Another toad appeared.
Kisame felt a twinge of anxiety in his heart when he saw Jiraiya use Summoning Jutsu once again.
This war made Kisame realize one of his weaknesses.
Having obtained the Sword of Wisdom, his overall strength has significantly increased.
As long as it's Ninjutsu, it can be absorbed.
The more Ninjutsu the opponent uses, the more Chakra he can gain.
The more he fight, the stronger he becomes.
Additionally, the Sword of Wisdom helps him avoid visual and auditory Genjutsu.
It allows him to leap forward and become a top-tier Ninja.
Even seasoned veterans like Shimura Danzo can be defeated.
However, if the opponent relies solely on Taijutsu, his advantage with the Sword of Wisdom cannot be fully utilized.
"Just like that Guy, he causes me much more trouble than Ninjutsu Ninjas of the same level from Konoha."
"But because his level is too low, he only causes a little trouble."
"In normal situations, I can defeat other Ninjutsu Ninjas of the same level in one or two rounds, but with Guy, it takes two or three more rounds."
"But if Guy had the strength of an elite Jonin, he would definitely be a real headache."
"Orochimaru adopts a strategy like this."
"Using Taijutsu and Summoning Jutsu to attack me."
"The summoned snakes are essentially using Taijutsu to attack me as well."
"And now there's Jiraiya."
"On one hand, I can't restrict the opponent's Taijutsu methods."
"On the other hand, it's a matter of Chakra quantity."
Against opponents of the same age, this disadvantage of Kisame isn't really a disadvantage.
But against top-tier Ninjas like Orochimaru and Jiraiya, it becomes a flaw.
Kisame's eyes flickered.
"When facing Ninjutsu Ninjas, I can absorb their Chakra. The Sword of Wisdom can absorb their Ninjutsu, so I never lack Chakra and can use Water Release indefinitely."
"But when facing Taijutsu Ninjas, I have to carefully manage my Chakra."
"If I had a massive amount of Chakra, I wouldn't be so passive against Taijutsu Ninjas."
"But how can I increase my Chakra supply?"
As Jiraiya's Summoning Jutsu was completed, Gamagoro appeared.
Kisame let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Thankfully... it's not another giant toad."
Gamaken had put a lot of pressure on Kisame.
When that steel trident struck, the force was immense, and Kisame didn't dare to meet it head-on.
"Does this also mean that Jiraiya's Chakra is nearing its limit?"
"Otherwise, he would have summoned another giant toad."
As Kisame had guessed, as Gamagoro appeared, a force of attraction fell upon Jiraiya, forcibly drawing out a large amount of Chakra.
Jiraiya staggered slightly, his Chakra nearly exhausted.
Kisame's eyes lit up.
"Jiraiya... can be worn down too!"
"The Sannin are not invincible."
"Let's see which of us can last longer."
Noticing Jiraiya's condition, Kisame, whose Chakra, strength, and stamina were nearly depleted, suddenly found a new surge of energy from somewhere.
Perhaps it was the ambition of overcoming a stronger opponent?
Perhaps it was the allure of becoming famous by defeating a Sannin?
Perhaps it was the excitement of seeing the hope of victory?
...
But Kisame underestimated Gamagoro's strength.
Facing the charging Toad, Kisame raised his Sword of Wisdom and slashed down hard.
Because Soma used the materials of the Sword of Kusanagi, the sharpness of the Sword of Wisdom far exceeded that of an ordinary ninjatō.
Ordinary kunai and shuriken in the hands of Konoha Ninjas were easily cut through by the Sword of Wisdom.
However, this time, after the sword fell, Kisame clearly felt something was off.
His slash had been blocked.
"Ding!"
Not only did the Toad block Kisame's slash, but just as it was about to be struck, it suddenly lifted its arms forward, channeling its strength into them.
As a result, the force that was transmitted back to Kisame's hand was astonishingly powerful.
The Sword of Wisdom almost slipped from his hand.
"It actually blocked the slash from the Sword of Wisdom?"
Kisame's pupils contracted as he looked at Gamagoro again, with no trace of underestimation left in his eyes—only wariness.
