Bang!
A dull thud echoed through the clearing.
Jiraiya was sent flying more than ten meters by Shigure's kick.
If not for Fukasaku and Shima's timely intervention, he might have been launched even further.
When Jiraiya finally steadied himself, his head throbbed in pain, and his vision spun. Even with Sage Chakra reinforcing his body, he could hardly withstand such overwhelming force.
Shigure didn't press the attack. Instead, he simply stood there, calm and unhurried, as if waiting for Jiraiya to regain his footing.
When Jiraiya finally looked up, there was a rare flicker of unease in his eyes.
Perfect.
The word repeated in his mind like a curse.
Perfect power, perfect control.
In every aspect—Chakra, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, talent, and aptitude—Shigure was terrifyingly complete.
In terms of Chakra, Shigure's reserves rivaled that of a Two-Tails Jinchūriki. His sheer volume of Chakra might even compete with the Nine-Tails itself.
Ninjutsu…
Jiraiya recalled how Shigure had fought Orochimaru earlier—seamlessly weaving different techniques together, even embedding sealing arts into his offensive flow.
Taijutsu…
That kick alone had proven it. His physical prowess was monstrous, enough to make even a Sannin like Jiraiya pale in comparison. And the frightening part?
Shigure hadn't even drawn his sword.
If he had used Kenjutsu, Jiraiya suspected the fight would have already ended—with him lying unconscious or worse.
As for talent and aptitude… they needed no explanation.
A shinobi with two Kekkei Genkai was already a rarity across the entire world.
And if Jiraiya knew the full truth—that Shigure also possessed Invisibility Release, Cloud Release, Wood Release, and even Shikotsumyaku—he would have been utterly speechless.
Yet Shigure hadn't used any of those powers. Against Jiraiya, they were unnecessary—and, for now, better left unrevealed.
"What are you spacing out for?"
Whoosh!
Before Jiraiya could react, frost spread across his legs—ice creeping up and locking him in place.
It wasn't enough to completely freeze him, but it was enough to slow him down.
And for Shigure, even that brief delay was more than sufficient.
With a surge of Water Release, his body blurred forward like a shadow skipping over the surface of a lake. In an instant, he was before Jiraiya—nine chakra tails unfurling behind him like living whips, coiling around the Sannin's body.
Shigure's gaze sharpened, his voice calm yet filled with disdain.
"So this is one of the Legendary Sannin? How disappointing."
At that moment, Shima and Fukasaku leapt high into the air.
"Sage Art: Frog Song!"
Though Shigure's mind was strong enough to resist most genjutsu, this was no ordinary illusion—it was Sage Art, imbued with pure natural energy and an overwhelming mental resonance.
The air quivered. Shigure's body stiffened slightly, forced back under the sonic assault.
The instant Jiraiya broke free from the icy bind, he retaliated—his hands forming a familiar seal.
"Sage Art: Super Big Ball Rasengan!"
He drove it forward with all his might.
Shigure instantly unfurled his chakra tails to defend, but the impact was colossal.
The Rasengan detonated like a thunderclap, hurling Shigure across the ground.
When he finally landed, his expression darkened. His sharp eyes flicked toward the two elderly toads perched on Jiraiya's shoulders.
Troublesome little things.
He had underestimated them.
"Sage Art—!"
All three—Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima—formed hand seals in perfect unison.
Shigure's instincts screamed danger. He leapt backward, weaving signs as his mouth filled with chakra.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
At the same time, the trio completed their own combined jutsu.
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
Oil from Jiraiya, wind from Fukasaku, and fire from Shima merged together, producing a blazing torrent.
The oil became molten, the flames roaring higher as the wind fanned their fury—turning the entire battlefield into a sea of fire.
The scorching wave advanced relentlessly, capable of reducing everything it touched to ash.
But Shigure's Great Waterfall had already surged forward.
As the waves collided, he moved swiftly—his hands flashing through another set of seals.
