[Barrier Heaven Cover Formation!]
With the assistance of the two sages, Jiraiya clapped his hands together and roared the command. He channeled the Sage Chakra drawn from the two sages and focused it within himself. From his core, it expanded outward, forming a transparent spherical barrier that encased all the ninja frogs inside, blocking the initial barrage of [Ninjutsu Barrage] attacks!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fierce onslaught sent waves of chakra surging in all directions. Shockwaves rippled repeatedly, even affecting the sealing technique barrier set up by the Uzumaki ninja.
[Ninja Tools Barrage!]
Seeing their ninjutsu had little effect, Hyuga Soushu immediately ordered a shift in tactics.
Immediately afterward, an endless hail of ninja tools rained down on the frogs sheltered beneath the dome-like barrier.
[Water Release: Iron Cannonball Shot]!
The ninja frogs retaliated instantly, unleashing a storm of [Water Release: Iron Cannonball Shots] from their gaping maws, barely managing to blow apart the incoming tide of weapons.
Even so, countless weapons still pierced into the barrier. However, thanks to the unique nature of the Heaven Cover Formation—which allowed the caster complete control over its coverage area—the frogs within suffered no direct harm.
After seeing both attacks fail to deliver decisive results and noting cracks forming in their Sealing Technique barrier under the chakra shockwaves, Hyuga Soushu raised a hand. His forces halted their assault immediately.
The two sages also got a brief moment to catch their breath while closely observing the towering, arrogantly smirking figure before them.
"Finished staring yet?"
Hyuga Soushu asked, "Is this really what the legendary Senior Fukasaku and Shima are like—enjoying voyeurism?"
"Heh, how rare. You actually know who we are!"
The two sages expressed slight surprise.
The so-called Three Holy Places were regarded as deeply mysterious by the general populace of the Ninja World.
Even for powerful Jonin, knowledge about these holy places remained limited to vague fragments rather than comprehensive understanding. Few possessed deep insights into concepts such as Sage Art, Natural Energy, or the Sage himself.
Therefore, effective counter-strategies specifically targeting Holy Place Summoned Beasts—especially Sage-level powerhouses—were notably absent in the Ninja World.
But Hyuga Soushu was different. His past-life memories remained clear. Though he often viewed Mount Myoboku through the lens of conspiracy theories, this did not prevent him from harboring strong disdain toward these frogs attempting to interfere in ninja affairs.
Just like villains and tyrants in martial arts tales who often loathed the Convent of Purity—a symbol of moral authority that stood apart from worldly ambitions—Soushu, who saw himself as destined to rule the Ninja World, similarly resented the special powers like Mount Myoboku that claimed authority through prophecies to interpret destiny itself.
Especially when these outsiders had clearly shown their hostility!
"What an honor it is, being part of the Byakugan clan!"
Feeling the gradually thinning Natural Energy, Senior Fukasaku couldn't help but sigh, "It seems you indeed know more than others suspect."
"No secret lasts forever unless it's never acted upon!"
The chakra flame atop Hyuga Soushu's Torch Pole flared as the veins around his Byakugan bulged outward. He scrutinized the two ninja frogs standing on Jiraiya's shoulders from every angle.
Although the nature of sage chakra made complete penetration impossible even for his Byakugan, he could still discern their extraordinarily high chakra intensity.
Compared to the two elders, Jiraiya seemed like a mere speck beside radiant pearls.
"Though you've somehow stumbled upon these secret techniques, you clearly have many misconceptions about the Holy Place."
Senior Fukasaku spoke slowly.
He needed time to adjust his sage chakra output, so dragging out the talk was a good way to buy some time.
Besides, this was Mount Myoboku's very first face-to-face encounter with Hyuga Soushu, who they regarded as a possible threat.
Senior Fukasaku hoped to uncover critical clues hidden in every word exchanged.
After all, how the hiding place of Mount Myoboku's ninja frogs had been exposed remained extremely mysterious.
"If you don't know, then you'll never need to. Dying with questions still hanging—perhaps that's not such a terrible fate after all."
Hyuga Soushu also needed time to let his subordinates complete formation adjustments and reinforce barrier containment, so he didn't mind engaging in superficial conversation either.
"Misunderstandings are meant to be resolved."
Elder Shima spoke earnestly, "Young man, the future of the ninja world shouldn't be dominated by a single force—it should flourish like a garden of blooming flowers."
"The future of the ninja world doesn't need interference from outsiders!"
Hyuga Soushu directly interrupted this meaningless rhetoric.
Because he'd already noticed the hand signal from Uzumaki Ninja indicating they were fully prepared.
