In the original timeline, Orochimaru had once attempted to kick Jiraiya's Needle Jizo. Unfortunately for him, he only succeeded in hurting his own foot without leaving a scratch on Jiraiya.
Diarmuid, however, was currently clad in his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Not only was he shielded from the reflective damage of the needles, but the sheer force of his strike nearly knocked the wind out of Jiraiya.
Crashing through the jagged rocks, Jiraiya dispelled the Needle Jizo and spat out a mouthful of stale blood. Only then did the stifling pressure in his chest begin to subside.
What incredible power... it's almost on par with Tsunade, Jiraiya thought grimly.
As expected, he had underestimated his opponent. This man, Diarmuid... his strength was truly beyond imagination.
Before Jiraiya could catch his breath, the momentum shifted. Diarmuid, a silhouette wreathed in flickering lightning, appeared directly before him. He raised a leg for an axe kick, swinging downward with enough force to split Jiraiya in two.
Jiraiya didn't retreat. Instead, he twisted his torso, dropped into a low crouch, and slammed his palm onto the very spot where his blood had splattered the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya barked.
Just as Diarmuid's kick descended, a plume of white smoke exploded.
BAM!
Diarmuid felt as though his foot had struck something exceptionally rigid. It felt as if someone was actively resisting him; though the defender sank a step under his weight, they held firm.
As the smoke cleared, it revealed a toad slightly taller than Jiraiya, clad in iron plate armor. Its forearms, protected by heavy arm-guards, were crossed in front of its chest, perfectly catching Diarmuid's leg.
It was Gama!
"Hey now, Jiraiya! Stop summoning me every time you run into this kind of monster," the toad grumbled, speaking in human tongue.
He had only taken a single kick, yet he felt as if his arm bones were about to snap. It was lucky he wore those arm-guards; otherwise, he'd likely be a cripple by now.
"Sorry about that. I didn't expect this guy's strength to be so overwhelming either," Jiraiya said, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
"He looks like a new face. I don't recognize him. Who is he?" the toad asked.
"Rodriguez Diarmuid. If we don't take him down or capture him now, I'm afraid we'll be hearing his name quite often in the future," Jiraiya replied.
Meanwhile, Diarmuid retracted his leg and stepped back, looking on with genuine interest. "A toad from Mount Myoboku..."
The armored toad squinted at Diarmuid, then spoke in surprise, "That guy's chakra... why does it feel like a Tailed Beast? Is he a Jinchuriki?"
"Impossible. There are no issues with the seals of the Nine Tailed Beasts," Jiraiya stated flatly.
"You can see my chakra?" Diarmuid asked with a smile.
"Not just that. I can see the exaggerated vitality within your body... Are you of the Senju Clan?" the toad questioned.
It seemed Mount Myoboku, one of the Three Great Sage Regions, indeed possessed some unique and strange abilities.
"I am not," Diarmuid shook his head.
"Fair enough," the toad grunted.
"My apologies, Diarmuid. It seems I was a bit overconfident earlier. I don't suppose you'll give me a moment to prepare?" Jiraiya said, offering a small, testing smile.
He was merely asking on a whim, not truly expecting much.
To his surprise, Diarmuid took two more steps back and laughed. "I've been wanting to witness Sage Mode myself. By all means, go ahead."
Jiraiya blinked, stunned. He hadn't expected this man to be so magnanimous.
Seeing this, Jiraiya didn't stand on ceremony. He clapped his hands together and began to gather natural energy.
He noted the favor, however. He decided in his heart that once he defeated Diarmuid, he wouldn't kill him. He would bring him back to Konoha and keep him under guard until he could reform the man's reckless ways.
While Jiraiya gathered senjutsu chakra, Diarmuid turned to the armored toad with curiosity. "I'm quite interested in Senjutsu as well. What do you think of me? Is there any chance I could learn it?"
The toad seemed a bit dense, but he realized Diarmuid didn't actually harbor any malice toward Jiraiya. In fact, the relationship between the two was bizarre. Jiraiya was gathering natural energy right in front of him with such blatant openness, as if he trusted the man implicitly.
Then why are you two even fighting?
Because of this strange dynamic, the toad didn't show much hostility either. After some thought, he said, "It should be possible. But if you want to learn the Senjutsu of Mount Myoboku, you have to find it first. You'd have to pass the trials, too. Whether you can actually master it depends on your own talent."
It was clear that Mount Myoboku was relatively easy to deal with. According to Orochimaru, if you went to Ryuchi Cave and the White Snake Sage didn't like your "vibe," they wouldn't even speak to you before trying to eat you.
"Is that so? Where is Mount Myoboku? How do I get there?" Diarmuid pressed.
"Ah, well..." The toad looked a bit awkward. Aren't we supposed to be fighting? Why are we suddenly chatting about this?
By the rules, he couldn't reveal the location of Mount Myoboku. He replied vaguely, "If destiny allows, you will find it naturally."
"Tch..." Diarmuid clicked his tongue in annoyance. "If I kidnap you, would Mount Myoboku come to ransom you?"
