The Rain Ninja were slightly slower in speed compared to their Kumo opponents.
Even with Konan's Paper Dance technique providing cover, they were quickly caught up to.
This was one of the worst scenarios Konan had anticipated.
Yet instead of abandoning this unit of Rain Ninja outright, she turned around once more and unleashed the Dance of the Shikigami to slow her pursuers' pace.
Some Rain Ninja had already begun turning to fight.
They seemed to understand their current predicament clearly, so they chose to gamble everything.
"Great Lady Konan, you leave first!"
"We'll cover you!"
"Hurry and go!"
"Just avenge us later!"
"..."
While some blocked incoming enemies, others urged Konan—who still lingered here trying to protect them—to flee.
Knowing that Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, stood among them, they couldn't even think about victory. So they believed the time had come for martyrdom.
Besides, if they could sever at least one enemy's head while turning back, their deaths wouldn't be in vain.
Had the Akatsuki leader—in the eyes of Rain ninja essentially the 'god' of Amegakure—been present, perhaps the outcome might have been different.
But only Great Lady Konan was here, though powerful in her own right; none truly believed she could defeat Jiraiya, whom they regarded as a nightmare incarnate among Rain Ninja.
Moreover, now that they'd been engaged and lost the initiative to escape, their departure would never be easy.
Then why not create an opportunity for Konan's escape or at least drag someone down with them? At least dying like this wouldn't be completely meaningless.
Rain Ninja who came to this realization instantly gave up on running and spun around to strike back at the enemy behind them.
Thus, the retreating formation abruptly turned into resistance, colliding with the pursuing Kumo forces in a clash of blades.
There were no dazzling ninjutsu displays, only blood and gore.
Actually, if you removed Konan from the equation and excluded Jiraiya as well, the rest of the Rain Ninja had been roughly equal to the Kumo Ninja in battle before these two arrived.
In fact, with their numerical advantage, they even had better chances of victory—at the cost of heavy casualties.
However, everything changed when both Konan and Jiraiya arrived, creating a remarkably similar double reversal in events.
This caused both sides' emotions to feel like a rollercoaster—ups and downs, highs and lows.
In the end, one side plunged into despair, while the other stood atop the summit.
Proving how unpredictable fate truly is.
A ninja wearing a breathing apparatus, hiding his true appearance, shot several senbon needles toward Jiraiya while shouting:
"Die! Konoha ninja!"
If Jiraiya hadn't suddenly stepped in, the Rain Ninja would have surely claimed victory for themselves.
Fueled by old grudges and fresh rage, he loathed the sight of this muscular figure before him, and without hesitation charged forward head-on to confront him.
Jiraiya didn't even consider him a worthy opponent. With just a casual glance from the corner of his eye, he casually formed a ninja seal.
His white hair behind grew longer and harder instantly, then wrapped around his entire body.
Ting ting—
The senbon struck the hair, producing sharp clinking sounds before simply falling to the ground.
The ninja who made the first move was clearly startled, hesitating for half a second.
But that brief moment had already bought him a one-way ticket straight to hell.
Whoosh—
Jiraiya's hair shot out from behind his body like a swarm of vipers, piercing through the enemy ninja's chest and emerging from his back as a bloodied tip.
After killing this foe, his hair swiftly retracted and lashed out at nearby enemies.
In the blink of an eye, several other adversaries barely managed to cry out before their lives were instantly snuffed out.
Having eliminated the lightly threatening enemies, Jiraiya surged forward again.
As for the lives just ended—
Sorry, but the title of Sannin wasn't just something Hanzo gave away lightly.
A veteran of the Two Great Ninja World Wars, in real combat, only his enemies could truly feel the weight of his decisiveness and ruthless efficiency.
This wasn't child's play—it was a real battlefield.
Kill or be killed!
Behind Jiraiya, the Kumo ninjas and samurais watching the scene unfold felt their hearts sink, seeing how casually he used such bizarre methods to easily slaughter over ten enemies.
