Ōnoki had immediately set his sights on Jiraiya.
This man had caused the Hidden Stone Village no small amount of trouble.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A massive transparent cube barrier enveloped the surrounding space.
"Hah!"
Ōnoki, who had struck first, let out a fierce shout.
A blinding white light annihilated everything within the cube.
Even the ground was left with a perfectly square, flattened surface.
From the earth, Jiraiya emerged.
As expected, this old bastard was someone he had to deal with personally.
"Isn't it a bit rude for a senior like you to attack without warning?"
Jiraiya swiftly formed hand seals.
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled a torrent of flames into the sky.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
A scorching fire dragon erupted from Jiraiya's mouth, soaring toward Ōnoki, who hovered in the air.
Ōnoki quickly ascended, but the fire dragon pursued him relentlessly.
Its speed increased, and soon, it caught up to him.
As the flames engulfed Ōnoki,
Jiraiya felt no relief.
A Kage wasn't so easily defeated.
The next moment—
"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"
A massive fist of rock burst from the ground, striking Jiraiya's chin with enough force to snap his head backward.
"Poof!"
Jiraiya's body dissolved into smoke.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
White hair surged from behind Ōnoki, attempting to ensnare and bind him.
"Earth Release: Weighted Rock Technique!"
Without even turning his head, Ōnoki activated his jutsu.
The hair, before it could touch him, suddenly bore the weight of a mountain, crashing heavily to the ground.
No matter how hard Jiraiya pulled, it didn't budge an inch.
Ōnoki raised his hand, and another Dust Release barrier began forming rapidly.
It was on the verge of trapping Jiraiya.
Acting decisively, Jiraiya severed his hair with a kunai and leaped back, barely escaping the barrier's range.
His hands never stopped forming seals.
"Summoning Technique: Toad Flat Collapse Technique!"
A gigantic toad descended from the sky, plummeting toward Ōnoki with crushing force.
Ōnoki swiftly retreated, narrowly avoiding the toad's landing zone.
"BOOM!"
A deafening impact shook the earth as dust billowed outward.
The enormous toad now stood firmly on the ground, with Jiraiya perched atop its head.
"Yo, Jiraiya," greeted Gamabunta, the green toad, as he glanced at the distant Ōnoki.
"So, the enemy this time is that shorty?"
"Who are you calling a shorty?! You bastard!!" Ōnoki's composure shattered as he roared at Gamabunta.
He hated being called short.
"This is the Tsuchikage we're dealing with. Stay sharp," Jiraiya warned solemnly.
Even if the old man seemed foolish at first glance, appearances were deceiving.
"The Tsuchikage, huh?"
Gamabunta knew of the five Kage who stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
"Where's your Hokage?"
The toad drew the twin swords strapped to his back.
The Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone Village—
this was no ordinary opponent.
"My sensei is holding down the fort in Konoha," Jiraiya replied casually.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't the type to break protocol and join the battlefield like these other Kage.
"Hmph."
Gamabunta grunted in acknowledgment.
Human affairs were none of his concern.
But the Great Toad Sage had insisted they maintain good relations with humans.
He didn't know why the old fool had suddenly become so meddlesome,
but orders were orders.
Starting with Jiraiya.
In the next instant, Gamabunta lunged at Ōnoki, his twin blades slashing downward.
"Hidden Tool Technique: Toad Twin Blade Slash!"
Yet Ōnoki was no slouch in speed.
He weaved between the blades with precision before suddenly ascending higher, his hands aimed squarely at Gamabunta.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
The transparent cube barrier surged to encase the toad.
But Jiraiya was faster.
His seals were already complete.
"Toad Oil Bullet!"
A jet of sticky oil shot from Jiraiya's mouth, drenching Ōnoki before he could react.
The Tsuchikage's movements slowed abruptly.
"Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
Gamabunta spat a stream of black oil, while Jiraiya followed up with a fireball.
The flames ignited instantly, racing toward Ōnoki.
Coated in oil, the Tsuchikage was swiftly engulfed.
The Dust Release dissipated unfinished.
"Did we get him?" Gamabunta asked.
"Not a chance."
In the sky, multiple Ōnokis surrounded the duo.
"Earth Release: Rock Clone Technique!"
"Dust Release: Multiple Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Countless transparent cubes materialized, sealing off all escape routes.
There was no room for Jiraiya to evade.
The next moment, blinding white light consumed everything within.
"It's over."
Ōnoki landed on the ground as his clones crumbled into dirt.
He rubbed his lower back—his old injury had been acting up lately.
For now, he saw no sign of Jiraiya or the damned toad.
Not even underground.
When it came to Earth Release, no Konoha shinobi could surpass him.
Just as Ōnoki assumed victory—
"Poof!"
Jiraiya reappeared mid-air.
"Reverse Summoning Technique."
And in his hand, a swirling blue sphere.
"Rasengan!"
A jutsu created by his own student.
Ōnoki whirled around, raising a Dust Release barrier to block.
True to his title as Tsuchikage,
his reflexes in this critical moment were impeccable.
But the Rasengan, invented by Jiraiya's student Namikaze Minato, was no ordinary technique.
The blue sphere pressed against the white barrier—
and in the next instant,
the barrier warped violently.
"A jutsu that disrupts chakra?"
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed.
How did Konoha keep producing such troublesome techniques?
The transparent barrier twisted and vanished.
As the Rasengan hurtled toward him,
Ōnoki's hands remained outstretched.
The brief delay from the Dust Release had bought him just enough time.
"Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique!"
Jiraiya's body suddenly became weightless, floating upward.
Ōnoki ducked.
The Rasengan passed harmlessly overhead.
At the same time, Ōnoki's fist, now encased in rock, drove into Jiraiya's gut, sending him flying.
The Rasengan flickered out, its chakra supply cut off.
Jiraiya landed some distance away, clutching his stomach.
"Damn, you're strong."
He watched as Ōnoki rose back into the air.
Even going all out, he hadn't gained the upper hand.
All he could say was—
this was the Tsuchikage for a reason.
"Brat, you've pissed me off," Ōnoki growled through gritted teeth.
That last dodge had been more insulting than damaging.
"You're dying here today."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
Jiraiya grinned.
Without using that,
victory was far from guaranteed.
"I've still got my ultimate secret weapon."
...
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(End of Chapter)