Anticlimactic Battle

"If you want to fight, then we two old bones will also go crazy with you. If you want to retreat, then hurry up!"

Fukasaku took a deep breath, contemplating the dire situation they were in with a stern look.

"Fukasaku is right. We have to preserve our strength now. The next generation of Konoha hasn't grown up yet, and I'm currently the only Kage-level ninja in Konoha.

"Since Kakashi had used his Mangekyo, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long, even though he wasn't injured. Guy was seriously injured, and Naruto's tendons were damaged by Kabuto's chakra scalpels. I'm the only one left who still can fight. Retreating is our best choice for now."

Jiraiya was a rational person. Although he might look a bit like a show-off, he was actually very cautious. Due to his age and vast experiences, he was always prudent when it came to important matters.

"Let's go!" Jiraiya glanced at Fukasaku and Shima. Then the three of them once again joined hands and used the Sage Art Goemon. Obviously, they were trying to obstruct Ryoha and the others' vision. They didn't want to be chased or give them any openings. Jiraiya planned every detail carefully.

"Tch, what a boring battle." Ryoha sneered. He had a bored expression on his face. He had already prepared himself for a bitter battle.

Although he knew that if he continued fighting like this, the chances of him losing were extremely high, after all, Jiraiya in his Sage Mode was too strong. After all, he was not Pain. He couldn't bear a 6-on-1 situation. Indeed, it was almost impossible for him to win against Jiraiya. However, Ryoha liked the feeling of fighting someone stronger than him.

This was because he knew that high-intensity battles were essential for his growth.

"I never thought that it would end like this..." Tsunade was also disappointed. Originally, she wanted to take over Ryoha when she couldn't hold on any longer, but she didn't expect that Jiraiya would retreat.

"Forget it. If I continue to fight, the possibility of me losing is very high. Jiraiya also has those two Toad Sages with him. My genjutsu is not very effective against him unless he used a super-powerful genjutsu. But in any case, those two Toad Sages would disturb me a lot. They would be able to break my genjutsu easily.

Of course, Ryoha had thought about using his Transient Youth. No matter how long it passed inside his genjutsu realm, in the real world, only one second would pass. If Jiraiya couldn't break the Transient Youth for decades, 50 years would pass. Jiraiya was currently 50 years old. He would die as soon as he broke outside from the jutsu.

But just because Jiraiya didn't know or use any genjutsu, it didn't mean the two Sages, who had lived for more than 800 years, couldn't use genjutsu. On the contrary, their genjutsu might not be enough to resist Pain, who had the Rinnegan. But as a veteran Kage-level ninja inside the Sage mode, with the help of the Toad Sages, Jiraiya might know how to break them, and it was still unknown how powerful his spiritual energy was.

With Jiraiya's strength, a genjutsu of Tsukuyomi's level might not even scare him. Of course, he would still be injured from it, but it was impossible to kill him in an instant.

"This is really troublesome." Ryoha felt an incredible pain in his right eye. It was getting unbearable, especially when he used a Visual Jutsu. One must know that to use a Mangekyo to its full power. The user must keep their eyes open and focus on their target. Therefore, Ryoha had to endure the discomfort coming from his eyes every time he used Visual Jutsu.

Tsunade reached out and touched Ryoha's eyes, channeling her green-colored chakra. Although she was unable to replenish Ryoha's power, she could reduce the pain in his eyes.

"Thanks. It's much better now. With you here, I can be at ease." Ryoha was not one to flatter Tsunade. With Tsunade, the medical expert, and Bulma, the great inventor, Ryoha would not be bothered about any logistics. Moreover, Tsunade and Bulma had been together for seven days.

Although Bulma only refined chakra to improve her body's condition and had not trained any taijutsu, ninjutsu, or genjutsu, she and Tsunade had many things in common.

Because the stronger the medical ninjutsu, the more in-depth research on the human body is needed, Tsunade studied human bodies through her medical ninjutsu, and Bulma studied human bodies through science and technology. Although they had some differences, they spoke the same language. Both of them learned a lot of knowledge they had never learned before from each other.

"Hmph, you have a sweet mouth." Tsunade snorted, but she was very happy in her heart. She had heard too much flattery, but if it were a sincere one, she could hear it with one ear.

Towards Ryoha's heartfelt praise, coupled with his recognition and her own affection for him, Tsunade was naturally very happy when she heard her heartfelt words.

Strictly speaking, Ryoha was no longer an outsider in Tsunade's eyes. He could barely be considered one of them. There was no hypocrisy in his heart when it came to the ones that he held dear. How could he not be sincere when he praised Tsunade?

"You scared me to death just now." There was no need to ask. Haku wouldn't talk to Ryoha like that. As for Byakko, she had already fallen asleep on his shoulder. The only candidate was Bulma. However, the worry and concern in her eyes could be seen by anyone as long as they were not fools.

"No, I never do things that I have no confidence in. It's not like you don't know. Moreover, I have to take care of my life. How can I let myself be in trouble?"

Ryoha held Bulma's hand. In the eyes of outsiders, this looked like a warm relationship between a foster mother and her son. However, only Bulma and Ryoha felt that they were no longer just a foster family. A hint of unclear feelings was there.

"Tsunade, please begin my treatment now. Who knows if Jiraiya will put down those wounds and come back? This is not a place to stay for long."

Now, Orochimaru really wanted to break the curse on his hand immediately. He really did not want to suffer from that kind of pain again.

If it were just physical pain, he would definitely be able to endure it, but the problem was, that the pain he felt on his hands actually came from his soul. Suffering physical and spiritual pain at the same time, how could Orochimaru bear it?