While Kitagawa Minamoto was locked in a fierce battle with the Fourth Raikage, Jiraiya's fight with Orochimaru had also escalated, growing increasingly intense.
They knew each other far too well, which eliminated much of the need for probing attacks.
"Damn it, this bastard actually dragged me into a fight in the middle of town!"
Because of their familiarity, Orochimaru had already set Jiraiya up at the very start of the fight.
Dodging Orochimaru's attacks quickly, Jiraiya couldn't help but curse inwardly.
The only silver lining was that the residents of the small town in the Land of Cedars had reacted swiftly.
Perhaps due to the frequent wars breaking out in small nations, and the fact that this town was located near the border, the people here were unusually alert.
As soon as they sensed something was wrong, they fled the town like madmen.
This gave Jiraiya some relief. But as he watched the collapsing buildings around him, his lips twitched in frustration.
"How much is this going to cost to repair?"
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
Annoyed, Jiraiya quickly formed seals, unleashing a torrent of flames toward Orochimaru.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
Orochimaru wasn't one to hold back. With a swift burst of Chakra, a sturdy wall of earth rose to block the flames.
At the same time, he left a shadow clone in place and disappeared underground.
"Hair Needle Senbon!"
Jiraiya, seemingly unaware of Orochimaru's disappearance, clapped his hands together. His hair extended rapidly, piercing through the earth wall and wrapping around Orochimaru, who had reappeared behind it.
"Got you!"
"Idiot."
But just as Jiraiya thought he had the upper hand, Orochimaru burst out of the ground and delivered a powerful punch.
Boom—
The punch shattered Jiraiya's head—only for it to crumble into dirt. It was a mud clone.
Jiraiya's real body emerged from another direction, and the two resumed their clash.
"Orochimaru, stop being so stubborn!"
As they fought, Jiraiya shouted in a low voice.
"Stubborn?"
Orochimaru sneered, shaking his head disdainfully.
"You know what I hate most about you? That naive attitude of yours. Always believing in some prophecy from that stupid toad.
You're always forcing your ideals onto others. Why don't you just go back to hugging your toads and dreaming your little dreams?
Speaking of which, have you found your 'Child of the Prophecy' yet? Don't tell me it was Minato Namikaze?
Tsk, tsk. The one you labeled as the Child of the Prophecy turned out to be a short-lived fool, didn't he?"
"You bastard..."
Jiraiya couldn't hold back any longer. Orochimaru's words were as venomous as ever.
But he forced himself to stay calm, fixing his gaze on Orochimaru as he asked in a low voice,
"What exactly is your goal? I've uncovered some interesting things. What's the deal with that organization of yours?"
"..."
Orochimaru was growing irritated. Does this guy ever shut up?
But then, a thought struck him, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Danzō sent me to contact Hanzō the Salamander... Could it be because of this?"
Glancing at Jiraiya, who seemed to be waiting for an answer while continuing his relentless attacks, Orochimaru's thoughts became clearer.
"Jiraiya must have discovered something, which is why he's focusing on the Land of Rain.
And Danzō, after Root's destruction, doesn't dare set foot in the Land of Rain. So..."
Orochimaru's fists clenched tighter. He realized he was being used as a pawn!
Even though he had no intention of going to the Land of Rain, if he did, wouldn't he run into Jiraiya?
Knowing Danzō's character, such a setup was inevitable!
"Damn it. If that's the case..."
A ruthless gleam appeared in Orochimaru's eyes, accompanied by a sinister smile.
"You're still investigating, huh? Are you really that eager to die?"
"What do you mean?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up at Orochimaru's words, but he quickly sensed something was wrong.
"Are you crazy?!"
"You may not dare to use it, but I do!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru swiftly formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke, the massive figure of Manda, the giant snake, appeared instantly!
"Damn it..."
Jiraiya's expression darkened. Orochimaru was truly reckless.
"You again? Orochimaru, how dare you summon me?!"
The moment Manda appeared, it immediately noticed Jiraiya. A flood of unpleasant memories surged through its mind.
The last time Orochimaru had summoned it to fight Jiraiya, it had ended up being stabbed countless times, used as a mere cushion by both of them.
It still remembered that humiliation vividly!
"I'll provide suitable sacrifices as compensation. For now, deal with this problem," Orochimaru said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was also forced to summon Gamabunta.
Although he didn't want to use a summoning jutsu in the middle of town, he had no choice against Orochimaru.
"What's going on, Jiraiya...?"
As the smoke cleared, Gamabunta appeared, pipe in mouth. It immediately spotted Orochimaru and Manda.
"Huh? So they're the enemies this time?"
To the toads, snakes were truly detestable. And the feeling was mutual for the snakes.
"Filthy toad? Hmph. Orochimaru, I'll let it slide this time, but I'm killing this damn toad!"
"Over my dead body!"
