By then, the power of natural energy would be unquestionable.
"You…" Jiraiya stared in shock at Goemon, who had almost instantly vanished. "You bastard, aren't you supposed to specialize in taijutsu?"
The ability to absorb chakra on such a massive scale, especially senjutsu chakra, was far beyond Jiraiya's understanding.
"Jiraiya, calm down. That must be the power of the Box of Ultimate Bliss." Fukasaku's forehead was dripping with cold sweat as he spoke in a grave tone.
"The black mist he released clearly carries the presence of the Box. I can't tell if he's been completely taken over by the entity inside it, so we have to take him down first."
A fierce gust of wind cut through the air, interrupting Jiraiya and the two toad sages' conversation.
"Nosy toads…"
Fuma appeared before Jiraiya in an instant, raising his massive elbow high and smashing it down toward Jiraiya's forehead.
"So fast…"
Jiraiya barely had time to react before Fuma's attack was upon him. He barely managed to raise his arms to protect his face.
A sickening crack echoed through the air. Fuma's elbow effortlessly shattered Jiraiya's forearms, sending shards of white bone mixed with red blood flying, scattering in the wind.
Perched on Jiraiya's shoulders, the two toad sages stared in shock.
With sage mode activated, a user could enhance their perception a hundredfold. In the past, Naruto had been able to sense an entire battlefield from miles away.
Yet despite their centuries of experience, these two elder toads hadn't been able to follow Fuma's movements at all.
"So this Uchiha… is simply that fast."
The two exchanged a glance, quickly channeling the natural energy they had accumulated within their bodies. Their cheeks puffed out to the limit.
"Sage Art: Demonic Illusion—Toad Confrontation Chant!"
A powerful wave of senjutsu chakra erupted. The two toads let out a terrifying sonic attack, freezing Fuma in place.
"We got him!"
Jiraiya endured the searing pain in his arms, his face lighting up with excitement. "Fuma, you didn't expect this, did you? You shouldn't have gotten so close!"
Through sheer agony, Jiraiya willed his chakra into action, curling his toes as he activated a special technique.
This was a trick he had developed—forming hand seals with his toes. It was initially designed for surprise attacks, but in this moment, it was proving invaluable.
Jiraiya stared at Fuma's frozen expression, ecstatic. The Uchiha was clearly trapped in the toads' most powerful illusion.
"This time, I win!"
He poured all his remaining sage chakra into the technique, dragging Fuma into the illusionary realm.
Inside the illusion, Fuma stood with his arms crossed, surveying his surroundings.
He was trapped inside a glowing blue cube.
Four massive toads, clad in ancient armor, stood at the four corners of the barrier. Each held a long, traditional-style katana in one hand, while their other hand pulsed with concentrated chakra, reinforcing the seal.
Inscribed on the lower portions of their armor were three kanji: Unmoving Wisdom King.
At the center of the space, Jiraiya stood gripping an enormous stone sword, its aura deep and mysterious.
And within this illusion, figures like Minato, Obito, Konan, and even Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai, who had been watching from afar, had all been dragged into the illusion as well.
"Don't worry, everyone," Fukasaku reassured them, his voice echoing through the space. "This is the strongest genjutsu of the Toad Sages. Sorry about pulling you all in, but the battle is about to end soon."
Jiraiya maintained a calm demeanor, as if everything had gone exactly according to plan.
In truth, it had nothing to do with him—his two toad companions had used centuries of experience to make a split-second decision.
Minato's face darkened. He hadn't expected Jiraiya to have such a technique up his sleeve.
An illusion transmitted through sound, and with such overwhelming power that he hadn't even had a chance to use Flying Raijin to escape.
Minato narrowed his eyes, focusing on Jiraiya's palm. There, he could still see the Flying Raijin mark he had placed on him earlier during their handshake at the tavern.
"Right now, Jiraiya does have the air of a sage… but most of his combat ability comes from his summoned toads. In a normal fight, his strength isn't nearly as impressive."
For the first time, Minato felt a deep wariness toward Jiraiya.
This large-scale, deadly genjutsu was far too dangerous if properly prepared in advance.
However, if Jiraiya was caught off guard and hadn't summoned his toads or entered sage mode, Minato was confident he could take him down.
Meanwhile, Obito and the other younger ninja were speechless, overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of the illusion.
Obito anxiously grabbed Minato's sleeve. "Sensei…"
Minato shook his head slightly, signaling for Obito to remain calm.
Inside this illusion, they were already trapped.
The real turning point wouldn't come from them.
"Damn it… that was too close," Fukasaku muttered, breathing heavily. His hunched back sagged, as if he'd reached his limit. "Jiraiya, stop wasting time and pull out the Stone Sword!"
"If it weren't for the Great Toad Sage's warning to always keep our senjutsu chakra reserves full, we would have failed today." Shima, the other elder toad, nodded in agreement. "Jiraiya, end this now!"
Jiraiya raised the massive stone blade high and thrust it toward Fuma's chest with all his strength.
"Jiraiya… well played," Fuma murmured.
A deep, inky black light flickered in his eyes. Flames, darker than the void itself, seemed to burn within them.
And in the next instant, his hand shot forward, gripping the legendary Stone Sword of Mount Myoboku.
__________________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ShadySmuggler