With the help of Gamabunta, Jiraiya narrowed the gap between himself and the airborne Rasa.
Jiraiya flicked his hair.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
His hair rapidly extended, forming the shape of a lion's head as it surged toward Rasa, attempting to bind him.
Rasa manipulated the sand platform beneath his feet, nimbly dodging the attack in midair.
"Tch—flying really is troublesome. Bunta, jump!"
Gamabunta bent his legs and leapt with tremendous force, soaring high into the sky.
Jiraiya pointed at Rasa below.
"Bunta—Toad Oil Bullet!"
Gamabunta converted chakra into oil and sprayed it downward over a wide area. The range was too large for Rasa to completely evade, and some of the oil inevitably splashed onto his body.
Jiraiya formed a hand seal.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
"Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
The flames Jiraiya spat ignited the oil instantly, engulfing the sky in a sea of fire.
"Did it work?"
Jiraiya stared intently at Rasa within the inferno.
Suddenly—
Rasa's voice echoed from within the flames.
"Magnet Release: Gold Sand World Law!"
Countless sharp spikes of gold sand, like bamboo shoots, extended outward from the firestorm. If Gamabunta continued descending without acting, he would be skewered like a pincushion.
"Bunta!"
Gamabunta exhaled a puff of smoke, drew the massive samurai blade from his waist, and swung it repeatedly, slicing apart the rising gold sand and carving out a safe space to land.
Gamabunta landed steadily on the ground with Jiraiya.
Seeing this, Rasa aimed both palms at Jiraiya beneath him.
The ground suddenly trembled and shook. Standing atop Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya looked down.
Huge amounts of gold sand were pouring up endlessly from underground.
"Bunta! Jump again!"
"I can't! My legs are wrapped up by the gold sand!"
The gold sand crawled up Gamabunta's legs, spreading relentlessly until it completely covered his entire body.
Rasa clenched his hands tightly.
"Magnet Style: Great Gold Sand Burial!"
A massive explosion rang out from within the gold sand.
Ever cautious, Rasa did not approach. Something felt off.
Despite the tremendous pressure and explosion, not a single drop of blood seeped from the gold sand.
That was abnormal.
But since his opponent was Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, Rasa did not find it entirely unbelievable.
Suddenly—
Rasa felt a fierce gust of wind behind him.
Jiraiya appeared out of nowhere, pressing a Rasengan toward Rasa's body.
Rasa hastily manipulated gold sand to block the attack. Though he barely managed to stop it, the sand was too scattered in his rush, failing to fully dissipate the force. His hand was grazed and injured.
"Magnet Creation: Iron Sand World Law!"
Gold sand erupted outward from Rasa's position like bamboo shoots, successfully forcing Jiraiya back.
"So you canceled the summoning while bound, used a substitution technique to escape the gold sand, and hid nearby waiting for an opening… As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya."
Though enemies, Rasa still voiced his admiration.
Just as Jiraiya was about to respond, a voice came through his communicator.
"Jiraiya-sama, the Sand Village ninjas and the One-Tail have launched a surprise attack on Konoha. The reinforcements sent from the village have already returned to defend it. We are currently unable to provide support to the front lines."
Jiraiya's expression turned grim as he looked up at Rasa.
"Rasa, you really went all out. You actually dared to send the One-Tail Jinchūriki to attack Konoha. Aren't you afraid we'll capture and seal it?!"
"A Jinchūriki is a weapon. And weapons only have value on the battlefield. If we hesitate and hold back, then the Jinchūriki loses all meaning."
Rasa shaped the surrounding gold sand into spears and launched them continuously at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya dodged while thinking rapidly.
The Sand Village's main forces were all here. With only the Leaf's frontline troops, they couldn't hold them back—especially with the Kazekage himself present.
All Leaf reinforcements had returned to defend the village. That meant they were completely isolated.
If the Sand forces broke through the front line and joined up with those attacking Konoha, the village would be in grave danger.
Jiraiya had originally intended to keep Naruto out of the war—but now, he had no choice but to rely on the Nine-Tails' power.
Mount Myōboku
Naruto, in the final stage of training Frog Kumite, was interrupted by Fukasaku.
"Naruto-boy, Jiraiya needs your help."
Naruto thought to himself, So it's finally time.
Fukasaku placed his hand on Naruto's body.
"I'll use Reverse Summoning to send you directly to the battlefield. Are you ready?"
"I've been ready… for a long time."
Leaf–Sand Frontline Battlefield
A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared. As it dispersed, Naruto stood at the center of the battlefield.
Seeing Naruto's Sage Mode facial markings, Jiraiya was overjoyed.
"Naruto! You've completed perfect Sage Mode—this is incredible!"
Naruto's cold gaze swept over Jiraiya. He did not reply.
Jiraiya felt something was wrong.
"Naruto…? What's going on?"
All Five Great Nations maintained intelligence networks on each other's Jinchūriki. The moment Naruto appeared, Rasa immediately recognized him as the Nine-Tails' host.
"Magnet Release: Gold Sand Cube!"
Rasa formed a massive cube of gold sand and slammed it toward Naruto.
"Frog Strike!"
Naruto gathered senjutsu chakra into his hand and delivered a devastating punch.
The indestructible gold sand cube was sent flying.
Naruto closed his eyes and called out to Kurama.
Within his seal, Kurama slowly opened his eyes.
"So, Naruto… has your plan begun? Take my power—use it freely."
"Thanks, Kurama."
With Kurama's consent, Naruto instantly entered Tailed Beast Mode, while his Sage Mode remained active.
The horizontal Sage pupils and vertical beast pupils overlapped, forming a cross-shaped gaze.
Now, Naruto could wield both Kurama's power and senjutsu simultaneously.
Naruto created a shadow clone. In his palm, a massive crimson Rasengan formed—compressed from ultra-dense Nine-Tails chakra.
Two chakra arms extended from Naruto's tailed beast cloak, gripping the gold sand carrying Rasa through the air, as Naruto's main body closed in at blinding speed.
"Sage Art: Tailed Beast Rasengan!"