Orochimaru had captured Yomi.
To prevent information from leaking, and also to increase his supply of human test subjects.
Orochimaru had not spared Yomi's four subordinates.
After leaving Konoha, Orochimaru had established his own Ninja Village-Otogakure.
And Orochimaru also had a group of elite ninja under his command.
Earlier, Orochimaru had sent several subordinates, including Kimimaro and Gaara, to pursue and capture Yomi's four underlings.
Kimimaro and Gaara might have been young.
But one was a genius ninja of the Kaguya Clan, and the other was the Jinchūriki of Shukaku, the One-Tail.
Their strength could not be judged by their age.
In Orochimaru's view, the Sound Ninja led by Kimimaro and Gaara should have been able to capture Yomi's four subordinates easily.
But unexpectedly, something unexpected had indeed happened.
In terms of individual strength, Yomi's four subordinates were, at most, on the level of Special Jōnin.
But they excelled at using Composite Ninjutsu.
Composite Ninjutsu was not a Kekkei Genkai, but its power and effects far surpassed ordinary Ninjutsu.
That towering tornado of wind and fire earlier had been a Composite Ninja Technique unleashed jointly by Yomi's subordinates.
Caught off guard, Gaara and Kimimaro had been forced back by that tornado of wind and fire, allowing the orange-haired ninja from earlier to slip past.
Of course.
That was also partly because the orange-haired ninja excelled at "skating" and was extraordinarily fast...
Kimimaro had intended to recapture Yomi's fleeing subordinate as quickly as possible.
But who could have expected him and Gaara to encounter Jiraiya here?
Kimimaro had never feared raising his blade against the strong.
But he also knew that he was absolutely no match for Jiraiya, one of the Sannin!
The only thing Kimimaro needed to do now was stall for time.
Stall until Lord Orochimaru arrived!
Jiraiya was