There was no stopping it…
Their relationship was one of pure natural enemies.
When a snake strikes like an arrow loosed from its bow, a toad cannot stop it.
Severed tongues flew through the air, blood splattering across the battlefield. Fukasaku and Shima both let out muffled groans as a bone-chilling sense of impending doom engulfed them.
In their 800 years of life, this was the first time they had ever faced such dire circumstances. The young man shrouded in black lightning exerted an overwhelming pressure that made the very air around them feel compressed, making it even harder to breathe.
This was the "Black Serpent" foretold by the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, the one who would bring catastrophic disaster to the ninja world.
A look of shock flashed across the faces of Fukasaku and Shima, their expressions forming a stark contrast to Ye Zi's emotionless demeanor.
Screech!
Ye Zi's crimson-bladed sword became completely engulfed in high-density black lightning, transforming into a blade as dark as the night itself.
He closed the distance in an instant.
The black blade tore through the air, descending like an executioner's guillotine.
Blood dripped from Fukasaku's mouth, his eyes flashing with determination. Without even having time to warn Jiraiya or Shima, he leaped off Jiraiya's shoulder, directly facing Ye Zi's descending black blade.
Because his legs were fused to Jiraiya's shoulders, when he separated, his body elongated like a spring, momentarily resembling the body of a snake.
"Trying to block my blade with your body? Naïve."
Seeing Fukasaku deliberately jumping toward his attack, a fleeting thought flashed through Ye Zi's mind.
Jiraiya did not turn back, he had no time to see what was happening.
Shima, however, witnessed everything. Her expression twisted in horror, but she had no time to even shout a warning.
Fukasaku knew that no matter how strong his body was, it would never be able to withstand Ye Zi's black blade.
Yet, from the moment he made his decision, he had already accepted death.
Even in this desperate moment, he didn't have time to shout for Jiraiya and Shima to escape, all he could do was act.
As Ye Zi's blade descended, Fukasaku's body twisted like a whirlpool, absorbing an immense amount of natural energy.
This energy rushed into his tiny arms, which then transformed into solid stone.
Clang!
Ye Zi's black blade struck Fukasaku's petrified arms, but did not immediately sever them. Instead, the impact created countless hairline fractures across the stone-like arms.
By absorbing an excessive amount of natural energy, Fukasaku had transformed his arms into stone, using it as a last-ditch effort to block Ye Zi's attack.
However, this decision had only one outcome... Death.
It wasn't a complete block… just barely enough.
"At the very least… I bought some time."
Fukasaku gritted his teeth and pushed forward with all his strength, trying to knock Ye Zi back.
But…
The difference in power between them was far too vast.
Ye Zi's cold eyes flickered with indifference.
The black lightning surrounding his body flared violently.
With a low growl, Ye Zi channeled even more power into his blade.
Crack!
The cracks on Fukasaku's stone arms spiderwebbed outward, spreading across his entire forearms.
Chunks of stone shattered and scattered into the air.
Then, his arms snapped completely.
With Fukasaku's defenses broken, Ye Zi's black blade did not stop, it continued downward.
"This is the end…"
A dark glow filled Fukasaku's aged eyes.
With a bitter smile, he was consumed by the black lightning.
Slash!
His small, aged body was cleaved in two, his severed halves sent flying into the air.
"Old man!"
Shima's agonized wail rang out.
Blood from her severed tongue dripped from her mouth, making her look even more battered and desperate.
Jiraiya's heart clenched.
Unable to resist, he finally turned around, and the sight he saw made his heart tremble.
It felt as though his chest had been struck by a massive hammer, his fists clenching tightly in pure rage.
Ye Zi had slain Fukasaku…
There was no time to grieve.
With one toad dead, Ye Zi kept moving, once again closing in on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya stopped running.
He suddenly pivoted, sliding backward on the ground.
Teeth gritted, he dispelled the Contract Seal, cutting his physical connection with Shima.
