Suigetsu's words weren't wrong. After all, wasn't one of the creators of this spectacle the legendary God of Shinobi? And now, after so many years, the ninja world had finally produced someone who could rival him.
Concerned about the other battlefield, Deidara didn't want to waste time. He took the initiative, commanding Death Wings to attack.
The dragon let out a soul-stirring roar, its two massive wings flapping powerfully. Its menacing jaws opened wide—this unimaginable dragon was here today to slay gods.
"Incredible. Apart from my battle with Madara back then, I never thought I'd encounter a second opponent who could push me to my limits," Hashirama remarked.
Meanwhile, the wooden hands of the Thousand-Armed Kannon statue behind him extended and elongated, reaching toward Deidara's Death Wings.
Crack!
The Wood Release giant hands, which could withstand even a Tailed Beast Ball, were effortlessly bitten and torn apart by the dragon. Its clay-constructed body demonstrated unimaginable power.
This was the effect of Material Science (Clay). Most C4-level artistic creations couldn't even be made without high-grade clay.
Ordinary clay simply didn't have the properties to support such massive constructs. It's like using regular mud to build a small hut—it's feasible—but trying to construct a skyscraper with it? Impossible.
Returning to the battlefield, while Death Wings could easily sever the wooden hands of the Kannon statue, the sheer number of hands was overwhelming. Infused with Hashirama's chakra, they regenerated at astonishing speed.
The battle reached a stalemate.
Meanwhile, as the battle between the Kannon statue and the dragon unfolded, Jiraiya wasn't idle. He noticed Deidara chewing clay again, realizing that the opponent was likely preparing another terrifying creation.
He couldn't let that happen.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" "Sage Art: Continuous Falling Earth Cover!"
What if he couldn't fly?
Jiraiya demonstrated an audacious solution on the spot.
First, he created a shadow clone. The clone then used Earth Release: Falling Earth Cover, a relatively common B-rank jutsu that summons a large, disk-shaped rock to fall from above and crush the enemy.
But Jiraiya didn't stop there. He continuously used Falling Earth Cover, transforming the summoned rocks into a staircase-like structure, leaping step by step toward Deidara in the sky.
Boom!
The sound of cannon fire erupted as the C3 Asura Path unleashed its full firepower, attempting to stop Jiraiya. Simultaneously, countless small clay Katsuyu surrounded Jiraiya's shadow clone, trying to eliminate it.
"I don't have time to play with you two little things," Jiraiya said, glancing back, half-joking and half-mocking.
These two clay behemoths, which had once overwhelmed him, were now nothing more than "little things" on this battlefield.
"Sage Art: Swamp of the Underworld!" "Sage Art: Falling Clay!"
Two advanced Earth Release jutsu were seamlessly executed, their power and scale beyond ordinary comprehension.
The ground beneath the Asura Path turned into a soft swamp, trapping its body, which was gradually swallowed by the mire.
Whoosh!
The exhaust pipes on its back transformed into thrusters, attempting to use reverse thrust to escape. But what awaited it was a massive amount of falling clay.
The viscous clay adhered to the Asura Path, quickly enveloping it. Under the weight of the clay, the Asura Path lost all ability to resist and was completely consumed by the Swamp of the Underworld.
Meanwhile, to counter the incoming missiles, Jiraiya's white hair extended and transformed into a giant wall.
Boom! Boom!
Countless missiles struck the wall, but apart from scorching a few strands of hair, they caused no damage.
At this moment, Jiraiya was also a near-Six Paths-level powerhouse!
As for the clay Katsuyu, it continued to tangle with Jiraiya's shadow clone, but his main body had already reached the sky.
The skirmishes on the ground no longer mattered.
"Sage Art: Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Jiraiya placed his fingers to his lips, took a deep breath, and exhaled forcefully. Over a dozen fire dragons burst forth, each carrying immense power, intertwining as they flew toward Death Wings.
Roar!
Deidara commanded Death Wings to evade, but the dragon's massive size and Hashirama's interference made escape impossible.
The fire dragons scorched the dragon's tail, the intense heat causing its scales to fall off and destroying a large lump of clay within.
Deidara's expression turned serious. The damage didn't seem severe, but for Jiraiya, such an attack was nothing.
Indeed, after the Dragon Flame Bullet, Jiraiya unleashed three more giant Fire Release jutsu in rapid succession, each as powerful as the Dragon Flame Bullet.
Deidara couldn't understand why Jiraiya had become so strong, but being flanked by two such formidable opponents was an unbearable situation.
"But don't underestimate me! Aerial combat is my specialty. How could I not develop some powerful creations for it?"
"C3 Special Type: Jet Fighter!"
What was this?
The jet fighter's design was beyond the comprehension of ninjas like Jiraiya and Hashirama.
As two massive clay jet fighters emerged, Deidara nodded in satisfaction.
"Jet Fighters! Activate shuttle guerrilla mode!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The jet fighters began to adjust their shapes, becoming flatter and more aerodynamic. The external cannons and weapon racks retracted into their bodies.
Accompanied by the roar of engines, they flew above Jiraiya at supersonic speeds.
"Sage Art: Falling Earth Cover!"
Jiraiya reacted quickly. His current altitude was a bit low, so he used Falling Earth Cover to both attack the enemy and increase his height.
Whoosh…
The two clay jet fighters, trailing long exhaust streams, dropped two missiles each before flying away, far out of reach of the Falling Earth Cover.
Jiraiya's white hair extended once again, blocking the missiles. He then noticed the strange clay creatures turning around and heading straight back.
A perfect opportunity!
His keen insight allowed him to notice that while the jet fighters were incredibly fast in forward flight, turning was difficult for them.
"Sage Art: Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
This time, Jiraiya infused a large amount of Sage Chakra, unleashing an advanced version of the Dragon Flame Bullet. Its power was greater, its range wider, and its temperature higher.
Whoosh…
But instead of landing a hit, Jiraiya was met with the roar of the jet fighters and another round of missiles.
"Jiraiya, once my jet fighters switch to shuttle guerrilla mode, they have one defining characteristic: speed."
"They're perfect for dealing with you because your Earth Release is too slow to hit them."
"And even if your Fire Release does hit, it's useless. They pass through your fire in less than a second."
"The exposure time is too short for your Fire Release to cause any significant damage."
Moreover, unlike Hashirama, Jiraiya wasn't an Edo Tensei body and didn't possess the passive defenses of Hashirama's Sage Body. If he were hit directly, he would suffer real damage—or even death.
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