Orochimaru felt a warmth in his heart.
Even though he and Jiraiya had long since gone their separate ways and had to fight side by side as in the past, Jiraiya was still willing to shield him with his life.
Just as Orochimaru was moved, Jiraiya's next words brought him back to reality: "By the way, you cover me for five minutes first..."
"..."
Orochimaru wanted to curse.
Does this bastard even speak human language?
No wonder he trained someone like Akihara Kagura, spewing the same nonsense. Considering the intensity of Pain's attacks, how could he protect him for five minutes?
"In these five minutes, don't let anyone attack me."
Ignoring Orochimaru's thoughts, Jiraiya, showing complete trust in Orochimaru, directly stated his purpose: "I need five minutes to enter Sage Mode..."
"Alright."
Orochimaru swallowed his curse, voicing his request instead: "Before that, summon a familiar to assist me..."
"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"
Outside, Jiraiya finally unleashed his familiar without restraint, summoning a giant toad. This toad held a fork in one paw and a shield in the other.
"Gamaken..."
Jiraiya was somewhat disappointed but not overly so.
Gamaken was one of the senior toads of Mount Myoboku, and the brother of Gamabunta. Compared to Gamabunta, Gamaken had a better temperament and wouldn't particularly resist fighting alongside Orochimaru.
Without wasting time, Jiraiya quickly instructed, "Gamaken, assist Orochimaru in battle and follow his orders. I need five minutes to absorb natural energy and summon Fukasaku and Shima..."
"Alright..."
Gamaken nodded, expressing a concern: "I'll follow him, but will he let the snakes from Ryuchi Cave eat me..."
"..."
Orochimaru's face darkened.
"He won't."
Jiraiya clasped his hands together, speaking solemnly: "I'm leaving it to you now. Don't let Nagato and his puppets disrupt my state within five minutes!"
"Understood..."
Orochimaru snorted impatiently.
"Five minutes..."
Tendo Path Pain raised his hand, speaking coldly: "In five minutes, I could kill you countless times! Universal Pull!"
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Gamaken were involuntarily pulled towards Pain!
However, Gamaken, without hesitation, raised his fork, stabbing Jiraiya in the waist and pinning him to the ground, preventing both Jiraiya and himself from being pulled towards Tendo Path Pain!
"..."
Jiraiya's eyes widened involuntarily.
Gamaken's method was crude but effective!
One couldn't deny...
It was the best choice!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Tendo Path Pain frowned, releasing a forceful repulsive wave!
Gamaken, however, firmly raised his shield, blocking the wave in front of Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Though his body was thrown back and he spat blood from the impact, he remained undeterred!
"What a straightforward guy..."
Orochimaru was also flung back, but he quickly performed the Snake Clone Technique mid-air, shedding his skin.
His lower half transformed into a snake's tail, swiftly charging towards Tendo Path Pain, releasing numerous snakes from his hand!
"Manda's Formation!"
"This guy..."
Tendo Path Pain's abilities entered a cooldown.
Asura Path Pain detached his wrist, revealing a string of missiles which flew towards the snake horde, blowing the front line to pieces!
"Summoning Technique!"
Animal Path Pain performed a summoning gesture!
A gigantic Yatagarasu emerged, rushing towards the snake horde, dropping explosive eggs from its belly, decimating Manda's Formation upon impact!
At that moment...
Tendo Path Pain's Shinra Tensei cooldown ended. Raising his hand, he released another strong repulsive wave: "Shinra Tensei!"
However, Orochimaru anticipated this, preparing a summoning jutsu in advance!
"Summoning Technique: Triple Rashomon!"
Three Rashomon gates burst from the ground, appearing in front of Orochimaru!
These gates, resembling demonic faces from hell, continuously weakened the incoming repulsive wave!
Each gate further diminished the power of Tendo Path Pain's attack!
The first Rashomon gate was destroyed by Tendo Path Pain's repulsive force. The second Rashomon gate weakened the force of the attack, and even Pain's repulsive force couldn't break through the third Rashomon gate!
"..."
Tendo Path Pain squinted in slight surprise.
"Your repulsive force has a cooldown time, doesn't it..."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile. His body, as agile as a snake, suddenly bypassed the Six Paths of Pain and moved toward Nagato!
Clearly, Orochimaru aimed to directly attack the puppeteer, Nagato!
"Summoning Technique!"
Nagato summoned a giant chameleon, which immediately carried him and vanished from Orochimaru's sight!
"Disappeared..."
Orochimaru squinted his eyes.
A massive Yatagarasu from the sky dived straight toward Orochimaru, its beak open, ready to snatch Orochimaru like a snake!
"Summoning Technique!"
Orochimaru made a hand seal and released a brown snake. The brown snake, disregarding its own safety, was caught by the Yatagarasu's claws in place of Orochimaru!
"Summoning Technique!"
The Animal Path summoned a giant bull!
The bull roared and charged directly at Orochimaru, causing the ground to tremble under its hooves!
Boom!
Gamaken leapt beside Orochimaru, wielding a shield that directly knocked the bull away!
"Not bad at all..."
Orochimaru smiled lightly.
The toads of Mount Myoboku typically have a proud disposition, but Gamaken, in front of him, is an exception, being straightforward and honest, making Orochimaru less averse to him.
"Summoning Technique!"
The Animal Path slapped the ground with its hand!
A hellhound emerged from the smoke and leapt towards Orochimaru and Gamaken, turning the area into a battlefield of summoned beasts!