Only realizing that they were on the same side as Jiraiya helped them regain their nerve.
Instantly killing off several foes created a clear space in front of Jiraiya.
However, soon enough, he frowned again.
It wasn't anything complicated—more Rain Ninjas were closing in.
These enemies seemed to realize his current target was Konan flying high above, so they fearlessly rushed forward.
They were willing to pay with their lives just to slow his steps down by even a second.
His eyes swept briefly over Konan, now quite distant in the air. Jiraiya knew it was time to make a choice.
Would he choose to easily wipe out this group of Rain Ninjas, or instead bear certain costs to stop Konan—his former apprentice, and a core member of Akatsuki?
For Jiraiya, these weren't difficult options.
What he'd failed to fulfill in the past as a teacher, he still had time to make up for now.
Besides, a teacher always bears half the responsibility for any wrongdoing committed by his student.
As for Konan—he had a duty to either bring her to her senses… or end her life.
[Ninjutsu – Needle Jizo!]
Jiraiya suddenly flared his hair upward. A dense wave of strands filled the space ahead and shot straight into the crowd of enemy Rain Ninjas.
"Ahhh!" "My eyes!" "Damn it!"
Under the jutsu's effect, many Rain Ninjas fell to the ground.
Some were pierced fatally and died instantly; others dodged critical hits but lost their ability to fight, crashing down injured…
Though fearless in the face of death, they were mere ants trying to stop an elephant in Jiraiya's eyes.
Brave as they were, reality was brutally harsh.
Far away, Konan sensed the commotion from behind. Her flight paused momentarily as she slightly turned her head to look back.
She locked eyes with Jiraiya's stern gaze and saw the numerous Amegakure ninjas sprawled behind him.
Finally, she gritted her teeth and continued flying forward: I'm sorry, everyone!
If not necessary, she had no intention of confronting Jiraiya directly—there was simply too great a gap between them.
Last time in Konoha while providing cover for Nagato's retreat, she barely managed to repel Jiraiya and Minato by relying on Paper Clones and a large stockpile of Explosive Tags.
And this sudden battlefield encounter clearly placed significant limitations on her capabilities.
A thousand thoughts condensed into one sentence—carrying deep remorse toward the Rain Ninja.
On the other side, Jiraiya noticed that after locking eyes with him, Konan sped up again. He realized he had to act fast if he wanted to stop her.
"Konan, stay put!"
His thunderous voice cracked across the battlefield like lightning.
The nearby ninja felt their eardrums vibrating, as if struck by sudden tinnitus.
At the same time, Jiraiya seized the brief opening before him, kicked off the ground hard, and launched skyward like a rocket.
[Summoning Jutsu - Gamadon Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu!]
He rapidly molded a series of hand seals before finally shouting the technique's name.
"Konan-sama, watch out!"
One Rain Ninja spotted Jiraiya's movement and hurled a Shuriken at the airborne ninja mid-cast, attempting to ambush during his jutsu.
But because he was already engaged in battle, this momentary lapse gave his opponent an opening—a blade drove straight into his chest.
The light in his eyes faded as he whispered "Watch out…" with his last breath.
Sensing the pressure shift above and hearing her subordinate's faint warning, Konan—who had been soaring forward—paused midair, tilting her head upward. "This is…"
Before she could react, the shadow overhead crashed down with mountain-crushing force, cutting off every escape route.
She hadn't even begun transforming her body into paper yet.
Boom—
The earth shook violently. A massive crimson frog slammed onto the ground, its shockwave detectable for miles.
Every Rain Ninja within range of its impact were either knocked unconscious or crushed flat.
As for Konan, who had been flying moments ago, she vanished from sight—as though swallowed beneath the frog's fall.
"What an enormous frog!"
"This must be one of Sannin Jiraiya's Boss Summons!"
"Did it just sit on that Akatsuki kunoichi?"
Some Kumo Ninja marveled at how large this frog was—its size rivaling even the Tailed Beasts—while others paid closer attention to the tactical implications.
