Chapter 223 — An Ordinary Attack Equal to a Final Technique
"Summoning Technique."
In an instant, the Animal Path slammed its palms onto the ground, summoning a horde of colossal beasts—monstrous creatures with fangs and claws that shook the earth as they landed.
"Summoning Technique," Yusuke murmured, mirroring the movement. His palms pressed against the shattered stone, and a burst of chakra flared beneath him. A cloud of smoke exploded outward—revealing the towering toad boss himself.
"Gamabunta, go find yourself a suitable opponent. Leave the rest to me," Yusuke said with a faint, confident smile.
"Got it!" Gamabunta grunted, his massive pipe dangling from his mouth.
Without hesitation, he leapt high into the air, the ground cracking beneath his weight as he charged toward one of the giant summons—the same beast that had once wounded Gamaken.
Meanwhile, Yusuke advanced on the others. His hand tightened around the massive iron kanabō resting on his shoulder.
"Raimei Ikka."
His first swing came down like divine judgment. The weapon collided with a demonic rhinoceros, and the moment they touched, the creature's enormous body exploded—flesh and bone scattering into a rain of gore that painted the ground crimson.
"Raimei Nika."
The second swing was even faster. A gigantic bird soaring in the air was struck mid-flight, its form disintegrating into dust before its scream could even echo.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, the Animal Path clenched its teeth and formed another summoning seal. This time, a massive panda with skin tougher than steel emerged, its bulk towering over the battlefield like a fortress.
Yusuke took a step forward.
"Raimei Sanka."
"Raimei Yonka."
Two swings—no more, no less—and the giant panda split apart, its body crumbling into fragments.
After that, Yusuke destroyed every remaining summon with a single blow each.
From afar, both Gamabunta and Jiraiya stood frozen, their faces twitching in disbelief, eyes watering for reasons they couldn't quite explain.
"Gamabunta," Yusuke called as he suddenly leapt onto the giant toad's head. "You sure you can handle this?"
"Ugh—too heavy!" Gamabunta groaned, his knees buckling under Yusuke's absurd weight.
"Need a hand finishing that up?" Yusuke asked casually, his tone teasing. "It's got, what… eight heads left?"
Gamabunta gave up completely. Even the great toad boss had to admit defeat. The immortal hound, which grew stronger each time it divided, had overwhelmed him.
Yusuke raised his kanabō.
"Raimei Hakke — Indra's Abyss."
With a single downward strike, he obliterated the eternal hound completely—its form vaporized beyond regeneration.
"Amazing…" Gamabunta muttered under his breath, half in awe, half in despair.
Yusuke didn't stop. He turned toward the Animal Path and swung again—one clean hit. The body was destroyed instantly.
The Deva Path extended his hand. "Banshō Ten'in!"
But the gravitational pull did nothing. Yusuke didn't move an inch.
Before the Deva Path could blink, Yusuke was already beside the Asura Path.
The mechanized body expanded—three heads, six arms, missile launchers firing in every direction.
Each projectile was instantly deflected by the sheer air pressure from Yusuke's swings. The blasts reversed course and detonated midair, lighting up the rain-dark sky.
Yusuke kept advancing—his pace unhurried, his eyes calm.
Then, with a single swing—
It was over.
Just like before, he dispatched every Path with one strike each.
Only the Deva Path, now missing one arm, and the Naraka Path remained.
"So?" Yusuke tilted his head slightly. "Still want to keep going? Naraka Path's still functional, so you can just revive the rest. If you'd like, I can repeat this whole 'training session' as many times as you want."
"Hmph. I'll let you live this time," Pain said coldly.
Using the Naraka Path, he restored all six bodies, then turned away without another word.
He wouldn't risk using Chibaku Tensei or Shinra Tensei inside Amegakure—and deep down, he knew.
To fight Yusuke was to lose.
Yusuke only shrugged and turned toward Jiraiya.
"Let's go home, Jiraiya-nii."
"…All right," Jiraiya exhaled, exhaustion and relief blending in his tone.
"By the way," he added after a moment, eyes suddenly sparkling like a child's, "that move of yours earlier was amazing. Can I learn it?"
