Chapter 565: Sage vs. Jinchuriki, A Desperate Mission

Chapter 565: Sage vs. Jinchuriki, A Desperate Mission

Jiraiya's requested Perception Squad had resolved the issue of the Iwagakure assassins.

However, it wasn't the Perception Squad that worked together with Namikaze Minato to eliminate the would-be assassins; instead, the group of Iwagakure assassins had gone silent and never launched their attack.

Jiraiya believed that this might have been due to a minor intelligence slip-up, causing the assassin team to get wind of their plan and thus abort their mission.

Although the outcome differed from what he had imagined, the problem was more or less resolved, so Jiraiya didn't pay it much mind.

For the final victory to be determined, a major battle still had to take place, and minor skirmishes wouldn't be decisive.

However, the subsequent developments took a turn that exceeded even Jiraiya's expectations.

Iwagakure displayed an incredibly powerful intelligence network; even with the help of the local ninja forces from Grass Ninja Village, the Leaf Ninja Squad found themselves at a disadvantage in the intelligence war.

Unable to detect the movements of the opposing ninja forces, the Leaf Ninja Squad's operations were repeatedly exposed and failed.

This string of losses made Jiraiya suspect that there was an Iwagakure spy holding a relatively high position within their intelligence department.

But that was unlikely, as someone with a questionable background wouldn't be able to attain such a position.

It couldn't be possible that there was a spy within the Anbu, could it?

Faced with continuous setbacks, Jiraiya chose to shift from offense to defense, reducing the Leaf Ninja Squad's area of activity to minimize casualties.

This was the only option he had; their loss in the intelligence war had caused them to lose the initiative, and stubbornly pushing forward in this situation would only serve to widen Iwagakure's advantage.

However, something Jiraiya hadn't anticipated happened just as he was about to enter a full defensive stance—somehow, the location of their main camp had been discovered by Iwagakure.

BOOM!!

A massive explosion suddenly rocked the Leaf Ninja Squad's camp, startling Jiraiya and the others who were studying maps and strategizing.

"Jiraiya-sama, it's bad! We've been found by the Iwagakure forces!" A Leaf Jonin rushed into the tent to report.

"Iwagakure is attacking?" Jiraiya frowned. "What's the situation with the Perception Squad?"

The reason he had chosen to go on the defensive was to utilize the Leaf's advantage of having excellent perception ninjas to make up for their deficit in intelligence.

Now that Iwagakure was attacking, the Perception Squad should have detected something, yet there wasn't a peep from them.

"Unclear. The Perception Squad didn't issue any advance warning," the Leaf Jonin shook his head.

BOOM!!

Another deafening explosion rang out. Jiraiya knew that this wasn't the time to ponder the Perception Squad's dereliction of duty; his priority now was to lead the Leaf Ninja Squad out of this crisis.

Jiraiya moved past the Leaf Jonin, preparing to command the Leaf Ninja Squad to counter-attack.

Just then, a cold light flashed in the Leaf Jonin's eyes, and he swiftly drew out a kunai, hurling it at Jiraiya.

BAM!

Minato, with his lightning-fast reflexes, unleashed his chakra and kicked the Leaf Jonin away.

Jiraiya was stunned. He never expected that the Leaf ninja would attack him.

That ninja was from the Sarutobi clan and a Jonin, at that. How could there be a spy among them?

"Rampaging Lion's Mane Technique!"

Jiraiya was a powerful ninja with a wealth of battle experience. Although he was perplexed by the Sarutobi Jonin's actions, he quickly unleashed a ninjutsu attack against him.

Regardless of the Sarutobi Jonin's true identity, the fact that he had attacked Jiraiya was undeniable. Thus, the Sarutobi Jonin had become an enemy.

Assaulting a commander on the battlefield, even if Jiraiya killed him on the spot, no one would say a word.

SWISH SWISH!

At that moment, several conical stones came hurtling towards them.

Jiraiya recognized them as Iwa Kuno's Explosion Release jutsu and immediately changed his technique, extending his long hair to swiftly shield his body.

