Yako had read the Senju clan's records.
Aside from greatly increasing chakra volume, Shikkotsu Forest senjutsu focused more on bodily recovery.
Yako's own power system was already quite complete. With his immortal body, his wound recovery was not poor either, so he had never gone out of his way to seek Shikkotsu Forest senjutsu.
This time, by borrowing Jiraiya's hand, he had unexpectedly obtained Mount Myōboku senjutsu.
For ordinary people, natural energy was closer to a form of corrosion or special poison.
A normal person's physical energy and spiritual energy were naturally balanced.
Once natural energy entered the body, it would disrupt that balance and could even cause collapse.
Thus, the side effect of Mount Myōboku senjutsu was petrification.
According to Senju clan records, the side effect of Shikkotsu Forest senjutsu was that one's flesh would be corroded as if by strong acid.
After experiencing Mount Myōboku senjutsu himself, Yako found that it focused more on enhancing taijutsu and ninjutsu.
In his normal state, his chakra volume was 2.1 times super-Kage level.
After entering Sage Mode, it became 3 times super-Kage level.
Yako glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen nearby.
If he used Five Elements Great Barrage in Sage Mode, its power would multiply.
A senjutsu-level Five Elements Great Barrage would receive a terrifying enhancement.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen was still alive. For the past few years, Yako had not been able to openly use Five Elements Great Barrage.
While he was thinking, his vision darkened.
Jiraiya's leg had already reached his face.
After hearing Fox say that senjutsu chakra was nothing special, Jiraiya had become furious and truly started fighting in earnest.
This kick used his full strength.
Senjutsu had enhanced Jiraiya's taijutsu.
But it had also enhanced Yako's.
Yako raised one hand and caught Jiraiya's lower leg.
Slap!
The sharp sound carried several kilometers.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others' pupils shrank.
A taijutsu attack of that level could be caught with one hand?
Orochimaru silently evaluated it. If he faced that kick from Jiraiya, he could only avoid the damage with a snake-style substitution technique.
Jiraiya's kick was terrifying.
Fox, who had stopped it, was even more terrifying.
Jiraiya's body came to an abrupt halt. The backlash from his own momentum made him hear the fragile creak of his lower leg bones.
The kick had failed to send Fox flying.
Instead, he had almost broken his own leg.
Yako grabbed Jiraiya's leg, spun once in place, and threw him out.
While Jiraiya was flying through the air, Fukasaku Sage shouted through the wind, "Taijutsu won't work! Ninjutsu can't beat Wood Release either! Use genjutsu!"
Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant was Mount Myōboku's strongest genjutsu.
Based on a secret Mount Myōboku melody, it required several toads to sing together. Through special sound waves, it trapped the listener's mind inside an illusion space.
If both taijutsu and ninjutsu failed, Mount Myōboku still had genjutsu as a trump card.
That was the foundation of a thousand-year inheritance.
Shima Sage muttered, "Singing together with the old man in front of so many people is embarrassing."
"To verify whether Fox has the power to change the shinobi world, we have no choice," Fukasaku Sage said. "After this test ends, we need to go see the Great Toad Sage as soon as possible."
Shima Sage said, "Right. We need to ask the Great Toad Sage properly why he hasn't dreamed lately. Is he actually gathering prophecies through dreams, or does he simply spend every day sleeping?"
"Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant? I don't think that's necessary."
Jiraiya was still flying backward when he suddenly heard a voice behind him.
He and the two sages turned their heads at the same time.
Fox was behind them.
"Ninja Art: Eightfold Wood Dragon Technique!"
This was a technique Yako had developed specifically to absorb other people's chakra.
From Yako's palms, shoulders, chest, back, and other parts of his body, arm-thick Wood Dragons grew out.
Eighteen Wood Dragons shot toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya tried to resist, dodging the first four, but the remaining Wood Dragons wrapped around him tightly.