"Ice Release: Frozen World!"
The crashing water froze mid-motion, creating a wall of glittering frost between the two devastating techniques.
Snowflakes swirled wildly through the air, drawn from every direction as if obeying an unseen will.
Shigure infused Tailed Beast Chakra into the storm, controlling each flake as they condensed and surged forward.
The ice wall he had conjured could only hold back Goemon for a short while.
To truly suppress that overwhelming fusion of fire, wind, and oil, he needed something more—the cold itself.
Above, the sky began to churn.
An endless flurry of snow gathered around Shigure, thickening with unnatural intensity. Each flake shimmered with Chakra, swirling toward Jiraiya's blazing attack.
On one side, scorching oil and fire roared, and on the other, frost and snow raged in defiance.
When the two forces collided, they birthed an enormous white mist—a boiling, freezing haze that spread in all directions, swallowing everything in sight.
The clash of red and white lasted a long time.
The battlefield split in two, fire and ice dividing the world down a perfect line.
And within the mist, Shigure stood motionless.
[Great Sage: Analysis complete.]
The calm, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
Hmm? Already?
Barely ten minutes had passed—and yet the analysis was complete.
[Congratulations, Host. You have acquired a new ability: Mount Myōboku Sage Mode.]
[Great Sage: Recommendation—develop an original Sage Mode based on this foundation.]
Shigure blinked. Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode…?
So that was what Jiraiya had been using. Powerful, yes—but it was designed for toads, not humans.
The natural energy pathways weren't a perfect match for human physiology.
Naruto, on the other hand, had achieved something close to perfection—his body naturally harmonized with Mount Myōboku's Sage Chakra, which was why his transformation appeared so seamless.
A faint smile tugged at Shigure's lips.
Sage Mode… finally mine.
At once, countless insights flooded his mind—the nature of Natural Energy, the balance between Physical Energy and Spiritual Energy, and the delicate process of refining true Sage Chakra.
It felt as though an entirely new world had opened before him.
So that's it… Chakra can evolve like this?
The realization left him in awe.
"Great Sage," he said quietly, "take control of my body."
He wanted to fully comprehend Sage Mode—every calculation, every movement.
[Great Sage: Calculation complete. The optimal strategy to defeat the enemy has been simulated.]
[Executing.]
In the blink of an eye, the Tailed Beast Chakra surrounding Shigure vanished.
His aura settled, returning to its calm, natural state.
Then—mist began to rise again, silently spreading through the battlefield.
But this time, it was different.
The mist shimmered faintly, its texture corrosive. The air itself hissed with acidic Chakra.
Jiraiya immediately sensed danger. His instincts screamed, and he leapt high into the air—only for another cloud of white mist to surge up behind him, swallowing him whole.
Before he could react, Chakra threads shot out from Shigure's hands, coiling around his body.
"Sealing Technique: Chakra Bind."
The moment the threads tightened, Jiraiya froze midair.
His Chakra flow stuttered—cut off and locked by the sealing formula.
Then Shigure appeared in front of him in a flicker of movement.
Without hesitation, he gripped Jiraiya's head with one hand.
A chilling cold surged through Jiraiya's body.
Frost spread instantly, crystallizing over his skin, freezing his Sage-enhanced Chakra pathways from the inside out.
Even Fukasaku and Shima, still linked to him through Sage Mode, were caught in the effect.
Both toads froze solid in an instant—locked in place, encased in ice.
Shigure's consciousness drifted above, watching everything unfold from a detached, godlike perspective.
Every step, every movement, every strike—flawless.
Under the control of the Great Sage, even without tapping into his full power, he had defeated Jiraiya—a Sannin, a master of Sage Mode—in a matter of moments.
Shigure could only stare in silent awe.
So this is what it means to be controlled by the Great Sage…
Terrifying.
Absolute.
Flawless power in its purest form.
...
TN:
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