Our fight continued. Jiraiya's strikes were getting slower and slower but we could see Orochimaru getting closer and closer to retirement. Victory was near.
In what should have been the final hit to finish Itsuki, we missed.
Just like that there was a flash, and in the next instant Orochimaru's skin lay blackened on the ground.
My heart dropped. "Where'd he go? Did I retire Orochimaru? No- only his skin is on the ground… Don't tell me. Itsuki used-"
From behind me I heard: "Shed your skin, Orochimaru."
Itsuki stood behind me. I didn't have time to react.
"Venom Fangs."
The next moment, two of Orochimaru's white claws were stuck to Jiraiya's arms, green paralyzing liquid running down from the impact point.
Jiraiya had been completely incapacitated. Sumo Style was gone. We had no way to hold Orochimaru and Itsuki back now.
I only had one option left, the one thing I didn't want to reveal so soon.
I clasped my palms together and proclaimed the name of the final ability Itsuki had yet to see:
"Toad's Stomach!"
The large, fleshy cube spread out from under Jiraiya's feet, enveloping Itsuki and me.
Toad's Stomach was an ability that enveloped the user and his opponent in a space roughly the size of a boxing ring. The only way to escape it is by having the user deactivate it or by retiring Jiraiya.
Itsuki looked around the space.
"What is this disgusting, fleshy cube? Huh, Ogata?" Itsuki asked.
I smirked at him. "It's Jiraiya's variety ability. The one you refused to see. You're cornered here Itsuki. Have fun tryna escape."
Itsuki scoffed. "Watch me."
He put his palms together and pointed them downward, trying to burrow like before. The fleshy floor of the stomach just bent under him, making him bounce right back up.
He looked shocked. "Tch… damn you, Ogata. Seems your skills are actually somewhat acceptable. Maybe Kagami-sensei might even consider you a true puppeteer, like me." He chuckled. "Nevertheless, your puppet has no use of his arms now, not much you can do against me."
I glared at him. "You think Jiraiya needs his arms to fight? Ha! I haven't been trainin' with good ol' Jiraiya here for 5 years just for nothing! So come at me, Itsuki. Come at me with all you've got!"
Itsuki laughed. "Alright Ogata! The real fight begins here!"
He lunged at me, charging up one of Orochimaru's Tail Whips.
I easily saw through his attack, wrapping the tail with Jiraiya's Toad's Tongue and slamming Orochimaru down to the ground.
A full 75 seconds hadn't passed yet since he used Shed Skin, so though not completely defenseless, Orochimaru's skin still had yet to fully develop. One hit wouldn't retire Orochimaru, but I could still defeat him in way less than I originally intended with Sumo Style.
As Orochimaru slammed onto the ground, Jiraiya jumped into the air, flying down with a kick straight onto Orochimaru's stomach.
As the hit landed, roughly a quarter of Orochimaru's skin blackened like charcoal. I watched closely as the deep black rose along his tail, that's when it hit me.
I only needed three more hits to fully retire Orochimaru and put Itsuki in his place.
Orochimaru quickly retreated, Itsuki sent his Venom Fangs flying at Jiraiya, but I quickly had Jiraiya kick them away, making sure that neither fang punctured him.
Itsuki scoffed, clearly stressed by the situation. By my count, about 45 seconds had passed since he used Shed Skin, meaning I only had 30 seconds to get the final three hits in.
Itsuki stayed against the walls of the Toad's Stomach, I tried approaching, when suddenly, Itsuki burrowed into the wall.
The wall of the stomach stretched as he tried to dig further in.
"You can't escape, Itsuki! The walls won't come down til I make them or you knock me out!" I said.
"I know! Which is why I'm using it to my advantage, Ogata! I present to you my new technique: Burrow Bullet!"
Itsuki stopped burrowing, the stretchy walls of the stomach flinging him out like a slingshot. I dodged as he hurled towards me. He slammed into the opposite wall and bounced back, this time aiming dead on. I couldn't dodge now, all I could do was attack head on!
