Chapter 108: Battle Between Master and Disciple

On the outskirts of Konohagakure, the Three Great Toads of Mount Myoboku appeared once more.

"Summoning all three of us at once again?"

"Jiraiya, you've been getting into way too much trouble lately," Gamabunta grumbled, taking a drag from his pipe, clearly displeased.

Jiraiya leaped onto Gamabunta's head, looking down at the two figures before him—Nagato and Konan.

"Sorry about that, Bunta," he said apologetically. "I promise I'll prepare a great gift for Gamakichi soon."

Gamabunta nodded in satisfaction at Jiraiya's tact. "Alright, what are we dealing with this time?"

"The enemy is right beneath you."

"Nani?! The Rinnegan!" Gamabunta's eyes widened in shock. "Jiraiya, why are your opponents always so ridiculous?! First, that explosive brat, and now the Rinnegan?!"

Coming from one of the three great summoning realms, Gamabunta understood all too well the power and significance of the legendary Rinnegan.

"That said, he only has one Rinnegan, and I have the treasure bestowed upon me by the Great Toad Sage. I should be fine," Jiraiya reassured him, though his expression remained serious.

"Sheesh, you really don't catch a break. Well, since I'm here, might as well fight!" Gamabunta leaped high into the air, his massive form descending like a crushing mountain towards Nagato and Konan. His short sword gleamed with a chilling edge as he drew it midair.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A powerful repulsive force erupted, halting Gamabunta in midair before violently pushing him back. He crashed to the ground, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

"What the hell was that?!" The three toads were taken aback. The enemy's jutsu was formless and intangible—utterly bizarre.

At that moment, Nagato made his move. He pressed his right hand against the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu."

"I don't intend to waste time fighting you three."

Boom!

From the billowing smoke emerged three enormous summons—a giant ram, a colossal bat, and a massive rat.

Since the Animal Path's previous summons had been wiped out by Deidara's clay explosion, Nagato had only managed to create three new ones. But for the current battle, they would suffice.

"Moo!" The ram bellowed and charged forward with its horns lowered.

"I may be clumsy, but I'll do my best!" Gamaken braced himself, raising his dish-like shield to meet the ram's charge. The two massive creatures clashed in a contest of raw strength.

Gamahiro launched a surprise attack, targeting the giant bat.

Flying opponents were always troublesome. If he could take it out early, the battle would shift in their favor.

"Screee!" The bat was quick, but not quick enough to avoid all damage. Though it managed to evade a fatal strike, its wing was slashed, leaving a long horizontal gash. While not debilitating, it was a significant wound.

"I'll take care of this rat," Gamabunta growled, slashing his sword down at the massive rodent. But the rat swiftly burrowed underground, vanishing from sight.

"Tch! What a pain!"

As the summons clashed, Jiraiya and Nagato had already begun their own battle. They exchanged several probing attacks before both started to get serious.

The Rinnegan's abilities really are tricky. Looks like I'll have to use Sage Mode, Jiraiya thought.

In an instant, orange markings spread across his face, his fingers and toes developing distinct amphibian features. Unlike Minato, who only manifested light orange eye shadow, Jiraiya's transformation was more pronounced due to his reliance on external energy.

"So this is Sage Mode?" Nagato observed calmly.

Even with only one Rinnegan, his power remained formidable. His mastery of Wood Release had also advanced, making him stronger than before.

"Nagato, you'd better be careful from here on out!" Jiraiya warned. The moment his words fell, he vanished.

Reappearing above Nagato and Konan, he exhaled a concentrated stream of fire. Though not large in range, the flames had been compressed to an extreme, drastically increasing their temperature.

Even from ten meters away, Nagato and Konan could already feel the scorching heat enveloping them.

"Sage Art: Big Flame Bullet!"

Nagato extended his right hand. "Shinra Tensei."

The searing flames were repelled. However, Jiraiya showed no disappointment—this attack had been a mere test, a setup for his next move.

"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"

His hair rapidly extended, firing out countless needle-like projectiles at immense speed, empowered by sage chakra for enhanced piercing ability.

More importantly, they were fast—fast enough to strike before Shinra Tensei's cooldown period ended.

Konan spread her paper wings, unleashing a flurry of paper infused with explosive tags, intercepting the incoming needles.

"It's useless, Konan. My Needle Senbon, reinforced with sage chakra, has unparalleled speed and penetration. Your explosives won't stop them," Jiraiya declared.

Sure enough, the needles tore through the explosion unscathed, continuing toward Nagato.

However, Konan had expected this. Her real goal wasn't to block the attack, but to provide cover.

Concealed behind the explosion, Nagato formed a Wood Release barrier to defend against the incoming attack. At the same time, he secretly created a wood clone that slipped away undetected.

Jiraiya subtly glanced in the clone's direction. With his enhanced sensory perception in Sage Mode, he wasn't so easily deceived.

"Nagato, it seems Jiraiya-sensei has noticed your clone," Konan remarked.

Nagato nodded. "That's fine. The real secret I need to hide isn't the clone, but my Wood Release."

Swish! Swish! Swish!

A strange turret-like structure formed on Nagato's right shoulder, launching multiple rocket-like projectiles toward Jiraiya.

Jiraiya dodged swiftly, only to be met by Konan's paper shuriken assault immediately after.

Tch, I need to get close to Nagato! But with that bizarre ability, I can't find an opening!

After several exchanges, Jiraiya had figured something out—though he could enter Sage Mode quickly and sustain it for a long time with the Great Toad Sage's necklace, his jutsu lacked the raw impact needed to disrupt Shinra Tensei's timing.

For example, even though his sage-enhanced Fire Release jutsu burned at extreme temperatures, its impact force was weaker than even a standard Wind Release jutsu. As a result, Shinra Tensei's cooldown remained short.

With Konan providing support, the battle was even more difficult.

I have no choice but to call for reinforcements. If we outnumber them, we can force an opening and exploit the cooldown window to close the distance.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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