Bang!
The moment Gamabunta landed, a cloud of dust erupted and the earth shook violently.
"No good—it's flying too high. I can't reach it on the first jump, so there's nothing I can do after that."
Although Gamabunta could leap tremendously high, he couldn't actually fly. The clay bird only needed to evade his initial attack, and then he would inevitably fall back to earth.
Swish!
Manda's long tail reared up and lashed toward the aerial target, but the distance was too great—his tail fell helplessly short by more than ten meters.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"
Seeing Jiraiya still caught in the aerial bombardment, Gamabunta continuously launched Water Release techniques like cannonballs at the clay bird, attempting to shoot it down.
But such tactics proved extremely difficult.
The clay creature flew too fast and maintained high altitude—the chances of hitting it were minimal.
Moreover, Gamabunta's attacks seemed to have angered the construct. With a bird-like cry, it flapped its wings and flew in their direction.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Countless clay spheres fell from the sky, forcing Gamabunta to dodge rapidly.
Boom, boom...
Continuous explosions began unleashing terrifying power.
"Damn it!"
Gamabunta looked thoroughly disheveled. This aerial enemy was far too troublesome.
The furious toad swung his short sword with all his strength, attempting to strike down the clay bird.
But the construct simply flapped its wings slightly, allowing the blade to sail harmlessly past.
"Find a way to shoot that thing down!"
Orochimaru frowned, but the distance was too great—he had no immediate solutions.
"This is problematic!"
Fortunately, Jiraiya had escaped the explosion zone. His hardened hair had provided strong defense, leaving him uninjured.
"Wait..."
Orochimaru's serpentine eyes narrowed as he observed Jiraiya pressing his palms together, preparing for something significant.
I see!
Although Orochimaru couldn't practice Sage Mode due to various limitations, he possessed extensive knowledge about it.
After all, his subordinate Jugo was born with the ability to unconsciously absorb natural energy and undergo Sage Transformation.
However, Jugo couldn't control his transformations, causing him to lose his mind and go berserk from natural energy.
Through years of research, Orochimaru had copied the power of curse seals from Jugo's Sage Transformation.
This was why he was quite familiar with Sage Mode.
Now, seeing Jiraiya's actions and vaguely sensing natural energy converging toward him, Orochimaru knew his former teammate intended to activate Sage Mode!
Excellent!
Orochimaru urged Manda forward to assist. At this moment, he needed to ensure Jiraiya's Sage Mode activation succeeded.
Only then would they be qualified to compete against Pain's Six Paths.
Although Orochimaru harbored secret plans, the longer and more intense the battle with Pain became, the less likely he would be suspected.
When the time came, his staged death could deceive everyone present, allowing him to be reborn.
Therefore, he had to use his full strength and abilities as if this were a genuine battle.
The situation was quite favorable now. With Jiraiya taking point, he didn't need to overexert himself—simply providing support would suffice.
Swish!
At Orochimaru's urging, Manda flicked his long tail and rushed toward Jiraiya.
"Perfect timing!"
Seeing Manda approaching, Jiraiya suddenly leaped up, evaded the continuing bombardment, and ran swiftly.
Manda's tail swung out directly, tightly grasping the running Jiraiya before quickly carrying him away from the still-exploding area.
"Saved!"
Jiraiya stood atop Manda and sighed in relief.
"Orochimaru, I need time to enter a new state—you must hold them off!"
"I know—Sage Mode, right?"
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, feeling somewhat envious as he watched him prepare to enter Sage Mode.
His research into curse seals stemmed from his inability to master Sage Mode himself.
Among the Sannin, both Orochimaru and Tsunade had failed to learn Sage Mode—only Jiraiya, who seemed the least gifted, had mastered it.
This was truly difficult to comprehend.
"Right. I can't use my full strength until I enter Sage Mode, so you need to find a way to block the enemy's attacks."
"Fine, leave it to me."
Orochimaru nodded—this aligned with his plans perfectly.
The two were still discussing battle strategy when suddenly a tremendous roar echoed from the distance.
"Summoning Technique: Cerberus!"
"ROAR!"
A vicious three-headed dog burst from the smoke, revealing its true form.
