The End Of The Sannin

"As I suspected..." Fang Yuan mused, while the two old toads were troubled.

"To think that he would kill Gamabunta-chan!"

"Jiraiya-boy, you must take his revenge!"

Fang Yuan spared a glance at the two old toads, then looked at Jiraiya, his eyes full of pity.

"Even with some toads' help, is that the extent of your technique?"

"To underestimate the Toad Mountain Sage, I shall burst your inflated ego!" Jiraiya declared, readying himself.

"To attempt to cover your grief with foolery, ninjas are truly childish." Fang Yuan raised his fists as his injured jaw healed fully.

Jiraiya, knowing Fang Yuan had the time advantage, quickly blitzed forward with a burst of air. Their fists collided, rattling Jiraiya. Fang Yuan, with the Byakugo Seal, had the strength advantage, but moments later, a wave-like energy traveled through Fang Yuan, damaging his insides. It healed a moment later, but that moment was all Jiraiya needed. Jiraiya's only advantage wasn't the frog kumite; he was significantly faster too. Punch after punch landed on Fang Yuan, yet each seemed to do less damage. There was a problem, but Jiraiya had no time to wonder. He had to go all out.

Jiraiya came in with an uppercut, sending Fang Yuan flying. Flickering above, he caught Fang Yuan by the neck, and with an earth-shattering landing, a nasty RKO broke Fang Yuan's neck. Fang Yuan's healing slowed down, giving Jiraiya hope, but the enemy still had breath.

"Ah, I get it now," Jiraiya swore he heard Fang Yuan say.

Sensing danger, Jiraiya jumped back, and he was right. The atmosphere shifted—something had changed.

Fang Yuan, the cause, paid no heed to the atmospheric change. He had refrained from using any jutsu, instead getting enough of the feel of natural energy, though it was quite harmful to his body.

"So this is this world's heaven and earth qi... though it is merged here, what Jiraiya does is basically the same thing as the Immortal Ascension, just requiring less control and balancing two energies instead of three. On top of that, his human qi is quite low."

Meanwhile, Jiraiya made up his mind. He could not falter, especially now. He knew what was happening. He quickly jumped forward, intending to finish the fight before this monster got more powerful.

He was too late.

"Jiraiya-boy, STOP!" Fukasaku, the experienced sage, shouted.

The slight change in the atmosphere was no more. The air seemed to break, and a siphon of destruction was born instantaneously. Jiraiya couldn't escape, getting pulled inward by the massive tornado. Black clouds gathered, dissolving at the top while the ground swirled up. The surrounding green turned grey.

In the middle of the calamity, in the eye of the tornado, Jiraiya stood on one knee. Here, not just the grass and leaves, but the world had turned grey—no color present. Beneath the walls of the tornado, the world had come to a stop. Jiraiya looked left, then right. Two stone toads fell down—victims of failure in natural energy control. Even the two most experienced sages in the shinobi world had fallen before this natural energy tornado. Jiraiya, unable to get up, looked downwards. He knew he had no way to retaliate. He wasn't unharmed either. He had purged most of the natural energy out of his body at the last moment, but not all. His legs had turned into stone, fixing him in place as he stood in despair before the superior sage.

The tornado disappeared as Fang Yuan's figure became visible. He hadn't changed at all, but Jiraiya could sense the beyond-perfect balance of energy. He felt shame at his lack of talent. He felt shame, unable to exact revenge for his beloved village.

Fang Yuan extended his hand, grasping Jiraiya's head. Jiraiya's life flashed past his eyes. He had many regrets.

"I had warned you, Jiraiya. This was the last time," Fang Yuan said.

Jiraiya, after a moment of reflection, asked, "Did you know Sage Mode all this time?"

"Kind of, but I learned how to use it from you."

"Ah," Jiraiya sighed.

Was the toad wrong, or was this what fate called a student? Time would tell.

Time that Jiraiya would never have.

"Jiraiya, you and I are the same, chasing one dream our entire lives."

"Yet you should have known, if there is a goal harder to reach than eternal life, it is the goal of peace."

Fang Yuan clasped his hand, exploding Jiraiya's head. With his will gone, Jiraiya's whole body turned to stone. Wind blew as the headless statue of the legendary ninja stood.

---

**"JIRAIYA!"**

Tsunade, after finally healing, broke free from Orochimaru's grasp and ran toward the calamity, holding the snake by the neck.

"Tsunade, you will kill me."

"Shut up, Orochimaru!"

Tsunade tried approaching the center to no avail. After being launched away a few times, the tornado finally disappeared, and Tsunade flickered forward.

Just to be greeted by the sight she feared most.

The head of her... her team member, her trusted war comrade, her beloved friend.

It was squashed by the one she hated.

Yet she felt no fury. As Jiraiya's body turned into stone, she only felt grief.

Who was she? Was she a medical ninja? Was she? Was she a medical ninja if she couldn't save a single one of her loved ones? Was she the princess of Konoha if Konoha was destroyed? Was she a member of the Senju clan if she was the only one left? Was she one of the Sannin if the Sannin was no more?

"Ji... raiya." She walked forward, hugging the warm stone. Her tears flowed down as she felt Jiraiya's warmth one last time.

She knew who she was. She was the enemy of the man standing just a few meters back.

"DAMN YOU FAN—"

With the sound of a wind slice, her shout ended. The color of her eyes dimmed as her head fell next to the remains of the other one. Tsunade relaxed at the embrace of death, her hatred no more.

Fang Yuan turned his gaze to Orochimaru.

"Why would you dare come here, snake? I thought you would have sent a shadow clone."

"Fang Yuan, I can't possibly win against you, and you can track me down anytime. Edo Tensei doesn't work either. If you wanted to kill me, I would have died to that clone, wouldn't I? If escaping is meaningless and death is certain, why should I bother?"

"You are damn right." Fang Yuan showed a slight smirk.

"You are creepy," Orochimaru said, as Fang Yuan walked toward him.

"Is that supposed to be a snake's compliment?" Fang Yuan touched Orochimaru's chest with his palm.

"I suppose."

"You are certainly a character, Orochimaru." Fang Yuan contacted Orochimaru's soul.

Then, Fang Yuan let go of Orochimaru. Sensing death, in his last moments, Orochimaru walked forward, kneeling near the two dead Sannin. He hesitated, yet hugged them as his soul dissolved away.

The three Sannin perished, their bonds failing only at death.

Fang Yuan spared the three a glance, then turned his gaze to the distance, toward the Hidden Cloud Village.

"The next will be the Eight-Tails."