Konoha, now the true greatest village in the Ninja World. When the Ninja World mentions this name, they have to weigh its significance.
But for Madara, it was just a name he casually thought of back then.
Now Konoha is invincible. Even back then, Konoha was invincible.
On the distant high slope, Jiraiya stared intently at the figure emanating an ominous aura.
"That man is the legendary Madara."
His sharp gaze caught the fine marks on Madara's face, it was indeed Edo Tensei.
"Orochimaru, you lunatic, how dare you desecrate the dead again? What exactly do you want to do?"
This was the biggest crisis the village had faced since Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha.
Satoshi was out and had not yet returned. Transmitting information also required some time.
After a brief silence, Jiraiya let out a long breath. Since his student wasn't here, he, as the teacher, would have to step up. Even if he might not be able to hold out...
Whoosh!
A white figure instantly landed behind Madara.
Jiraiya asked, "Madara, did Orochimaru send you? Where is Orochimaru?"
Madara slowly turned around, letting out a contemptuous sneer.
This white-haired fool dared to compare him to the rats in the sewers of the snake pit.
His eyes were filled with disdain, and his voice was cold. "I have no interest in weaklings like you. Where is that junior from the Uchiha clan? Those Rinnegan do not belong to him."
Jiraiya frowned.
Was he here for Satoshi?
He didn't know how good Satoshi's chances were against the legendary Madara. In that case, he, as the teacher, would go ahead and scout the way for his student.
"Konoha will never hand over those dangerous eyes to you."
Madara sneered, "I said, they are mine."
Before his words finished, a violent Chakra erupted from Madara's body.
The air was squeezed, letting out a sharp roar, and the gravel underfoot was instantly pulverized.
Madara no longer bothered with the annoying insect in front of him. His target was Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki deep within the Konoha Prison.
Madara's figure transformed into a blurry afterimage, shooting towards his target.
"Don't even think about it!" Jiraiya roared, his figure flashing, intercepting Madara's path once more.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
His chest swelled, and a giant fireball several meters in diameter shot towards Madara.
Just as the fireball was about to engulf Madara, he lightly leaped up. His figure drew an elegant arc in the air, the scorching flame barely grazing his clothes, melting a charred crater in the ground behind him.
Madara's figure twisted in mid-air, moving so fast that only an afterimage remained.
A fiercely powerful spinning side-kick precisely struck Jiraiya's hastily blocking arms.
Bang!
Jiraiya felt an excruciating pain transmit from his arms, and his entire body crashed into the river below, splashing water several meters high.
"Foolish insect."
"Cough... Cough..."
The disheveled Jiraiya struggled out of the river, blood oozing from the corner of his lips.
So this was Madara, countless times more terrifying than any opponent he had faced before.
Wild Lion's Mane!
He endured the intense pain, forming hand seals.
His full head of white hair grew wildly as if alive, covering Madara overwhelmingly, instantly entangling and binding him. This relentless entanglement thoroughly enraged Madara.
"Trash that doesn't know its place."
An even more powerful and terrifying Chakra surged from the Edo Tensei body.
The white hair binding Madara tightened inch by inch, making sounds of unbearable strain. Then, with a piercing tearing sound, it was forcefully ripped apart.
Madara's figure plummeted from the sky. His right fist clenched, accompanied by a piercing whoosh, was aimed at the teetering Jiraiya by the riverbank.
"Damn it." Jiraiya's pupils contracted.
Rumble!
At the critical moment, a yellow figure cut into the battlefield.
Tsunade, enveloped in dense Chakra, her fist carrying immense strength, solidly collided with Madara's descending heavy punch.
At the collision point of the two terrifying forces, the air seemed to solidify for a moment, then burst into a visible circular shockwave. Violent air currents swept in all directions.
"Hmm?"
A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in Madara's eyes.
This strength...
It actually had a faint resemblance to Hashirama?
But it was still too far off.
A slight curve appeared at the corner of his lips, and immense power erupted again.
"Ugh."
Tsunade grunted, sent flying by Madara's irresistible force.
After breaking several small trees, she slammed heavily into the trunk of a giant tree.
Madara's movements didn't stop. With a backhand swing, a sharp Chakra palm strike hit Jiraiya, who had just gotten up from the riverbank.
"Pfft..."
Jiraiya spat out another mouthful of blood, tumbling and crashing into a large rock next to Tsunade.
Tsunade leaned against the tree, breathing heavily. As her chest and abdomen churned, she looked anxiously at the disheveled Jiraiya beside her. "Are you still alive?"
Jiraiya struggled, supporting himself with trembling arms. He wiped away the blood continuously gushing from his mouth, and forced a smile. "Still holding on."
Before his words finished, blood splattered on the ground in front of him, and also on Tsunade's hand.
That dazzling crimson blood instantly shattered Tsunade's will. Her pupils constricted sharply, the color draining from her face instantly, leaving only a terrifying pallor.
Cold sweat poured from her forehead like a waterfall, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. Her teeth chattered, and even breathing became incredibly difficult.
The world before her seemed to be covered by a blood-red filter, and the brutal scenes from past battlefields, accompanied by the strong scent of blood, flooded her mind. Cold sweat streamed down, and her body trembled incessantly.
"Blood… blood…"
Tsunade's voice was as thin as a wisp of smoke, and her entire body seemed to have been drained of bones, sliding weakly down the tree trunk to the ground. She curled up, hugging herself tightly with both hands.
"I'm so sorry, I… I can't help you…"
Jiraiya wiped the blood from his lips and gently comforted Tsunade, "It's just to buy some time, it's nothing."
Summoning Jutsu!
As the smoke cleared, Gamabunta, holding a giant pipe and a short sword at his waist, appeared in the center of the battlefield.
He scanned the battlefield, sensed Madara's terrifying aura, then glanced at his own head.
Jiraiya stood on his head, and on Jiraiya's shoulders sat Shima and Fukasaku.
"Jiraiya, you've really gotten us into big trouble."
"This guy is much more troublesome than Pain was back then."
Jiraiya's hands slowly came together. "Everyone, I'm counting on you."
"We just need to hold out until Satoshi arrives. Before then, please help me buy some time."
Gamabunta slowly drew his sword. "You're impossible."
Accompanied by a low roar, his massive body erupted with astonishing speed. Wielding his sword, he brought it down on Madara's head.
"Foolish beast."
A blue giant skeleton made of Chakra instantly rose from the ground, completely enveloping Madara.
The giant skeleton raised its arm, meeting Gamabunta's descending sword with an even more domineering posture, striking back fiercely.
(End of Chapter)
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