The pungent stench of blood lingered in the air.
Above, the sky was gradually clearing.
Warm sunlight spilled down, and Jiraiya tilted his head to look up.
Countless images flashed through his mind—
Familiar faces: Tsunade, Orochimaru, Sarutobi, Minato, Naruto…
"Be careful… This boy who suddenly appeared will bring a storm that shakes the entire shinobi world."
It is said that, in the moments before death, time slows to a crawl.
Now Jiraiya understood.
Everything around him seemed sluggish, dreamlike.
Long-buried memories resurfaced, sharp and vivid, racing from beginning to end.
He recalled the mudslide that first drove him to the cliff's edge.
Then the decoy—Yuichi's Wood Style clone drawing his focus—
before the true body shattered the earth behind him, forcing him into this battlefield that had been prepared in advance.
The darkness smothered his vision, ensuring that from the very beginning, he had been fighting from a disadvantage.
Yuichi's precision was no accident. His ability to sense chakra was extraordinary—
pinpointing Jiraiya's every move without fail.
Craft the battlefield.
Amplify his own strengths.
Turn them into an absolute advantage.
Even had they fought openly, Yuichi would not have been weaker. Yet he still exploited every possible element to tip the scales further.
That kind of opponent… was the most terrifying of all.
Not reckless. Not arrogant.
A predator who fought with patience and calculation.
The best proof of this was the last exchange.
Even when delivering a finishing strike, he had used trickery—
claiming his clone would not interfere, just to make Jiraiya hesitate for a fraction of a second.
Though Jiraiya never fully trusted those words, the point was clear.
This boy who had awakened Wood Style was unnervingly calm.
Even in the face of a dying enemy, he showed no trace of contempt.
Every moment, he attacked with absolute focus.
Never careless.
Against such an opponent, even full preparation would barely suffice.
Caught unawares as he was now… the outcome had already been decided.
Step once into the snare, and the trap closed from all sides—
relentless, airtight, every rhythm of battle stolen away.
Just like now.
Those clones had likely been stationed here all along, waiting for the final blow.
Whether he fought or fled—
Yuichi had accounted for it.
"Jiraiya! Jiraiya, what's happening? Are you all right!?"
The booming voice came from above.
Toad Bunta roared from the cliffside exit.
Though he couldn't see, the overwhelming reek of blood told him enough.
It was a terrible sign.
"That giant toad… what an eyesore."
Whshh!
Even as the words echoed, Yuichi's figure soared into the air, landing atop Bunta's massive head.
The toad lifted his gaze, startled, but before he could react—
A blaze erupted.
"Fire Style: Majestic Flame Annihilation!"
BOOM!
An ocean of fire surged forth, engulfing the summoning beast in an instant.
Flames roared through the cavern, surging like a crimson tide.
The underground space trembled under the onslaught.
Heat devoured everything.
The firestorm raced outward, consuming wood, stone, and flesh alike.
Bunta's eyes widened as the inferno swallowed him whole.
His skin split and burst under the searing pressure, blood boiling.
And through the blaze, he glimpsed the small silhouette at its core.
A boy.
A child.
Who could believe such a figure wielded this terrifying power?
The inferno raged on, shaking the earth itself.
Wooden pillars groaned under the flames, splintering one after another.
The cavern collapsed.
Stone shattered with deafening roars, echoes booming as if the earth itself howled.
Yuichi leapt upward, escaping through the exit Jiraiya had carved.
Landing outside, he cast a glance back at his clones.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Ten Wood Style clones seized Jiraiya's broken body, dragging him back into the blazing abyss.
Into the flames that now resembled hell itself.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rocked the ground.
Flames burst through the cracks in the wooden barriers.
Even Yuichi's own Wood Style was swallowed, reduced to cinders.
Without hesitation, Yuichi propelled himself up the rock wall, scaling swiftly to the cliff's top.
From there, he glanced back.
The underground chamber collapsed in on itself, pulling the gorge down with it.
Soon, the ravine would vanish completely, buried under rubble and fire.
And within that ruin—Jiraiya.
There could be no surviving it.
Yuichi exhaled softly.
A satisfied nod.
"It went far smoother than expected. Seems I've been underestimating my own strength."
Originally, he had drafted four battle strategies, with contingencies to escape Konoha at a moment's notice.
Every route, every backup plan—meticulously detailed.
Yet in the end, he had only needed the first plan.
The rest were unnecessary.
[Character Jiraiya's death has triggered the Character Ending Reward Selection.]
[Because Jiraiya died before his character development arc was unlocked, full rewards cannot be obtained.]
[Please choose whether to claim the ending reward.]
[Please select]
Claim the ending reward — obtain a portion of Jiraiya's abilities or ninjutsu.
Forgo the ending reward — instead receive a random set of "Escape Grandmaster" techniques.