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Naruto-Madara's eyes narrowed, his Sharingan fixed on Jiraiya. He took in the man's stance, the unnatural aura around him. "Who is he?"
Black Zetsu's voice was a low whisper. "Jiraiya. Naruto's teacher. A master of Mount Myōboku. He wields the power of a sage."
"Oh?" Naruto-Madara's eyebrow arched, interest sparking. His crimson eyes gleamed with focus.
"I see. It is indeed senjutsu. But the quality and quantity of his sage chakra… they pale next to Hashirama's." He paused. His Sharingan pierced through, dissecting the chakra. "For a mortal to achieve this level, though… Hmm?"
His gaze snapped to Jiraiya's left arm. The chakra image there was… different.
"That arm… brimming with vitality." A slow, sharp grin spread across his face. "Hashirama's cells. Ha! Now this gets interesting!"
He didn't hide his excitement. It was written in the curve of his smirk, the predatory glint in his eyes.
"Calling him a degraded version of Hashirama isn't too far off. And with those amphibians on his shoulders… yes. This has potential."
Shima Sennin's voice was tight with disgust. "His eyes… that chakra reeks of something foul."
Fukasaku Sennin's tone was grim. "We've never met little Naruto. The thing twisting his chakra, making it feel so wrong… that must be the one controlling him."
Jiraiya's expression was grim. "It's a cursed seal. Black Zetsu, after stealing the future, must have mimicked Orochimaru's work. And its core… is Uchiha Madara."
Fukasaku's worry deepened. "That complicates things. To fight Madara, we inevitably hurt Naruto."
"I have a way." Jiraiya's voice was steady, resolute. "A way to force Naruto's consciousness awake without killing him."
Shima leaned in. "What way?!"
"I observed the seal. It's black, just like the ones Orochimaru used in the past." Jiraiya's hands tightened. "That means its power can be suppressed. By the Evil Sealing Method."
Fukasaku's eyes widened. "I see!!"
"We shatter that Susanoo. We overwhelm him from the front." Jiraiya's gaze hardened. "And I'll find my opening to use the seal!"
Naruto-Madara watched them converse, his head tilted. "What are they muttering about?"
"Who knows?" Black Zetsu's form rippled. "But be cautious. Jiraiya's Sage Arts… they are formidable."
Naruto-Madara's grin widened. "Then allow me a taste!!"
Sage Art: Goemon!
BOOM!
Oil met flame. Wind fanned it. A perfect triad, their power magnified by Jiraiya's flawless, perfected Sage Mode. The scale of the jutsu was nearly double what it once was.
A tsunami of fire, fed by oil and driven by hurricane winds, surged forward. It swallowed Naruto-Madara's skeletal Susanoo whole.
CRACK! SNAP!
The first stage of the Susanoo shattered instantly, its bones turning to dust in the inferno.
Naruto-Madara's eyes widened in genuine shock. His Sharingan spun wildly, chakra pouring out to rebuild the construct. Bones reforged in the flames. To avoid the same fate, he willed it further—the muscular form enveloping the skeleton.
CRUNCH…!!
But the muscle, fresh and new, burst in the intense heat.
It couldn't even hold the second stage…?!
Naruto-Madara wasn't alarmed. He was delighted. A wild, ecstatic grin split his face. His Mangekyō spun furiously, draining power.
ROAR!!!
The Susanoo endured the baptism of fire. From bone to muscle in a heartbeat—then beyond. Surging blue chakra overflowed, solidifying into majestic, armored plates.
—The Crow Tengu Susanoo!
Finally, it stood firm amidst the sea of fire.
Naruto's body trembled, vibrating with the strain of the completed Susanoo. Naruto-Madara relished that pain, his voice rising in a triumphant howl.
—"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The heat of this fire… it rivals my prime! Jiraiya! You are worthy of being my opponent!!!"
Fukasaku's voice was urgent. "That Susanoo's form… it's the same as Sasuke's!"
"Then the method to break it," Jiraiya said, dropping into a low stance, "can be the same."
BOOM!!!
Jiraiya's feet—now fully transformed—exploded against the ground. He shot forward.
Sage Art: Super Great Ball Rasengan!
The massive blue sphere formed in his palm, spinning with devastating force. It crashed into the Susanoo's armored chest.
KABOOOM!!
The sound of impact shook the earth.
The surrounding firestorm of Goemon, still raging, was violently sucked into the Rasengan's vortex. A technique Jiraiya had honed during the Five Great Battles—infusing his Rasengan with nature transformation. With his newfound mastery over sage chakra, it came effortlessly.
The Super Great Ball Rasengan fused with the all-consuming fire. It became a miniature sun, a spiral of pure, apocalyptic heat.
