Chapter 391: One Against Two

After being rescued by Jiraiya, Tsunade's injuries healed instantly. However, having healed multiple times and had some chakra absorbed by Ye Zi's Wood Release, her chakra reserves were now significantly depleted.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, was in excellent condition. His Sage Mode wasn't as perfect as Minato's, but with the two Great Toad Sages assisting him in absorbing natural energy, the pressure of maintaining Sage Mode was significantly reduced.

"If we take care of this black-haired brat, we can go back and eat, right?" Shima, her petite figure wrapped in a cloak, glared at Ye Zi.

"More or less," Fukasaku replied casually.

Jiraiya gave a slight, wry smile. "Let's finish this quickly," he said.

With the Great Toad Sages' assistance, Sage Mode theoretically had no time limit. However, as the absorbed energy accumulated, the toad-like features on Jiraiya's body would become increasingly pronounced due to his current limitations, making it impossible to maintain Sage Mode indefinitely.

Now, while Orochimaru could stand, his condition was clearly poor, and Kotoe had already lost her ability to fight. All that remained was to defeat Ye Zi to end this battle.

Ye Zi coldly observed Jiraiya and the others. Lightning coursed over his body once again as he drew the blade at his waist, Chijin.

He had no intention of using his Spirit Transformation Technique for now. There was little intelligence on Jiraiya's Sage Mode, and the abilities of the two elder toads were unknown. If they had sealing techniques, using the Spirit Transformation Technique would be risky.

"Orochimaru, get away from here," Ye Zi said coldly.

Orochimaru fell silent at his words. He felt it should be him standing here, after all, as this was essentially a battle between the Sannin. Yet now, a junior was standing in his place.

On the path of life, there were three people: Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.

Orochimaru had always led the way, with Tsunade in the middle and Jiraiya slightly behind. One day, Orochimaru veered off onto a different path while Tsunade and Jiraiya continued forward on the main road.

They walked their separate ways until one day, they met again, and Orochimaru realized that Jiraiya had advanced far ahead of him.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but Orochimaru didn't dwell on it, after all, their paths were fundamentally different.

Silently, Orochimaru picked up the injured Kotoe and moved away. Staying here would only burden Ye Zi.

Watching Orochimaru carry Kotoe away, Tsunade and Jiraiya didn't stop him. They knew that the priority now was to defeat Ye Zi.

Though it was two against one, with the advantage of being seniors, it was still a life-and-death battle where fairness held no meaning.

Without further words exchanged, the battle erupted in an instant.

Jiraiya's hands blurred as he formed seals.

Sage Art: Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!

The Swamp of the Underworld was one of Jiraiya's go-to Earth Release techniques for restraining enemies. In Sage Mode, its range and power were greatly enhanced, and it became nearly undetectable.

"Hm?"

Ye Zi realized the danger only after the area beneath him had turned into a swamp. The swamp's range was vast, and its strong suction made it nearly impossible to escape quickly.

With no choice, Ye Zi surged his chakra, propelling himself into the air to avoid sinking into the swamp.

As he leapt, Ye Zi immediately formed seals. His cheeks puffed up as he exhaled a gust of wind to generate a counterforce, pushing his body backward to distance himself from the swamp.

At this moment, Tsunade ignored the swamp entirely. With a powerful kick off the ground, she launched herself upward, pursuing Ye Zi midair.

Seeing this, Jiraiya turned to Fukasaku and Shima on his shoulders and asked, "Great Sage, Elder Sage, Ye Zi has Lightning Release and incredible speed. Do you have any way to take him down in one hit?"

Fukasaku pondered briefly before replying, "In our current form, my wife and I can use genjutsu to immobilize him. Then you can deliver the finishing blow."

"Genjutsu? Old man, are you talking about that technique?" Shima grumbled reluctantly. "That technique really strains the throat."

"That technique?" Jiraiya asked.

"No time to explain in detail. It's a genjutsu that can take him down in one shot," Fukasaku said, watching Tsunade and Ye Zi nearing collision. "The Toad Duet has good range and speed, but we can only use it once. To ensure it hits, you'll need to create an opening for us."

Turning to Shima, Fukasaku added, "Hang in there, my dear. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can eat."

"Fine, for the sake of a good meal," Shima agreed.

"Leave it to me!" Jiraiya exclaimed. Though he didn't fully understand the technique, he trusted it would be powerful. His task was to restrain Ye Zi and create an opportunity for the Great Sages.

