Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 543 Times Have Changed, Jiraiya

After the Great Toad Sage summoned Fukasaku and Shima to the temple and gave them instructions, he instructed them to take the young toads to other dimensions for refuge.

The Naruto world is full of various alternate dimensions, hidden in spacetime rifts, like independent worlds, some as vast as a continent, others as small as a secret room.

However, to find and enter these alternate dimensions, one needs at least the strength of the Six Paths level.

The planet where the ninja world is located has at least one alternate dimension that connects to the three great holy lands of the ninja world.

Other alternate dimensions are certainly not as good as Mount Myōboku, and most alternate dimensions are simply not suitable for life.

But now, in order to preserve the lifeline of their species, even under the worst conditions, they have no choice but to move some of the surviving toads there first.

Although Fukasaku and Shima were extremely unwilling, as the two elders of Mount Myōboku, second only to the Great Toad Sage, they had no choice but to carry out the order for the future of Mount Myōboku.

So they led a group of young toads living around the temple through a passage temporarily opened by the Great Toad Sage to a strange alternate dimension.

After settling the children in, Fukasaku and Shima sensed that Jiraiya was trying to communicate with them in order to enter Sage Mode.

They could sense Jiraiya's anxiety and determination.

The two toads looked at each other and saw the same decision in each other's eyes.

Ultimately, they chose to return to Mount Myoboku.

When Jiraiya emerged from the cave blasted open by his body, Fukasaku and Shima saw the devastation on Mount Myōboku and their hearts sank to the bottom.

The once peaceful and serene Mount Myoboku has now become a vast ocean, with seawater from an unknown source completely submerging the depressions of Mount Myoboku.

Only some towering peaks, rocks, and a few large leaves remain above the water.

The bodies of Hama Guang and Hama Jian also floated on the water. One of them was charred all over and was still emitting a meaty aroma. His death was tragic.

Hama Ken had a gaping hole pierced through his chest, and the blood stained a large area of ​​the sea red. His shield shattered into countless fragments, which were scattered on the surrounding water.

A green Susanoo with wings on its back flew in the air like a god, holding a spiral sword, looking down at them as if scrutinizing ants.

In the direction of the distant waterfall, the giant toad, which they had only seen a few times, had been dismantled and died a gruesome death. A red Susanoo, with its huge scarlet wings outstretched and holding a chakra sword that was hundreds of meters long, stood quietly not far from the waterfall, seemingly guarding something.

Looking further afield, above the great waterfall, the Great Toad Sage, still glowing with a final burst of light, is confronting a boy clad in a golden chakra cloak.

The clash between Sage Mode chakra and Tenseigan chakra echoed throughout Mount Myōboku from time to time, each collision producing a deafening roar that shook the surrounding clouds.

"How could this happen—" Shima-sensei stared at the scene in disbelief, her voice trembling with grief.

She lived on Mount Myoboku for hundreds of years and knew every plant and tree there intimately.

Seeing her home destroyed and her people die tragically, her heart is breaking.

The immortal Fukasaku also had a somber expression, his white eyebrows almost furrowed into a single line.

He squinted, looking towards the distant waterfall at the boy enveloped in a golden chakra cloak, and murmured, "Is he... that boy from Amegakure back then?"

Fukasaku couldn't help but recall the battle in Amegakure five years ago that nearly cost Jiraiya his life.

At that time, Jiraiya infiltrated Amegakure to investigate the leader of the Akatsuki organization and encountered Pain, who possessed the Rinnegan.

But what surprised him the most was not the boy with the Rinnegan.

Instead, it was when Jiraiya was exhausted, critically injured, and about to be executed by Pain that two mysterious people suddenly broke in.

Both of them were stronger than Pain with the Rinnegan. One of them seemed to be the legendary Asura, the dark child that the Great Toad Sage prophesied might bring destruction to the ninja world.

Now, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy seems to be coming true step by step.

The Land of Stars issued a final declaration to all nations and villages in the ninja world, vowing to unify the entire ninja world.

Meanwhile, the prophesied "Child of Darkness" led his followers into Mount Myōboku.

"Oh, so this is Sage Mode?"

On the water's surface, atop Gamahiro's corpse, Kisame Hoshigaki hoisted the greatsword Samehada onto his shoulder, his shark-like eyes scrutinizing Jiraiya's transformation.

