"Hey! Orochimaru! Come out and fight. Are you reading those strange books again?"

"Orochimaru, cough, cough... Your bandaging skills are far worse than Tsunade's. Damn it, those Rain Village guys are too troublesome!"

"Orochimaru, is this a disciple you've taken in? I never expected that someone as cold-blooded as you would take a disciple. Congratulations, congratulations!"

"You idiot—"

Orochimaru went berserk and entangled himself with Madara. Caught off guard for a moment, Madara was even bitten by Orochimaru's Poison Fang.

Madara and Orochimaru fought farther away, while Liao Wu stepped forward to collect Jiraiya's body.

Jiraiya still had a trace of breath left. Sensing Liao Wu's presence, he opened his dim, lifeless eyes.

"...Liao Wu..."

Jiraiya made one final plea. "...Take good care of Tsunade. Please!"

After saying that, Jiraiya's head drooped and never rose again.

A trace of green light glowed across Liao Wu's hand as he prepared to reach toward Jiraiya.

Suddenly, a Yellow Shadow carrying a Blue-white Rasengan used the Body Flicker to appear between Liao Wu and Jiraiya.

It was Minato!

A Rasengan suddenly slammed into Liao Wu's chest, blasting him away.

"It was you again, Minato!"

Minato hurriedly supported Jiraiya, his eyes filled with worry. "Teacher, Teacher!"

"..."

Jiraiya's aura was extremely faint. Minato felt that it was about to fade completely.

A surging fury rose in his chest.

"Liao Wu—"

The Rasengan was a powerful blunt injury caused by violently twisting Chakra. Liao Wu's internal organs had all been twisted by Minato's Rasengan.

Using the Chimera Technique, he twisted his lungs and organs back into place, then burned a Life Spore to restore his condition.

Liao Wu stood opposite Minato, somewhat confused by Minato's fury.

Then he understood. Minato thought he had killed Jiraiya.

That was giving him too much credit.

Although Liao Wu was no longer the same as before, he was still nowhere near the level required to deal with a Kage Level expert like Jiraiya.

Having been misunderstood, Liao Wu simply accepted the misunderstanding. He closed his eyes, then opened them again.

The Three Tomoe Sharingan appeared in his pupils.

Liao Wu directly snatched all of Madara's achievements for himself.

"That's right, Minato. I resurrected Madara, killed Jiraiya, and captured Tsunade. I did all of it."

Minato glanced at the devastated earth from the corner of his eye, his heart filled with shock.

Even the battlefield at the Mist Village Frontline had never been shattered to this extent. What kind of battle had they gone through?

And that Red Figure currently toying with Senior Orochimaru... That aura of a Sea of Corpses and Blood was as though he were a Top Killer who had slaughtered his way out of the Warring States Period.

Could that be... the resurrected Madara Uchiha?

Minato recalled the description given by the Contact Frog from Mount Myōboku.

All of this was because of... Uchiha Ryobu!

Minato gripped his Kunai, his expression solemn. "It's all because I was too careless. I actually let you deceive me back then."

Liao Wu smiled. "Minato, you really did pierce my heart. I nearly died."

"But unfortunately, brother, unfortunately. Next time, remember to aim for the head!"

Minato tightened his grip on the Flying Thunder God Kunai. "Thank you for the instruction. I will remember it! I will never make the same mistake twice."

Minato was about to attack, but Liao Wu was even faster than the Yellow Flash.

"Ancestor, save me!"

Liao Wu stopped pretending and immediately ran toward Madara.

It was not that his movements were fast. He was simply faster at running away.

Minato: "(⊙_⊙)."

"When you encounter Konoha's Yellow Flash, you may abandon the mission immediately without being held accountable!"—Iwagakure Ninja Code.

In a one-on-one fight, the Flying Thunder God was invincible.

Unless one had a way to counter or defend against the Space-Time Ninjutsu, one should not even dream of fighting Minato alone.

Even if one did, did one really think one's combat intelligence could surpass Minato's?

That idiot Obito thought his Kamui could counter Minato. In the end, he was still beaten into a desperate retreat by Minato.

Without the White Zetsu Cells, he would have been beaten to death long ago.

Liao Wu did have a way to fight Minato. His main body could use the Mayfly Technique to hide underground, while his Spore Clones fought in his place.

But if the main body could not beat him, would sending clones not just be sending them to their deaths?

Why bother with useless tricks? Just let Madara Old Demon deal with Minato directly.

Madara used Wood Style to bind Orochimaru. At that moment, something seemed to be wrong with Madara's body.

A Curse Mark bearing the symbol of Ryūchi Cave had appeared on his arm, accompanied by several small red spots.

This was... Snake Venom!

Orochimaru laughed loudly. "Madara, this is my Poison Curse Mark, made by combining the venom of the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave with a Curse Mark."

"Even someone like the First Hokage would die instantly after being poisoned by me!"

"How laughable!"

Madara sneered, and the Yin Yang Release within his body instantly suppressed Orochimaru's Poison Curse Mark.

"Go to hell!"

Madara formed hand seals, and the Wood Golem smashed down toward Orochimaru with one punch.

One Punch Mountain Sea Shattered. The earth within dozens of kilometers shook violently, as though an earthquake had struck.

Orochimaru... was reduced to nothing but bones!

After the commotion subsided, Minato held Jiraiya in his arms and stared uncertainly at the Arhat Wooden Golem that seemed capable of shattering everything.

"This... what kind of Ninjutsu is this?"

Madara then turned his attention back to Minato.

Minato was instantly frozen in place.

Madara Uchiha, the legendary Ninja of the Warring States Period, the man whose fame stood alongside that of the First Hokage.

Jiraiya suddenly began breathing again and struggled to issue Minato a warning. "...Minato, run... you aren't his match..."

"Teacher!"

Minato helped Jiraiya up and glanced at Madara.

"Hmph! Trying to run?"

Liao Wu returned to the fight, a Rasengan in his hand.

Minato activated the Flying Thunder God Technique. Just before disappearing, he suddenly saw a struggling Yellow White Shadow rushing toward him.

"Teacher Minato, Teacher Minato!"

Minato: "(・_・?)."

Liao Wu's Rasengan smashed a huge crater into the ground. Jiraiya and Minato's figures were already gone from where they had stood.

Liao Wu patted the dust from his clothes and snorted. "They sure ran fast! Next time, I will definitely take the heads of both master and disciple."

The battle between the Sannin, Minato, and Madara had ended with Minato fleeing in disarray, Jiraiya hanging by a thread, Orochimaru dead, and Tsunade captured. Konoha's top combat strength had been almost completely wiped out.