Chapter 112

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he assessed his remaining opponents, his mind racing with strategies and counterattacks. The Animal Path was the first to make a move, sending summoned beasts as the vanguard. However, Jiraiya was wary of allowing the Naraka Path to resurrect the other paths, so he had Gamabunta intercede with the summoned beasts.

"Gamabunta, take care of these summons. Be careful of that mutt; it splits every time you land a fatal strike. It's better to seal it first. And watch out for the lizard hiding in plain sight; don't fall for its tricks," Jiraiya warned his friend. As someone armed with complete information about Nagato, he wasn't going to commit simple mistakes. The three remaining paths weren't frontline fighters like the Deva Path or the Asura Path. If Nagato really wanted a chance at beating him, then he would have to personally come to the battlefield.

The Animal Path didn't hold back and immediately jumped into the skirmish, attempting to distract Jiraiya. However, the toad sage was too fast. With lightning-fast hand signs, he created shadow clones to handle the two other paths, preventing them from collecting the remains.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" (Shadow Clone Technique): out of a puff of smoke, two more Jiraiyas popped out and rushed in the direction of the other two paths.

The Animal Path, perched atop a flying summon, quickly ordered the creature to attack the rushing clones. But Jiraiya countered with an attack of his own to block the bird in the air.

"[Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku]" (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)—the original fire ninjutsu was already a powerful technique in its own right. However, under the influence of Senjutsu, the attack reached another level altogether. It was as if the entire sky had been set ablaze by the fire ninjutsu. Although the Animal Path was quick enough to jump away from the attack, the flying summoned beast was not so lucky. Under the unyielding torrent of flames, the monstrous bird was burned to a crisp and turned to ashes.

While Jiraiya was handling the animal path, his two clones were already engaged in close combat with the other two paths. Jiraiya's clone expertly handled the Human Path, using Frog Kata, a taijutsu style signature of the sages from Mount Myoboku. Under this form, the Naraka Path and the Human Path quickly fell into a disadvantage.

However, a few miles away, Nagato was also not wasting time. All this while, he was preparing an attack of his own. Normally, he would not resort to using his main body for such an attack. But with the Deva Path puppet destroyed, he had to initiate the attack himself. Exerting his maximum control, Nagato finally created a miniature black sphere and hurled it in the direction of the battlefield. For a shinobi of his caliber, such a distance was no big deal.

As the flying summon was burned to a crisp, Jiraiya shifted his attention to the chameleon that had been hindering the toads from Mount Myoboku. He quickly gathered chakra in his arms and created a massive Rasenshuriken, hurling it at the place where his Senjutsu senses picked up the invisible beast. A massive collision occurred, and a bright sphere of chakra completely engulfed the chameleon beast, ripping it into shreds.

Meanwhile, as the summons of the Animal Path started going down one by one, Jiraiya gained an advantage. But suddenly, the Animal Path retreated and flickered behind the Naraka Path, waving a series of hand signs. Even Jiraiya's clone didn't expect this and was late to intervene.

"[Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu]" (Reverse Summoning Technique): the Animal Path quickly plunged its palm into the back of the Naraka Path, which immediately vanished into a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya wanted to follow up with another jutsu before the other path could be reverse summoned, but his senses caught a massive threat high in the night sky. Instinctively, he looked up and sensed a tiny black sphere. Jiraiya quickly understood the threat and shouted at Gamabunta and the other toads, "Gamabunta, quick retreat!"

There was a sense of urgency in Jiraiya's voice. He understood that Nagato was taking a gamble; he was planning to sacrifice two more of his puppets to take him down.

The Naraka Path, which had vanished earlier, reappeared next to Nagato, who immediately clasped both his arms. He only needed the Naraka Path for now to revive the other paths, so he quickly initiated one of the strongest jutsus in his arsenal.

"[Chibaku Tensei]" he shouted as the ground began to tremble and massive rocks started to levitate around him.

Nagato poured a tremendous amount of chakra into the attack, intensifying the gravitational pull. Trees, boulders, and even patches of land were pulled into the growing mass as the gravity affected the entire landscape. The Animal Path wore an evil smirk, taunting Jiraiya with the power of a god.

"You did not expect this; did you now, Jiraiya? Let me show you the true meaning of what it means to be a god," the Animal Path sneered. Simultaneously, both the Animal Path and the Human Path clasped their hands in a similar stance as Nagato, aiding the main body with more chakra.

Jiraiya quickly dispelled his clones as the ground beneath him started to crumble. Even the massive forms of Gamabunta and the other toads were being pulled up by the massive gravity. It seemed there was no escape from the technique.

"Jiraiya, why is it that every time you summon me, you get me into such trouble?" Gamabunta grumbled as his massive form was pulled upward. Jiraiya, already in the air, used the debris to make his way on top of Gamabunta's head. With a series of hand signs, he undid the summons except for Gamabunta.

"Haha, Gamabunta, don't you think such fights are thrilling? When was the last time you were involved in such an epic showdown?" Jiraiya maintained his calm demeanor even under such dire circumstances. He still had his trump card left, which he intended to use. "I hope Ma and Pa are ready."

He made a summoning gesture, and two little toads arrived on his shoulders.

"Jiraiya, everything is set. You can go ahead and do it. I hope between the three of us, we will have enough chakra to pull this off," Ma commented, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. Fighting against a technique like that of the Six Paths was no joke.

"Hahaha, who am I? I am the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku. There is nothing that I cannot achieve," Jiraiya boasted, earning a quick smack to the back of his head from Ma.

