Susanoo-Wrapped Nine-Tails, Jiraiya Summons the Sages

Elsewhere.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, leading a group of ninja against Izuna Uchiha, frowned deeply as he looked toward Konoha in the distance.

"Ever since earlier, earthquakes have been continuously coming from Konoha, along with that endless black mist rising into the air. What exactly is going on? What happened to Konoha? Jiraiya..."

Swish!

A flash of blade light passed by, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's arm was suddenly slashed.

"Hmph! You dare lose focus while fighting me? You truly have a death wish." Izuna Uchiha sneered at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Third Hokage!" Kakashi Hatake flashed over and stood in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He panted heavily, covered in injuries and bloodstains. Barely holding his own against Izuna Uchiha had already left him badly wounded.

Itachi Uchiha flashed over, his expression grim. "I have a very bad feeling about Konoha. We must deal with him quickly and seal the Nine-Tails."

"He's too strong. We've fought for so long, yet his breathing hasn't even become ragged. Even now, he has only used swordsmanship. He hasn't used the Uchiha Clan's greatest strengths—genjutsu, Fire Release, or even the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. He's the strongest person I've ever encountered." Kakashi Hatake said to Itachi Uchiha.

"Third Hokage, do your best to hold him back first. The Nine-Tails is incredibly destructive and poses a huge threat to ordinary ninja. I'll deal with the Nine-Tails first, then we can join forces and surround him." Itachi Uchiha said.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "I'll lead the others and do everything I can to hold him back. Go ahead and do what you think is best, Itachi."

Itachi Uchiha nodded, then turned to the Nine-Tails, which was being attacked by ordinary ninja. "I can't let you slaughter freely any longer, Nine-Tails." A resolute look appeared on his face. After resting, much of his ocular power had recovered.

He covered one eye and fixed the other Mangekyō Sharingan, which contained Amaterasu, on the Nine-Tails. "Amaterasu."

As Itachi Uchiha unleashed his ocular power, black flames immediately erupted across the Nine-Tails' body.

The Nine-Tails let out a miserable roar, its enormous body crashing wildly in every direction.

Hearing the Nine-Tails' agonized cries, Izuna Uchiha shifted his gaze toward it in confusion. Seeing the black flames covering its body, he frowned slightly.

Izuna Uchiha flashed away, shifting several times in succession before swiftly arriving atop a tall tree near the Nine-Tails. He saw the beast rolling on the ground, the flames on its body showing no sign of going out.

"Black flames. This is my first time seeing them."

"Was that the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan unleashed by that Uchiha traitor?"

Izuna Uchiha analyzed silently.

"Now! Seal the Nine-Tails while it's weakened!" Seeing that the Nine-Tails had been struck and temporarily lost much of its combat ability, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly shouted at the sealing squad behind him.

Several dozen ninja from the sealing squad immediately rushed toward the Nine-Tails with scrolls in hand.

"Itachi, Kakashi, come with me and deal with that man. Buy the sealing squad enough time," Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.

Watching the rapidly approaching group, Izuna Uchiha raised a brow. His Mangekyō Sharingan trembled faintly, and the Nine-Tails' pupils immediately glowed crimson. Then, a layer of sinister chakra armor emerged from within the Nine-Tails' body.

As the chakra armor surfaced, a huge portion of the Nine-Tails' outer skin shed like a snake molting, and the black flames of Amaterasu peeled away along with it.

Freed from the burning black flames, the Nine-Tails regained its mobility. Its nine tails thrashed wildly, and the sealing squad ninja who approached were sent flying in all directions by the gale whipped up by its massive tails.

It all happened in an instant, so quickly that even Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had no time to react.

"The warm-up is over. The real show starts now!" Izuna Uchiha leaped onto the Nine-Tails' head. His scarlet Sharingan looked down coldly at Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others. "You dared plot to massacre the Uchiha Clan. You're courting death."

A blue Susanoo slowly enveloped the Nine-Tails as Izuna Uchiha finished speaking.

"A Susanoo around the Nine-Tails... It's like giving the Nine-Tails an indestructible suit of armor," Kakashi Hatake said.

"He did this to stop me from using Amaterasu to burn the Nine-Tails again." Itachi Uchiha frowned.

"Itachi, you're from the Uchiha Clan. Do you have any way to break through that defense?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a frown.

"If I use the Totsuka Blade, I should be able to pierce it. Cover me while I try." Itachi Uchiha said in a low voice.

Konoha.

Uchiha Compound.

At this moment, the entire Uchiha Compound had completely fallen into an abyss of underground caverns.

The earth trembled.

The undead roared.

Terror seized the soul.

After Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, he vanished.

Leaving Gamabunta to face Shadian alone.

Shadian swept his gaze around but did not see Jiraiya anywhere.

"Hide and wait for a sneak attack?"

"Don't care whether Konoha lives or dies?"

"Or does he think one toad can stop me?"

Jiraiya was not that foolish.

He was probably preparing a sneak attack or making some other preparation.

No matter what.

Before absolute strength, all schemes and tricks were nothing but clouds.

"Gamabunta, would you rather be braised in soy sauce or steamed?" Shadian stood atop a mountain in the center of the underground caverns, looking down at Gamabunta.

"Shadian, let's talk this out. Jiraiya tricked me into coming here. I-I-I don't want to fight you." Gamabunta said weakly. Shadian and Jiraiya had often written erotic novels together in the past. Whenever they traveled to other towns, they would summon him to run errands, so Gamabunta was somewhat familiar with Shadian.

"There's nothing to discuss. I want to destroy Konoha, Jiraiya wants to stop me, and you're his summoned beast. So I can only braise or steam you. Huh, toads seem to be medicinal ingredients too. Their whole bodies are valuable! Maybe I should skin you, dry you out, and use you as medicine instead." Shadian looked at Gamabunta teasingly.

Gamabunta said, "Shadian, I ran plenty of errands for you before. Y-you're going to treat me like this? Do you even have a conscience?"

Shadian sneered. "I have no conscience? Then do you have a conscience when you're buying Jiraiya time?"

"If I guessed correctly, Jiraiya is preparing his Sage Mode!"

"As an ordinary man without a bloodline limit, Sage Mode is the only thing that can possibly let him contend with me."

"How do you know about Sage Mode?" Gamabunta asked in surprise.

"Why do you care how I know?" Shadian sheathed Cloud-Cluster Fang and stared coldly at Gamabunta.

"What are you planning to do?" Gamabunta looked at Shadian in confusion.

Time passed little by little.

Inside a Toad Stomach Road, Jiraiya finally succeeded in summoning the two toads who called themselves sages.

One of the toads said, "Little Jiraiya, why did you summon us?"

Jiraiya said, "Konoha is facing an enormous crisis. We need the help of both sages."