Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

"Roar!"

The four-tailed beast raised its head and roared angrily, its ferocious head filled with a human-like exasperation. Its already limited patience had been completely worn down by Jiraiya's constant dodging and weaving.
"This wretched human is as slippery as a snake."

Taking advantage of his small size, which made him less likely to be chosen, Jiraiya nimbly moved between the two tailed beasts. Whenever it was time to unleash a Tailed Beast Ball, he would suddenly bring over this dumpling and feed the Four-Tails and Five-Tails until they were full.

"I'm not a snake! Spiral! Spin! Ball!"

Taking advantage of the moment when the Four-Tails was grumbling, he forcefully shoved a huge blue gag into Sun Wukong's mouth.

"boom!"

"Pah! Pah! You damned bastard, I'll devour you alive!"

The four-tailed creature, its mouth emitting blue smoke, spat out a few tooth fragments. Its eyes bloodshot, it swung its large club violently, instantly uprooting a vast swath of rainforest.
Seeing Sun Wukong being completely outmaneuvered by a human, Xiao Zi, who had been observing the whole time, couldn't sit still any longer.
"Old Sun, calm down!"

Having waited so long, the reinforcements from Amegakure are probably already on their way. They've come to settle a personal score with Heiji; there's no need for them to risk their lives by engaging in a direct confrontation with the main force of Amegakure.
"Pah! You make it sound so easy, it's not you who's going to lose your teeth."

Licking his wobbly teeth, Sun Wukong replied in a displeased tone,
"Lao Mu, show us your true skills. It's really embarrassing for us to be played like this by a human."

Han, on the other hand, was in a much better mood. Jiraiya was indeed agile, but the Five-Tails, known for its speed, was no slouch either.

"That's enough playing around."

King Mu nodded slightly upon hearing this, admitting that he had indeed underestimated the humans before him.

Have you successfully entered the country?

Unaware that he was about to face the Godspeed Five-Tails in its serious mode, Jiraiya glanced at the civilian teams gradually passing through the checkpoints in the distance, and a relieved expression appeared on his face.

Mission accomplished, time to go!

He never intended to defeat the Tailed Beast; his attacks were mostly harassment. If he truly wanted to fight, he would have summoned two Sages from the beginning and faced the beast head-on with his full power, instead of shoving a gag in the Tailed Beast's mouth here.

"Earth Escape·Yellow Spring Marsh!"

Thinking of this, Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals and clapped his hands together. The wet ground beneath the Four-Tails' feet instantly transformed into a grayish-brown swamp, tightly gripping its thick thighs.
"It's that trick again."

Looking at the sticky, gooey Yellow Springs Swamp beneath his feet, long-buried memories flooded back to Sun Wukong, and the humiliation of being forcibly controlled by Madara Uchiha years ago erupted instantly.
"Molten Release: Flower! Fruit! Mountain!"

It plunged its large club into the swamp, and the brown mud gradually turned a scorching dark red. In the blink of an eye, the muddy swamp transformed into molten lava.

not good.

Seeing this, Jiraiya inwardly cried out in alarm. Goku had not only broken through his control but had also turned his disadvantage into an advantage. With magma before him, it would be extremely difficult for him to use the Rasengan again.

"The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow on forever; we'll fight again next time."

Since Yahiko and his group have already passed through the border checkpoint, when else would they run if not now?

"Shh!"

Having said that, Jiraiya kicked off and retreated towards the Land of Fire's checkpoint.

"Humph!"

Seeing this, Wuwei sneered. "You think you can just leave after putting on a show?"

Immediately, it flicked its four hooves, transforming into a white streak of light that swiftly approached.
"Shh!"

Jiraiya glanced at the roaring Four-Tails behind him, and before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he found a large shadow looming over his head. Looking up in confusion, he met a pair of beastly eyes filled with a mocking smile.
"Humans, you actually ran away right in front of me? Are you looking down on me, the fastest tailed beast?"

"Spiral! Spin! Ball!"

Jiraiya didn't answer, but silently launched his attack at zero frames, the azure ball smashing straight towards the Five-Tails' massive head.
"Buzz!"

However, the next second, Jiraiya only felt a blur before his eyes, and the Rasengan actually hit a dissipating afterimage.
So fast!

"Where are you looking? Take this from me, Old Sun!"

Before he could turn around to search for the vanished Five-Tails, the Four-Tails, which had been poised to attack, leaped up and brought its giant lava club down, completely blocking Jiraiya's path.

"boom!"

