Jiraiya Appears

"That blue giant..."

"Was that Xu?"

Minato Namikaze stared at the giant in the distance, disbelief flashing through his eyes. He knew Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara's strength well; the only possibility was that Kato Xu had unleashed some jutsu. Through his sensory perception, Cloud Shinobi kept falling, seemingly killed instantly by some inexplicable invisible attack.

"Xu, Obito, Rin... hold on a little longer..."

A jutsu on such a scale was bound to consume enormous amounts of chakra, yet the hidden A clung to him like a parasite, making it impossible for him to get away.

Like a venomous snake hiding in the forest and waiting for the perfect moment, A would surely choose to immediately join the Eight-Tails in attacking the three great toads once Minato left rashly. That would completely free up the Eight-Tails' combat strength. If A and the Eight-Tails joined forces, they would likely be unable to hold on any longer...

Minato Namikaze took a deep breath and covertly glanced toward a corner of the forest, urgency showing in his eyes.

"Damn it! Konoha's geniuses, Konoha's secret jutsu!"

Hidden in the darkness of the forest, the wound on A's rear shoulder had already begun to heal slowly.

He concealed his entire presence and stared fixedly at Minato Namikaze, silently observing the changes on the battlefield and searching for any opening in Minato Namikaze's defenses. He did not believe the Flying Thunder God could truly be so unbeatable.

Even if Minato Namikaze was faster than him, as long as he kept Minato occupied while a large number of Cloud Shinobi harassed him, they could definitely kill Minato Namikaze...

But the blue giant that had suddenly appeared seemed to be the final Root of straw that completely shattered that balance.

Looking at the blue giant over a hundred meters away, A silently clenched his fists, his eyes filled with rage. So many Cloud Shinobi had been lost; this interception plan had completely failed.

"B, you must stay alert around that blue giant..."

"Little Eight, you felt it too..."

Within the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beasts space, Killer B was unusually not rapping. As a Jinchuriki, he and the Eight-Tails were connected in mind and could sense certain unusual presences.

That blue giant posed the greatest threat to the Eight-Tails on this battlefield.

"It seems like a jutsu I've seen before... the Uchiha Clan's Susanoo..."

"But it doesn't resemble it at all..."

Tailed Beasts Eight Twists had created a massive crater in the forest. Within a range of several hundred meters that resembled a meteor crater, not a single tree or obstruction remained.

Thick smoke and dust spread through the air. Across the entire battlefield, only three enormous, monster-like bodies could be seen clearly.

The smoke continued to drift outward, yet the air seemed filled with a heavy tension. The sense of crisis that could erupt at any moment made everyone tense their bodies.

"Minato, you really stirred up something big..."

The stagnant air was instantly shattered as a deep voice rang out. It seemed to pierce through space, making A's eyes narrow, while Minato showed a faintly relieved expression.

"Jiraiya-sensei... I've caused you trouble..."

Whoosh!

Countless massive tentacles crashed down the instant Jiraiya landed atop Gamabunta's head. Their overwhelming force seemed poised to shatter the entire earth.

Gamabunta leaped away at high speed. A deafening boom rang out, the ground trembled, and countless shattered stones fell like shooting stars as the forest split into ruins.

"The Eight-Tails, huh? It sure is enthusiastic..."

"But... what is that?"

Standing atop Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya's short red cape fluttered sharply in the wind. His gaze was drawn to the blue giant, and he frowned deeply.

But before he could examine it closely, the blue giant slowly dissipated and vanished.

"Jiraiya... it seems to be a jutsu unleashed by one of Minato's subordinates... Konoha's geniuses really are formidable..."

"It even makes me feel my life is in danger..."

Gamabunta slowly drew his greatsword. Even his voice, muffled by the pipe in his mouth, had turned solemn.

"Oh? Then I really need to take a good look at Minato's subordinates...

After we get back..."

After confirming that the jutsu had been released by an ally, Jiraiya relaxed. He withdrew his gaze and slowly turned it toward the rampaging Eight-Tails nearby.

"Fighting the Eight-Tails? Now that is exciting!"

"Gamabunta! Get ready to move..."

"This great toad has been waiting ages to wreak havoc!"

Gamabunta narrowed his eyes slightly as he gripped his massive greatsword. He had been stifled for far too long and desperately needed an outlet!

"Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

Jiraiya's Fire Release combined with Gamabunta's toad oil. In an instant, a sea of fire flooded the sky, raging flames surging like waves as they surrounded the Eight-Tails.

The wildfire-like tongues of flame swallowed the entire barren battlefield and dyed the sky red, as though they would set the heavens ablaze as well.

"Little Eight, dodge! This isn't ordinary fire!"