"Another one appears!"
Seeing the hellhound bare its savage fangs and charge toward them, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya's expressions darkened.
"Be careful!"
Bang!
The hellhound reached them instantly, slashing at Manda with its claws.
Without Orochimaru's prompting, Manda twisted his body to evade the Cerberus's claw attack.
With a roar, the hellhound opened its blood-stained maw and bit toward the serpent.
Swish!
Manda's speed suddenly increased as he circled the hellhound at lightning velocity, quickly coiling around it.
"Die!"
Manda roared viciously and began strangling the hellhound with maximum force.
Tremendous power erupted as Manda's body wrapped tightly around the hellhound, constantly constricting!
"ROAR!"
The hellhound struggled frantically, attempting to break free, but the harder it fought, the more violently Manda compressed.
Just as the gradually suffocating hellhound was about to collapse, its body—tightly bound by Manda—suddenly became hollow, and two separate figures leaped out directly.
"What?!"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru stared in amazement as the Cerberus split into two—they were completely surprised.
One had been troublesome enough—now another appeared. This was serious trouble.
Before either could react, both hellhounds rushed forward with roars.
"Hey, Orochimaru, if you don't have any other solutions, I'm leaving now."
Seeing the deteriorating situation, Manda prepared to flee.
It had no intention of risking its life for Orochimaru. It had already done its part by persisting this long—it was worthy of the sacrifices Orochimaru had offered.
"Wait..."
Seeing Manda about to escape, Jiraiya had to temporarily abandon entering Sage Mode.
"Summoning Technique!"
Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals and summoned another toad!
A massive form materialized—a purple-red toad appeared carrying a barbed harpoon in one hand and a pot-lid-shaped shield on its back.
"I'm quite useless!"
"Gamaken, hold on a moment!"
Before Jiraiya could finish speaking, another toad appeared.
A blue-green toad carrying two large swords on its back—Gamahiro!
Two enormous toads stood side by side, their powerful aura sweeping the surroundings.
Orochimaru observed the scene with amazement. At this moment, he deeply realized the true extent of Jiraiya's unfathomable strength.
Jiraiya could summon three massive creatures in succession—his power had truly reached a new level.
However, Orochimaru wouldn't underestimate himself. He differed from Jiraiya—they possessed different types of strength.
"Ha! Now it's our turn to use numbers against them."
Jiraiya looked confidently toward their opponents: the clay bird flying high overhead bombing Gamabunta, and the two split hellhounds.
They now had three toads and one giant serpent. Regardless of individual strength, they at least held numerical advantage.
But just as Jiraiya finished speaking, smoke billowed with a bang, and a new summoning creature appeared.
A fighting bull!
A majestic bull appeared before everyone!
Snort...
White vapor emerged from the bull's nostrils as its hooves began pawing the ground. The next second, it transformed into an arrow and slammed toward Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Even before the bull reached them, the approaching malevolent wind had already changed both their expressions.
If they took a hit at this speed and force, the consequences were obvious.
"Get out of the way!"
Manda cursed softly as his twisted body instantly shot away, avoiding the bull's attack trajectory.
Boom!
The bull crashed into where Manda had just been positioned. Gravel and sand flew everywhere as a massive boulder was pulverized to powder.
"No choice—I have to enter Sage Mode."
Seeing this, Jiraiya knew that three toads and Manda alone couldn't defeat these enemies.
Besides, he didn't know whether the enemy with Yahiko's appearance could continue summoning creatures. If so, it would be enormous trouble.
Because Jiraiya no longer possessed the ability to continue summoning Mount Myoboku's toads!
"Gamaken! Gamahiro! Help me hold back the enemies. I want to summon those two!"
"Leave it to me!"
"Even though I'm useless, I should be able to hold on!"
Gamaken removed the shield from his back, gripping his harpoon in one hand and shield in the other while staring sadly at the two hellhounds prowling opposite them!
With a clang, Gamahiro drew his twin swords. From their flashing cold light, one could sense the extraordinary nature of both blades.
Orochimaru glanced at the two obedient toads, then looked down at Manda. The difference was too stark.
