Chapter 403: A Hasty Retreat
Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock. He recognized Susano'o, of course, but the refined, armor like form that now enveloped Madara Uchiha was unlike anything he had ever seen. This Susano'o didn't tower hundreds of meters into the sky, but its compact, blazing intensity made it even more terrifying in Jiraiya's eyes. The radiant energy it emanated was akin to the sun's burning heat, a power so intense that any hope of a fight vanished from his mind.
Without hesitation, Jiraiya turned and fled. As much as Madara could respect the decision, allowing an enemy to escape unchallenged was simply unacceptable. Lifting his right hand, Madara summoned his Susano'o's sword, a weapon forged from pure Douqi.
"Die!" he commanded.
Without even a technique name, Madara's casual sword swipe unleashed a tidal wave of energy, cleaving through the ground for hundreds of meters. The resulting chasm was seemingly bottomless.
But Jiraiya was a seasoned shinobi, a kage level fighter adept at survival. Though he could never match Madara in raw power, his skill at evading death was second to none. His years on the battlefield had honed his reflexes to perfection.
"Managed to dodge, did you? As expected from one of the Legendary Sannin," Madara muttered as he formed a pair of Douqi wings, then took off in hot pursuit.
"Don't think you can escape!" he bellowed, tracking Jiraiya's movements and sending another strike his way, confident that this blow would not miss.
At that moment, however, the two small toads on Jiraiya's shoulders disappeared, followed by the three giant toads that had been blasted away by Madara's Shinra Tensei. As he processed the sight, a flicker of realization crossed Madara's expression, and his face darkened.
Despite its formidable abilities, the Rinnegan was not all powerful, and Madara's own Rinnegan lacked the power to seal off space. Jiraiya had escaped using reverse summoning, a technique Madara knew well but had neglected to block with a contract seal.
Staring into the newly formed chasm, Madara's frustration as the supreme warrior of the Hanhai world became palpable.
"Tch! I was too focused on killing him to use a sealing technique to cut off his escape," he growled.
After scanning the area to confirm Jiraiya was truly gone, Madara sighed and returned to base, suppressing his irritation.
Back at camp, Madara plopped onto a couch with a visible scowl, wordlessly broadcasting his bad mood to all around him.
No one knew him better than his younger brother, Izuna. From Madara's expression alone, Izuna understood that his mission had failed. But ever perceptive, he chose not to ask questions; failure was failure, and there was no need to rub salt in his brother's wounds. Still, his gaze turned cold. Jiraiya had dared to injure his beloved older brother, and for that, he would pay dearly.
Just then, Izuna received a report and scanned through it, his expression brightening.
"Brother, there's news from Mount Myoboku."
Madara, still cursing his carelessness in letting Jiraiya slip away, felt his mood lift. The corners of his mouth twisted into a cruel grin.
"Perfect! This time, I'll make sure to exterminate Jiraiya and every single one of those wretched toads!"
In the Shinobi World, there were three sacred summoning grounds: Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest. Shikkotsu Forest had already pledged loyalty to Ye Wen, migrating to Douluo's primary world as its revered slug sage was a powerful healer and remarkably difficult to kill. Ryuchi Cave had been taken by Orochimaru as an offering for his redemption. Although many saw Orochimaru's experiments as monstrous, Ye Wen had no qualms, valuing him as a unique scientific mind rather than judging by human morals.
Kazekage Gaara, who narrowly escaped death after being saved from having his tailed beast extracted, had also undergone a profound transformation. Rejecting his abusive father, he had settled into a peaceful life as an ordinary citizen.
As for the snake tribe of Ryuchi Cave, Ye Wen harbored little compassion for the cannibalistic, scheming serpents. With no use for their limited combat abilities, he had instructed Kakashi to eliminate them completely.
Despite having pinpointed Mount Myoboku's coordinates through Shikkotsu Forest, the toads had surprisingly dismantled their spatial anchor, making the task of locating them much harder.
"Madara, are you certain you want to lead the main assault?" Kakashi asked, surprised.
Madara had spent much of his time focusing on refining his Douqi, rarely involving himself in direct missions. But the recent mission to hunt down Jiraiya was too significant to ignore. Considering Jiraiya's immense power, Kakashi had dispatched Madara as the only one likely to prevail.
Kakashi glanced knowingly at Madara, quickly agreeing to the plan. As the leader of the Hanhai Empire, his attention was tied to matters of governance, a far cry from his youth. Aware of Madara's need to vent, Kakashi was only too happy to delegate.
Meanwhile, in Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya and the toads sat huddled outside Gamamaru's palace, exhausted from their harrowing escape.
Gamabunta wiped the sweat from his brow, still trembling. "That was Madara Uchiha? He's got power like a demon."
"I'm sorry… I was completely useless in that fight," said Gamaken, disheartened.
Jiraiya's face was equally grim. "His Douqi power is beyond anything we can reach. If future enemies develop that way, our days are only going to get harder."
The two elder toad sages shared Jiraiya's sense of unease, falling silent.
Suddenly, Jiraiya slammed a fist into the ground.
"The Great Toad Sage was right. We're no match for these servants of the evil god. I need to find the Child of Destiny now. This world is on the brink."
Jiraiya hurriedly prepared to leave, intending to exit through the portal linking Mount Myoboku to the shinobi world. He had no intention of taking chances with Madara, who might still be waiting for him.
(End of Chapter)
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