WHOOSH!

Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport.

BOOM!!

A series of explosions rang out as the stones heading towards Jiraiya and Minato suddenly detonated, engulfing Jiraiya in a fierce blast of white light.

SWISH SWISH!!

Minato knew that such an attack wouldn't be enough to kill Jiraiya, so he immediately threw several Flying Thunder God kunai at Iwa Kuno after teleporting.

"Your opponent isn't me," Iwa Kuno said as he spat out a stone to detonate the incoming kunai, then quickly retreated.

He was self-aware and understood that he wasn't suited to face ninjas like Minato, who had maxed out their speed.

Just as Minato was about to pursue, an exceptionally powerful chakra eruption occurred.

"Namikaze Minato, have you decided how you want to die?" Elder Murasaki stepped forward, blocking Minato's path.

Minato's expression turned solemn. This was clearly an ambush intended to wipe out the Leaf Ninja Squad of the Grass Country.

Through his perception, he sensed not only the presence of both captains of Iwagakure's Blast Corps but also their two jinchuriki.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

After blocking the incoming Explosion Release, Jiraiya immediately summoned the two sages from Mount Myoboku, Fukasaku and Shima.

"So many powerful chakras, young Jiraiya. It seems we're in for another tough battle," Fukasaku remarked as soon as he arrived, sensing the chakras of the jinchuriki and Iwagakure's strong ninjas.

"Really bad timing. I was just about to decide what to make for dinner, and now this summoning jutsu has interrupted my train of thought," Shima complained.

"You old coot, now's not the time for that.

"Quickly, stand on my shoulders and enter Sage Mode. This time, it's dangerous."

Jiraiya was under immense pressure, not because he feared punishment for losing, but because he was concerned that a defeat would lead to the Iwagakure forces directly invading the Fire Country.

The two sages also understood the gravity of the situation and didn't waste time with idle chatter. They swiftly jumped onto Jiraiya's shoulders and began absorbing natural energy.

"Steam Release: Boundless Strength!"

Just as Jiraiya prepared to enter Sage Mode, a train-like whistling sound rang out, and a man clad in red armor charged towards him.

Whoosh!

Bang!

Jiraiya leaped away, and the ground where he had been standing moments ago caved into a massive pit.

Han watched Jiraiya with a calm expression, not finding the situation strange at all.

If the legendary Three Ninja were that easy to kill, Han would have slain Jiraiya or the Old Purple himself long ago.

"Sage Mode!"

As Jiraiya gathered natural energy, he fused his chakra with it to create an even stronger sage chakra, causing a mask-like pattern to appear on his face, and his nose to exhibit slight toad-like traits.

"The situation isn't as bad as I imagined." Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief as he entered Sage Mode and perceived the entire battlefield.

With no news from the Perception Squad and the mysterious disappearance of the Sarutobi Jonin, Jiraiya had expected that half of the ninja forces might have perished by now.

However, the reality was much better than his expectations.

Currently, there were still over seven hundred Konoha ninjas fighting valiantly against the Iwagakure forces.

What Jiraiya didn't know was that the seemingly well-commanded Iwagakure forces were also in a state of confusion.

Although Retsushi had received information about the Konoha ninja camp from their spy, the intelligence didn't confirm whether it was Konoha's main force.

And Retsushi wasn't like the reckless Yunogakure ninjas who would charge in without a second thought.

What if it was a trap to lure them into an ambush? Moreover, if it truly was Konoha's main force, there would likely be many perception ninjas on guard, making a surprise attack almost impossible to succeed.

However, now that they had the intelligence, it would be a waste not to give it a try.

Finally, Retsushi came up with a plan and divided his two thousand ninja forces into three smaller units.

The first unit, led by Retsushi himself, consisted of only five hundred ninjas, but most of them were elites, including the jinchuriki and the Blast Corps.

The second and third units were conventional forces that waited on either side of the elite unit as backup.

This strategy served two purposes: to prevent falling into an enemy trap and to maximize the blockade and prevent the Konoha ninjas from escaping.

