Chapter 90: The Toad Sage's Dance
East of Konoha Shinobi Village
A serpent of monstrous proportions, its body stretching over a hundred meters, wrought unchecked destruction. Wherever its colossal form slid, buildings were instantly pulverized into clouds of splintered wood and shattered stone. A once-bustling market street was reduced to a scar of rubble and dust in mere moments.
ROAR!
The giant snake threw back its head and unleashed a thunderous bellow that vibrated through the very air. People within a hundred meters clapped hands over their ears, their heads ringing, eardrums stinging from the sheer volume.
It lunged, its abyssal maw gaping wide, and swallowed a group of fleeing civilians whole. The sickening crunch that followed was the only eulogy they received, a red mist the only sign they had ever existed. The serpent's relentless slaughter had turned this district into a living purgatory.
This scene of horror was being replicated across Konoha. These summoned snakes were one of Orochimaru's trump cards, instruments of chaos in his plan to burn the village to the ground.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Around this particular serpent, a squad of Konoha shinobi darted and weaved. The Leaf insignia on their headbands was a mark of their desperate defiance.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A volley of mid-level ninjutsu, like a shower of falling stars, blasted against the snake's thick, scaled hide. Dazzling flashes of light erupted on impact. Though these shinobi were mostly genin and chunin, their strength limited, the resolve in their eyes was unbreakable. They would defend Konoha with their last breath.
BOOM!
The combined explosions rocked the street, sending up a thick plume of smoke and dust. The shinobi stared intently, hoping against hope that their concerted attack had felled the beast.
As the seconds ticked by, the atmosphere grew thick with tension.
Gulp.
Many swallowed hard, their hearts in their throats. They had given it their all. If this failed, their fate was sealed. With their chakra depleted, they would be nothing but lambs for the slaughter.
When the smoke finally cleared, despair washed over them. The serpent was not only alive, it was completely unscathed. Their attacks had been less than insect bites to a creature of its size.
"Dammit! It's no use at all!" a chunin cried out, his fist clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. A cold sweat drenched his back. If this was their best, then they were already dead; they just hadn't stopped moving yet.
Just as the final vestiges of hope were about to be extinguished, a shadow fell over them.
The sky darkened.
They looked up, and their jaws went slack. A massive shape, large enough to blot out the sun, was descending from above, aimed directly at the giant snake below.
BOOOOOOM!
The colossal figure landed with the force of a falling mountain, crushing the serpent beneath its immense weight with a final, sickening crunch. The sheer, overwhelming power was absolute.
"Summoning Jutsu: Food Cart Destroyer Technique!"
A booming voice echoed from the sky, drawing every eye.
"This is…!"
The Konoha shinobi stood in stunned silence, witnessing a miracle.
Before them stood a gargantuan toad. Its powerful body was crisscrossed with black markings, and two massive, sheathed swords were strapped to its back, adding to its formidable presence.
"Yo! Long time no see. Though it's a shame the warm-up was just a little snake," a deep voice rumbled.
A stalwart figure stood proudly on the toad's head. He had wild, white hair, and the chakra radiating from him was as vast and deep as the ocean. It was one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya.
"Listen up, kids! Open your eyes wide! The one and only gallant tale of Jiraiya the Toad Sage is about to begin!"
"Jiraiya-sama?! It's one of the Sannin!" someone shouted, recognition dawning.
It was like a lifeboat appearing in a stormy sea. A wave of pure relief and ecstasy swept through the defenders. With a legendary hero of his caliber here, they might just survive.
The other giant snakes in the vicinity, sensing the new threat, let out furious hisses and began to slither closer, surrounding the area in a deadly, coiling net.
"Little snakes being stared down by a toad should know their place," Jiraiya said, stepping forward. His white hair flowed dramatically despite the lack of wind, his demeanor calm and utterly confident.
But just as he prepared to engage, a terrifying pressure—an aura that felt alien and suffocating—suddenly erupted from the very center of Konoha. It was different from chakra. It was a spiritual pressure that seemed to crush the soul itself.
Reiatsu.
"What… what is this power?!" Jiraiya's confident smirk vanished, replaced by a look of deep solemnity. The sheer volume of this energy was staggering, enough to make even him wary. But more than that, it carried a chilling, malevolent quality that made cold sweat bead on his forehead involuntarily.
His gaze snapped toward the tallest watchtower in Konoha. Squinting into the distance, he saw the shattered remnants of the Four Violet Flames Formation.
And there, standing calmly amidst the wreckage, was a figure of elegant and noble bearing. Aizen Sōsuke. He merely stood, yet he exuded a domineering aura that made the world around him seem dull and colorless, as if all of existence had found its new center.
"It's him?!"
Jiraiya's pupils constricted to pinpricks. A storm of disbelief raged inside him. The source of this terrifying pressure that made his instincts scream in alarm… was the same boy he had casually instructed in chakra control just weeks ago?
The sheer, impossible contrast made his mind go blank for a crucial second.
And if Aizen was standing there, and this horrifying power was his… then what had happened to the Third Hokage?
A cold dread, colder than any he had felt facing the snakes, gripped Jiraiya's heart.
"Don't you dare be dead, you old fool," he whispered, his voice a low growl.
Leaving the powerful toad to handle the remaining serpents, Jiraiya's body flickered and vanished. He was a blur of motion, shooting toward the central watchtower with monstrous speed.
The legendary Toad Sage's killing intent was now fully unleashed, and it was aimed at a single, unexpected target.