With the further improvement of his own strength and physique, coupled with the complete removal of the Eight Trigrams Seal, Menma's mastery over the Nine-Tails' chakra had become increasingly refined. Unlike before, when drawing upon that power still placed tremendous strain on his body, he could now wield it with remarkable control.
At present, by relying on the chakra cloaks up to Four Tails, Menma's combat strength was unquestionably comparable to that of an ordinary Kage-level shinobi.
However, his opponent was Jiraiya.
Even in his normal state, Jiraiya was regarded as one of the strongest shinobi in the entire ninja world a veteran whose strength stood firmly at the peak of the Kage class.
Compared to such an opponent, Menma's current level was still lacking.
Even Orochimaru was capable of suppressing Menma in this state, let alone Jiraiya.
Although Itachi Uchiha's statement in the original timeline that even he and Kisame Hoshigaki fighting together would likely be unable to defeat Jiraiya might have been somewhat exaggerated, it was still enough to demonstrate the terrifying reputation of the "Hero of the Hidden Leaf."
Since the deaths of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha, few shinobi in Konoha's history could rival Jiraiya's strength.
Well…
Aside from that monster named Might Guy.
After all, only the Eighth Gate of Death could produce such a qualitative leap in power, but that technique required the user's life as its price. It could not be used as a normal comparison.
Therefore, in this sudden encounter…
Menma immediately felt the immense pressure emanating from his opponent.
"Ninjutsu Needle Jizō!" (Hari Jizō!)
This was one of Jiraiya's signature techniques, created by making full use of his extraordinarily long white hair. Under his chakra's enhancement, every strand became as hard and sharp as steel.
With its power, even an elite jōnin would suffer severe injuries if their reaction was even slightly too slow.
Jiraiya completed the hand seals instantly.
Clap!
Without hesitation, Menma drew upon even more of the Nine-Tails' chakra. The crimson chakra tails swung forward, intertwining into an enormous defensive barrier directly before him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Countless needle-like hairs rained down, producing an endless series of metallic impacts as they collided against the chakra barrier.
Because the barrier itself had been formed from the Nine-Tails' chakra, Menma, as its jinchūriki, could clearly feel the tremendous penetrating force behind every single needle.
At that instant, the expression beneath his fox-like eyes grew even more solemn.
So this… is the strength of one of the Legendary Sannin…
Good.
Only an opponent like this is worthy of being called a true test.
The crimson slit pupils in Menma's eyes became even more pronounced.
Boom!!
An even greater surge of chakra erupted from his body.
Whoosh!!
A fifth chakra tail emerged.
Then…
A sixth.
The crimson chakra cloak expanded violently, filling the battlefield with an overwhelming, malevolent pressure.
Even so, Menma deliberately restrained himself from entering the Version 2 tailed-beast cloak.
Although transforming further would greatly enhance his speed, durability, and destructive power, he would lose the ability to weave hand seals with precision.
The advantages and disadvantages were equally obvious.
At present…
There was no need.
The amplification provided by the Six-Tails chakra cloak alone was already sufficient.
"Six tails…!?"
Jiraiya's pupils contracted sharply as he witnessed the appearance of the sixth chakra tail.
Earlier, the distance between them had prevented him from sensing Menma's chakra clearly.
But now…
Not only had the distance closed considerably, Menma was also releasing the Nine-Tails' chakra without restraint.
An extremely unsettling thought surfaced in Jiraiya's mind.
The key… is still with me.
Could it be…?
No… impossible!
Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya forcefully suppressed that thought.
The Eight Trigrams Seal was no ordinary sealing technique.
He did not believe it could be broken so easily.
The key to the seal remained in his possession.
As for whether Menma had somehow forced the Nine-Tails to break the seal through brute force…
It wasn't entirely impossible.
But the difficulty bordered on absurd.
If the Eight Trigrams Seal could be broken so easily, then how could it have restrained Kurama's chakra for so many years?
More importantly…
Could Menma truly communicate with the Nine-Tails?
Both previous generations of Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki had relied almost entirely upon suppressing Kurama through force.
Jiraiya simply could not believe that a boy barely thirteen years old had managed to establish genuine communication with the Nine-Tails.
Or perhaps…
He simply refused to believe it.