At Killer B's command, the Eight-Tails swiftly sprayed out tons of inky fluid while its body continuously retreated under the force of the spray.

The gushing ink transformed into clones amid the blazing fire. One after another, they charged into the sea of flames and exploded.

"Billion Angry Ends, Countless Troubles Flow!"

The pitch-black ink was thick as slurry. Like black paint, it covered the crimson flames and flowed around them, wrapping clusters of fire within it. The flames capable of burning mountains and boiling seas gradually died out in the black liquid.

"This is... a Sealing Jutsu?"

"Using a Sealing Jutsu to seal away the flames... what an ingenious counterattack..."

Several ink clones that had broken through the flames attacked Jiraiya. Gamabunta gave a light leap, his greatsword flashing as he shattered every ink clone.

Jiraiya's probing move had not achieved any result, but it made him understand the exquisite coordination between the Eight-Tails and its Jinchuriki.

This Jinchuriki was not as simple as he had imagined.

"I'd long heard that Kumogakure possessed the technique to create a perfect Jinchuriki. I didn't expect to witness one myself..."

"Lightning Release: Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop!"

The moment Gamabunta landed, A, who had been lying in wait in the distant forest, suddenly sprang out.

Crackling with violent lightning, A raised one hand high. His arm, like a lightning-forged blade, came chopping fiercely down toward Jiraiya atop Gamabunta's head.

"I've been watching you for a long time..."

Minato flashed into view. The golden flash was even swifter than lightning, seeming to require no time at all as he abruptly appeared at A's side. A blue Rasengan was about to strike A's left flank.

"Damn it! Minato Namikaze!"

A's long-planned thunderous strike had to be abandoned.

Their previous exchange had made A understand that his Lightning Release Armor could not withstand the Rasengan's impact. The wound on his rear shoulder still throbbed faintly.

Having abandoned his attack, A barely dodged Minato's Rasengan and landed beside the Eight-Tails.

His fierce crimson eyes stared fixedly at Minato Namikaze.

Ever since he had completed his training, when had he ever been so frustrated? It was as though all his strength had nowhere to go, and even his prideful speed had been firmly surpassed.

"Minato Namikaze! You're very strong..."

Though A was deeply frustrated, he had no choice but to admit that the blond man before him was the strongest enemy he had ever faced.

Yet he was the disciple of the person A had always wanted to challenge. That indescribable feeling only made the nameless fury in A's heart burn hotter.

"What terrifying Lightning Release... You are the Third Raikage's son—A, right..."

Jiraiya looked at A, the commander who had faced off against him for so long on the Kumogakure battlefield.

He possessed a face ninety percent similar to the Third Raikage's and eighty percent of his strength. If the one who had come today had been the Third Raikage himself, Minato and the others likely would not have lasted until Jiraiya's arrival...

"Jiraiya... I never expected to run into you here..."

A looked at Jiraiya and Minato, his eyes dark and complicated. The plan had become completely impossible to succeed. The unwillingness of defeat lingered in his heart.

He craved battle, the exhilarating clash of fists against flesh. A fight where they were evenly matched but he held a slight edge—that was the battle he desired most.

But this time, the enemy across from him seemed to hold that slight edge...

"I never expected you to send out the Eight-Tails to intercept Minato either..."

"Looks like Minato has had you all on edge lately..."

Jiraiya carefully observed the battlefield. The heavy stench of blood and the chunks of flesh scattered across the distance told him just how brutal the Cloud Shinobi's battle to intercept Minato had been.

"Enough nonsense. Let's settle this with our hands..."

No longer considering anything else, now that things had come to this, A desired only one final, exhilarating battle, even though he did not have much Chakra left.

Lightning once again covered his body. In a blur, his hand sliced toward Minato Namikaze like thunder.

Minato suddenly leaned backward, transforming into a golden flash and disappearing. He evaded the hand strike and reappeared once more, sending a flying kick at A's face.

A swung his arm up to block. The instant his arm collided with Minato's shoe, several arcs of lightning burst forth.

Neither of them had much Chakra left. They chose the most primitive form of combat: hand-to-hand fighting.

"It's our turn to take the stage, Little Eight!"

The Eight-Tails' thick tentacles acted like catapults, launching its body high into the air. It became a tiny black dot in the sky before its enormous body descended at tremendous speed, crushing down toward Gamabunta.

A world-shaking boom rang out, and the ground seemed to cave in even further.

Eight tentacles lashed the earth like raging waves, whipping the entire ground into mush and sending layer upon layer of ripples through it.

"Earth Wave Surge!"

The churning earth became like a swamp. The Eight-Tails' tentacles attacked in an unbroken barrage, making Gamabunta struggle to cope.

"It really is powerful... as expected of the Eight-Tails paired with a perfect Jinchuriki..."

