Jiraiya

A tall man wearing a forehead protector inscribed with the character for "Oil" appeared between Feng Yao and Orochimaru, his long white hair cascading down to his waist.

He had red markings beneath his eyes, wore a red haori over a tea-colored outfit, wooden sandals on his feet, and armor-like guards on his forearms.

He was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Sannin alongside Orochimaru.

The people of Konoha felt their morale surge at the sight of Jiraiya.

"Even Lord Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, has arrived! Sunagakure is finished this time!"

However, the crowd on the high platform remained strangely quiet.

Jiraiya had struck what he considered a cool pose upon his arrival, as did the toad beneath him, but seeing that the onlookers were unimpressed, he could only sheepishly drop the stance.

Rasa frowned upon seeing Jiraiya and silently moved to stand on Orochimaru's side.

Orochimaru's golden pupils narrowed.

"It's been so long, yet you're still as frivolous as ever, Jiraiya."

Hearing the words of his former comrade, Jiraiya's expression turned solemn as he stared at Orochimaru.

He had originally come to Konoha at the request of the Third Hokage to prevent the war, but upon arrival, he learned that a brat named Feng Yao intended to take revenge on Danzo and destroy Konoha.

He had let Kakashi negotiate with the boy; his own preference had been to take Feng Yao down directly, but after watching their duel, he realized he lacked the absolute confidence to do so.

He had been forced to resort to the second plan they had discussed: letting him assassinate Danzo to stop the war.

Yet, he never expected the situation to spiral so drastically—Sunagakure's invasion, Orochimaru's appearance, and the resurrection of the First and Second Hokage.

What surprised him even more was that the brat Feng Yao was actually holding his own against these figures.

He had promised to provide some assistance when he made the deal with him.

Furthermore, he truly could not let Orochimaru run wild like this; he had to finish him here and now.

"Orochimaru, stop what you are doing. Otherwise, I really will kill you."

Hearing Jiraiya's words, Orochimaru laughed in exasperation.

"We have nearly six Kage-level combatants on our side. What ability do you have to kill me, Jiraiya? From childhood until now, when have you ever won against me!"

It was true; besides himself, Orochimaru had Kimimaro, Rasa, the First, the Second, and Kagami Uchiha—all top-tier powerhouses. This did not even include the Sound Four, who would be killed instantly if they stepped into this level of combat.

Hmph.

Jiraiya bit his finger, smeared a red semicircle beneath his eyes, and pressed his palms together.

"Entering Sage Mode! Brat, buy me some time; I need to summon the two Great Toad Sages to assist in the battle."

Jiraiya said to Feng Yao beside him.

Feng Yao cursed Jiraiya as an idiot in his heart! Had he been watching the battle this whole time? Why not summon the two Sages in advance? Jiraiya's way of fighting was far too upright.

"I refuse!"

Eh—?

Hearing Feng Yao's icy reply, Jiraiya's eyes widened.

His eye twitched as he roared back, "Hey, I came out here to save you! You won't even hold the line for me for a moment?"

"Hold the line? How? My chakra is already more than half depleted, and my ninjutsu is better suited for defense than offense. My goal has already been achieved; there is no need for me to keep fighting Orochimaru."

If Jiraiya had entered Sage Mode from the start, Feng Yao wouldn't have minded coordinating with him to take Orochimaru's life. But to ask him to risk his life in this situation? Sorry, he had asked the wrong person.

Just as he was about to say more, Orochimaru didn't give them the chance. He immediately signaled his subordinates to charge at the two, as he had no intention of letting Feng Yao escape.

"You lot, go capture Feng Yao. I will deal with Jiraiya."

The group split into two. Orochimaru and Jiraiya knew each other's strengths and weaknesses too well to gain an easy advantage, so he directed the majority of his forces toward Feng Yao.

The Second Hokage's Body Flicker Technique was clearly much faster than the others, and he reached Feng Yao's side in an instant.

Tobirama Senju was known as the fastest ninja in the shinobi world, a title that was by no means an exaggeration.

In battle, he often won through sheer speed.

Standing behind Feng Yao, the Second Hokage's lips moved slightly.

"Water Style: Water Sky Attack."

This was an offensive water ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage—unexpected water needles fired during an attack!

The high-speed water needles ejected from his mouth were aimed directly at the enemy's vitals.

This was a technique of Tobirama, who excelled in Water Style, and it required no hand seals to activate. Its power was so great that even Madara had needed to use his Susanoo's arm to defend against it.