His gaze swept over the red lines on Jiraiya's face and his vertical pupils, with a hint of curiosity and excitement.

"What a disgusting smell!" Kakuzu stood next to Kisame, his upper body naked and patched up like a rag doll, his black tentacles throbbing restlessly.

Having cultivated the Earthly Grudge Technique, he was exceptionally sensitive to chakra, but he felt particularly uncomfortable with the vibrant energy of Sage Chakra.

The feeling was like a bat living in the darkness encountering intense sunlight.

On Jiraiya's shoulder, Shima took a deep breath, suppressing his grief, and turned to Fukasaku, saying, "Old man, stop lamenting. Let's deal with the enemy in front of us first! Then we'll think of a way to save the master!"

"Hmm!" Fukasaku nodded, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart.

He looked up at the wounded toad Gamabunta on the mountainside not far away and asked, "Gamabunta, can you still fight?"

'

"No problem!" Gamabunta used Sage Chakra to accelerate the healing of the wound and quickly treated the injury.

The wounds inflicted by the sharks are healing at a visible speed. Although they are still painful, they no longer affect the fight.

Upon hearing Fukasaku's question, Gamabunta once again picked up the large short sword, his eyes burning with indomitable fighting spirit and rage, determined to avenge his two younger brothers!

"Alright, let's go!"

Jiraiya said in a deep voice.

The next instant, Jiraiya vanished from his spot.

boom-!!!

The ground where he had just been standing suddenly exploded, creating a large crater. Debris flew everywhere, and his pair of red wooden clogs fell to the ground.

"So fast!"

On a large leaf in the distance, Hyuga Hizashi's Byakugan was firmly locked onto Jiraiya's location, and he was also surprised by the other's speed.

In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's speed and strength are greatly enhanced, making him much stronger than before.

"The Art of Disordering Lion's Mane!"

Jiraiya, suspended in mid-air, charged straight at Kakuzu and Kisame, who were standing on Gamabunta's corpse, his white hair instantly growing longer.

Each strand of white hair was as hard as a steel needle, and thousands upon thousands of them gathered together, like a thousand-armed Guanyin, shooting towards Kakuzu and Kisame with a piercing sound.

"Hmph, watch this!" Kakuzu snorted and raised his hands. The parts of his lean upper body that looked like they were sewn together cracked open, and a large number of black tentacles expanded out from them, shooting countless black tentacles toward the white-haired people in the air.

Ding ding ding—!!

The clash between the two completely different techniques, white hair and black lines, produced a sound like metal striking metal, dense and crisp.

Countless black and white lines intertwine, entwine, and collide in the air, creating a spectacular scene.

Kisame seized the opportunity to attack from the side, brandishing his greatsword Samehada, attempting to slash at Jiraiya in mid-air.

But then, Fukasaku opened his mouth wide, and his tongue extended into a straight white strip, like a sharp sword, which slammed into Samehada.

Clang—!

Another ear-piercing metallic clanging sound rang out.

The immortal Fukasaku frowned.

His "Tongue-Slaying Slash" is enhanced with Sage Chakra, allowing it to extend over a hundred meters and reach an extremely hard state. Its slashing power is no less than that of various famous swords in the ninja world.

During the battle in Amegakure, he used this move to kill one of Pain's summoning beasts.

However, the opponent's large sword, which seemed to be alive, was completely unaffected, and even had a faint counterforce that made his tongue go numb.

"This guy's sword—something's strange!" Fukasaku the Hermit frowned.

On the other side, Gamabunta, wielding a short sword, leaped high from the mountainside and launched an attack on the group of green Susanoo flying in mid-air.

Shisui manipulated Susanoo to raise the spiral sword in his hand and easily blocked Gamabunta's slash.

The swords clashed, producing a loud sound and sparks flying everywhere.

Using the momentum, Gamabunta retreated and landed on the water's surface. However, the memory of being torn apart by the shark made him dare not linger. His massive body moved rapidly across the water's surface, charging towards Shisui's Susanoo once again.

However, in front of Susanoo, which is over 100 meters tall, Gamabunta, who is less than 20 meters tall, is like a primary school student facing an adult. No matter how fast he swings his short sword, it is easily blocked by the opponent, who then launches a counterattack.

Each time the opponent counterattacked, Gamabunta would be knocked away if he was not careful. Before long, his already injured body was covered with wounds, and blood stained the water at his feet.