Immediately afterward, Hyuga Soushu waved his hand, prompting his ninja forces to launch another barrage of ninjutsu attacks.
[Fire Release Inferno Blast!]
[Wind Release Great Breakthrough!]
This time again employed Konoha's most familiar wind and fire combined ninjutsu technique.
It was also one of Jiraiya's most well-known tactical combinations.
However, needing to maintain the barrier's existence and lacking the trained Konoha ninja forces nearby, Jiraiya couldn't find an appropriate countermeasure at that moment, forcing him to directly withstand the assault using sage chakra alone!
Another violent chain-reaction chakra explosion rocked the battlefield. The Heaven Cover Formation shook precariously under continuous ninjutsu attacks. While ordinary techniques couldn't penetrate sage chakra isolation, the intense shockwaves still penetrated the barrier, causing dizziness and vertigo to Jiraiya and the group of ninja frogs.
But this was only the beginning.
The thousand-strong ninja force wouldn't stop after just one or two barrages. Hyuga Soushu had no intention of wasting his subordinates' lives testing how resilient the Mount Myoboku elders were in defensive mode. Under his command, the ninja forces began relentless bombardment without pause.
Wave after wave of concentrated attacks continued. Although the Heaven Cover Formation hadn't completely collapsed thanks to the effects of sage chakra, within its coverage area the ninja frogs suffered bleeding from seven orifices. Some particularly sensitive individuals had already fallen unconscious.
"At this rate, we won't be able to hold out much longer either," Senior Fukasaku admitted with equal concern.
Although they were confident in their own strength, there was absolutely no way to guarantee the survival of all the ninja frogs under these circumstances.
"Please take care, Senior Fukasaku!"
The ninja frogs, wobbling and struggling to remain upright from the shockwaves, began gripping their weapons with what little strength they had left. In twos and threes, they rushed headlong into the barrage of jutsu beyond the Heaven's Cover barrier.
Their only purpose was to draw even a fraction of enemy fire with their own lives, giving the Elders within the barrier time to adjust their Sage Chakra output and prepare a counterattack.
However, facing thousands of enemy ninja, these dozens of brave frogs were like flies trying to halt a chariot—utterly insignificant. Under the relentless barrage of jutsu that surged like ocean tides, their final efforts vanished without even a ripple.
"What a shame to lose such valuable living specimens."
Watching the ninja frogs get blasted into bits by the overwhelming jutsu barrage, Hyuga Soushu couldn't help but feel regret.
Despite clearing out so many bases, very few ninja frogs had been captured alive. Now, in this final battle as well, there would be no prisoners—truly unfortunate.
Yet he wouldn't let up on his attacks. After all, compared to the experimental creatures of Mount Myōboku, the lives of his own ninja were far more precious.
"Jiraiya!"
Though deeply pained by the situation, Senior Fukasaku gritted his teeth and completed the adjustment of Sage Chakra under the pressure of nonstop jutsu bombardment.
"I understand."
Inside the Heaven's Cover barrier, many ninja frogs still lay unconscious. Although they still showed slight signs of life, in this kind of environment, Jiraiya had no choice but to make a difficult decision.
"Sage Mode!"
With a loud cry, Jiraiya's face began to change—red markings appeared at the corners of his eyes, forming a crisscrossing pattern of vertical and horizontal lines; his nose developed countless rough bumps; his pupils transformed into frog-like vertical slit pupils; and his chakra presence fully connected with the two Elder figures perched on his shoulders!
[Sage Art: Five Saemon Cannon!]
Without hesitation—and despite clear discomfort—Jiraiya stomped hard, leaped into the air, and forcefully activated the most powerful offensive technique available through Sage Chakra.
Oil spewed from Jiraiya's mouth and combined with Senior Fukasaku's Wind Release and Elder Shima's Fire Release, creating an immense dragon-shaped inferno capable of destroying heaven and earth. It tore through countless incoming jutsu and hurtled straight toward Hyuga Soushu!
As a Sage Technique, Five Saemon's power was unquestionable. Its massive range made it an ideal choice when facing large numbers of enemies.
However, among Hyuga Soushu's forces were no shortage of experts skilled in Fire Release.
And if one specialized in Fire Release, naturally one would know how to counter it!
[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!]
Although ordinary Water Release techniques could not block Sage Arts directly, they could effectively lower the oil's temperature and weaken the flames!
Immediately after, a formation of Uchiha ninja stepped forward in unison and launched their jutsu.
[Fire Release: Dragon Fire Dance Jutsu!]
Innumerable fire dragons collided violently with Jiraiya's combined Sage Technique, triggering an explosive chain-reaction of chakra bursts flying in all directions!