"Hey! Jiraiya, think of something already! I can barely hold on!"

"Hey! This is the Eight-Tails. What good idea could I possibly have?"

Jiraiya stared at the rampaging Eight-Tails and focused on devising a countermeasure. Gamabunta was caught off guard for a moment, and a tentacle grazed his arm, leaving it burning with pain.

"Jiraiya! The next time I see you at Mount Myoboku, I'll make sure you get a good taste of that old woman's insect feast!"

After hearing Jiraiya's words, Gamabunta forcefully blew out a cloud of smoke from his pipe, engulfing Jiraiya within it.

"Gamabunta, your heart is even crueler than your blade!"

Jiraiya used his hair to shield his entire body, blocking the flying stones. His hands rapidly formed seals as he summoned several small toads carrying scrolls on their backs.

"Toad Taro, take your brothers and prepare to seal that big fellow inside a barrier!"

"Hey, Jiraiya, you're making the four of us brothers do something this dangerous the moment we meet..."

"Get moving already!"

Gamabunta's voice suddenly rang out, making the four toad brothers jolt.

"Yes, Boss Gamabunta!"

"Hey, Gamabunta, when did you become their boss?"

Dodging the Eight-Tails' tentacles, Gamabunta landed in the distance and lightly exhaled a smoke ring.

"This great toad is now the strongest of Mount Myoboku's younger generation of the toad clan. Naturally, many toads come seeking me out and become my underlings..."

The melee between the two monsters had completely turned this forest into ruins. The earth crumbled and the mountains shattered, yet neither seemed able to do anything to the other.

"As expected of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin!"

"Little Eight! Use that move!"

"Okay!"

Gamabunta and Jiraiya, who had been evading the Eight-Tails' assault, suddenly watched as the Eight-Tails withdrew its tentacles and curled its body into a ball.

Violent black-blue Chakra began to gather slowly in the Eight-Tails' mouth. Intense Chakra fluctuations spread throughout the battlefield, and the oppressive aura turned even the sky gloomy.

"It's a Tailed Beasts Ball... Gamabunta, you must dodge it. You'll die!"

Standing atop Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya's Chakra surged through his whole body. He pushed his sensory ability to the limit, tracking every movement of the Eight-Tails.

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"

An enormous amount of smoke burst from his mouth in an instant. The smoke, vast enough to blot out the sky, turned the entire battlefield gray as Jiraiya attempted to obstruct the Eight-Tails' vision.

It was getting later, and the sky was growing darker. Heaven, earth, and humanity seemed to have merged into one within that gray space.

Kato Xu and the other two hid inside a concealed tree hollow, far from the monsters' battlefield. His senses were fully unleashed as he evaded the pursuit of Cloud Shinobi Jonin while keeping watch over the battlefield's changes.

The few remaining Cloud Shinobi Jonin pursued them relentlessly, trailing behind them like rabid dogs.

Time was pressing, and the three of them had no time to erase the traces they left behind. They could only flee and evade as they went.

Fortunately, the deaths and injuries among the Cloud Shinobi had made the remaining ninja wary. They merely followed from a distance, occasionally throwing Kunai in probing attacks.

The tree hollow was pitch-black and damp. The faint green light barely illuminated Kato Xu's Haku face in the darkness.

"Rin! You won't die. You definitely won't..."

Obito Uchiha looked at the wound on Rin's back, blood streaming from it, and nearly lost his composure.

When he looked up, Kato Xu's face was Haku as paper, yet Xu's hands never stopped treating her.

Obito did not even dare breathe too loudly, as though the faintest sound of his breath might extinguish the flame of Rin's life.

Kato Xu squeezed out every last bit of his remaining Chakra and temporarily stopped Rin's bleeding. The continuous rumbling from the distance stirred worry in his heart.

"O-Obito, don't... worry. Kato... is very capable..."

Rin's face was utterly bloodless. She had lost far too much blood, and her voice was weak as she lay on the ground. Yet her turned face still wore a smile as she comforted Obito.

Obito could not bear to look at Rin any longer. He took a deep breath, and all other emotions vanished from his eyes, leaving only rage and hatred.

Silently taking the few remaining Soldier Pills from Rin's ninja pouch, he threw them all into his mouth. Enduring the pain in his body, Obito walked step by step toward the entrance of the tree hollow.

"Xu, you must... save Rin... you must..."

"Obito! If you go out and fight the Cloud Shinobi to the death now, then even if I save Rin, we will still be unable to escape the Cloud Shinobi's encirclement. We might as well not save her.

The three of us can go die together with the Cloud Shinobi. At least we'll have each other for company on the road to Mei..."

Kato Xu's voice was low, yet it seemed like an uncrossable chasm had appeared before Obito. His raised foot simply could not come down.