Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock. He was familiar with Susanoo, but the form he now witnessed—condensed to its utmost limit and transformed into armor enveloping Uchiha Madara—was something he had never seen before.
Though this Susanoo lacked the towering hundred-meter presence that once inspired awe, in Jiraiya's eyes, it was far more terrifying.
Madara's Susanoo radiated an intense light akin to the sun.
This represented an energy intensity that was leagues above Jiraiya's own. At this moment, Jiraiya had no intention of continuing the fight. He had to run, absolutely had to run. Facing Madara in this state left him without even a shred of confidence to fight back.
Seeing Jiraiya turn and flee without hesitation, though Madara approved of the decision to retreat, the fact that Jiraiya dared to escape right before his eyes was somewhat insulting.
As the most wanted criminal in the ninja world, there was no rule stating he could only be captured alive. Madara had no intention of leaving witnesses.
Raising his right hand, the divine weapon associated with Susanoo materialized in Madara's grasp.
"Die!"
True powerhouses didn't bother with elaborate technique names.
With just a simple swing, a massive surge of qi erupted, instantly cleaving the earth for a hundred meters in front of him.
A bottomless chasm was born.
But Jiraiya was a veteran super-shadow-level shinobi who had faced countless battles. Though he couldn't match Madara, his ability to escape as a ninja was second to none.
"Did he dodge it? Well, it's no surprise for someone with the title of one of the Sannin," Madara muttered softly.
Wings of energy condensed behind him, and Madara gave chase at incredible speed.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Madara locked onto Jiraiya's trajectory and swung his blade with precision.
This time, Madara was confident his strike wouldn't miss!
But at that moment, the two toads on Jiraiya's shoulders disappeared, along with the three giant toads that had been sent flying by Shinra Tensei.
Madara seemed to realize something, and his expression darkened instantly.
Though the Rinnegan was immensely powerful, it wasn't omnipotent. Madara's Rinnegan, for instance, lacked the ability to seal space.
Looking at the deep chasm before him and the vanished Jiraiya, Madara, the strongest being in the Vast Ocean Realm, wore an expression of extreme frustration.
"Tch! I was so focused on killing him that I forgot to use a contract seal to cut off his escape route."
Madara scanned the area again, confirming that Jiraiya was truly nowhere to be found. With no other choice, he returned to camp in a foul mood.
As for venting his anger on inanimate objects, Madara wasn't the type to stoop to such behavior.
Upon returning to the camp, Madara plopped down on the couch, his demeanor clearly signaling that he was in no mood to talk to anyone.
As the person who knew his brother best, Izuna Uchiha immediately understood that Madara's mission had failed.
As for how it happened, the clever Izuna didn't ask. Failure was failure, and there was no need to reopen old wounds.
However, a flicker of cold ruthlessness passed through Izuna's eyes.
That despicable Jiraiya had dared to harm his beloved brother. He would pay dearly for it.
Suddenly, Izuna received a message. After quickly scanning it, a delighted smile spread across his face.
"Brother, we've located Mount Myōboku."
Madara, still inwardly seething over his earlier oversight of Jiraiya's Reverse Summoning Technique, was pleasantly surprised by this intelligence. A sinister grin immediately twisted his lips.
"Perfect! This time, I'll make sure to kill Jiraiya and wipe out those wretched toads!"
The ninja world had three sacred summoning beast sanctuaries: Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest.
The slug sages of Shikkotsu Forest, due to their unique nature, had already been recruited by Ye Wen and sent to the main world of Douluo. After all, they were invaluable healers—and extremely difficult to kill.
Ryūchi Cave had been offered by Orochimaru as a gesture of repentance.
Though Orochimaru was widely regarded as an irredeemable demon by most in the Vast Ocean Realm, Ye Wen's perspective transcended ordinary human ethics. Such a brilliant scientist couldn't be discarded.
After all, talent was the cornerstone of any civilization's progress.
It was worth noting that Gaara, who had narrowly escaped being absorbed by the Outer Path Statue, had survived and undergone a profound transformation. He had completely renounced his terrible father and embarked on a peaceful life as an ordinary person.
As for the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, though Ye Wen's sense of ethics had grown thin, he harbored no fondness for cunning creatures that ate humans. Moreover, their combat strength was negligible, so Ye Wen had simply let Kakashi "physically absorb" them.
Originally, thanks to the connections among the three sacred sites, Ye Wen had already pinpointed the coordinates linking Mount Myōboku to the Vast Ocean Realm. Unfortunately, the toads had proven unexpectedly vigilant, relocating their spatial node in advance, which delayed the search significantly.
"Madara, are you saying you'll lead the attack?" Kakashi asked in surprise.
Normally, Madara was deeply engrossed in cultivating qi and rarely took on tasks. The only exception was a recent bounty-hunting mission aimed at reviving his old friend Hashirama Senju for some leisurely banter.
Kakashi recalled the mission details. Given Jiraiya's overwhelming strength, there were few in the ninja world capable of reliably defeating him, so Kakashi had assigned the task to Madara.
Kakashi seemed to understand something after glancing at Madara a few times and promptly agreed.
By now, Kakashi, nearing middle age, had long lost the youthful vigor of his younger days. His mind was now preoccupied with thoughts of his wife, child, and cozy home life.
Moreover, though the Vast Ocean Realm wasn't vast, as its ruler, Kakashi had no shortage of daily administrative duties, leaving him unable to spare time for such missions.
At this moment, Jiraiya and the senior members of Mount Myōboku sat outside Gamamaru's palace, having narrowly escaped death.
Gamabunta, the elder toad, wiped the sweat from his forehead and trembled uncontrollably.
"That guy… was Uchiha Madara, right? He's as monstrous as they come."
"I was too clumsy and couldn't help much. I'm really sorry," Gamaken said dejectedly.
Feeling the overwhelming gap in power, Jiraiya sighed in frustration. "I don't know what level of qi cultivation he's reached, but he utterly crushed us. If the rebels of the ninja world continue to train like this, our days will only grow harder."
The two Great Elder Toads deeply understood the disparity Jiraiya spoke of and remained silent.
Suddenly, Jiraiya slammed his fist into the ground.
"The Great Sage is right. We're powerless against these servants of the evil god.
I'll go find the Child of Destiny. The situation in the ninja world has become critical."
After tidying up, Jiraiya prepared to leave through the exit connecting Mount Myōboku to the ninja world. Once the Reverse Summoning Technique was dispelled, he would return to his original location. He didn't dare gamble on whether Madara was still waiting for him.
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