Clang!
The sharp ring of metal against metal echoed through the battlefield. Just as the Lightning Flame Blade was about to pierce through the chest of the Sunagakure jonin, a turtle-shaped puppet suddenly appeared in front of him, barely blocking the strike.
The blade slashed against the puppet's shell, carving a gaping hole into its surface. However, before Jiraiya could follow up, the puppet's mouth snapped open, firing a barrage of poisoned senbon needles, each shimmering with a deadly violet sheen.
The use of puppets laced with venom was a signature technique of Sunagakure shinobi.
A fiery aura ignited around Jiraiya, instantly melting the incoming needles into droplets of purplish-black liquid that dripped harmlessly to the ground. Even the turtle puppet began to show signs of melting under the intense heat.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Kōno, the Sunagakure jonin, quickly pulled his puppet back with his chakra threads while retreating. However, before he could regroup, Orochimaru and the others had already joined the fray, launching a series of deadly jutsu at the remaining Sunagakure shinobi.
"You think you can kill Konoha shinobi and walk away alive? Dream on." Jiraiya's voice was cold, and the lightning coursing through his Lightning Flame Blade crackled even more fiercely, arcs of electricity dancing across its surface.
Kōno glanced nervously at Jiraiya, then at his damaged turtle puppet. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
This puppet was his strongest defense, yet Jiraiya had nearly destroyed it in a single strike. The sheer power of this young shinobi was enough to make his heart race with fear.
"Lightning Strike!"
With a roar, Jiraiya charged, his blade splitting the air with a trail of blinding lightning. Kōno's hands blurred as he formed seals, desperately commanding his puppet to block the attack.
Boom!
The turtle puppet shattered into pieces under Jiraiya's relentless assault.
For puppet masters, the destruction of their puppets was a devastating blow. Their combat effectiveness relied heavily on their puppets, and without them, their ability to fight was severely diminished.
Unlike legends like Sasori, who had turned his own body into a puppet to eliminate such weaknesses, most puppet masters were vulnerable once their tools were gone.
Kōno's breathing grew labored, cold sweat dripping down his face.
"To think Konoha has produced another prodigy..." he muttered. Jiraiya's young age and lack of prior intelligence reports meant he was a rising star, likely an emerging force in the village.
"Damn it. I didn't expect Konoha to mobilize this quickly."
Kōno's gaze swept over the battlefield. His comrades from Sunagakure were being overwhelmed, their formation completely falling apart. Even Fujita, their strongest combatant, was locked in an even match with a young Konoha shinobi.
"There's no choice—we have to retreat."
Making a split-second decision, Kōno barked, "Scatter and escape! Anyone who can get away, do it now!"
He threw a scroll to the ground, releasing a burst of thick, purple smoke that rapidly spread across the forest.
The smoke was laced with a potent toxin and also served to obscure vision, making it difficult for the Konoha shinobi to pursue.
However, Orochimaru and the others had anticipated this tactic. Before setting out, the village had provided them with high-grade antidote pills, knowing Sunagakure's reputation for poison-based warfare.
After taking the antidote, they moved through the smoke without fear.
Jiraiya, protected by his Universal Poison Seal jutsu, remained unfazed. Even though he felt a slight numbness after inhaling the smoke, the Universal Poison Seal activated, expelling the toxins from his body almost immediately.
"Not bad. The poison's strong, but it's useless against me," Jiraiya said with a smirk.
Meanwhile, Kōno used the cover of the smoke to flee, zigzagging through the forest and changing direction multiple times.
But Jiraiya's keen perception made his movements laughably predictable. Without hesitation, Jiraiya gave chase.
"Damn it!"
Realizing that escape was impossible, Kōno gritted his teeth and summoned two more puppets from his scroll: a crocodile-shaped puppet and an eagle-shaped one.
He manipulated the chakra threads with precision, commanding the crocodile puppet to spin like a drill and charge at Jiraiya, while the eagle puppet unleashed a barrage of wind blades to trap him.
The wind blades surrounded Jiraiya, cutting off any potential escape routes.
"You really think this is enough to stop me?" Jiraiya scoffed.
With a single hand sign, he slammed his palm forward, summoning a massive flaming hand that crushed the crocodile puppet with ease. Then, with a swing of his blade, he shattered the incoming wind blades, scattering sparks of lightning in all directions.
"You're nothing special," Jiraiya said, his tone dismissive.
Kōno's skill level was average for a jonin, and against someone of Jiraiya's caliber, he posed no real threat.
Jiraiya formed a series of seals, causing the air above Kōno to distort as three massive slabs of earth materialized and began plummeting downward.
Kōno's eyes widened in terror. He directed his eagle puppet upward to intercept the first slab, which it managed to shatter. However, it couldn't withstand the second, crumpling under the sheer weight.
The third slab crashed down unimpeded.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Jiraiya slammed his hand to the ground, turning the earth beneath Kōno into a treacherous swamp. Trapped and unable to escape, Kōno could only watch helplessly as the massive slab came crashing down.
The impact sent a wave of mud and blood splattering across the battlefield.
"What a bore. He couldn't even put up a decent fight," Jiraiya muttered, shaking his head.
These days, ordinary jonin were no match for him. Only elite jonin or Kage-level opponents could provide any real challenge.
With Kōno defeated, Jiraiya turned his attention back to the rest of the battle.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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