Thanks to healing support and entering Sage Mode, Jiraiya's pressure was finally much reduced.
Though he was still being overwhelmed by the Six Paths of Pain,
At least he could hold on for a bit longer now.
And sure enough.
Before long, exactly as Jiraiya predicted,
As the Animal Path's summoned beasts vanished,
Konoha gradually freed up personnel
And began sending reinforcements to this location.
Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, Nara Shikaku, Inuzuka Tsume... and others.
Except those who had already fallen in battle,
Many clan heads and ninja from Konoha's major families arrived one after another, joining the fight.
Of course, only the Jonin were allowed to stay.
All other ninja were quickly driven back by Jiraiya.
In a battle of this level,
Even Jonin could do little more than distract or draw fire.
If lower-ranked ninja joined in, they'd just be walking into their deaths...
Still, these clan ninja did have family-secret techniques.
Like the Nara Clan's [Shadow Mirror Body Changing Method], the Yamanaka Clan's [Mind Body Disturbance Technique], [Telepathic Connection Technique], and so on.
Caught off guard, these unexpected techniques actually had a real impact—
Causing repeated obstacles for the Six Paths of Pain and disrupting their attack rhythm.
"Whoosh—"
Suddenly, another figure landed onto the battlefield.
"Jiraiya!"
"Old man, so you really aren't dead!"
Seeing Sarutobi arrive, Jiraiya let out a breath of relief and called out excitedly.
He quickly summoned a basic clone to brief Sarutobi on the battlefield situation and the enemy's capabilities.
"What nonsense is that, talking about life and death..."
"But I must thank Aburame Shibi and the others, otherwise I would've fallen there too!"
"That brat Shimoku Uchiha's growth speed truly exceeds my expectations..."
Recalling the terror of being dominated by five Susano'o clones,
Even Sarutobi couldn't help but twitch his mouth, secretly shuddering.
"They all...?"
Sarutobi: "They all sacrificed themselves..."
"Now isn't the time to dwell on this. How are things going on your end?"
Jiraiya: "The enemy is extremely powerful! There are six of them in total, all possess the legendary Rinnegan and can share their vision. It seems each one can only wield a single type of power..."
Sarutobi: "Even with you in Sage Mode, you still can't defeat them?"
Jiraiya: "Exactly. Fortunately Tsunade arrived just in time. Otherwise I would've died here already..."
"Tsunade is back?"
"Great! Some good news at last!"
Sarutobi exhaled thickly, slightly rejuvenated.
Looking up carefully, he indeed saw a familiar female figure wreaking havoc across the battlefield.
Hearing this,
Tsunade withdrew from combat and glanced at Sarutobi.
Learning through Katsuyu how Sarutobi had lost his left hand, was covered in blood, and looked utterly battered and dust-covered,
She couldn't help but click her tongue:
"Old man, how could you get yourself into such a mess?"
Sarutobi: "I lost to a young Uchiha."
"That kid's power has already gone beyond my comprehension..."
Tsunade: "What kid? Uchiha?"
"Oh! Seems like Uchiha really did defect..."
"But you, old man—how could you lose to just a kid? Stop making things up!"
Barefoot and blindfolded, Tsunade was clearly in a terrible mood.
She felt Sarutobi was spouting complete nonsense.
How could an old fox who'd lived over sixty years be defeated by a teenager?
"Stop chatting! I can't hold him off much longer!"
"Old man, come help me out here!"
Far away, Jiraiya's real body roared in the middle of fierce battle,
Calling on Sarutobi and the others to join the fight.
"Right!"
Sarutobi, who had been biting back his frustration, immediately sprang into action.
Together with many Konoha ninjas, he also entered the battlefield.
Ganging up on one opponent—this was the standard tactic of the great Hidden Villages.
Someone like Jiraiya, who soloed the Six Paths of Pain alone, was indeed an unexpected exception...
With that,
The balance tipped instantly.
Konoha finally suppressed the Six Paths of Pain through their numerical advantage.
...
"Well well! Looks like quite a few people showed up. Even your teacher came too!"
Seeing Sarutobi and the others gradually entering the battlefield, Shimoku smirked again with amusement.
"Earlier, you had a chance to kill him..."
Orochimaru asked back sinisterly.
Clearly, through his snake clone, he had witnessed everything from when Shimoku's clone fought against Sarutobi and the others.
Or more accurately,
Across the entire Hidden Leaf Village,
Orochimaru had eyes everywhere...
"Chance? What chance?"
"Do you think he knows more [Kinjutsu] than you? Or do you think Hiruzen Sarutobi knows more [Kinjutsu]?"
Shimoku turned his head, staring at Orochimaru while asking.
Orochimaru hesitated briefly before honestly replying:
"At present, it should be him who knows more..."
After all, Sarutobi was a full generation older than Orochimaru.
Of course, considering Orochimaru's learning speed and lifespan,
Surpassing Sarutobi was only a matter of time.
"So then, how can you be sure that old man doesn't have some ultimate [Suicide Technique] hidden away?"
"Pushing a Kage into a desperate corner is never a wise choice unless absolutely necessary..."
"Besides, tell me honestly—do you really believe there's any forbidden technique in Konoha he hasn't had access to because of his position?"
Shimoku's questioning made Orochimaru's heart tremble slightly, followed by a subtle embarrassed chuckle.
Exactly as Shimoku said.
He himself had gained immense strength simply from stealing glimpses of several forbidden techniques.
As for Sarutobi, who openly possessed the authority to review every single forbidden scroll in Konoha,
How could he not have mastered certain trump card techniques?
Even the [Suicide Techniques] he knew of were already numerous,
Not to mention countless other unknown [Kinjutsu].
So that's what he was worried about all along.
That kid really is clever—and incredibly cautious about his own life.
Shimoku: "So many Konoha ninjas have arrived. Looks like the Six Paths of Pain won't be easy to handle anymore..."
"Tell me, who do you think will win in the end?"
Orochimaru: "If they're willing to risk everything, Konoha might stand a chance..."
"But with us here, the old man probably won't dare go all out!"
Orochimaru mused.
Before his words had fully faded away,
Suddenly, another massive barrier rapidly rose up,
Enclosing the Konoha forces and the Six Paths of Pain inside,
While completely sealing off Shimoku, Orochimaru, Konan, and other observers outside.
"A barrier?"
"Looks like Konoha is really going all in!"
...
Just as Shimoku predicted,
Inside the barrier, Konoha's forces were indeed preparing to fight with their lives...
They had no way out!
In the recent fierce battle, they had already managed to kill three of the Six Paths of Pain.
But quickly, those killed were resurrected by the Naraka Path.
Considering this,
If they didn't use the barrier to trap the enemy and destroy the Naraka Path at all costs,
The battle dragging on any further...
Konoha would surely face total defeat!
Moreover, whether it was Sarutobi or Jiraiya,
They all realized something:
In fact, this Six Paths of Pain represented Akatsuki's core leadership and primary fighting strength.
Once they defeated them,
This attack targeting Konoha would begin to collapse piece by piece.
Therefore, this was truly their final decisive battle!
There was no room for restraint anymore...
"Die!"
"Attack!"
"For Konoha!"
"For the Hokage!"
With every roar, the two sides charged again, clashing violently with no mercy shown.
Konoha was losing lives every second.
Yet, through sheer determination, the Six Paths of Pain were genuinely being suppressed.
Clearly, unless one side was completely annihilated,
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