It was said that the Sannin owed half their strength and reputation to their Boss Summons.
Seeing it now, that claim proved true.
With such a colossal summon, even a Tailed Beast might stand a chance against it.
"Konan-sama!"
"Damn it!"
"Hurry! Save Konan-sama!"
Shaken by both the earth-shaking impact and inner shock, the Rain Ninja morale nearly broke.
Would they all die here?
Many shinobi rushed toward the giant frog, determined to pull Konan from beneath it.
They had seen the beast drop from the sky, pinning her underneath.
"Noisy!"
Gamabunta shifted his rear and scratched it a few times with one claw before leaping high into the air.
Boom—
He landed once more, just beside Jiraiya. Tilting his oversized pipe diagonally in his mouth, he slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke.
"Jiraiya, are these our enemies this time? They seem to be ninja from Amegakure. Looks like they've chosen the hardest possible path!"
Ignoring the murderous stares from the Rain Ninja around him, Jiraiya leaped onto Gamabunta's back and quickly ran up to stand atop the frog's head. "Yeah, I hate to bother you again, but to prevent them escaping, I had no choice but to summon you."
"Their reaction time was surprisingly fast, and their Ninjutsu displayed unusual properties. That attack didn't deal as much damage as expected."
Gamabunta turned his gaze toward the spot where he'd just been sitting—a smooth indentation remained, though its bottom now lacked the figure who had previously floated there.
Hwah hwah hwah—
Just then, large quantities of white paper scraps materialized from thin air, eventually solidifying into a human form near the edge of that indentation.
Konan clutched her left arm, which had become severely deformed and was now steadily oozing blood.
Her eyes darkened, expression pained. Looking up at Jiraiya atop the frog, she said reluctantly, "Jiraiya-sensei, it seems I can't leave today unless I defeat you."
Though she had desperately wanted to avoid direct combat with her former teacher, Konan now had no choice but to face him head-on.
The Rain Ninja who had gathered around her let out a quiet sigh of relief upon realizing she hadn't been crushed by the giant frog.
Yet when they saw her bleeding arm, their hearts sank all over again.
Escaping that way came at a price—even Konan sustained injuries.
The situation seemed increasingly bleak!
That was the single thought racing through their minds.
Upon hearing his disciple's words, Jiraiya—still standing atop Gamabunta's head—spoke solemnly: "Exactly. I won't allow you to continue down this mistaken path any longer. As your teacher, I have an obligation to save my lost disciples. So if you want to leave here today, there's only one way—kill me!"
Remaining seated, Gamabunta released an enormous smoke ring in response to Jiraiya's declaration. His eyes carried a slightly dangerous glint as he stared toward Konan.
Fixing her gaze upon Jiraiya, Konan replied seriously, "Then there's nothing more to say, Teacher! Let's settle this the only way we can—with battle! It's been many years, and not only has Nagato changed greatly—I've also kept running forward alongside him!"
Wings unfurled from her back again. With a powerful flap, she soared into the air, her injured arm dangling limply by her side.
Normally, with her [Paper Manipulation jutsu], she feared absolutely no physical attacks.
But Gamabunta's appearance had been far too sudden and precise—despite her abilities, she'd already sustained damage before instinctively initiating her transformation into paper.
Fortunately, her style of battle leaned toward that of a 'ranged mage,' not requiring close proximity or intensive use of her arms.
"Jiraiya, looks like we've run into someone troublesome."
Looking up at Konan rising into the air until she matched his line of sight, Wintai tucked the pipe from his mouth to his waist. His other claw gripped the massive ninja sword tightly.
Jiraiya answered, "She's a member of the Akatsuki Organization—my former disciple! Her strength shouldn't be underestimated, so stay cautious! Especially those papers—they're laced with explosive tags."
Upon hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Wintai's expression turned even more serious.
It blew out the last puff of smoke, its vertically slit eyes now sharp and focused, and its leg muscles coiled tight. "Hold on tight—I'll test her strength first!"
