Though Gamabunta's heavy slash hadn't achieved the expected result, on the surface at least, Hii Kōri's movements were indeed "suppressed." And his Water Release counterattack had only left insignificant scratches on Bunta's tough hide. Seeing such a rare stalemate, how could Jiraiya let the opportunity slip?
Almost as soon as Hii Kōri's muttered complaint faded, Jiraiya leaped down from Gamabunta's broad head, found the right angle, and exhaled a torrent of blazing Fire Release—like a sunset burning across sky and sea.
"So naive, Jiraiya-san~"
Facing this pincer attack, Hii Kōri showed no fear. Instead, he let out another mocking laugh.
Forming hand seals again—still at that awkward angle—the sea behind him swelled, forming eight massive water serpents that hissed toward Jiraiya.
Through the techniques he had "forcibly" learned from Tsunade—the essence of Tobirama Senju's Water Release—his mastery of Water Release had advanced even further.
This technique, Water Release: Eight-Headed Serpent Raging Waves, was an S-rank secret art. Based on Tobirama's personal three-seal Water Dragon Bullet, it traded exponentially increased difficulty of control for a proportional increase in attack count, flexibility, and maneuverability.
Modeled after the most famous aragami the calamity god of Japanese mythology, the eight water serpents, imbued with similar symbolic meaning, effortlessly extinguished Jiraiya's Fire Release, then surged toward him with undiminished ferocity.
Meanwhile, Hii Kōri tapped his heel against the hardened water platform beneath him. His shadow rippled like a living thing, "spitting out" a blade with an equally strange design, matching the style of the shield he already held.
Like the shield Okitsu Kagami which he had crafted to maximize the dissipation of physical impact, this sword was also a unique material created through his jujutsu, Ucchuṣma: Hundred Transformations Sealed Method. Modeled after the Tokusa no Kandakara—the Ten Sacred Treasures—it was called Yatsuka no Tsurugi.
While "X-grip sword" generally referred to blade length—like Kusanagi's alternate name, "Ten-Grip Sword" or "Ten-Fist Sword," indicating a blade ten fists long—Yatsuka no Tsurugi was an exception among the Ten Sacred Treasures. Its name referred to the eight decorative elements on its hilt.
Just as Okitsu Kagami, regarded as a symbol of the shore, had been granted the ability to "dissipate impact" through that symbolic connection, these eight decorations were imbued by Hii Kōri with the symbolic meaning of "containers for eight abilities."
The Kusanagi wielded by his future son had left a deep impression on him, but rather than searching the world for legendary blades, Hii Kōri—as a blacksmith and cursed tool craftsman—naturally chose to forge his own weapon.
After forcing Jiraiya back, Hii Kōri released dark Iron Sand from his sleeve.
The black, living wave rapidly coated his shield-arm, solidifying into shape. Seizing the moment, Hii Kōri slipped away as the Iron Sand "hand" that had taken the shield transformed into an Iron Sand clone, enduring Gamabunta's pressure in his place.
Jiraiya's judgment had been sound. Without a puppet of comparable size to match Gamabunta, the techniques Hii Kōri currently possessed indeed struggled to inflict meaningful damage on such a massive, thick-skulled creature in a short time.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, with this advantage, their combined assault might have been able to suppress Hii Kōri's rhythm.
Unfortunately, "barring unforeseen circumstances" did not apply.
Every ability, every technique, every habit Jiraiya and Gamabunta possessed was laid bare before Hii Kōri like an open book.
This absolute informational asymmetry left their tactics with no room to operate.
The Iron Sand clone canceled the hardened water structure beneath its feet, no longer supporting Bunta's short sword. Spinning away, it stepped onto the thick blade and raced up its length like lightning, closing in on Bunta's forelimb in an instant.
Yatsuka no Tsurugi slashed sideways. Without Wind Release or similar enhancements to "sharpness," the blade naturally couldn't cut through the toad's hide. But the fact that the blade touched skin was itself significant.
Before Bunta could react to the mosquito-like sting, the first of the two abilities currently bestowed upon Yatsuka no Tsurugi activated.
Demonic Illusion: Myriad Blades Upon the Flesh!
"GWAH—!!!"
Agony erupted across Gamabunta's entire body—the sensation of countless blades cutting into him. Despite his battle-hardened experience, the sudden assault of such intense phantom pain made his massive frame convulse violently.
