Jiraiya

A tall man appeared between Feng Yao and Orochimaru. He wore a forehead protector marked with the character for "oil," and his long white hair fell to his waist.

Red markings ran beneath his eyes. He wore a red coat over brown clothes, wooden sandals, and armor-like guards on his hands.

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

The sight of Jiraiya naturally lifted the spirits of the Konoha shinobi.

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

But the people on the high platform were strangely quiet.

That was because Jiraiya had struck what he thought was a stylish pose when he appeared, and the toad beneath him had done the same. When the people around him failed to show him any appreciation, Jiraiya could only sheepishly drop the pose.

Rasa frowned when he saw Jiraiya and silently moved to stand with Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's golden eyes widened.

"It's been so long since I last saw you, and you're still as frivolous as ever, Jiraiya."

Hearing those words from his old friend, Jiraiya straightened up. His expression turned serious as he looked at Orochimaru.

He had come at the Third Hokage's request to prevent war from breaking out in Konoha. But after arriving, he learned that a kid called Feng Yao wanted revenge on Danzo and planned to destroy Konoha.

So he had sent Kakashi to negotiate with him. Jiraiya's own plan had been to capture Feng Yao outright, but after watching the two fight, he realized he couldn't be certain of winning.

He had no choice but to go with the second plan they'd agreed on in advance: have Feng Yao assassinate Danzo and prevent the war.

But he hadn't expected the situation to change so drastically. Sunagakure had invaded, Orochimaru had appeared, and the First and Second had been revived.

What surprised him even more was that the kid, Feng Yao, could fight these people without falling behind.

When he'd made a deal with Feng Yao, he'd promised to offer him some help.

Besides, he couldn't let Orochimaru run wild like this. He had to stop him here and now.

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

At Jiraiya's words, Orochimaru laughed in anger.

"We have nearly six Kage Level fighters on our side. What can you do to kill me, Jiraiya? When have you ever beaten me, from childhood until now?"

Indeed, besides Orochimaru, his side had Kimimaro, Rasa, the First Hokage, the Second, and Kagami Uchiha—all peerless fighters. He hadn't even counted the Sound Four outside the battlefield. They'd only be killed instantly if they joined a fight like this.

"Hmph."

Jiraiya bit his finger, drew a red semicircle beneath each eye, and pressed his palms together.

"Entering Sage Mode! Kid, Feng Yao, buy me some time. I'm going to summon the two great sages to help us fight."

Jiraiya spoke to Feng Yao beside him.

Feng Yao cursed Jiraiya as an idiot in his heart. Had he been watching the battle just now? Why hadn't he summoned the two great sages sooner? Jiraiya's fighting style was far too upright.

"No!"

"Huh?"

At Feng Yao's cold reply, Jiraiya's eyes widened.

His eyelid twitched as he shouted back, "Hey, I came out here to save you! You won't even hold them off for me for a little while?"

"Hold them off? How am I supposed to do that? I've already used up more than half my chakra, and my ninjutsu is better suited to defense than offense. I've already achieved my goal. There's no need to keep fighting Orochimaru."

If Jiraiya had come out after entering Sage Mode, Feng Yao wouldn't have minded teaming up with him to kill Orochimaru. But asking him to risk his life in this situation? Sorry, he'd picked the wrong person.

Before Jiraiya could say anything, Orochimaru gave them no chance. He ordered his subordinates to attack the two of them. He didn't want Feng Yao to escape.

"You lot go capture Feng Yao. I'll deal with Jiraiya."

They split into two groups. Orochimaru and Jiraiya knew each other inside and out, so neither would be at a disadvantage. That left most of their forces to deal with Feng Yao.

The Second's Body Flicker Technique was clearly much faster than everyone else's. He reached Feng Yao first.

Tobirama Senju was known throughout the Shinobi World as the fastest shinobi. That title was no empty boast.

He often relied on his speed to win battles.

Standing behind Feng Yao, the Second barely moved his lips.

"Water Style: Water Sky Attack."

This was an offensive Water Release Ninjutsu developed by the Second. It launched unexpected water needles at the enemy!

The water needles, fired from his mouth at high speed, would strike the enemy's vital points.

