New Chapter.
I realized there was a mistake In chapter 4 concerning Ryota's Reasons For His Slow Response. I honestly just forgot to edit it. Not sure where I mentioned it, but I remember saying that this whole Fic was an old idea I picked up on again.
Point being, I have fixed Chapter 4 to properly portray the reason for his actions, which is just Apathy. You can go back and read it if you want to. Nothing changes really apart from that.
Back to business, New Chapter.
Enjoy.
Powerstones Please.
....
**General POV - Inside the Toad's Stomach**
The acidic walls of the Great Toad's digestive barrier pulsed around them, creating an otherworldly echo that made every sound feel muffled and distant. Jiraiya sat slumped against one of the fleshy walls, his missing left arm a stark reminder of how badly this mission had gone sideways.
Blood dripped steadily from the black rod protruding through his right shoulder and out his back, each drop creating a small splash in the shallow pool of digestive fluid beneath him.
"Jiraiya boy," Fukasaku croaked from his shoulder, concern evident in his aged voice. "You need medical attention. We should retreat while we still can."
"Ma's right," Shima added, her voice carrying that particular tone that brooked no argument. "Those freaks don't even know we're still alive down here. This is our only chance to escape."
Jiraiya let out a pained chuckle, his sage mode still active despite his injuries. "Can't do that yet, old folks. I need to know for sure."
"Know what?" Fukasaku demanded.
"The one I killed up there... when his headband fell off, I saw something." Jiraiya's voice grew quieter, more thoughtful. "A scar across his forehead. One that I remember giving to a kid with green hair years ago."
The two toads exchanged glances.
"You think you know who these Pain fellows are?" Shima asked.
"Maybe. But I need to confirm it with the others too. If I'm right..." Jiraiya trailed off, his expression darkening. "This changes everything."
"And if you're wrong, you'll be dead," Fukasaku pointed out bluntly. "Scratch that, as long as you go up there, you'll be dead either way, Jiraiya boy. Those orange-haired freaks aren't gone, and you're in no condition to fight two opponents simultaneously."
Jiraiya was quiet for a moment, weighing his options. Even with sage mode enhanced reflexes, the remaining two had proven to be a handful. The logical choice was clear—retreat, report what he'd learned, and let others handle the rest. But logic had never been his strongest suit when it came to his former students.
He reached into his vest with his remaining hand, pulling out a strange rectangular device that neither toad had seen before.
"What's that contraption, Jiraiya boy?" Fukasaku asked, curiosity overriding his concern for a moment.
"This?" Jiraiya held up the device, managing a slight smile despite his condition. "This is insurance. Something an annoying old friend gave me a few years ago."
The phone was simple by modern standards—a sturdy black rectangle with physical buttons, clearly built to withstand the kind of abuse that came with shinobi life. Strange symbols were etched along its edges, and the screen glowed with an odd blue light that seemed out of place in their world.
"That's great, but how does that help us in our current situation?" Shima demanded, her patience wearing thin. "Is it some kind of specialized ninja tool?"
"Well, it doesn't help directly," Jiraiya admitted, carefully manipulating the device with his one good hand. "But it does let me call for backup."
"Call for backup?" Fukasaku repeated. "Like a summoning jutsu?"
"Sort of." Jiraiya's fingers moved over the strange symbols with practiced ease. "It allows me to send messages across great distances instantly. Unfortunately, it only works between the two of us—he set it up that way. Said he gave it to me just in case I ever needed his help."
The device made a soft chiming sound as Jiraiya finished typing his message.
"Honestly, never thought I'd be pushed to the point of having to use it," he added with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"And this friend of yours can reach you immediately?" Shima asked, skepticism clear in her voice.
"That's what he told me. Something about being able to travel quickly—though I never really understood the specifics of how it works."
"Fascinating," Fukasaku mused. "Does it do anything else?"
Jiraiya coughed lightly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Ahem, of course it does. But we don't really have time to go through all its functions right now."