His forelimb went limp; the giant short sword nearly slipped from his grasp.
This was a variant technique built from Hii Kōri's only "specialty" in genjutsu the "Mental Headbutt": condensing spiritual energy into a lump and slamming it into the target. By attaching spiritual energy to the blade, the technique inflicted phantom pain—the sensation of being torn apart by countless invisible blades upon the struck target. Though not actual damage, it was enough to shatter the will of most living creatures.
Against an opponent of normal size, the "sword pressure" from the swing alone would suffice. But against a monster of Gamabunta's scale, a solid strike was necessary.
Yet Gamabunta was, after all, the mightiest toad of Mount Myōboku besides the sages. After only a moment's lapse, he recognized the effect as genjutsu and forcibly crushed the foreign spiritual energy with the vast natural energy within him.
The phantom pain dissipated, but the aftertaste lingered. His eyes blazed with ferocity as he marshaled his natural energy, leaving no opening for that vicious "genjutsu" to take hold again.
"Tch! So this is the margin for error on an HP sponge?!"
The spiritual energy he had expended would have left an average jōnin writhing in pain for three days and nights—not merely breaking the genjutsu but likely soiling themselves in the process.
Though he had anticipated that this ability wouldn't last long against a creature of Bunta's size, nor work multiple times, having his costly spiritual attack neutralized so quickly still made the Iron Sand clone click its tongue.
"But..."
That momentary delay was enough for his main body.
Before the unspoken words could finish, the makeshift, chakra-depleted Iron Sand clone was sent flying.
In that instant when Bunta was frozen by the genjutsu, Hii Kōri had already disengaged, charging toward Jiraiya instead of retreating.
Jiraiya, still dealing with the last remnants of the eight serpent heads, saw that detestable red-and-white-haired bastard closing in with a Water Body Flicker technique that was starting to give him flashbacks. His expression twisted.
The next moment, that mocking face emerged from the jaws of a water serpent, filling his vision.
"Oh shit. I'm done for."
Taijutsu—the most fundamental ninja skill, a standard method of combat for most chūnin and genin. For jōnin who no longer lacked chakra, however, taijutsu was no longer the optimal choice.
After all, a ninja's offensive capabilities far outstripped their defenses. Even Hashirama Senju—renowned for his physique, capable of standing atop a wooden Buddha and brawling with Madara Uchiha in his Susano'o—could be caught off guard and skewered by a kunai to the kidney.
Since arms and legs—the primary mediums for taijutsu—were essential for hand seals and high-speed movement, injury to them essentially crippled a ninja.
Under these circumstances, unless one specialized in taijutsu or medical ninjutsu, it was far preferable to probe and defeat an opponent of equal standing with ninjutsu that consumed less chakra.
But if someone flashes a Raian Kure grin and charges straight at your face, and you don't dodge in time… you're about to eat something nasty.
Jiraiya's taijutsu skill was among the best in the current ninja world.
With a physique larger than ninety percent of ninja, and Tsunade—a top-tier medical ninja—on his team, Jiraiya could usually afford to trade blows, giving him an edge in taijutsu exchanges.
But as everyone knew, the closest Jiraiya had ever come to death was when Tsunade broke six or seven of his ribs for peeping in the women's bath.
In both raw strength and technical skill, Tsunade outclassed Jiraiya. Among their trio, Tsunade—the "medical ninja"—was always the one who took point in taijutsu.
And according to intelligence she had passed back, Hii Kōri's taijutsu was even stronger than hers.
Every cell in his body screamed, reminding Jiraiya of the pain of nearly being beaten to death by Tsunade.
He instinctively tried to use the Body Flicker—but as soon as he raised his hand, he felt the sharp tension around his wrists and ankles.
Chakra threads, or something similar, had wrapped around them.
He could deal with them, but the timing was absolutely lethal.
Jiraiya, who relied on ordinary Body Flicker—momentary physical reinforcement—rather than space-time ninjutsu, knew that if he tried to teleport away now, he would lose his limbs.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Jiraiya's pupils contracted. He poured chakra into his hair once more.
Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!
The hair technique that had blocked the water shards activated again. His hair lengthened, hardened, transforming him into a white spiked ball, trying to weather Hii Kōri's assault.
