Having experienced Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Shikai up close, Naruto now understood that a Shikai could be honed to such a terrifying degree. He had seen the Bankai of several captains, but none of them came close to the power of Yamamoto's Shikai. Yamamoto's Zanpakuto was called the strongest fire-type, and after witnessing it, Naruto knew it was no empty title. If he hadn't managed to copy it at the last second, he would have been burned to ashes.
The thought of the crisis he had just faced sent a shiver down his spine. But the feeling of his skin crawling with goosebumps, the fear in his heart—it was intoxicating.
He now had a basic grasp of his own Shikai: traversing space-time and copying Zanpakuto. He had now mastered Ryujin Jakka. However, his version was far inferior to Yamamoto's. First, his Reiatsu was not yet on par with the Captain-Commander's, and second, Yamamoto's centuries of training with Ryujin Jakka was something that couldn't be copied.
Even so, Ryujin Jakka perfectly filled the gap in Naruto's offensive capabilities. If he were to go back in time, unleashing Ryujin Jakka wouldn't just set Konoha on fire. It would melt it.
Stepping through the space-time gate, he returned to the shinobi world in an instant. He immediately sensed an immense chakra within the Seireitei, and an aura of explosive destruction.
"Catastrophic Heavenly Repulsion."
An unusual chakra surged into the Deva Path's hands. It was violent, uncontrolled, and its fluctuations far surpassed that of the Nine-Tails' full-power Tailed Beast Bomb. This meant that the destructive power of this jutsu was immense, possibly capable of leveling the Seireitei in a single moment.
Jiraiya's expression changed. "Are you insane? Are you trying to destroy this place?"
"Those civilians are innocent!" He couldn't understand Pain's actions at all. With his help, Pain had already defeated the Seireitei's top fighters. He could take their lives and capture the Nine-Tails. He had gotten everything he wanted; there was no need to destroy the city. No matter what, the civilians living in the Seireitei were innocent! And from the looks of it, Pain intended to blow up his helper—him—along with them.
This was definitely not Yahiko. Yahiko would never be so cruel! As he had said, Yahiko was dead. The one controlling his body must be Nagato.
"It's you, isn't it! Nagato!" Jiraiya's eyes widened as he roared. "Why are you so heartless? You knew Yahiko's dream, why have you abandoned it all? You've already won, stop this."
Jiraiya's heart ached. The Nagato he remembered was a kind and shy boy. How could he have gone so far astray?
"Jiraiya-sensei," the Deva Path said, looking at him impassively. "I have awakened. This world needs to feel... pain."
"Shut up, both of you. You're two peas in a pod, putting on a show of master-student affection," Shion sneered, her eyes filled with contempt as she looked at Jiraiya. "You helped him, and now he's turning on you. Regret it yet?"
Hearing Shion's words, Jiraiya's face fell, a bitter taste in his mouth. He had really cemented his title as the master of turning his students evil. Not only had they all defected from Konoha, but many of them now wanted to be enemies of the entire shinobi world. Was it really his fault?
As Jiraiya watched in despair, Pain unleashed the full power of his Shinra Tensei!
At the same time, Jiraiya used all his strength to flee. He had done his best, but he couldn't persuade Pain. He had no regrets about his actions; after all, their standpoints were different. His only regret was that so many residents of the Seireitei were about to die.
Boom. An endless light and heat erupted, an explosion capable of sweeping away everything.
"It's over," Jiraiya sighed. With the Seireitei and its powerful allies gone, Uzumaki Naruto's forces would be epically weakened. For Konoha, this was actually a good thing. A very good thing.
"Huh? What's that?" Suddenly, Jiraiya caught a glimpse of a red light in the center of the explosion. He frowned, and a terrifying guess formed in his mind.
The guess was quickly confirmed.
A sea of fire erupted, pushing the invisible shockwave of the Shinra Tensei up into the sky. The world rippled slightly, and the Seireitei remained completely unharmed.
A boiling Reiatsu shot into the sky. A fire dragon that seemed capable of melting the heavens and the earth materialized above the Seireitei. The air warped, and the passing sand melted instantly. The sky above the city was completely clear, with only the roaring flames.
