Chapter 100 – Decisive Battle at the Fire Border (2)
The battle had just begun, yet it had already reached a fever pitch.
Having learned from his previous encounter, Killer B wasted no time upon entering the battlefield. He immediately initiated his Tailed Beast Transformation.
Dark red chakra burst from his body like a raging tide, quickly engulfing him. The transformation steadily progressed toward full Tailed Beast Mode.
The Eight-Tails, Gyūki, was about to be unleashed—a terrible omen for Konoha.
Fortunately, Jiraiya, having sensed something was off during the earlier standoff, had taken precautions. He had preemptively summoned the Two Great Toad Sages of Mount Myōboku: Fukasaku and Shima.
Now, seeing Killer B transform into the full Eight-Tails, Jiraiya also activated his Sage Mode.
Red facial markings appeared, the two elderly toads perched on his shoulders. The sight of Sage Jiraiya, majestic and fierce, was awe-inspiring.
> "Little Jiraiya… the Eight-Tails is out. Looks like this one's gonna be a life-or-death struggle."
Shima muttered quietly from his perch on Jiraiya's shoulder.
> "Fukasaku, Shima… I'll be counting on you both for this fight."
Jiraiya's expression was grim, but his eyes burned with fighting spirit. His gaze locked firmly on the fully transformed Eight-Tails, unwavering.
Once B had fully become the Eight-Tails, Jiraiya didn't hesitate. He summoned his mighty companion, Gamabunta, to the battlefield.
Gamabunta—the eldest son of Fukasaku and Shima, and the chief of Mount Myōboku's toads—wielded a massive watermelon blade and was one of the few summons capable of facing a Tailed Beast head-on.
Jiraiya stood proudly on Gamabunta's head, glaring down at the Eight-Tails with a bold grin.
This fight was about to begin in earnest.
Both sides were evenly matched.
And if Jiraiya could defeat the Eight-Tails here and now… the next time he met Orochimaru, he'd finally have something worth bragging about.
After all, during their confrontation with the Iwa-nin, it was Orochimaru who led the victory.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, had been soundly defeated by the Third Raikage during the earlier clash with the Cloud forces.
If it hadn't been for Kazane's timely arrival, Kumo might've marched straight to the gates of Konoha. And to add insult to injury, Kazane was Orochimaru's student.
Though Jiraiya's own student, Minato Namikaze, had begun to make a name for himself, he still couldn't compare to Kazane in terms of battlefield influence.
All of it left Jiraiya feeling like he was being outshone once again.
He knew it well—this was his final chance to reclaim his pride. Whether they won or lost, this battle would decide the course of the war.
Last time, he lost to the Third Raikage largely because he wasn't prepared. He hadn't summoned the toad sages in time.
He hadn't expected the Raikage to be that powerful. From the very start of that fight, he'd been completely overwhelmed.
Unlike the First Hokage who could just clap his hands and get anything done, Jiraiya had to maintain a long hand seal to summon the toad sages and enter Sage Mode. That made the process difficult and time-consuming.
But the Raikage hadn't given him a second to breathe—constantly on the offensive.
Had Jiraiya been fully prepared, he might not have won, but he certainly wouldn't have lost so easily.
> "This time, B… this time, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
"Gamabunta, let's go!!"
At his command, the massive toad leapt straight at the Eight-Tails. Normally, the grumpy toad would've grumbled about being thrown against a Tailed Beast, but with both sage parents present, he held his tongue.
Jiraiya glanced at the two sages on his shoulders and gave them a small nod—it was time to unleash their ultimate technique.
He began forming hand signs.
> "Sage Art: Goemon!!!"
Fukasaku unleashed a powerful Wind Release technique.
Shima spewed out searing Fire Release,
and Jiraiya, from between them, vomited a massive amount of oil.
(How strange, isn't it? The toads use ninjutsu, and the human spits oil...)
---
Meanwhile, Nara Shikaku, along with Akimichi Chōza and Yamanaka Inoichi, led Konoha's elite jonin against the AB Combo and the rest of Kumo's high-ranking ninja.
Chōza's Human Bullet Tank was a devastating force on the battlefield. Combined with Shikaku's tactical brilliance and Inoichi's clan jutsu, the trio quickly suppressed the younger version of the AB duo.
At this point in time, the AB Combo wasn't yet the fearsome pairing that would one day dominate the shinobi world. The future Raikage's Lightning Chakra Mode was still in its infancy and far from the level the Third Raikage had mastered.
As for Killer B—well, maybe if this were a rap battle. But in terms of raw combat?
They weren't fighting someone like Kazane here.
Right now, B had the power of an elite jonin. For his age, that was already impressive.
Kazane and Jiraiya's fights were beyond their reach, but every shinobi here had their own battle to fight.
Because of how badly Kazane had terrorized the enemy with his Conqueror's Haki during the last battle, the Third Raikage made sure not to bring any sub-jonin this time.
Otherwise, they'd need to assign ninja just to keep them safe.
It was another testament to how terrifying that "Haki" ability was on a battlefield—it completely nullified the effectiveness of mass numbers. Against a weapon like that, sheer quantity meant nothing.
Still, bringing only elite ninja gave the Cloud forces greater mobility.
It also meant Killer B didn't need to hold back like last time—he could let Gyūki loose.
No more worrying about friendly fire.
Even if a jonin were hit directly by a Tailed Beast Bomb, they might survive—or at least not die instantly.
This time, the Eight-Tails could go all out.
Only in full release could a Tailed Beast live up to its reputation as a nuclear weapon of the shinobi world.
But the most ferocious battle on the field was
Kazane versus the Third Raikage.
This time, the Raikage had come for revenge.
Even though their last clash ended in mutual destruction, he couldn't stand the fact that he was the one who fell first.
After dominating the shinobi world for so many years, how could he lose—to a teenager at that!
This time, he would take Kazane down.
And Kazane had his own score to settle.
Since leaving Konoha, he'd crushed every enemy in his path with might he righteously earned.
Never had he been on the losing end—until that day. And if it weren't for Yukizame blocking the Raikage's final blow, Kazane might've died in that last fight.
Now, all that pent-up frustration was ready to explode.
"Hell Stab – Four-Finger Spearhand!"
"Three-Sword Style – Oni Giri!"
CLANG!!!
Three blades collided with four fingers.
Despite being flesh and bone, the Raikage's fingers rang out like steel, matching the legendary swords of Kazane blow for blow.
The rest would be uploaded tomorrow because of internet issues in my country! However, if you can't wait for more, the complete Naruto: System of Zoro are in P@treon, Zynos
And check out my new translation, One Piece: System of Naruto.
And yeah, no need to say it, I have a terrible naming sense.