Although Kakuzu's behavior seemed highly unusual to Jiraiya, when it came time to act, he had no choice but to strike decisively and mercilessly.
[Water Release - Water Curtain Barrier]
Kakuzu stopped his forward charge, placing one hand on the ground and activating a ninjutsu. A massive water barrier instantly erupted upward, blocking his front.
Crash! Jiraiya's technique collided with Kakuzu's, triggering an intense explosion of energy. The heat vaporized the water into steam, forming a thick mist that obscured both fighters' vision!
"Now! Die for me — you damn bastard who dared ambush me, Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya steadied himself and continued channeling chakra.
But just at that moment, from his side came a loud, arrogant voice—Hidan's! At the same time, Hidan's black blade, brimming with overwhelming pressure, slashed toward his neck.
Instantly, Jiraiya's danger senses flared, but he had no time to see who was attacking him.
He quickly severed his connection to the technique, cutting off the chakra flow, then tilted his body sideways while forming a glowing blue sphere in his right palm.
[Rasengan]
First, he shielded himself using [Wild Lion's Mane Technique], wrapping it around his body mid-dodge. Then, twisting mid-air, he slammed his right hand into the attacker coming from his left.
[Hidan]
"Huh…so it's you…"
In mid-air, Jiraiya saw exactly who had attacked him—it was the other enemy he had snapped the neck of earlier and assumed dead.
Crash! The [Rasengan] smashed into Hidan's black blade before slamming into his chest, sending him flying away with force.
"Ha!"
Jiraiya quickly leapt backward because another opponent—Kakuzu—charged after him. A monstrous fist, wrapped in powerful wind pressure, came straight for his face.
Crack! Arms crossed in front of his chest to block, Jiraiya barely intercepted Kakuzu's attack.
Crunch! While blocking this blow, Jiraiya admitted he had underestimated this enemy and received his due punishment—his hand bones developed slight cracks. However, years of [Sage Art] had vastly strengthened his body, preventing any serious injury.
"Tch... so your reputation isn't just talk after all!" Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, watching Jiraiya block his punch, smirking slightly.
Boom! Though Jiraiya hadn't expected the enemy's strike to be this strong, he quickly recovered from his shock and launched a counterattack.
Balancing on one leg, Jiraiya sprang up like a frog leaping into the air. Then, he extended that leg downward, delivering a brutal kick to Kakuzu's chest.
Thud! A heavy sound echoed as Jiraiya felt like he had kicked solid iron.
Although Kakuzu reacted in time, using [Earth Release - Earth Spear Jutsu] to harden his chest, Jiraiya's [Taijutsu] skills were formidable even by ninja world standards—not inferior at all, perhaps matching his opponent's physical strength.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as Jiraiya's strike sent him flying backward. His body shot backward, limbs splayed mid-air like someone hit by a speeding truck, heading straight for Hidan.
Boom! Kakuzu crashed beside Hidan, leaving a massive crater on the ground and kicking up endless dust.
"Cough cough cough!"
Hidan, still lying on the ground nearby recovering from Jiraiya's earlier Rasengan attack, was directly disturbed by Kakuzu's sudden dusty arrival, so he stood up.
"Hey, are you kidding me? This guy is actually this strong!"
Hidan obviously had no idea who Jiraiya was. Seeing Kakuzu also blasted away by a single blow from Jiraiya, his face showed shock.
Of course, he wasn't scared—after all, he was immortal!
Looking down, his gaze landed on the black weapon in his right hand. He felt slightly regretful because there wasn't any blood on it.
He thought his earlier ambush had been quite successful. The only thing he hadn't anticipated was that this white-haired ninja could react so quickly—dodging his attack instantly while sending back a ninjutsu strike.
Although it couldn't truly kill him, it really hurt! The spot where he was hit felt as if all surrounding muscles had been pulled into a meat grinder, sustaining various degrees of tearing.