And below, a figure appeared. A gentle face, sharp eyes, and blond hair combed back.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Lord Naruto!"
As Jiraiya watched in disbelief and Shion in joyous surprise, Naruto slowly walked forward, the Ryujin Jakka in his hand glowing with a fierce red light. The fire dragon and phoenix that had formed behind him locked onto the Deva Path.
"When did Naruto get a fire-attribute sword? Isn't his ability Kyoka Suigetsu? Has he gotten stronger again?" Jiraiya's face was grim. He hadn't expected that Pain's seemingly invincible jutsu would be blocked by Naruto. It was a testament to his strength.
"Uzumaki Naruto, it seems you are more dangerous than the intelligence reports suggested," the Deva Path said, looking at him.
Nagato knew that with five of his puppets destroyed, the remaining Deva Path was no match for Naruto. He had underestimated his junior fellow apprentice.
"Are you the leader of the Akatsuki? 'Let the world know pain'... a fine philosophy. Unfortunately, you don't have the skill to back it up," Naruto said with a light laugh, swinging Ryujin Jakka.
The Deva Path was instantly engulfed in flames and burned to a crisp before it could even utter a word.
Nagato immediately began to flee his hiding place. The moment Naruto had blocked the Super Shinra Tensei, he had already prepared to retreat. This operation had been a disastrous loss. All six of his puppets had been destroyed. And he had lost Yahiko's body. For Nagato, that was the most painful part.
"One slash..." The sight of the Deva Path being annihilated by a single slash of fire struck Jiraiya to his core. Although there were many factors at play, to be able to destroy the Deva Path so easily, Naruto's strength had surpassed what it was before. He had never shown such a destructive Zanpakuto.
With the Deva Path dead, the only one left... was him.
"Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said, looking at him playfully, his eyes filled with killing intent. "May I ask what you are doing here?"
"Naruto, he was helping that ring-nosed bastard fight me just now. If it weren't for him, that bastard would be dead," Shion said, running to Naruto's side like a little girl tattling.
"Your teacher is a real piece of work," the recovered Nine-Tails said, cracking his knuckles angrily. He had deeply felt his own weakness and had decided to train more. His strength wasn't actually bad, and even if his Zanpakuto's ability didn't work, he shouldn't have lost so badly. The main reason was that he had been slacking off in his training and didn't have enough control over his own abilities. And his fighting style was all brute force, with no tactics. Against a powerhouse like Pain, his weaknesses were infinitely magnified. So he had decided to work hard! He had to master his Bankai!
Hearing the accusations from the Nine-Tails and Shion, Naruto's gaze on Jiraiya turned even colder. From what he knew of his former master, his purpose was undoubtedly to gather intelligence on the Seireitei. When he saw that Pain was about to lose, he had gotten anxious and intervened. It seemed his cheap teacher still had his wits about him. He clearly understood that Konoha and the Seireitei were irreconcilable enemies and would naturally try to weaken the Seireitei in any way he could. If he hadn't returned in time, the Seireitei might have really been destroyed.
Naruto walked silently towards Jiraiya, the Ryujin Jakka in his hand leaving a trail of fire that burned a black scar in the sand.
"Sigh. Actually, I..." Sensing Naruto's killing intent, Jiraiya knew that his luck had run out today. He tried to explain, but in the end, he gave up. He assumed a fighting stance.
"Summoning Jutsu." After a puff of smoke, the two Great Toad Sages appeared on Jiraiya's shoulders.
"Jiraiya, why did you call... huh?! Naruto?!" Lord Fukasaku's voice trailed off in astonishment. Looking at the murderous Naruto and the grim Jiraiya, he immediately understood the gravity of the situation. "Jiraiya, your opponent isn't..."
"Yes, it's Naruto," Jiraiya said with a bitter expression. "Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima, we can't hold anything back this time."
Looking at Naruto, who was wreathed in flames, Lord Fukasaku swallowed hard. "What is this ability?"
Under the scorching heat of the flames, the temperature of the entire area had reached at least 60 degrees Celsius and was still rising. Jiraiya and the two Sages had to use a portion of their chakra just to resist the heat.
