The relationship between snakes and toads is that of natural enemies, where toads are often the prey of snakes.
However, the world isn't always so absolute. While toads can be prey to snakes, snakes can also become prey to toads. The White Snake Sage had always been suppressed by the Great Toad Sage. But in this case, the natural predator-prey relationship was in Ye Zi's favor.
In Ye Zi's eyes, the two Great Sage Toads and Jiraiya were nothing more than his prey. Once they fell into his grasp, there would be no escape.
At this moment, all three: Fukasaku, Shima, and Jiraiya focused their gaze on Ye Zi. Then, they saw the eerie transformation in Ye Zi's snake-like pupils, and their expressions changed instantly. It felt as though the air around them had turned ice-cold.
A pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, each with a different pattern, appeared in Ye Zi's eyes. Within them, three distinct colors intertwined crimson like blood, black like eternal night, and gold like a serpent's eye.
"Another Mangekyō Sharingan?" Jiraiya was shocked.
Genjutsu: Self-Binding Technique.
The moment Ye Zi spoke, he unleashed a powerful genjutsu.
Jiraiya's eyes went blank for an instant but quickly regained clarity.
"Be careful of genjutsu, little Jiraiya!" Shima warned with a grim expression.
In just a fraction of a second, all three of them had been caught in the illusion. However, due to the unique bond of the Contract Seal, they managed to break free.
Even so, in the heat of battle, even a brief lapse in focus could be fatal. They had to remain cautious.
"Run!"
Jiraiya bolted toward a cliff about a kilometer away. Below the cliff was a vast lake, intersected by multiple rivers. If he could reach that point, he would be able to use the Toad Gourd Prison Jutsu to escape.
"I'd rather not overuse the genjutsu energy stored in Tenjin… but they broke free instantly? Is it because of their shared link?"
Ye Zi's expression remained indifferent. His speed was astonishing, rapidly closing the gap between him and Jiraiya.
Inorganic Reincarnation
Everything within the surrounding terrain fell under Ye Zi's control.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The ground around Jiraiya rippled like liquid before instantly morphing into a field of sharp stone spikes that lunged at him.
"This ability is both troublesome and terrifying."
Jiraiya sighed helplessly. He leaped into the air to evade the spikes and shouted, "Boss! Big Sis!"
"Understood!"
Shima quickly formed hand seals and released a powerful gust of wind from her mouth, propelling Jiraiya forward to prevent him from becoming a sitting target in midair. Meanwhile, Fukasaku unleashed a high-pressure jet of water straight at the pursuing Ye Zi.
This was Water Blade Jutsu, a technique far more lethal than ordinary Water Release jutsu. It could instantly slice an enemy in half if it made contact.
The ultra-high-pressure water jet shot forward with incredible speed and precision.
Ye Zi, without changing his expression, raised his lightning-infused blade and slashed downward, splitting the water attack cleanly in two before continuing forward at full speed.
Fukasaku, despite his vast experience, couldn't hide his shock.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to slow him down. Jiraiya, you need to move even faster," he warned while preparing more hand seals.
Thankfully, he hadn't attempted to use Fighting Tongue Slash. Even if he infused his tongue with massive amounts of Senjutsu chakra, Ye Zi likely would have severed it in an instant.
Jiraiya landed on the ground and sprinted toward the cliff without looking back. He left the job of delaying Ye Zi to Fukasaku and Shima, all he had to do was focus on running. That was the greatest advantage of his Three-Body Sage Mode.
Ye Zi kicked off the ground, his body flashing forward like a bolt of lightning, instantly closing in on Jiraiya.
Sage Art ~ Wind Release: Dust Storm!
Shima created a massive cloud of dust, swallowing Ye Zi's figure completely. She knew that against someone in Sage Mode, such a diversion wouldn't be very effective, but it was better than nothing. More importantly, it was meant to assist Fukasaku's next technique.
Toad Barrier!
The moment Fukasaku completed his seals, he locked onto Ye Zi's position within the dust cloud.
This might be the most effective technique to restrain Ye Zi so far.
If it failed, their only option would be to use Frog Call.