Because this was Uzumaki Menma, not the Uzumaki Naruto of another possible future.
For the sake of the village…
For peace…
And to atone for the mistakes of the past…
Jiraiya had already resolved to capture Menma here.
Minato… Kushina… Sensei… forgive me.
But I swear I will keep Menma alive.
One day… I'll bring this child back to the right path.
Determination filled Jiraiya's eyes.
Clap!
His palms slammed together once more.
An even more terrifying torrent of chakra erupted from his body.
"!?"
Even Menma instinctively stiffened upon sensing the overwhelming pressure.
Unlike the Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, Hyūga, and other clans that inherited traces of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's bloodline, Jiraiya possessed no special lineage whatsoever.
He was, by every definition…
An ordinary man.
Yet through talent, perseverance, and decades of relentless training, he had climbed to the absolute pinnacle of the shinobi world.
Jiraiya truly was one of the greatest shinobi alive.
But…
"So this is all you've got?"
A fierce grin spread across Menma's face, making him resemble a young Nine-Tails itself.
"It's still not enough!"
Whoosh!
His body lowered.
The chakra beneath his feet exploded.
He shot toward Jiraiya like a crimson meteor.
As his arm swept forward
Shing!
A single shuriken spun into his hand.
Whoosh!
With a flick of his wrist
"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!" (Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!)
Chakra surged into the spinning weapon.
The instant the technique was completed
Thousands of identical shuriken materialized in the air, filling the sky in an overwhelming torrent before descending upon Jiraiya from every direction.
"!?"
Even Jiraiya's eyes narrowed upon witnessing such an enormous barrage.
Clap!
He slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" (Doton: Doryūheki!)
The earth shook violently.
Rumble!!
An enormous earthen wall several times larger and thicker than a normal Doryūheki surged upward from the ground.
Its deliberately curved surface further increased its defensive capability, while its tremendous thickness made it resemble a fortress rather than an ordinary earth wall.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Nearly every incoming shuriken crashed against the wall.
Although many penetrated deep into the dense layers of earth, none possessed enough force to completely pierce through the massive barrier and threaten Jiraiya behind it.
But Menma had never expected this attack to injure him.
Its true purpose…
Was merely to create an opening.
Boom!
His feet kicked off the ground.
His figure shot into the air in a crimson blur.
From directly above the towering earth wall
Menma looked down.
Jiraiya looked up.
Their eyes met.
And in that instant… the true clash between master and prodigy was about to begin.
In the blink of an eye, Menma closed the distance.
Raising his right hand high into the air, he gathered an enormous amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra into his palm before bringing it crashing down.
The crimson chakra surged violently, carrying with it a savage pressure capable of crushing everything in its path.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.
Without the slightest hesitation, he molded chakra just as quickly.
Whoosh!
His long white hair shot forward like countless steel wires.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"(Ranjishigami no Jutsu!)
The hardened strands collided head-on with Menma's chakra-enhanced strike.
Boom!
A heavy impact echoed across the battlefield as violent shockwaves rippled outward in every direction.
Everyone nearby instinctively turned toward the clash.
Menma's expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he poured even more Nine-Tails' chakra into his attack.
"Hah!"
With a powerful shout, he forced his arm downward once more.
The pressure increased dramatically.
"!? "
Jiraiya immediately felt the tremendous weight pressing against him, causing his expression to grow increasingly grave.
Such overwhelming physical strength…
Is this solely the power of the Nine-Tails?
Looking into Menma's cold, emotionless fox-like eyes, Jiraiya felt the heaviness in his heart deepen.
"Menma… don't continue making the same mistake. There's still time to turn back. Everything can still "
Even now…
Even with Menma trying to kill him…
Jiraiya still refused to abandon the hope of persuading him.
Unfortunately
"Noisy."
Menma answered with only a single icy word.
Boom!!
Behind him, one of the Nine-Tails' chakra tails suddenly lashed downward.
Moving at blinding speed, it crashed toward Jiraiya.
"!?"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Jiraiya barely had time to react.
Bang!
The chakra tail struck him squarely across the body.
Whoosh!
His figure was launched backward like a cannonball.
Boom!!
He smashed heavily into the ground dozens of meters away, sending earth and dust flying into the air.
"Ahem…"
As the dust gradually settled, Jiraiya slowly rose to his feet.