So just when Itsuki got close, I quickly jabbed him with Jiraiya's Toad's Tongue, sending him flying up to the roof with the same speed he came at me with. He bounced off the roof, coming straight down.
I could see Orochimaru was now half way blackened. Two more hits is all I needed. I kept close watch as he came speeding down, and when he met my eye level, Jiraiya roundhoused him, knocking him down to the floor.
Orochimaru's body was now three quarters of the way blackened.
Itsuki glared at me as he examined his puppets near retired state.
"Damn you, Ogata. I won't lose. Now Orochimaru, shed your skin once again!"
Orochimaru used Shed Skin, quickly flashing behind me. But before he could strike, an explosion went off and took Orochimaru out in a single hit.
After 75 seconds, Orochimaru retired. He turned into a pile of ash after the green flame in his chest cavity diminished.
I disabled Toad's Stomach.
Itsuki grunted. "Y- you won?! But how? That explosion came out of nowhere!!"
I chuckled and shook my head. "While you were burrowing into the walls of Toad's Stomach, Jiraiya secreted the explosive Toad Oil he uses with Toad's Palm onto the floor, coating his own foot with it." I pulled the fangs out of Jiraiya's arms, letting him regain use of them
"So that way, after I kicked you an explosion would follow suit. You were gonna lose even if you didn't use Shed Skin. I'd say it's simple enough for your elementary brain to understand. Ain't it, partner?"
Itsuki looked straight down, trembling with rage. He then quickly lunged at me, in an attempt to sucker punch me.
"DAMN YOU, OGAT-"
Jiraiya karate chopped Itsuki on his pressure point, knocking him out.
I sighed and picked Itsuki up, piggy backing him.
"Y'know Itsuki, maybe we could've gotten out of this together if you didn't side with that guy."
I walked over to Kagami, who was sleeping against a tree while Jiraiya charged up a Toad's Palm.
Jiraiya smacked his face, waking him up.
"Wha- WHO?! OGATA?! BUT ITSUKI SHOULD'VE HAD YOU-"
The oil caused a small explosion on his face, knocking him out as well, meaning Shuten-doji had technically been retired as well.
I had Jiraiya drag him out while I carried Itsuki on my back.
I returned back to the entrance of the ETG where I found Yuto, Hinako, and Sojobo waiting for us.
"Yo, Kintaro! What took ya'll so long?" Yuto shouted out.
I chuckled, exhausted from the fight.
"It was tough, but I-" I looked back at Itsuki, who was supposed to be my teammate yet still betrayed me. I thought about revealing what he had done at that moment but refrained. "-no, we made it out together."
Sojobo chuckled. "Seems like Kagami was quite a handful, huh? He's always ruthless with the kids. Ya did a good job, kid. Congrats on defeating him."
I smiled, "Gee… thanks Sojobo-sensei."
Hinako helped me put Kagami and Itsuki down.
"Geez Kintaro! You look totally dead! Let me heal you up."
"Oh no, I'm fi-" Hinako cut me off with a huge sucker punch to the gut from her own puppet, Tsunade.
"HEALING FIST!"
Tsunade's fist glowed with a green healing aura. The punch hurt at first but I was feeling amazing soon after.
"Wow Hinako! I feel great now, thanks!"
She smiled with pride, "That's right! Don't ever hesitate to take a punch from me again, got it?"
"Yeah, I'll take that into account! But aside from me, how was your guy's fight against Sojobo-sensei"
Hinako's eyes gleamed with excitement, "Oh. My. Gosh! Let me tell you all about it!"
Yuto pushed her away. "No, I'm the one who's gonna tell him 'bout our fight!"
Hinako pushed him back. "NO, I AM!"
They started to bicker about who was going to tell me how their fight went. I just watched as they shouted at each other, I couldn't help but laugh. I was relieved that my fight against Itsuki was over, though I couldn't get that feeling of betrayal out the back of my head.