"Since you're ready to die, I'll be merciful and grant you this pathetic excuse for a hero's final act."
Chiya's voice was calm, without a trace of pity.
Jiraiya stood on shattered rock. His red Sage Face Paint shone with a blinding light. As he pushed his senjutsu chakra beyond its limits, blood began seeping through broad patches of his skin. His blood vessels bulged, veins standing out sharply.
This state was extremely dangerous. Sages Fukasaku and Shima perched on Jiraiya's shoulders, desperately feeding him natural energy in an attempt to maintain the balance of chakra within his body.
"Jiraiya! Stop! Your body can't withstand natural energy flooding in at this intensity! Your chakra pathways will rupture!" Fukasaku warned loudly.
Jiraiya turned a deaf ear. His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Chiya ahead.
"As long as I can hold him back, any price is worth it!" Jiraiya growled, his voice turning coarse and hoarse, taking on the croaking quality of a toad. He maintained his hand seal, the chakra fluctuations within him climbing steadily. The air around him warped with heat, and the gravel on the ground lost its weight, slowly floating into the air.
Tsunade stood behind him, her eyes red and swollen. She understood what Jiraiya intended. He was burning through his life to gain a brief surge of fighting power.
Chiya stood ten paces away, holding Ryūjin Jakka in one hand. Its blade hung low, without a single flame upon it.
Watching the changes in Jiraiya's body, he raised his brows slightly.
"Hold me back?" Chiya's mouth curved into a mocking smile. "You have absolutely no idea how vast the gap between us is."
Chiya took half a step forward.
"Look at yourself. Your nose is covered in growths, your hands and feet have turned into webbed