It was Tobirama's technique, and as a master of Water Release, he didn't need Hand Seals to use it. It was so powerful that even Madara had to defend against it with Susanoo's arm.

But Intangibility couldn't be countered simply by being fast, so the Second's attack naturally missed.

With so many people here, Feng Yao wasn't foolish enough to waste time fighting them. He hated battles with poor odds.

After using Intangibility, he used the Flying Thunder God to leave the battlefield before the others could reach him.

Everyone left behind lunged at empty air.

Even Orochimaru and Jiraiya were stunned. Orochimaru hadn't expected Feng Yao to retreat so decisively, without the slightest hesitation. Jiraiya, meanwhile, had thought that someone like Feng Yao, who'd dared to come to Konoha for revenge and defy the Hokage, wouldn't flee so easily.

Orochimaru's expression darkened. His plans had come to nothing, and it would be even harder to find another chance in the future.

"Go help them. I want you to destroy Konoha completely!"

His golden eyes burned with ever-growing fury.

The others immediately joined the battle below. With so many Kage Level fighters on their side, Konoha was once again pushed onto the back foot.

Jiraiya was just as furious when he saw this. He could only summon Gamaken to buy himself time, while Orochimaru launched a fierce assault on him.

Neji had stayed off to the side to rest ever since losing to Rock Lee.

He'd seen Rock Lee change his fate through his own strength. He thought about his own fate as a member of the branch family, and remembered what Feng Yao had once told him.

But then a commotion broke out outside. When he went to look, he found a brutal battlefield: Sand shinobi and Konoha were locked in combat.

As a member of Konoha, he had to join the fight. But Guy soon told them that Sand shinobi had also invaded outside the village and ordered Neji to reinforce them there, leaving this battlefield to the jōnin.

Neji could only fight the Sand shinobi. It was the first time he'd experienced the cruelty of war.

Using Rotation and Tenketsu Strike, he defeated six attacking Sand Ninja. His chakra was almost gone, and he collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

Just then, a Sand shinobi who'd been hiding among the corpses took advantage of Neji's lapse in concentration. He pulled out a kunai and thrust it toward Neji's heart.

The Byakugan spotted the hidden attacker at once. Neji used the last of his strength to shift position.

The kunai struck his chest without hitting a vital spot. Neji gripped the attacker's hand tightly, keeping the blade from sinking any deeper.

Now it was a battle of endurance: would Konoha's reinforcements arrive first, or would the Sand shinobi drive the kunai into Neji's body?

Neither happened. Feng Yao used the Flying Thunder God Formula he'd placed on Neji during their fight to appear beside him, arriving just in time to see what was happening.

"Neji's someone I've decided to take as a subordinate. How could I let a nobody like you kill him?"

With that thought, he kicked the man away and finished him off with a Rankyaku.

Neji finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head toward Feng Yao. Although Feng Yao wasn't wearing bandages now, Neji recognized him immediately from his presence.

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

Neji spoke haltingly. He must have injured his lungs or heart.

Feng Yao bit his finger, summoned Katsuyu, and placed her on Neji's chest. Green light shimmered over the wound, and before long, the bleeding had stopped.

Feng Yao wiped away the dried blood on Neji's face.

"You don't need to thank me. I came to take you with me. My real name is Feng Yao. I'm sure you've heard of me. Neji, I can help you change your fate. Will you follow me?"

Feng Yao stated his purpose. Neji lowered his eyes at the news.

He was tempted. He'd thought people's fates were set in stone, but he'd seen Rock Lee change his fate as a dead-last through sheer effort.

Perhaps following this man really could...

Seeing Neji hesitate, Feng Yao pressed his advantage.

He coaxed him gently. "A few months ago, I was a dead-last who couldn't even use an E-rank ninjutsu. Now I'm strong enough to defeat Kage Level shinobi. I changed my own fate. You can do the same."

Neji's expression firmed with resolve. He answered at once, "I'm willing to follow you. I want to change my fate. I refuse to accept the fate of the branch family!"

Feng Yao smiled. He drew Neji into his Kamui Dimension, then looked back at Konoha, where the flames of war still raged.

Before leaving, he decided to grab a little more while he could.