On the canyon battlefield.
The churning sea of trees rushed towards Gamabunta wave after wave. Gamabunta, pipe in mouth, had no choice but to complain while drawing and swinging his blade.
Accompanied by the flashing of the sword, large sections of severed trees flew through the air, making the already chaotic battlefield even messier!
Against this backdrop of devastation, Jiraiya stood alone, defending against the combined attack of Orochimaru, the Second Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage.
Fortunately, the intellect of the Second and Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation bodies' was suppressed by Orochimaru, allowing them only their most basic combat instincts, so Jiraiya was still able to hold on.
After forcing Jiraiya back with a punch, Orochimaru immediately formed hand seals: "Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
Then, he opened his mouth, and countless snakes surged out, filling the entire battlefield in the blink of an eye, pouncing on Jiraiya from all directions.
Jiraiya, already struggling to fend off the Second and Fourth Hokage, saw the snake swarm closing in with no way to avoid them. He had no choice but to form seals: "Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!"
Instantly.
Jiraiya's long silver hair rapidly grew long and hard, like silver needles, wrapping his entire body like a hedgehog.
The swarming snakes that pounced on Jiraiya crashed into his lengthened and hardened hair, instantly turning into blood gourds, hanging from his hair.
Jiraiya shook his head, throwing off all the snake corpses clinging to his hair, then formed seals again: "Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
His hair rapidly grew longer, like silver-white whips, shooting out to firmly coil around the 'Impure World Reincarnation bodies' of the Second and Fourth Hokage, attempting to drag them over.
At the same time, Jiraiya's hands were also busy, summoning a sealing scroll. He planned to seal the two Hokage once his hair dragged their 'Impure World Reincarnation bodies' close, preventing them from continuing to be Orochimaru's tools.
Orochimaru naturally wouldn't watch Jiraiya succeed. He formed seals: "Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Whoosh...
A sharp wind blade flew out, fiercely slicing at Jiraiya's long hair.
However, the long hair, enhanced by Jiraiya's Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique, was tougher than Orochimaru expected, and his Wind Release failed to sever it.
"Oh!?"
After a brief exclamation, Orochimaru didn't hesitate, leaping forward. As he leaped, he pulled out a storage scroll, taking out a long sword gleaming with cold light!
In the next moment, a streak of light flashed, and Jiraiya's steel-hard hair was cleanly severed by the long sword in Orochimaru's hand!
The sudden breaking of the hair dragging the Second and Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation bodies' caused Jiraiya to stagger two steps before barely stabilizing himself.
Subsequently, his gaze immediately shifted to the long sword held in Orochimaru's hand, his expression growing more serious.
He remembered that Orochimaru's Grass-Cutter Sword was lost on the battlefield during the last Chunin Exam battle and was later confiscated and sealed by the village.
Clearly, the long sword Orochimaru just took out from the storage scroll was also a Grass-Cutter Sword.
If Shinji were here, he would recognize at a glance that this more streamlined Grass-Cutter Sword was the one Sasuke later habitually used in the original timeline.
"Sigh..."
Jiraiya let out a soft sigh.
Orochimaru chuckled: "What, ready to give up?"
Jiraiya shook his head: "No, this time, even if I have to break your arms and legs, I'll take you back to the village!"
"Tch!"
Orochimaru looked dismissive.
Jiraiya bit his finger and activated the Summoning Jutsu again!
Poof poof
As two puffs of white smoke dispersed, two small-bodied toads were revealed.
Jiraiya respectfully said to the two toads: "Two Sages, this time I must ask for your help!"
Undoubtedly.
The individuals summoned by Jiraiya were none other than Fukasaku and Shima, the two Sages of Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya's mastery of 'Sage Art' was not perfect. To enter 'Sage Mode' faster, he needed the two Sages to help him accelerate the collection of natural energy and assist him in maintaining the balance of Sage Chakra within his body.
The two Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, only glanced at the battlefield to realize Jiraiya's predicament. So without further ado, they immediately leaped onto Jiraiya's shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.
Orochimaru seemed to recognize the two Sages of Mount Myōboku as well, and his expression suddenly became a few shades more serious.
Whoosh...
Just then, a piercing shriek broke through the air!
Orochimaru and Jiraiya looked up at the sound, only to see a dark figure descending from the sky at an incredible speed, aiming straight for the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body'.
"The Nine-Tails brat?"
"Naruto!?"
The two paused simultaneously, their expressions differing!
Undoubtedly, the figure descending from the sky was Menma, who had tracked them all the way by sensing the Nine-Tails' chakra.
After confirming that Orochimaru and Jiraiya were in a major battle, he felt this was the opportune moment, so he decisively chose to strike, charging directly towards the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body', which sealed the other half of the Nine-Tails.
"The Nine-Tails is mine!"
Unlike Naruto, Menma was merciless, attacking immediately with a small-scale 'Great Spiralling Ring'.
Rumble...
Instantly, accompanied by a massive explosion, the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' was completely shattered by Menma's 'Great Spiralling Ring'.
"This!?"
Jiraiya looked strange watching Menma instantly obliterate the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body'.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, had a playful expression.
Menma seemed aware of the nature of the 'Impure World Reincarnation body'. After landing the hit, he stood to the side, waiting for the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' to regenerate.
Clearly, his plan was to cripple the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body's' resistance through a surprise attack, then, in the interval while the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' was regenerating, capture and abduct it, and finally figure out a way to extract the half of the Nine-Tails sealed within the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body'.
Orochimaru reacted, immediately urging the nearby Second Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' to attack Menma.
Looking at the charging Second Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body', Menma slowly raised his hands with a cold expression: "Nine-Faced Sutra!"
The phantom composed of the nine seals—'Azure', 'White', 'Vermilion', 'Black', 'Void', 'South', 'North', 'Three', and 'Jewel'—instantly appeared behind him. Then, the Nine-Faced Beasts emerged from the seals representing them!
Thud...
Genbu shielded Menma, using its body to block the Second Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body's' attack head-on. Subsequently, the Great Serpent swung its tail, sending the Second Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' flying.
At this moment, the Celestial Maiden beside him unfurled her ribbons, wrapping and sealing the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' as it was mostly regenerated.
Flanked by the Nine-Faced Beasts, Menma coldly glanced at Orochimaru and Jiraiya in the distance.
He was not Naruto; he didn't need comrades or bonds—he had his animal friends!