Despite his many vices, as the last of the ninjas, Uchiha Izuna acknowledged Jiraiya at this moment.
Suddenly, Izuna's expression changed. The previously recovering Jiraiya now turned deathly pale, with a trickle of blood sliding down from the corner of his mouth.
Finally, Jiraiya's eyes widened, and he struck an exaggerated pose.
"A dragon must return to the sea; if the sea does not welcome me, then... I shall welcome myself. Jiraiya."
After uttering these final words, Jiraiya collapsed once more.
And this time, it was for good.
Just moments ago, Jiraiya had used the small amount of chakra he had just regained to shatter his own heart, ending his life—one that had been mocked by many.
Izuna stood there silently, saying nothing. Though his brother would surely be upset that the person he intended to deal with had taken his own life, this Jiraiya was truly a hero among the younger generation. Even in death, he chose to die by his own hand.
"I acknowledge you, Jiraiya. Don't be so foolish in your next life."
As Izuna muttered Jiraiya's prayer, he stepped forward to remove Jiraiya's Rinnegan—something Madara had prepared specifically for him.
Though both brothers had joined the Douluo faction, the power of the Rinnegan remained an exceedingly rare and formidable force. It was difficult for Izuna to fully grasp on his own.
But just as Izuna's fingers were about to touch the Rinnegan, it vanished mysteriously.
"What is this?!"
Izuna was shocked. How could such a prize slip away at the last moment?
Why did the Rinnegan disappear? Izuna quickly deduced the reason.
"Space-time ninjutsu," Izuna muttered through gritted teeth.
Though he had earlier dismissed Mount Myōboku as mere beasts, even beasts that lived for a thousand years could accumulate significant depth. Mastering one or two space-time techniques wasn't impossible.
After all, Tobirama Senju, that inherently evil genius, hadn't needed much more than a few decades to develop his own space-time ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In previous versions of the ninja world, the other five great nations also had their own space-time techniques. The most common, of course, was the Summoning Technique.
But none of that mattered now.
Izuna gently closed Jiraiya's ghastly eye sockets, but his own eyes burned with murderous intent.
"Filthy beasts! Not only do they blaspheme the gods, but they dare to snatch something right from under the Uchiha's nose! Fine, fine, fine! It seems you're all eager to die!"
{T/N: Should've left it as 'good, good, good' for the memes lol}
However, as the intellectual pillar of the Uchiha clan, Izuna didn't choose to charge recklessly into Mount Myōboku. Instead, he returned to protect Madara during this critical moment. That was the top priority now.
Once Mount Myōboku merged with the ninja world, those wretched toads would have nowhere to run.
Though Madara was generally thick-skinned, the unhappiness written all over his younger brother's face was unmistakable.
Though his prey had ended itself prematurely, leaving Madara displeased, he was more concerned about his brother.
"Izuna, what's wrong?"
Izuna tried to calm himself, not wanting to affect Madara. With a somewhat forced smile, he replied:
"It's nothing, Brother.
It's just that those toads from Mount Myōboku took back the Rinnegan."
Madara immediately understood why Izuna was upset. His expression darkened instantly.
"What despicable beasts! Mocking that brat Jiraiya wasn't enough—they've gone and humiliated you too! Just wait, little brother! I'll drag them over here and let you slaughter them to your heart's content! Haa—!!!"
In an instant, the already terrifying power of Madara's Universal Pull grew even more overwhelming, rivaling the force of a typhoon.
The outline of Mount Myōboku became visibly clearer—it was a vast, dozens-of-kilometers-wide paradise surrounded by a yellow barrier.
Madara declared arrogantly, "So this is Mount Myōboku? Compared to Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest, it's far superior. For such a sacred land to be occupied by a bunch of toad beasts is a complete waste! Come down, damn it! Everything in the Vast Ocean Realm belongs to the great Vast Ocean God!"
Within Mount Myōboku, the three Great Elder Toads stood grim-faced in the center of a massive magic array.
Shima spoke, "Old man, Mount Myōboku can no longer be saved."
Gamamaru said nothing, though he wasn't asleep either. Such violent energy fluctuations would wake even someone on the brink of death.
Fukasaku, usually silent, added, "Old man, the surrounding space has been completely sealed off. The other Mount Myōboku contract holders I prepared beforehand can't summon us out either."
Gamamaru felt the weight of the situation increase further.
After a long pause, Gamamaru exhaled a heavy breath, filled with reluctance.
"There's no other way. It seems I must use my final trump card."
The two smaller toad sages' faces lit up with hope. They knew that Gamamaru, the stabilizing force of Mount Myōboku, wouldn't leave without a final ace up his sleeve—after all, he had even managed to extract the Rinnegan.
Gamamaru fell silent again for a moment before speaking with difficulty.
"The reintegration of Mount Myōboku with the ninja world after a thousand years is an irreversible trend.
Next, I will focus all my strength on destroying the humans' barrier. You take the other children of Mount Myōboku and escape as quickly as possible.
And once you reach the ninja world, remember this:
You must no longer call yourselves the toad clan of Mount Myōboku. This era belongs entirely to humanity."
Gamamaru's eyes were filled with regret. A thousand years of planning, and in the end, humanity had completely become the rulers of the ninja world.
Moreover, Gamamaru knew well that the toad clan could never compare to humans. Without the abundant natural energy of Mount Myōboku, ordinary toads would struggle even to awaken their intelligence, let alone train.
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged glances. They both heard the resolve in Gamamaru's voice but couldn't find the words to dissuade him. After all, this seemed to be Mount Myōboku's only remaining path forward.
"Yes."
Gamamaru nodded, saying nothing more.
As he removed the doctoral cap from his head, dense black seal markings began to spread across his aged body.
"Sage Art: Reverse Rejuvenation!"
With a low chant, Gamamaru's once-elderly form visibly began to grow younger.
"This technique..."
As a female toad, Shima yearned deeply for such a Sage Art, yet she had never even heard of it before.
Gamamaru, now restored to his youthful self, immediately saw Shima's thoughts and coldly stated:
"Don't even think about it. This Sage Art consumes immense amounts of chakra and natural energy, and it's temporary."
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