Chapter 101: HADO:90 The Black Coffin
"Do not seek aesthetics in battle, nor cling to virtue when death is required."
"If you wish to protect that which is worth protecting, you must be prepared to kill your enemies from behind without hesitation."
As Aizen's final word fell, he moved with speed that defied reality.
In an instant, he seemed to bypass the very concept of space, materializing directly behind Jiraiya.
SHING!
Kyōka Suigetsu, held high, cut a crescent moon of deadly light through the air, aimed to bisect the Sannin from behind.
"Lord Jiraiya, look out!"
The two incapacitated Konoha jonin could only watch and shout a futile warning. Aizen's speed was such that they hadn't even seen him move. By the time Guy registered the threat, the Zanpakutō was already descending upon Jiraiya's back.
"Do you believe victory in battle is the result of your earnest effort?"
"No. It is simply because I allow it."
Aizen brought his blade down.
"It's too fast...!" Jiraiya's face paled. The situation was so critical he didn't even have time to turn.
Acting on pure instinct, Jiraiya slammed his palms together, channeling a surge of chakra into the long, white hair flowing down his back.
"Hair Needle Senbon!"
His hair instantly lengthened and hardened, the individual strands sharpening into thousands of steel-like needles. They erupted from his back like a defensive lion's mane, a dense, impenetrable thicket aimed to entangle Aizen and his blade. The hardened hair was strong enough to shred flesh and steel.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The hair needles struck Kyōka Suigetsu's descending blade in a rapid, sharp cacophony. But it was useless. They could not halt the sword's inevitable path.
RIIIP!
The sharp edge sheared through the protective mane of white hair. Not stopping there, it bit deep into Jiraiya's right shoulder, opening a grievous, bloody wound.
"Ghuh!" Jiraiya grunted in pain. With a desperate, backhanded motion, he thrust the still-spinning Rasengan toward Aizen, but the attack was effortlessly parried by a flick of Kyōka Suigetsu.
Screech! Screech! Screech!
The chakra cyclone of the Rasengan scraped and shrieked against the spiritual steel of the Zanpakutō. Using the briefest of distractions, Jiraiya activated the Body Flicker Technique, putting a desperate distance between himself and his opponent.
"That strike did not kill you, Jiraiya," Aizen said, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes. "You truly are the man I anticipated."
In truth, even at half his peak power, a casual strike from Aizen was no small thing. For Jiraiya to have used a defensive ninjutsu and escaped with his life in such a passive situation was a remarkable feat.
"His speed is monstrous... I have to maintain my distance," Jiraiya panted, his hand clamped over his bleeding shoulder. He glanced to the side, where the battle between Gamabunta and Shukaku was reaching a fever pitch. The Toad Boss was being relentlessly pressed back by the Tailed Beast's savage assaults. It was only a matter of time before he was defeated.
"What is wrong, Jiraiya?" Aizen asked, his voice smooth and condescending. "As one of the Legendary Sannin, why do I see a flicker of hesitation in your eyes?"
After testing his opponent, Aizen was now firmly in control of the battle's tempo. He held every advantage.
Jiraiya knew there was only one path to victory, one chance to turn the tables: Sage Mode.
The power of Sage Chakra, which blended natural energy, was unique and potent, fundamentally different from ordinary chakra. It was the only thing that might overcome Aizen's overwhelming superiority.
But Jiraiya hesitated. Using Sage Mode came with severe limitations, the most critical being that his body had to remain perfectly still to gather the natural energy from his surroundings.
And against Aizen's transcendent Shunpo, finding a moment of perfect stillness was an impossible luxury.
"You are mistaken, Aizen Sōsuke," Jiraiya responded, his voice steadying despite his wound. "When I look back, my life has been a string of failures. Compared to the great deeds of the Hokage who came before me, my own actions seem so trivial and meaningless."
"Fleeing the village, leaving Konoha under the flimsy pretext of gathering material for my novels... these were the naive actions of a younger man."
A deep regret was etched on Jiraiya's face. For years, he had contributed little to Konoha, even abandoning it in a form of self-imposed exile.
Returning now, seeing the village of twenty years past changed, its people grown, and its leader, the Third Hokage, slain by the man before him... it was a painful homecoming.
"Today," Jiraiya declared, his eyes hardening with finality, "I will accomplish a feat that will obliterate all my past failures. I will die a true shinobi. Even in death, I will drag you down to the depths of hell with me."
His spirit burned with a resolute fire. He had made his decision. He would use Sage Mode, no matter the cost.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Jiraiya's hands formed the seal, and with a heavy BAMF!, a thick mist exploded outwards, obscuring the area.
When it cleared, another colossal toad stood revealed, its size rivaling Gamabunta's. It had vibrant red skin and two fierce, dark tear marks running from its eyes. In its left hand, it held a massive, kettle-like shield, and in its right, a formidable spiked club. This was one of Mount Myōboku's elite, the toad Gamaken.
Jiraiya had summoned Gamaken for his impeccable defensive capabilities. Of all the great toads, he was the sturdiest shield.
If Gamaken could just buy him a few moments, just hold Aizen at bay, then Jiraiya was certain he could complete the Sage Mode transformation.
"Another toad? How tedious." Aizen stood unmoved in the air, looking down upon the new arrival. "It makes no difference to the naked eye whether the dust motes are one or two."
He descended until he was level with Gamaken, lowering Kyōka Suigetsu slightly. Then, he began to chant, his voice resonating with power.
"The unworthy vessel, shrouded in darkness."
"Arrogant mortal, drunk on your fleeting power."
"Deny the rising tide, wallow in your paralysis, and let this moment be your eternal slumber."
"The iron maiden who crawls, the marionette of self-inflicted torment."
"Combine, reject, and extend thy reach to the earth itself."
"Know thine own utter powerlessness!"
"Hadō Number Ninety: Kurohitsugi!"
The space around the massive toad Gamaken distorted violently. From the nothingness, enormous panels of pure black energy, etched with glowing white lines, materialized and slammed together, forming a gigantic, rectangular coffin that encased the summoned toad completely. A cross of spiritual energy manifested upon its face before the entire structure constricted inwards with a sound of crushing, finality.
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