Rasa didn't attempt to counter Jiraiya's ninjutsu with his own. There was no point in doing so. Even though Jiraiya hadn't activated Sage Mode, the amplification from the toad oil alone had made his Fire Release techniques several times stronger than normal. Going head-to-head with them would be a disastrous strategy.
"Magnet Release: Shukaku's Avatar—Shukaku Impact!"
Under Rasa's control, the colossal Shukaku construct crossed its arms over its chest, curled its body inward, and wrapped its tail around itself, forming a massive, mountain-sized sphere. With terrifying speed and force, it hurtled toward Jiraiya and Gamabunta like a rolling boulder.
Jiraiya's flames had proven powerful, but fire was formless—it had no solid mass to stop a solid object. The gigantic sand sphere barreled forward, unyielding, crushing anything in its path.
Jiraiya's reflexes were sharp, and he immediately reacted.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
In an instant, the ground beneath the Shukaku construct gave way, and a vast swamp appeared, swallowing the sand sphere whole and rendering it immobile. The massive construct sunk, trapped in the muck.
Jiraiya grinned, his confidence returning for a brief moment.
"Looks like neither of us can move now!"
But his smile faded as the sand began to stir.
The trapped Shukaku's Avatar crumbled into countless grains of sand, surging toward Jiraiya like a tidal wave. Violet markings, unmistakable signs of Shukaku's sealing power, began to spread across the sand.
Rasa's Shukaku construct wasn't a living entity; it was a massive sand puppet that he could manipulate it at will. The realization hit Jiraiya like a strike to the chest. Rasa's attack wasn't over.
Without wasting a second, Jiraiya made a snap decision.
"You should head back, Gamabunta!"
He couldn't afford to let Rasa seal Gamabunta again like Gamaken.
Poof!
With a puff of white smoke, Gamabunta disappeared, and Jiraiya, now airborne, plummeted toward the earth below.
Sensing its primary target had vanished, the sand shifted its focus toward Jiraiya. It surged forward with menacing speed, intent on capturing him next.
Jiraiya reacted quickly, forming hand seals as the sand closed in on him.
"Wind Release: Thousand Blades of Wind!"
A dense barrage of wind blades sliced through the advancing sand, shredding it into countless fragments. At the same time, the recoil from the wind sent Jiraiya plummeting downward at high speed. He landed lightly on the battlefield, his feet touching the ground with precision.
For a moment, Jiraiya couldn't help but echo Minato's earlier words.
"As expected of the Kazekage. He may be young, but he's just as troublesome as the rest."
Despite the mounting pressure, Jiraiya wasn't out of options yet.
Minato had mentioned that this Kazekage seemed to avoid close combat whenever possible. It was likely due to his fear of the Flying Thunder God technique, but it also hinted that his taijutsu skills might be lacking.
This gave Jiraiya an idea.
If he could sneak closer…
With a smirk, Jiraiya melded seamlessly into the earth, vanishing from sight.
---
As the scattered sand reassembled, Shukaku's Avatar loomed once again over the battlefield. However, standing atop its head, Rasa found himself at a disadvantage—he had lost track of Jiraiya.
"I can't sense him. Did he use Earth Release? Or a summoning technique?" Rasa muttered under his breath.
If it had been a normal Earth Release, Rasa would still have been able to detect him. But perhaps Jiraiya had used a sensory-blocking technique that Rasa wasn't aware of.
Though Rasa had gathered intelligence on Jiraiya, he wasn't foolish enough to rely entirely on secondhand information. After all, this was a real shinobi battle, not just some theoretical scenario.
In that case...
Rasa's body merged directly with Shukaku's Avatar. With such an enormous body, even if Jiraiya could sense his location, the sheer toughness of the Shukaku construct's defenses would make it incredibly difficult for Jiraiya to land a decisive blow.
Hidden in the shadows, Jiraiya frowned deeply.
"Tch, this guy's turtling up like a damn clam. I need to find a way to force him out of that monster!"
With that thought, a sudden idea struck him.
"Earth Release: Tectonic Core!"
In an instant, the ground beneath the Shukaku construct split apart, creating a massive sinkhole. The terrain around it rapidly collapsed, and the colossal sand figure found itself without any solid footing. Unable to maintain balance, Shukaku's Avatar plummeted into the enormous pit.
Jiraiya saw the opening immediately and revealed himself, springing into action.
"Earth Release: Sticky Clay Technique!"
Thick, black, viscous clay poured down from above, cascading like a landslide toward the trapped Shukaku's Avatar.
"Let's see how you deal with this! Time to turn your sand into pottery!"
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
The combination of sticky clay and intense fire had a clear purpose. By using the clay to bind the sand together and then applying the heat, Jiraiya aimed to bake the sand into a solid, immobile mass. If successful, Rasa's control over the sand would be nullified.
"As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin!"
Rasa thought, recognizing the threat in the combination of jutsu. He had no choice but to abandon the sand and propel himself out of the pit before the transformation could be completed.
And that was exactly what Jiraiya had been waiting for.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane!"
In an instant, Jiraiya's white hair extended, growing wildly into a massive lion's head that lunged at Rasa, attempting to ensnare him.
This was one of Jiraiya's signature techniques. Against it, Rasa had no effective counter.
Though made of hair, the Lion's Mane was enhanced by chakra, making it incredibly tough and elastic. In terms of raw maneuverability, Jiraiya's hair was even more flexible than Rasa's sand. Furthermore, Wild Lion's Mane could be reinforced with fire chakra, increasing its offensive potential.
But... Rasa could fly!
"What?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief as Rasa took to the air, effortlessly gliding out of range of the extending Wild Lion's Mane.
"This guy can fly?! That's straight-up cheating!"
Jiraiya's hair had grown to immense proportions, but no matter how much control he had over its extension, there was no way it could keep up with Rasa's airborne mobility. His opponent had a distinct advantage.
Damn it... Jiraiya thought, frustration mounting. If only I were better at genjutsu!
Against an opponent like Rasa, long-range battles were a nightmare. If Jiraiya couldn't close the distance, genjutsu would've been the ideal counter. But alas, genjutsu was one of his weakest areas, and that was a serious flaw.
Despite his frustration, Jiraiya didn't forget the bigger picture. Rasa was no ordinary shinobi—he was the Kazekage, a Kage-level threat. Even if Jiraiya could keep up, a drawn-out battle was in Rasa's favor. As long as Rasa played defensively, Jiraiya wouldn't be able to end the fight quickly unless he resorted to his Sage Mode.
But Jiraiya couldn't afford to waste any more time.
Though his attention was on Rasa, Jiraiya could still sense the chaos behind him at the Konoha camp. Things were spiraling out of control.
Minato was locked in battle with Pakura, leaving Konoha's lower-ranking shinobi vulnerable to a one-sided slaughter. The situation was dire.
No choice… Jiraiya thought, clenching his fists. I'll have to go into Sage Mode!
He clasped his hands together, preparing to summon Fukasaku and Shima, his trusted Sage partners. Just as he was about to activate Sage Mode…
But something happened that left him completely stunned. Rasa suddenly charged toward him.
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