Chapter 443: The Battle Enters the Second Stage
Obito could barely suppress the shock in his heart as he stared at the ninja in front of him.
Earlier, he had used a Shadow Clone to cleverly draw Kenichi away, believing it would buy him enough time to take Rin from that madman. As for what happened afterward, he would deal with it when the time came. Even if he did nothing but stay by Rin's side, that would still be better than leaving her with a scoundrel like Kenichi.
But when Obito arrived, he discovered that Rin was no longer in her room.
While he searched for her, a group of ninja surrounded him.
Every one of them possessed jonin-level strength, but what shocked Obito the most was not their numbers or their skill.
It was their eyes.
Every ninja in front of him had the Sharingan, and all of them were Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Caught off guard, Obito had nearly suffered a loss right away.
Just as he was trying to figure out how to deal with them before Kenichi returned, he realized that Kenichi seemed to have been delayed by someone else.
Then came that furious roar.
And the name Jiraiya.
That made Obito's heart lift.
With Jiraiya holding Kenichi back, Obito should have a chance to take Rin away.
However, the ninja before him were all powerful and fearless. Their coordination was terrifyingly seamless. They did not communicate at all, yet their movements fit together as if someone were controlling them from behind.
The ninja below began launching all kinds of ninjutsu at him as well, leaving Obito temporarily helpless.
At the same time, he had to guard against their strange attack methods, which made him feel even more restrained.
Just as Obito was thinking about how to deal with these enemies and find Rin, a kunai suddenly appeared behind him and stabbed toward his back.
"!"
Obito turned his head in surprise.
There was nothing behind him.
Even so, a kunai was lodged in his back. If he had not reacted quickly, that attack might have pierced straight through him.
Even then, Obito could not understand how he had been injured.
He had not sensed anyone approach from behind just now.
Had he?
But just as he turned his head, another sharp pain struck him.
Obito quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to create distance. When he looked down, another kunai was now stuck in his chest.
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield, the battle continued.
Facing the massive, monstrous Susanoo-covered Wood Golem, Jiraiya's hair fluttered in the wind. He stared at the enemy before him with surging fighting spirit, and his heart, long worn down by age and regret, began to pound fiercely once more.
"Since Fire Release isn't working, how about this ninjutsu?"
Seeing the huge shield smashing down toward him, Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta without hesitation.
At this point, only someone with Gamabunta's size could contend with the monster in front of him.
Gamabunta appeared and immediately parried Kenichi's attack with the weapon in his hand. He looked up at the enormous enemy before him and could not help but complain.
"Jiraiya, you really dragged me into one hell of a problem."
"Thank you, Gamabunta."
Jiraiya looked at the massive shield that had been blocked and let out a breath of relief. The shield's attack range was extremely wide, making it truly troublesome to dodge.
Such massive size and weight made the Wood Golem no different from a giant summoning beast. Fortunately, when it came to dealing with large-bodied enemies, Jiraiya had his own methods.
However, after using ninjutsu on that scale, he would not have much Chakra left.
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
Flames, oil, and Wind Release fused together, and a raging inferno instantly swallowed the giant before him. The scorching flames burned every part of the Wood Golem not protected by Susanoo, making it look completely immobilized.
It had to be said that Jiraiya's combat experience was truly rich.
But ever since he had seen Kenichi, Jiraiya had continuously used several large-scale ninjutsu. First Goemon, and now he was preparing another high-consumption technique.
Could the Chakra in his body really support that level of expenditure?
Unless Jiraiya planned to sacrifice himself here, Kenichi did not believe he would use up all of his remaining Chakra.
Jiraiya's breathing was chaotic. His Chakra had been greatly consumed by Goemon, but the enemy before him still seemed to have an endless supply of power.
His expression remained grim.
He stared at the massive figure in front of him and watched as the Wood Golem lifted its broken knee from the charred black remains. The moment its foot landed, the power of Wood Release had already grown it a brand-new leg.
Jiraiya's eyes flashed with a trace of despair.
He finally understood why the Old Man had once said that compared to the First Hokage, he was nothing more than a child.
