Chapter 342: Akshia's Essence
Konoha Hospital.
"Wasabi!"
Just as the voice rang out, Boruto pushed open the door to the hospital room and rushed in. Seeing Wasabi lying there safe and sound, he instinctively let out a breath of relief.
"Boruto? Why are you here? Has the enemy invading the village been dealt with?"
Shikamaru frowned slightly as he looked at Boruto, who had appeared out of nowhere, and asked.
"Not yet. It's just... I had a feeling something was off with the enemy, so I came to check things out..." Boruto replied. At that moment, Wasabi stirred from the bed and slowly opened his eyes. "Wasabi, are you okay?"
Boruto hurried forward, his voice full of concern.
"I'm fine. Did something happen, Boruto?"
Wasabi looked at him in confusion.
"The village was attacked, that's all. Don't worry, Wasabi. I can handle it on my own without a problem."
Boruto smiled, reassuring him.
"Wasabi, did you have any dreams about the future just now?"
Shikamaru asked from the side.
"No," Wasabi shook his head.
"Shikamaru! Look outside!"
Hearing Ino's voice calling out, Shikamaru and Boruto turned their heads toward the window. Shikamaru looked at the fireworks bursting in the sky. "That direction... it's the Hokage Tower!"
Hokage Tower.
"Who are you?!"
Three Konoha Anbu shinobi responsible for guarding the Hokage Tower appeared, immediately taking up defensive stances as they faced the Gray Wolf Clone No. 4's Wood Clone and Red Wolf in front of them.
Although most ninja had gone to the main battlefield to support or provide aid, the Hokage Tower — the most critical building in the village and the one holding the most confidential information — was still guarded by three Anbu operatives.
The moment they saw the enemy, one of them quickly launched a small signal firework into the sky.
"It's a distress flare!" Once a member of Konoha himself, Jiraiya looked up at the familiar flare in the sky and said, "We need to speed things up. You go install that thing inside the Hokage Tower — I'll handle them."
If they left the Gray Wolf Clone No. 4's Wood Clone to deal with the Anbu, none of them would survive.
"Got it."
The Wood Clone nodded and dashed forward with the canister in its arms.
"Stop him!"
"Not a chance!" Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals. "Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
The gray wolf fur on his body rapidly lengthened and wrapped around one of the Anbu trying to block the clone's path.
The other two immediately shifted tactics to rescue their comrade first.
Ever since Kakashi became the Sixth Hokage, fewer and fewer missions involved sacrificing comrades for the village's sake. By the time Naruto became the Seventh Hokage, such things had virtually disappeared.
"They didn't abandon their comrade, huh…"
Jiraiya nodded in approval as the other two Anbu leapt in to help.
"Water Release: Tidal Surge!"
"Lightning Release: Thunderclap Arrow!"
By using the conductivity of water, the power and range of the Thunderclap Arrow was amplified — a simple but effective combination jutsu. Because Jiraiya had the captured Anbu completely enveloped in his fur, their teammate wouldn't be harmed by the lightning.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Jiraiya clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground, erecting an earthen wall that blocked the onrushing wave. Then, from over the top of the wall, he threw the trapped Anbu wrapped in fur.
"Catch him!"
"Yes, Captain!"
One of the Anbu leapt up to catch the airborne comrade — but the instant he did, the "comrade" turned into a kunai tied with an explosive tag.
"What?!"
Jiraiya detonated it with his chakra. The explosion caught the Anbu off guard, and he crashed to the ground, knocked out and incapacitated.
"It's admirable to want to save your comrades... but that can easily be used against you, putting yourself in danger too."
Jiraiya's words carried more the tone of a lesson than mockery — the kind of wisdom forged through countless life-and-death battles.
The real Anbu wrapped in his fur, deprived of oxygen, had also passed out and lost the ability to fight.
Only the captain of the three-man squad remained standing.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"
Unfazed by the loss of his teammates, the captain steeled himself for a do-or-die fight.
By using lightning to stimulate his own body, he could enhance his physical capabilities. While a short burst posed no danger, prolonged high-intensity combat — especially against an opponent like Jiraiya — could leave him paralyzed or even dead. Still, he was fully prepared for that risk.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never go out..."
Looking at the crackling chakra surging over the captain's body, Jiraiya muttered, "Old man, I think you'd be proud of the Leaf Village today."
"Lightning Release: Thunderstorm Fist!"
Though it looked simple — just lightning chakra cloaking a punch — the jutsu required incredibly precise chakra control. Without that, the technique would backfire and injure the user instead.
"Such a fine ninja… I can't let him die by our hands..."
Watching the charging Anbu, Jiraiya smiled and effortlessly entered Sage Mode. Ever since gaining an animal's body, activating Sage Mode had become much easier.
"Sage Art: Fire Style—... Hmph. Hell Swamp!"
He said "Fire Style," but his hand signs were for Earth Style.
The Hell Swamp created through Sage Mode was wider, stronger, and much harder to detect.
"What?!"
Caught off guard, the Anbu was swallowed up by the Hell Swamp, his body trapped and unable to move.
One round was all Jiraiya needed to neutralize his desperate resistance.
"That's that."
Jiraiya clapped his hands together.
At the same time, the Gray Wolf Clone No. 4's Wood Clone had reached the rooftop of the Hokage Tower and placed the canister at its center. It pressed the button to activate it.
The container holding the ice egg opened, unleashing a chilling cold that instantly froze the Wood Clone solid. A white mist curled from its mouth as it disintegrated.
Everyone in the village shivered in that instant.
"Little Gray, send the signal. Time to withdraw."
Sensing the message from the now-vanished clone, Gray Wolf Clone No. 4 turned to Little Gray.
"Okay."
Little Gray nodded and fired a small signal flare into the sky.
Jiraiya, who had noticed the creeping frost spreading from the Hokage Tower's rooftop, had already retreated beforehand.
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