Then, he grabbed the grieving Shima and hurled her toward the cliff's edge.
"Big Sis! Get back to Mount Myōboku NOW!"
Jiraiya refused to let Shima die because of him.
"Jiraiya!"
Shima cried out in sorrow as she was flung into the air.
"I told you… none of you will escape."
Ye Zi's cold gaze sharpened.
Without hesitation, he threw his black blade at the airborne Shima.
This was a technique he had used many times, a precise and lethal pursuit throw that had claimed countless lives.
This time was no different.
The black blade cut through the sky, whizzing past Jiraiya, and pierced straight through Shima's abdomen.
She let out a mournful cry, her body continuing to tumble through the air toward the distance.
"Big Sis!!"
Jiraiya's entire body went cold.
A chill unlike anything before spread through his body, making his hands tremble slightly.
Ye Zi, meanwhile, let out a quiet murmur.
"Tch. I used too much force… retrieving my sword will be annoying later."
He had suffered greatly at the hands of these two toads before, almost dying to them.
Now, his revenge was complete.
With Fukasaku and Shima dead, Jiraiya's Sage Mode collapsed, and he reverted to his normal state.
Slowly, Jiraiya turned back toward Ye Zi, his eyes burning with fury.
Ye Zi, however, remained completely indifferent.
"Anger won't change anything."
His voice was calm and cold.
"Battles are always cruel. If only one side can survive, then of course, it must be me."
Jiraiya's fingers slowly unclasped the scroll on his back.
He knew he had no chance left to escape.
Ye Zi wasn't attacking immediately because, in his mind, Jiraiya was already a dead man.
"Where is Orochimaru?" Jiraiya reached out, forming a Rasengan in his palm.
Ye Zi glanced at the Rasengan forming in Jiraiya's palm, a flicker of disdain flashing through his eyes.
By now, his ears had completely healed, thanks to the regenerative power of Hashirama's cells.
He didn't bother answering Jiraiya's question. Instead, he said coldly, "You're about to die."
Jiraiya let out a bitter chuckle. His voice carried the melancholy of a setting sun, growing softer as he sighed, "I've never wanted to kill someone this much."
The Black Serpent, a being destined to bring disaster to the ninja world.
If he had the power, he would end Ye Zi here and now, sparing the world from future calamity.
But he wasn't the Child of Prophecy.
He had to follow the prophecy, to leave everything in the hands of Minato and the others…
Ye Zi extended his right hand, his voice indifferent.
"Since joining Root, I've killed countless people. I've always known that one day, I'd die by someone else's hand... But it won't be today."
A sphere of chakra formed in his palm, a Rasengan.
Then, with the cries of birds ringing through the air, black lightning entwined itself around the Rasengan, transforming it into a Black Lightning Rasengan, crackling with devastating energy.
Jiraiya exhaled deeply as he watched the dark, thunderous orb in Ye Zi's hand.
He didn't fear looking away, didn't care if it gave Ye Zi an opening.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly upward, gazing at the sky.
Perhaps… the sky he had always seen was nothing more than a frog's perspective from the bottom of a well.
"You are terrifying."
Knowing that death was inevitable, Jiraiya felt no fear.
He slowly lowered his head and looked directly at Ye Zi.
"What's even more terrifying… lies beyond this. But I promise, you will see it."
Ye Zi's cold eyes flickered.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward Jiraiya, his Black Lightning Rasengan crackling violently.
Jiraiya's expression hardened.
Without fear, he charged forward as well.
At the same time, countless explosive tags were attached to his body, their fuses igniting, hissing as they burned toward detonation.
Even in death… he would go out with a bang.
Ye Zi immediately noticed the explosive tags.
With a mocking sneer, he unleashed a surge of black lightning from his Rasengan, the crackling energy spreading outward like unfurling black wings.
The two vastly unequal Rasengan collided...
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, engulfing both warriors in a cloud of dust and debris.
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Currently on Chapter 538 - Shikkotsu Forest