The First Hokage, revered as the God of Shinobi, must have made his enemies feel exactly what Jiraiya was feeling now while facing Kenichi.
Abundant Chakra itself was a talent in the ninja world.
An extremely powerful talent.
That was probably one of the reasons the Uzumaki Clan had once been wiped out.
And if Kenichi ever mastered that Sage Art Wood Release ninjutsu as well...
Jiraiya could not help licking his lips.
His breathing was already ragged. He had seized the chance during Kenichi's attack to use Goemon and reverse the situation for a moment, but now that the Wood Golem had fully repaired itself, that move had become meaningless.
"Sage Art: Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Jiraiya rapidly formed hand seals.
In silence, the Swamp of the Underworld spread beneath the Wood Golem's feet. The hard ground instantly turned into a thick swamp, and the Wood Golem's massive body and terrifying weight caused it to begin sinking.
"As expected of you, Jiraiya."
Kenichi looked at the continuously sinking Wood Golem, then at Gamabunta in front of it. The giant toad had drawn his sword and was using the back of the blade to press down on the Wood Golem, forcing it to sink even faster.
Kenichi could not help revealing a faint smile.
"Is that all?"
There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. He had thought Jiraiya would have a more intricate tactic prepared.
Jiraiya's expression grew even heavier.
He did not have much Chakra left.
Although he had studied taijutsu to some extent, he relied more heavily on ninjutsu in battle. If Kenichi also had little Chakra left, Jiraiya could still try to force the fight into taijutsu. But what about himself?
Once a ninja ran out of Chakra, they would truly lose their ability to fight for a short period.
Reality was not a game.
In a game, if Chakra ran dry, one could simply wait and recover while the enemy conveniently failed to attack. But in reality, running out of Chakra meant becoming vulnerable.
A ninja without Chakra could truly die.
Jiraiya had to find a way to eliminate Kenichi, this menace, before he could no longer use ninjutsu.
He would not allow Kenichi to harm Konoha again.
He would not allow him to threaten the village that the Old Man had sacrificed his life to protect.
Once, Jiraiya had reliable comrades by his side, while the Old Man remained behind them, watching over Konoha and maintaining its place in the world. Back then, Jiraiya only needed to fight with all his might and leave everything else to those behind him.
But now, he was facing a powerful enemy again, and everything had changed.
The Old Man was dead.
Tsunade remained in Konoha, thinking of the village.
Orochimaru had become a rogue ninja.
Time had passed, and the comrades who once fought shoulder to shoulder had now become enemies.
For a moment, Jiraiya felt as if he had returned to his youth.
Tsunade and Orochimaru stood beside him, and before them stood Hanzo, the man once known as the Demigod of the Ninja World.
That memory did not weaken him.
Instead, it ignited Jiraiya's fighting spirit.
But if he wanted to achieve his goal, then he had to...
Jiraiya's eyes sharpened as an idea formed in his mind.
Using the flow of the battle against Kenichi as cover, he moved closer to Gamabunta and said something in a low voice.
Kenichi deactivated Susanoo.
Frankly speaking, Susanoo would have been more effective, but it consumed far too much ocular power. His eyes were already beginning to ache.
"You dealt with the Wood Golem. Very impressive."
Kenichi looked at Jiraiya and Gamabunta.
"So how are you going to deal with me now?"
Abandoning the Wood Golem made it easier for Kenichi to fight flexibly.
He still had plenty of Chakra left.
The First Hokage's physique was simply too strong.
In midair, Kenichi directly activated the Eight Inner Gates.
The Gate of Opening.
The Gate of Healing.
The Gate of Life.
He continued opening them until he reached the Gate of Limit. Only then did he finally feel real pressure.
Kenichi felt the new strength coursing through his body, and a sharp sense of pleasure rose from within him.
"But even with the First Hokage's Sage Body, and even after training for so long, I've only opened the Gate of Limit? Looks like I'll need much longer training before I can open the Gate of Shock."
He pondered it for only a moment, but he quickly had no time to examine the changes in his body further.
Kenichi used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to blow himself away, then immediately stepped onto the falling blade. His knees bent slightly, and he shot toward Gamabunta in an instant.
