After the flames disappeared, the next scene shocked Jiraiya again.
"The oil is gone?"
The toad oil from earlier had completely disappeared.
"It must have absorbed it," Shima said.
"This guy seems to have some hidden tricks," Fukasaku added.
"In that case, let's confirm it with close combat," Jiraiya said, kicking off his sandals. He got down on all fours, and his hands and feet began to transform into those of a frog.
With a single leap, Jiraiya's body almost instantly reached the opponent. In this state, Jiraiya's speed, strength, jumping ability, and explosive power were greatly enhanced, making it an all-around boost.
"Super Big Ball Rasengan."
During the leap, a huge Rasengan formed in Jiraiya's hand and attacked the Preta Path of Pain.
The Preta Path of Pain did not make any evasive moves, spreading his hands and directly facing the Super Big Ball Rasengan.
A transparent shield then enveloped the Preta Path of Pain, and the Super Big Ball Rasengan attacking him became smaller and smaller, being absorbed by the opponent.
"This guy, did he absorb all the Ninjutsu?"
Jiraiya's face twisted with a fierce expression, revealing two rows of sharp frog-like teeth.
While Jiraiya was still pondering the abilities of the Preta Path of Pain, the Pain who had been thrown away by Jiraiya earlier suddenly circled behind Jiraiya, trying to launch a sneak attack.
"Watch out."
Fukasaku quickly reminded, then took out a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground. Thick purple smoke instantly engulfed the Human Path of Pain and Jiraiya.
However, when Jiraiya counterattacked the Human Path of Pain in the smoke, he was blocked by the opponent.
"What's going on?"
Jiraiya was involuntarily shocked and puzzled.
"He blocked my Sage Mode attack without even looking."
Although puzzled, there was no time for Jiraiya to figure it out. Since this Pain didn't work, Jiraiya decided to attack another Pain.
Using a frog's illusion, his main body jumped out of the smoke and appeared behind the Animal Path of Pain.
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon."
Jiraiya's hair shot out like senbon needles towards the Animal Path of Pain. The number of hair senbon was extremely large, and using it too many times would definitely risk baldness.
However, the Animal Path of Pain didn't even look back. He quickly formed hand seals, and a panda-shaped Summoned Beast appeared behind him, blocking Jiraiya's attack.
"Damn it."
After the failed attack, Jiraiya retreated again. The last chance for a sneak attack was wasted.
"No extra movements, just trying to dodge would be caught by me. I didn't expect him to summon a beast in front to protect his back. What's going on? This has happened more than once. There's no verbal communication, no eye contact. Even if all three are sensory-type ninjas, if they can't see the attack coming, they can't respond. And Hair Needle Senbon is the widest range Ninjutsu I have. To defend against it, they can only use a shield like just now. He made the judgment without even looking. It seems these guys are not ordinary clones."
Jiraiya now felt a headache. He was never good at thinking, and now facing this situation, he couldn't help but feel a headache.
"So that's how it is."
At this moment, Fukasaku suddenly spoke.
"Did you notice?"
Fukasaku asked Jiraiya.
"Notice what?"
"When we caught those flaws, we locked onto a target and attacked from a blind spot, right? One of the people outside the target was watching us the whole time."
"I noticed that too. Even so, those guys didn't signal each other with words or looks."
"Right, those eyes. All three of them have the same eyes. If they can share what they see, then this would be easy for them."
Hearing this, Jiraiya's face showed a sudden realization.
"All of them sharing three pairs of eyes, is that it?"
"Most likely."
At this moment, all three Pains had iron rods in their hands.
"This is bad. Without using Ninjutsu, fighting three people is really tough. If this keeps up, even Sage Mode could get killed. I didn't expect them to be this strong."
Jiraiya's expression grew more grim, feeling the real threat of life and death this time.
"Jiraiya, let's retreat for now."
Fukasaku said, clearly understanding the current situation.
"Alright."
With Jiraiya's response, he turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared in front of the three Pains.
"Escaped through the pipes?"
Animal Path Pain immediately guessed Jiraiya's escape route.
"Why did he run away?"
Shima, standing on Jiraiya's left shoulder, asked in confusion.
"We need to analyze the Six Paths and come up with a strategy. This will take some time. Those guys may look different, but they all have the same eyes. Does that mean they all have the Rinnegan?"
Fukasaku also felt his head spinning.
The three Pains clearly hadn't given up on killing Jiraiya and immediately chased him through the pipes.
"If you two encounter a life-threatening situation, you must leave my shoulders."
Suddenly, Jiraiya said in a deep voice.
"That's not acceptable. This battle concerns the future of the ninja world."
As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, Shima immediately retorted.
Soon, the three Pains caught up, and Jiraiya, using Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and most importantly, Genjutsu, finally defeated them.
"Is it over? If so, I've fulfilled my mission."
Jiraiya's voice was low, feeling the pain of killing his own students.
At that moment, Jiraiya suddenly felt a sense of danger behind him.
"Don't let your guard down, isn't that what you taught me, Jiraiya-sensei?"
(End of Chapter)