BOOM!
As the walls of the Great Toad's stomach vanished, an entire lake's worth of water surged outward in an instant.
Two figures then appeared on the ground — one standing, the other lying defeated.
Though the enemy had proven far tougher and more resilient than Jiraiya had anticipated, making the battle more drawn‑out than expected, the victor was still him: Jiraiya the Gallant, one of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha.
Kisame was in a sorry state. Most notably, a stone sword was driven deep into his chest — only a single centimeter away from piercing his heart.
This was clearly the result of Jiraiya deliberately holding back at the end.
To be safe, he wanted to take Kisame alive and use him as leverage to trade for Naruto.
Even if the exchange failed, having Kisame would force Itachi to think twice before acting recklessly — assuming the bond between the two partners was as strong as Jiraiya imagined.
"Great Sages, I need you both to help me maintain Sage Mode. I must chase after them right away; I'm afraid any delay could put Naruto in danger."
Jiraiya took a few deep breaths to steady his breathing. Though he looked unharmed, the battle had drained him greatly.
In truth, Kisame had been completely overwhelmed and disoriented by Jiraiya's relentless barrage of Sage Techniques — leaving his vast reserves of chakra and powerful Water Release with no chance to shine.
"Go ahead, little Jiraiya. The old man and I will hold it steady for you."
"Exactly. We've got you covered."
Fukasaku and Shima nodded in unison, then focused their energy to replenish the Sage Chakra Jiraiya had used up, extending the duration of his transformation.
If he ended the mode now, he would waste precious time trying to re‑enter it once he caught up, and might leave himself open to attack.
Jiraiya's mastery of Sage Mode was far from perfect, but having the two Great Sages supporting him made all the difference — it was nothing short of good fortune.
"Haha! As expected of Jiraiya the Gallant — I clearly underestimated you. But are you sure you won't just kill me right here and now?" Kisame laughed, coughing up blood as he spoke.
He had truly lost badly; the sudden shift in Jiraiya's power, especially the overwhelming pressure of the three‑way fusion with the two toads, had caught him completely off guard.
And those strange, devastating techniques… he still couldn't fathom how they could possess such immense force.
"Save your taunts. I won't kill you until I've found Naruto. You can pray your partner chooses to abandon the mission and come save you instead."
Jiraiya did not remove the stone sword from Kisame's chest. Instead, he slung the man over one shoulder and set off swiftly in the direction Itachi had vanished.
Yet Kisame remained completely unfazed. "It's useless. You'll never find Itachi."
Jiraiya ignored him — until ten minutes later, when he came to a halt, his expression turning grim as he stared at the trail ahead.
He realized he had been tricked. Itachi had deliberately left false markers to mislead him, leading him in a full circle right back to where they had started.
Jiraiya lifted Kisame roughly. "Tell me where Itachi is! He must have left some kind of signal for you!"
"Go ahead — kill me, and you'll have your answer. What are you waiting for? Do it!"
BAM!
"You think I dare not?!"
Jiraiya struck Kisame hard across the face in frustration.
But Kisame only laughed wildly, refusing to say another word.
Using me to threaten Itachi and get the jinchūriki back? Impossible.
He would die before letting Itachi be put in such a difficult position.
Blow after blow landed on Kisame, leaving him battered and on the brink of death — yet he continued to laugh, his grin growing ever more mocking.
Finally, Jiraiya had no choice but to stop. He dragged Kisame along like a lost wanderer, searching blindly for a while longer — still finding nothing.
By now, more than ten minutes had passed since the time limit Itachi and Kisame had agreed upon.
Just as Jiraiya decided to try using Kisame once more to draw Naruto out, the person he had been chasing appeared of his own accord — and in his arms, he carried the unconscious Naruto.
Seeing Kisame's miserable condition, a silent storm seemed to stir beneath Itachi's calm exterior.
The time was up, and Kisame had not returned. Itachi held no illusions; he knew his partner must have failed and been captured.
And he would not have been killed — not while Jiraiya still needed him to rescue Naruto.
So Itachi had come back.
"Release Naruto, and I will hand him over to you. A fair trade."
Jiraiya spoke firmly. To be honest, he had made the offer almost instinctively, not expecting Itachi to agree.
But reality was often stranger than fiction.
"Fair enough. Let's exchange."
Itachi replied without emotion, dropped Naruto onto the ground, and began walking straight toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya froze for a moment, then frowned deeply. What game is he playing? Have I already fallen under a genjutsu?
Glancing at Fukasaku, the Great Sage shook his head immediately, reading his thoughts.
Even the strongest illusion could not fool all three of them — two toads and one human — at the same time.
"Still, we must stay alert for a trick."
Jiraiya set Kisame down on the ground, then walked slowly toward Naruto, mirroring Itachi's movements.
They passed each other without incident.
Jiraiya breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then quickened his pace to reach Naruto, lifting him up and leaping back to a safe distance.
A quick check confirmed it was indeed Naruto — he was only unconscious, first from the illusion and then knocked out by Itachi, with no serious injuries.
Jiraiya allowed himself to relax — but only briefly.
"You look like you took quite a beating."
"I let my guard down. I never expected Jiraiya the Gallant to be this strong. But you shouldn't have handed the jinchūriki back to him."
"It doesn't matter. I'll just take him back again."
"True. Watch out for the two toads on his shoulders. Their chakra feels completely different, and their techniques are devastatingly powerful."
"I know. Tend to your wounds first."
With that, Itachi pulled the stone sword from Kisame's chest. Fresh blood gushed out, making Kisame's face turn even paler.
But with the blade no longer blocking the flow, Samehada inside Kisame began pumping chakra into his body, rapidly healing his injuries.
At that exact moment, a single black crow suddenly popped out of Naruto's pocket, flapping its wings and flying straight toward Jiraiya's head.
Jiraiya glanced at it instinctively — and found himself staring directly into its blood‑red eyes.
"No — this is bad!"
Before he could react, Jiraiya realized he had been caught in a genjutsu and was instantly pulled into the illusion.
Meanwhile, a thick, dark aura wrapped around Itachi's body. A massive, skeletal upper body materialized behind him, raising a giant blade high into the air!
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