Hanzo's final words hung heavily in the rain-soaked air.
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
He had hoped—perhaps foolishly—that this conflict could still be resolved through explanation alone. If misunderstandings could be cleared, if reason prevailed, then perhaps bloodshed could be avoided.
After all, Hanzo of the Salamander was not a man whose reputation was exaggerated.
During the Second Great Ninja War, even when Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had fought together, they had still been decisively defeated.
Now, Orochimaru was gone, Tsunade was absent, and only Jiraiya remained.
Although he had grown stronger since then, Jiraiya was painfully aware of the truth.
Against Hanzo, victory was far from guaranteed.
But Hanzo had already made his decision.
The moment Ibuse—the colossal salamander—was summoned, diplomacy became impossible.
If capture awaited them, then resistance was the only path left.
Hanzo did not waste time.
The instant Ibuse fully emerged, its massive jaws opened wide.
A dense, dark toxic mist poured out, spreading rapidly across the battlefield like a living fog.
This poison was far deadlier than the toxin Hanzo himself emitted.
During the war, entire squads of Konoha ninja had been wiped out by this very mist before they could even raise their weapons.
Seeing the poison spread, Qingshui's eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and formed hand signs.
Then he opened his mouth.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A violent gale erupted, tearing through the rain like a roaring dragon.
Qingshui did not hold back.
He poured every remaining ounce of chakra into the technique.
The resulting windstorm was so powerful that it forcibly drove the poisonous mist backward, pushing it straight toward Ibuse itself.
Ibuse, naturally immune to its own poison, was unaffected.
Hanzo, however, immediately pulled his mask back into place, sealing himself off from the returned toxic cloud.
"Well done," Jiraiya said, casting Qingshui an approving glance.
Without delay, Jiraiya began forming seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
Bang!
A cloud of white smoke exploded outward.
From it emerged a massive red toad, its size rivaling Ibuse's.
A giant pipe rested in its mouth, bandages wrapped around its waist, and a short sword was strapped to its side.
It was Gamabunta of Mount Myōboku.
The toad squinted down at the battlefield.
"…Jiraiya," Gamabunta said slowly.
"Why am I seeing Hanzo of the Salamander again?"
Old memories stirred.
Back in the war, this man had left an unforgettable impression.
"No time for explanations," Jiraiya replied grimly.
"Use that move."
Gamabunta immediately understood.
He opened his mouth and spewed forth a massive stream of oil.
At the same time, Jiraiya inhaled deeply and exhaled roaring flames.
Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!
Oil met fire.
The resulting inferno dwarfed ordinary Fire Release techniques.
A colossal blazing projectile surged forward, its heat evaporating the rain before it even touched the ground.
Hanzo's response was immediate.
Hand seals flashed.
Water Release: Water Wall!
A towering barrier of water surged upward, crashing against the flaming oil projectile and extinguishing it in a deafening hiss of steam.
The clash shook the battlefield.
While Jiraiya and Hanzo exchanged ninjutsu, Qingshui quickly pulled out a military ration pill and swallowed it.
This pill—obtained earlier from a blue orb—was a standard ninja supply designed to rapidly restore stamina and chakra during prolonged combat.
Of course, with his current chakra reserves, one pill was far from enough to fully recover him.
But it was sufficient to restore partial combat capability.
More importantly, he knew better than to consume too many.
Three per day was the absolute limit.
Beyond that, even a ninja's body would suffer severe backlash.
Feeling some strength return, Qingshui immediately handed Jiraiya an antidote pill.
"Take this," he said.
"It'll protect you from Hanzo's poison."
Ibuse wouldn't be able to release another toxic mist for several minutes, but Hanzo himself was still lethal.
His breath was poisonous.
His sickle was coated in venom.
One mistake would be fatal.
Jiraiya accepted the pill without hesitation and swallowed it.
At the same time, Qingshui relayed crucial information—the location of Hanzo's weakness.
Jiraiya's eyes flickered briefly, committing it to memory.
By now, Ibuse had charged forward.
Gamabunta roared and met it head-on.
The two colossal summons collided, earth and water exploding outward as their battle shook the terrain.
Meanwhile, Hanzo leaped from Ibuse's head, sickle flashing as he charged toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya did not retreat.
He met Hanzo head-on.
Their clash was brutal.
Fast.
Deadly.
But the difference was unmistakable.
Hanzo consistently held the advantage.
He was faster.
Strremember.
And far more experienced.
This time, Hanzo was fighting seriously.
When he had faced Qingshui and Mikoto earlier, he had held back.
Had he unleashed his full strength from the start, the outcome would have been immediate.
Jiraiya knew this.
Even knowing Hanzo's weakness, his attacks became predictable.
And Hanzo noticed.
Feigning an opening, Hanzo baited Jiraiya forward.
The trap snapped shut instantly.
The sickle flashed.
Blood sprayed.
Although the antidote pill prevented poisoning, the blade itself was merciless.
Jiraiya narrowly avoided fatal points—but the wound was deep.
Pain exploded through his body.
Forced on the defensive, Jiraiya used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, quickly forming seals and unleashing a Flame Bullet toward the pursuing Hanzo.
Hanzo did not dodge.
Instead, he countered with Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet.
The massive water dragon crushed the Flame Bullet instantly and surged forward without losing momentum.
Just as it was about to strike Jiraiya—
Another water dragon appeared.
The two collided and dissipated.
It was Qingshui.
Despite his exhaustion, he had supported Jiraiya at the critical moment.
Using that opening, Jiraiya retreated to Qingshui's side.
There was no time to heal.
No time to rest.
Hanzo was already advancing again.
Just as Qingshui prepared to step forward—
Jiraiya grabbed his shoulder.
"Stay back," Jiraiya said calmly.
Qingshui froze.
Then he noticed it.
Red markings slowly spreading across Jiraiya's face.
His chakra changed.
Deepened.
Stabilized.
"…Sage Mode?" Qingshui murmured in shock.
During the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya had not yet truly mastered Sage Mode.
After his defeat by Hanzo, he had devoted himself to mastering it—spending over a year in arduous training.
But even now, his Sage Mode was incomplete.
Activating it required long periods of stillness to absorb natural energy.
And in battle—
That was impossible.
Or so he had thought.
Earlier, Jiraiya had used shadow clones to gather natural energy.
When the clones dispersed, the energy returned to him.
It was an experiment.
A gamble.
And it worked.
"Sorry," Jiraiya said with a grin.
"I let my guard down earlier."
His gaze hardened.
"This time… I'll show you my real strength."
Sage Mode greatly enhanced all of Jiraiya's attributes.
Strength.
Speed.
Perception.
But it came with a limit.
At present—
One minute.
No more.
Hanzo noticed the change.
But unfamiliar with Sage Mode, he underestimated it.
The moment they clashed again—
Hanzo realized his mistake.
Jiraiya's movements became fluid beyond belief.
Hanzo's strikes missed.
Jiraiya countered.
A single punch landed squarely on Hanzo's chest.
The impact was terrifying.
Hanzo's eyes widened as a massive shockwave tore through his body.
He was sent flying.
Crashing into the ground.
When he finally stopped, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
For the first time—
Hanzo of the Salamander had been seriously injured.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)