"This toad... has some strength!"
Dragon Slayer's voice rang out.
"It even managed to block my slash."
"Old white-haired man, can't you handle losing? Why not try using some Ninjutsu?"
In this battle—no, in these two battles—first against Orochimaru and now against Jiraiya, Dragon Slayer felt extremely frustrated, unable to fully utilize his abilities.
Jiraiya ignored Dragon Slayer and instead intensified his offensive.
Before this battle, Hiruzen had given Jiraiya a specific timeframe.
And now, that time was almost up.
Given the situation, Jiraiya was anxious.
It seemed impossible to defeat the Kirigakure army now.
But Jiraiya at least wanted to defeat Kisame, kill him, and seize the Sword of Wisdom.
In this way, Konoha's operation wouldn't be a complete failure.
Kisame's potential and the abilities of the Sword of Wisdom made Jiraiya feel that if they weren't dealt with now, they would bring great trouble to Konoha in the future.
So, Jiraiya completely ignored Dragon Slayer's taunts.
Jiraiya and Gamaken took advantage of the opportunity created by Gamagoro, quickly moving to three different directions around Kisame, forming an encirclement.
The next moment, they fiercely closed in on Kisame.
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Jutsu!"
In this situation, Kisame had no choice but to use Water Release.
Relying solely on Taijutsu and Kenjutsu wouldn't be enough to defend himself.
The water condensed into a shark, with Kisame's figure within it, propelling him into the air.
"Gamaken! Stop him!"
"Understood!"
Gamaken raised his steel trident high and struck down at the Water Release Shark.
"Smack!"
A huge gap immediately appeared in the Water Release Shark.
In the next moment, the shark shattered with a loud crash.
However, Kisame used this opportunity to escape from the encirclement of Jiraiya and the two toads.
He was still at a disadvantage, but outside of the encirclement, he had a chance to struggle a bit more.
Jiraiya leaped into the air, holding a kunai in his hand.
"Water Release: Water Whip Jutsu!"
Suddenly, a Water Whip appeared, wrapping around one of Jiraiya's legs and forcibly pulling him down, causing his attack on Kisame to miss.
Jiraiya instinctively turned his head.
Kisame also looked over.
"Thanks, Fuguki-san!"
Fuguki nodded without saying a word.
By switching opponents, Ao had delivered a full-strength strike that severely injured Orochimaru. Whether Orochimaru could recover or not, at least for the moment, he appeared gravely wounded.
As a result, Fuguki was freed up.
Fuguki took the opportunity to recover his Chakra.
However, due to his previous overexertion, recovery was difficult.
He only decided to step in because he saw that Kisame was in a critical situation.
In such a short time, Fuguki hadn't recovered much at all. Even speaking was a burden for him. Fuguki's condition mirrored that of the entire Kirigakure army in this war—completely exhausted and out of resources.
A Konoha ninja who had just arrived on the battlefield hesitated for a moment before quickly rushing toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
"What is it?"
"Time's up."
"Already?"
Jiraiya frowned.
"Can we delay it a bit longer?"
Jiraiya glanced in Kisame's direction.
He could clearly feel that Kisame was at his absolute limit. Just a little more time, and he could kill Kisame. Retreating now felt like a huge missed opportunity.
"We can't delay."
The Konoha ninja said, "According to the intelligence from Lord Third, Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Rock Village have already noticed our situation and have started mobilizing ninjas."
"If we return too late and can't set up our defenses in time, we won't be able to stop them."
"If that happens, Konoha might face total disaster."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed deeply, but in the end, he was reluctant to give up.
"I'll speed up as much as I can on the way back."
"Just give me a little more time."
Jiraiya looked once more in Kisame's direction and took a deep breath.
"Gamaken, Gamagoro, help me!"
As Jiraiya's voice fell, both Gamaken and Gamagoro's expressions grew more serious.
Gamaken abandoned his shield, wielding his trident with both hands. The powerful swings put immense pressure on Kisame.
Meanwhile, Gamagoro charged at Kisame at great speed.