If Retsushi confirmed that it wasn't a trap, he would immediately signal the other two units to surround and attack together.

What Retsushi never expected was that he would reach the vicinity of the Konoha camp with his forces undetected, as if all the Konoha perception ninjas were dead.

Before encountering the numerous Konoha ninjas, Retsushi had doubted whether this was indeed Konoha's main force.

Boom! Boom!

Retsushi indiscriminately used Explosion Release to bombard the area. Whether the Konoha ninja forces were in trouble or not didn't matter; what was important was that he was about to make a name for himself with this achievement.

He was about to defeat and annihilate the ninja forces led by one of the Three Ninja, Jiraiya.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Jiraiya slammed his hand onto the ground, and two gigantic toads appeared beneath his feet.

One of the toads had a smoking pipe in its mouth and a short sword at its waist, while the other purple-red toad had a large pot lid on its back and held a trident with barbed prongs.

"You two hold off the Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails. I'll deal with the commander over there," Jiraiya said swiftly.

The principle of 'capturing the thief first to capture the king' also applied in the ninja world. If Jiraiya could take out Retsushi, it might not turn the tide of the battle, but it would certainly demoralize the enemy ninja forces.

"What? Me against a tailed beast?" Gamabunta's eyelids twitched violently.

Although his size wasn't much smaller than that of a tailed beast, asking him to go head-to-head with one was a bit difficult for the toad.

"Although I'm clumsy, I'll do my best to stop him," Gamakichi replied in a deep voice.

"Just hold him off for a short while. I'm counting on you!" Jiraiya said, locking onto Retsushi and dashing off in a burst of chakra.

Han turned to pursue Jiraiya, but Gamakichi leaped up and swung his trident at Han.

Han halted, and the tailed beast chakra within him erupted, causing his power to surge with the support of Steam Release.

"Steam Release: Boundless Strength!"

Han grabbed Gamakichi's trident with one hand.

Gamakichi tried to press down on Han with all his might, but Han's terrifying strength prevented the trident from budging. He couldn't push down, nor could he pull it back.

"Damn it, die!"

Gamabunta drew his short sword and slashed at Han.

Although it was called a "short sword," it was only short in comparison to Gamabunta's massive size. In reality, the sword was several times longer than Han was tall.

An ominous dark red chakra rose from Han's body, transforming him into a monstrous figure with five tails.

Jiraiya, who was charging towards Retsushi, sensed Han's rapidly increasing chakra and felt a heightened sense of urgency.

Among those present, Jiraiya was the only one qualified to fight a jinchuriki head-on. Minato, at best, could only hold him off, so Jiraiya had to finish Retsushi as quickly as possible.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Jiraiya swiftly refined his senjutsu chakra into oil in his mouth and, with a fire-attribute chakra nature transformation, ignited it as he spat it out.

Hiss! A massive flame engulfed several Iwagakure ninjas closest to Jiraiya, burning them to death, and continued unabated towards Retsushi.

Despite its unassuming name, Jiraiya's Great Fireball Jutsu, enhanced by his sage mode, was incredibly powerful, surpassing most fire-style jutsu in the ninja world.

Although Retsushi had trained well in hardening techniques, he dared not meet this attack head-on and quickly retreated.

"Explosion Style: Detonating Rock Jutsu!"

Seeing their captain in danger, Iwa Kuno quickly spat out exploding rocks to intercept Jiraiya's fire jutsu.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Jiraiya once again performed the summoning jutsu, calling forth a giant toad with bluish-green skin.

Jiraiya ordered the toad, Gamahiro, to deal with Iwa Kuno and the surrounding Iwagakure jonin, while he continued his pursuit of Retsushi.

"Withdraw as much as possible! There's enemy reinforcements!" Jiraiya commanded the Konoha ninjas on the battlefield.

His enhanced perception in sage mode allowed him to sense the approaching chakra in the distance.

Of course, one didn't need perception to know, as Retsushi was openly firing signal flares.