The left side of his clothing had been torn apart and scorched black, while patches of exposed skin bore visible burn marks from the corrosive chakra.
Fortunately…
His combat instincts had saved him.
At the very instant the chakra tail connected, Jiraiya had instinctively used the momentum to retreat, reducing the force of the blow.
Otherwise…
Had he taken that attack head-on, even he would have suffered severe injuries.
To think he can control the Nine-Tails' chakra to this extent…
Jiraiya looked toward Menma in the distance, unable to describe the emotions welling up inside him.
One thing, however, had become abundantly clear.
He could no longer afford to hold back.
Not only had Menma already demonstrated strength capable of threatening him…
The murderous intent radiating from the boy was completely genuine.
There was no hesitation.
No mercy.
That realization caused Jiraiya's heart to ache.
Menma was the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
To Jiraiya, he should have been no different from his own grandson.
As long as even the slightest possibility remained…
Jiraiya truly did not wish to cross blades with him.
For the Legendary Sannin…
This battle was an unbearable burden.
Unfortunately…
Menma neither knew nor cared about Jiraiya's inner struggle.
Even if he did…
He would only mock it.
A grandfather?
Don't make me laugh.
If that so-called grandfather had neglected him for years and now intended to erase his own will under the guise of righteousness
Then such a man…
Deserved no sympathy.
Boom!!
Only death awaited anyone who tried to stand in his way.
An icy killing intent filled Menma's crimson fox eyes.
Clap!
The Nine-Tails' chakra tails swept through the battlefield like crimson phantoms while Menma formed another hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Clouds of white smoke erupted around him.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Within moments, more than a dozen shadow clones appeared around Jiraiya from every direction.
Several immediately charged forward.
The rest rapidly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" (Doton: Yomi Numa!)
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"(Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!)
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"(Fūton: Daitoppa!)
One technique after another erupted across the battlefield.
The attacks overlapped seamlessly, blanketing the surrounding area.
Menma showed no concern for the shadow clones caught within the range of his own techniques.
Jiraiya's expression immediately became serious.
Clap!
His hands flashed through another sequence of seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Biting his thumb once more, he slammed his palm onto the ground.
Puff!!
A massive cloud of smoke exploded outward.
From within it descended an enormous crimson toad carrying a giant sasumata polearm in one hand and a gigantic manhole-cover-shaped shield in the other.
It was none other than Gamaken.
Boom!!
Gamaken landed with tremendous force.
His enormous body instantly crushed the charging shadow clones beneath him.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Gamaken swung the massive shield forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The incoming Fire Release and Wind Release techniques slammed against the shield in rapid succession, exploding one after another.
At the same time, the swamp beneath him failed to impede his movements.
With a tremendous leap, Gamaken carried Jiraiya clear of the quagmire.
For ordinary shinobi…
Even after signing a contract with an entire summoning clan, consecutively summoning giant creatures like this was nearly impossible due to the immense chakra consumption.
But Jiraiya was no ordinary shinobi.
Although his chakra reserves could not compare to those of the Senju or Uzumaki clans, summoning another giant toad from Mount Myōboku was still well within his capabilities.
Menma wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He had anticipated this response.
Without missing a beat
He bit his thumb as well.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
His palm slammed downward through the air.
Puff!!
Another massive cloud of smoke erupted.
A gigantic lizard from Ryūchi Cave, Urushi, emerged with astonishing momentum.
Charging from the side
Boom!!
Urushi's powerful tail slammed directly into Gamaken's enormous shield.
The collision produced an ear-splitting explosion.
The tremendous impact forced Gamaken backward several steps.
Even Jiraiya, standing atop Gamaken's head, nearly lost his footing.
Whoosh!
Gamaken immediately steadied himself, bracing the shield with one arm while gripping his giant sasumata tightly with the other.
With a powerful thrust, he drove the weapon straight toward Urushi's vital point.
"Hmph."
The distance between them was simply too short.
Dodging was no longer an option.
Menma merely let out a cold snort.
His palms came together once again.
Clap!
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
That hand seal…!?
The next instant
Clink! Clink!
Two brilliant golden chains erupted from Menma's back like living dragons.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains shot across the battlefield at astonishing speed, heading straight toward Gamaken with overwhelming force.