"Hmph! I am a summoning animal. Once Jiraiya cuts off the chakra or I sense danger, I can de-summon at any time. How could you possibly kidnap me?" the toad said dismissively.
The moment he finished speaking, an intense darkness erupted from Diarmuid, instantly enveloping the toad until only his head remained visible.
"Try it. See if you can run now," Diarmuid asked with a chuckle.
The toad froze. He tried to dispel the summoning, only to find that nothing happened. It was as if he was locked inside this dark power!
"What kind of jutsu is this?!" the toad gasped in disbelief.
"A Kekkei Genkai," Diarmuid lied through his teeth.
Ultimately, Diarmuid didn't actually kidnap the toad. He quickly retracted the darkness and said with a grin, "See? Don't be so confident."
The toad fell silent for a moment before saying, "If you truly find Mount Myoboku, I will ask the Great Toad Sage to consider teaching you Senjutsu."
"Really?" A smile touched Diarmuid's eyes. He nodded. "Then my thanks to you."
With that, he looked over at Jiraiya...
Jiraiya felt a sudden chill. "I'm not telling you where it is, you bastard."
"Hahaha, don't be so nervous. I'm in no rush. I have other things to do. But Jiraiya, I think sooner or later, you'll be the one to tell me," Diarmuid laughed.
Jiraiya didn't respond, but his appearance began to shift. Bumps appeared on his skin as he took on toad-like features, and the characteristic pigment of Sage Mode appeared around his eyes.
His already formidable presence expanded rapidly, radiating an aura of overwhelming power.
"Sage Mode..." Jiraiya whispered.
He hadn't summoned the Two Great Sage Toads, Shima and Fukasaku, to maintain the mode for a longer duration.
Jiraiya had some pride; after all, he was the one meddling here, and Diarmuid had given him time to prepare. He had a different plan: if he couldn't defeat Diarmuid in the short time his solo Sage Mode allowed, then he'd stop meddling... and let whatever happens, happen.
"Come then," Diarmuid's lips curled, his eyes filled with intense interest.
As soon as he spoke, Jiraiya vanished from sight. Even with Observation Haki, Diarmuid could only vaguely sense him. It was as if the man had merged completely with his surroundings, with nature itself.
This took Diarmuid by surprise. He had assumed that in this world, due to the different power systems, no one could counter Observation Haki to hide themselves.
Does Sage Mode use this method to bypass Haki?
This clearly wasn't something Jiraiya was doing intentionally; he didn't even know Haki existed. It was likely a "passive" trait of Sage Mode. By harmonizing with nature, did he coincidentally evade the detection of Observation Haki?
Jiraiya's Sage Mode was technically imperfect. If it were Naruto, Minato, or even Hashirama, Diarmuid suspected he might not sense a single thing.
Much like Armament Haki, the power of Senjutsu coated the body's surface, invisible and intangible, but very real. Jiraiya's strike landed, but though it missed Diarmuid's physical body, Diarmuid felt an inexplicable force collide with his Armament Haki. It even felt as if it were faintly permeating through the Haki.
As expected, since natural energy was the foundation of this world, everything was subject to its influence.
Diarmuid and Jiraiya quickly engaged in a fierce exchange of Taijutsu. Bolstered by Senjutsu, Jiraiya's speed, strength, and stamina had increased by several tiers across the board.
Without using his more specialized means, Diarmuid found himself feeling the pressure.
He snapped his arm up to parry Jiraiya's fist. Both their movements paused for a microsecond, a brief lull in the storm. In that exact heartbeat, Jiraiya's other hand thrust toward Diarmuid.
"RASENGAN!!!" Jiraiya roared just as his palm was about to touch the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The Rasengan, a seal-less technique that required no hand signs, and a powerful A-rank jutsu! It was the strongest of all non-seal techniques, growing more powerful alongside its user and possessing countless variations.
Even with his powerful Lightning Armor, Diarmuid felt a crushing pressure. While he had used his massive chakra reserves to force the activation of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he hadn't actually practiced the technique for very long.
Jiraiya's Rasengan, by contrast, was a masterpiece of mastery, executed with fluid, seasoned ease.
This single strike actually shattered the Lightning Armor!
The powerful impact slammed into Diarmuid's abdomen. Fortunately, his physical constitution was immense and his strength formidable, so he wasn't sent flying by the Rasengan. However, he was still forced back five or six steps, each step leaving a deep crater in the earth.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. He wouldn't waste this opening. Pressing his advantage, he prepared another Rasengan, this time, clearly infused with the full weight of Sage power.
"ULTRA-BIG BALL RASENGAN!!!"
Jiraiya leapt into the air. Even though several paces still separated him from Diarmuid, he thrust his palm forward. A massive sphere of spiraling chakra, two sizes larger than the armored toad, manifested in mid-air, looming directly in front of Diarmuid.
"Dark Annihilation..." Diarmuid murmured, making no move to dodge.
As the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan descended, a tangible, ink-like darkness seeped from Diarmuid's body, expanding like a web to ensnare the spiraling sphere...
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