"Quick, Jiraiya, or else all of us will be completely swallowed," Pa urged. They were already flying freely through the air toward the core, which had formed into a massive sphere of land mass and was increasing at a monstrous rate.

"Well then, here goes nothing." All three of them weaved the same hand signs in sync and plunged their hands down.

"[Kuchiyose no Jutsu]!" In mere moments, almost the entire chakra reserve of Jiraiya bottomed out. Even Ma and Pa stumbled and fell onto Jiraiya's shoulders. For a few seconds, there was no reaction.

Originally, Nagato was concerned, thinking that Jiraiya was going to pull something out of his hat. But then, nothing happened. Seeing this, Nagato put on a maniacal smile and started pumping more chakra into the technique to get rid of his former sensei once and for all.

However, just when Nagato thought the battle was won, the entire night sky brightened as if lit aflame. The clouds parted, and a massive shadow covered the entire region. The entire night sky lit up, freezing the space for a moment. It was then that Nagato laid his eyes upon the monstrosity that Jiraiya had summoned through the eyes of the Animal Path—a massive toad covered in burning lava. Its sheer size was so immense that Nagato believed it could even eclipse the Gedo Mazo. The entire geography shifted as the massive lava toad descended onto the ground.

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at finally summoning Gamakyujin in its entirety—a feat never achieved before. Even his famed toad prison seal techniques paled in comparison, as they only summoned part of this behemoth. Summoning the entire toad was a massive burden, even for a sage like himself. It was believed that Gamakyujin was an entity even older than the revered Sage Elder of Mount Myoboku. Due to its massive form, Gamakyujin had stopped interacting with the outside world altogether. Even within Mount Myoboku, only a few toads knew of its existence.

"That's one huge ass toad!" Gamabunta exclaimed, dropping the cigar from his mouth in shock, as Jiraiya smirked with sheer glee.

Ma and Pa quickly communicated with the massive behemoth, which stood unshaken despite the increasing gravity. Its closed eyelids opened, and it looked up at the sky. Opening its mouth, Gamakyujin fired a massive beam of burning lava. The attack was devastating, leaving a large gaping hole right at the center of the core of the landmass created using Chibaku Tensei. The massive lava beam pierced through Nagato's attack with ease.

Nagato did not expect such a scenario. The backlash from the technique was huge, and he spat out a mouthful of blood as the huge sphere in the sky crumbled to dust, the gravity ceasing and everything that was attracted falling back to the ground.

However, the massive toad was not done. Under the urging of Ma and Pa, Gamakyujin turned its attention to the tree disguised using papers. Its eyes squinted, and it charged for another attack. Itachi, who was rigging the surroundings, felt a chill run down his spine. As he turned, he saw the massive form of a toad reaching the skies and looking in his direction. He activated his Sharingan at maximum and understood that the massive form was collecting lava inside its mouth. Itachi dropped everything and ran; the only thought in his mind was the instinct to survive. The only safe space was beneath the toad itself, and never before in his life had Itachi moved so fast. Even he did not realize that he could move at such blinding speeds. The fear of the threat made him move at record-breaking speeds, covering the dozen miles in no time.

Just as Itachi reached a safe zone, Gamakyujin unleashed a massive torrent of burning lava that engulfed the entire landscape. Even Jiraiya was now thinking that maybe he had gone a bit overboard with his preparation. No one truly knew the true powers Gamakyujin held; it was believed that only Katsuyu from Shikkotsu Forest had seen the toad fighting back in the day.

The lava flowed like a wave, covering the entire landscape. Even before the attack reached the tree, the scorching heat burned it to dust. Konan looked in horror as the massive wave of lava encroached on their hiding spot. She instinctively knew they were done for; the attack was something she couldn't deal with. But then she realized she couldn't give up; she had to save Nagato, who was still reeling from the backlash of his last technique.

Konan quickly flew into the air. Originally, she had wanted to keep this technique as a backup against the so-called masked Madara as a safeguard, but now she was willing to use it to stop the tidal wave of lava, as she wasn't fast enough to escape while carrying Nagato. She regretted the decision not to retreat when they had the chance.

"[Kami no Shisha no Jutsu]" (Paper Person of God Technique). Raising both her arms in the air, Konan used her trump card technique to shield against the lava wave, which rushed forward like an unstoppable torrent. Konan caused the scenery to split in half, resulting in the rapid creation of a huge abyss in the path of the incoming lava. Due to the sudden lack of any available ground, the lava plunged into the abyss. However, it still rushed forward, so Konan started detonating the paper tags. Simultaneously, she used the explosions to hold back the lava. From Jiraiya's perspective, it was like massive ocean waves crashing against a breakwater. The stalemate continued for minutes.

Blood had already started seeping out of Konan's eyes, ears, and nose as if she were trying to best nature itself. After a few minutes of completely exhausting close to more than a billion explosion tags, Konan fell to the ground like a broken doll right in front of Nagato, who reeled in shock after registering what exactly happened. Although Konan was able to shield them, she was not able to completely neutralize the technique of Gamakyujin. With a final spurt, the massive toad sprayed more lava and vanished into a puff of smoke, as the chakra provided was only able to keep it there for so long.

"Aaaaaargh!" a blood-curdling cry reverberated throughout the entire battlefield, now drenched in lava.

On the other side, Nagato had become insane after laying his eyes on the crumbled form of Konan. His Rinnegan quickly reacted to his emotions, and with a moment, a massive form of Gedo Mazo appeared in front of the duo, shielding them from the rest of the incoming lava attack.

Just when Nagato thought the nightmare was over, the little ANBU by the codename Weasel, who was now by Jiraiya's side, completed the final hand seal.

"KATSU!"