Chop Off the Dog's Legs, Setting Up World War II

"Sage Art: Five Elements Great Barrage!"

A look of resolve flashed in his eyes. By unleashing the strongest ninjutsu he had recently mastered, he had already prepared himself for sacrifice.

His physical form grew increasingly toad-like; as more natural energy gathered, the equilibrium within his body was completely shattered.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of smoke explosions erupted as four shadow clones of Jiraiya appeared in a line beside him.

The five Jiraiyas simultaneously released ninjutsu of five different elemental affinities.

Coordinating with one another, the five elements complemented and amplified each other's power.

Where the techniques intertwined, one could see the chakra natures blending, forming the embryonic stage of a Kekkei Genkai.

Storm Release, Explosion Release, Scorch Release... these were the Kekkei Genkai formed by the fusion of two elemental chakra natures.

Rumble...

The earth began to quake. The immense power tore a gaping hole through the Deep Forest Emergence and the Deep Forest Cage, reducing everything to nothingness.

Jiraiya wrapped himself in his own white hair, forming a protective barrier that shielded him from the fallout.

A massive crater appeared where they stood, the ninjutsu of Senju Nawaki and Senju Tojian violently shattered.

Within a radius of several dozen meters centered on Jiraiya, all trees and rocks had been erased into oblivion.

Boom...

The powerful shockwave surged toward Senju Nawaki and Senju Tojian, the Sage chakra within it particularly overbearing.

The resulting impact struck Senju Nawaki, directly destroying the prosthetic limbs he had formed using Wood Release.

The Sage chakra, composed of five elemental natures combined with natural energy, surpassed Senju Nawaki's current Wood Release chakra in both quality and power.

The immense pressure bore down on Senju Nawaki like a ten-thousand-pound hammer, battering his body. He spat out blood as the legs and right arm he had manifested through Wood Release were pulverized into dust by the shockwave and vanished.

He was in a wretched state.

As the dust settled, Senju Nawaki saw Jiraiya standing in the center of the crater.

He was panting heavily, his body covered in oozing pustules, his appearance growing ever closer to that of a toad.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

Five Elements Great Barrage!

He hadn't expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to pass down his prized ninjutsu to Jiraiya, nor that Jiraiya would combine it with Sage chakra to elevate its power to such heights.

This ninjutsu carried the ambitions of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had attempted to fuse five chakra natures together to create a Kekkei Genkai that surpassed Dust Release.

Alas, this was the Ninja World; the constitution of a Sarutobi Clan ninja could not sustain something bordering on a Kekkei Tota.

Senju Nawaki surmised that in the original story, Hiruko's experiments had been pushed from the shadows by Sarutobi Hiruzen; otherwise, how could a commoner, even a genius, have mastered such forbidden knowledge?

It seemed he had previously underestimated Sarutobi Hiruzen's ambition!

He turned his attention back to Jiraiya, who was fusing natural energy and catalyzing it with the Mount Myoboku Sage Mode.

It was no surprise that the Sage Art: Five Elements Great Barrage possessed such destructive power.

However, Jiraiya could not use it perfectly. The chakra within him was in revolt, and his toad-transformation had reached seventy percent; with only thirty percent of his human form remaining, he was at the end of his rope.

"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"

Senju Nawaki formed seals with his only remaining hand, unleashing the most fundamental killing technique of Wood Release.

Splorch...

Splorch...

Two wooden spears erupted from the ground, piercing Jiraiya's legs and impaling his body.

In his normal state, Jiraiya might have been able to dodge, but now, his body was toad-like and nearing collapse.

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit...

Just as Senju Nawaki prepared to attack again, the sound of croaking filled his ears.

It left him agitated, various images flashing through his mind that disrupted the flow of his chakra, causing even his thoughts to stall.

At the moment the smoke cleared, Jiraiya summoned those two old toads!

Within Senju Nawaki's field of vision appeared two old toads, each the size of an adult's arm—Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima of Mount Myoboku—emitting piercing cries.

The two old toads stood on Jiraiya's shoulders, one on each side, helping him heal his wounds and suppress the natural energy eroding his body.

They were already forming seals with their claws, attempting to use the Reverse Summoning Technique.

They intended to return to Mount Myoboku; a spatial vortex appeared, and half of Jiraiya's body had already entered it.

"Wood Release: Man-Eating Flower!"

Senju Tojian shook off the sound of the croaking and formed seals with both hands.

Right in front of me, you inflict such injuries on the person I am sworn to protect, and you think you can leave unscathed?

How could I ever let you have your way!

Snap...

The man-eating flower, resembling a gaping maw, clamped down on Jiraiya's torso, severing him in two.

Leaving behind the lower half of his body, Jiraiya used this irrational method to escape to Mount Myoboku.

The man-eating flower spat out the foreign object from its mouth—two legs that had completely transformed into toad limbs, coated in a black, viscous fluid.

"He still managed to run, but at least this serves as a lesson."

Senju Nawaki shook off the lingering discomfort in his mind, glanced at Senju Tojian, and then looked toward the spot where Jiraiya had just vanished.

With such severe beastification, could Jiraiya even recover?

Given the nature of this world, not only would Jiraiya recover, but his strength would likely increase.

He had to improve his own strength while this nuisance was out of the way.

The next time they met, Jiraiya would not be so careless and underestimate him again.

His gaze fixed on the two toad legs, which were already beginning to dissolve, and an idea formed in his mind; such a grievous injury had, ironically, resolved Jiraiya's alienated state.

A doubt lingered in his heart: could the Reverse Summoning Technique, a special space-time ninjutsu, really be used in such a manner?

Yet, when facing the Six Paths Clones of Uzumaki Nagato in the future, he had been willing to die?

What a truly twisted world!

"We only caught them off guard; Jiraiya and those two old toads are strong—at least stronger than Tsunade."

Senju Tojian's expression was grave as he recalled their brief clash, re-evaluating the strength of both sides.

If he had the coordination of those two old toads, Jiraiya's strength would be boosted significantly, and he wouldn't have been limited to a single strike.

They were a threat to them as well.

The outcome would not have been what it was today.

Senju Nawaki would likely have been in danger, perhaps even losing his life.

"There is no need to concern ourselves with Jiraiya any longer. I have had enough of this incompleteness; I must restore myself as soon as possible to attain even greater power."

Senju Nawaki's wounds healed, and he used Wood Release to manifest a prosthetic limb for himself once more.

If he hadn't possessed secret intelligence, dealing with Jiraiya would not have been so easy, nor would he have achieved such results.

The most important thing for him now was to improve his strength, make his body whole again, and evolve his bloodline.

The ongoing war between Konoha and Sunagakure before his eyes was his best opportunity.