Flaming oil droplets scattered everywhere, scorching everything in an instant. Even the soil melted under the extreme heat, transforming into molten lava!
[Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!]
Then, the combined Earth Release techniques from the ninja army quickly engulfed the rolling lava, preventing its spread.
Jiraiya's Sage Art attack, while not completely ineffective, could be considered a total miss.
"Ninja Tools Barrage!"
Hyuga Soushu raised his hand, and the ninja army immediately launched a coordinated projectile assault toward Jiraiya above, with some ninja using Wind Release techniques to accelerate the barrage speed.
"Sage Art: Needle Jizo!"
Jiraiya hardened his silver hair using Sage Chakra, wrapping it around his body to block the dense hail of ninja tools.
Then, he twisted his body midair and unleashed a Sage Technique.
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Jiraiya's silver hair expanded outward, firing in all directions a storm-like volley of rigid hair needles sharp as Senbon, which, fueled by the Sage Chakra from the two elder toads, allowed him to unleash an almost infinite barrage!
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
The ninja immediately tried to block with earth techniques.
However, the Senbon laced with trace amounts of Sage Chakra pierced straight through the earthen barriers and struck deep into the ranks of the ninja army.
In an instant, the unprepared ninja were thrown into complete disarray.
Thanks to their disciplined battle formation, reinforcements quickly advanced despite the Sage Art fire to mount counterattacks, while medical ninja swiftly evacuated the wounded.
The power of the Sage was now fully revealed!
"No wonder you're one of the toad sages from Mount Myoboku!"
Even Hyuga Soushu, who had already steeled himself mentally, couldn't help but applaud Jiraiya's tactics.
After all, the attacking ninja army consisted of at least a thousand jonin, yet under these conditions, Jiraiya still managed a successful counterattack, sufficiently proving the power of Sage Mode and Mount Myoboku's Sage Arts.
"Jonin, step forward!"
With a furious shout from Hyuga Soushu, the ninja forces promptly retreated to make way for the incoming jonin assembly preparing for battle.
Meanwhile, after three consecutive Sage Art counterattacks, Jiraiya finally landed for a brief respite.
As for those Uzumaki ninja knocked down by the shockwaves, they used this opportunity to reinforce and strengthen the barrier once more.
"It seems the Summoning Technique's pulling effect has weakened."
Senior Fukasaku immediately sensed something wrong.
Judging from the spatial resistance, the barrier maintained by those Uzumaki ninja wasn't just blocking Earth Release techniques; it also disrupted reverse summonings from Mount Myoboku.
In other words, these ninja genuinely intended to either capture or kill them here.
[Power Strike!]
[Jumping Slash!]
Hyuga Soushu, who hadn't personally fought in quite some time, initiated the first attack.
Following him, the jonin launched various secret jutsu in a coordinated assault against the outnumbered Jiraiya.
"Clang!"
Jiraiya immediately raised both arms to block the Skull-crushing Blow coming straight at him from the Torch Pole strike!
From the tactile feedback, Hyuga Soushu deduced that Jiraiya's arms must be protected by bracers—otherwise, that metallic clang wouldn't have happened.
Although this attack was blocked, Jiraiya's legs sank into the soil under the tremendous impact.
Then, an extremely thin black shadow merged into his own!
"Shadow Possession Techniques!"
Jiraiya felt a sudden tightness in his body, though it quickly returned to normal.
The Nara Ninja who used Shadow Possession Techniques rolled his eyes backward and collapsed onto the ground, foaming from the mouth.
[Blood Slash!]
Hyuga Soushu first activated the equipment skill [Hunger Hydra], then delivered a powerful strike to trigger the cursed blade effect of [Tri Force], forcing Jiraiya—who had unstable aura—to sink both knees into the dirt!
At the same time, countless blades slashed toward vital points on Jiraiya and the two elders!
The Jonin surged forward as one!
With no other options left, Jiraiya activated Sage Art, using his hardened hairs to shield his entire body.
[Ignite!]
Although Needle Jizo successfully blocked physical weapon attacks, it couldn't stop Hyuga Soushu directly targeting Elder Fukasaku with [Ignite].
"Ahh!"
Elder Fukasaku cried out.
Elder Fukasaku felt as if his internal organs were about to turn into charcoal, scorching heat surging from deep within his heart.
His elderly wife, Elder Shima, quickly stretched her arms forward to strike at Hyuga Soushu's face, forcefully pushing him back.
"So even Sages can bleed, huh?"
Hyuga Soushu stepped back a few paces, escaping Elder Shima's elongated arm strike, while making a sarcastic comment.
As long as Sage Chakra wasn't invincible—as long as Sages could bleed—then it was only a matter of time before the Ninja found a way to fight back!
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