"Is this brat... an immortal body?"
Seeing Akago, who had a water arrow piercing through his chest, now standing up from the ground unharmed, with a pair of fierce, malignant eyes like tangible blades staring back, Jiraiya felt a sudden jolt in his heart, his expression becoming much more serious.
The hole in Akago's chest had completely closed up, leaving only a tear in his clothing and the bloodstains on it as evidence of the fact his chest had been pierced through.
"Hey, hey, what's up with this kid? Little Jiraiya, what exactly are you fighting against?"
Referring to it as a thing, not a person.
Surviving with a pierced chest doesn't look like anything a normal human could do.
Wrapped in a black cloak on Jiraiya's shoulder, Shima Sage from Mount Myoboku muttered, feeling troubled, having been pierced through the chest by an Immortal Technique, his heart must have been shattered, yet surviving and automatically healing the wound... Such a bizarre occurrence felt unbelievable even to an immortal alive for eight hundred years.
Throughout her eight hundred years, she had seen many enemies who could regrow severed limbs, but someone who could survive with a pierced heart was a first.
Even an immortal like her would certainly die from a pierced heart.
How could a being from the Mortal Realm possess abilities surpassing those of an immortal?
"I'm sorry, big sister, I don't know much about this either; perhaps this brat was made into an experimental subject using Forbidden Techniques."
Jiraiya's eyes darkened.
This scene reminded him of unpleasant memories.
His closest friend, Orochimaru, had been obsessed with Forbidden Techniques, completely altering his body for the sake of so-called immortality, turning into an outcast, mercilessly harming his fellow village ninja.
Akago's anomaly, in his view, was likely a murder tool Hakushi created using Forbidden Techniques.
Using such a young child for human experimentation, Jiraiya's gaze at Hakushi grew even more intense with killing intent.
An evil ninja like this, if left unchecked, would only bring more disaster to the Ninja Realm.
"Seriously, at such an age, I really don't want to move around. Moreover, the Ninja war; we Immortals aren't suitable to get involved. Little Jiraiya, you're a bit reckless this time."
Fukasaku Sage, wrapped in a grey cloak on Jiraiya's right shoulder, was Shima Sage's partner, also an immortal living over eight hundred years.
He voiced some complaints, seemingly berating Jiraiya for dragging them into the mire of ninja warfare.
As immortals, they usually hid deep within Mount Myoboku, researching Immortal Techniques, honing their abilities, not particularly keen on the conflicts between great powers.
Of course, if it involved the Child of Prophecy, that would be another matter.
For Mount Myoboku, the Child of Prophecy is tantamount to a savior capable of rescuing the world, a presence that must be given importance.
"I don't think so. The reason I borrowed your power this time is that I've confirmed the identity of the 'Son of Destruction,' and had no choice but to take this desperate step."
Jiraiya spoke without any concealment.
"Son of Destruction?"
On Jiraiya's shoulder, Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage both displayed surprise, following Jiraiya's gaze and locking their sight on Hakushi.
No matter how they looked at it, the opponent didn't quite resemble the 'Son of Destruction' the Great Toad Sage talked about, lacking that oppressive aura.
"If this is true, then indeed caution is warranted."
Fukasaku Sage surveyed Hakushi with a deeply meaningful gaze, dubious about Jiraiya's judgment, whether it might be flawed, but now that they were there, they couldn't return empty-handed.
They could only assist Jiraiya to win this fight as best they could.
Son of Destruction? An interesting setup. Overhearing Jiraiya and the two frogs' conversation, Hakushi muttered internally.
Although this information seems deliberate with a mystical aura, Mount Myoboku's judgment of the prophecy's authenticity remains uncertain, yet overall, it seemed a valuable piece of intel.
At this, Shadow Dancer retreated, flawless as ever, having skillfully managed the fight with Sarutobi Linko, showing no sign of exhaustion.
Watching the revitalized Konoha Ninja, it seemed Jiraiya's official involvement infused them with limitless confidence and fighting spirit, their expressions distinctly different from before.
This is the influence of the Sannin, indeed.
Having been through two ninja wars, contributing countless merits to Konoha, their cohesive power was within Hakushi's expectations.
However, things could become a bit bothersome going forward.
Hakushi glanced obliquely towards Sarutobi Ryu, more precisely, towards the spear originally belonging to Akago that Sarutobi Ryu held.
Akago, too, shifted his malicious gaze from Jiraiya to the spear held by Sarutobi Ryu, as if it were extremely important to him.
Faced with Akago's glare, Sarutobi Ryu trembled slightly and grasped the spear tighter.
Suddenly, accompanied by the sound of air being pierced, Akago vanished from his spot, sprinting like a wild beast on four legs across the sand, lunging towards Sarutobi Ryu.
A shadow flickered, and Jiraiya's body darted out, attempting to intercept Akago.
Whoosh!
The sharp sound of cutting through air rang in his ears, Jiraiya's face changed, his body halted, diving onto the sand, narrowly dodging as the Shadow Blade swept overhead, slicing through air.