Naruto watched expressionlessly as Jiraiya stood atop Gamaken's head, his left hand forward, his right hand back, crouching in a ridiculous pose. The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched slightly.
Jiraiya wasn't a bad person, and his goofy demeanor was actually quite endearing. However, their opposing stances made it impossible for Naruto to feel any fondness for him. Moreover, Jiraiya's arrogance was something Naruto found particularly distasteful.
Jiraiya bit his palm, using the blood to draw two lines on his face. Then, with his wrists pressed together, he clasped his hands.
"Gamaken, I need to enter Sage Mode and summon the two Great Sage Toads. During this time, I won't be able to separate my hands. Please buy me some time."
"What...? I understand. Though I'm not very capable, I'll do my best to hold them off."
Gamaken's frog eyes widened slightly, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.
"Aren't you going to come out and say hello?"
Naruto asked Minato in his mind. He hadn't blocked the seal space from observing the outside world, so Minato had seen everything that had happened since they received the news.
Minato's expression was complicated. He had wanted to pretend he hadn't seen anything, but Naruto had called him out. Naruto was trying to torment him.
"If I tried to stop you, would you spare Jiraiya-sensei?"
"No, I'm just letting you say goodbye."
Naruto's answer was direct. He simply wanted to see if a 'teacher-student betrayal' scene would play out. After all, killing one's teacher was a tradition in the Naruto World. However, it seemed he wouldn't get to witness.
Hearing Naruto's response, Minato's expression didn't change. This was the answer he had expected.
"Essentially, I'm already a dead man. Appearing before Jiraiya-sensei now would only cause him unnecessary pain."
"Though it might sound shameless, Naruto, could you, for my sake, ensure that Jiraiya-sensei suffers as little as possible?"
Naruto remained silent for a moment before replying, "Don't worry. I have no intention of torturing Jiraiya."
With that, neither of them spoke further, and Gamaken had already swung his massive trident toward Naruto.
The best way to buy time was to take the initiative and force the opponent into a defensive position.
Just as Gamaken's trident was about to hit Naruto, a flash of golden light appeared, and Naruto dodged the attack.
At the same time, Naruto's figure appeared like a ghost above Jiraiya. In his hand, a swirling blue sphere of Chakra formed, and the Rasengan smashed down at Jiraiya like a meteor.
However, Jiraiya wasn't caught off guard. As Minato's teacher, he was deeply familiar with the Flying Thunder God Technique. He had also learned about the unique aspects of Naruto's version from Shikaku. Thus, he had prepared for this moment, constantly sensing the changes around him with his Chakra.
Seizing the brief moment between the appearance of the Flying Thunder God's mark and Naruto's attack, Jiraiya sidestepped at the last second, dodging the Rasengan. The attack struck Gamaken's smooth head, leaving a bloody wound.
"Ugh!"
Gamaken let out a pained groan.
As Jiraiya dodged, he leaned back, his cheeks puffing out. Even with his hands clasped together, he could still perform Ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Jiraiya took a deep breath, converting the Chakra in his body into oil, which he spat out toward Naruto. At the same time, he used a Fire Release Ninjutsu to ignite the oil, creating a massive, blazing fireball.
Naruto didn't dodge. The three tomoe in his eyes instantly transformed into vertical pupils. A sharp, gleaming sword appeared in his hand, its surface glowing faintly blue as Naruto infused it with Chakra.
With a swift motion, Naruto swung the sword, splitting the fireball in two with a loud explosion. The fireball dissipated into the air, but a Chakra-infused sword beam continued toward Jiraiya.
Naruto's figure flashed again, appearing at Jiraiya's side. He swung the sword horizontally.
Jiraiya, who is still dodging the chakra sword beam, had no time to avoid Naruto's slash. Instead of trying to dodge, Jiraiya's hair began to grow rapidly. Using Chakra, he hardened his silver hair, wrapping it around his body like a shield. At the same time, strands of hardened hair shot out toward Naruto.
"Needle Jizo!"
Naruto's expression remained unchanged. A fiery red Chakra Cloak enveloped his body, blocking the sharp, hardened hair. His sword continued its path. Although there was a layer of obstruction, it was still deeply embedded in Jiraiya's waist and abdomen.
As the sword pierced Jiraiya's body, Naruto's eyes flickered with a hint of emotion.
Releasing the sword, Naruto unleashed a burst of Wind Nature Chakra, sending Jiraiya's body flying.
As Jiraiya was flung into the air, a look of surprise crossed his face. Then, his body exploded mid-air.
"A clone and explosive tags?"
"He must have set it up during the summoning."
Naruto was slightly impressed. He didn't expect Jiraiya had managed to deceive his senses.
Naruto leaped high into the air again as Gamaken's trident struck its own head, leaving the toad dazed.
"I'm really useless."
Gamaken's body swayed unsteadily on the water.
"Is he hiding inside the toad?"
Naruto stabilized himself in mid-air, observing the swaying Gamaken. A small black sphere formed in his hand.
"Cero!"
Naruto clenched the black sphere, pouring all his Chakra into it. A black beam shot from his hand, swift as lightning. The beam tore through the air, instantly piercing Gamaken's body.
Gamaken's eyes widened, and his swaying body froze. The black beam didn't stop after piercing Gamaken. Naruto's arm moved downward, carrying immense energy and destructive force. The beam sliced Gamaken's body in two.
Watching the bisected toad, Naruto's face showed no joy. He only murmured softly, "So that's how it is."