Inside the Great Tree of Takigakure.
Candy checked Ryou's spirit and discovered that his mind was covered by the Senjutsu chakra of the Toad Song.
This could not be dispelled with its chakra.
The roots of the Great Tree of Takigakure suddenly delivered a bottle of water; it was the Hero Water.
The Great Tree of Takigakure prepared to use the Hero Water to increase Ryou's stats tenfold, breaking through the blockade of the Sage illusion in one go.
Candy flicked open the bottle cap, the Great Tree of Takigakure extended a vine to pry open Ryou's mouth, and Candy poured the Hero Water into it.
The Hero Water can cause the drinker to erupt with ten times the chakra, but the price is a shortened lifespan.
However, for Ryou, who had dozens of lives, this was nothing. He was an immortal, and the Hero Water was a super-stimulant prepared specifically for him.
Boom, boom, boom—
Ryou's chakra erupted tenfold, and steaming chakra flames rose from his entire body, as if he were transforming into a Super Saiyan.
Ryou's consciousness was currently trapped within Mount Myoboku's "Fudo Myoo Barrier," bound and assaulted by giant swords wielded by four illusion-casting toads representing Fudo Myoo.
Because Ryou's spiritual energy also contained the energy of the Sharingan, relying on illusion energy nearly at the level of the Mangekyo, Ryou withstood the attacks of the four Fudo Myoo toads.
Now, having drunk the Hero Water and with powerful chakra replenishing him, Ryou instantly activated Susanoo, using the Gunbai to blow away the Fudo Myoo toads, breaking the Toad Song of Death of the two Great Sages.
The most useful way to break an illusion is the power of a partner. There is a saying that the wise seek power within, while the unwise seek power without.
Truly powerful people rely on their own inner strength to release the illusions on them; Ryou was not considered powerful compared to true experts.
It's not shameful to seek a partner's strength to break an illusion.
The strongest area-of-effect illusion, Infinite Tsukuyomi, was broken by relying on the power of Naruto and Sasuke.
Then there is Kotoamatsukami, the strongest single-target illusion, which can never be broken by oneself.
Just like Mifune, he couldn't realize he was being controlled by Danzo.
But by relying on Ao's interruption of the casting, Danzo's control via Kotoamatsukami was broken, and Mifune recovered.
Danzo was not proficient with Shisui's Kotoamatsukami and needed to continuously release chakra to maintain it.
If Shisui had used absolute will to control Mifune, how could it be broken?
For example, if someone plays Genshin Impact and stops recognizing their own family, how can such a person be saved?
You can only rely on others to uninstall his Genshin Impact.
Kotoamatsukami is the same; restrain Mifune, shock him hard, and tell him he's under an illusion.
If once doesn't work, do it twice; eventually, Mifune will recover.
The best way to break an illusion is to rely on the power of a partner.
With the help of Candy and the Great Tree of Takigakure, Ryou broke the Toad Song of Death. He slowly opened his eyes, his Sharingan filled with killing intent: "Mount Myōboku—"
Ryou wanted to rush out and fight Minato and the others to the death, but Black and White Zetsu suddenly appeared inside the Great Tree of Takigakure.
White Zetsu said, "Lord Ryou, the Seven-Tails has been captured. It's time for us to go back!"
Ryou shook his head: "If I don't avenge this, I swear I am not a man."
Ryou rushed out.
White Zetsu shook his head: "What a petty Uchiha!"
Black and White Zetsu were speechless, then merged into the ground to continue observing the battle.
Ryou destroyed the auditory nerves in his ears to counter the Toad Song of Death.
But this way, Ryou couldn't hear any sound, but he wasn't afraid.
Ryou took out a clone made of life spore, connected it to himself with chakra threads, and linked his consciousness to it.
Then Ryou's main body hid in the shadows, letting the Spore Clone go and curse Jiraiya and the others' families.
Ryou appeared atop the Great Tree of Takigakure and shouted curses at Jiraiya and the others: "Jiraiya, Minato, Shisui, I curse your past eighteen generations of ancestors!"
"(*´･д･)?."
Shisui scratched his head in confusion. They were of the same clan; if Ryou cursed his ancestors, wasn't he cursing his own ancestors too?
Jiraiya shouted at Ryou: "Ryou, hand over the Seven-Tails, then commit suicide and return to the heavens!"
"Pah!"
Ryou became angry: "Jiraiya, tell me, haven't I been fair to you guys? I haven't even used my ultimate moves."
"Instead, your disciple hit me with an ultimate move as soon as he arrived. If not for my strong spirit, I'd be brain-dead by now."
Ryou was referring to Minato teaming up with the two Great Toad Sages to cast the Toad Song of Death on him.
Ryou felt he had been fair enough to Jiraiya, Shisui, and the others. If he had used the Wood Golem...
How could they counter a technique that rivaled a Perfect Susanoo?
Unexpectedly, these people weren't grateful and used their ultimates without a word of warning.
Jiraiya looked at the two Toad Sages: "Sages, Ryou is holding you accountable!"
Fukasaku shouted toward Ryou: "Little Ryou, stop acting like a good guy. Is that Demon Cat transformation of yours a normal Ninjutsu?"
"One swipe could take out Little Jiraiya. If we didn't use our strongest technique against you, how were we supposed to resist?"
"That makes sense too!"
Ryou nodded, thinking it was true. The Futamata transformation was also overpowered; if Ryou got serious, he could end the battle in a few moves.
Ryou then shook his head and shouted at Jiraiya: "Jiraiya, I don't care. Only I am allowed to suppress you; you are not allowed to suppress me."
Jiraiya said to Minato and Shisui: "Stop talking nonsense with him. Go, destroy the Great Tree of Takigakure and take back the Seven-Tails."
"Jiraiya, you guys were the ones who broke the rules first!"
"Don't blame me!"
Ryou formed hand seals, and the Great Tree of Takigakure slowly came to life under his control, its roots dancing in the air like a thousand-year-old tree demon.
With the Great Tree of Takigakure's massive size, combined with Ryou's Nine-Tails-like chakra erupting from the Hero Water...
The combination of the two would surpass the Wood Golem Technique.
Jiraiya panicked upon seeing this and shouted to Ryou: "Wait, Ryou, let's be reasonable. I'll have Minato apologize to you, don't—"
Ryou ignored him. His main body's Nine-Tails-like chakra began to pour into the Great Tree of Takigakure, and at that moment, the tree underwent a qualitative change.
"Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
The Great Tree of Takigakure began to transform with cracks and snaps. Countless thick roots surged out like a multitude of giant pythons breaking through the soil simultaneously.
Immediately after, the Great Tree of Takigakure transformed into a giant Thousand-Armed Kannon.
The Buddha statue was about three hundred meters tall, like a mountain, exuding pressure over the rivers.
Its entire body was deep brown wood, the surface covered in rough bark textures and cracks, looking as if carved from a thousand-year-old tree, yet possessing an eerie sense of life.
The statue's face bore an expression that was simultaneously compassionate and indifferent; its eyes were closed, and its forehead featured a wooden ushnisha (topknot) and urna (third-eye mark), while five smaller wooden Buddha statues sat atop its head.
"..."
Silence, an eerie silence.
Facing such an unparalleled Thousand-Armed Kannon, the expressions of Jiraiya, Minato, and Shisui froze instantly, leaving only astonishment in their eyes.