More than twenty days later, Yako finally waited for Jiraiya to challenge him.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsunade, and Orochimaru watching, Jiraiya had Bunta hold him off while he sat there absorbing natural energy on his own.
When Bunta realized Fox had no intention of continuing the fight, he crouched outside the valley and waited with everyone else for Jiraiya to enter Sage Mode.
After a burst of white smoke, Jiraiya walked out with the two Great Sages on his shoulders.
The three of them were muttering about something from afar—something about the Child of Prophecy, changing the shinobi world, and other mystical nonsense.
Yako thought, 'Finally. Time to show off.'
"Jiraiya-sama, you're finally ready. Half an hour. I almost fell asleep."
For some reason, that line hit Orochimaru's sense of humor, and he began chuckling in that eerie way of his.
Jiraiya did not lose his temper. He only slowly kicked off his wooden sandals.
"Fox, I admit you're strong. But my Sage Mode isn't weak either. Let me see how much strength Konoha's ANBU Commander really has."
Webbing grew between Jiraiya's fingers and toes. His feet cracked the ground as he launched himself toward Yako.
A heavy sweeping kick came straight at him.
But a miniature Threefold Wood Golem, only two men tall, burst from the ground.
Jiraiya's kick slammed into its chest with a dull impact, like a wooden hammer striking stone.
To his horror, the Wood Golem didn't budge. Jiraiya immediately retreated.
Looking closely, he realized long roots had spread from the Wood Golem's feet into the ground. The force of his flying kick had been transferred straight into the earth, which was why the golem had not moved at all.
Fukasaku Sage sighed. "So that's the First Hokage's Wood Release? Its durability is absurd."
Yako pressed a hand against the back of the Threefold Wood Golem and assessed Jiraiya's taijutsu strength.
The inside of the Wood Golem had suffered a few cracks, but they quickly repaired themselves thanks to Wood Release's properties.
In Sage Mode, Jiraiya's strength was among the top even within Kage level.
But Yako had to perform.
"Jiraiya, this is Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode? I have a question. Is Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode the weakest of the Three Great Sacred Lands? Why can't it even break my Wood Golem?"
Jiraiya still didn't get angry.
Because he knew his Sage Mode was powerful.
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Jiraiya dropped low to the ground, and his white hair shot out behind him.
Dense, overwhelming hair needles rained toward Yako and the Threefold Wood Golem.
The Wood Golem could block them, but looking like a hedgehog afterward wouldn't be very appealing.
"Wood Release: Hōbi Technique!"
A curved wooden wall rose like a chrysalis and shielded Yako.
Outside, the impacts rang out in rapid thuds. Hair Needle Senbon simply did not have enough power to break through Wood Release.
Jiraiya stared at the Hōbi Technique, now bristling like a porcupine, and said in a low voice, "Wood Release is too strong. Ordinary jutsu can't even break its defense."
The Wood Golem Technique could catch a Tailed Beast Ball barehanded, and the Hōbi Technique was even more specialized for defense. Jiraiya had no good answer.
"Then the three of us will combine oil, wind, and fire!"
The three began forming hand signs, preparing to use their combined senjutsu, Goemon.
At that moment, a voice echoed through the valley.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
Jiraiya's footing suddenly became unstable as countless thick trunks burst from the ground.
He and the two toad sages pushed forward with Goemon at full strength.
But hidden among the maple trunks was a thin, slender Wood Dragon.
It was only as thick as an arm, but it wrapped around Jiraiya's right leg, waist, and chest.
His chakra began draining away rapidly.
Yako's figure appeared.
"Goemon? That's a legendary S-rank Fire Release technique. If I let you complete it, things would become troublesome."
A large amount of chakra was absorbed by the Wood Dragon Technique.
Shima Sage said, "Brat, Mount Myōboku's senjutsu chakra isn't something you can just absorb..."
Cracking sounds of petrification rang out.
Yako saw the Wood Dragon begin turning to stone after absorbing senjutsu chakra.
His expression changed slightly.
"So this is senjutsu chakra..."
From his sleeve, another Wood Dragon dropped and rushed toward Jiraiya, locking him down again.
Jiraiya complained, "How did you make Wood Dragon feel like one of Orochimaru's snakes? It's disgusting.
Since I can't break free for now, Honored Sages, let's absorb natural energy together and produce senjutsu chakra. Let him experience just how violent senjutsu chakra really is!"
Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage existed precisely to help Jiraiya produce and control senjutsu chakra. The three of them worked together, remaining still as they gathered it.
Large amounts of natural energy transformed into senjutsu chakra and were then absorbed by the Wood Dragon.
A few minutes later, Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage suddenly opened their eyes and stared in horror at Fox, who stood on a tree trunk opposite them.
"Jiraiya! Stop producing senjutsu chakra! Open your eyes! Look!"
Jiraiya opened his eyes.
He had been producing senjutsu chakra for several minutes, yet instead of improving, his own condition had worsened.
And Fox, standing opposite him, had removed his mask.
Beneath the mask was a face covering, but his eyes were exposed.
Around those eyes—
were unmistakable Sage Mode markings.
What was going on?
Fox had absorbed senjutsu chakra and not only avoided petrification, but had also entered Sage Mode?
Then a voice rang out, making Jiraiya, Shima Sage, and Fukasaku Sage all freeze.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether Fox, who had absorbed senjutsu chakra, should have turned to stone—or whether Jiraiya and the two sages, now stiff with shock, were the ones who should petrify.
Yako spoke a line once said by Uchiha Madara:
"So this is senjutsu chakra? This power is nothing special."
Orange-red markings appeared around Yako's eyes.
He had directly entered Sage Mode.
Jiraiya stared, dumbfounded.
Fox had absorbed senjutsu chakra through the Wood Dragon Technique and directly mastered Sage Mode?
Then what had all his years of bitter training been?
What had all the suffering he endured at Mount Myōboku been?
What had his triumphant return to Konoha amounted to?
Cold sweat covered Fukasaku Sage's toad head. He looked as if he had swallowed a bowl of foul insect soup and could not believe what he was seeing.
Sage Mode. Senjutsu chakra.
These were Mount Myōboku's greatest trump cards.
And yet someone had absorbed senjutsu chakra and entered Sage Mode directly in the middle of battle?
"No!" Shima Sage shouted. "You use Wood Dragon like one of those stinking snakes from Ryūchi Cave! Did you learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode? Are you just pretending?"
Jiraiya and Fukasaku Sage snapped out of their daze and quickly looked toward Fox, hoping to hear the answer they wanted.
Yako raised a hand and stared at his palm, feeling the power of senjutsu.
"Fukasaku Sage, Shima Sage... do you no longer recognize Mount Myōboku's own Sage Mode?
All three sacred lands can absorb natural energy, but the methods differ. Their use of senjutsu chakra also has different focuses.
I always had expectations and fantasies about senjutsu.
But in the end, Mount Myōboku's senjutsu has disappointed me."