"Hermit's Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"

In sage mode, Jiraiya was already formidable, and with the assistance of the two toads, Retsushi stood no chance. Jiraiya quickly seized the opportunity.

Under the influence of senjutsu chakra, Jiraiya's white hair became sharp and rigid.

Even with Retsushi's proficiency in hardening techniques, he could only block a portion of the attack, and his body soon became riddled with wounds from the relentless barrage of hair needles.

"You're useless!"

"Lava Style: Scorching Flow Rock Jutsu!"

Seeing Retsushi in danger, Elder Murasaki abandoned his pursuit of Minato and rushed towards Jiraiya, spitting out a giant lava fireball.

"Rasengan!"

Minato seized the opportunity as well. The chakra gathered in his palm erupted, and he swiftly molded it into a sphere and threw it at Elder Murasaki.

However, due to Elder Murasaki's lava chakra mode, his body was protected by a layer of high-temperature lava armor. Not only did Minato's Rasengan fail to injure him, but it also burned Minato's hand.

"Such high defense," Minato sigated.

Once an enemy's defense exceeded the power of his Rasengan, Minato found it challenging to pose a threat.

Elder Murasaki continued his advance towards Jiraiya without turning back.

He knew that turning back might not guarantee success in killing Minato, but if he didn't, Retsushi would surely perish.

Although he didn't hold Retsushi in high regard, the latter was still a commander and the captain of Iwagakure's Blast Corps. If he died at Jiraiya's hands, it would have a detrimental impact.

"Water Severing!"

Shima, the toad sage, performed hand seals and spat out a high-pressure water stream, cutting through the incoming lava fireball. He then quickly said, "Jiraiya, fall back now!"

Approaching them were not only the jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, but also the Five-Tails, who had repelled Gamabunta and Gamakichi and were now charging at full speed.

Whoosh! Jiraiya canceled his jutsu and sidestepped.

"What a pity, just a little more," Jiraiya thought to himself as he looked at Retsushi's wounds.

If the jinchuriki had arrived a second later, Retsushi would have undoubtedly perished under Jiraiya's senjutsu.

"Minato, use a large-scale jutsu to attack," Jiraiya said as he gathered his chakra and reminded Minato.

Jiraiya now had only one goal: to cover as many Konoha ninjas as possible to facilitate their escape.

With his formidable strength and Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, it would be difficult for Iwagakure to stop them.

Ordinary Konoha ninjas didn't have such advantages, so someone had to lend a hand.

As long as enough ninjas escaped, Konoha wouldn't suffer a crushing defeat; they would merely stumble.

Once the Konoha reinforcements arrived and regrouped, they would once again become a formidable force.

"Hermit's Art: Five Right Guards!"

Jiraiya and the two toad sages on his shoulders simultaneously performed jutsu. Fukasaku used Wind Style, Shima used Fire Style, and Jiraiya spat out chakra-infused oil.

The three jutsu, enhanced by senjutsu chakra, complemented each other and ultimately transformed into the formidable Five Right Guards.

An Iwagakure ninja failed to dodge and died instantly without even a chance to scream.

"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

Minato leaped onto Gamabunta's head, performed hand seals, and manipulated his chakra with a fire-attribute nature transformation, while Gamabunta refined his chakra to produce toad oil.

Among those present, Jiraiya was the only one qualified to fight a jinchuriki head-on. Minato could, at best, only hold him off, so Jiraiya had to finish Retsushi as quickly as possible.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Jiraiya swiftly refined his senjutsu chakra into oil in his mouth. With a fire-attribute chakra nature transformation, he ignited it as he spat it out.

Hiss! A massive flame engulfed several Iwagakure ninjas closest to Jiraiya, burning them to a crisp, and continued unabated towards Retsushi.

Despite its humble name, Jiraiya's Great Fireball Jutsu, enhanced by his Sage Mode, was incredibly powerful, surpassing most fire-style jutsu in the ninja world.

Although Retsushi had trained well in hardening techniques, he dared not meet this attack head-on and quickly retreated.

