"Did we get him...that guy?" Jiraiya felt his technique had met no resistance and had overwhelmed the enemy entirely.
"Huff!" Sage Fukasaku stopped spraying toad oil forward and wiped sweat from his brow with a claw. The intense heat had caused this type of frog to break into a heavy sweat.
"There's something off here, Little Jiraiya!"
On the other side, Sage Shima frowned as she looked toward the gradually dying firestorm.
As a female, she was naturally more cautious, so she held back and warned both Jiraiya and Fukasaku.
"I understand!" Nodding, Jiraiya began walking forward. His ninja instincts kept him just as alert as ever.
This enemy had seemed so powerful—it didn't seem likely that he'd be killed so easily.
His wooden sandals crunched over flame-scorched ground, the lingering heat searing through the soles, but Jiraiya kept moving forward, unfazed.
Hidan was hiding in the distance—visible to Jiraiya—but he made no move against him yet.
Because he wanted to confirm this enemy's condition before dealing with Hidan.
From their two earlier clashes, Jiraiya had also gotten a rough idea of Hidan's abilities.
Aside from his body's unique properties, he didn't seem to have much in terms of actual combat skills—more like a living shield.
Soon enough, the firestorm extinguished itself as quickly as it had erupted.
Black scorch marks remained on the ground, along with patches of unburned toad oil soaking into the earth.
Moving steadily forward, Jiraiya continuously scanned the surroundings with his eyes, every muscle in his body tensed.
Crack! When he came within several meters of where Kakuzu had been standing previously, Jiraiya halted abruptly.
The two sages simultaneously surveyed the area too, watching carefully.
Boom! Suddenly, the stone slabs beneath Jiraiya exploded outward, scattering dust everywhere. Countless Black Threads burst forth from below, spraying upward like a net to envelop Jiraiya at the center.
"As expected..." Jiraiya thought grimly while swiftly evading attacks coming from all directions.
Though the assault of [Earth Grudge Fear] came suddenly and at high speed, for Jiraiya and the two Toad Sages, it still felt somewhat trivial.
Stamping his feet firmly on the ground, Jiraiya propelled himself upward and backward. At the same time, his hands moved rapidly back and forth—each palm holding a blue orb of energy, none other than the [Rasengan].
Any threads striking Jiraiya's [Rasengan] were repelled upon contact by the sheer force of the technique.
Using this method, Jiraiya quickly escaped from the range of [Earth Grudge Fear]'s attack.
"Cough cough!" As Jiraiya retreated, Kakuzu and several Mask Beasts climbed out one by one from beneath the shattered ground where he had stood moments ago—Kakuzu was the one coughing.
"You truly are impressive, Konoha's Jiraiya!" Kakuzu stood upright. Scorch marks covered his body, and his already torn coat had been completely destroyed.
Now Kakuzu looked ragged, yet an eerie smile still curled his lips.
"This is truly troublesome!"
Jiraiya stared at Kakuzu, adjusting his posture to prepare for another attack.
The two Sages on his shoulders wore equally serious expressions as they faced the enemy.
Whoosh! Before Jiraiya could strike first, four Mask Beasts surrounding Kakuzu darted straight toward him at incredible speed.
Boom! A jet of flames shot from one Mask Beast's mouth directly toward Jiraiya's face.
Jiraiya pushed off on the spot, executing a perfect backflip to evade backward.
The other Mask Beasts quickly closed in, attacking one after another without giving him even a moment's respite.
Boom! Crack! Hiss! Whoosh! Five chakra-natured Ninjutsu continuously alternated, chasing after Jiraiya as he twisted and dodged frantically.
Kakuzu stood rooted in place, fully focused on controlling the Mask Beasts. Though his offense raged like a tiger's wrath, he still hadn't managed to inflict any damage on Jiraiya. He could only keep forcing Jiraiya further back with nonstop attacks.
