Chapter 190: The Death of Jiraiya (Part 1)
In the distance, Manda, seeing that the battle was growing more and more intense, decided that was enough. "Orochimaru!" it roared. "I'm going back! Next time, I want a hundred sacrifices!"
It didn't know where he was, but it knew he wasn't dead. Their special contract was still intact. He should have heard the shout.
It felt it had done enough.
"Release!" it said, and was about to cancel the summoning.
But nothing happened.
"Release? Release?"
A drop of cold sweat trickled down its side. It glanced at the thunder dragon, which was now a bit dim after a long fight, and then at the chaotic center of the island. It decided to act for a little while longer.
"Come on, Brother Thunder Dragon," it said, as if it had found its new best friend. "Let's go and act over there." It wrapped itself around the mindless thunder dragon and dragged it away.
In the rubble, Jiraiya struggled to sit up. The two sages were also a bit dazed.
"Is it over?" Fukasaku asked.
"How could it be?" he replied. "He's not the kind of guy who can be taken down so easily."
Sure enough, when the smoke had cleared, Dana's figure appeared. The close-range clash had clearly taken a toll on him as well. Smoke was rising from his body.
"I have to admit," he said, "in this state, you're quite a handful. Even if it is three against one."
The two toad sages' tongues were as deadly as a taijutsu master, which had, to some extent, made up for the gap between him and Dana in close combat.
The next moment, a mercury-like liquid chakra flowed from all over his body and solidified into a suit of brilliant armor, its sharp, ethereal lines giving it a sci-fi feel.
"This must be his strongest state," Jiraiya said, looking at the璀璨armor.
Clad in his Sage Lightning Armor, he shot forward, flying low to the ground, and threw a punch at him.
Fukasaku used the same trick, releasing his "Sage Art: Tongue-Cutter Slash." A thick tongue shot out, trying to wrap around his fist.
But the moment it touched the armor, a searing pain, and a jolt of electricity sent it flying back, smoking.
"It hurts!"
Jiraiya could only dodge to the side, and Dana followed up with a kick, sending him flying into the sky.
In mid-air, before he could even right himself, he was on him again, his fists a blur of motion, like a meteor shower, so fast they left afterimages.
He could only counter-punch. In Sage Mode, he could barely keep up, but his speed was no match for his. He was soon overwhelmed, taking several punches to the chest and abdomen.
Shima and Fukasaku also shot out their thick tongues, like javelins, again and again.
Dana, against the three of them, did not slow down.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
His punches grew faster, heavier, each one accompanied by a stinging flash of lightning.
After a brief stalemate, Jiraiya was on the defensive. Even with the three of them, he was losing.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
One punch.
It hit his left cheek, and his head almost flew off.
Two punches.
Shima tried to intervene, and her tongue was almost broken.
Three punches.
His chest was wide open, and a punch cracked his ribs.
Four punches.
His chin was hit by a cannonball, the flesh caving in.
Five punches! Six punches! Seven punches!
At the tenth punch, he could no longer hold on and was sent flying.
"Agh!" He coughed up a mouthful of blood. The two toads on his shoulders were also bleeding from their mouths.
With Sage Mode still active, his face was becoming more and more toad-like, and he could no longer stand up straight.
But Dana had no habit of giving his enemies a breather.
He appeared in front of him again, his massive fist growing larger and larger.
At the last moment, the two great sages shouted in unison, "Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant!"
In his ears, the random croaking of toads suddenly became deafening. The two of them opened their mouths and croaked with all their might.
At such a close range, his mind instantly went blank.
He was sent flying back, but he had managed to stop him.
He stood there, dazed, his thoughts sluggish, his vision blurring. He covered his ears, but it was no use.
"Dammit!"
Jiraiya struggled to his feet, panting heavily.
A sound-based genjutsu was the most advanced of its kind, even rarer than a visual-based one. Even on Mount Myoboku, only the two great sages had mastered it.
Slowly, the scene around him began to change. It was no longer a ruined island, but an unknown, floating space, surrounded by four massive, looming statues.
And Jiraiya, holding the stone sword that had been passed down through the generations of Mount Myoboku, was walking towards him.
This is not good.
His sense of space was getting weaker. He didn't even know if he was standing still or had been transported to some secret space.
"Croak, croak, croak."
"Croak, croak, croak."
"Croak, croak, croak."
If I can't block it out, then I'll just have to be louder.
"THUNDER!"
Countless bolts of furious lightning appeared around him, and with them, the deafening roar of thunder.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
The thunder grew louder and louder, exploding in his ears, drowning out the croaking.
He gradually came back to his senses, his vision returning to normal.
"Sage Art: Giant Thunder Lance!"
He threw the lightning in his hand, forcing back Jiraiya and the two chanting toads, and then quickly created some distance.
"Huff! Huff! A terrifying genjutsu. The legacy of Mount Myoboku is something else."
This was the first time since the start of the battle that he had felt real danger.
Sage Mode was supposed to be highly resistant to genjutsu, but this sound-based one seemed to be an exception.
He had been training in Shikkotsu Forest for some time now, and he had a much better control over Sage Mode than when he had first learned it. But he had not been able to learn the secret arts of the Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode. Because he, like Katsuyu, was a one-in-a-million being who could directly use natural energy. His Sage Mode was different. He had to forge his own path, not follow hers. So he had missed out on the essence of the Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode, like its infinite regeneration. He had to figure things out on his own.
In his long training, besides making his Sage Lightning Armor harder and more flashy, he had also developed his own techniques.
"I didn't want to use this move," he said, patting his ears. "But now, I don't seem to have any other choice."
If he were to be caught in that genjutsu again, he might not be so lucky.
With that, he held out his hands, palms up, and began to float slightly.
The man and the two toads on the other side were shocked.
"This guy... he still has strength to spare?"
"Little Jiraiya, should we retreat?"
To be honest, both he and the two sages had already used all their tricks. If that wasn't enough to take him down, then to continue to fight would be to court disaster.
But he hesitated. He and Orochimaru had gone to such lengths for today. If he left now, not only would it all have been for nothing, but the Cloud might even tighten their guard on Tsunade, or even kill her.
His opponent seemed to have a way to counter the Toad Confrontation Chant. If he could just prevent him from using his thunder next time, could he be controlled?
And if the Daimyo couldn't be exchanged for Tsunade, then what about this Yotsuki Dana?