At the same time, he unfastened the tattered weights on his body.
The heavy weighted bags crashed to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
The moment those restrictions were removed, the sense of accomplishment from years of training finally paying off left Kenichi slightly intoxicated.
No wonder self-torturing activities like fitness were so popular.
The feeling of tempering one's body and getting stronger bit by bit really was exhilarating.
"This guy... the Eight Inner Gates? He even mastered that forbidden ninjutsu?"
Jiraiya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
For a moment just now, he had almost thought he was going to die.
Kenichi's kick had been unbelievably powerful.
Fortunately, with the speed burst from the Eight Inner Gates, Kenichi could now contend with both Gamabunta and Jiraiya.
What he needed was an opening.
An opening to severely injure either Jiraiya or Gamabunta.
After Kenichi jumped away from the Wood Golem, Gamabunta brought his sword down as well. The force behind the falling blade was so immense that it created a heavy wave of wind pressure.
Kenichi looked at the descending blade.
Without panic, he bent his body in midair using powerful core strength.
A sharp whoosh rang out.
Then came a thunderous roar, like a thousand Chidori screaming at once.
Everything happened in an instant.
Gamabunta's toad face was already close at hand.
With Sage Mode combined with the state of the Eight Inner Gates, Kenichi's speed had reached an astonishing level. He could even see his own reflection in Gamabunta's pupils.
Just as Kenichi rushed toward him, Gamabunta quickly retracted his sword and leapt backward. While jumping away, he chopped down from above.
Kenichi could only forcefully change direction using Wind Release.
A fireball immediately rushed toward the position where Kenichi had turned.
Kenichi looked at the incoming fireball, took a deep breath, and chopped down with a hand blade.
Enhanced by the Gate of Limit, his hand blade split the fireball in an instant.
But a burning sensation still surged up his arm.
"This toad..."
Kenichi looked at Jiraiya, who had escaped again, and annoyance flashed through his eyes.
Again and again, Gamabunta had saved Jiraiya from dying by his hand.
"Jiraiya..."
Kenichi's gaze sharpened.
He rushed toward Jiraiya and kicked at his waist. Jiraiya instinctively blocked, but Kenichi's foot twisted strangely in the next instant, changing direction and kicking toward Jiraiya's neck instead.
Caught off guard, Jiraiya was sent flying. His body crashed into the ruins of a civilian house.
"The feint kick really is useful."
Kenichi twisted his neck.
He was about to charge forward again when Gamabunta's sword came chopping down.
Lightning gathered in Kenichi's hand.
Using the power of Lightning Release, he gripped the lightning tightly and suddenly thrust toward Gamabunta's eye.
Kenichi narrowed his eyes.
He wanted to use the speed of Lightning Release to completely deal with Gamabunta.
The hand gripping lightning pierced into something soft.
Blood splattered across Kenichi's face.
Kenichi looked down at the two webbed feet clamping around his hand.
His hand had pierced through Gamabunta's webbed foot, and the power of the lightning had charred the flesh. Even so, Gamabunta smiled.
"Got you."
Gamabunta endured the severe pain in his body and looked at Kenichi with joy.
Kenichi tried to pull his hand free, but it was useless.
In order to catch him, Gamabunta had endured the terrible pain of having his foot pierced. How could he possibly let go now?
Even if it cost him his life, Gamabunta would hold Kenichi in place.
He knew Jiraiya would not let his efforts go to waste.
Jiraiya had always been a man who would not disappoint his comrades.
Kenichi was annoyed.
This giant toad really was troublesome.
But now, there was also time to use that ninjutsu.
Kenichi did not look back, but he knew who was behind him.
He had already heard the sound of the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan tearing through the air.
The Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan was close at hand.
The roaring wind and surging Chakra were like the scythe of the Shinigami raised high above his neck.
The Mangekyo Sharingan activated instantly.
Kenichi looked at the webbed foot in front of him.
Electricity denatured proteins, causing large numbers of cells to die. The complex structures that had originally formed them were simplified in an instant.
"Decomposition."
.....
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