"Long time no see, you two," Naruto said with a smile. The next moment, his figure instantly crossed the distance to Jiraiya and slashed down.
Boom. A towering inferno surged forward. Jiraiya yelped in alarm and immediately threw up a mud wall in front of him.
Boom. Naruto's seemingly casual slash instantly disintegrated the mud wall, leaving a gash at least five meters deep in the ground. Sparks smoldered in the dirt, emitting a pungent smell. Jiraiya had already retreated at least ten meters away.
"What a terrifying sword, what terrifying flames." Even though he had defended and dodged in time, he felt a stinging pain on his exposed face. He didn't need to look to know that he already had first-degree burns.
"Toad Oil Flame Bullet." He immediately formed hand seals and spat out a violent stream of fire from his mouth. The flames engulfed Naruto, but he could hear his former student's playful voice. "What are you doing, Jiraiya-sensei? Are you trying to tickle me?"
"As I thought, Fire Style has no effect on him," Jiraiya's heart sank. "Every Shinigami's sword has a certain type of energy. It seems Naruto might have more than one sword. I have to end this fight quickly, or the rising temperature will melt me." Jiraiya's mind was clearer than ever.
"Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima, please help me enter Sage Mode."
Naruto stood opposite him, motionless, waiting quietly. He didn't have enough control over Ryujin Jakka yet, and he wanted to use Jiraiya to familiarize himself with its abilities.
As an abundant amount of natural energy and chakra gathered, Jiraiya's hearty laugh rang out. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Let me see what you're made of now, sensei." In an instant, Naruto was in front of him. Ryujin Jakka swept out, but it only hit a substitution log. Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto, a Rasengan in his right hand aimed at his back.
Hum. Just as the Rasengan was about to make contact, a pillar of fire erupted from Naruto's body, engulfing Jiraiya. With a cry of pain, Jiraiya's attack was broken. Naruto spun around and delivered a second slash.
An arm was severed, disappearing into the flames.
However, to Naruto's surprise, Jiraiya still endured the intense pain and slammed the Rasengan into his chest.
Boom. With a loud roar, Naruto was sent flying by the Rasengan, landing in the distant sand. A huge crater formed from the massive explosion.
Having lost an arm, Jiraiya's face turned pale. The good news was that the wound had been cauterized by the flames, temporarily stopping the bleeding. The bad news was the distinct smell of cooked meat.
"Let's retreat, little Jiraiya. Naruto is too strong," the two Sages said worriedly. From the brief exchange, it was clear that Jiraiya was completely unfamiliar with Naruto's Zanpakuto's abilities, while Naruto was extremely familiar with Sage Mode and various ninjutsu. This already put Jiraiya at a huge disadvantage. Battles between ninja were often decided by information. And ninja were mostly glass cannons; a single moment of carelessness could lead to defeat. Even a full-strength Jiraiya couldn't defeat Naruto, let alone a one-armed one.
Jiraiya clutched his wound, his face pale. "Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima, cover me. We're retreating," he said with difficulty.
"Leave? You think you can leave?" The sand swirled, and an unharmed Naruto suddenly appeared.
"Little Jiraiya, you go! We'll handle this!" The two Sages immediately engaged Naruto, and Jiraiya took the opportunity to flee towards the border.
"Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima, is this your stance?" Naruto's tone was disappointed. He unleashed a barrage of fiery slashes, each one leaving a deep trench in the ground. The temperature of the surrounding air continued to rise, and even the two Sages began to feel their mouths go dry.
"Naruto, stop this! You were master and student, after all," the two Sages said, dodging desperately.
"Stop? He tried to destroy the Seireitei," Naruto said, his face impassive. His speed suddenly increased, and he forced the two Sages back. Using Shunpo, he instantly appeared behind the fleeing Jiraiya. The burning Ryujin Jakka pierced through his chest, the intense heat instantly stopping his heart.
"Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima, this is war, not a game." Sheathing his sword, Naruto walked back towards Shion and the others without a second glance.
"The Summoning Realm is not part of my plans, but I can destroy it just as easily."