Engulfed in the thick dust cloud, Ye Zi instinctively paused for a brief moment, despite his keen sensory abilities. In that instant, Fukasaku completed the Toad Barrier technique.
By the time Ye Zi reacted, he found himself in an unusual space. His surroundings were now composed of writhing, fleshy walls.
This was the stomach barrier of the Great Rock Toad, a powerful sealing jutsu used to trap enemies within a toad's stomach, making it an incredibly useful entrapment technique.
For most people, escaping from this barrier in a short time would be nearly impossible.
Ye Zi glanced at the pulsating stomach walls. Without hesitation, the black lightning surrounding his body surged violently, and he swung his blade toward the flesh wall before him.
"Nicely done, Boss!"
Sensing Ye Zi's presence vanish from his perception, Jiraiya immediately knew that the Toad Barrier had successfully trapped him. He couldn't help but praise Fukasaku.
The Great Rock Toad's stomach barrier wasn't something that could be easily broken.
At the very least, it should be able to hold Ye Zi long enough for Jiraiya to escape.
However, before Jiraiya could finish his thought, he suddenly sensed Ye Zi's presence reappearing.
His face stiffened instantly.
Fukasaku and Shima's expressions also turned grim.
The Great Rock Toad's stomach barrier was broken so quickly?
After escaping from the barrier, Ye Zi once again resumed his pursuit of Jiraiya.
Having summoned the Two Great Sage Toads and activated Sage Mode, Jiraiya was undoubtedly one of the top shinobi in the current ninja world. But against Ye Zi, not only did he lack the confidence to win, even escaping was proving to be an overwhelming challenge.
Fukasaku and Shima had used every technique at their disposal, yet they had only barely managed to delay Ye Zi for a brief moment.
And the techniques they used weren't just simple stalling jutsu, many of them were powerful Senjutsu attacks. But all of them had been countered by Ye Zi one by one.
"We have no choice but to use that move." Fukasaku sighed.
They had already used this technique against Ye Zi before, so they knew its effectiveness might be limited. But at this point, it was one of the only options left to stall him.
Shima nodded heavily, this time without any hesitation. The snake chasing them was simply too terrifying.
They were now about 500 meters from the cliff's edge.
Because Fukasaku and Shima's bodies were fused into Jiraiya's shoulders, they only needed to twist their legs slightly to reposition themselves, now facing Ye Zi directly instead of looking in Jiraiya's direction.
Jiraiya wasn't slow in activating Sage Mode, but Ye Zi's Lightning Release speed was even faster.
Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant!
Both Fukasaku and Shima suddenly opened their mouths, releasing a piercing, high-frequency croak—a powerful sonic genjutsu that spread across a wide area, completely engulfing Ye Zi.
"This move again…?"
Ye Zi sneered, completely unfazed as the sound waves distorted the air around him.
This was a sound-based genjutsu. The easiest way to counter it was simple, destroy one's own hearing.
As soon as the sonic waves reached him, Ye Zi instantly and decisively destroyed his own eardrums.
Seeing Ye Zi completely unaffected by the genjutsu, Fukasaku and Shima's expressions changed drastically.
"He's too ruthless…!"
Most people would hesitate before self-inflicting such an injury, but Ye Zi acted without a moment's doubt.
"Jiraiya, move faster!"
Fukasaku stopped the Toad Confrontation Chant and gave a stern warning. They had used every technique they could, yet none had been able to stop Ye Zi.
"This is already my fastest speed!" Jiraiya responded in a deep voice.
By now, Ye Zi had finally closed the distance, they were only 300 meters away from the cliff's edge.
"Damn it!"
Fukasaku had no other choice.
He lashed out his tongue, infused with massive amounts of Senjutsu chakra, whipping it toward the rapidly approaching Ye Zi like a whip.
Shima followed suit, though she was slightly slower, unleashing her Fighting Tongue Slash, attempting to sever Ye Zi with her tongue.
Ye Zi swung his lightning-infused blade, once to the left and once to the right.
Both toad tongues were severed in mid-air, blood spraying everywhere.
Even steel-cutting tongues… sliced so easily.
If even that couldn't stop Ye Zi, what else could they do?
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Currently on Chapter 537 - Where Is the Jinchūriki?