Deer and his team were no match for Jiraiya in taijutsu. The four moved as if in slow motion before him. Yagami didn't interfere; an opportunity like this to exchange blows with Jiraiya was invaluable for any ninja.
Though Jiraiya was anxious, he didn't harbor any immediate killing intent toward his Leaf comrades, so Yagami wasn't concerned for Flower Deer's safety. He treated it strictly as a training exercise for his squad.
Jiraiya's taijutsu lacked flashy techniques, favoring a grounded, powerful approach. His punches and kicks were devastatingly heavy. He rarely dodged. If a punch came, he would block with his forearm, then seize Leaf Monkey's opening and send him flying with a single counter-punch.
If a side kick came, he'd block with his knee, letting the raised leg transition naturally into a whip kick that sent Bull sailing.
Seeing they were outmatched in taijutsu, Flower Deer ordered his team to retreat. They activated their Cross Seals, and with a sudden surge of chakra, the squad unleashed their combined ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
This was the most common and practical combination for Leaf ninja—a wind-and-fire storm. Seeing the towering fire-and-wind dragon roaring toward him, Jiraiya quickly manifested a Mud Wall for defense.
Behind the wall, Jiraiya was struck by a thought: 'These ANBU aren't holding anything back with their chakra expenditure. Are their reserves really that massive?' The Mud Wall held for only a few seconds before the inferno breached it.
Flower Deer's heart skipped a beat as he saw the wall shatter. 'Did we just kill Jiraiya?'
He glanced toward Yagami, but his Captain wasn't looking at the explosion. Yagami's head was tilted up, staring at the tree canopy above and to the side.
Flower Deer followed his gaze and saw Jiraiya standing calmly on a high branch. The Sannin had used a Body Flicker behind the Mud Wall so quickly Deer hadn't even registered the movement.
Yagami mused that Jiraiya was truly formidable. He hadn't even used his Summoning Jutsu or the Needle Jizo; with just basic taijutsu and elemental releases, he was easily suppressing an entire ANBU squad.
Yagami wondered if he had mastered Sage Mode yet. 'Should I try to draw Sage Mode from him this month?'
If he hadn't mastered it yet, the draw would be wasted.
Jiraiya suddenly shouted, "This is bad! The ANBU are dying!"
Yagami didn't look back to see if Nagato had exploded in rage or if his *real* target had arrived. He simply said, "Lord Jiraiya, didn't you teach your students not to kill Leaf ninja?"
Jiraiya thought to himself that the Leaf had brought war to the Rain. He needed time to make amends. Nagato's parents were killed by Leaf ninja; that deep-seated hatred wouldn't fade easily. How could he ask them to hold back their rage? He flickered, rushing toward Nagato's position.
However, he was intercepted mid-air. Yagami's fist slammed toward Jiraiya's chest. Jiraiya threw up both hands to block, and a sharp pain shot through his forearms. 'What strength! What density!' He was sent crashing backward into the trunk of a massive tree with a deafening thud.
The wood cracked, and Jiraiya felt his clothes tearing on the splintered surface.
"Lord Jiraiya, you were too eager," Yagami chided. "You forgot to keep an eye on my location."
For the first time, Jiraiya's eyes held a cold, murderous glint. He had just seen two ANBU ninja launched into the sky, their bodies cleanly bisected. The method was brutal. Nagato was truly enraged.
But could the three children really take on multiple ANBU squads and kill two elites? The four he had just fought were at least Special Jonin level—the true elite of the village. They were well-trained, disciplined, and coordinated. A team of that caliber was a major asset to the village. Could Nagato kill such people?
Jiraiya's main concern was Nagato's Rinnegan! The eyes that only the Sage of Six Paths was said to possess in legend might have capabilities he knew nothing about. He didn't want to see either the ANBU or the children die.
"Get out of my way, Fox! Don't make me kill you!"
"Kill me?" Yagami mused. "Lord Jiraiya, don't interfere with the ANBU's duty to capture the Uzumaki remnant. You are the Third Hokage's student; if I rough you up, the Hokage will be displeased. Wouldn't you agree?"
Jiraiya bit his thumb and wove the signs rapidly, slamming his palm into the wet bark.White smoke quickly spread through the falling rain, and a giant red toad appeared.
"Damn this Land of Rain again! Even my pipe is soaked." Gamabunta appeared, puffing on his pipe. He was about half the size of the giant toad Yagami remembered from the original series—not yet a full adult.
"Bunta! Hold off these ANBU while I save Nagato!"
Jiraiya flickered away. He couldn't afford to get bogged down in a fight with the Fox; he couldn't decisively defeat this elite ANBU in a short time.
Yagami moved to intercept, but a massive twenty-meter-long blade slammed down, cutting off his path. Gamabunta's speed was startling. Yagami was forced to dodge backward.
Even with his Copper Light absolute defense, taking a direct hit from a twenty-meter blade would surely cause internal injuries.
As Jiraiya disappeared, Yagami turned his focus to the toad. The blade continued to rain down, but Bunta found himself facing another agility-type ninja he simply couldn't touch. Bunta leaped backward and, while in mid-air, slammed his belly.
"Water Style: Syrup Gun!"
A ten-meter-wide blast of water roared toward the Leaf ANBU on the ground. Yagami formed a single sign. "Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
The integrity of the high-pressure water jet was superior to the toad's Syrup Gun. Bunta was shocked to see his technique cut clean in half, the water splashing harmlessly in two directions. 'What kind of Water Style is this? Why can he cast it with one sign?'
As Bunta landed, Yagami leaped, slamming his palm against the toad's broad hip. "Curse of the Self-Collapsing Body!"
This time, Yagami was using direct touch, unleashing the full power of the seal. Fueled by the immense chakra of his Cross Seal, the curse instantly froze Gamabunta. The toad strained, his muscles bunching with internal pressure, but he was locked tight by the sealing technique.
The toad's horizontal pupil looked down at the Fox ANBU. Gamabunta was forced to release the summoning, vanishing in a puff of white smoke. 'I have to tell the Great Sages that a truly monstrous ANBU has appeared in the Leaf,' Bunta vowed.
Flower Deer looked at his captain with wide eyes. They knew Fox was strong, but taking down Gamabunta, the legendary toad summon? That was a whole different tier.
Yagami and the Fallow Deer squad immediately gave chase to Jiraiya. In the distance, Yagami spotted a massive Wood Dragon twisting through the air.
'It's here! Uchiha Madara! I'm going to see Uchiha Madara again!' Under his mask, a faint smile played on Yagami's lips.
'Danzo, you wanted to find an Uzumaki remnant? Well, I found one for you. I just hope your men are tough enough to take a hit from Uchiha Madara.'
Uzumaki Nagato, possessing the Rinnegan. That was Madara's greatest treasure. Before Nagato was strong enough to defend himself, he would naturally be under Madara's personal protection.