He imagined himself wielding that black kanabō wreathed in red lightning, crushing enemies one after another like some warlord from an ancient legend.
"Of course," Yusuke replied calmly.
"Seriously?! Then teach me those techniques!" Jiraiya said eagerly, practically bouncing on his feet.
"Oh, it's simple," Yusuke replied, his expression perfectly flat. "You just… swing the club as hard as you can."
"What?!" Jiraiya's jaw nearly hit the ground. "Just a normal swing?!"
"Then what about that black-red lightning?!" he demanded.
"That's just air friction," Yusuke said nonchalantly. "The swing's too fast, that's all."
"And the names—Raimei Ikka, Raimei Nika, Raimei Sanka—what about those?!" Jiraiya cried out, almost fainting.
"Oh, those?" Yusuke said. "They're just power levels. Ikka means less than ten percent, Nika means ten percent, and so on. They're not separate techniques—just stronger swings."
Jiraiya stared at him blankly. His entire ninja career—the years spent perfecting jutsu, mastering secret arts—suddenly felt like a lie. All his complicated "ultimate moves" couldn't compare to… a single swing.
— — —
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, the news of Jiraiya's death had already reached Tsunade and Naruto through Fukasaku.
"Damn it! Where's Yusuke?! Why did he vanish when we needed him most?!" Tsunade roared, fury and grief twisting her expression.
Jiraiya wasn't just a comrade—he was family. The loss shattered her heart.
"I understand, Fukasaku-sama," Naruto said, clenching his fists. His eyes burned with resolve. "I'll inherit Ero-sennin's will."
"Jiraiya didn't choose wrong, young Naruto. You're a fine shinobi," Fukasaku praised warmly.
"That's right! I'll master Sage Mode! I'll become even stronger!" Naruto declared with fiery determination.
"Sage Mode, huh? That must've been Jiraiya's request," Fukasaku nodded. "Very well, I'll train you."
"No, not from Ero-sennin… but from Uncle Yusuke!" Naruto blurted out. "He told me he went to Mount Myōboku and already got permission from the two Sages. Didn't you see him?"
"What? Yusuke… is at Mount Myōboku?" Fukasaku's eyes widened.
"Yeah! Ask Toneri!" Naruto pointed at Yusuke's disciple.
"Right. Sensei left about twenty minutes ago," Toneri explained calmly. "At his speed, he should be back any second now."
"When did you say Yusuke left?" Tsunade asked sharply, her expression shifting.
"About twenty minutes ago…" Naruto repeated, confused.
"Is that so…" Tsunade murmured, realization dawning in her eyes. For a brief moment, her face froze—disbelief mixing with a fragile hope she couldn't suppress.
"Sage Fukasaku, return to Mount Myōboku for now. There's something you need to confirm," Tsunade instructed.
"All right—"
Before Fukasaku could finish, a familiar voice cut in from the doorway.
"Uncle Yusuke! You're back!"
Yusuke smiled lightly. "Come on now, stop crying. Look who I brought home."
From behind him, a familiar silhouette stepped forward—white hair, red lines, and that ridiculous smile.
"You're welcoming me like this, huh? Wahahaha! Quite the grand reception!" Jiraiya announced with his trademark laugh.
"Ero-sennin!!!" Naruto burst into tears, sprinting toward him.
Jiraiya looked down at the boy with gentle pride. "It's all right, Naruto. Don't let sadness chain you down. I'm alive thanks to Yusuke. And those words you said earlier… I'm proud of you. Truly proud."
"All right, that's enough," Tsunade said, her tone forced into nonchalance though her eyes trembled faintly. "If you're not dead, then good. End of story."
Jiraiya smiled quietly and nodded. Deep down, he'd been changed.
Perhaps… it was time to rethink the world.
The future that Naruto and Yusuke would shape together.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Join my Patreon here:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ Enjoy 125+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 2 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
🌙 Note: Sunday is a rest day, so there will be no updates tomorrow. Regular uploads resume as usual on Monday.
Join now and dive deeper into the story—weeks ahead of public release!
Thank you for your amazing support 💖
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —