The moment he saw Jiraiya, Sasuke activated his Cursed Seal. Flame-like black patterns emerged from his neck and spread across his body.
His skin immediately turned a pale grey. The Natural Energy in the air was rapidly absorbed into his body, repairing the injury to his wrist at an incredible speed.
Jiraiya noticed this, and he had no intention of letting Sasuke continue his recovery.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
A mouthful of searing, scalding flames suddenly erupted from Jiraiya, crashing toward Sasuke along with the distorted air.
Fortunately, the latter used his Sharingan to catch the movement and dodged the strike by flashing to the side just in time.
The avoided fireball smashed heavily into a tree, snapping it in half and showcasing the sheer power of the technique.
Having escaped the danger, Sasuke likewise held two fingers before his mouth, retaliating with a Fire Style ninjutsu!
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The Fireball Jutsu, infused with Natural Energy, appeared even more ferocious as billowing flames rolled toward the three Leaf ninjas.
The scorching heat caused the surrounding leaves to crackle with a burnt sound.
Unfortunately, one of the ninjas beside Jiraiya quickly used Water Wall to successfully intercept it, resulting in a burst of mist.
Immediately after, a burly black shadow charged through the mist, Jiraiya's long white hair flying like a lion's mane.
"Needle Senbon!"
Countless white hairs rapidly extended under the influence of chakra, coiling toward Sasuke from all directions.
Sasuke's figure retreated sharply, his crimson two-tomoe eyes fixed on his opponent, staring directly into Jiraiya's eyes.
A Genjutsu from the Uchiha Clan was instantly triggered. Countless waves of hatred flooded into Jiraiya's mind, causing him to freeze in place for a moment.
The white hairs that had been lunging at Sasuke like sharp spikes also froze in mid-air, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.
The corner of Sasuke's mouth curled into a smirk.
A Legendary Sannin, and yet that's all he is!
Because he was worried that weaving hand signs to launch a ninjutsu would give the other two Leaf ninjas time to react, Sasuke chose to close the distance.
His small body erupted with astonishing power, shattering the ground beneath his feet as his figure instantly appeared in front of Jiraiya.
The sharp blade sliced through the air with ease, producing a high-pitched hum. Under the horrified gazes of the other two Leaf ninjas, he ruthlessly severed Jiraiya's head!
"It's over..."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth tilted slightly, forming a proud arc.
Conversely, the two Leaf ninjas both wore expressions of utter despair.
They never imagined that the legendary Lord Jiraiya would be taken down by this brat in a single exchange.
However, in the next second, Sasuke's smile froze on his face.
The Jiraiya who had just been spraying blood in front of him suddenly exploded into smoke, and a severed piece of wood emerged from within.
Just as he prepared to use the Body Flicker Jutsu to escape, the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open. A thick, powerful palm clamped firmly onto Sasuke's ankle.
"Boy, don't get ahead of yourself!"
Assuming the posture of a senior, Jiraiya forcefully threw Sasuke into the air, followed by a heavy punch landing squarely on his abdomen.
"Boom!"
Unimaginable power surged forth, pouring frantically into Sasuke's body.
At that moment, Sasuke felt as if he had been hit by a massive truck. His internal organs shifted, and several ribs were broken.
Had the Cursed Seal not absorbed Natural Energy to grant his body a massive enhancement, his young frame would have been unable to withstand such a terrifying impact.
Despite this, he still flew backward like a cannonball, snapping several trees before finally coming to a stop.
"Although I don't wish for my hands to be stained with a child's blood, I'm sorry, Sasuke. I must kill you."
Jiraiya's tone was as cold as thousand-year-old ice, absolutely unshakable.
"I must prevent the descent of Jashin; I must stop the emergence of the Child of Destruction!"
With that, he cast aside the last bit of hesitation in his heart regarding the child. Accompanied by the icy killing intent erupting from his body, he condensed a Rasengan and slammed it toward Sasuke!
Sasuke lay on the ground, clutching his abdomen tightly. The intense agony in his body made him unable to move.
He grit his teeth, his strong will to survive causing the Cursed Seal on his body to spread rapidly.
But it was still too late; the high-speed spinning Rasengan had already reached his face.
This was the nature of a battle between ninjas.
A single mistake could end your life!
Fortunately, a pitch-black spear suddenly thrust out from beneath Sasuke's feet, its sharp tip lunging at Jiraiya's ribs from both sides.
According to this trajectory, if Jiraiya insisted on slamming the Rasengan into Sasuke, his own body would be impaled by the black spear.
In this war, his status as the supreme commander was self-evident. Once he died on the front lines, this joint operation could be declared over prematurely.
Therefore, Jiraiya abandoned Sasuke without hesitation. He twisted his feet on the ground, relying on sheer leg strength to pivot his direction, narrowly avoiding the two sudden attacks.
However, he still stared fixedly at the two pitch-black spears, saying coldly, "I knew it. A guy like you would never let a Divine Son take risks on the battlefield unattended."
Following Jiraiya's words, a cool voice suddenly rang out from behind Sasuke:
"I also didn't expect the Gallant Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, to lower his status and attack a young child."
Simu's bespectacled figure stepped out from behind a large tree behind Sasuke, a faint smile playing on his face.
Hearing this, Jiraiya's expression instantly darkened. For a "gallant hero" like him, attacking a child like Sasuke was indeed a quite disgraceful matter.
But since the peace of the Shinobi World was at stake, he grit his teeth and argued, "For the sake of peace in the world, I am willing to bear the infamy!"
"That is truly a grand and righteous way to put it..."
Simu shrugged helplessly. "If it were me, I suppose I could only use the phrase 'survival of the fittest' to cover it up."
He turned to look at Sasuke and said softly, "Let's stop this trial for now."
Although Sasuke was quite unwilling, having lost his ability to move, he could only nod in frustration.
"Don't even think about it!"
Seeing them prepare to slip away, Jiraiya hurriedly prepared to stop them.
But before he could act, a white insect over ten meters long drilled out from the ground, swallowing both Simu and Sasuke together.
Before disappearing, Simu left Jiraiya with an incredibly gentle smile and a polite wave, offering a thoughtful reminder:
"Mr. Jiraiya, you might want to pay attention to the battlefield behind you."
If anyone else had said this, Jiraiya would have only thought they were trying to trick him to stall for time.
But this was Simu.
Despite being a villain, this guy never lied!
Consequently, Jiraiya instinctively looked back, and a wave of fear immediately filled his heart.
Countless massive black shadows loomed in the sky above the battlefield, recklessly raining down kunai wrapped in Paper Bombs like a storm!