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Looking ahead again, they saw that he was still silent, clearing a path and running forward while dodging their ninja attacks.

Indeed, this guy was leading them in circles. Jiraiya had been so engrossed in thinking and chasing that he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings. Only now, after Shiki's reminder, did he realize what was happening.

Qinglan, oh Qinglan, you've assigned me a truly difficult task...

Jiraiya felt extremely bitter, but his eyes gradually narrowed until all the whites of his eyes disappeared, leaving only a single word visible.

After activating Sage Mode, his ninjutsu improved dramatically, even to a terrifying degree.

If he were to face that blue-haired kid who was pretending to be dead directly, he was confident that he could hold him off, or even find an opportunity to use illusion magic to take him down after probing for information.

But ironically... the person Qinglan ordered him to pursue was a "warrior" specializing in physical combat and swordsmanship.

"Although my taijutsu is not weak, it's still a bit troublesome..." Jiraiya sighed inwardly. "Fortunately, this is Konoha, my home turf!"

Immortal Technique: Thousand Needles of Hair!

His long, white hair, soaked by the rain, suddenly straightened, and as Jiraiya bent forward, a white senbon, like a storm, shot forward.

Looking sideways, Lan saw a dense mass of white sensula plants, forming a continuous expanse, emitting a chilling buzzing sound.

“Bang bang bang bang!!!”

The senbon needles struck tree trunks, rocks, and grass, instantly shattering them. Although Blue's body was already crackling with blue arcs of electricity, increasing her speed, she could only barely dodge the large number of senbon needles attacking her.

Swish! Swish!

Every place they retreated to was completely filled in, and just then, the area that had retreated to a certain point was suddenly plunged into boundless darkness.

"Secret Technique: Insect Jade!"

Led by Shiki Aburame, the Aburame ninjas, dressed in trench coats and wearing sunglasses, simultaneously raised their hands, and a tidal wave of parasitic insects instantly enveloped them.

Upon closer inspection, the disgusting parasites, as if they had seen delicious food, swarmed up and gradually formed a human-shaped silkworm pupa from their flattened surface.

"Good job!"

"That's it! Let the bugs eat us all!"

"let's go!"

Whoosh whoosh! !

Kunai and shuriken were thrown forward as if they were free, and the ninja tools, filled with indignation, all rushed towards the "humanity cocoon" that was gradually being enveloped.

"Lord Jiraiya, the parasitic insects won't last long..." Aburame Shiki said in a low voice. The Aburame ninjas behind him, who were being controlled by his raised hands, didn't say anything, but the heavy atmosphere reflected their current mood.

“I know, Shima-sama!” Jiraiya shouted.

puff!

Its entire body was scarlet, and its tongue, which looked like a parasite, was sticking out of Shima's mouth. The small head on the tip of its tongue seemed to be searching for prey.

It's sizzling!It's sizzling!

At the same time, dazzling purple arcs of electricity suddenly rose from the "human-shaped pupa," and a nut-like aroma burst forth. However, the aroma only lasted for a moment before being replaced by the bitter smell of burnt shells, and pungent smoke rushed straight to the throat.

The densely packed parasites, as if encountering their natural enemy, hurriedly fled but were charred and burned by the electric arcs, eventually falling to the ground.

A trace of strange liquid stained the faceless mask, and faint purple lightning crackled around Lan's entire body, while the slender black blade hung limply to the ground.

After cleaning up a large number of insects, her overall demeanor seemed to have reached a new level.

However, in that split second, the "disgusting parasite" suddenly moved closer.

The disgustingly small head even caused the usually taciturn Lan to pause in surprise.

While the tongue was still in a daze, it immediately wrapped around him. Even with the increased power of the purple lightning burning on his body, it only made his tongue charred. The binding force also increased instantly.

"Immortal Technique: Water Slash!"

A high-pressure water gun, compressed to its limit and powerful enough to cut through most defenses, was spat out from the mouth of the nearby Sage Fukasaku.

Under the high pressure of the condensed azure water, it resembled a silver thread, standing out exceptionally against the backdrop of the dim moonlight and drizzling rain.

Bound, Lan's eyes reflected the water gun before her. Her right hand, gripping the blade tightly, clenched sharply, producing a crackling sound.

"Are you going to draw your sword again? This time I won't let you get away with it so easily!" Jiraiya caught this subtle movement and his hands flew into hand seals.

Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld was instantly activated beneath Lan's feet, causing his already bound body to stagger, and the blade he was about to draw seemed to be broken.

