Will is Power

The combined strength of three sages was naturally not something Jiraiya could match on his own.

Without the summons of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya's combat power would drop by more than just a notch.

And now that they had reached a critical moment, Jiraiya naturally intended to use every bit of strength available to him.

In midair, Mizuki seized Jiraiya with a massive chakra hand and hurled him downward. Wrapped in a protective barrier infused with natural energy, Jiraiya crashed down like a flaming meteor, smashing through the thin ice-covered rock layer and plunging into the dark cavern beneath the ground.

"Just throwing him down like that... won't there be a problem?"

Mifune, who had only just regained his senses, witnessed the highly discordant scene.

"Don't worry. Sage Mode can take a beating..."

"Even if he can endure it, isn't treating a senior like that rather disrespectful?"

"..."

Mizuki was left speechless.

"This old man is already sixty-five years old. I have no desire to be treated like that. Your young people's methods are more than these old bones can bear."

"I have always upheld the fine tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young. Please rest assured, Senior!"

Though a powerful samurai like Mifune possessed excellent physical qualities, he was ultimately still within the limits of humanity. He could not protect himself with the wide variety of ninjutsu available to shinobi, so he certainly could not be handled as roughly as Jiraiya.

Samurai possessed formidable destructive power and excelled in one-on-one combat. In the right environment, they could be even more useful than ordinary shinobi. But if they fell into danger, their ability to preserve their own lives was far inferior to that of shinobi.

The reason Mizuki had gone to such lengths to bring along Mifune, the