The three of them strapped on their gas masks.
Naruto took the lead, with Konan and Hinata right behind him!
Within the swirling mist, the Golden-Eyed Toad puffed out its throat sacs—then, with a snap, fired a purple poison arrow straight at them!
Naruto flashed through a rapid series of hand seals.
—Sage Art: Wood Dragon Bite Explosion!
Boom! An even thicker-than-usual wooden dragon surged up from the side, snapping its jaws around the arrow and crushing it to pieces!
A cloud of toxic vapor burst forth, but their gas masks kept them safe!
As they sprinted ahead, Wind Style and Fire Style Rasenshuriken spun to life in Naruto's left and right hands. He hurled them forward together!
—Sage Art: Wind and Fire Lords' Dance!
The twin Rasenshuriken curved through the air, approaching from opposite sides before colliding in a burst of searing flame and howling wind—a hurricane of fire erupted!
Naruto looked up, eyes sharp. "The moment it was about to get hit, it leapt straight into the sky. What insane jumping power—and its senses are even sharper!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three poison arrows shot down from above—one for each of them!
In a split second, all three responded instinctively!
—Almighty Push!
—Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
—Dance of the Shikigami!
Bang! Bang! Bang! The three poison arrows were intercepted almost simultaneously, exploding into clouds of deadly mist!
Konan frowned. "With poison like this, a regular ninja's gas mask would fail in seconds…"
Naruto explained, "These are different. The masks are fully sealed—no filters. Each one has a talisman inside, sealed with pure oxygen. We breathe from inside the mask, not through it."
Hinata gasped, "Ama-amazing…"
Konan asked, "Is this a Second Hokage invention?"
Naruto grinned. "Nope. The Second didn't have time for stuff like this. You'll never guess who made them…"
"Don't keep us guessing, just tell us!"
"Ruri Amemiya."
"That kid?" Konan blinked.
"Yeah, she's got a lot of unusual hobbies…"
"But since these are fully sealed, our chakra can't pass through the mask either. So any jutsu that needs your mouth just won't work."
Konan shrugged. "Doesn't bother me—I never use my mouth for jutsu anyway."
Hinata blushed. "M-me neither…"
Naruto grinned. "Yeah, same here…"
As they chatted, each of them quietly prepared their next move, waiting for the Golden-Eyed Toad to finally land so they could spring their ambush.
But strangely, the toad never touched down.
Konan frowned. "What's going on? Why isn't it coming down?"
Naruto said, "Hinata, check above!"
Hinata activated her Tenseigan, scanning the sky. Her expression changed dramatically. "Oh my—It's jumping through the air, stepping on nothing! Everywhere it lands, the air ripples like water!"
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "No doubt about it… that's Frog Sky Step. It uses natural energy to create footholds in midair—a legendary technique from Mount Myōboku, long thought lost. What you're seeing isn't air ripples, but waves of pure natural energy!"
A rough, booming voice echoed from above. "Ribbit ribbit ribbit~ Not bad, brat. You actually know that move? Guess you've got some skills after all…"
Naruto called up, surprised, "Oh, you can talk? I thought you were just a big dumb frog!"
"Ribbit ribbit ribbit, kill kill kill! Grandpa's sending you straight to the Pure Land!"
—Frog Sky Snipe!
BOOM…!
A pillar of vacuum sage power blasted down, crushing the ground where Naruto stood.
Hinata cried out, "Naruto-kun!!"
Rumble rumble rumble… Naruto was driven deep into the earth!
"Frog Sky Snipe—the ultimate sniper move. Overwhelming natural energy, fired as an inescapable cannon. One shot, one kill!"
"If the Great Toad Sage himself used it, I probably wouldn't survive either…"
Whoosh!
Under crushing pressure, Naruto focused and activated Flying Thunder God! In a flash, he appeared at Hinata's side!
"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, worried.
"I'm fine. Feels like two or three ribs are broken, that's all."
"So cruel…"
Anger flashed in Hinata's eyes. A Truth-Seeking Ball spun in her palm, morphing into a silver ring. She leapt skyward, Tenseigan locked onto the toad, and slammed her palm upward!
—Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!
BOOM! A silver tornado erupted from the ring in Hinata's hand, piercing straight into the sky!
Bang!
But the whirlwind shattered and dispersed before it could even touch the Golden-Eyed Toad!
Landing back on the ground, Hinata frowned deeply.
Konan asked, "It didn't work?"
Hinata shook her head. "No. Just as the attack was about to hit, a wall appeared in front of it. My Tenseigan picked up the color—it's natural energy, just like Naruto-kun described…"
Naruto's expression grew serious. "That must be Frog Sky Guard…"
If Frog Sky Snipe was Mount Myōboku's ultimate offense, then Frog Sky Guard was its ultimate defense—natural energy forming an invisible barrier, repelling all close-range attacks. Like a continuous Almighty Push.
"Frog Sky Step, Frog Sky Snipe, Frog Sky Guard… these are the legendary Four Divine Arts of Mount Myōboku. And we've just witnessed three of them, one after another!"
Konan asked, "So what's the last one?"
Naruto replied, "Frog Sky Sound—a genjutsu that combines sound waves and natural energy. It's the ultimate evolution of Toad Confrontation Singing…"
Konan murmured, "That's the technique Jiraiya-sensei and the two Toad Sages used on Pain, right? Its full power must be terrifying…"
Naruto said, "Let's hope it doesn't know that move. Otherwise, we're in real trouble…"
But fate always brings what you fear most.
Hinata's face grew tense. "Its chakra is gathering in its throat!!"
Naruto's pupils shrank. "It's coming! Quick—use Flying Thunder God and fall back! We'll regroup—"
"Ribbit~~~~ ribbit~~…!"
But the powerful sound wave had already swept down!
Unlike Toad Confrontation Singing, which required a specific melody to ensnare its victims, Frog Sky Sound caught anyone in its path—no escape.
Whoosh…!
In an instant, their minds were assaulted by chaos!
Konan'sDance of the Shikigami was dispelled!
Hinata'sTenseigan Chakra Mode vanished!
Naruto's Sage Mode collapsed!
A wave of weakness hit, and all three slumped to the ground!
"Ribbit ribbit ribbit, kill kill kill! This time, nobody's saving you! Trespassers on Grandpa's turf—all must die!!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three poison arrows shot down!
BOOM!!!
But suddenly, a golden chakra hand shot up, blocking the arrows midair!
Naruto slowly pushed himself up, his body cloaked in Kurama's chakra!
At the critical moment, Kurama had awakened from his slumber and snapped Naruto out of the genjutsu!
Kurama teased, "Yo, Naruto, how'd you get yourself in this mess after just a short nap from me…?"
Naruto breathed out, "Sorry, Kurama—really owe you one this time. If not for you, we'd be toast…"
Kurama's big ears twitched. "Heh, now you know how important I am, huh~!"
Up in the sky, the Golden-Eyed Toad's horizontal pupils trembled violently. "The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki… you… you're Asura's…"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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