A deafening roar erupted as magma shot skyward, shaking the entire rainforest. The aftershocks reverberated along the border of the Land of Fire, and the civilians, who had barely recovered for a few minutes, were once again filled with terror.

"Run! The monster is coming!"

"I paid the money, you can't just abandon me!"

"."

"Gulp. Will Uncle Jiraiya be alright?"

Looking at the restless crowd, Nono remained remarkably calm. She reached out and stroked the questioning head of the little girl in her arms, and gently shook her head.

"Don't worry, once the roots are here, you're safe."

"What are you all standing there for? Why aren't you going to provide support?"

Hiruko clenched his fists and glanced around at the indifferent Root members, his eyes filled with disappointment. Were these still the warm-hearted colleagues he remembered?

"Our mission is to protect civilians; support is for others."

Nono waved her hand calmly.

"Someone else? Is it Orochimaru and his group?"

Upon hearing this, several reliable figures flashed through Hiruko's mind, and his expression instantly improved.
Only a few geniuses from his generation could shoulder this heavy responsibility.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Orochimaru and the others have already left the company."

"what?"

"The roots now belong to the new generation."

Nonou wore a mysterious smile, which made Hiruko frown.

The new generation?
Could it be Shinnosuke?
Lord Danzo is acting recklessly. He should consider the actual situation before trying to elevate his son to power. This isn't Konoha; nobody here will give him face.
"Nagato, will my father be alright?"

On the other side, Yahiko and Nagato, who had gotten in through nepotism, squatted in a corner away from the crowd, their eyes fixed on the pillars of lava that were erupting in the distance.

"You should have faith in Uncle Jiraiya."

Nagato offered words of comfort, but her own heart was pounding.

Humans are, after all, humans. They are far too insignificant in the face of such terrifying monsters. If Jiraiya could return alive, it would be a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune.

"Excuse me, please make way."

Just as the two were worrying about Jiraiya's safety, a gentle voice rang in their ears.

"what?"

The two turned around and saw a beam of golden light, as dazzling as sunlight, shining brightly in the darkness.
Who are you?

Yahiko rubbed his eyes, which had almost been blinded by the light, and curiously looked at the four boys and girls in front of him who looked slightly older than him.

Judging from the neatly worn headbands on their bodies, the group was undoubtedly Konoha ninja, but ninjas of this age shouldn't be appearing on a battlefield of this level. Nagato, meanwhile, frowned; his innate sensory radar was frantically alarming.

"we are"

The blond boy who was the leader of the four was about to introduce himself when Nono's greeting rang out from afar.

"Yo~ Minato, you've finally arrived."

"Excuse me, could you please let me pass?"

Seeing this, Minato had no choice but to give up the introduction and walk past Yahiko and his companion, who were both filled with curiosity.

"Are you from the Uzumaki clan?"

As Kushina followed behind Minato, she glanced at the slightly shy Nagato, her gaze lingering on his red hair.
"Huh? Yes, yes, are you one too, sister?"

This was the first time Nagato had seen members of his clan other than his own, and he nodded hurriedly in reply.
"Haha, my name is Kushina. In Konoha, who dares to bully you? Just say my name, little sister~"

Kushina patted Nagato's head with a laugh, leaving him with what she thought was a dashing back view, leaving him utterly bewildered.
"No, I'm not a little sister!"

"Wow, wow, wow~ It's actually Little Nan! Unbelievable! Unbelievable!"

Following closely behind the two was a tall, sleazy-looking "uncle" with a beard. He glanced at Nagato, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, and teased her in a flippant tone.
"Kizaru-kun, the mission is of utmost importance."

Seeing that he intended to linger there, the black-haired, white-eyed boy at the back of the group coldly reminded him. Kizaru, who looked rather anxious, turned his head upon hearing this, a downward curl of his lips.
"Mirror-kun is still so rigid; he'll never find a girlfriend like that!"

"Don't worry about it, the clan will provide it when the time comes."

"What?! The Hyuga clan has such good benefits? Is it too late for me to change my clan affiliation now?"

"."

What are they going to do?

Ever since the four appeared, Yahiko's curiosity hadn't diminished, especially when they gracefully crossed the border and headed towards the direction of the roaring monster in the distance; his curiosity reached its peak then and there.
"Nagato, why aren't you saying anything?"

Logically speaking, at this time of day, my best buddy should have spoken up and agreed, so why is he suddenly silent today?

"On them."

Yahiko's voice snapped Nagato out of his reverie, who was staring at the backs of the group. Slowly pulling his gaze back, Nagato spoke with a grave expression.

"There's a monster."

"Huh? I don't see it?"

