"Lord Jiraiya, are you insane?"
Yamato's face showed shock and hurt. "I am Yamato. I left Konoha with you. I understand that seeing your student like this must be painful, but you can't blame me for it."
"You know, I didn't suspect you at first, Yamato," Jiraiya said with a sigh, his voice slow and steady.
"But when we were in the wooden cabin, you suggested returning to Konoha. That's when I started paying attention."
"W-What's wrong with that?" Yamato exclaimed, disbelief written across his face. "Sasuke ended up like this. I suggested we abandon the mission and return to Konoha to treat her. What's wrong with that?"
"No, but if those words came from Sakura's mouth, I would never doubt them."
Jiraiya stared at him coldly. "But you… you came from Konoha's ANBU. ANBU would never say something like that. Besides, you weren't familiar with Sasuke before this. Why do you care about her now? But that doesn't matter. Do you know what the most important thing is?"
"What?"
Yamato looked confused, but his eyes suddenly noticed that Jiraiya had been maintaining a single stance, his pupils contracting.
"Seems like you've realized it."
Jiraiya's hands stayed tucked in his sleeves as he grinned. "Guess why I stayed behind and kept this stance, huh?"
As the words left his mouth, Jiraiya finally released his hands, and his whole body began to change.
His feet became wide like webbed paddles, his hands grew larger, and even his face began showing toad-like features. His nose enlarged, and a distinctive orange shadow appeared around his eyes.
"Sage Mode!"
Seeing Jiraiya's transformation, Yamato froze, his expression a mix of shock and frustration.
"That's right. Sage Mode!"
Jiraiya's gaze pressed down like a physical weight, as if he had become a completely different person.
"Now I can finally see your flaw. You're not really 'Yamato.' You're White Zetsu, a product of the First Hokage's cells. There's a massive amount of unknown energy converging around you. This must be a trap, right?"
"Heh heh heh… so it's true. As expected of the legendary Sannin."
'Yamato' sneered, his expression twisting grotesquely. "Didn't expect you to see through me so quickly. But… too bad. It's already too late!"
As he spoke, the exposed White Zetsu's pupils rippled with layers of hypnotic waves, attempting to forcibly hypnotize Jiraiya.
"Hmph. Another hypnotic trick?"
Jiraiya snorted sharply. Then, two small figures suddenly leaped into the air from behind him. "Sage Toads, this is your turn!"
"No problem, Little Jiraiya!"
"Deal with it quickly! There's a meal cooking at home!"
The two humanoid toads jumped into the air, forming hand seals simultaneously, and opened their mouths to release a piercing, resonant croak.
"Sage Art: Frog Song!"
The croaks of two giant frogs echoed swiftly through the forest.
The piercing frog cries resonated, instantly invading White Zetsu's ears.
Taking advantage of White Zetsu's momentary confusion, Jiraiya quickly finished his hand seals. He pulled Sakura back while leaping high into the air, inhaling deeply: "Sage Art: Flaming Life!"
Infused with natural chakra, the sage technique instantly amplified the power of his ninjutsu several times over.
In an instant, a terrifying sea of blazing fire engulfed White Zetsu.
Boom!
The towering flames surged like massive waves, roaring violently, covering a radius of hundreds of meters.
The dense forest was transformed into a raging inferno. Thick smoke billowed, and the intense heat scorched the air, as if it wanted to evaporate every drop of moisture.
"Amazing… so powerful!"
Though Sakura had heard countless stories about the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya usually acted more like a perverted peeping fool. She respected him but couldn't help underestimating him slightly.
But seeing Jiraiya so serious now, any trace of her previous doubt vanished instantly.
"Don't let your guard down. That guy isn't going to die so easily."
During his travels, Jiraiya had dealt with many strange creatures and had a rough idea of how troublesome they could be.
This was why the two Myoboku Sage toads always stayed hidden, striking only with the element of surprise.
As expected, White Zetsu possessed the ability to hypnotize others. Even though the two Toad sages interrupted him, it wouldn't be that simple.
In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's perception was greatly enhanced.
He could clearly sense that the enemy was not dead.
"No wonder he's one of the Legendary Sannin… I didn't expect him to be so troublesome."
White Zetsu emerged from the flames, battered and charred. His skin was blackened and peeling layer by layer. He let out a ferocious growl:
"I hadn't planned on using this move against you humans… but now, I've changed my mind!"
Thick black smoke billowed through the air as White Zetsu transformed into a three-meter-tall giant.
Its entire body was covered in cold, black armor, with only its eyes exposed, glowing with deep red light.
In its hands, it held a straight, dark greatsword, looking like a demon crawling out of hell.
"Do you see this?!"
White Zetsu grinned monstrously and laughed.
"This is the power granted to me by the 'Holy Son'—Sequence 4, the Black Knight!"
As it spoke, it swung the sword in a wide arc.
The corrupted, dark energy sliced through the forest ahead.
The trees disintegrated into darkness, as if coated in thick, sticky black paint, instantly corroded to nothingness.
"Hey, Jiraiya."
Fukasaku stared at the terrifying figure, feeling countless twisted voices tear through his mind.
In pain, he said, "Retreat… we have to retreat. That thing is too strong!"
Jiraiya, too, was under immense pressure.
He bit down hard on his lips, using the pain to stay focused.
"Lord Fukasaku, I'll cover the rear. Please take them and go!"
He quickly assessed the battlefield and realized someone had to hold the line.
"Now, it's your turn!"
But White Zetsu seemed unwilling to give them the chance.
Its form suddenly expanded into a massive shadow, spreading like a black cloud to cover the sky.
At the last moment, countless runes flickered around them like stars, forming chains that wrapped around the colossal shadow, binding it.
"What's happening?"
Jiraiya paused for a moment, then looked in a certain direction.
From the dense forest, a boy with yellow hair emerged slowly.
He stared at the 'White Zetsu' struggling desperately, bound within the starlight, and said calmly, "Thanks to you, I could complete the ritual to ascend to Sequence 4."
"You… are you Uzumaki Naruto?!"
*******
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