"Explosion Style: Detonating Rock Jutsu!"

Seeing their captain in danger, Iwa Kuno quickly spat out exploding rocks to intercept Jiraiya's fire jutsu.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Jiraiya once again performed the summoning jutsu, calling forth a giant toad with bluish-green skin.

Jiraiya ordered the toad, Gamahiro, to deal with Iwa Kuno and the surrounding Iwagakure jonin while he continued his pursuit of Retsushi.

"Withdraw as much as possible! There are enemy reinforcements!" Jiraiya commanded the Konoha ninjas on the battlefield.

His enhanced perception in Sage Mode allowed him to sense the approaching chakra in the distance.

Of course, one didn't need perception to know, as Retsushi was openly firing signal flares.

"Hermit's Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"

In Sage Mode, Jiraiya was already formidable, and with the assistance of the two toads, Retsushi stood no chance. Jiraiya quickly seized the opportunity.

Under the influence of senjutsu chakra, Jiraiya's white hair became sharp and rigid.

Even with Retsushi's proficiency in hardening techniques, he could only block a portion of the attack, and his body soon became riddled with wounds from the relentless barrage of hair needles.

"You're useless!"

"Lava Style: Scorching Flow Rock Jutsu!"

Seeing Retsushi in danger, Elder Murasaki abandoned his pursuit of Minato and rushed towards Jiraiya, spitting out a giant lava fireball.

"Rasengan!"

Minato seized the opportunity as well. The chakra gathered in his palm erupted, and he swiftly molded it into a sphere and threw it at Elder Murasaki.

However, due to Elder Murasaki's lava chakra mode, his body was protected by a layer of high-temperature lava armor. Not only did Minato's Rasengan fail to injure him, but it also burned Minato's hand.

"Such high defense," Minato sigated.

Once an enemy's defense exceeded the power of his Rasengan, Minato found it challenging to pose a serious threat.

Elder Murasaki continued his advance towards Jiraiya without turning back.

He knew that turning back might not guarantee success in killing Minato, but if he didn't, Retsushi would surely perish.

Although he didn't hold Retsushi in high regard, the latter was still a commander and the captain of Iwagakure's Blast Corps. If he died at Jiraiya's hands, it would have a detrimental impact.

"Water Severing!"

Shima, the toad sage, performed hand seals and spat out a high-pressure water stream, cutting through the incoming lava fireball. He then quickly said, "Jiraiya, fall back now!"

Approaching them were not only the jinchuriki of the Four-Tails but also the Five-Tailed, who had repelled Gamabunta and Gamakichi and were now charging at full speed.

Whoosh! Jiraiya canceled his jutsu and sidestepped.

"What a pity, just a little more," Jiraiya thought to himself as he looked at Retsushi's wounds.

If the jinchuriki had arrived a second later, Retsushi would have undoubtedly perished under Jiraiya's senjutsu.

"Minato, use a large-scale jutsu to attack," Jiraiya said as he gathered his chakra and reminded Minato.

Jiraiya now had only one goal: to cover as many Konoha ninjas as possible to facilitate their escape.

With his formidable strength and Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, it would be difficult for Iwagakure to stop them.

Ordinary Konoha ninjas didn't have such advantages, so someone had to lend a hand.

As long as enough ninjas escaped, Konoha wouldn't suffer a crushing defeat; they would merely stumble.

Once the Konoha reinforcements arrived and regrouped, they would once again become a formidable force.

"Hermit's Art: Five Right Guards!"

Jiraiya and the two toad sages on his shoulders simultaneously performed jutsu. Fukasaku used Wind Style, Shima used Fire Style, and Jiraiya spat out chakra-infused oil.

The three jutsu, enhanced by senjutsu chakra, complemented each other and ultimately transformed into the formidable Five Right Guards.

An Iwagakure ninja failed to dodge and died instantly without even a chance to scream.

"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

Minato leaped onto Gamabunta's head, performed hand seals, and manipulated his chakra with a fire-attribute nature transformation, while Gamabunta refined his chakra to produce toad oil.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end