Rock-Dwelling Great Toad; Are You Testing My Mettle?

Hearing Uchiha Makoto's answer, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Uchiha Makoto would refuse.

Although Tsunade and Orochimaru weren't like Jiraiya, their eyes still held a hint of curiosity.

What kind of momentous event could bring together immortals from the Three Great Sage Lands?

"Let's not delay, let's set off now."

Jiraiya paused here, glanced at Uchiha Makoto, and then continued, "Everyone, put your hands on me, and I will take you to Mount Myōboku!"

Everyone did as instructed, placing their hands on Jiraiya.

Jiraiya slammed his palm on the ground, activating the Reverse Summoning Technique, and in the blink of an eye, their figures disappeared from the spot.

When everyone came to their senses, they were already on a mountaintop of Mount Myōboku.

Thick fog filled the surroundings, and the giant Toad statue appeared and disappeared, exuding a mysterious and ancient aura.

"Is this Mount Myōboku?" Tsunade looked around curiously.

"Don't be careless, this place is not simple," Orochimaru said warily.

Uchiha Makoto frowned and looked at the spot where they were standing.

Everywhere you look, there are mottled rocks and layers of moss, a scene that can be found anywhere in the Shinobi World.

However, Uchiha Makoto could sense a strong life force beneath these layers of rocks and soil.

The mountain they're on is actually a giant Toad!

Uchiha Makoto glanced at the size of this "Toad Mountain" again and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

'A body several hundred meters tall—only the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad, whose intestines were only mentioned in the original story, could possibly be that large.'

The first appearance of the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad, or more precisely, the appearance of its esophagus, was during the battle between Jiraiya, Uchiha Itachi, and Kisame Hoshigaki.

Jiraiya summoned the esophagus of the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad, trapping Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki inside, along with himself.

It also appeared once later when Jiraiya infiltrated Rain Ninja.

Jiraiya once said that what is usually a giant food is just a meal for the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad, which is enough to illustrate how Yamato and terrifying its size is.

'Was choosing this location a test, or a way to intimidate me?'

'If I were to make a move now, it would be a warning to them.'

Thinking of this, Uchiha Makoto extended a finger and aimed it at the leg of the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad.

"Storm Release!"

Under the bewildered gazes of Tsunade and Orochimaru, the laser-like Storm Release ray shot straight into the ground.

"Damn it!"

With a deep, resonant croak characteristic of a Toad, the sound seemed to rumble like thunder from the depths of the earth. The ground trembled slightly, as if a minor earthquake had occurred.

The Rock-Dwelling Great Toad, which had been disguised as a mountain peak, slowly stood up, its massive body rising like a mountain range. Large chunks of rock and soil crumbled off, pouring down like a torrential rain.

This threw Tsunade and the others, who were originally standing on the mountain, into a panic. They had to dodge the falling rocks and soil, looking extremely disheveled.

Tsunade's face darkened, and she roared, "Jiraiya, what's going on?"

Orochimaru's expression was also not good; it was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

He wasn't like Uchiha Makoto could fly through the air. His clumsy dodging, coupled with Jiraiya's clearly troubled expression, made him even more upset.

He treated Jiraiya a brother, Jiraiya treat him?

They actually designed them?

"I..."

Jiraiya wore a wry smile, unsure of what to say.

Uchiha Makoto watched them coldly from mid-air, secretly finding it amusing.

But the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad, had already regained consciousness and was glaring angrily at Uchiha Makoto.

"Hmph, how dare a mere domestic animal raise its head?"

Uchiha Makoto snorted coldly, not one to tolerate such treatment, Spiraling Ring with a diameter of several tens of meters appeared in his palm.

"Don't move, or you'll die!"

Seeing the dangerous-looking "ball" right in front of him, above his head, the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad was intimidated by Uchiha Makoto's aura and dared not move for a moment.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and the others were also stunned by the sudden tension and quickly jumped to a safe area.

The situation reached a stalemate, with neither side daring to make a move.

Just then, the immortals, sensing the danger, rushed over.

"Uchiha Makoto, please calm down. There must be some misunderstanding."

"The White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave said."

The Katsuyu Immortal chimed in, "Please, sir, do not act rashly. We can sit down and have a proper talk."

However, Uchiha Makoto did not put down the Spiraling Ring in his hand; instead, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Gentlemen, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"Out of respect for our ancestor, I, a 'guest,' have traveled a long way, why are you giving me such a show of force?"

"What, are you trying to test my magnanimity?"

As he spoke, Uchiha Makoto tossed the Spiraling Ring in his hand like a ping-pong ball, making several people present jump in fright.

If Uchiha Makoto were to slip up even slightly, this day next year would be their death anniversary!

The three immortals exchanged glances. Looking at the Great Toad Sage, the White Snake Sage's expression turned cold. "Old Toad, what do you have to say?"

"Is this your design?"

As it spoke, the giant white snake stuck out its tongue and licked the corner of its mouth, its eyes filled with malice as it looked at the Great Toad Sage immortal, seemingly considering how to bite him.

Ignoring the White Snake Sage's gaze, the Great Toad Sage remained silent for a moment before lowering his head first.

"This was indeed an oversight on our part, and we hope for your forgiveness."

Jiraiya looked at the Great Toad Sage, whom he regarded as his faith, bowed his head, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

What should he say?

The Reverse Summoning Technique couldn't pinpoint the exact location, so was it just a coincidence that Uchiha Makoto ended up on the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad?

Is everything he's doing just wishful thinking on his part?

Faced with the Great Toad Sage's apology, Uchiha Makoto simply smiled dismissively.

"The legendary Great Toad Sage actually apologized?"

"It wasn't like this when you instigated the ancestor to rebel against the Rabbit Goddess!"

"Now that you're facing a descendant of the Rabbit Goddess, don't you want to test my strength and see if you can kill me?"

The Great Toad Sage's expression turned somewhat grim. After a long silence, it slowly said, "What happened back then was a necessary act of resistance for the sake of the current Shinobi World."

"We have invited you here now to follow the instructions of the Sage of Six Paths, so that we can better deal with the impending crisis."

The Great Toad Sage silently invoked the Six Paths, hoping to shut Uchiha Makoto up.

Uchiha Makoto snorted coldly, pointing at the Rock-Dwelling Great Toad, who was still hostile towards him. "You invited me here? Is this how you invite someone?"