"I've already given you a chance," Kabuto said impatiently, even as he threatened the lives of their teammates. "I don't need to spare your lives. I already have more than enough corpses for experiments. I don't need your genetic material either. Resurrecting ninja of your caliber gives me absolutely no benefit."
"Those," Shikamaru suddenly appeared, interrupting Kabuto. Perhaps out of concern that Kabuto might kill Hinata in retaliation for their attacks, he deliberately revealed himself, "are prepared for those prisoners. Live sacrifices are for carrying out forbidden techniques. What exactly are you planning to do?"
"I'm simply going to do what I must. I will force the entire world to acknowledge me as the strongest ninja."
"What are you talking about?"
"You wouldn't understand, of course."
As he spoke, Kabuto pushed up his glasses resting on his nose and addressed Kiba and Shikamaru with the tone of an elder lecturing younger generations. "You were born into privilege. You've never needed to question who you truly are or struggle to find your place. But for me, I had to discover everything myself through constant self-improvement."
That's why he so readily bowed to someone like Orochimaru.
"I've discovered that I am the only one in this world with the potential to surpass the Sage of Six Paths. I am infinitely close to perfection!"
"You…" Kiba's voice cracked as he stared at the man clearly consumed by madness, "Are you insane? Surpassing the Sage of Six Paths? Achieving perfection? That's insane, I—"
"What are you planning to do, Kiba?" Kabuto mocked. "Defeat me? Don't think I don't know why you're afraid to attack me is because I've captured Hinata."
He deliberately shook the white serpent coiling around Hinata's throat, revealing her pale, suffocated face.
"Even if I weren't holding her, you still couldn't do anything to me. Frankly speaking, dealing with you all is just too effortless."
"Funny, I was just thinking of saying the same thing to you."
Before Kabuto could react, the white serpent wrapped around Hinata's neck was severed. Then a colossal force struck him full-on, launching him like a cannonball into the massive serpent-shaped statue behind him, which collapsed in a deafening roar.
Hinata dropped to her knees on the ground, both hands clutching her bruised neck while greedily gasping for fresh air. After gasping through suffocation, she finally laid eyes on her rescuer.
"Lord Jiraiya?"
"Tsk tsk, what a shame," Jiraiya said, lowering his right hand—the one he'd used to slice through the serpent restraining Hinata and launch Kabuto skyward.
Fukasaku and Shima still sat perched on his shoulders, and traces of frog-like features remained across his face. Clearly, he was still in Sage Mode.
"Not just because you threatened such a lovely girl, but also because you made me reveal this grotesque form in front of her."
"Shut up, Jiraiya! Don't badmouth Sage Mode!"
"You should know better than anyone how powerful Sage Mode is!" Shima shouted, bringing her staff down hard on Jiraiya's head.
"Good grief..." Kiba muttered. Akamaru barked in agreement at his side. "His chakra is unbelievable—almost as powerful as Naruto's! No—maybe even stronger! How can a human body hold so much chakra—and such powerful chakra at that!"
Strong enough to alter his physical form.
"Are you all okay?" Jiraiya asked. His voice was devoid of emotion. "Sorry I'm late. A small issue at the end took longer to handle than I anticipated."
"So now, do you still have the strength to face the reincarnated Sasuke Uchiha?"
Kabuto's voice suddenly rang out. Kiba and Shikamaru quickly rushed to Jiraiya's side, helping Hinata to her feet as she tried to recover.
"I underestimated you, Jiraiya," Kabuto said. "But I don't plan to use Sasuke Uchiha against you. I have an even more important mission for him."
"He sounds like he isn't hurt at all," Shikamaru said, glancing toward the pile of rubble where the serpent-shaped statue once stood. "What do we do now?"
"I'll handle him," Jiraiya declared, raising his remaining right hand and making a series of hand seals, clearly preparing to launch an attack.
"As for you three, go save the others immediately and then leave this place. That's an order."
If they stayed any longer, they'd only be in the way. "This is not a fight you should be part of."
From the pile of debris, Kabuto stepped forward unscathed—an astonishing sight that shocked everyone except Jiraiya.
Jiraiya wasn't surprised by his opponent's resilience. Even before Kabuto transformed into this monstrous half-human form, he had already been a formidable enemy.
Now, having fused with Orochimaru's DNA—and who knows what other twisted elements—he might have become unimaginably strong.
The members of Team 8 didn't want to abandon Jiraiya. Although he was powerful, he had lost one arm, and Kabuto's confident demeanor unsettled them.
But Jiraiya's eyes radiated killing intent, making it clear he wasn't asking for their opinion.
"Do you really think I'll let them escape?" Kabuto sneered.
"I know you will," Jiraiya replied casually, seemingly trying to provoke Kabuto. "Because if you dare to shift your focus away from me again, I'll make sure you never stand up again. That transformation technique you used earlier was quite fascinating. Let's see if you can regenerate after losing your head."
That was the signal for them to leave.
Exactly as Jiraiya had anticipated—or rather, intentionally provoked—the remaining Otogakure ninja dropped their weapons and let them through.
"You're awfully fond of the 'next generation,' aren't you? Then why try to destroy them? They're the brightest stars of the next generation."
"Is that right?"
Jiraiya said with a mocking tone, "No, you're not some shining new star. You're no different from those who mindlessly copy their seniors. You're just wasting that guy Orochimaru's efforts."
Although Jiraiya hated to admit it, he couldn't deny that before Orochimaru went astray, he had been the hardest-working and most dedicated ninja in Konoha.
He believed that even after abandoning the village, Orochimaru hadn't given up on his quest for power. But Kabuto stole others' abilities through genetic implantation—this was nothing short of a sin against one's own body.
"Why? Why would you do something like this?"
"Don't you understand?" Kabuto asked with a smile. "This is all part of trial and error! Everything I've done has been for this very moment! To achieve the goal even Lord Orochimaru couldn't accomplish! He wanted a perfect body, and through my research on Impure World Reincarnation, I've finally discovered the way to realize this goal!"
"What the heck is this kid babbling about?" Fukasaku asked, puzzled, but soon detected something strange. He sensed a familiar chakra coming from Kabuto. "He… he actually—"
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