"That mute bastard… is really this strong?"
As Gamabunta's condition worsened, Obito felt a growing sense of unease. Normally, his lively personality led him to enjoy pranking the members of the Aburame Clan's Security Division.
His favorite target, Aburame Shikuro, who often hung around with Fugaku, had been the victim of Obito's antics more times than he could count.
"Maybe I should stop messing with Mr. Shikuro from now on… Those bug-users really are terrifying…"
Without even realizing it, Obito had already changed the way he addressed Shikuro—switching from "old man" to "Mr." after witnessing his terrifying abilities.
"Take me back to Mount Myoboku… Jiraiya, I… I can't hold on much longer…"
Gamabunta clutched his chest in agony, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Near his heart, a sinister purple hue was darkening, slowly turning into a lifeless gray, as if marking the countdown to his demise.
"Tsk… As expected of Shikuro."
Minato remained composed as he observed the scene. As the Vice Captain of the Konoha Security Division, he was well aware of how fearsome the Aburame Clan could be, despite their unassuming appearances.
They were the embodiment of "a one-man army."
Once bonded with their specialized chakra-consuming insects, which grew stronger by devouring energy, any weak shinobi unfortunate enough to face them would simply become nourishment for the swarm.
And among them, Aburame Shikuro, who wielded deadly nano-poison bugs, was an unparalleled force on the battlefield—a master of both assassination and large-scale combat.
If they were just a bit more ruthless, Minato and Shikuro could have easily launched a large-scale biohazard attack by infiltrating enemy graveyards and using corpses to spread their deadly swarm.
"Lord Bunta...he's already down?! Kakashi, this isn't some jutsu from Obito, is it?"
Asuma stared in disbelief at the massive, seemingly doomed toad.
"Just how many secret techniques does the Uchiha Clan have? They can instantly take down a summon this enormous?"
For the first time, Asuma felt the full weight of his father's legacy pressing down on him.
He muttered under his breath, barely audible, "The pressure… now I understand what Father has always carried…"
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't determine what technique had brought Gamabunta down so suddenly.
Still, one thing was clear—if he had been hit with that attack instead, he would have suffered a far worse fate than the giant toad.
"This… looks like poisoning," Rin said, pressing her lips together as she recalled her medical training. She analyzed the situation calmly.
"Gamabunta's blood has changed color—it's definitely a fast-acting toxin.
And it's not Obito's doing."
Meanwhile, Kakashi, the leader of their group, simply shook his head in silence.
To him, this battle was already over.
Whether it was Minato's team, who had fought admirably, or Jiraiya's team, who had been thoroughly overwhelmed, they were all just appetizers before the real fight.
The true power struggle within Konoha was about to begin—this battle was merely a smokescreen.
"Forget about this for now. Focus on recovering your strength.
If you want to witness a battle between real powerhouses, at the very least, make sure you don't get caught up in the aftershocks.
Don't drag Jiraiya down with you."
Kakashi methodically wiped his White Fang blade, his cold gaze stopping Asuma from questioning Obito any further.
Kurenai quietly pulled Asuma aside and spoke in a low voice.
"Asuma, there's no such thing as fairness in a shinobi battle.
Don't be naive."
Asuma's face tensed, frustration flashing in his eyes as he lowered his head and muttered bitterly,
"So this… is the real ninja world?
Disgusting…"
"Hold on, Bunta!
I'm sending you back to Mount Myoboku right now—the Great Toad Sage will definitely have a way to save you!"
Jiraiya poured every ounce of his strength into medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques, but none of them could slow Gamabunta's deterioration.
"Reverse Summoning Jutsu!"
With a loud bang, Gamabunta vanished in a puff of smoke, returning to Mount Myoboku.
What Jiraiya failed to notice, however, was that just before the toad disappeared, his longtime companion had already closed his eyes forever.
Once Shikuro's nano-poison infiltrated the heart, there was no cure.
"Fuma… you bastard, don't you think you've gone too far?"
Jiraiya's white hair trembled, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Too far?
I'd say using a giant summon against academy students is what's truly shameless."
"Or what, Jiraiya? You mad just because an animal died?"
Fuma's expression remained indifferent.
He had known from the start that Jiraiya was just looking for an excuse to pick a fight. It was the same old Konoha hypocrisy—I can bully you, but if you resist, you're the evil Uchiha.
"An animal?!
Gamabunta was my partner since childhood!"
Jiraiya's eyes burned with rage. A surge of righteous fury, the so-called Will of Konoha, erupted from his body.
He slammed his hands onto the ground and roared—
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A thick cloud of white smoke billowed outward, accompanied by a loud, bickering argument.
"Jiraiya, what's going on? Is this a strong enemy?"
"The Great Sage gave you permission to summon us whenever, but we didn't expect you to call us this quickly!"
"Ah… Boss, Big Sis, I'm sorry about this.
But there's something important I need to confirm—it's about what Gamabunta told me, regarding the Box of Ultimate Bliss…"
As Fuma sensed the powerful chakra radiating from Jiraiya's direction, his eyes narrowed with interest.
He already understood Jiraiya's capabilities.
At this point in time, Jiraiya was undoubtedly stronger than the average Jonin, but he was far from the level of a Kage—he was more like a younger version of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But now?
Jiraiya's chakra had surged to several times its previous strength, both in power and quality.
More importantly, in the original timeline, summoning these two elder toads required extensive preparation.
Yet, this Jiraiya had called them forth with ease.
"Looks like Mount Myoboku has granted him some kind of special secret art or privilege…"
Fuma studied the two elder toads carefully, his black eyes gleaming with intrigue.
These toads had supposedly lived for over eight hundred years and weren't even near the end of their lifespans.
And yet, shinobi like Hashirama and Madara—who were undoubtedly stronger than these toads—had lifespans similar to ordinary humans.
Did natural energy extend life?
Or was it the reincarnation chakra within Hashirama and Madara that caused their limited lifespan?
Or perhaps… was the very chakra system itself a flawed power? To Fuma, this was a question worth investigating.
"Fuma, I have mastered the secrets of Mount Myoboku.
I am not the same as before."
Jiraiya's shoulders now bore the two elder toads—Shima and Fukasaku.
His face was marked with red pigmentation, his nose had transformed into a warty, toad-like texture, and his chin was covered in a patch of white hair.
He now truly resembled a hermit who had emerged from the mountains.
"Honey, this Uchiha kid… he reeks of trouble," Shima murmured, sniffing deeply.
"It's just like that man from back then…
There's no doubt—he has a strong connection to the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
Fukasaku clasped his hands together, rapidly absorbing all the natural energy he could.
"That's right, dear.
Never mind the Box of Ultimate Bliss—his aura...It's exactly the same as Uchiha Madara's."
Jiraiya's face twisted in shock.
"Madara? You can't be serious. Fuma… that guy… isn't that dangerous, right?"
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