Thinking about it, Hidan narrowed his eyes, glancing at his chest—the exact spot where Jiraiya had struck him.
The clothes there were torn open, revealing skin and muscles twisted in a spiral pattern radiating outward from the central impact point.
"He is one of Konoha's Three Legendary Sanin, the hero Jiraiya himself. His bounty in the underground Golden Exchange ranks just below Raikage, Hokage, and Tsuchikage. Don't let his ordinary looks fool you!"
Expressionless, Kakuzu rose from the crater, brushing his chest briefly to erase the clear footprint left there. Those emerald-green eyes gleamed coldly.
On the other side, Jiraiya looked calm, showing his true self—the mature personality.
Although he'd easily resolved the dangerous moment moments ago, executing it hadn't actually been simple.
His gaze fixed onto the silver-haired man with a pompadour hairstyle who'd just taken his Rasengan, Jiraiya's eyes held confusion.
Before the fight, he had definitely twisted that man's neck using the Wild Lion's Mane Technique—an undeniable fact. Yet now, surprisingly, the man seemed perfectly normal.
"Genjutsu?" No, impossible. Having mastered Sage Arts, his resistance against illusions had become extremely strong. It was inconceivable that he would fall victim to genjutsu without noticing.
Jiraiya took a deep breath. If it wasn't genjutsu, then he'd have to figure out this enemy's powers the hard way.
Crack! Just as Jiraiya was thinking, Hidan twisted his neck with a loud popping sound.
Jiraiya squinted, forming some suspicions.
Could this guy's body have some kind of special trait? Like Orochimaru's Soft Physique Modification, which makes him almost untouchable with regular taijutsu?
Jiraiya was a true ninja who understood the rhythm of battle and how to gradually map out an enemy's capabilities within limited time.
Looking toward Kakuzu, Jiraiya could still faintly feel some pain in the bones of both hands.
"This opponent isn't simple either — his Elemental Release Jutsu are effortless, and his Taijutsu is extremely powerful!"
Jiraiya's mind raced with plans. He positioned his feet into a V-shaped stance, preparing for the next attack.
Ninja battles were all about constantly deceiving your opponent and testing their limits before landing the final, fatal strike!
At this moment, Jiraiya no longer entertained thoughts of capturing an enemy alive.
The dead were troublesome, but still had their uses. Some wrinkles appeared on both sides of Jiraiya's nose — caused by him inhaling forcefully, squeezing his nasal muscles. This was also a premonition of his attack; those familiar with him would recognize it immediately.
Whoosh! Jiraiya pushed off with his right foot, his body vanishing in an instant, leaving only a burst of dust in his wake.
"He's coming!" Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, warned Hidan, and simultaneously used Earth Spear Jutsu to harden his skin.
In an instant, a white figure appeared at Kakuzu's side, but Kakuzu had already caught sight of Jiraiya's movement. While blocking with his left hand, he clenched his right into a fist and powerfully struck out.
Bang! Jiraiya's right leg, wrapped in chakra and tearing through air, fiercely collided with Kakuzu's fist. Immediately, air currents rippled between them, shooting outward in all directions.
[Wild Lion's Mane Technique]
Knowing that inflicting damage on this enemy through taijutsu alone would be quite difficult, Jiraiya instantly used another technique as soon as they made contact, intending to restrain him.
His white hair instantly transformed into vines, cleverly entwining around Kakuzu's hands and binding both together.
"Hmph," Kakuzu grunted coldly as he saw Jiraiya break away and shoot toward Hidan, who hadn't reacted much yet.
Though it looked like Jiraiya and Kakuzu had exchanged multiple blows, the entire clash lasted less than a second. When Kakuzu shouted the warning, Hidan had barely turned his head in this direction, let alone reacted with his hands.
Indeed, without his Immortal Body, Hidan's strength would barely fall short of an elite jonin. Facing attacks from someone at Jiraiya's kage-level strength, he would hardly have any capacity to counterattack.
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