With Gamahiro returning to Mount Myoboku, only Gamabunta remained among the three giants of Mount Myoboku.
At Deidara's current altitude, he was finally in a position to detonate the Clay Manda.
"Jiraiya! Are you ready or not?!"
"If this keeps up, we're doomed!" Gamabunta exclaimed, struggling to fend off the Clay Manda that was coiled around him while nervously keeping an eye on Deidara above.
Seeing Deidara once again preparing to detonate his creation, Gamabunta's legs trembled in fear. At this distance, the explosion would be fatal for him.
Jiraiya noticed the imminent danger and said decisively, "Gamabunta, toss me as close to him as possible, then head back to Mount Myoboku."
"Got it! Here you go!"
Gamabunta grabbed Jiraiya and hurled him skyward with all his might. Without hesitation, he dispelled himself, vanishing in a puff of smoke. He had no desire to be blown to pieces.
"Art is an explosion! Ha!"
The next moment, an unimaginably powerful shockwave radiated outward from the Clay Manda, accompanied by intense light and heat. The blast expanded rapidly, threatening to engulf Jiraiya mid-air.
But just as the explosion was about to consume him, Jiraiya's aura suddenly shifted. His face was adorned with oil paint, and faint frog-like features appeared on his body.
Sage Mode!
He had succeeded!
With Sage Mode activated, Fukasaku and Shima were freed from their support duties on Jiraiya's shoulders.
Fukasaku turned around on Jiraiya's shoulder and unleashed a powerful Wind Release jutsu at the incoming shockwave.
"Sage Art: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Enhanced by senjutsu chakra, the Wind Release technique was exceptionally potent. While it couldn't completely counteract the overwhelming explosion, it managed to slightly delay its impact. The resulting recoil propelled Jiraiya even higher.
At this moment, Deidara's swarm of clay dragons inadvertently became Jiraiya's stepping stones. Jiraiya began leaping from one dragon to the next, closing the distance between himself and Deidara.
Deidara continuously detonated the clay dragons in an attempt to stop Jiraiya, but Sage Mode had significantly enhanced Jiraiya's reaction speed. Each time, he managed to leap to another dragon before the explosions could reach him, steadily narrowing the gap.
No! I can't let Jiraiya get any closer!
With resolute determination, Deidara detonated all the clay dragons ahead of Jiraiya, eliminating his stepping stones. Surely, Jiraiya couldn't fly across now.
But to Deidara's surprise, Jiraiya did just that.
"Earth Release: Earth Falling Cover!"
A massive circular stone platform descended from the sky, and Jiraiya landed on it, continuing his advance.
Though the stone platform began to fall rapidly, it would only take two or three seconds to drop below Deidara's altitude. However, for Jiraiya, empowered by Sage Mode, two or three seconds was more than enough.
C1 Standard Type: Giant Serpents!
Several clay white snakes slithered out from Deidara's hands, quickly crawling onto the stone platform to detonate it.
"Not a chance!"
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
Jiraiya spat oil, Shima unleashed a Fire Release jutsu, and Fukasaku added Wind Release. Together, they produced a fire-style technique far more powerful than the Toad Oil Flame Bullet, further enhanced by senjutsu chakra.
Sizzle!
Under the terrifyingly high temperatures, the clay white snakes, the stone platform, and even the front section of Deidara's clay dragon began to melt.
Seeing the overwhelming power of Jiraiya's Sage Art, Deidara decisively abandoned the clay dragon beneath him and switched to riding a smaller Clay Bird, aiming to put more distance between himself and Jiraiya.
"Too slow!"
Suddenly, Jiraiya appeared not far in front of Deidara. His clothes were tattered, most of his white hair was singed, and his face was covered in soot.
He had charged through his own fire technique, disregarding the damage to himself. It was now clear why he had used such an exaggerated Sage Art fire-style technique against mere clay white snakes—it was to obscure Deidara's vision.
"Master Fukasaku! Master Shima! Now's the time!" Jiraiya shouted.
Being this close to the enemy was the perfect opportunity!
The two frogs, coughing from the smoke, quickly refocused. Their bellies swelled as they emitted loud croaking sounds.
Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!
The sound was reminiscent of a summer night filled with frogs croaking in rice fields. In an instant, Deidara was trapped in a genjutsu.
Toad Duet!
A sage-level genjutsu! It ranked just below the ocular techniques of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even Nagato, with his Rinnegan, would fall victim to this technique.
Splash!
Deidara's surroundings abruptly changed. He found himself submerged in a water-filled cube, surrounded by four massive toad statues. Each statue held a long sword in one hand and pointed the other hand at Deidara, emanating a powerful spiritual energy that immobilized him completely.
Despite being submerged, Deidara didn't feel any sense of suffocation. He could still breathe and even speak.
Jiraiya, with the two frogs perched on his shoulders, approached him. "Give up! This is a genjutsu space constructed from spiritual energy. Once you're here, there's no escape!"
"Now, spill the secrets of the Akatsuki. Who is your leader? How many core members are there? What are their abilities?"
"If you satisfy me, you might not die. Instead, you'll just end up in Konoha's prison."
Deidara smirked. "You think you've got me cornered?"
"Oh? Do you have a trump card left?"
"Of course..."
Before Deidara could finish his sentence, his figure vanished from the genjutsu space. Jiraiya was taken aback. Deidara was alone and not a Jinchūriki—how had he broken free from the genjutsu?
Cough! Cough!
In the real world, Deidara had escaped the genjutsu, kneeling on his Clay Bird and coughing up several mouthfuls of blood.
How had he done it?
The answer was simple.
Deidara had implanted micro clay insects inside his own body, continuously feeding chakra into them to keep them in a state of near-detonation.
If he fell under a genjutsu, the chakra flow would be disrupted, triggering the insects to explode. The damage caused by the explosions would disrupt his internal chakra flow, effectively breaking the genjutsu.
Though this method inflicted significant self-harm, it was highly effective. Unless the genjutsu was like Tsukuyomi, capable of infinitely extending the perception of time and completing its effects in an instant, Deidara could always use this method to escape.
On the other side, Jiraiya was stunned. Although he didn't know how Deidara had escaped the genjutsu, the best opportunity had been lost. His Sage Mode was nearing its time limit, and Deidara's comrades were about to break through the barrier.
Under these circumstances, Jiraiya saw no reason to continue the fight. "The enemy is stronger than expected. It's better to retreat for now."
"Alright!" Fukasaku replied. "I'll head back to Mount Myoboku with Shima. Take care, little Jiraiya."
"Don't worry!"
Jiraiya responded, vanishing into the forest below. Deidara attempted to drop large clay bombs, but they were ineffective. Jiraiya's escape route remained a mystery.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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