Rain fell on Jiraiya's swollen face, stinging a little.
He rolled his neck and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
"Old Man, don't just stand there! He's coming!"
Sage Shima shouted at the top of her lungs from his left shoulder.
"Right, watch this! Sage Art: Goemon!"
Jiraiya drew a deep breath, his chest swelling sharply.
He spewed an enormous torrent of scalding oil from his mouth.
Sage Fukasaku unleashed a violent gale, fanning the flames.
Sage Shima spat fire, igniting the oil in an instant.
The towering inferno of oil and wind surged forward like an avalanche.
All the standing water along the street evaporated instantly.
Scalding white steam, thick with the smell of burning, made it impossible to keep their eyes open.
But the plump Preta Path stepped to the front again.
He spread his hands expressionlessly, forming an invisible barrier.
He actually swallowed the raging senjutsu-fueled inferno straight into his belly.
Jiraiya crouched in the shadow of a rusty pipe.
He wiped his face as the water at his feet bubbled.
"Seriously? He can even absorb senjutsu fire?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his temple.
"Little Jiraiya, this fellow doesn't just absorb chakra."
"He can take in all the natural energy used in senjutsu, too!"
Sage Fukasaku's face was grim as he crouched on Jiraiya's right shoulder, shaking his head.
"What the fuck kind of monster is he?"
Sage Shima couldn't help swearing and spat repeatedly onto the ground.
Before they could catch their breath, the Asura Path closed in.
His strange arm clacked and split into five iron fists.
The fists hurtled toward them like meteors, whistling shrilly.
Jiraiya leaped up, twisting several times in midair.
"Sage Art: Toad Hand Sage Technique!"
He gathered natural energy in his palm and