"Jiraiya, why on earth did you provoke this kind of monster? Is this even a creature of the Shinobi World?"
Bunta complained while frantically dodging the lashing tentacles. A giant eyeball growing two pairs of wings and countless tentacles was a sight so bizarre that even the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, who had lived for over a thousand years, had likely never seen it. Furthermore, the speed of these tentacles was so extreme that even Gamabunta, a veteran known for speed and leaping ability, was struggling to hold his ground.
Jiraiya's expression was equally grim. Unlike his usual boisterous persona, Jiraiya was actually quite perceptive. He wasn't worried about the monster in front of him, but rather what the creature represented. It seemed as though some unknown crisis was brewing in the Shinobi World.
"Stop complaining, Bunta! Use that move immediately!"
Gamabunta had only been grumbling in passing. After all, having partnered with Jiraiya for so many years, it had seen all sorts of opponents. While this one was strange, it wasn't enough to make the toad back down. It nodded its massive head, and a vast amount of chakra gathered in its mouth, forming a sphere of refined oil that surged out!
Jiraiya became equally serious. He wove hand signs and shouted, "Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb!"
The flames spat from Jiraiya's mouth ignited the oil launched by Gamabunta, instantly turning it into a terrifying sea of fire that swept toward the sky! Several incoming tentacles emitted a disgusting, scorched smell within the inferno.
Moreover, the fire raced up the tentacles toward the main body in the sky. This forced the giant eye to flap its wings, releasing a powerful air current to block the sea of flames. Subsequently, it actively shed the burning tentacles to prevent damage to its core.
"As expected of Jiraiya-senpai."
Watching this, a glint of hope finally appeared in Kakashi's eyes. After all, this was the first time a Hidden Leaf ninja had gained the upper hand in a clash with this monster.
"But of course!" Jiraiya let out a proud grin.
"Jiraiya, don't drop your guard. The effect of that move might not be as great as we think," Gamabunta warned.
Jiraiya's smile vanished as the giant eye in the sky began regrowing a massive number of tentacles from the severed stumps. Its body seemed to possess a capacity for continuous division and growth; it could recover no matter what kind of injury it sustained.
"As expected of Lord Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin."
A lazy voice suddenly rang out from atop the giant eye. A figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds quietly appeared.
"This is..."
Jiraiya frowned deeply, staring at the tiger-patterned masked man who had suddenly surfaced.
"Jiraiya-senpai, be careful. This is likely the mastermind behind the God-Chosen People organization," Kakashi analyzed seriously.
After all, those Ghouls and this monster could not have mutated naturally. Someone had to be pulling the strings from the shadows, though the motive remained difficult to guess. Jiraiya nodded. He disliked schemes, but that didn't mean he didn't understand them. He needed to find out this person's identity and purpose.
"May I ask who your excellence is?" Jiraiya asked.
The masked head tilted slightly, and the figure instinctively adjusted his mask.
"Since Lord Jiraiya has asked, I shall tell you my name..."
A faint light radiated from the single circular hole in the mask.
"My name is... Tobi."
"Tobi?"
Jiraiya's brow furrowed. Clearly, this was not a real name. Kakashi also wore a look of suspicion. However, those even more bewildered were Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, and the masked man hidden at the edge of the battlefield.
Feeling the resentment radiating from the masked man beside him, White Zetsu turned his head slightly and asked cautiously, "Uh, that person seems to have the same name as you—Tobi. And the mask is quite similar, too."
Black Zetsu: "..."
Tobi: "..."
After a deathly silence, the Tobi under the mask finally spoke: "It seems our new partner is quite the joker."
"Tobi, is it?"
At this point, Jiraiya didn't care if the name was real or fake. He spoke solemnly, "Sir, since this monster is committing so many evils, why not leave it to us in the Hidden Leaf to handle?"
Faced with this request, Simu—or rather, "Tobi"—naturally would not agree. After all, this was his next major research subject following the Apostle of Desire · Corrupted Body: the Apostle of Fear · True Eye of Jashin.
If the Apostle of Desire utilized human lust to make them worship Jashin and offer their bodies and souls, the Apostle of Fear utilized everyone's terror. The fear of the future drove them to surrender their everything and throw themselves into the Lord's embrace. By comparison, Simu's control over souls was clearly more proficient this time.
To Simu, these Apostles weren't of paramount importance; the most vital part was the data and technology he could harvest from this experiment. Only with enough data could he support his quest to glimpse the truths of this world.
As for why he was pretending to be Tobi? He was a member of the Akatsuki now. What was wrong with letting the organization take the blame? And as for who in Akatsuki was best suited to be the scapegoat, it was definitely Tobi. The guy always wore a mask, and no one knew who was behind it. If he didn't frame him, who else? At worst, Tobi could just change his mask later.
"Don't you think such a request is a bit rude?"
Simu spread his hands and continued, "This is an important experimental result of mine. If I just hand it over to the Hidden Leaf, my losses would be quite significant."
Met with Simu's refusal, Jiraiya fell into a dilemma. He had two choices: take Kakashi and leave the battlefield for the Hidden Leaf—the safest route—or fight this mysterious man to see if he could capture him and uncover his secrets.
Jiraiya chose a middle ground. He would send Kakashi away first and stay behind alone to test the opponent's depth! He summoned the orange-skinned toad covered in black patterns, Gamahi, and without a word, shoved Kakashi into its mouth.
"Gamahi, I'm counting on you. Take Kakashi back to Mount Myoboku first."
"Wait, Jiraiya-senpai—"
Kakashi tried to struggle, but Jiraiya unhesitatingly released the summoning, sending Gamahi and Kakashi together to Mount Myoboku.