Without waiting for Jiraiya's command, Gamabunta drew its blade and leapt forward, slashing at Manda's head.
Manda dodged nimbly and coiled around Gamabunta, baring its fangs as it prepared to bite the giant toad.
The two colossal beasts clashed violently, sending dust and debris flying. Buildings in the vicinity continued to collapse.
"You really are willing to investigate anything, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said nonchalantly, standing calmly atop Manda's head.
"One day, your curiosity about forbidden secrets will get you killed."
"Hmph. No matter what, I'll find a way!"
This time, Jiraiya wasn't holding back. Both Orochimaru and his former students, who were now part of that mysterious Akatsuki organization, had captured his attention.
The Akatsuki was tied to Konohagakure in many ways. Two of its members possessed Mangekyō Sharingan and had caused countless deaths.
"If you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish," Orochimaru said with a sinister grin.
He continued, "Don't bother looking for us. Akatsuki members are scattered across the world. You'll never find us.
We only gather when there's a mission to complete."
Orochimaru decided to redirect Jiraiya's focus entirely onto the Akatsuki, ensuring he wouldn't be bothered again.
But he refrained from revealing too much, not wanting to provoke trouble from the Akatsuki or Danzō.
"Still, none of us are ordinary. Especially our leader, who once defeated both Hanzō the Salamander and Danzō Shimura."
"What?! Danzō and Hanzō?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock.
"That's right. You've heard about the destruction of Root, haven't you?"
"I have."
"Hmph. Hanzō and Danzō joined forces to annihilate a mysterious organization.
But in the end, Root's elite forces were wiped out, and Hanzō hasn't dared leave Amegakure since."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his raspy voice dripping with malice.
He recalled how closely he had worked with Danzō back then, only for things to fall apart in the end.
Now, he was using this opportunity to both redirect Jiraiya and spite Danzō.
"Danzō... Hanzō..."
Jiraiya was momentarily lost in thought, but Orochimaru seized the chance to attack.
"Ninja Art: Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
Countless snakes erupted from Orochimaru's sleeves, surging toward Jiraiya like a tidal wave.
"Despicable!"
Jiraiya leapt back, forming seals.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
The raging flames incinerated the sea of snakes in an instant.
But Orochimaru's figure was obscured by the flames, his voice echoing faintly.
"Go ahead and die chasing your answers. I won't bother with you anymore. But rest assured, I'll be there to watch when you meet your end."
"You bastard, don't run!"
Jiraiya shouted in frustration, but Orochimaru's voice faded into the distance.
"You should check on that kid. He's fighting the Fourth Raikage, after all."
"Minamoto..."
Hearing this, Jiraiya froze. Watching the flames continue to burn, he sighed deeply.
"Damn him."
With Orochimaru gone, the battle between Gamabunta and Manda also came to an end. Manda grumbled before dispelling itself, while Gamabunta cursed under his breath.
"That damn snake. One day, I'll make a bag out of you."
With that, Gamabunta vanished as well.
Jiraiya wasted no time, leaping toward the other battlefield.
"Why is Minamoto fighting the Fourth Raikage? Tsunade probably wouldn't intervene, but what about Kakashi?"
"Well, Minamoto is probably no less capable than Minato. If Minato could handle the Raikage, then Minamoto should be fine too."
Despite reassuring himself, Jiraiya couldn't help but quicken his pace.
But when he arrived, his eyes widened in shock, and a single thought crossed his mind.
"Oh no, did he die?!"
This thought wasn't exclusive to Jiraiya. Kakashi and Tsunade, who was seeing overlapping images in her mind, were thinking the same thing.
"Is that..."
Tsunade stared in disbelief at the scene before her. She had seen Kitagawa Minamoto vanish the moment he was struck, only to reappear behind the Fourth Raikage.
"Flying Thunder God Technique..."
She whispered softly.
On the battlefield, the Fourth Raikage's eyes were wide with shock.
Minamoto's voice came from behind him, and in that instant, he felt the imminent threat of death.
"Is this... the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
His mind raced. He remembered fighting alongside Killer Bee against a golden-haired man who had used the same technique.
"That kid knows this jutsu?!"
Realizing he couldn't evade, the Raikage braced himself, turning his body to minimize the damage while unleashing a burst of Chakra to defend himself.
But Minamoto's White Fang short blade, crackling with purple lightning, was already upon him.
"Don't worry. I'm not stupid. Some things are better dealt with sooner rather than later."
Buzz—
The blade pierced through, tearing into the Raikage's back. The terrifying force, combined with the purple lightning, wreaked havoc on the Raikage's blue lightning armor, ripping it apart almost instantly.
But at the last moment, Minamoto adjusted his blade, avoiding a fatal strike and instead slicing through the Raikage's left arm.
Blood sprayed as the Fourth Raikage collapsed heavily to the ground...
(End of Chapter)
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