Hanzo was stunned. The Jiraiya who had just been completely suppressed by him had, for some reason, suddenly experienced a massive boost in strength, and now, with a single punch, had injured him.
The drastic contrast before and after left him completely baffled. Could it be… that he had fallen into a genjutsu?
But with his level of strength, Hanzo could clearly sense that he wasn't under any illusion, which made this all the harder to accept.
However, as a "Demi-God" standing at the very peak of the ninja world, Hanzo quickly regained his composure. He understood that Jiraiya's sudden surge in power was likely connected to the strange red markings that had appeared on his face.
"Jiraiya, I didn't expect you to possess a secret technique capable of increasing your power to this extent." Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Hanzo stared at Jiraiya and spoke slowly.
"But how long can you maintain that state?"
Though he didn't understand the truth of Sage Mode, Hanzo could see that Jiraiya couldn't stay in it for long. With this realization, Hanzo naturally shifted to a strategy of dragging out the fight until Jiraiya's transformation wore off.
Jiraiya immediately understood Hanzo's intention.
Though Sage Mode indeed boosted his strength beyond Hanzo's, it didn't make him invincible. After all, his Sage Mode wasn't perfect, and he'd only recently learned it; he couldn't use it with mastery just yet.
So for someone of Hanzo's level, dragging out the fight was a completely viable tactic.
Realizing this, Jiraiya began to feel pressured.
"Jiraiya-sama, I have an idea — a way to defeat Hanzo." Seeing his predicament, Aoshi quickly stepped forward and shared his plan.
Jiraiya's face lit up with hope.
Time was tight, so he moved immediately. But instead of heading for Hanzo, he sprinted toward Ibuse, who was still locked in battle with Gamabunta.
Now that Ibuse couldn't release any more poison for the time being, he was completely at a disadvantage against Gamabunta and was being thoroughly suppressed.
Mount Myoboku was one of the Three Great Sage Lands, after all — a place of powerful beings and deep-rooted senjutsu.
As one of its strongest toads, Gamabunta's power was formidable. Even against tailed beasts, he could hold his own, let alone against Ibuse, a salamander.
Boom!
Jiraiya used Body Flicker to appear above Ibuse in an instant, gathered chakra into his fist, and slammed it downward, forcing the massive creature to crash to the ground with a pained shriek.
At that moment, he looked as though he had been possessed by Tsunade.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gamabunta slashed down with his short sword, unleashing a massive pillar of blood several dozen meters high.
Heavily wounded, Ibuse could no longer continue; he immediately dispelled the summoning technique and vanished from the battlefield.
When Hanzo witnessed this scene, his expression darkened further. But retreat wasn't an option.
As a proud "Demi-God," running away was unthinkable — especially against someone he had once defeated. Hanzo was still not the older version of himself who would later lose his ideals and give in to despair.
"Let's see what tricks you still have left!" Under Hanzo's gaze, Aoshi and Jiraiya both leapt onto Gamabunta's head.
"Bunta, I'm going to use the last of my senjutsu chakra to attack Hanzo. I'll need your oil to support me."
With Sage Mode about to run out, there was no time to explain further. Gamabunta didn't ask questions. He simply did as instructed.
The moment he opened his mouth and spat out oil, Aoshi and Jiraiya simultaneously released Wind and Fire Release techniques.
The three combined to create a sea of fire with overwhelming destructive power. The intense heat was so great that the constant downpour actually halted briefly.
This was the Sage Art: Goemon!
Although Aoshi didn't know senjutsu, which meant the power was somewhat diminished, it was still more than enough to deal with the current Hanzo.
Even when faced with this terrifying inferno, Hanzo didn't retreat. He immediately used his strongest water jutsu — conjuring a massive tidal wave equal in scale to the approaching firestorm.
But when the water and fire collided, something shocking happened — the powerful water technique was quickly evaporated by the flames.
"Impossible!" Hanzo's roar rang out in disbelief.
The strongest Water Release user in the ninja world, and his water jutsu was being overpowered by fire? What he didn't know was that this was senjutsu — techniques that stood above ordinary ninjutsu.
Even a weakened Sage Technique was still a Sage Technique.
And so, in Hanzo's disbelieving gaze, the sea of fire tore through the wall of water and engulfed him in an instant.
When the flames finally subsided, Hanzo was lying motionless on the ground, gravely injured and barely clinging to life.
If the ninja of the Hidden Rain Village had seen this scene, it would have caused a massive uproar. The invincible Lord Hanzo had fallen!
And he had lost to none other than his former defeated foe — Jiraiya.
Poof! With the battle over, Gamabunta dispelled himself and returned to Mount Myoboku.
Exiting Sage Mode, Jiraiya collapsed to the ground, unable to stand. Blood gushed from his wounds. He had lost too much blood — his face was pale as a sheet.
There was no time to waste — Aoshi immediately began treating his injuries.
Fortunately, with Aoshi's current medical skills, such wounds weren't difficult for him to handle. Soon, the treatment was complete, and color began to return to Jiraiya's face.
[Treatment of Jiraiya complete. Reward: 1 Rainbow Orb.]
[Congratulations — you have acquired the ability to sense Natural Energy.]
In that instant, Aoshi sensed a new kind of energy permeating the world around him — the ever-present force of nature known as natural energy."
Chakra, as used by normal shinobi, was formed by combining physical and spiritual energy in equal parts. But add natural energy to that mix, maintaining a perfect 1:1:1 ratio, and you could form the legendary senjutsu chakra.
Any technique used with that chakra would become a Sage Technique, far more powerful than regular ninjutsu.
The theory sounded simple, but achieving it was incredibly difficult. After all, ordinary ninja couldn't even sense natural energy.
And if you couldn't sense it, how could you absorb it?
In the original story, even Naruto had to rely on toad oil to learn how to sense natural energy and train in Sage Mode. But now, with this new ability, Aoshi could theoretically begin developing Sage Mode himself.
As expected of the rainbow orb I've longed for — what a powerful reward!
After finishing Jiraiya's treatment, Aoshi turned to heal Mikoto next. She had also sustained serious injuries in the earlier battle.
[Treatment of Uchiha Mikoto complete. Reward: 1 Gold Orb.]
[Congratulations — you have obtained Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.]
This was now the third jutsu Aoshi had gained through healing Mikoto.
"Aoshi, could I trouble you to treat Hanzo as well?" Jiraiya's voice called out.
Back during the Second Great Ninja War, Hanzo had once spared his life. Now was the perfect time to repay that favor.
Aoshi had no objections.
This would repay the kindness Jiraiya had shown him — and more importantly, it was a chance to receive another rainbow orb.
A true win—win, with Aoshi winning twice.
[Treatment of Hanzo the Salamander complete. Reward: 1 Rainbow Orb.]
[Congratulations — you have obtained Top-Tier Water Release Talent.]
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