The truth was, even after all these years, Jiraiya still discovered new capabilities in the device. It could record images and sounds, store vast amounts of information, and even contained what the giver had called "entertainment materials" that Jiraiya had found... educational. But explaining any of that to the toads seemed unnecessary at the moment.
"If you say so, Jiraiya boy. So how long will it take for this friendly reinforcement to arrive?"
Jiraiya paused, suddenly realizing the flaw in his plan.
"..."
"Jiraiya boy?"
"Well... I don't actually know."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Jiraiya scratched his head with his good hand, looking sheepish. "It's been many years since we last saw each other. When he gave this to me, he said he'd come as soon as he got the message. Though that depends on when he actually sees it. Could be instantly if he's paying attention, but there's no telling when that'll be."
"So we could be waiting here indefinitely," Fukasaku said flatly.
"Or he might not come at all," Shima added helpfully.
"He'll come," Jiraiya said with more confidence than he felt. "He's... reliable. In his own way."
The three of them sat in contemplative silence, each lost in their own thoughts about their precarious situation.
"We should leave," Fukasaku said finally. "Waiting here is suicide. Those Pain fellows might disappear if we stay hidden too long, and then you'll never get another chance to investigate."
"But if I go up there now..." Jiraiya gestured weakly at his injuries.
"You'll die," Shima finished bluntly. "At least if we retreat, you can report what you've learned. Others can take up the investigation."
Jiraiya closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his decision. Every instinct told him to pursue the truth about Pain's identity, but his rational mind knew the toads were right.
But when had he ever listened to his rational mind anyway?
"I'm sorry," the man said, eyes flashing with determination. "But I have to do this."
"Jiraiya..."
"But before that, I want you to detach yourselves from my shoulders once I can't hold on anymore."
"You... What are you talking about?"
"I can't let the Pains leave. So I'm going to confront them using sage mode with the aim of buying as much time for myself as I can. Hopefully it'll be long enough for Ryota to arrive."
"This is suicide, Jiraiya. What if he doesn't show?"
"Oh, he will." Jiraiya chuckled, standing to his feet while extracting the remnants of the black rod embedded in his shoulder. "Like I said, he's reliable. And I've always had an unhealthy amount of trust in my friends. So I choose to believe he'll make it in time. And if he doesn't... Well, I can be sure he'll do his best to avenge me. For a life like mine,"
CLANG!
The metal rod reverberated as it fell on the stone floor.
"That's all that matters."
The toads were silent. Finally, Shima sighed.
"If that is what you want, then we'll help."
"Hmph, you better make sure this works."
"I... Thank you. I'm deeply indebted..."
The man said, taking a deep breath with his eyes closed.
"If all fails, detach yourselves and take all the intel on Pain we've gathered back to the village. Tell Tsunade I..."
"You can do all that stuff yourself once we get back. For now, we better focus."
"..."
"Right. Now then..."
---
In the water, the swimming toad suddenly removed the cork from its mouth before spitting upward. Following which, Jiraiya, with his missing arm, was ejected out. Swimming up to the surface, he emerged from the water, revealing himself from the torso upward.
The rain fell incessantly, partially obstructing his vision, but Jiraiya didn't care. 'Where did they go?' Hidden behind a large piece of debris from their earlier battle, he observed but found none of the Pains present.
Even with Sage Mode, he couldn't sense their presence.
'Have they already left?'
"And here I thought you were sending me another prank call."
'Huh?'
Hearing the voice from behind, the trio quickly turned around to see a new arrival standing casually on top of a destroyed column, hands in his pockets like he was waiting for a bus.
Seeing this, Jiraiya's face lit up.
"You came."
"Jiraiya..." Ryota greeted, a hint of amusement appearing in his otherwise bored expression. "So this is the Almighty Sage Mode you couldn't stop bragging would let you whoop my ass, huh? I have to say, you look awful. And I'm not even talking about the usual ugly part—that's just Tuesday for you."
Jiraiya's joyful smile faltered, throbbing veins appearing on his forehead.
"And here I was almost happy to see you."
In response, Ryota chuckled slightly as he reached into his pocket.
"Trust me, you're lucky I came. Honestly, to think you'd have the audacity to cash in a favor you won off me in a card game for something like this."
