Shuying sat atop a tree, bored, swinging her bare feet as she gazed in the direction of Konoha.
"Eh? What happened? Why are they so slow?" Shuying glanced at the Anbu lying scattered beneath the tree.
"Is this everyone they sent?" Shuying was perplexed.
After recovering, Shuying had waited here for Sakura's arrival. But all she got were these small fry, which left her feeling rather uninspired.
"This shouldn't be right." Shuying looked at the empty forest, where only the rustling of the wind could be heard. There wasn't a single soul in sight.
"Was my attack not powerful enough? Am I being so underestimated?" Shuying felt insulted. She had bombed the village inside and out, yet she wasn't getting the attention she deserved.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted in the distance, followed by a blinding white light that illuminated the area. Shuying was startled. She slowly floated into the air and looked toward the source of the blast.
"That… that's…"
"Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!"
"Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!"
Two equally massive Rasengan collided, and a brilliant white light turned the dark night into day.
A deafening roar followed. Everything in the vicinity was blown away by the two colossal spheres of chakra. The ground, unable to withstand the immense power, was blasted into a giant crater.
After the explosion, two figures were sent flying in the same direction. The difference was, one was flying backward, blasted away by the explosion, while the other was facing forward, seemingly in pursuit of the first.
"Is that all you've got, Lord Jiraiya? Heh… heheh…" Sakura's face was twisted in a ferocious grin as she swung her Storm Release blade at Jiraiya.
"Dammit!"
It was only after truly clashing with the kid that Jiraiya realized she was no longer the little girl she used to be. Her power now had likely already surpassed his own.
"I told you last time, fighting her is no different from fighting a god. This is trouble," Shima said, her voice strained as she maintained her posture for gathering natural energy.
"Ma, it's no use saying that now. We just have to do our best to supply little Jiraiya with natural energy," Fukasaku scolded.
"I know that without you telling me!" Shima retorted, dissatisfied.
"Chief, Ma'am," Jiraiya said to the two Sages as he dodged Sakura's blade, "If I don't make it back this time, please look after Naruto."
"Don't talk like that, little Jiraiya. There's no perfect jutsu in this world. We just haven't found a way to counter it yet," Fukasaku said, trying to comfort him.
"But how are we supposed to counter this, Pa?!" Shima cried out in frustration.
"Can you stop shouting? I'm trying to think of a way, aren't I?" Fukasaku snapped back.
With the sound of tearing flesh, Jiraiya let out a muffled grunt. A blade of glowing Storm Release was embedded in his right shoulder, piercing through his scapula and emerging from his back. Blood instantly soaked his clothes.
Sakura's long blade had pinned Jiraiya to the ground, immobilizing him. Now, with just a flick of her wrist, the cutting power of the Storm Release could sever Jiraiya's right arm, which would be a death sentence for him.
"Not bad, kid. It seems you've grown," Jiraiya panted, looking at the expressionless Sakura, his mind racing for a counter-strategy. A single moment of distraction was all it took for her to seize the opportunity. It seemed he wouldn't be able to save his right arm.
"Lord Jiraiya," Sakura began slowly, "I didn't want it to come to this, but you forced my hand."
"This was your own choice. Even if I weren't here today, what you plan to do would eventually bring you into conflict with the village," Jiraiya said.
"I see. So you already know." Sakura nodded, a hint of struggle in her eyes. "Then… if I were the one defeated today, what would you have done with me?"
"What's the point in saying that now?" Jiraiya snorted.
"To reaffirm my resolve," Sakura said, her voice flat and calm.
Hearing her answer, Jiraiya was taken aback for a moment. Then he smiled and shook his head. "I knew it. You're just like him."
Hesitating because of a lingering attachment to a former comrade? Jiraiya couldn't help but think of Orochimaru. She and him, they were so alike. And that only strengthened Jiraiya's conviction that he had made the right choice. If he let her go, she would one day bring immeasurable harm to Konoha.
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Sakura froze. Him? Orochimaru? It must be him. But… how could I be like Orochimaru? That's absolutely impossible.
"Now!" Fukasaku suddenly roared.
Shima's mouth opened, and a long tongue shot out, striking at Sakura.
Though slightly distracted, Sakura reacted, but the tongue was too fast. It wrapped around her, binding her completely.
The long blade in her hand fell from her grasp. Without a continuous supply of natural energy from Sakura, the Storm Release blade dissipated, reverting to a normal kunai that clattered to the ground. Jiraiya was free.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust of wind slammed into Sakura. At the same time, the tongue binding her loosened, and she was free again, but the gale forced her back several steps.
So that's it. Sakura had been so focused on subduing Jiraiya that she had neglected the two toads on his shoulders. They were combatants too. But…
"You think it's that simple?!" Sakura roared, her body suddenly accelerating forward. In a flash, she grabbed the tongue before it could retract.
"Get down here!" Sakura braced herself and, with another roar, pulled with all her might.
"Not good!" Fukasaku was alarmed. He made a split-second decision and used a wind blade to sever Shima's tongue.
"Owowow… it hurts, it hurts…" Shima wailed, her mouth full of blood.
"I'm sorry, Ma. Little Jiraiya is in a dangerous situation. I had no other choice," Fukasaku said apologetically.
"Here's a hemostatic pill, Ma'am." Jiraiya took a pill from his ninja pouch and handed it to Shima, who swallowed it in one gulp.
"Pa, how could you do this to me…" Shima cried out in anger.
"It couldn't be helped," Fukasaku sighed. "If we undid the summoning, little Jiraiya would be no match for her. You saw it too. She… has a nearly infinite amount of chakra."
"Of course I know that," Shima huffed. "That's why I said fighting her is no different from fighting a god."
"Sage chakra requires a balance of spiritual, physical, and natural energy. Spiritual and physical energy are essential for molding chakra. But that kid can use natural energy directly. Which means…"
Jiraiya cut Fukasaku off.
"It means she has an infinite supply of Sage chakra to use, without consuming her own," Jiraiya said, his expression grave. "We've been fighting this whole time, and she's still in the same condition as when we started, with almost no consumption. But my chakra is already about to hit bottom."
The man and two toads fell silent. The situation was truly desperate. With one side constantly depleting and the other not, it was a dead end.
"There must be a weakness. Natural energy isn't that easy to control. Little Jiraiya, think back carefully on her previous battles. Was there anything unusual?" Fukasaku prompted.
"Previous battles…" Jiraiya thought back. The only one he had seen was her fight with Shuying in the village just now. Was there anything special about it?
Sakura looked at the slimy piece of tongue in her hand with disgust and threw it away.
That's one ruthless toad. She had wanted to pull the toad off Jiraiya's shoulder or force it to undo the summoning, which would have broken his Sage Mode.
It seemed that plan had failed. But it didn't matter. Jiraiya was injured. His right scapula was pierced through, and he likely couldn't use his right arm for now. Which meant he couldn't use ninjutsu either.
It was time to end this. Sakura looked at Jiraiya, whose arm hung limply at his side, and a crazed, savage grin spread across her face.
I didn't want any of this. You forced me to do it, Lord Jiraiya!