"Jiraiya boy, are you in trouble again?" Fukasaku and Shima, the two Sage Toads, were summoned.
"Great Sages, I've encountered an extraordinary enemy and have no choice but to seek your help," Jiraiya responded.
"Even with your current strength, you can't handle it?" Fukasaku asked in disbelief. But when he saw Nagato standing across from them, he immediately understood.
"The Rinnegan! No wonder you summoned us."
"Alright then, let's face them together," the two Sages jumped onto Jiraiya's shoulders, just like they used to.
But this time, Jiraiya refused. "No, Great Sages." "I need you to assist Bunta and the others in dealing with the summoned beasts. The enemy's ability calculates the cooldown of their technique based on the strength of our attacks. In this situation, Bunta and the others are very useful."
Fukasaku nodded in understanding. "Got it."
"So you've already figured out my ability. As expected of Jiraiya-sensei," Nagato remarked.
He suddenly sprinted forward, closing the distance and initiating close-quarters combat with Jiraiya.
Without the Six Paths of Pain and with his summoned beasts neutralized, Nagato's offensive options were limited for a Kage-level opponent. He still had Planetary Devastation in his arsenal, but it wasn't yet time to use such a trump card.
He's coming at me directly? What a chance!
Jiraiya also charged toward Nagato. The two clashed in a series of taijutsu exchanges. As Jiraiya turned to reposition, a Rasengan suddenly formed in his hand, aimed directly at Nagato's abdomen.
"Rasengan!"
Sizzle!
The Rasengan was absorbed by the Preta Path's ability. Seizing Jiraiya's moment of shock, Nagato grabbed his arm. When his attempt to stab Jiraiya with a black rod was blocked, he immediately unleashed Almighty Push.
"Argh!" Jiraiya groaned in pain as he was slammed to the ground. While Almighty Push was less lethal against Kage-level opponents, the zero-distance impact, combined with Nagato's grip on Jiraiya's arm, significantly amplified its damage.
Fortunately, Sage Mode enhanced all of Jiraiya's abilities, so his injuries weren't too severe.
Universal Pull!
Suddenly, just as Jiraiya was about to get up, a hidden Wood Clone attacked. This was the brilliance of the Wood Clone technique—it could even replicate ocular jutsu. For instance, later on, Madara would use Wood Clones to activate Susano'o.
In contrast, Shadow Clones couldn't achieve this level of replication.
Damn it!
Jiraiya was startled, unable to control his movements as Nagato's main body pursued relentlessly.
"Sage Art: Needle Jizō!" In desperation, Jiraiya enveloped himself in his hardened white hair, each strand tougher than ordinary blades, turning him into a human porcupine.
"Hmph!" Nagato hesitated for a moment, but Konan's paper infused with explosive tags swiftly adhered to Jiraiya's hair, detonating in a series of explosions.
"Konan, ordinary explosive tags won't work on me!"
"Wait... what is this..." Jiraiya's shocked voice emerged from the explosions. The number of explosive tags wasn't decreasing; instead, it was multiplying geometrically with each detonation.
"The Second Hokage's Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags!" Jiraiya's real body emerged from another direction, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "If that had been my real body earlier, I might have died."
"After all, even Tailed Beasts can't withstand this technique."
Was that a Shadow Clone technique used at the moment he was blasted away by Almighty Push? Nagato pondered silently, though his hands never stopped moving.
This time, both Nagato's main body and his Wood Clone charged at Jiraiya, engaging in close combat.
"Sage Art: Giant Flame Bullet!" Jiraiya unleashed another Fire Release, retreating rapidly while Nagato absorbed the chakra. Earlier, Jiraiya had tried to close the distance, but now he realized that fighting up close alone made things even harder.
"Bunta, are you done over there yet?" Jiraiya shouted.
He was reaching his limit. It wasn't that his strength was lacking, but his opponent was equally strong and countered him perfectly. His Sage techniques were either repelled or absorbed.
How am I supposed to fight like this?
"On it!" Gamabunta leapt over, his massive form causing the ground to quake. He was followed by Gamaken, Gamahiro, and the two Sage Toads, Fukasaku and Shima.
The three summoned beasts on Nagato's side had been completely annihilated.
"Nagato, are you alright?" Konan asked.
Both she and Nagato had been holding back in this fight. After all, Jiraiya was their former teacher, and Nagato no longer adhered to his previous path.
Otherwise, just Konan's Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags alone would have been enough to obliterate the Three Great Toads of Mount Myōboku.
Nagato nodded. "Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei has been in my trap from the beginning." "No matter what, I've already won."
On the other side, Jiraiya, bolstered by reinforcements, regained his confidence.
"Prepare yourself, Nagato!"
"Although I'm clumsy, I'll do my best!" Gamaken was the first to attack but was swiftly dodged by Nagato.
"Toad Whirlwind Slash!" This time it was Gamahiro, charging with dual blades. Nagato had just landed and couldn't dodge in time.
"Almighty Push!"
Gamahiro's movements faltered as he was sent flying.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Now's the time!"
Having used enough force to repel Gamahiro, Nagato's Almighty Push would require at least a one- to two-second cooldown.
Gamabunta leapt into the air, but his target wasn't Nagato—it was Konan. His goal was to prevent her from intervening.
As explosive tags quickly covered Gamabunta's belly, he froze in place.
"Jiraiya, you'd better hurry! I'm about to be blown to pieces!" Gamabunta shouted.
At the same time, Jiraiya launched his attack. While sprinting, he unleashed his most powerful Fire Release: "Sage Art: Goemon!"
Sizzle!
Nagato's Wood Clone stepped forward, using the Preta Path's ability to absorb the Fire Release. While the main body could also absorb it, using the Preta Path rendered the user immobile. This powerful Sage Art wasn't something that could be absorbed in an instant like the Rasengan.
Huh? What's happening?
Nagato noticed his Wood Clone gradually transforming into a frog-like creature.
"Nagato, the Sage Chakra of Mount Myōboku isn't something you can absorb casually. With this, your clone is neutralized," Jiraiya explained. He had anticipated this and deliberately used such a powerful technique to eliminate Nagato's clone in one move.
Now, only Nagato's main body remained, and he couldn't use his strange repulsive ability for the moment.
"Great Sages!"
"Understood!" Fukasaku and Shima attacked simultaneously.
"Sage Art: Frog Strike!" They punched the air from a distance, but the shockwaves directly struck Nagato's face, disrupting his taijutsu movements and leaving him unable to defend against Jiraiya's next attack.
"Nagato, I've won..." Jiraiya felt a sharp pain and looked down to see his right chest pierced by a Wood Release spike. In that brief moment, everything became clear.
So that's it. Konan's explosive tags weren't meant to conceal the clone—they were meant to hide the Wood Release. They had been waiting for him to create an opportunity, lower his guard, and then deliver a fatal blow.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I've won," Nagato said, gazing at the distant explosions. Not just this battle between us, but the war between Amegakure and Konoha—I will win!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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