"Summoning Technique!"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he released an enormous python. The python was so massive it dwarfed the nearby mountains!
"Is it Manda?"
Gamaken curiously looked over.
"It's Manda II."
Orochimaru smiled casually as the colossal Manda II opened its mouth and swallowed the hellhound whole.
Since Manda was sacrificed by Akihara Kagura, Orochimaru and Kabuto used the blood cells extracted from Manda to cultivate Manda II.
After all…
Summoned beasts are a crucial part of a ninja's strength.
Manda II is larger and stronger than the original Manda, and also more obedient and tame.
Moreover…
Manda II is not like the arrogant creatures of Ryuchi Cave!
As Manda II appeared, the battle quickly turned in its favor. None of the summoned beasts on the battlefield were its match!
After killing the hellhound, Manda II swiftly coiled around the bull fighting Gamaken, constricting and swallowing it!
The Yatagarasu swooped down, trying to drop a string of bombs on Manda II, but Manda II soared into the sky, bit into the bird, and swallowed it too!
This Manda II…
Clearly a dominant force among summoned beasts!
The specially trained summoned beasts of the Rinnegan were no match for it, all cleared away swiftly!
"Is the summoning technique of the Rinnegan only at this level?"
Orochimaru sneered, uninterested in the Animal Path Pain's ability to train summoned beasts. He raised his fingers, commanding Manda II to charge at the Six Paths of Pain!
Manda II quickly slithered forward, gently opening its mouth to release purple poisonous mist toward the Six Paths of Pain!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Pain, unafraid and resolute, raised his hand and unleashed an immense repulsive force, directly hurling the Manda II away. However, the giant snake wrapped itself around the mountain, stubbornly withstanding the attacks from the summoned beast. The entire battlefield grew tense.
Over the years, Orochimaru had developed numerous techniques. Although he lacked the power to defeat the Six Paths of Pain, his agile body and formidable vitality, coupled with his powerful snake summons, allowed him to delay the battle for five minutes with ease. He might even gain the upper hand, leveraging the strength of the Manda II.
The battle took a dramatic turn as the Manda II entangled the Six Paths of Pain. Orochimaru and Gamaken stood atop the snake, calmly waiting for Jiraiya to complete his Sage Mode.
On the head of a chameleon, Nagato remained seated, relying on the chameleon's mobility and invisibility to avoid the battlefield's chaos. Konan stood by his side, guarding him.
Seeing the Manda II rampaging, Konan became restless and spoke up, "Nagato, let me handle it."
"Only for a moment," Nagato replied, shaking his head. "The Six Paths of Pain can deal with it as long as Tendo Path has more chakra allocated to Shinra Tensei..."
Truth be told, it was quite tricky. The Manda II was enormous, with a resilient soul. Even the Human Path would struggle to extract its soul, often missing the right opportunity. The only Path supposed to restrain the Manda, the Animal Path, had its summons devoured by the snake instead.
For now, the only option was for Tendo Path to unleash a powerful Shinra Tensei.
"Don't use that technique," Konan insisted, knowing that Nagato could use a massive Shinra Tensei by gathering all the Pain's chakra, which would surely defeat the Manda. But that technique would take a toll on Nagato's body. "Let me handle it. Your chakra must be saved for the crucial moment. We don't know what powerful technique Jiraiya is preparing."
Nagato could only nod slowly. In the next moment, countless sheets of paper flew towards the Manda. Konan's body reformed mid-air, wings made of folded paper sprouting from her back, as she fiercely stared at the rampaging snake. Each sheet adhered to the snake's body, transforming into explosive tags that opened deep, bleeding wounds.
Hissing in pain, the Manda II endured the barrage. Despite the continuous explosions, it obeyed Orochimaru's orders, protecting Jiraiya even under attack.
Finally, the time had come. Just as the Manda was about to succumb to the explosions, Jiraiya completed his Sage Mode.
"Thank you, Gamaken, you can go back now," Jiraiya said with a relieved smile, his face gradually adopting the traits of Sage Mode.
Gamaken nodded, dissipating into a cloud of smoke. In the next moment, a surge of powerful chakra erupted from Jiraiya, and two small toads appeared on his shoulders: Fukasaku and Shima from Mount Myoboku. Jiraiya, unable to enter Sage Mode alone, relied on their assistance, which also extended the duration of his Sage Mode.
"Jiraiya boy, you must train harder," Shima scolded upon appearing. "You can't always rely on us. What if we're not around one day?"
"Enough, let's not discuss this now," Fukasaku interrupted, immediately alarmed by the enormous snake before them. "Is that Manda? No, it's too large. Has Ryuchi Cave produced a giant species?"
"Is the enemy Orochimaru?" Shima asked, spotting Orochimaru.
"No, Orochimaru is an ally," Jiraiya corrected softly, defending his old friend. "If not for Orochimaru, I might have died here today."
"Remember our agreement," Orochimaru reminded, frowning at Jiraiya's Sage Mode. "If I can't escape, you must cover my retreat, even if it costs your life."
"Alright, alright," Jiraiya's confidence surged with Sage Mode activated, alongside Orochimaru and the two sage toads. He believed they wouldn't lose.
"Orochimaru," Jiraiya smiled, removing his wooden clogs and planting his toad-like feet firmly on the ground. "If we lose to someone younger, wouldn't that be disgraceful?"
"We are the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, after all!"
~~~
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