The next instant, fists wreathed in dark blue-black lightning descended like a storm.
Bam bam bam bam bam bam bam—!
A series of dull, heavy impacts almost merged into one. Three seconds? One? Or less? The hardened hair that Jiraiya had raised as a barrier shattered, scattering into countless fragments.
"Pwah—!"
Forget counterattacking with hair senbon—Jiraiya didn't even have time to breathe. Exposed like a sea urchin stripped of its shell, the blows—each like a battering ram—sent him flying like a broken kite, crashing toward the sea below.
Hii Kōri gave no quarter. Using Wind Release to create footholds, he dove after Jiraiya, clinging like a relentless shadow.
A Hard Water-style technique formed instantly. From the sea beneath Jiraiya, a pillar of hardened water smooth as sculpted stone erupted like a whale's spout, slamming into him from below.
"Gugh—!"
The second impact nearly knocked him unconscious. His downward momentum reversed; he was launched upward again, straight into Hii Kōri's descending pursuit.
Jiraiya's face was contorted with pain and shock. Hii Kōri took a deep breath, twisted his body in midair, and brought his cursed-energy-wreathed fist down once more.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three blows to the centerline—solar plexus, chest, face—landed perfectly. The force of the passed strikes through Jiraiya's body, shattering the hardened water pillar beneath him into a spray of droplets!
Jiraiya, like a broken ragdoll trailing blood, crashed into the blue sea below at even greater speed, sending up a massive plume of water before being swallowed by the churning waves.
"If you keep taking things so lightly, you won't just fail to make good on your tough talk—your head might go rolling~"
Crouching on a Wind Release foothold, Hii Kōri flicked the warm blood from his knuckles, his tone light and teasing.
Though his beating of Jiraiya had been ruthless, he hadn't meant to kill him. After all, he had no intention of killing Jiraiya now—at least not until he'd seen Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode.
"You bastard! Take this!"
Just as he was leisurely gloating, an enraged croak erupted, and a dense water sphere—five or six meters in diameter—slammed into him, sending him flying.
That was Gamabunta's signature technique: Water Release: Iron Cannonball, a technique capable of matching Shukaku's Drilling Air Bomb.
Though the fact that a tailed beast could use ninjutsu was itself strange, considering Shukaku's abysmal temper, he might have learned some extra techniques to avoid getting beaten too badly by Kurama.
Come to think of it, among the nine tailed beasts, he was indeed the only one who used techniques beyond his innate abilities.
"Ho… that's got some punch."
Hit by Gamabunta's enraged Iron Cannonball, Hii Kōri was blasted back dozens of meters, his blood roiling—but the pressure kept him from even spitting it out.
After carving a long white wake across the sea, he finally stabilized, using Reverse Cursed Technique to heal his injuries as he looked into the distance. As expected, the Iron Sand clone—sword and shield in hand—had been thoroughly smashed by Gamabunta, beyond recovery.
"Pwah—cough, cough, cough…"
Just then, Jiraiya, who had been physically "punched" into the sea, surfaced. His face was deathly pale, his smashed nose streaming blood. He spat out a mouthful of blood and broken teeth, gasping for breath before regaining his composure.
Leaping back to Bunta's head, his voice came out muffled—missing teeth and all—as he said to Bunta: "Buy me… buy me some time. I'm going into Sage Mode!"
"What a pain, you idiot!"
Bunta grumbled through his pipe, but he didn't refuse.
He hadn't taken much actual damage, but that phantom pain from the genjutsu was fresh in his memory. Even if Jiraiya hadn't asked, he wasn't about to let this go.
His temper had never been that good!
"…I deliberately held back for Tsunade's sake, you know. And you're so ungrateful…"
Returning to the battlefield with a Body Flicker, Hii Kōri shook his head with feigned irritation—but inwardly, he was quite pleased.
There was no way Jiraiya was backing down now. That meant using Sage Mode against him was inevitable.
Since this guy was so eager to deliver reference material, Hii Kōri would consider it a loss if he didn't squeeze out every last bit of value.
"Well then… don't blame me~"
Facing Gamabunta, who had moved to shield Jiraiya, Hii Kōri sneered as he unleashed another power within him.
One-Tail chakra. Release half-tailed beast transformation… Activate!
***
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