Western Rain Country, the sky overcast and gloomy.
This was a barren hilly area, and the closer one got to the Land of Earth, the more uneven the terrain became. Even the traces of forests gradually thinned out, and even the perennial rain had stopped.
Normally, such a boring area should be deserted, not even animals would venture here.
But today, it was littered with corpses, their broken bodies smeared across the earth, blood flowing like rivers.
The ground was riddled with ravines, utterly destroyed, and the air was thick with an unbearable stench of blood.
Clearly, a fierce battle had just taken place here.
With a "bang," Jiraiya crashed to the ground in a sorry state, his long silver hair still ablaze.
With quick reflexes, he rolled on the spot to extinguish the flames in his hair. After getting up again, his once majestic lion's mane of silver hair was now charred black, emitting wisps of black smoke.
"Painful Sky Fist!"
Tsunade's angry roar came from ahead, followed by a dull thud. The shockwave expanded violently, and the surging airflow was mixed with an unbearable heatwave.
Jiraiya quickly got up and rushed back, supporting Tsunade's staggering figure.
"How are you? Are you alright?"
Tsunade pursed her lips and didn't speak, but stared ahead with a solemn expression. Clearly, her punch had been effective, blasting the opponent like a cannonball into the distant mountain range.
But…
Jiraiya couldn't help but glance at her slightly trembling hands. Her once fair and bright hands were now severely burned, the knuckles exposed, surrounded by a pile of black and red flesh, charred and rotten, even emitting heat.
"Don't worry, I can still fight."
Tsunade took a deep breath. This wasn't bravado. Two palm-sized slugs jumped out from her chest, attaching themselves to her hands, and then emitted a warm green light, beginning to heal her burns.
Jiraiya grinned, gathered the charred mass of long hair into a bundle, then drew out a Kunai, cutting it off along with the Root. A clump of charred hair fell to the ground.
Soon, the smoke and dust in the mountains dissipated, and a man covered in flames stepped out, causing the two to squint their eyes at the same time.
He looked like he had just emerged from lava, with high-temperature molten rock wrapped around his body, emitting a bright red light. As he approached, even the surrounding air warmed up.
"I must admit, you two are indeed a bit troublesome. To be able to fight our Stone Ninja to this extent, even I have to take you seriously."
The lava flowed and receded into his body inch by inch, revealing the figure within.
He wore a purple-red combat suit, complete with chest armor and helmet. His short, dark red hair was tied into a small ponytail, and he had dark red stubble on his chin.
Hidden Stone Village, Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi.
Jiraiya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his laughter revealing a sense of boldness, "Four-Tails Jinchuriki, a dignified Kage-level combatant from Hidden Stone Village, yet you're being held up here by two nobodies like us. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"A man who has established a Summoning Contract with Mount Myoboku, and a woman who has mastered the Super Strength of the Senju Clan and the Slug of Shikkotsu Forest…"
Rōshi's gaze swept over the two of them one by one, "You are not nobodies."
"Also…" His expression was stern, "What gave you the… illusion that I used the Tailed Beast Power?"
"What?" The two were stunned at the same time.
After all, in the previous battle, the "Lava Release" techniques displayed by the opponent had already confirmed that it was undoubtedly the power of the Four-Tails.
Putting aside that special nature transformation, just relying on the "Lava Release Chakra Mode" alone was enough to establish his unquestionable commanding position.
That scorching hot Lava Release armor not only provided formidable defensive capabilities but could also melt everything it touched. Combined with his excellent Taijutsu, it was both lethal and defensive.
This was enough to support him in rampaging across the battlefield, tearing through the Hidden Leaf Village battle lines as if entering an unpopulated land.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were so disheveled precisely because of this move.
"Besides Son's power, I am also a Lava Release Bloodline Limit user! The only difference is..."
Rōshi formed hand seals, and a scorching, manic aura instantly surged from his body. Two deep red, long tails slowly emerged behind him, the furry, thick tails bristling with jagged spines.
Tsunade and Jiraiya's expressions immediately turned grave. The Chakra on the opponent's body was even more violent, like a raging fire from Hell, incinerating everything.
"My Lava Release is controllable, but even I can't control the strength of Son's power!" Rōshi coldly snorted, then leaped high into the air, "Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!"
He opened his mouth and spat out several huge magma balls in succession, which fell from afar, lighting up the dim sky, the scarlet light completely enveloping Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"No choice!" Jiraiya's eyes were deep, and he decisively formed a seal, using the blood on his palm to slap the ground, circles of ink-colored formulas spreading out.
Does he want to summon those giant Toads again? Then, double swords, Wakizashi, Shakujo, Iwa-yado, which one will it be this time... Rōshi revealed a disdainful look.
After months of fighting, he had almost figured out Jiraiya's information. Apart from being able to summon giant Toad beasts from Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya posed almost no threat to him.
Whether it was his Fire Release, Earth Release, or that move that seemed quite tricky to others, the "Wild Lion's Mane Technique," they were all completely countered by his "Lava Release."
As for Tsunade, although she had great strength, she lacked agility. As long as he kept his distance and consumed her from afar, even if she managed to get close, he could still withstand her attacks with the defensive capabilities of the "Lava Release Chakra Mode."
If it weren't for Jiraiya and the giant Toads interfering from the side, he was confident that he could completely take down Tsunade within a few dozen rounds.
The only troublesome thing was this group of Toads who mastered Water Release and Sage Art!
Previously, in the Rain Country hinterland, affected by environmental factors, his Lava Release was greatly weakened in the heavy rain. Although he could guarantee that he wouldn't be defeated, he still found it somewhat difficult to face these Toads.
Moreover, because there were companions around him, it was inconvenient for him to use the Tailed Beast Power, because with the Four-Tails' destructive capabilities, it would easily affect friendly forces, a point that Ōnoki had repeatedly emphasized to him.
But now... the situation was different.
On the surface, the Hidden Leaf Village vanguard was advancing triumphantly in the battle against the Hidden Stone Village, uprooting base after base, and soon pushed the battle line to the border of the Rain Country.
But these were all illusions!
The Stone Ninja were not that unbearable, it was just that he had secretly transferred his forces. As the commander of the Hidden Stone Village vanguard, he dispatched most of the Stone Ninja to form a surprise attack force, led by another Bloodline Limit user, the Explosion Release Hunter, and had quietly bypassed the blockade line and were heading towards the Hidden Rain Village main camp.
Doing so would naturally lead to the defeat of the western main battlefield, but this defeat was the defeat he had planned. The so-called rout was just a pretense!
His purpose was to avoid unfavorable environmental factors, create the illusion of being a lone commander, lure the enemy deep, and finally detonate the Tailed Beast Power in his body to behead the enemy commander, sending them off in one wave.
As long as he beheaded the Hidden Leaf Village vanguard, the lost territories could be regained, and then he could cooperate with the surprise attack force he had sent out earlier, attacking from both sides in a pincer movement to wipe out the remaining Hidden Leaf Village forces in one fell swoop, and this battle would be won.
With a "bang," the white smoke dissipated.
To Rōshi's surprise, Jiraiya did not summon the mountain-like giant Toad as usual. Appearing under the magma ball was a petite Toad with a gray-green body, wearing a miniature black robe, and sporting a white beard.
"I'm counting on you, Fukasaku!"
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