—Sage Art: Super Explosive Flame Great Ball Rasengan!!!
CRACK! CRACK-CRACK!
The Susanoo's majestic armor… groaned. Fractured. Shattered.
Naruto-Madara's triumphant expression vanished. "What…?!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH…!!!"
Jiraiya roared, driving the solar-fireball deep into the Susanoo's core…!!!
He planted his feet and kicked off the ground, leaping back with explosive speed.
"Naruto… HANG ON!!!"
KABOOOOOOOOOM…!!!
The world turned white, then orange. A cataclysmic spiral of fire and force erupted, consuming the Crow Tengu Susanoo from the inside out. It didn't break apart—it was annihilated, disintegrating into nothing but shimmering, superheated dust.
A streak of pure black shot through the crown of the explosion, piercing the sky.
The air itself grew heavy. Dark. Ominous.
As the fire cleared, standing in the epicenter of the ruined earth was Naruto-Madara. He was now sheathed in a cloak of bubbling, viscous black chakra—a fox's silhouette with four lashing tails.
The Cursed Fox Chakra Mode. The same power that had crushed the Five Kage.
The Black Cursed Seal's energy merged with the Nine-Tails' chakra, his own indomitable will overriding the beast's rage. Four tails here held the raw power of eight.
He'd once scorned this form for its grotesque appearance. That he resorted to it now meant the situation was dire, beyond the point of pride or personal whims. This was survival.
—"Come, Jiraiya! Dance with me!!!"
Naruto-Madara's dark-fox face tilted to the sky. His four black tails flared. Thick, malevolent chakra bubbles boiled upwards, coalescing before his mouth into a sphere of absolute darkness. It pulsed, expanded, contracted—condensing to a critical, terrifying density. It was no imitation. It was a true Tailed Beast Ball.
CLANG.
A single, skeletal arm of blue Susanoo manifested beside him. It held a longsword of chakra, which it slammed horizontally into the swirling black orb.
In the distance, the samurai lines broke. Men stumbled back, some collapsing outright, paralyzed by the sheer, annihilating aura.
The Kage's guards held their ground, but their faces were sheets of pale dread.
Kankurō's voice was a dry rasp. "If Jiraiya-sama doesn't stop that… we're all finished."
Temari's knuckles were white on her fan. "Isn't there… anything we can do?!"
Her body trembled, but she took a shaky step forward, resolve warring with fear.
A shadow shot across the ground, linking to her feet.
"Uncle?"
Nara Shikaku's voice was firm, yet not unkind. "Temari. I understand. But if Lord Jiraiya has achieved a perfect Sage Mode… then the best teamwork we can offer is to not get in his way."
Temari's fist clenched so tight it shook. "But… I hate this!"
It wasn't just her. The sentiment echoed in the hearts of every shinobi forced to watch.
Shikaku's gaze was weary, wise. "The road is long. Enduring humiliation… is also a path to strength. Remember this powerlessness. If we survive… let it fuel your growth."
On the field, Jiraiya dropped into a deep crouch, hands flying through seals. "That technique… is bad news."
The Armored Tailed Beast Ball launched. The world seemed to inhale.
BOOM!!!
At the same instant, Jiraiya slammed both palms onto the shattered earth.
—Sage Art: Five Flame God Fan!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Five towering, fan-shaped walls of pure, condensed sage flame erupted from the ground in a defensive arc before him. The Tailed Beast Ball slammed into them—and did not break through. The flaming fans shuddered, then snapped inward, sealing the sphere of annihilation inside a cocoon of incandescent fire.
"My ultimate Sage fire defense!" Jiraiya called out, sweat beading on his brow. "Inspired by my clone from another world, Kashin Koji! But I made one improvement! If the fans close completely… their contents are treated as 'flame'!"
SWOOSH…!!!
He unrolled a pre-prepared sealing scroll with a flick of his wrist. His hands formed the final seal.
—Sage Art: Fire Sealing Method!!
ROAR…!!!
The entire flaming cocoon, Tailed Beast Ball and all, was violently sucked into the scroll. Within seconds, the terrifying power was gone. Sealed. The scroll snapped shut.
"Haaah…"
Jiraiya let out a long, shaky breath as he stored the scroll. His eyes remained locked on the churning darkness ahead.
"I was really hoping he wouldn't have a second shot in him." A weary smirk touched his lips. "Even for Madara, after fighting the Five Kage… the spirit might be willing, but the flesh is running on fumes."
Witnessing the entire display, a genuine note of admiration entered Naruto-Madara's voice. "Magnificent."
Jiraiya rose to his feet, his gaze never leaving the churning darkness ahead. "You two," he said, his voice low and urgent to the sages on his shoulders. "Start preparing the Toad Confrontation Chant. Now."
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