18. Can't Win, Mutual Opponents

Jiraiya toyed with his opponent, alternating between stalling and fleeing.

He recalled the recent battle against Kaguya Majen, who was truly worthy of being from the Kaguya Clan of Kirigakure.

The man possessed outstanding combat ability and a troublesome Kekkei Genkai, especially his method of using his own bones as weapons.

Whenever Jiraiya initiated a taijutsu attack, the man's bones would transform into hardened spears.

This prevented Jiraiya from pressing his offense, yet the man could fight without restraint, attacking with full force and forcing Jiraiya to act timidly throughout the battle.

The bones in his fingers acted like pistols, firing projectiles at him; whenever the man aimed his hands, Jiraiya had no choice but to block or dodge.

When Jiraiya stopped using taijutsu and attacked with Fire Style, the man's Kekkei Genkai activated again, with bones erupting to cover his entire body and allowing him to adjust their density.

He absorbed the impact of the Fire Style, and the burns from the flames failed to manifest.

He was practically Jiraiya's nemesis; fortunately, he had managed to lure him out, but how could he break through the man's Kekkei Genkai?

How could he seize the initiative so he would no longer be chased around?

"Not good."

He had caught up; Jiraiya continued to move forward.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the southern battlefield.

He saw Raiga Kurosuki holding the Thunder Blade Kiba, swinging it toward the sky, where it spun rapidly toward Uzumaki Jiro's back.

Seeing that Uzumaki Jiro was about to be ambushed by Raiga Kurosuki, Jiraiya roared.

"Watch your back, Uzumaki Jiro!"

Jiraiya lunged toward the Thunder Blade Kiba, positioning himself directly behind Uzumaki Jiro, and formed hand seals.

"Earth Style: Rock Theft Staff!"

He used chakra to control the earth, causing the ground beneath the enemy to transform into sharp, staff-like pillars that shot toward them.

The Rock Theft Staff collided with the incoming Thunder Blade Kiba; the blade struck the staff, shattering it into pieces as it cracked inch by inch.

Uzumaki Jiro controlled his body, quickly darting away from the impact.

With a flick of his hands, Raiga Kurosuki used chakra to recall the Thunder Blade Kiba, which had been blocked by the staff, accelerating its rotation in the air as it flew back into his grip.

He looked on in confusion, wondering how Jiraiya had appeared here.

Uzumaki Jiro gasped, relieved that Jiraiya had rescued him in time, otherwise he would have ended up lying on this land.

"Jiraiya, thank goodness you were here in time. Facing two of them alone is quite a struggle."

Jiraiya felt a bit embarrassed and looked around.

"Jiro, I'm sorry, but in a moment, you'll have to face them alone again."

Uzumaki Jiro was full of confusion, and before he could figure it out, he heard a voice.

"White-haired brat, you run quite fast, but didn't I find you in the end?"

"Dance of the Willow!"

Kaguya Majen mimicked the swaying of willow branches in his attack, the protruding bones slashing toward Jiraiya.

After dodging, Jiraiya returned the favor.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

This time, he used chakra to harden his silver hair, forming the Needle Jizo to launch an attack at his enemy.

The Needle Jizo blocked Kaguya Majen's assault; the bones and the needles collided, producing a crisp, clashing sound.

However, the chakra-hardened silver hair could not withstand the bone attack, and Kaguya Majen's bones pierced through the Needle Jizo.

Jiraiya quickly shifted his body backward, breaking into a cold sweat as he felt a stinging sensation on his face—a small wound had been carved into his skin.

Kaguya Majen picked up his bone sword, looking at the blood on it; he had been so close, just a hair's breadth away from piercing the man's skull.

Jiraiya hurriedly pulled Uzumaki Jiro back to retreat.

"I nearly had my head pierced just to save you; you'd better repay me well later. How are you handling two of them? I'm being chased around just by one!"

Uzumaki Jiro could only offer a wry smile; his teammate trusted him, and if not for Jiraiya, he would have been long gone. He looked at Kaguya Majen, his eyes brightening.

"Jiraiya, it seems we can swap opponents. If we use sealing jutsu, can we seal Kaguya Majen?"

Seeing Uzumaki Jiro's confidence, Jiraiya stood up and walked toward Raiga Kurosuki and Jinin Akebino, using his actions to signal the swap.

Looking at the two men before him, he steeled himself internally: If you two are a pair, then I'll find a helper too. He formed hand seals.

"Summoning: Gamaken!"

A giant toad appeared beside Jiraiya, carrying a pot-lid-shaped shield on its back and holding a spiked harpoon.

"Jiraiya, is the enemy those ninjas from Kirigakure? Their blades look a bit familiar."

Jiraiya exhaled; Uzumaki Jiro had already provided the intel on the enemy's blades, and all that remained was to finish them off.

Raiga Kurosuki spotted the giant toad and immediately charged toward Jiraiya, the Thunder Blade Kiba releasing stored lightning to stimulate his cells and enhance his speed.

The lightning emitted a piercing screech as he gripped his twin blades, slashing fiercely at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya watched in shock as the opponent moved with astonishing speed; before he even had a chance to think, the twin blades were already slashing toward him.

He raised a shuriken to parry the Thunder Blade Kiba, but to his surprise, his body was instantly struck by an electric shock, leaving his arm numb.

"Needle Jizo!"

His silver hair immediately whipped out to entangle the enemy, but Raiga Kurosuki swung the Thunder Blade Kiba with incredible speed.

In an instant, he sliced through all of the silver hair that had attempted to bind him.

Seeing Jiraiya under attack, Gamaken immediately moved to provide support, but Jinin Akebino stood in his path to block him.

Jinin Akebino raised the Kabutowari and slashed downward, forcing Gamaken to lift the pot-lid shield strapped to his back to block the strike.

The shield met the Kabutowari, and the two weapons collided with a heavy impact.

Jinin Akebino raised his hammer, intending to strike the back of the blade and shatter the opponent's shield.

Gamaken could not allow the opponent to combine the hammer and blade, as their combined force was said to be capable of crushing any defense.

He immediately thrust his spiked harpoon toward the hammer to prevent the two from connecting, and the two began a stalemate of raw strength.

Raiga Kurosuki continued to slash rapidly toward Jiraiya.

Poof.

Jiraiya transformed into a wooden log embedded with an explosive tag.

The moment Raiga Kurosuki saw the explosive tag, he unleashed his lightning-natured chakra and leaped backward, retreating out of the blast radius.

"Boom!" A loud explosion rang out.

The shockwave of the blast still caught Raiga Kurosuki, dealing significant damage while he was in mid-air, and he landed on one knee.

When Jiraiya had summoned Gamaken, he had used the summoning smoke to conceal his hand seals.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

He used his chakra to create a tangible clone, which took his place while his true body hid on Gamaken's back.

Just as the explosive tag detonated, Jiraiya dispelled his transformation and performed hand seals.

"Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!"

He condensed his chakra into oil, filled his mouth with it, and ignited it with fire-natured chakra, spraying it toward Jinin Akebino.

Jinin Akebino, who was locked in a struggle with Gamaken and distracted by the explosion, was struck directly by Jiraiya's Great Flame Bomb.

Jinin Akebino was sent flying backward by the impact of the Great Flame Bomb, which then detonated upon contact.

"Boom!"

The Great Flame Bomb erupted, leaving Jinin Akebino covered in wounds as he tumbled across the ground.

Jiraiya let out a long sigh of relief, quite satisfied with the results of his strike.