The Toad Duet, also known as the Toad Confrontation Chant, was a powerful auditory genjutsu. It emitted high-intensity soundwaves that disrupted the enemy's nervous system. Once the enemy heard the melody, they would be trapped in a genjutsu barrier, rendered immobile, and vulnerable to a decisive attack, such as being struck with the Myoboku stone blade.

As Tsunade closed the distance midair, her punch, charged with immense force, aimed directly at Ye Zi's head.

While airborne, Ye Zi's ability to use Wood Release was limited, and with Jiraiya providing ground support, Tsunade had no reservations.

Her fist sliced through the air with a thunderous roar, hurtling toward Ye Zi's head.

Frowning, Ye Zi swung Chijin in a crimson arc, severing Tsunade's arm. At this point, he had moved beyond the swamp's range and could safely land.

Tsunade's severed arm regenerated instantly. Without hesitation, her other fist struck toward Ye Zi again.

Having just swung his blade, Ye Zi couldn't muster another strike in time. Forced to block, he held his sword horizontally in front of him.

Clang!

Tsunade's punch struck the blade, splitting it in two. However, the force transferred through the blade sent Ye Zi hurtling diagonally downward.

Ye Zi calmly adjusted his posture and landed firmly.

Tsunade also landed, but she was still within the swamp's range.

Before she could sink, Jiraiya transformed the swamp back into solid ground. His hardened hair then erupted in a barrage of senbon-like needles, raining down on Ye Zi with incredible speed and range.

This was the Sage Art: Needle Senbon, enhanced by Sage Mode chakra. Its power, speed, and range were incomparable to its regular version.

Ye Zi formed seals, summoning a wooden barrier from the ground to shield himself.

The countless needle senbon struck the wooden barrier, turning it into a porcupine bristling with spikes.

The tips of the senbon pierced through the barrier, stopping just short of Ye Zi.

"This power…" Ye Zi's expression shifted slightly. Reversing his grip on his blade, he struck the wooden barrier with the hilt, sending it hurtling toward Tsunade.

Tsunade ignored the needle-laden barrier and smashed it to pieces with a single punch.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya closed the distance to Ye Zi.

"Sage Art: Toad Binding Technique!"

The ground beneath Ye Zi's feet suddenly broke apart, and four worm-like tongues shot out, wrapping around his limbs.

"This won't be enough!"

Jiraiya glanced sideways at Tsunade and shouted, "Tsunade, now!"

Without a word, Tsunade charged at Ye Zi, throwing another punch at his head. Her fighting style was straightforward.. Fists and more fists.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya had already prepared for the next step. The Toad Binding Technique was fast and unexpected in its execution, but its weakness lay in its relatively poor restraining power.

Just as Jiraiya had anticipated, lightning energy surged around Ye Zi, instantly charring the toad tongues and breaking free from their grip. At that moment, Tsunade's punch came hurtling toward him.

Ye Zi quickly formed seals with both hands and stepped back, leaving a lightning clone in his place.

Crackle!

Tsunade's punch struck the lightning clone, which immediately transformed into a surge of powerful electricity that enveloped her entire body.

The intense current surged through Tsunade, and even with her Strength of a Hundred Technique, she was momentarily paralyzed in place.

The lightning clone Ye Zi had left behind contained a significant amount of chakra, enough to keep Tsunade incapacitated temporarily.

Despite this opportunity, Ye Zi chose not to attack Tsunade. He noticed that the black markings of her regeneration technique were still present on her face, indicating that her regenerative jutsu was still active. In a two-on-one battle, it wasn't worth the risk to engage her directly.

Ye Zi decisively retreated to put distance between himself and Tsunade, his gaze cold and calculating. Compared to Tsunade, Jiraiya was the real threat, the key to victory lay in taking him out first.

From the beginning, Ye Zi had been wary of the two toads on Jiraiya's shoulders. Observing the partial toad-like transformations that occurred when Jiraiya entered Sage Mode, Ye Zi couldn't help but speculate.

It was highly likely that those two elder toads were the key to Jiraiya's Sage Mode.

This thought flashed through Ye Zi's mind like lightning, but at that moment, Jiraiya seized the opportunity to attack.

When it came to control techniques, Jiraiya relied on his hair, which had been hardened to the strength of iron under the influence of Sage Chakra.

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