After Dodai and Darui managed to rescue Killer B, the two quickly moved away from the main battlefield while supporting the Jinchūriki between them. B could barely remain conscious and his entire body was exhausted, but even in that condition, he immediately tried to access the Eight-Tails' power again.
He closed his eyes and attempted to reconnect with Gyūki, only to find that nothing happened. Frowning, he tried again, and this time he could faintly sense the Eight-Tails inside him, but something stood between them. It felt like a barrier blocking almost all of their connection.
The seal created by Danzō's Twelve Chains of Suppression was still active. Although the physical chains had disappeared, part of the sealing formula remained engraved in Killer B's chakra network, preventing him from properly accessing Gyūki's power. B clenched his teeth and tried to force the connection one more time, but a sharp pressure spread through his body and forced him to stop.
"Don't force it" Dodai warned.
Darui quickly understood what was happening as well.
"That seal is still interfering with your connection to the Eight-Tails."
Killer B let out a heavy breath. For the moment, he could no longer transform. To completely remove the effects of the technique, they would need someone with advanced knowledge of fūinjutsu. A skilled sealing master might be able to understand Danzō's work given enough time, but it would likely take a true expert to break it safely without putting the Jinchūriki at risk.
Even so, B was alive, and for the Fourth Raikage, that was enough.
From the other side of the battlefield, A watched as Dodai and Darui successfully carried his brother away from the area where he had nearly been captured. The fury that had dominated his expression for the last several minutes slowly began to fade. His brother had escaped.
Then he turned his attention back to Jiraiya, and a faint mocking smile appeared on his face.
"Weren't you the one saying you were going to capture Killer B and force me to accept peace?" he asked. "In the end, Konoha is as hypocritical as ever."
Jiraiya remained silent. Outwardly, his expression did not change, but inside, those words struck harder than he wanted to admit because part of him understood where that accusation came from.
For years, Jiraiya had been distancing himself more and more from his responsibilities in Konoha. It had not only been because of his travels, nor had it simply been because of his search for the Child of Prophecy. There had always been another reason.
The village he remembered from his youth was no longer the same.
He had watched from close by as his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly changed from the shinobi he had once admired into an old man increasingly attached to his position and increasingly willing to tolerate decisions the younger Hiruzen would never have accepted. For Jiraiya, that had been deeply disappointing.
He had seen politics, clan interests, the Council, and men like Danzō gain more and more influence over the village, and eventually he simply grew tired of it. Traveling became a way to search for answers about the shinobi world, but it also became a way to escape Konoha.
For years, he had wondered whether the village would ever return to what he remembered.
Then Minato became Hokage.
For the first time in a long while, Jiraiya felt hope again.
His student was young, intelligent, and powerful, but above all, he still possessed the desire to protect the village without becoming consumed by power. Jiraiya had come to believe that Minato might be able to restore some of what Konoha had lost, and because of that, he began spending more time near the village again. He helped his student whenever especially difficult problems appeared, and although he still traveled frequently, he no longer felt the same need to stay completely away.
He also knew perfectly well that Kushina was pregnant. He understood how important the birth was and how dangerous childbirth could be for a Jinchūriki.
That was exactly why there was still something he could not understand.
A few days before Minato's son was born, Jiraiya had received a summons from Mount Myōboku. At the time, it had not seemed particularly strange. Mount Myōboku was practically a second home to him.
Still, the timing had been far too convenient.
Jiraiya had even tried to return when he learned Kushina was about to give birth, but the Great Toad Sage had asked him to remain there. He had hesitated and, for a moment, had considered ignoring the request and returning to Konoha anyway.
Then something strange happened.
A warm, almost imperceptible sensation passed through his mind. His doubts weakened, his concern became lighter, and somehow he convinced himself that staying on Mount Myōboku was the correct decision.
Days later, the news arrived.
The Nine-Tails had attacked Konoha.
Minato was dead.
So was Kushina.
Jiraiya had remained completely still for a long time after hearing it. At first, he wanted to return immediately. He wanted to rush back to Konoha and learn exactly what had happened.
But then he remembered his teacher.
He remembered Danzō.
He remembered all the corruption and conflict he had spent years observing.
And once again, that strange sensation appeared inside his mind.
His desire to return slowly began to fade.
For a brief moment, he even questioned something he had never dared to consider before.
"Did the Great Toad Sage know this was going to happen? Did he ask me to stay there on purpose?"
After all, the old sage's prophecies had always been treated as something almost inevitable.
