Outside Konoha.
By the time Uchiha Shin and Zetsu had fought their way here, Jiraiya was the only one still pursuing them relentlessly.
"Zetsu, hold him off!"
Uchiha Shin had consumed a great deal of ocular power. Blood was flowing from his eyes, and it seemed as though he was on the verge of losing control of the Three-Tails.
"Fine. You go on ahead," Zetsu said in a low voice.
He then turned and blocked Jiraiya's path.
Jiraiya had already maintained Sage Mode for nearly five minutes. Coupled with the fact that he was already over fifty, he was finally experiencing what it meant to have his body completely drained.
"Jiraiya, this ends here."
A large mass of tree roots suddenly grew from the right side of Zetsu's body again, burrowing into the earth and spreading wildly before rapidly coiling toward Jiraiya from underground.
"Crap, crap."
Jiraiya halted and quickly retreated. At the same time, he formed Hand Seals and spat out blazing fireballs, blasting apart every root that broke through the ground!
"Little Jiraiya, your Sage Mode is nearing its limit," Sage Shima softly said by his ear. "Continuing to fight will be extremely disadvantageous for you."
"I know, but...!"
Jiraiya watched the Three-Tails racing farther and farther away behind Zetsu, filled with unwillingness.
But Uchiha Shin was using the Mangekyou without regard for the consequences, leaving Jiraiya like a tortoise trying to bite a hedgehog—nowhere to start. His Sage Mode was nearing its limit, and with Zetsu blocking him, reclaiming the Three-Tails was basically impossible.
If Tsunade had pursued them with him, they would at least have had a fifty-percent chance of taking back the Three-Tails!
Damn it, why did someone have to attack those two old advisors at a time like this?
Jiraiya grumbled inwardly.
No matter