No matter how many toads there were, they all listened to Jiraiya.
But every time he wanted his summoning beast Manda to fight, he had to offer substantial sacrifices.
Fortunately, Orochimaru had contracted more than just Manda from Ryuchi Cave.
The problem was that given Manda's temperament, it would only tolerate Orochimaru summoning itself. If other giant serpents appeared, it would turn against Orochimaru and attempt to devour him.
This was why Orochimaru could only summon Manda. Besides, other giant serpents' abilities remained inferior to Manda's.
So there was no choice. After weighing various considerations, Orochimaru could only select Manda as his primary summoning creature!
"Find a way to hold off the enemies so Jiraiya can enter Sage Mode."
Manda sneered disdainfully, but it was cunning enough. Although it didn't want to help Jiraiya and the toads—after all, they had fought when summoned previously.
Manda's mouth had even been pierced by Gamabunta's short sword. After returning to Ryuchi Cave, it had taken considerable time to heal.
Now being asked to help Jiraiya and Gamabunta, one could imagine Manda's reluctance.
But this time the enemy wasn't just Gamabunta. It had to deal with several formidable opponents, so it could only cooperate and launch a counterattack.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The frenzied collisions and explosions devastated the forest within several kilometers.
Towering ancient trees were uprooted, massive rocks rolled everywhere, mud splattered, and countless deep craters suddenly appeared!
Several enormous summoning creatures were going berserk.
"Wait—who is this person?"
Jiraiya steadied himself atop Gamaken, frowning at the newly appeared long-haired man who also possessed the Rinnegan.
"Also, all these summoning beasts' eyes look like Rinnegan..."
Observing everything before him, Jiraiya's mind raced with questions about the truth.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Jiraiya's eyes froze and he almost opened his clasped palms.
He stared in shock as Tendo Pain stood intact in the distance, gazing at this location with cold Rinnegan.
Wait—what happened?
Jiraiya remembered that this man who resembled his former student Yahiko had been defeated and destroyed before his very eyes. Why was he perfectly fine now?
Even the damage to his clothes had returned to normal!
The heavy-set man who could absorb ninjutsu, the man who looked remarkably like Yahiko, and the new long-haired ninja skilled at summoning—
All three possessed the Rinnegan, and their abilities were both incredibly strange and powerful.
So what was really happening?
Jiraiya desperately wanted to discover what kind of tragedy had befallen the three students he had adopted and taught, and why they had become like this.
Bang!
Gamaken raised his shield and blocked an attack from four split dogs.
"I'm really useless."
Chakra surged from Jiraiya's feet as he firmly attached himself to Gamaken's head, preventing himself from falling.
"Why do these damn dogs keep splitting? When will it ever end?"
"Orochimaru, what are you doing?! Kill these damn dogs first!"
"Shut up!"
Orochimaru directed Manda to move swiftly, using the bull's incredible speed and terrifying impact to make it collide fiercely with the hellhound.
Boom!
Both summoning beasts tumbled to the ground together. The collision force seemed too great—neither could stand immediately.
Swish!
Manda's body shot forward, instantly appearing beside both creatures. He opened his serpentine maw and bit the hellhound's neck tightly.
His fangs pierced deeply into the hellhound's body as highly toxic venom penetrated the opponent's internal organs within moments.
"ROAR!"
A tremendous wailing erupted as the hellhound struggled desperately, trying to bite through Manda's body with its sharp teeth. But before it could act, its massive head drooped and it lost all life.
Poof!
The four split dogs besieging Gamaken, including the hellhound poisoned by Manda, all transformed into smoke and dissipated.
Bang!
The ground shook as three short swords pierced the bull's body simultaneously. Blood splattered everywhere as this summoning beast also vanished.
Orochimaru looked up to see the wounded Gamabunta breathing heavily, withdrawing his sword while standing alongside Gamahiro.
Why are they here?
Where is the bird?
"Look out!"
Boom, boom, boom...
Frenzied explosions echoed once more.
Orochimaru and Manda, having just defeated two summoning beasts, were blown away in thoroughly embarrassing fashion before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Bastard, Orochimaru! Prepare my sacrifices!"
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