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Deep croaks vibrated from the tiny form on his shoulder. "The Toad Song. It will take my wife and I some time to gather sufficient sage chakra. During that process, we cannot assist in combat. While it appears he cannot unleash that attack a second time, that state of his remains troublesome. Will you be alright on your own?"
Jiraiya rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his pale wrist. "Wood Release is the bane of Tailed Beast chakra. I specifically sought guidance from a Wood Release expert—Yamato—on techniques to suppress a beast."
From his other shoulder, Shima chirped. "Little Jiraiya. He only has four tails manifest, but judging from the scale of that last Tailed Beast Bomb, he's operating at the level of eight. Can your Wood Release truly hold him?"
"By myself? No. Impossible," Jiraiya admitted, his gaze unwavering. "But Naruto still wears that crystal necklace infused with the First Hokage's chakra. With that item… I can try."
Satisfied, the two toad sages finally settled. They clasped their tiny palms together. The long, deep hum of the Toad Song began to gather in their throats.
"But you must be careful! Avoid close-quarters combat at all costs!"
Naruto-Bōchō's eyes darkened. "If ranged attacks fail… I'll settle this up close."
BOOM…!!
He dropped to all fours. A wave of pure, violent pressure erupted from him as he charged.
"Such terrifying force… A single direct hit would kill me, Sage Mode or not!"
— Sage Art: Flame Bullet Barrage!
Jiraiya formed a seal before his chest. Balls of fire shot forth like machine-gun rounds, blanketing the approach in a web of explosions, trying to halt the oncoming monster.
Naruto-Bōchō weaved. He zigzagged through the falling inferno with contemptuous ease.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Right. I almost forgot. With those Sharingan, he can track and evade attacks even at this speed. In that case…"
He subtly lowered his hands from the seal.
BOOM! BOOM!
After a series of evasive bursts, Naruto-Bōchō broke through the curtain of fire, closing to within ten meters!
A slight smirk touched Jiraiya's lips. He raised his right hand. "An attack you can't see. Taste it."
Whoosh.
A sudden, inexplicable gust of wind rushed against Naruto-Bōchō's face.
"Hm…? What is this?"
— Frog Kata: Fist!
THWACK…!
The next instant, a crushing fist of invisible natural energy smashed square into his jaw!!
"URGH…!!!"
He spiraled through the air, landing in a heap, utterly dazed.
The Raikage, prone on the ground, roared his approval. "HELL YEAH!!!"
Tap!
Jiraiya kicked off his wooden sandals. He shot forward in a burst of speed, hands already forming another seal.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Eight towering wooden pillars, their heads crowned with iron spikes and carved beast faces, erupted from the earth, encircling the stunned Naruto-Bōchō.
"Damn it…"
Naruto-Bōchō pushed himself up with his single arm. Jiraiya was already upon him. His right hand shot out, palm striking true against the base of Naruto-Bōchō's neck.
Slap!
As his hand connected, Jiraiya's momentum halted instantly. He backpedaled swiftly. A green tether of chakra—drawn from the necklace—snaked from his right hand, coiling around his left eye.
Zzzzt. The kanji for 'Seat' glowed on Jiraiya's left palm. He aimed it, palm-out, at the trapped figure.
— Hokage-Style Sealing Jutsu: Enclosing Palm Suppression!
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
The eight pillars shuddered and lurched inward, converging with devastating crushing force. The four crimson tails coiled uselessly against Naruto-Bōchō's back. The black, corrosive chakra cloak began to recede rapidly from his skin.
Yet, pinned and suppressed, Naruto-Bōchō… laughed. A deep, roaring, utterly exhilarated laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Jiraiya! You continue to surprise me! You've even forced me to look at this 'Naruto' brat in a new light! But let me teach you one thing!!"
His remaining right arm, muscles straining against the immense pressure, rose with torturous slowness. His fingers closed around the crystal necklace at his own throat.
— "To forge iron, you need a strong hammer yourself! Rely on external power… and that power becomes your weakness!!!"
He wrenched the necklace free. CRACK. His fist clenched. The crystal shattered into glittering dust.
Fzzzt…!!!
The green chakra tether connected to Jiraiya's hand snapped.
Without the necklace's power, the crushing force of the Wood Release pillars instantly faltered.
Crack! Crack!
Fissures raced up the ancient wood. Naruto-Bōchō was about to break free!
"Gero! Gero!"
Even Deep and Shima, absorbed in their chant, felt a spike of anxiety.
But Jiraiya remained ice-cold. His now-free right hand darted to his waist. He pulled a scroll free with his teeth.
"Bōchō! I'll return those words right back to you!!"
— Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!
Crunch!
A massive, gnarled tree erupted from Jiraiya's left shoulder. Its branches lashed out, coiling around Naruto-Bōchō's torso.
"Last desperate struggle?" Naruto-Bōchō grunted.
Wrong. The scroll in Jiraiya's teeth unfurled. It was the same scroll he'd used in the Fifth Bout to seal Sasuke's black flames.
— Fire Release Seal: Unbind!
Fwoosh…!!
Black fire—Amaterasu—spilled from the scroll. It raced along the wooden branches, igniting the remnants of the corrosive chakra cloak.
Naruto-Bōchō's eyes widened. "Amaterasu…!?"
ROAR…!!!