Gamabunta is in a tough fight.

On Jiraiya's side, as the black and white tentacles and the white-haired creature attacked each other, he also landed on the water.

"Jiraiya! Old man! Use that move!" Shima whispered.

The man and the frog immediately understood.

Jiraiya pulled back his long hair and quickly formed hand seals, while Fukasaku and Shima also quickly formed hand seals.

Before long, the man and the two frogs puffed out their cheeks and exhaled chakra from their mouths.

Jiraiya spewed out toad oil infused with Sage Chakra, Fukasaku spewed out Wind Release infused with Sage Chakra, and Shima spewed out Fire Release infused with Sage Chakra.

The three different ninjutsu were quickly mixed after being sprayed out. The fire jutsu ignited the toad oil, and the wind jutsu blew the fire and toad oil forward.

The three amplified each other, creating an overwhelming sea of ​​fire!

"Sage Art: Goemon!"

The toad oil floated on the turbulent sea. After being ignited by the fire release, it showed no signs of being extinguished by the water. Instead, with the help of the wind release, it quickly spread to both sides, and soon formed a surging wave of flames that rushed towards Kakuzu and Kisame on the corpse of Gamahiro!

The sea of ​​fire was ten meters high and hundreds of meters wide, as if it would burn the entire world to ashes!

"Tch, is it that big?" Kakuzu retracted his tentacles and looked at the sea of ​​fire that almost blotted out the sky before him, preparing to retreat.

Although he was confident in his defensive capabilities, he did not want to withstand a Sage Art Fire Release of this scale.

However, Kisame, who had retreated to his side, stepped forward, placed Samehada in his hand on the toad's belly, his eyes flashing with excitement, and quickly formed hand seals.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Wave!" Kisame opened his mouth, which was full of sharp teeth, and a large amount of seawater surged out of his mouth like a burst dam!

The seawater seemed endless and boundless, quickly forming a colossal wave no less powerful than the sea of ​​fire, which crashed violently into the raging inferno!

"You bastard—can you even use that kind of ninjutsu a second time?" Even Kakuzu, who was nearly ninety years old, was stunned by what he saw.

Kisame just used Water Release: Exploding Water Wave Technique to turn the entire Myoboku depression into a large lake, and now, not long after, Kisame has done it again.

Just how much chakra does this guy have? Kakuzu was surprised.

boom-!!!

The raging sea of ​​fire and the towering waves collided violently!

When water and fire clashed, they produced a deafening roar.

A large amount of white steam rose instantly, enveloping a large area and shrouding everything in a thick fog.

Sage Art: Goemon was forcefully blocked by Kisame's Water Release. The sea of ​​fire and the waves canceled each other out, eventually turning into steam and drizzle.

"Alright, let's take advantage of this time and find a way to sneak over and take one out!" Fukasaku, the sage on Jiraiya's shoulder, said in a low voice from within the thick fog.

"Let's find an opportunity to use frog croaking or toad singing," suggested Shima the sage, recommending the use of illusion magic.

Under the cover of the thick fog, although visibility was obstructed, the propagation of sound was not significantly affected. The Toad Song, performed by the two sages together, could even control Pain, who possessed the Rinnegan.

"Alright, let's use illusion magic first—" But before Jiraiya could finish speaking, Fukasaku suddenly exploded like a watermelon.

Blood splattered everywhere, staining Jiraiya's right cheek red.

He turned his head sharply in surprise, only to see the sage Fukasaku, with only half his body remaining, swaying precariously as he fell off his shoulder.

"Old man!!!"

Shima-sensei let out a piercing scream, his voice filled with disbelief, terror, and endless grief.

Beyond the thick fog.

Two kilometers away, on a large leaf, Hyuga Hizashi lay prone, the muzzle of a large-caliber sniper rifle set up in front of him emitting wisps of white smoke.

He took in Jiraiya's astonished expression through the thick fog with a roll of his eyes.

Hizashi's face was expressionless.

He pulled the bolt, and an orange-yellow cartridge case ejected, rolling onto the leaf surface and making a sizzling sound after getting wet.

Then he chambered the next bullet.

"Times have changed, Jiraiya-sama."

Hijiri's soft voice carried a complex emotion.

But his finger remained firmly on the trigger.