At this range, Jiraiya had no time to launch another jutsu.
The next second, a massive water cannon struck him directly.
As the water sphere engulfed him, Jiraiya felt an immense pressure squeezing his organs. A bitter taste filled his throat, and he coughed up blood.
Trapped inside the sphere, the relentless pressure continued to crush his insides.
Struggling to move, Jiraiya swung his Lightning Flame Blade. A flash of lightning erupted, slicing through the water prison.
Before he could even catch his breath, a blazing fireball and a barrage of massive boulders came hurtling toward him.
"Fire Release: Twin Flame Tigers!"
Jiraiya hurled his Lightning Flame Blade, channeling an immense surge of fire chakra. Two majestic tigers, wreathed in flames, roared forward, colliding with the incoming attacks, scattering fire and stone in all directions before continuing their charge toward Kakuzu.
As the name suggests, Twin Flame Tigers was an upgraded version of the Fire Release: Flaming Tiger Technique. A reward from one of his sign-in missions, its power was three times that of the original.
However, unleashing such a technique required an enormous outpouring of fire chakra, putting a significant strain on the body. Even with his Sage Body, Jiraiya couldn't afford to use it consecutively.
Landing on the ground, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
The water cannon had inflicted severe internal damage. If not for his awakened Sage Body and extensive taijutsu training, that blast would have turned him to dust.
"This regeneration is incredible..."
Feeling his damaged organs rapidly mending themselves, Jiraiya's eyes flickered with astonishment. It was only now that he realized the terrifying extent of his Sage Body's healing abilities.
His torn organs were actively absorbing chakra, knitting themselves back together at an astonishing rate—something he had never imagined before.
"Kid, that didn't feel too good, did it?" Kakuzu sneered after blocking the flame tigers' attack.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't feel a thing," Jiraiya replied blankly.
By now, his wounds had completely healed.
"Hah, still acting tough?" Kakuzu scoffed, convinced Jiraiya was just putting on a brave front.
Even with an exceptional healing factor, taking a hit like that should have left him barely standing. If he was truly unharmed, that would be absurd.
"If you doubt me, why don't you get yourself a wife? She can come here and check just how hard I really am." Jiraiya smirked.
"You little brat! I'll kill you!"
Enraged, Kakuzu abandoned his wind mask entity and instead commanded his lightning and water masks to assist him in launching another offensive against Jiraiya.
After all, he was convinced Jiraiya was critically wounded. There was no need to retrieve his wind mask when his current strength was more than enough to finish the fight.
...
"Jiraiya took a direct hit from that Water Release attack—his organs must be in shambles. Kakuzu should be able to finish him off any moment now."
The Root squad leader spoke in a low tone, certain of Jiraiya's imminent demise.
"Captain, something's off. Jiraiya is still fighting at full strength. He's moving and casting jutsu without any signs of injury."
Moments later, one of the Root members noticed the anomaly.
Despite supposedly suffering severe internal damage, Jiraiya showed no signs of weakness. His speed remained unchanged, and his jutsu execution was as sharp as ever.
If his organs were truly wrecked, such feats would be impossible.
"That can't be... He took that attack head-on. It wasn't a clone or a substitution technique. How is this even possible?"
The Root captain's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Captain, could it be that Jiraiya was injured... but his wounds already healed? His regeneration is said to be monstrous."
"If that's the case, then his recovery ability is beyond terrifying..."
Another Root member spoke in awe.
"What an annoying brat."
Kakuzu grew frustrated as every powerful jutsu he launched was either countered or evaded. Nothing he did seemed to faze Jiraiya.
This was getting ridiculous. The brat was way too strong.
Jiraiya performed a summoning jutsu, and three colossal toads came crashing down from the sky, pinning the lightning and water mask creatures beneath them.
However, the creatures' bodies twisted unnaturally before slipping free from beneath the massive toads, unharmed.
This time, Jiraiya had summoned the Three Great Toads all at once.
"Take them out as quickly as possible!" he ordered.
"No idea what these weird things are, but squashing them shouldn't be too hard," Gamabunta said, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he eyed the masked creatures.
After all, the toads of Mount Myoboku had never encountered these monstrosities before.
"I may not be strong, but I'll give it everything I've got!" Gamaken declared as he leaped into the air, swinging his weapon down toward the lightning mask creature.
"I'll use this fight to prove my blades are faster than yours."
Gamahiro coldly unsheathed his twin swords.
The three toads clashed with the masked creatures, launching into an intense battle.
Seeing the massive summons, Kakuzu remained unfazed.
After all, Root had provided him with detailed intelligence on Jiraiya's techniques.
"You really think these overgrown toads can change the tide of battle? Keep dreaming."
Sensing that the toads' strength was only on par with elite jonin, Kakuzu dismissed them. Their size was impressive, but he had slain jonin like them countless times before.
"Now, it's time to finish you off."
Jiraiya locked eyes with Kakuzu, forming another hand seal as he prepared to summon once more.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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