He exploded free of the wood, lurching backward. The viscous, flowing chakra cloak expanded, then sloughed off his body entirely, taking the clinging black fire with it.
"To use my own technique against me… to break my Cursed Fox Chakra Mode!"
BOOM!
Jiraiya pressed the attack, closing the distance.
Caught off guard, Naruto-Bōchō summoned a skeletal ribcage of Susano'o to block.
Jiraiya landed, his hands already moving.
— Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
Glug. Glug. Glug…!!
The ground beneath the Susano'o ribs turned to sucking, bottomless mud.
"!"
In Naruto-Bōchō's moment of shock, Jiraiya's next seal was seamless.
— Summoning: Toad Downfall!
KABOOOOOM…!!
The massive form of Gamahiro descended from the sky, crushing the entire skeletal construct deep into the swamp's depths.
WHUMP!
Naruto-Bōchō escaped using an underground mobility technique, bursting from the earth several meters away.
But the sensory power of Sage Mode… allowed Jiraiya to track every twitch and shift beneath the soil.
The moment Naruto-Bōchō's head broke the surface, the invisible fist was there.
POW…!!!
This time, Naruto-Bōchō's single arm snapped up, guarding his face. He was sent flying again, but avoided being stunned.
Jiraiya's pupils contracted. He blocked it. He couldn't see it, but he sensed the precursor this time. He doesn't know Sage Arts. That means… he felt it once with his body, and now his instincts have adapted. Uchiha Bōchō… what a monstrous combat sense!!!
BOOM…!!!
Jiraiya blurred forward, reaching the still-unsteady Naruto-Bōchō. His hand shot out, aiming not for a strike, but for the Black Cursed Seal on the back of his neck!
"A gamble… but it's now or never!!"
— Sage Art: Evil Sealing Method!
Zzzzt…!
The Black Cursed Seal—the very anchor allowing Bōchō's consciousness to hijack this body—was under direct assault. Panic? No. His reaction was not panic, but a masterstroke born of fury.
— Jambudvipa!
Click. Click. Click…!!
Black, needle-like protrusions of floating iron erupted from the edges of the cursed seal.
Jiraiya's sealing attempt failed. Instead, the needles pierced deep into his palm.
Thud!
Naruto-Bōchō kicked him away, eyes swirling with malicious intent.
Zzzz…!! The needles embedded in Jiraiya's palm, now under Bōchō's direct control, began to burrow. They emerged from Jiraiya's back, sprouting like grotesque black thorns.
"No…! He's trying to block my chakra points!!"
"…"
Naruto-Bōchō grinned, a smear of blood on his lip as he formed a one-handed seal.
"Ugh…!!!"
Chakra surged through the black rods. Jiraiya's pathways were sealed. He dropped to one knee.
Deep opened his eyes. "The Toad Song… is ready. But to trap him in the genjutsu, he must continuously receive our sound waves."
Shima watched Naruto-Bōchō stalk closer. "Dammit! No time! We gathered all that sage chakra for nothing!"
Jiraiya's voice was strained but firm. "You two… leave my shoulders. Retreat and activate the Toad Song from a distance."
"But… you'll be defenseless!"
"I have a plan! Trust me!"
"Very well!"
In unison, the two toad sages leaped from Jiraiya's shoulders. As they flew through the air, the deep, resonant notes of the Toad Song finally spilled from their throats.
"Tch. Annoying noise."
Unaware of the technique's true nature, Naruto-Bōchō chose to ignore it. He strode up to the kneeling Jiraiya, his hand closing around the man's throat. His Sharingan stared coldly into Jiraiya's frog-slitted eyes.
"Jiraiya. Your sage power… I'll take it."
— Floating Iron Siphon!
Glug. Glug. Glug…!
Vibrant orange sage chakra drained from Jiraiya, flowing into Naruto-Bōchō's palm. Zzt. Orange pigmentation spread around Naruto-Bōchō's eyes. The pupils of his Sharingan themselves shifted, morphing into the horizontal slits of a toad.
"Gero… gero…"
Amidst the ambient croaking, Naruto-Bōchō examined his own hand, flexing his fingers. A smirk played on his lips.
"Is that all? This 'Sage Chakra'? Handling it is… effortless."
"Gero… gero…"
He looked down at Jiraiya, now reverted to his base form, utterly powerless. A sigh of almost wistful triumph escaped him.
"So… how should I deal with you?"
The outline of Jiraiya before him flickered. A faint, rainbow-colored afterimage ghosted around the man's form.
Naruto-Bōchō paid it no mind. Battle fatigue. His vision did this often during his long fights with Hashirama.
"Jiraiya. Few warriors have ever entertained me so thoroughly. As my thanks… I'll send you off personally."
Fwoosh.
Flames condensed in his hand, forming a blazing blade. He raised it high, aiming for Jiraiya's neck.
"Sayonara. Farewell."
"GERO! GERO!"
"Infuriating noise. Once I finish you, I'm turning those amphibians into soup."
Clench. The descending blade halted mid-air.
"This feeling… It can't be…!"
Whoosh. Then—a sensation like swallowing a mouthful of rotten sea cucumber guts flooded every one of his senses.
His eyes… the pupils within his Sharingan began to spin wildly, uncontrollably.
"KUSO…!!!"
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