Then it leaped high from the ground.
A powerful gust of wind erupted from beneath its feet, kicking up clouds of dust and making the earth itself quake.
As for Wintai itself, it became a tiny black dot soaring across the sky, blocking out the blazing sun.
[Paper Rain jutsu!]
With her wings flaring open behind her, Konan raised her right hand toward Wintai, who was now hurtling downward from above.
In an instant, countless white senbon needles rained through the air, slicing through it with sharp whistling sounds.
Riding atop Wintai's head, Jiraiya saw the barrage closing in and shouted a warning: "Be careful!"
"Got it!"
Wintai twisted midair, rotating halfway around to change direction as he swung his blade downward.
Then, his entire body spun like a top, wielding the sword in a whirlwind defense.
Senbon rained down, clashing violently against the ninja sword before flying off in all directions from the force.
Below them, Rain Ninja and Kumo Ninja clashed once again in fierce combat.
Konan had no intention of running, so both sides had no choice but to fight hard—it might be their only shot at surviving.
Meanwhile, above, Wintai deflected every incoming needle without a scratch and continued descending toward Konan.
Gravity accelerated his movement, giving him tremendous speed and power.
Much of the mist in the sky had already dissipated, leaving the blade glinting dangerously under the sunlight.
Swish—
Konan anticipated Wintai's attack and shifted her body slightly to the left, then manipulated a large number of paper scraps to fly toward Wintai, sticking to his nearby form.
She hadn't expected that such a seemingly bulky creature like Wintai could execute so many agile moves midair and evade all attacks.
"Huh?"
Noticing the pieces of paper stuck to his blade, Wintai narrowed his eyes, which now gleamed with menace.
[Second-Stage Cut!]
At the moment his sword passed where Konan once floated, a surge of chakra exploded from the blade, shaking off all the attached paper scraps.
At the same time, bulging muscles rippled on his arms, swinging the blade in a new direction as he horizontally sliced toward Konan, who had dodged sideways.
Facing Wintai's sudden counterattack, Konan frowned:
[Paper Transformation!]
She made no attempt to dodge. Instead, her body split cleanly in two under Wintai's blade before dissolving into a flurry of paper scraps, which then reassembled elsewhere.
Realizing his attack had been neutralized, Wintai muttered a curse inwardly while swiftly considering his next move.
The previous Paper Transformation did seem to effectively counter Wintai's sword attacks. I wonder whether that state can be activated at any time?
Bang!
He landed on the ground and quickly turned around, facing the floating Konan behind him, sword held upright before his body.
Jiraiya had deliberately held back from attacking earlier because Wintai wanted to test Konan's strength. Thus, he was more than willing to pause and observe for that brief moment.
Although he hadn't attacked personally, what he saw was identical to Wintai's experience. So when he saw Konan's Paper Transformation deflecting Wintai's strikes, he couldn't help but furrow his brow as well.
"I'll try using [Water Release] to see if I can neutralize her ability. You keep attacking and close the distance—no matter what, don't let her escape!"
"Got it, no problem!"
After a brief exchange, human and Boss Summon once again established their battle plan.
Their flawless coordination stemmed from countless battles fought together. The instant Jiraiya finished speaking, Wintai leapt toward Konan almost instantaneously.
This time, though, he didn't leap nearly as high.
Wintai leapt forward like a fish breaking the surface—agile and swift.
"Again?! Then I won't hold back either!"
Konan was satisfied with her prior strategy while realizing her abilities had an advantage over her opponent. Naturally, she wasn't intimidated now.
Her wings flapped once, launching countless slender feather-like paper projectiles directly at the approaching Wintai.
Swirling paper scraps spun rapidly around her, forming a protective barrier.
The paper scraps swirled like a school of fish, orbiting a central point and keeping enemies at bay.
But Wintai charged headlong into the paper storm, undeterred by the incoming barrage.
Drawing his blade—he slashed!
Focusing directly on Konan at the center, he swiftly completed his motion.