However, Intangibility could not be bypassed simply by speed, and the Second Hokage's attack naturally returned with no effect.

But with so many enemies present, Feng Yao was not foolish enough to wear himself down against them; he disliked fighting battles with low odds of success more than anything.

After using Intangibility, he took advantage of the moment before the others could arrive and used the Flying Thunder God to vanish from the battlefield.

Everyone remaining lunged at empty air.

Even Orochimaru and Jiraiya were dumbfounded by this scene. Orochimaru had not expected the opponent to retreat so decisively without a shred of lingering attachment, while Jiraiya felt it impossible for someone like Feng Yao—a man who dared to come to Konoha for revenge and risk enmity with the Hokage—to flee so easily.

Orochimaru's expression turned ugly; his schemes had fallen through, and finding such an opportunity in the future would be even harder.

"All of you, go and assist! Destroy Konoha Village completely for me!"

His golden pupils gathered an ever-increasing rage.

Upon hearing this, the others immediately joined the battlefield below. With the aid of so many Kage-level powerhouses, Konoha once again fell into a disadvantageous position.

Seeing this, Jiraiya was naturally filled with towering fury. He could only summon Gamaken to buy himself time, while Orochimaru launched a fierce assault against him.

Neji had been resting on the sidelines ever since losing to Rock Lee.

He had watched Rock Lee change his own destiny through his own strength, thought of his own fate as a member of the branch family, and recalled the words Feng Yao had once spoken.

But suddenly, it became noisy outside. When he went out to look, it was already a cruel battlefield, with Sand Ninja and Konoha locked in combat.

As a member of Konoha, he certainly had to join in, but soon Guy told them that Sand Ninja were also invading outside the village, ordering him to go provide reinforcements while the Jonin handled things here.

Neji had no choice but to fight these Sand Ninja, and for the first time, he experienced the cruelty of war.

Using Rotation and Tenketsu Strike, he defeated six invading Sand Ninja, but his chakra was nearly exhausted, and he collapsed to the ground, drained of all strength.

Just then, a Sand Ninja hiding among a pile of corpses took advantage of Neji's lapse in focus, pulled out a Kunai, and stabbed toward Neji's heart.

The Byakugan discovered this hidden fellow the instant he moved, and Neji spent his very last bit of strength to shift his position.

The Kunai pierced his chest but missed his vitals; Neji gripped the opponent's hand tightly, refusing to let it advance even a fraction of an inch further.

Now it was a contest of endurance: would Konoha's reinforcements arrive first, or would the Sand Ninja drive the Kunai into Neji's body?

But it was neither; relying on the Flying Thunder God mark planted during their duel, Feng Yao arrived at Neji's side, happening upon this very scene.

"Neji is someone I intend to take as a subordinate; how could he die at the hands of a small fry like you?"

Thinking this, he stepped up and kicked the man away, finishing him off with a Rankyaku.

Neji finally let out a sigh of relief and tilted his head to look at Feng Yao. Although Feng Yao wasn't wearing bandages now, this aura allowed Neji to recognize him instantly.

"Cough, cough... thank... you for saving me."

Neji said intermittently; he must have injured his heart and lungs.

Feng Yao bit his finger to summon Katsuyu and placed her on Neji's chest. A green light flickered over the wound, and before long, the bleeding had stopped.

Feng Yao helped Neji wipe away the bloodstains that had congealed on his face.

"No need to thank me. I came to take you away. My real name is Feng Yao; I believe you've heard of it. Neji, I can help you change your destiny. Are you willing to follow me?"

Feng Yao revealed his purpose, and upon hearing this, Neji lowered his gaze.

His heart was moved. Originally, he had felt that a person's fate was set in stone, but he had seen Rock Lee truly change his destiny as a dead-last through sheer effort.

Perhaps, by following the man before him, it really was possible...

Seeing Neji's hesitation, Feng Yao added fuel to the fire.

He coaxed him gently: "A few months ago, I was just a dead-last who couldn't even perform an E-rank ninjutsu, but now I possess the strength to strike down Kage-level ninjas. I changed my own destiny, and you can too."

Hearing this, a look of determination appeared on Neji's face, and he decided instantly: "I am willing to follow you. I want to change my own destiny; I am not reconciled to the fate of the branch family!"

Feng Yao's lips curled upward. He drew Neji into his Kamui dimension, then turned back to look at the war-torn Konoha.

He decided to reap a good harvest before leaving.