Chapter 261: A Complete Failure
After shattering all the restraints on his body, Uchiha Madara swung his blade down at Uzumaki Nagato.
Yet, a strike powerful enough to split a mountain failed to harm Nagato in the slightest—he had suddenly activated Shinra Tensei, rebounding the attack.
Immediately after, Nagato retaliated with the Shura Cannon.
A storm of rockets he had summoned from another dimension rained down on Uchiha Madara.
Seeing this, Jiraiya and Yahiko didn't hesitate; they rushed forward to join the assault on Madara.
At the same time, Yahiko unleashed the exact same ability as Nagato, summoning a Shura Cannon to launch a barrage of rockets at Madara from a distance.
Jiraiya, fighting beside him, was stunned by the sight.
He checked carefully—Yahiko didn't have the Rinnegan. "Yahiko, your ability?"
"Jiraiya-sensei, it's a long story. Now isn't the time to explain."
His friend's life was on the line.
Although Nagato had used Shinra Tensei to repel Madara's slash, Yahiko knew Nagato alone could not defeat him.
He increased his output.
Seeing this, Jiraiya naturally stopped asking questions and devoted himself fully to fighting Madara.
Faced with Shura Cannons attacking from front and back, Madara remained expressionless.
"Trivial tricks."
He gave a low snort, took a deep breath, and inhaled deeply.
Then, he exhaled with force, blasting out the air mixed with chakra.
In an instant, the two barrages of rockets were blown away, unable to even touch him.
But another attack caught Madara's attention.
He turned his gaze toward the two Toad Sages on Jiraiya's shoulders.
"He's immortal, with near-infinite stamina and chakra. The only way to defeat him is with that jutsu. Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima!"
"Leave it to us!"
Jiraiya reminded the two Toad Sages on his shoulders.
They had fought side by side with him many times before, already knowing what was in his heart. Their thoughts were in perfect sync.
At this moment, Fukasaku replied, "Don't worry, little Jiraiya. We've prepared enough senjutsu chakra. All we need is an opening!"
"Tell those two kids to cover their ears!" Shima added.
Hearing them, Madara's eyes instantly narrowed.
He knew he hadn't been mistaken—what he sensed wasn't false.
The senjutsu chakra stored within the two Toad Sages was massive, clearly meant for a powerful jutsu prepared specifically to deal with him.
A veteran of countless battles, even if Madara couldn't guess exactly what Jiraiya intended, he wouldn't allow him the chance to unleash it.
As soon as Jiraiya began forming hand seals, Madara dove down from the head of Susanoo, abandoning its sluggish movements to fight with his true body.
This alone showed how seriously he regarded Sage Mode Jiraiya.
Seeing Madara descend like a meteor, faster than the eye could follow, Jiraiya's expression hardened.
He immediately acted: "Sage Art: Frog Song!"
This was a senjutsu genjutsu—one of the most difficult to defend against, a sound-based illusion.
If successfully cast, not even Madara, perhaps not even the Sage of Six Paths, could resist it.
But because Madara had already seen through him and struck personally, Jiraiya was just a moment too late.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than—thunk!
Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Shima were all pierced simultaneously by the chakra black rods Madara had created.
As a human, Jiraiya fared slightly better—though impaled, it wasn't fatal. His chakra, however, was instantly disrupted, leaving him unable to use even a trace of power.
The two Toad Sages weren't so lucky.
Though able to wield senjutsu chakra in battle and seemingly powerful, their physical bodies were far less durable than a human's.
Struck by this fatal attack, both were incapacitated on the spot, gravely wounded and knocked unconscious.
Without immediate treatment, they would surely die.
Sensing the massive natural energy dispersing into the air, energy so immense that even he felt a twinge of fear, Madara exhaled in relief.
"Good thing I stopped it in time. If you'd succeeded with that jutsu, it would have been troublesome."
After confirming that the three were no longer threats, Madara muttered to himself and turned his gaze toward Nagato and Yahiko.
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
Yahiko shouted toward the immobilized Jiraiya, pinned to the ground.
His moment of distraction gave Madara the opening he needed.
"Playtime ends here."
In a flash, Madara appeared before Yahiko. Caught off guard, Yahiko too was pierced by a chakra black rod.
His chakra spiraled out of control, and he lost all ability to fight.
Now, only Uzumaki Nagato remained standing.
Just as Madara was about to reclaim his Rinnegan, a large group of shinobi suddenly arrived.
At their head was an elderly ninja, dressed in a tight battle suit, with two long sashes tied around his head and a adamantine staff in his hands.
This was none other than the retired Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Forgive me, I'm late."
Leading a squad of Anbu and elite jōnin from the Leaf, Hiruzen swept his gaze across the battlefield.
When he saw his student Jiraiya, along with Yahiko and the others, lying helpless on the ground, his pupils tightened.
Then, his eyes naturally shifted to Madara.
Madara glanced back at him, sneering. "Tobirama's disciple… still alive?"
His words made it clear the two knew each other.
"Madara, until I defeat you, I won't die so easily!"
Hiruzen replied with grave determination.
At that, Madara suddenly threw back his head and laughed wildly. "Hahahahaha!"
Though his posture seemed relaxed, filled with openings, the sight of Madara's unrestrained laughter made Hiruzen and the others hesitate, none daring to strike recklessly.
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