"cough cough"

In the darkness, a disheveled figure, emerging from half a toad's rectum, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Looking at the two menacing beasts above him, Jiraiya, who had avoided most of the damage by hiding inside the rectum of the giant toad, couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

"You're overestimating yourself."

He underestimated the pure-blooded tailed beasts. The power and intelligence of the four-tailed and five-tailed beasts before him were worlds apart from the clones he had directly fought. His biggest mistake was not using Sage Mode from the start.

"Hehehe, humans, get ready to swim on your backs inside my old Sun's belly!"

Sun Wukong looked at Jiraiya, who was half-crippled after being beaten by his blows, and let out a hearty laugh.

"Old Sun, hurry up and get this done, I have a bad feeling."

A strange chill swept over them, and the Five-Tails, who had been watching the scene unfold, suddenly frowned.

"What's the panic? The golden combination of the two of us brothers is practically invincible. Even if that stinky fox comes, I, Old Sun, will use this big stick to give it a good bowel movement."

At this moment, Sun Wukong was still immersed in the joy of avenging his great enemy. He not only disregarded the Five-Tails' words but also shamelessly declared that their combination was the No. 1 among the tailed beasts, while all the other monsters and spirits were nothing but rotten fish and shrimp.
"You stinky monkey, I said it again."

Suddenly, a shrill voice rang in Sun Wukong's mind.

"Even if that stinky fox comes, I, Old Sun, will still goooooo!"

Boom!

Feeling a chilling gaze, Sun Wukong's hand trembled, and the staff he had been clutching for the entire game fell to the ground with a thud. Trembling, he followed the cold aura and looked back, only to see a fiery red phantom rising into the air, which made him break out in a cold sweat.
"Nine Lamas, Brother Lao Jiu, I was just joking with Lao Mu!"

Sun Wukong now wished he could slap his own mouth shut. When did this wretched fox arrive? It hadn't made a sound at all!

"Heh, give them a good thrashing!"

The phantom of the Nine-Tails' chakra sneered, and four figures of varying heights landed in front of the two beasts.
"Yes, Nine-Lama San-San!" *4
"Watergate? Who gave you permission to come here? It's dangerous!"

Jiraiya, who was leaning on the ground, initially thought that reinforcements had arrived, but when he saw who it was, the look of surprise on his face froze.
"Brother Jiraiya, we're not too late, are we?"

Minato gave him a calm smile. The fact that he could remain so composed in the face of two tailed beasts truly puzzled Jiraiya.

"Is there no one left in the Root? They actually sent you kids to the battlefield."

Struggling to his feet, Jiraiya smeared the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his fingertips, his tone tinged with anger.
"Uncle, don't underestimate us, we are the Root's ace!"

Kushina stepped forward, clenching her fists, and looked up at the two ferocious tailed beasts, her round little face full of excitement.

"what?"

"Kushina is right, Jiraiya-nii-san, let's leave the rest of the battle to us."

Minato nodded slightly, and the four of them clasped their hands together in perfect unison, unleashing a terrifying burst of crimson chakra.

"What?!"

This scene completely stunned Jiraiya, who was preparing to summon the Toad Sage. Only then did he suddenly remember the true identities of these four teenagers, and a puzzled look appeared on his face.

"Old Sun, they're just four little brats, why are you chickening out?"

Sensing the fear in Sun Wukong's emotions, Xiao Zi frowned in confusion.

"Idiot, that's not a little kid, that's a plague god."

Seeing the almost tangible tailed beast chakra emanating from Minato and the others, Son Goku cursed under his breath and swung his fallen staff back up.
"Old Sun, if you want to die, don't drag me down with you."

Upon seeing this, King Mu immediately had second thoughts. After all, it wasn't the beast that had just cursed Kurama; it didn't need to suffer along with the four-tailed beast.
"Lao Mu, we're a golden duo!"

"That's just wishful thinking on your part. I've never admitted it!"

"boom!"

Just as the two beasts were fighting amongst themselves, the four of them had already entered battle mode, and the tailed beast chakra on their bodies was visibly solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Finally, with a flash of red light, four chibi-style nine-tailed foxes appeared in their palms.
"This is."

Jiraiya's eyes widened at the sight. It was the first time he had witnessed Minato and the others using the Nine-Tails' power. Previously, the four of them had been secretly training at the Tailed Beast Rider Management Department's school, and no information had ever leaked out.

Holding the adorable chibi-style Nine-Tails high in his hand, a resolute glint flashed in Minato's azure eyes.
"Ikusou, Kurama Sansan! Lend us your tailed beast power!" (End of Chapter)