The thought had barely appeared when that strange sensation returned. His mind became calmer, the doubts suddenly seemed foolish, and the trust he had placed in Mount Myōboku for years strengthened once again. Those questions were pushed deep into the back of his mind.
Even now, while facing the Raikage, Jiraiya could feel that something about those memories was strange, but he could not focus on it.
Not in the middle of a war.
A was still watching him with that mocking smile.
"What's wrong, Jiraiya? Nothing to say?"
The Sannin closed his eyes for a brief moment, then slowly exhaled.
There was no point in continuing.
Both armies had suffered too many casualties, and Konoha in particular had lost a worrying number of shinobi. Several of its most important fighters were almost completely out of chakra. Danzō could barely remain conscious, Chōza, Shikaku, and Inoichi were completely exhausted, Guy had already closed the Fifth Gate, and Jiraiya himself was in no condition to continue fighting A for much longer.
The attempt to capture Killer B had failed.
Continuing the battle would only increase the number of dead.
Jiraiya looked toward the area where several Root members were carrying the injured Danzō and made his decision.
"Konoha shinobi!" he shouted with all the strength he still had left. "Retreat!"
The order quickly spread across the battlefield, and Konoha's shinobi did not hesitate. The squads began reorganizing while those still capable of moving helped carry the wounded. Root members protected Danzō's retreat, while other teams covered Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chōza.
Kumogakure's shinobi watched them withdraw, many of them furious. They had lost comrades and their Jinchūriki had nearly been captured. Several immediately stepped forward, ready to pursue the enemy.
"Raikage-sama, we should chase them!"
"We can't let them escape!"
A raised one hand.
Everyone stopped.
"No."
The Kumo shinobi looked at him in surprise, but A quickly assessed the condition of his own forces. They had suffered heavy casualties as well. Darui could barely stand, Dodai had almost no chakra left, and Killer B was still unconscious. Worse yet, B could not access the Eight-Tails' power because of Danzō's seal.
Chasing Konoha under those conditions could easily turn a defensive victory into a disaster.
The Raikage was not willing to take that risk.
"Do not pursue them" he ordered. "We secure B and treat our wounded first."
The Kumo shinobi obeyed, though several were clearly frustrated.
Then a faint smile appeared on A's face.
He would not pursue them.
But that did not mean he had to let them retreat peacefully.
He turned his head toward the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Yugito."
The young woman understood immediately.
Matatabi's chakra began expanding around her body, and not long after, the enormous form of the Two-Tails appeared on the battlefield.
The retreating Konoha shinobi looked back, and their expressions changed instantly.
The Two-Tails opened its mouth.
A massive amount of positive and negative chakra began gathering in front of its jaws, condensing into an increasingly dense black sphere.
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"Keep moving! Don't stop!"
The first Tailed Beast Ball was fired.
The projectile tore across the battlefield at terrifying speed, heading directly toward Konoha's retreating forces.
Jiraiya stopped, quickly brought his hands together, and began forming seals.
There was no time to dodge.
"Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashōmon!"
BOOM!
Three enormous demonic gates rose one after another from the ground in front of Konoha's troops.
The Tailed Beast Ball struck the first.
The explosion shook the entire battlefield.
The first gate was destroyed almost instantly, and the projectile continued toward the second. The second Rashōmon held for only a few moments before cracking apart as well.
Finally, the attack slammed into the third gate.
Jiraiya clenched his teeth as he continued feeding chakra into the summoning.
The final Rashōmon managed to redirect and absorb a large portion of the blast.
But it was not enough to completely stop its effects.
A massive shockwave swept across the surrounding area. Trees were ripped from the ground, rocks were sent flying, and several Konoha shinobi near the rear of the retreat were thrown through the air.
The slowest ones suffered the worst of it.
The wounded.
Those who could barely walk anymore.
"Keep moving!" Jiraiya roared. "Don't look back!"
The medics and the shinobi still capable of fighting immediately began helping those who had fallen.
Then Jiraiya felt another massive concentration of chakra forming behind him.
The Two-Tails was preparing another Tailed Beast Ball.
Then another.
And another.
A had not ordered a pursuit, but he had decided to make Konoha's retreat as painful as possible.
Jiraiya remained at the rear while his comrades continued escaping. Each time Yugito fired, he used earthen walls, defensive summons, and any technique available to reduce the damage.
Even so, he could not protect everyone.
The explosions continued increasing the casualties among the slower shinobi and those who were already injured.
Konoha had managed to retreat.
But the price of that retreat was still rising.