Madara Uchiha showed no surprise at Jiraiya's reaction. He merely narrowed his eyes slightly and said coldly:
"Oh? It seems you've made your choice."
Although Madara Uchiha had spent all these years lurking in the shadows, waiting for his Sharingan to evolve into the Rinnegan, White Zetsu had kept him thoroughly informed about events across the shinobi continent.
He also knew a fair amount about the bonds forged in Konoha over the years.
So Jiraiya's choice came as little surprise.
"Bonds, huh? What a pointless thing."
With that, Madara Uchiha did not even wait for Jiraiya to charge at him. His chakra surged in an instant, and he clenched his hand viciously, crushing the two Toad Sages into bloody pulp.
"Madara Uchiha, I'll kill you!!!"
Even though Jiraiya had braced himself the moment he made his decision, seeing Madara Uchiha crush the two sages to death sent a sharp pain through his heart. Rage overwhelmed his reason.
"Sage Art-Super Big Ball Rasengan!!"
In a single instant, Jiraiya formed an enormous Rasengan over a hundred meters in diameter in his hand. Perhaps because it had slipped somewhat out of his control, purple lightning snaked around its edges, making it look utterly terrifying. Even the surrounding air was whipped into fierce gusts that tugged relentlessly at their clothes.
Seeing the enormous Rasengan in Jiraiya's hand, Madara Uchiha sensed enough power within it to threaten him, and his expression finally grew grave.
"So you're finally putting your life on the line?"
"In that case, I'll take this a little more seriously."
At Madara Uchiha's will, streams of deep, ice-blue energy appeared around him out of thin air, forming an enormous ice-blue giant in an instant.
This ice-blue giant was unlike an ordinary giant: it had two faces on a single body and four