"Ha ha! Why aren't you talking now?!"
"Hey! Is this really any way to treat a child?!"
A familiar voice rang out. A golden flash streaked past Mingye's side; his body was unharmed, but a gash had been cut into his clothes. Jiraiya then descended from above, his massive Rasengan crushing down on Mingye from overhead.
"What an unfriendly welcome! So even Lord Jiraiya, one of the legendary Three Sannin, is this incapable of appreciating charm!"
The Rasengan was only a finger's width away from Mingye, yet that tiny gap was like an impassable chasm, unable to advance another inch. Mingye slightly raised his head and looked at Jiraiya, who was still pouring all his strength into pushing the Rasengan forward, then teasingly remarked in helpless exasperation.
"Summoning Technique: Toad Crushing Technique!"
Jiraiya grinned and gave up on trying to press Mingye further. He flipped over, landed, and pressed one hand to the ground. A gigantic toad descended from the sky and swallowed Mingye whole. Flames blazed, instantly vaporizing the toad. As dust filled the air, Mingye turned to look toward where the Rōran people had been trapped. Minato Namikaze was rescuing them.
"This really leaves me helpless."
First, Jiraiya had spoken up to make him wary. Then Minato Namikaze's sneak attack had drawn Mingye's attention, followed by Jiraiya's Rasengan. Though it had failed, the two immediately changed plans. Minato Namikaze turned back to save the Rōran people, while Jiraiya used a massive summon to pin Mingye down and keep him from dividing his focus. Minato Namikaze was incredibly fast; in just a few hurried seconds, he had saved more than a dozen people.
With a snap of his fingers, the remaining hundred or so Rōran people were completely swallowed by the earth and vanished. Minato Namikaze frowned as Naruto's