Using the intelligence he had gathered, Jiraiya infiltrated the base without any major hitches. During a moment when no one was around, he placed several small toads in the corners.
These small toads could act as his eyes and ears, like security cameras.
Moreover, they could move according to his commands, making them highly intelligent and an important tool for Jiraiya's intelligence gathering.
After placing the toads, he himself tried to sneak towards the more heavily guarded areas.
Dodging several waves of guards, Jiraiya made his way up to the top floor, into a spacious room, where he found a massive, heavyset man.
He hid in the shadows, silently observing the man who was busy with his work, and wondered, 'Is he the leader of the Kara organization?'
After waiting for a while and seeing that no one else came to the room, Jiraiya decided not to wait any longer. The longer he waited, the higher the chance of being discovered.
So, without further hesitation, he made his move. His white hair shot out, binding the unsuspecting man so tightly he couldn't move.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique?! You're Jiraiya of the Sannin?!" The man identified Jiraiya in an instant.
"Oh, you're quite familiar with me. As expected, you're no ordinary person," Jiraiya said with a smile. "Speak. Who are you?"
"The fact that you could get here means you've already gathered a lot of intel. There's no need for me to beat around the bush."
The man was completely unconcerned about his predicament. He said coldly, "My name is Dode, an Inner of the Kara organization."
"An Inner of Kara? You're not the leader?"
"Heh, the leader is much stronger than me. However, being tied up like this is really uncomfortable. Let me take you down first, then we can have a proper chat."
A sinister grin spread across Dode's lips.
The next second, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from his entire body, snapping Jiraiya's steel-like white hair.
Not only that, but his obese body deflated like a leaking balloon, transforming into a muscular, well-built man.
'He converts chakra into fat for storage? This guy is no simple foe.'
Jiraiya focused his mind, knowing full well that this was the enemy's lair and he couldn't afford a prolonged battle. He immediately formed hand seals, puffed out his cheeks, and spewed out a massive ball of fire.
The flames swelled in the wind, filling the entire room in the blink of an eye.
With a loud bang, the windows of that floor shattered, and a scorching wave of fire shot out.
In the midst of the flames, it was Jiraiya, the one who had cast the fire jutsu, who was blasted outside by a powerful gust of air, falling from the window.
'This guy... he blew my fire jutsu back at me with just the wind from his fist. Taijutsu like that is almost on par with Tsunade's. Where in the world did he come from?' Jiraiya was astonished.
"Don't even think about escaping!" Dode followed Jiraiya's trajectory, leaping out of the window and chasing after the falling Sannin.
"Heh, it seems I'm being underestimated," Jiraiya chuckled softly, once again using the [Wild Lion's Mane Technique] to bind Dode's arms and legs.
"Hmph, that move is useless against me now."
"Is that so?"
Before Dode could break free from the hair's restraint, Jiraiya pulled him close.
In his right palm, a rapidly spinning ball of chakra had already formed.
"What is this?" A bad premonition rose in Dode's heart.
"This is a new move created by my brilliant student. As the first one to have it used on you, you should enjoy it!"
Jiraiya used his hair to flip Dode underneath him and slammed the chakra sphere in his hand into the man's stomach. "Rasengan!"
Boom!
The rotation of the Rasengan twisted his abdomen into knots. Dode's eyes bulged, and he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the ground below and creating a deep, semi-circular crater.
Jiraiya used the recoil from the Rasengan to slow his descent, landing smoothly on the edge of the crater.
"Oops, was that a bit too much? He didn't just die like that, did he?"
Just as he was about to quickly retrieve the body while it was still fresh to take back to Konoha for intelligence gathering, his brow suddenly furrowed, and he quickly leaped into the air.
The next second, a thin blade of water sliced through the air where his feet had just been. If he hadn't reacted in time, he might have been cut in two.
"More enemies?" Jiraiya landed steadily on the ground, facing the newcomer.
However, when he got a clear look at his opponent, he cried out in shock, "Yahiko, Nagato, it's you?!"
"Master Jiraiya, it's been a long time," Yahiko said with a wave. "I've missed you to death!"
"Heh, that last move wasn't exactly how you show you miss your teacher."
Jiraiya smiled and asked, "What's this? Are you planning to have a long-awaited battle with your master?"
"Master Jiraiya, you are strong, but we are stronger. You are no longer our match," Nagato said coldly. "You shouldn't have come here."
"Nagato..." Looking at his Rinnegan, Jiraiya's heart sank. He tried his best to salvage the situation. "Yahiko, Nagato, what on earth happened? Do you have to be my enemies?"
"You're the one who attacked first, Master."
"Enough nonsense, Nagato. Let me see the power of one of Konoha's Sannin for myself. I've been wanting to take him on for a long time," Yahiko said, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward.
"Mm, be careful," Nagato said.
"Master, take this!" Yahiko's hands flew through seals, and a surging wave of water formed from the empty space beside him, charging towards Jiraiya like a stampede of ten thousand horses.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
"This amount of water..." Jiraiya's expression of surprise vanished. He bit his thumb and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
A giant toad, even taller than the tower, appeared beneath Jiraiya. The water jutsu cast by Yahiko was like a small stream in comparison, unable to affect them.
"Jiraiya, so suddenly? Who's the opponent this time?" Gamabunta asked, drawing the giant blade from his hip.
"My students," Jiraiya said. "Be careful. One of them has the Rinnegan."
"What? The legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths?" Gamabunta was shocked. He followed Jiraiya's gaze and indeed saw the unusual eyes in Nagato's sockets.
"I say, we should probably retreat first."
"No. I can't miss this opportunity. I need to find out what's going on with these two."
"Sigh, you're impossible."
"I'm counting on you, Bunta."
While they were talking, Yahiko cursed, "Master Jiraiya is cheating, huh?"
"Let me give you a hand," Nagato said, also using the Summoning Jutsu to call forth a two-headed hellhound with wings.
"Thanks!" Yahiko leaped onto the hellhound's head and charged towards Jiraiya.
The two summons quickly began to brawl, and Yahiko and Jiraiya engaged in close combat.