[FIRE RELEASE: GREAT FIREBALL]
After dodging another attack, Jiraiya launched his counterstrike, forming a hand seal and spewing a massive fireball from his mouth.
Radiating searing heat, the fireball flew toward one of the Mask Beasts.
Boom! The technique's power was tremendous, blasting a deep crater into the stone courtyard. Unfortunately, it missed its target, but it still had some effect—hindering the Mask Beasts' movements and giving him a bit of breathing room.
Jiraiya knew these Mask Beasts were all controlled by that enemy's main body.
If he wanted to win, he must destroy the core—Kakuzu himself.
However, with five Mask Beasts swarming him, it was extremely difficult for Jiraiya to break through to Kakuzu, let alone deliver a killing blow.
"Hey you two, would you mind…" After launching another technique, Jiraiya hopped onto the Samurai Pavilion, weaving around while urgently explaining his plan to the two Sages on his shoulders.
"No problem at all, little Jiraiya!"
Fukasaku nodded, exchanged a glance with Shima, then both leaped from Jiraiya's shoulders, landed firmly on the wooden roof of the pavilion, and clung fast to it.
"Then let's begin!" With determined eyes, Jiraiya sprang from opposite sides of the pavilion along with the two Frog Sages, each taking a different direction.
Fukasaku and Shima charged toward the Mask Beasts to temporarily hold them back, while Jiraiya rapidly advanced toward Kakuzu, hoping for a decisive kill.
"Hmph!" Kakuzu saw Jiraiya coming but showed no panic whatsoever, his [Earth Grudge Fear] creatures floating threateningly in the air around him.
Striding forward boldly, Jiraiya ignored the Mask Beasts now intercepted by the two Sages behind him and charged straight at his opponent.
Boom! Their fists collided head-on, Jiraiya's powerful punch being blocked by Kakuzu.
But Kakuzu hadn't completely stopped everything, because Jiraiya's left hand had remained hidden behind his back, waiting for the perfect moment.
As Jiraiya engaged Kakuzu in the fist clash, his body suddenly surged forward like rushing into a lover's embrace, closing the distance between them.
A look of firm resolve showed on his determined face. His right hand changed from a fist to a palm, gripping Kakuzu's right hand tightly, while his left hand swiftly moved upward, pressing directly against Kakuzu's chest.
In the center of his left palm, a massive [Rasengan] was spinning rapidly!
This was an enhanced version of the Rasengan—more powerful than before. It had already reached the size of Saitama's memory of the [Big Ball Rasengan]. As for its power? Just ask Kakuzu about his experience...
"Damn it!" Kakuzu extended his left hand, and countless Black Threads burst from the joints of his arms, shooting toward Jiraiya in an attempt to intercept the attack.
But Jiraiya didn't care. He firmly pinned Kakuzu's right arm while slamming his left palm hard into Kakuzu's chest.
Boom! Shock etched itself deeply into Kakuzu's eyes. At the spot above his heart, a bright orb pressed against his body, continuously spinning and drilling deeper inside…
Phfft! Numerous black threads pierced through Jiraiya's left arm, but it was too late—the Rasengan had already fully erupted within Kakuzu's chest with full force.
"Cough… cough…" The battle momentarily froze, and the black threads swirling around Kakuzu slowly dropped to the ground.
"Phfft!" Blood burst from Kakuzu's mouth as he glared at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya didn't continue attacking—his blow had already completely crushed the enemy's heart. The enemy's death was unavoidable; he just had a few more breaths left.
Stepping backward a few paces, Jiraiya crouched down. At the same time, he stretched out his right hand and grabbed the Black Threads that had pierced his left arm.
Psssh! Blood sprayed everywhere as Jiraiya yanked the threads from deep within his muscles, not showing even a hint of emotion on his face.
"Jiraiya, are you alright?" Fukasaku and Shima landed back on Jiraiya's shoulders again. It was Fukasaku who spoke this time.
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