Due to how quickly Jiraiya counterattacked, neither Orochimaru nor Manda had time to dodge.
As a result, Manda had no choice but to curl up and rely on the tougher outer scales of his body to take the attack head-on.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of metallic sounds rang out.
The hard hair needles launched by Jiraiya struck Manda's body, bouncing off his scales with a loud ding-ding-ding.
If that were all, it might've been bearable. Manda could've endured it.
But the real problem was that some of Jiraiya's needles found their way through the gaps between Manda's scales, stabbing into the flesh beneath—that was what made Manda writhe in agony.
Painful hisses erupted from his mouth nonstop.
Eventually, Manda couldn't take it anymore and used his life-saving jutsu—Hebi-nuki no Jutsu (Snake Shedding Technique)!
In an instant, Manda's speed exploded as he shed his skin, escaping the range of Jiraiya's Senpō: Hari Jizō (Sage Art: Needle Jizō). Only a cast-off skin was left behind to absorb the remaining damage.
But now that it was out of immediate danger, Manda's ferocity flared up. Rather than flee farther away, he leveraged his speed to suddenly lunge toward Jiraiya, intending to swallow him whole.
However, Jiraiya had entered Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode). His strength, speed, and reflexes were all drastically enhanced.
So, just as Manda charged in, Jiraiya reacted instantly.
He dodged the bite with a swift sidestep.
Then, extending his right arm forward, he unleashed another Sage Technique—Senpō: Chōōdama Rasengan (Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan)!
A blinding blue-and-white light burst forth.
A massive Rasengan formed in Jiraiya's palm, comprised entirely of Senjutsu chakra, and he slammed it toward Manda's head.
A powerful sense of danger hit Manda like a wave. Even with his brutal and merciless nature, he couldn't help but panic.
At that moment, his cold snake eyes showed a rare flicker of fear.
"Orochimaru! Aren't you going to help me?! If you don't act now, I'm out of here!" Manda roared at the man on his back.
Whether it was the threat that worked or Orochimaru had already prepared, no one could say for sure.
But right before Jiraiya's Chōōdama Rasengan could land on Manda, Orochimaru activated an A-rank jutsu—Mandara no Jin (Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes)!
In an instant, a torrent of colorful venomous snakes erupted from Orochimaru's sleeves, surging toward Jiraiya like a living tidal wave.
For anyone with trypophobia or a fear of snakes, this was pure nightmare fuel.
Even though Jiraiya wasn't afraid of snakes, he couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye at the overwhelming sight.
Still, he forced himself to endure the discomfort and continued pushing the Chōōdama Rasengan forward.
Boom!
The Rasengan clashed with the wave of snakes. Despite being powered by Senjutsu chakra and possessing terrifying destructive force, it couldn't immediately break through the mass of serpents.
For every snake Jiraiya killed, Orochimaru would summon ten more. Kill ten, and a hundred would replace them—truly endless.
The two sides reached a deadlock. Jiraiya frowned slightly as he glanced at Orochimaru in the distance. Something felt… off.
He didn't dwell on it. Canceling the Rasengan, he flickered back several steps, creating distance from the snake tide.
Then, he glanced at the two figures on his shoulders and said, "Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama, help me use a Fire Release jutsu."
Fukasaku simply nodded, while Shima grinned. "Don't worry, Jiraiya-boy, we've got your back."
Without wasting another second, the trio began forming hand seals in unison.
In a blink, they completed the jutsu.
The next moment, massive amounts of toad oil spewed from Jiraiya's mouth, shooting toward the snake tide, Manda, and Orochimaru like a high-pressure water cannon.
Then came Shima, spewing crimson flames from her mouth.
The flames ignited the toad oil, instantly multiplying the destructive power.
But it wasn't over yet.
As the firestorm erupted, Fukasaku unleashed a Wind Release technique.
As the saying goes—fire borrows the power of wind, and wind amplifies the force of fire.
In an instant, the wind caught the toad-oil-fueled flames, turning the fire into a blazing inferno.
This wasn't just any technique.
This was Senpō: Goemon (Sage Art: Bath of Boiling Oil)—a collaborative jutsu by one man and two toads!
---
Underground.
A figure named Seimei watched the scene unfold. Feeling the searing heat radiating from the flames, even he couldn't help but open his mouth slightly in shock.
If you asked him which Fire Release jutsu was the strongest in the shinobi world, Seimei believed nothing could surpass Senpō: Goemon—not even the famed Amaterasu, which was said to burn anything.
After all, Amaterasu had a delay before it fully ignited, which left room to counter it. But once you were hit by Goemon, there was no surviving it.
This kind of temperature wasn't something the glass-cannon shinobi of the ninja world could withstand.
The best strategy?
Run.
Just like now.
Manda, who had earlier only threatened to leave if Orochimaru didn't help, decisively released the Summoning Technique the moment Jiraiya activated Senpō: Goemon. Without a single word, he vanished from the battlefield, returning to Ryūchidō.
Leaving Orochimaru behind.
BOOM!
The flames instantly engulfed the area.
Orochimaru had no time to react and was swallowed by fire.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Jiraiya, seeing this, panicked for a moment…
But then, something clicked—and his face darkened.
He halted the jutsu and stared at the spot where Orochimaru had stood.
Now, there was nothing. No charred remains. No signs of escape.
Orochimaru couldn't have died so quietly.
There was only one explanation: that Orochimaru had left behind a Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) and dispelled it just before the flames hit.
But Jiraiya had seen no chance during the battle for Orochimaru to create a clone. So how had he done it without being noticed?
Interestingly, even Manda hadn't realized Orochimaru had switched out.
Jiraiya pondered in silence. So did Seimei underground.
Since he couldn't use the Byakugan to observe the battlefield, even Seimei wasn't sure when the switch happened.
One thing was clear: the Orochimaru who had fought Jiraiya earlier was not a clone. Otherwise, he'd have dispelled long ago from the injuries alone.
So, the switch must've occurred within the last few minutes.
Seimei closed his eyes and replayed the fight in his head.
Soon, he pinpointed the most likely moment—when Manda used the Snake Shedding Technique to fake death and launched a surprise attack from underground.
After that, Orochimaru never engaged Jiraiya directly again and even seemed reluctant to fight—only taking action after Manda pressured him.
So…
"Did he use that short moment when Manda went underground to swap with a Shadow Clone?"
Seimei thought so.
And the more he considered it, the more it made sense.
Sigh…
At this point, Seimei didn't know what to say about Orochimaru anymore.
In the end, Orochimaru is still Orochimaru. His escape tactics really are top-tier.
He had probably decided to flee the moment Jiraiya successfully entered Sage Mode.
After all, even Seimei—just an observer—could see it: in a direct fight, Jiraiya clearly held the upper hand.
And Orochimaru, the one actually facing that pressure, would've known even more clearly.
And this wasn't even base-form Jiraiya—this was Sage Mode Jiraiya.
With all his abilities boosted even further, Orochimaru didn't stand a chance.
So, his escape isn't exactly surprising.
The only question that remained…
"How do we find him now?"
Seimei stood in hesitation, unsure of what to do next.