"What?"
Jiraiya looked at Hakushi in disbelief.
"Dragging the Neutral Country into the quagmire of war, so what? In such an era, a country can only be treated as a pawn. If you lose one, you can find the next one; after all, there are always more pawns available."
"Nonsense, how can a country be used as a tool for personal gain and glory?"
A look of anger appeared on Jiraiya's face.
Faced with the slightly agitated Jiraiya, Hakushi maintained a calm demeanor, unchanged, making Jiraiya feel as if he was confronting a highly precise machine rather than a living human being.
"Why not? I'm just following my own justice."
"There's no such justice in the world."
"Then I'll carve out a path of such justice myself."
Hakushi responded with a smile, his gaze calm and unwaveringly determined.
"You really are..."
Jiraiya clenched his fist, his expression seemed somewhat conflicted.
Seeing the student of an old friend walk down such a crooked path filled him with deep sorrow.
This guy could no longer be reasoned with.
"Really are?"
Hakushi tilted his head, not quite understanding the meaning behind Jiraiya's words.
Really are? Really what?
Sarutobi Ryu murmured, "Jiraiya, just give it up. Someone like him can't be reasoned with."
Jiraiya sighed and nodded, his eyes showing a firmer resolve.
He said to Hakushi, "I originally intended to spare your life and take you to Mount Myoboku, where the Great Toad Sage could personally guide you to the right path... but now it seems that's no longer necessary. If I continue to let you go, you'll probably drag this Ninja Realm into the war's quagmire, causing countless people to become displaced. Therefore, I will kill you with my own hands here!"
Killing intent filled his eyes.
Hakushi was not intimidated by such a presence but instead, spoke with a hint of confusion:
"Even though I don't know what's provoked you, isn't such presumptuous speculation a prophecy made by Mount Myoboku... Should I find time to go and ask that Great Toad Sage you're talking about?"
Sometime soon, he would certainly visit Mount Myoboku.
A bunch of mystical toads staying away from the world for amusement is one thing, but since they already stand in my way, they must be removed.
To predict and decide destinies, in Hakushi's view, there was no arrogance greater than this.
"The realm of the Immortal is not something mortals can trespass upon. Next, let me, a hot-blooded hero, teach you, kid, how to properly respect the Immortal!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily, pressing his hands against both sides of his face, sketching with colors as if extending them for the convenience of a particular jutsu.
Subsequently, Jiraiya quickly jumped backward with both hands tightly clasped.
Hakushi's eyes slightly squinted, clearly sensing the change in the Natural Energy within the barrier, he extended his palm, and the shadow beneath his feet suddenly seemed to transform into a tangible body, rising from the flat surface, morphing into a Shadow Blade, tearing through the air, flying towards Jiraiya's chest.
"Don't even think about it!"
Sarutobi Ryu brandished his Ninja Blade, coated with red flames, infused with Fire Attribute Chakra, blocking the assassination of the Shadow Blade, thus gaining time for Jiraiya's Jutsu.
Sarutobi Linko also simultaneously condensed Chakra Scalpel in both hands, quickly dashing towards Hakushi.
The eight Konoha Ninja beside them also moved at the sound, charging towards Hakushi alongside Sarutobi Linko.
Hakushi remained motionless, as the nine Ninja from the Land of Demons leapt forward, brandishing kunai or Ninja Blades, intercepting Sarutobi Linko and the nine Konoha Ninja mid-air.
Successfully blocking the enemies in the air, the shadows beneath Hakushi suddenly split open again, rising from the plane into a mass of black shadow, dispersing into a multitude of slender Shadow Blades, piercing mercilessly through the bodies of the nine Ninja from the Land of Demons, unabatedly stabbing towards the bodies of Sarutobi Linko and the nine Konoha Ninja.
A rain of blood sprayed in mid-air.