"Hmph. It doesn't matter. I won that bet, kid. Don't try to deny it."
"I never said you didn't." Expressionlessly, Ryota took out his smartphone from his pocket and activated the camera function.
"Hey! What are you...?"
SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!
The camera flash lit up multiple times in rapid succession. Jiraiya was stunned.
"Though I have to say, your 'Mighty Sage' look is pretty... unique. Let's preserve it for posterity, shall we?" Ryota said, examining the photos with the detached interest of an art critic evaluating a particularly abstract piece.
Instantly, Jiraiya panicked.
"Hey, delete those!"
"Nah, I think I'll keep them. Better yet, I'll use one as inspiration for my next novel. It's been several years since my last update. This could make a great book cover. 'The Tales of Jiraiya the Gallant: Blood, Sweat, and Questionable Life Choices.' Your current look will surely get all the ladies fainting ... somewhere. Probably the emergency room, but still."
*They'll be fainting alright... from fright and disgust,* Jiraiya thought miserably.
Instantly, his face turned dark. Dark times lay ahead of him.
"Jiraiya boy," Shima called out urgently, "have you forgotten where we are? Who is this disrespectful child?"
"The backup I mentioned," Jiraiya said, managing what could generously be called a smile. "And trust me, the disrespect is mutual." His expression grew serious as he continued, "This isn't over, but now's not the time for this. There are six enemies possibly still out here. Each one possesses the Rinne..."
Ryota, who had been listening while casually scrolling through the photos he'd taken, suddenly shifted his gaze.
*Hmm?*
WHOOSH!
A shadow appeared, cutting through the air at rapid speed. Jiraiya's eyes widened, his gaze fixed on one of the Pains that had appeared behind Ryota.
*Oh no!*
"Watch out, boy!" Fukasaku yelled. It was too late.
The bald humanoid with purple rippled eyes stretched out its arm, a pitch-black rod elongating from its palm as it thrust forward, the weapon aimed directly at Ryota's heart.
It hit flawlessly.
CRACK!
The expected piercing of flesh never came. Under everyone's gaze, the black rod shattered instantly upon contact, breaking apart into multiple pieces that fell harmlessly to the ground like broken chopsticks.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Oh, hello there!" Turning his head with the slight enthusiasm, Ryota raised an eyebrow at his attacker. *I guess this is how Sasuke felt when Danzo tried to stab his Susanoo with a kunai. Awkward.*
"It... it didn't penetrate?" Shima called out, her tone laced with surprise.
"His durability hasn't changed, huh? Yeah, I should have expected that," Jiraiya muttered, his brows relaxing as familiar memories surfaced.
WHOOSH!
Seeing its first attack had failed spectacularly, the Asura Path quickly attempted to leap backward. Unfortunately for it, the keyword here was 'attempted.'
CLAMP!
A firm grip latched onto its throat before it could retreat even half a meter.
"Leaving before I get my turn? That's not very nice."
The Asura Path's response was to release multiple missiles from various points across its body before firing them all at point-blank range.
BOOM!
The explosion was deafening, sending smoke and debris flying in all directions.
"Jiraiya boy! Your friend!" Fukasaku called out in alarm.
"Meh, he's fine," came the unexpected reply. Climbing onto a nearby rock, the one-armed sage sat cross-legged with remarkable nonchalance. "Trust me, I've hit him with worse."
As the smoke cleared, the scene remained largely unchanged. The only noticeable difference was that parts of the Asura Path looked considerably more roughed up from being in such close proximity to its own explosive attack, while Ryota appeared exactly the same.
"Nice try with the fireworks. Though I don't appreciate almost being striped naked twice in one day."
Without further ceremony, he exerted pressure with his grip. The Asura Path's throat was instantly crushed, blood emerging from both its neck and mouth in dark rivulets. Then, with a casual upward motion that looked more like he was opening a particularly stubborn jar, Ryota separated the head from the body entirely.
Blood fountained upward briefly before the headless corpse collapsed to the ground with a wet thud.
....
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