"Besides, who said I was the only reinforcement?"
Obito pointed to his own eye, hinting at Jiraiya.
Seeing Obito's gesture, Jiraiya's expression turned to understanding.
"Looks like we can finally make our move."
A grin spread across Jiraiya's face as he turned toward Aburame Shikuro.
Though always quiet, the Aburame clan had forever been the most reliable of comrades.
Receiving the signal, Aburame Shikuro raised both hands. From the gourd strapped to his back, a tiny black speck silently drifted out.
The nearly invisible black kikaichū wobbled its way onto the body of a Sky Ninja on lookout duty and began to breed rapidly.
"What's going on?"
By the time the man noticed the strange sensation crawling over his skin, the kikaichū had already multiplied to their peak.
"Insects?"
A Sky Ninja standing a bit further away noticed something wrong and immediately went to ring the alarm—
"Heh!"
A wooden sandal slammed into his face. With a hearty laugh, Jiraiya struck down the other two with his hair techniques.
"Now then, it's time for the great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, the man whose name shakes the ninja world—"
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Jiraiya didn't even get to finish his self-introduction before a roaring dragon of fire surged through the Sky Ninja devoured by the kikaichū and shot straight toward him.
"How rude."
Before the flames could engulf him, Jiraiya's legs tensed. He leapt high into the air with explosive power few shinobi could muster.
He'd already spotted the direction the attack came from. Forming hand seals midair, he countered with his own jutsu:
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
The massive fireball—far larger than the previous dragon—shot downward, erupting in a thunderous explosion upon impact.
"An attack?!"
Inside, Shinno—who'd been zealously promoting the Akatsuki organization—felt the floor tremble beneath him. His face turned cold as he rose from his seat.
"Do you require my men's assistance?"
Yomi offered politely, ready to help.
"What kind of host lets a guest handle his problems?"
Shinno replied indifferently.
He had already mastered the Eight Gates technique and fully understood the principles behind the Zero-Tails' Technique.
At this point, he was confident he could even fight the Fifth Hokage head-on.
"Is that so?"
Yomi didn't insist. She simply sat back down, smiling faintly, and waited to watch the show.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Out in the corridor, a large group of Sky Ninja rushing toward the disturbance ran right into Jiraiya. Before they could react, his ferocious fire dragons consumed them whole.
When the screams finally ceased, the corridor was filled with nothing but blackened ashes.
"Eight Gates—Sixth Gate, View Gate—open!"
Without sparing the debris a glance, Jiraiya was just about to move forward when a green blur suddenly shot toward him at incredible speed.
"Nani?!"
A dark shadow loomed over him. Sensing danger, Jiraiya quickly crossed his arms to block the incoming strike.
Even with his body reinforced by chakra, the impact sent searing pain through him—he could feel his bones cracking under the pressure.
Landing hard, he immediately bit his finger and slammed his palm to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"What's going on, Jirai—"
Before the toad with the iron-arm could even assess the situation, a vicious kick sent it flying across the room.
"You've got to be kidding me... even the Iron-Arm Toad couldn't stop this guy?"
Jiraiya knew better than anyone how tough that toad's defense was. Seeing it brushed aside so easily, he began frantically analyzing countermeasures.
"Take this!"
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!"
Hearing Shinno's roar tear through the air, Jiraiya didn't even look to check on the toad. His hair instantly hardened, wrapping around his entire body in a spiky cocoon.
The sharp spikes pierced Shinno's palm—but even so, the immense force behind his punch sent Jiraiya staggering backward several steps.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Taking advantage of the moment when Shinno's hand was still impaled on his spikes, Jiraiya steadied his footing and unleashed the jutsu, trying to trap the man in a mire.
As for himself, he could easily escape the swamp's area by using another summoning technique.
"So it's you... one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya."
Recognition flickered in Shinno's eyes. With a cold sneer, he ripped his hand free from the spikes.
Jiraiya's expression shifted as he watched in disbelief—the gaping wound in Shinno's palm was healing at an astonishing rate, closing completely within seconds.
The green hue surrounding his body shifted to blue as another Gate opened.
"Seventh Gate, Wonder Gate—open!"
A powerful shockwave burst outward from Shinno, shredding the swamp apart and scattering mud in all directions.
"Die! Daytime Tiger!"
Releasing such a devastating technique at point-blank range, combined with his earlier rapid regeneration, told Jiraiya everything—this opponent had some form of high-speed healing.
"Body Regeneration Technique...?"
He recalled Orochimaru once theorizing about such an ability—never expecting to see it realized here, in this Sky Ninja.
The Daytime Tiger exploded at close range, collapsing the entire corridor. Even the massive Angkor Fortress shook violently, a gaping hole torn through its walls by the force.
"What's going on?!"
Inuzuka Tsume snapped her head toward the sound—just in time to see a blue figure burst through the fortress, charging straight at her.
"Watch out!"
Aburame Shikuro quickly summoned his kikaichū, weaving them into a massive web that intercepted Shinno's advance.
"There's two more of you? No matter."
He sneered.
"If even the so-called Legendary Sannin Jiraiya was blown to dust by my power, then the two of you are nothing but insects waiting your turn."