As for those dense feather-like paper scraps, he completely ignored them, relying purely on his Boss Summon's powerful physique to withstand the damage.
Thus, even though one slash cleaved through the paper surrounding Konan, his body still bore numerous small wounds afterward.
"Now!"
Jumping off Wintai's head, Jiraiya puffed out his chest, face serious and focused.
At this moment, Konan's body was practically within his range of attack—this was the perfect opportunity to strike.
[Water Release—Great Waterfall Technique!]
Massive amounts of chakra erupted from his mouth, morphing into a powerful torrent aimed at Konan.
After being struck by Wintai's sword, Konan immediately retreated backward several feet. Observing the airborne Jiraiya's approach, her eyes narrowed as she unleashed another flurry of paper scraps from her sleeve to counter the incoming technique.
Boom—
The paper scraps collided with the water stream midair, sending both flying violently into the sky.
"Wintai!"
As his technique ended, Jiraiya twisted midair and shouted loudly.
The already-landed Wintai immediately leapt upward again, stably catching the falling Jiraiya upon his back.
Jiraiya watched the [Water Release] closely. After contact, although Konan's paper slowed slightly, the effect fell far short of expectations.
Clearly, [Water Release] had little effect against the [Paper Manipulation jutsu]!
This was definitely bad news!
Boom—
Wintai crashed down, creating a large crater, then quickly hopped forward several times.
The shikigami paper attacks danced persistently behind him, leaving a trail of white on the ground.
As he dodged frantically, he blurted out his earlier observations and guesses: "Water won't make a big enough impact to change things, Jiraiya!"
"Is that how it is? I see."
Jiraiya looked toward Konan. He noticed that the papers contaminated by water did indeed slow down slightly, but the difference was almost negligible.
And Konan didn't seem to avoid the water at all.
"In that case, I know what to do!"
Konan flicked the soaked shikigami papers, thinking to herself, "You figured it out already? Guess I'll have to end this fast!"
Water had very little effect on her shikigami papers; otherwise, in Amegakure's environment, she would barely be able to take a single step.
But Jiraiya was already testing countermeasures—who knew if he'd soon discover one that worked?
So either eliminate Jiraiya quickly or withdraw from the fight immediately.
Yet at this moment, retreating safely was impossible.
Konan's eyes grew increasingly sharp. Then, she raised her right arm high above her head again and slashed downward powerfully toward Wintai below.
The surrounding scraps of paper rapidly moved, following both hands' direction as they surged outward, instantly surrounding Wintai and Jiraiya within them, continuously shooting inward.
A flash of blade light streaked past.
Wintai's counterattack remained as fierce as ever.
Although many pieces of paper were sliced apart, even more swarmed forth to continue encircling them.
[Dance of the Shikigami!]
Wings flapped nonstop as red explosive tags appeared among the white paper scraps.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. A sense of danger flickered inside him.
"It's explosive tags! Jiraiya, hold tight!"
Wintai took a deep breath, swung the weapon in its claws in full circle to cut through a gap in the attacking papers, then forcefully jumped upward.
Just as he leaped, the explosion went off.
Konan initially used the paper shreds to surround Wintai, launching simple attacks to distract its focus, then mixed explosive tags into the papers before detonating them all at once.
Precisely to keep the enemy off guard.
But that cheap trick wasn't going to work on them—one man and one frog with sharp senses.
BOOM—
Flames filled the skies. Wintai shot through the explosion, aiming straight toward Konan floating midair.
Though the clothes on his back had turned pitch black, the frog's spirit remained strong and unaffected.
[Ninjutsu – Toad Oil Art!]
[Fire Release – Great Fireball!]
Man and frog worked together mid-flight once again, using Konan's explosion as cover while launching their counterattack.
Although Konan anticipated her previous attack wouldn't achieve the desired outcome, she still felt shocked by their retaliation.
She could only hurriedly block with layers of paper forming a shield in front of her body, flapping her wings constantly while backing away.
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