Hearing this, Shima showed a reluctant expression. "Hey! Old man, you're not seriously suggesting that genjutsu, are you?"
Fukasaku patiently replied, "Now's not the time to be stubborn. Taijutsu and ninjutsu aren't working, so the only thing we can rely on is genjutsu, Ma..."
"Besides, Little Jiraiya is clueless about genjutsu. Since the wielder of the Rinnegan was once his student, they probably know this weakness of his. We can use that to our advantage..."
Before Fukasaku could finish, Shima turned her head away, shouting, "No! I refuse! I'm not doing it—not even if you kill me!"
"Ma! Our fight is tied to the peace of the entire world. If that person is really the Child of Prophecy, as the Great Toad Sage predicted, and we don't stop him, this world will be destroyed!"
"Hmph! I don't care about that old geezer's nonsense! I refuse, end of story!"
"The Great Toad Sage told us to live in harmony as a couple, didn't he? You're supposed to listen to me!"
"..."
Listening to the elder toads bickering, Jiraiya frowned and said gravely, "This isn't the time for arguing! The enemy's attack is coming!"
As he spoke, Fukasaku pulled a smoke bomb from his chest and threw it to the ground.
"Little Jiraiya, as soon as I throw this smoke bomb, you need to hide in a place where they can't detect you!"
"Got it!"
"Bang!"
Thick gray smoke billowed up, and under its cover, Jiraiya quickly retreated to a concealed spot.
"Ma, what's the big deal? It's just a genjutsu—why are you making such a fuss?"
"Ugh!" Shima blushed in embarrassment. "I'm too old for a singing duel with this old coot! How am I supposed to pull that off?"
Jiraiya froze. "Huh? A… singing duel?"
Fukasaku explained, "Our strongest genjutsu involves using our voices to disrupt the enemy's hearing and trap them in the illusion."
Jiraiya blinked. "Singing… auditory disruption… Now it makes sense why you wanted me to hide."
"Exactly," Fukasaku said. "While the genjutsu is powerful, it has a significant weakness: as soon as we start singing, our location will be exposed..."
"Additionally, the illusion relies on the melody—the enemy must hear the entire sequence for it to work. It takes a bit of time for the effect to activate. If we're discovered during that window, we're done for!"
"But if the genjutsu succeeds, victory will be ours!"
"Understood!" Jiraiya said resolutely. "You can count on me to protect you while you perform the genjutsu. If things get too dangerous, don't worry about me—leave me behind and return to Mount Myoboku."
"What? No way!" Fukasaku rejected the idea outright. "Little Jiraiya, I'm not going to sit back and watch you die!"
Shima added, "Enough! Stop with the doom and gloom. Once the genjutsu works, we'll win, and I'll head back to cook dinner. Let's finish this quickly—Jiraiya-boy, you're coming back with me to enjoy our insect banquet!"
Before Jiraiya could respond, Shima and Fukasaku exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.
The two elders puffed up their cheeks, ready to start their song, but Jiraiya suddenly stopped them.
"Wait. I have a suggestion. Please hear me out first—it's for your safety."
Seeing the seriousness and determination on Jiraiya's face, Fukasaku nodded.
"Alright, let's hear it!"