The terrifying part of the Wood Dragon was its ability to absorb chakra.
Jiraiya's chakra was rapidly drained.
And not only Jiraiya—the two toad sages were affected as well.
Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage were each bitten by one Wood Dragon.
Shima Sage still tried to resist, but immediately felt her whole body go weak. The Wood Dragon dragged her off Jiraiya's shoulder.
Jiraiya crashed heavily to the ground, his Sage Mode dispelled.
The eighteen Wood Dragons vanished. Once Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage landed, they looked at Fox in horror.
Konoha's Fox was far too strong.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others also landed nearby with Body Flicker.
Orochimaru checked on Jiraiya and found that he was not injured, only lying face-up with empty eyes.
Jiraiya had not neglected his strength during his years away from the village.
Unfortunately, his growth was far behind Fox's.
Orochimaru's eyes dimmed slightly.
Jiraiya had mastered the senjutsu that Orochimaru had failed to grasp, yet he still could not compare to Fox.
Then what did all of Orochimaru's own efforts over the years—for ninjutsu, for strength—amount to in front of Fox?
But in the next instant, Orochimaru shook off that gloom.
As long as he had infinite life, there would eventually come a day when he reached the limit of what a shinobi could become.
Then Orochimaru opened his mouth and mocked, "Jiraiya, did you think you would shock everyone once you returned to Konoha? That everyone would acknowledge you, perhaps even admire you?
Unfortunately, you were blinded by that so-called prophecy. With that tadpole-sized brain of yours, there's no room left for anything else."
"Orochimaru!" Sarutobi Hiruzen sharply stopped him.
That was a little too much. Jiraiya had just suffered a crushing defeat. There was no need to mock him now.
Fukasaku Sage and Shima Sage looked at Jiraiya with concern.
Jiraiya turned his head and looked at Tsunade.
But Tsunade was not looking at him at all. She had already walked to Fox's side.
"Fox, did you really master senjutsu?"
Yako nodded.
"Once chakra control reaches a certain level, senjutsu isn't that difficult.
What I lacked was the chance to come into contact with natural energy and identify it.
After using Wood Dragon to absorb senjutsu chakra, I immediately found traces of natural energy.
From there, absorbing natural energy and extracting senjutsu chakra came naturally."
Tsunade nodded again and again.
In her eyes, Jiraiya saw a tenderness he had never seen before.
Jiraiya's expression changed.
The defeat vanished from his face without a trace, and he suddenly leapt up from the ground.
"Oh hahaha! By challenging Fox, I actually helped him master senjutsu! As expected, I'm the guide of the Child of Prophecy!
In that case, Konoha should thank me. You too, Fox! You should thank me!"
Orochimaru had just been mocking Jiraiya for overestimating himself, but now, seeing the smile on Jiraiya's face, it looked as though Jiraiya was back to normal.
But deep in Jiraiya's eyes, there was still confusion and helplessness.
He could fool others.
He could not fool Orochimaru.
Jiraiya was merely forcing himself to hold on.
Yako said, "I do indeed have to thank Jiraiya-sama, Fukasaku Sage, and Shima Sage.
During our earlier battle, I said senjutsu chakra was nothing special because I had only just extracted it and hadn't truly used it yet.
Only in the final exchange did I discover how powerful senjutsu chakra really is.
Senjutsu can bring a qualitative leap to a shinobi. Without senjutsu, I might not have been able to defeat the honored sages."
A few polite words softened the expressions of the Mount Myōboku group somewhat.
Fukasaku Sage had no choice but to admit that Konoha's Fox possessed terrifying talent.
Absorbing and extracting senjutsu chakra in the middle of battle, then defeating Jiraiya and both sages head-on—such a thing was unheard of.
Fukasaku Sage said, "Fox, if the Great Toad Sage invites you, would you be willing to visit Mount Myōboku as a guest?"
"Of course. I'd be very interested in meeting the Great Toad Sage who has lived for over a thousand years."