Chapter 96: Forced into Action
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"
In an instant, a massive fireball roared toward Baishi, its heat so intense that it reddened his skin from afar.
"So this is the Great Flame Bullet, with ten times the power of a normal Flame Bullet? Impressive!"
Baishi smirked. "But it's still not enough!"
Without hesitation, he charged straight into the fireball.
While fire-style jutsu is indeed powerful, its effectiveness depends on temperature. Baishi's High-Temperature Resistance countered temperature directly. As long as it didn't exceed his upper limit, the flames couldn't deal significant damage.
With a burst of speed, Baishi shattered the fireball and barreled toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, realizing he had no time for another attack, remained calm. As Baishi's kick approached, he smirked, a glint of strategy in his eyes.
Suddenly, Jiraiya's hair extended and hardened, encasing his body like a spiky cocoon—Needle Jizo.
With Baishi's speed, there was no time to stop. A direct collision was inevitable.
"Retreat? That's not my style."
Instead of slowing down, Baishi doubled down, driving his kick forward.
Jiraiya's expression darkened. In an instant, he withdrew the chakra holding his footing.
Thud!
The sound of flesh being pierced echoed. Baishi's leg went straight through Jiraiya's hardened hair, impaling itself in the spikes.
Yet, despite the injury, Baishi's momentum sent Jiraiya flying.
After tumbling to a stop, Jiraiya dispelled Needle Jizo, clutching his abdomen where internal pain throbbed. "That was close," he muttered, knowing that if he had braced for impact, the consequences would have been far worse.
He glanced at Baishi's leg, expecting severe damage. Instead, it was fully intact, save for a few traces of blood.
This unnerved Jiraiya. It reminded him of Tsunade's Creation Rebirth, where wounds healed almost instantaneously.
"Could he have something similar to Tsunade's technique?"
Jiraiya's expression grew grim as a dreadful possibility crept into his mind.
Meanwhile, Baishi was unfazed. His goal remained the same: force Jiraiya to activate Sage Mode.
He launched forward once more, closing the gap in an instant.
Boom!
With a spinning kick—Leaf Strong Whirlwind—Baishi struck Jiraiya's arm, sending him flying.
Though Jiraiya managed to block the attack, the impact left his arm numb, the sheer force overwhelming.
Regaining his footing, Jiraiya bit his thumb and swiftly formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A metallic clang echoed as Baishi's next kick collided with an armored limb.
A blue-patterned, orange toad wearing layered armor had appeared, intercepting Baishi's strike with its iron-clad arm.
The Iron-Armed Toad of Mount Myoboku.
A flash of steel sliced toward Baishi, forcing him to retreat.
As chakra smoke cleared, a massive red toad emerged. Its presence was commanding, its features unmistakable—Gamabunta, chief toad of Mount Myoboku.
The enormous toad puffed out a smoke ring from the pipe in its mouth and glanced at Jiraiya perched on its head.
"Jiraiya, who's this kid? He's strong enough to need my help?"
Jiraiya's tone was serious. "Don't underestimate him, Gamabunta. He wields the Wood Release bloodline limit and the Flying Thunder God Technique. His strength and speed are exceptional."
"What?!" Gamabunta's shock was palpable. "Flying Thunder God, like Minato's? Are you sure?"
Jiraiya didn't respond, but Gamabunta continued, "And the Wood Release—known for suppressing Tailed Beasts? That's a power only the First Hokage had. Are you saying Konoha has another wielder?"
Gamabunta narrowed his eyes. "Wait… is he one of your village's shinobi?"
Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to explain.
But Baishi gave him no time to answer.
Dodging a slash from Gamabunta's short sword, Baishi retreated briefly before forming hand seals.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground beneath Gamabunta turned into a vast swamp, pulling the massive toad down.
Recognizing the technique, Jiraiya quickly urged Gamabunta to leap.
As Gamabunta took to the air, Jiraiya and the toad simultaneously performed hand seals.
A combination of oil and fire erupted from them, forming Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet.
The fiery rain descending from above was so intense that even Baishi, with his High-Temperature Resistance, opted not to take the hit directly.
Completing another set of hand seals, Baishi countered with Water Style: Water Formation Wall.
A torrent of water surged from his mouth, forming a barrier that completely surrounded him.
The clash of fire and water created a thick cloud of steam, blanketing the battlefield in a dense fog.
As visibility dropped, Jiraiya grew wary, preparing to issue a warning to Gamabunta. But before he could, vines shot out from the ground.
Gamabunta reacted swiftly, slicing through the first vine with his sword. Yet for every vine he severed, countless others sprouted, forming a dense forest that trapped him.
Baishi had unleashed Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence once more, but this time, his enhanced chakra reserves magnified its power.
Even Gamabunta, with his immense size and strength, struggled against the overwhelming onslaught of vines and trees.
Despite their combined efforts, the duo found themselves increasingly constrained, their space for maneuver shrinking with every passing second.
Finally, Jiraiya's composure wavered. He called out urgently to Gamabunta.
"Gamabunta, buy me some time!"
"You're going to use that?" Gamabunta asked, exhaling a smoke ring.
"Fine. Leave it to me!"
Years of partnership allowed Gamabunta to understand Jiraiya's plan immediately. Wielding his sword with renewed determination, he prepared to hold Baishi at bay.
(End of Chapter)
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