A glint of green light suddenly flashed in his pair of deep blue eyes.

"boom!!"

The Yellow Springs Swamp was fully activated, and all the surrounding lush green open spaces instantly turned into a wet swamp.

The kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags that had been thrown out earlier also emitted muffled sounds and booms at the right time.

The buzzing of the water gun cutting through tough objects was particularly jarring among all the sounds.

Shima Senjin felt a sudden, sharp pain as she tightly bound her tongue, causing her to quickly pull it back.

"what happened?"

"It was cut by those blade energies..." Shima Senjin felt the burning pain on his tongue, his old face changing unpredictably.

"I'm fine, but that guy should have been hit head-on by the old man's Water Slash!" Faced with Jiraiya's worried gaze, Shima Sage ultimately refrained from uttering any sarcastic remarks, and instead spoke solemnly.

Click...

As if in response to Shima's words, another crisp sound suddenly rang out, causing everyone present to stare intently, as if they wanted to tear the person in front of them to pieces.

"Spread out!"

At Jiraiya's command, the fully equipped Konoha ninjas, each with a fiery gaze, quickly dispersed to the vicinity of the swamp.

Large water droplets crashed into the muddy, deep yellow soil, splashing up a putrid, muddy stench that spread all around. Giant trees, blasted apart by explosive tags, fell into the swamp, becoming floating platforms for people to occupy.

The vast, muddy swamp spreads outwards from the central point where smoke rises, interspersed with patches of emerald green.

The rain grew heavier, and the floating clouds completely obscured the moon. Apart from the faint rustling of rising smoke, only the pleasant sound of rain could be heard.

"Let me see your true face..." Jiraiya stared intently at the humanoid silhouette that appeared.

Gradually, the smoke dissipated, revealing to everyone the tattered robes, the hideous wounds, and the striking white hair.

The faceless mask was cut with a deep groove by a high-pressure water gun, and with a series of cracking sounds, the cracks began to spread like a spider web.

Everyone present, including Jiraiya, held their breath and stared intently at the face beneath the mask.

"What are you expecting?" Lan Mo paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke, her tone strange.

The magnetic voice immediately reached everyone's ears, sounding both mocking and doubtful.

"Do you want to see my face?"

Before the cracks could spread further, Lan crushed the mask and threw it aside. After a brief glance at the mud-covered mask, their gazes shifted to the rather handsome face.

When the slightly older Konoha ninja saw this face, his pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and his clenched kunai palms even began to tremble.

"This is..." Jiraiya exclaimed in a daze, staring at the strikingly similar face, "Sakumo-senpai?!"

The other ninjas, whether they were unaware of the situation or had some recollection of it, all gasped in shock upon hearing this, recalling the former White Fang of Konoha—Sakumo Hatake.

"It seems you still have memories..."

Seeing that he seemed very pleased, Jiraiya's lips moved, but the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.

How... is this possible?! Senior Sakumo...

Swish!

Suddenly, just as everyone was stunned and confused, they saw the man's face change as if it were a custom setting, with his facial features, jawline, cheekbones, and so on.

Suddenly, his face changed again.

And that face was none other than... the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

Konoha members: "!?"

Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!

Terrifying hot oil spewed from Jiraiya's mouth, and with the activation of the hand seals, the fire release technique instantly transformed the hot oil formed from chakra into intense flames.

The fireball, roughly the size of a house, briefly cut off the rain and headed towards the blue figure whose body had already merged halfway into the ground.

As the flames drew near, Lan, whose body was half-submerged in the mud, had no choice but to break free and draw his sword to defend himself.

They really were trying to escape!

"Brother Fukasaku, Sister Shima!"

With a loud roar from Jiraiya, the two sages, who had been poised to attack, opened their mouths, and a terrifying sonic boom shot forward.

Immortal Technique: Frog Croak!

"Boom!!!"

The powerful croaking of frogs echoed in layers towards the blue sky, and everyone present could only hear countless croaks.

Fortunately, just before launching the attack, Shiki Aburame, who had been by Jiraiya's side at all times and calmly analyzing the situation, dispersed the insects among the Konoha ninjas, protecting most of their bodies and preventing them from suffering significant damage.

Having dodged the fireballs, Lan, who had already changed into a wooden mask, took the buzzing sound head-on.

"Quack quack quack quack quack!!!"

In my empty mind, only the croaking of frogs filled the air, as if a small part of my brain had been seeped in.