The earth gradually calmed, the chill dissipated, and the syrup solidified back into mud.
A battle that appeared intense but carried more suppression than killing intent had thus ceased.
Jiraiya took a deep breath, his gaze shifting between Shiroishi and Orochimaru.
Finally, he seemed to have made a heavy decision.
"...From now on, I will no longer interfere with the Land of Rain or any matters related to Ninja Beasts and Breeding Houses."
His voice held no anger, only exhaustion.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly, while Shiroishi's eyes remained unreadable behind his mask.
Jiraiya continued, his tone clearly suppressing sorrow:
"Similarly... I will not return to the Land of Rain again."
He paused for a moment, as if needing time to steady his breathing.
"But I hope those I care about can survive well in this chaotic Shinobi World."
In Jiraiya's eyes, the current Yahiko and Shiroishi were not yet the future Akatsuki.
Not yet beings who sought to collect Tailed Beasts and destroy the Shinobi World.
Even Yahiko's dream was peace.
As for Shiroishi, the existence of the Flame Gym was to ensure the hatching of his two Mythical Ninja Beast Eggs, hence the need to pressure Jiraiya into not returning to the Land of Rain.
This battle was essentially a confrontation.
Only, Shiroishi wore a mask to preserve the last semblance of dignity.
The act between Shiroishi and Orochimaru had reached its conclusion, with no need to escalate any dangerous situations further.
After a brief silence, the masked Shiroishi spoke softly: "Konan and Yahiko don't know about this."
His words were light, like the wind.
Jiraiya was taken aback at first, then revealed a weary, helpless, yet gentle bitter smile.
"Don't worry."
"I won't tell them either."
He looked up at the sky, his voice carrying a desolate understanding:
"You walk your own path..."
Without even a farewell.
He didn't look at Shiroishi again, nor did he engage further with Orochimaru.
The next moment.
A Reverse Summoning Technique unfolded beneath his feet.
The patterns of the earth twisted in reverse, and the air swirled into vortices.
Jiraiya's figure was swiftly pulled and swallowed.
Not a single extra word.
No backward glance.
The wind whispered past, as if Jiraiya had never been on this land.
After a long silence, Orochimaru shook his head and let out a long sigh: "Hmph... So he had an escape plan ready all along."
He glanced at Shiroishi, his tone carrying a rare hint of resignation:
"After all, he is Jiraiya, with strong combat instincts."
Shiroishi slowly removed his mask.
His eyes behind the lenses were calm, devoid of triumphant joy or guilt.
"If he wanted to survive and leave, he naturally had a way."
"Today's battle was only to make him fully understand that matters in the Land of Rain are no longer within his or the Hidden Leaf Village's jurisdiction."
Orochimaru chuckled lightly: "But you seem a bit weak."
Shiroishi bent slightly to pick up the scattered pages, responding indifferently: "Don't engage in meaningless probing. I am not weak."
The forest winds rustled softly.
The two faced each other for a moment before Orochimaru left with a laugh.
In his eyes, Shiroishi was nothing but a Sickly Monster.
His earlier performance was mere bluster, or perhaps some small mutual destruction tactic.
Thinking this, Orochimaru felt he could still manipulate Shiroishi.
At Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya sat upon a giant mushroom, yet not even the sound of the wind could reach his ears.
His face was filled with worry, a heavy gloom pressing between his brows.
Never before had he felt so lost as he did today.
The changes in the Land of Rain were clear to him.
Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Shiroishi.
They were growing at an unbelievable pace, carrying hopes for peace like sunlight illuminating the Land of Rain.
Especially Shiroishi...
That child who should have been the most ordinary, the most silent, the most scholarly, was somehow growing the fastest and was the most unpredictable.
Now, it even seemed he resembled the Children of Destiny more than Yahiko did.
The more Jiraiya thought about it, the more it pained him.
It wasn't Shiroishi's growing power that troubled him.
It was that Shiroishi was moving in the opposite direction from him.
Many of Shiroishi's words.
They pierced his heart like knives.
Jiraiya looked up at the sky of Mount Myōboku, an indescribable bitterness lodged in his throat.
"Why has it come to this... Shiroishi, you're so intelligent, yet you've chosen this path."
He remained silent for a long time, the weight of his emotions suffocating.
In the end, he could only laugh bitterly at himself:
"It's all Orochimaru's fault... for leading him astray."
His words were light, but they hid a deep resentment.
At that moment, Jiraiya felt a certain dislike toward Orochimaru.
This made Orochimaru, who was moving in the shadows, sense that something was watching him.
But soon, Jiraiya thought it over and decided to speak with the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
Because the Shinobi World was changing too rapidly.
By the way, he wondered how his Marshtomp was getting along with the toads of Mount Myōboku. Was it being bullied?
As it turned out...
Jiraiya saw Marshtomp happily playing with a large group of toads.
He had worried for nothing.
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
Fiery red maple leaves covered the courtyard in a brilliant crimson, as dazzling as the Uchiha clan's emblem.
Fugaku Uchiha sat cross-legged in the garden, posture upright, but his gaze occasionally fell upon the Ninja Beast Egg before him.
Recently, the elders of the Uchiha clan had all expressed their expectations.
They hoped Fugaku could hatch a sufficiently powerful Ninja Beast.
This placed a great deal of pressure on him.
The eggshell bore deep red patterns and faintly radiated warmth, as if it might burst into flames at any moment.
Fugaku's usually stern face now showed a rare gentleness.
Just then, light footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Mikoto Uchiha, draped in a light-colored haori, approached with a soft smile. "Brother Fugaku."
Fugaku turned, his expression softening slightly at the sight of her, a rare tenderness at the corner of his mouth. "Aren't you going to see Kushina today? She's probably tending to her Ninja Beast lately too, right?"
Mikoto shook her head gently, her eyes sparkling. "I wanted to spend more time with you these days, Brother Fugaku. Among the clan, only we two have obtained Ninja Beast Eggs."
Fugaku, feeling somewhat awkward, averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "Hmm..."
Mikoto was about to tease him further when she was suddenly taken aback.
The Ninja Beast Egg behind her abruptly shone with a piercing red light!
The ground was instantly illuminated by flames, and a scorching wind pressure swept through the courtyard.
"Mikoto, be careful!"
Fugaku immediately stood up.
But Mikoto did not retreat; instead, she watched the trembling eggshell with tension and excitement.
A vibrant orange flame ignited around the eggshell, blazing hot yet harmless, like the breath of life itself.
The eggshell cracked with fine lines, and a crimson glow burst from the fissures.
Amid a spiraling pillar of flames, a small creature leaped gracefully from the fire.
Vulpix.
The adorable little one gazed at Mikoto with sparkling eyes.
Mikoto: "This..."
The Tailed Beast she had hatched herself looked far too similar to Kushina's, didn't it?