Incomplete Sage Mode

There was a certain ambition in Senju Nawaki's eyes.

Even if the Sage of Six Paths were to appear before him, he would turn him into nothing more than a pile of experimental materials.

With the support of the Bloodline Completion System, the Otsutsuki Clan did not seem so unattainable in his eyes; everything was merely a matter of time.

It would all begin with the Second Shinobi World War.

The Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan, the Sarutobi Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho families, the toads of Mount Myoboku—everyone who had ever harmed him would become nutrients on his path to growth.

If I must sacrifice myself to fulfill you, then it is better to sacrifice you to fulfill me!

When all is said and done, isn't everything decided by the power in one's hands?

"Jiraiya, you knew I would die, you knew the Senju Clan would perish, and yet you maintained that attitude. This makes me very unhappy. This is the fate you see, not the future I envision."

Senju Nawaki opened his eyes, his gaze filled with indifference, his tone calm.

A cold aura radiated from his body, and wherever it touched, all vitality was absorbed by Senju Nawaki.

Senju Nawaki's ninja way was even more formidable; if this world was his enemy, then he would simply annihilate the entire world.

"You truly are a destroyer of order. Once you grow, the shinobi world will be destroyed. I cannot continue to indulge your existence!"

Jiraiya stared intently at Senju Nawaki. This transformation filled him with a sense of dread, and his expression grew even more grim. He could not allow his momentary softness to create a tyrant who would destroy the world.

He had to take action.

The vitality of the entire world was being absorbed by Senju Nawaki, and Jiraiya suspected that, just as the Great Toad Sage had predicted, the entire world would be devoured by him.

He formed hand seals, his white hair bristling. His pupils turned into horizontal slits, red markings appeared at the corners of his eyes, and his mouth widened and flattened, becoming increasingly toad-like.

A foul, fishy stench emanated from his body, attempting to block the spread of Senju Nawaki's aura.

"Move! Use the Space Cage to block him from using the Summoning Technique!"

Witnessing Jiraiya's transformation, which brought him closer to the toads of Mount Myoboku, Senju Nawaki wrinkled his nose in disgust and issued an order to Senju Tojian.

Perhaps Jiraiya had grown accustomed to that stench, but to Senju Nawaki, it was nauseating.

A group of self-righteous beasts dared to speak of deciding the fate of the world, and there were even more clueless fools who actually believed in such prophecies.

The entire world had become twisted to this extent.

What Senju Nawaki found most unacceptable was that he was the one expected to be the sacrifice, the one expected to consider the "greater good."

I can sacrifice, I can consider the greater good, and I can offer my life for what I care about, but I will not sacrifice myself for a bunch of self-righteous, arrogant idiots like you.

You want me to shoulder the responsibility alone while you refuse to share the benefits?

How is this any different from someone in my past life blaming me for the greenhouse effect because I passed gas or lit a fire?

The right and wrong you speak of are not the right and wrong of this world.

This time, Senju Nawaki would no longer bow to the oppression of the world.

He would use the power he commanded to resist this injustice.

Senju Nawaki anticipated Jiraiya's next move; he would unleash his most powerful attack mode. The partial beast-transformation occurring on his body was the prelude to Sage Mode.

The next step would naturally be to summon the two elder toads and perform an imperfect Sage Mode.

He had to sever his connection to Mount Myoboku at this very moment.

Otherwise, Jiraiya's strength would increase exponentially, and all sorts of unforeseen variables would arise.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Cage!" Though Senju Tojian was surprised by the order, he executed it without hesitation.

If anyone wanted to destroy the Senju Clan he protected or sacrifice the Senju Nawaki he guarded, they would have to step over his corpse.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The two of them unleashed their most powerful ninjutsu simultaneously.

Senju Tojian's Deep Forest Cage descended, carrying his will. The cage was both a shield and a prison—a shield to protect the Senju Clan, and a prison for anyone who dared to harm them.

Combined with the sealing techniques Senju Tojian had mastered, this cage formed a barrier capable of blocking summoning techniques.

Senju Nawaki's Deep Forest Emergence possessed functions similar to those of Senju Hashirama. Within this forest, Senju Nawaki's power was amplified to its peak, allowing him to nullify certain ninjutsu and force them to obey his will.

"Bang..."

Jiraiya's expression was heavy as he bit his finger and pressed it onto the summoning formation formed by black chains on the ground.

Just as Senju Nawaki had predicted, Jiraiya intended to summon the two elder toads to utilize the human-beast fusion Sage Mode.

After the smoke cleared, however, the two elder toads did not appear, and he simultaneously lost his connection to Mount Myoboku.

A look of astonishment filled Jiraiya's eyes.

The earth began to tremble, and the surrounding scenery shifted completely, engulfing him in a vast forest.

A rustling sound reached his ears; brown vines, covered in jagged leaves, crawled across the ground like pythons, coiling toward him to crush him.

"Damn it! Toad Oil: Great Fireball Technique!"

Jiraiya cursed under his breath, spitting out black oil that combined with his Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu as he unleashed it.

He hoped to use the powerful flames to force back the vines currently surrounding him.

Normally, this jutsu would be seamless when performed in coordination with the toads from Mount Myoboku, but now, he found himself in a stalemate.

The effect was not as potent as he had imagined.

The flames began to die out just a few meters away from him, failing to serve any purpose.

Fortunately, the toad oil he spat out acted like a poison; wherever it dripped onto the plants of the Deep Forest Emergence, mottled, stone-like patterns appeared upon contact.

They were no longer under the control of Senju Nawaki.

Swish...

Swish...

Before he could even rejoice, brown vines lunged at him, binding his limbs and tightening around his throat, leaving red rope marks circling his body.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Senju Nawaki is far too ruthless; he doesn't give me any time to react, as if he knew all along that I wanted to summon Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku. The Wood Release of these two is truly troublesome. If I'm not careful, I might really lose my life here.

Jiraiya felt a surge of frustration. He had lost the initiative from the very first moment, and knowing he was no match for the two of them, he tried to enter Sage Mode.

However, Senju Tojian's jutsu had severed his connection to Mount Myoboku, making it impossible to summon the two Toad Sages to his aid.

If this continued, he would die!

Croak, croak, croak...

Jiraiya's throat swelled up just like a toad's, and with a guttural sound, he snapped the vines constricting his neck.

He spat out black toad oil to block every plant attempting to attack him, and the vines wrapped around his body began to loosen.

"Sage Mode!"

With a low roar, he forced himself into Sage Mode. His head was now half-human and half-toad.

The part that resembled a toad the most was his legs.

His feet, clad in wooden sandals, had transformed into toad webbed feet, no longer possessing human toes.