Facing the Sword of Wisdom, this time, the Gamagoro chose to endure the damage directly, creating an opportunity to get close to Kisame. Then, with both arms, it tightly embraced Kisame.
"Thud!"
The blade of the Sword of Wisdom pierced into Gamagoro's body.
Gamagoro grunted but didn't retreat a single step. Instead, he tightened his grip on Kisame even more.
Kisame was shocked.
"To the point of risking its life just to kill me?"
"Summon Beasts can actually reach this level?"
Kisame found it a bit absurd.
Typically, Summon Beasts and ninjas have a cooperative relationship.
Summon Beasts fight for ninjas.
However, when faced with real danger, a Summon Beast would be the first to flee.
Sacrificing its own life for a ninja?
Only very rarely would a Summon Beast go to that extent.
Moreover, the current situation wasn't that Jiraiya was in danger, but rather that Jiraiya wanted to kill Kisame, and for that purpose, Gamagoro was willing to sacrifice its life?
"Damn toad!"
"You've pissed me off!"
Dragon Slayer cursed angrily.
Jiraiya looked at Gamagoro with a hint of regret in his eyes.
But he didn't stop; instead, he continued to charge resolutely at Kisame.
"Gamagoro, I'm sorry to have you make such a sacrifice."
"But it shouldn't be fatal."
"Once this war is over, I'll go to Mount Myoboku and bring you a gift."
By using Gamaken's attack to restrict Kisame's movements, Jiraiya created an opportunity for Gamagoro to get close to Kisame. Gamagoro chose to endure a sword strike from Kisame to restrain him and create a chance for Jiraiya to kill him.
With the short amount of time available, even with Kisame's Chakra Absorption Technique, he could not absorb enough Chakra from Gamagoro to resist Jiraiya's attack.
Closer, even closer.
In the blink of an eye, Jiraiya stood right in front of Kisame.
The Kirigakure ninjas, seeing this, were extremely nervous.
"Jiraiya!"
"Is Kisame going to be killed by Jiraiya?"
"No!"
"Kisame is a genius that Hidden Mist Village absolutely cannot afford to lose!"
On the other hand, the Konoha ninjas began to cheer in advance.
"This is Jiraiya-sama!"
"To be able to kill Kisame, this is worth it!"
There was no one left in Hidden Mist Village to support Kisame.
Jiraiya's strategy of having Gamagoro sacrifice itself was beyond everyone's expectations. In such a short time, no one could come to support. Moreover, most of the Kirigakure ninjas were already exhausted.
Just as Jiraiya's kunai was about to pierce Kisame's vital point, a sigh from Dragon Slayer was heard. Suddenly, the Sword of Wisdom was wrenched free from Kisame's hand.
Without a user, the Sword of Wisdom relied solely on its own power to block Jiraiya's kunai.
"Ding!"
Dragon Slayer's voice rang out.
"All Hidden Mist Village ninjas, attack me!"
"Use Ninjutsu on me!"
"Any Ninjutsu will do!"
"Just attack me!"
A massive spherical barrier, centered around the Sword of Wisdom, appeared. A Kirigakure ninja paused momentarily but quickly reacted.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!"
A Water Bullet flew towards the Sword of Wisdom, and as soon as it touched the spherical barrier, it was absorbed and transformed into pure Chakra, entering the Sword of Wisdom.
Following this, other nearby Kirigakure ninjas also contributed.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!"
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet Jutsu!"
"..."
Most of the Kirigakure ninjas were in extremely poor condition. However, they could still squeeze out a bit of Chakra and use low-level Water Release Ninjutsu.
The barrier created by the Sword of Wisdom acted like a giant beast with its mouth wide open. As long as it was within this large area, it could devour anything.
This was something Kisame could not do while holding the Sword of Wisdom.
As more Ninjutsu were used by the Kirigakure ninjas, and the Sword of Wisdom absorbed more Chakra, the aura around the Sword of Wisdom grew stronger and more formidable.
Jiraiya's expression changed.
The Konoha ninjas watched in wide-eyed amazement.
"What kind of Ninjutsu is this?"
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