The two sages knew the importance of the moment and did not say much, quickly jumping onto Jiraiya's shoulder to start absorbing natural energy.
"Boil Release: Unrivalled Strength!"
Just as Jiraiya was preparing to use Sage Mode, accompanied by a sound akin to a train whistle, a person in red armor charged straight at him.
Whoosh!
Bam!
Jiraiya swiftly leaped aside, and a massive crater suddenly appeared at the spot where he had just stood.
Han gazed at Jiraiya with an indifferent expression, showing no surprise at this.
If the legendary Sannin were so easy to kill, Jiraiya would have long been dead at his or Roshi's hands.
"Sage Mode!"
Once the natural ability had been gathered, Jiraiya fused his chakra with natural ability to evolve into stronger Sage Art Chakra. A mask appeared on his face, and his nose took on a slight toad-like appearance.
"The situation isn't as dire as imagined." Upon entering Sage Mode and sensing the battlefield's situation, Jiraiya felt a bit relieved.
The Perception Squad had no information on Sarutobi Jonin's treachery, leaving Jiraiya worried his sensing might reveal half the ninja squad dead.
But the actual results were much better than Jiraiya had anticipated.
Currently, there were about seven hundred Konoha ninjas arduously fighting against the Hidden Rock.
What Jiraiya didn't know was that, despite appearing to be in control, the Hidden Rock was quite bewildered.
Rekiseki had indeed obtained information about the Konoha Ninja Camp from Hidden Rock's intel personnel, but the intel did not definitively state this was Konoha's main force.
Moreover, Rekiseki was not as rash as the Hidden Cloud, who would charge in upon getting intel.
What if it was a trap luring enemies deep within?
If this were in fact Konoha's main force, surely there would be many perception ninjas on guard, making a sneak attack almost impossible.
But having intel and not giving it a try felt like a loss.
Ultimately, Rekiseki devised a plan, dividing the two-thousand ninja troop into three smaller squads.
The first squad, led by him, had only five hundred but comprised mostly of elites, including Jinchuriki and the Blast Team.
The second and third teams were standard units, positioned behind the elite squad on both sides, ready to respond.
One reason was to prevent being trapped, and another was ensuring maximum area lockdown to prevent the Konoha Ninja Unit from escaping.
If Rekiseki confirmed it wasn't a trap, he'd immediately signal the two standard troops to encircle and attack together.
Rekiseki never expected to lead the troops straight to the Konoha camp until close, only to be spotted by patrol ninjas, as if the Konoha Perception Squad were dead.
Before encountering many Konoha ninjas, Rekiseki once thought this wasn't the main Konoha ninja force.
Boom boom!!
Rekiseki unleashed Explosion Release indiscriminately, undeterred by any issues that arose with the Konoha Ninja Squad. What mattered was achieving great merit and making a name for himself.
The ninja squad led by Sannin Jiraiya was to be defeated and annihilated by him.
"Summoning Technique!"
Jiraiya slammed the ground hard, summoning two giant toads under his feet.
One of the red-colored toads held a smoking pipe in its mouth and wore a short sword at its waist, while the other, a purple-red toad, carried a large shield on its back and held a fish-laden harpoon.
"You two block the Five-tailed Jinchuriki, I'll deal with the enemy commander." Jiraiya quickly instructed.
The principle that to capture the thief, first capture the king also applies in the ninja world. If Jiraiya can resolve Rekiseki, even if not turning the tide, it would significantly lower the enemy ninja squad's morale.
"What, me against a Tailed Beast?" Gamabunta's eyelids twitched fiercely.
Though in terms of size, it wouldn't be much smaller than a Tailed Beast, engaging in a head-on clash with one was quite challenging for a toad.
"Though clumsy, I'll do my best to hold him." Gamaken replied seriously.
"Just a short delay will do, please!" After speaking, Jiraiya locked onto Rekiseki, exploding chakra and using Instant Body Jutsu to rush toward him.
Han turned, intending to pursue, but Gamaken suddenly leaped up, wielding the harpoon at Han.
Han halted, his body's Tailed Beast Chakra strength erupted, causing his power to surge rapidly under Boil Release.
"Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength!"
Han grabbed the incoming harpoon from Gamaken with one hand.
Gamaken attempted to crush Han with force, but under Han's terrifying strength, the harpoon was immobile. It couldn't press down and Gamaken couldn't even retract it.
"Damn it, die!"
Gamabunta drew the short sword at his waist and slashed at Han.
The term "short sword" only made sense in comparison to Gamabunta's massive size; in reality, this short sword was several times Han's height.
Han violently pushed Gamaken backward, making him stagger, then used Instant Body Jutsu to evade Gamabunta's slash.
Han realized Jiraiya's two summoned beasts were formidable, knowing it would be challenging to deal with without revealing true capabilities, he rapidly activated his body's Tailed Beast Chakra.
An ominous dark red chakra swiftly emerged from Han, transforming him into a massive dark red beast with five tails.
Charging towards Rekiseki, Jiraiya sensed Han's chakra growing stronger, feeling more urgency within.
On site, only he qualified to confront the Jinchuriki directly; Minato could barely restrain him. Jiraiya had to swiftly resolve Rekiseki.
"Fire Release: Giant Flame Bomb!"
Jiraiya quickly refined the Sage Art Chakra in his body into oil and held it in his mouth, igniting it with Fire Attribute Chakra Nature Changes as he spat it out.