Chapter 249: Assassination – False Body

Twelve minutes before Orochimaru used the Impure World Reincarnation.

Six kilometers south of Konohagakure.

"Jiraiya, you bastard…"

Hidan's head was exposed and his face was covered in black centipede-like sealing marks that made his entire face look like a permanent dark tattoo.

"You actually betrayed the organization... ugh!"

Jiraiya, with an emotionless expression, moved his hand and struck Hidan's mouth with force and shattering it.

"When you're sealed, try talking less. Aren't you a follower of the evil god? Looks like your god has abandoned you."

Hidan glared furiously at the white-haired man until the centipede-like fuinjutsu finally sealed him completely.

Jiraiya sighed in relief, put away the sealing scroll, and looked into the distance where the Hokage Rock stood. His teacher, his students, and his friends—their faces were all carved into it.

At this moment, the battle with the Phantom Organization's invasion of Konoha had fully erupted. Even from this far, the white-haired man could hear the rumbling sounds mixed with screams.

"You were right," Jiraiya patted the sealing scroll.

"I am indeed a bastard."

'A single mistake—letting Obito Uchiha go—led to today's calamity for the village. I am not worthy of the title of Sannin or being in Konoha.' Thinking this, Jiraiya walked forward using the legs rebuilt from Hashirama's cells. 'But at least… I can still do something to make up for my past mistakes.'

He stomped hard on the ground and dashed southward, further and further from the village.

Following the memorized route, Jiraiya finally stood in a desolate wilderness.

The title of Sannin wasn't earned by reputation alone. Over the past two years, he had frequently engaged in Phantom Organization's operations and learned some of their secrets. He had also left behind a few tricks, such as placing a Mokuton spore on the "Uchiha Fan."

Thanks to the legs reshaped using Hashirama cells, Jiraiya had acquired a slight affinity for Mokuton. While his proficiency was weak—far inferior to Yamato—he could still use certain small tricks, like this spore, which could sense from a distance.

"He's in this cave." Jiraiya squinted his eyes and was about to set up traps when a figure emerged from the cave.

Wearing a crimson robe and a mask with black patterns, the figure had an Uchiha fan strapped to his back.

"You've hidden here, Obito," Jiraiya stopped his actions, placing his hands together.

"It's been a while."

The masked man remained silent, holding the fan with one hand in front of him.

Jiraiya clearly saw the man's eyes spinning with eerie Mangekyō Sharingan.

As expected, Obito had transplanted another Uchiha's Sharingan.

The white-haired man sighed softly, lowering his hands.

His pupils turned rectangular, and unique markings appeared on his skin. A tremendous force roared within Jiraiya, amplifying both his taijutsu and ninjutsu.

—Sage Mode!

With his legs rebuilt using Hashirama's cells, Jiraiya's affinity for natural energy had increased, allowing him to enter Sage Mode in just a few seconds by standing still with his hands together.

The two locked eyes, their gazes clashing with the intensity of a spark.

Boom!

The rock beneath Jiraiya's feet shattered as he launched forward with overwhelming force, instantly appearing in front of the masked man. He pressed his left hand forward, and a massive Rasengan, over five meters in diameter, smashed downward.

The masked man calmly raised the fan slightly, crouching down without any intention of dodging.

Uchiha Return!

With a loud crash, Jiraiya was blasted away by his own Sage Art, but he had anticipated this and wasn't fazed. He opened his mouth, spitting out toad oil.

This wide-range ninjutsu was difficult to block with the fan. Without Kamui, the masked man had no time to dodge and was covered in toad oil, leaving his clothes soaked.

He shook the oil off his hand and began to form hand seals but paused after making the first "Snake" seal.

Using Fire Release with the toad oil on him would undoubtedly ignite it, resulting in self-immolation!

In a battle between experts, victory often hinged on a single moment.

The average time for an elite shinobi to form the "Snake" seal was 0.03 seconds.

In that brief interval, Jiraiya performed his own technique.

His white hair suddenly grew wildly, shooting out like arrows towards the masked man, binding him tightly. The Sage Art-enhanced Wild Lion's Mane Technique was extremely strong, hundreds of times tougher than steel.

The masked man's arms and legs were bound, the white hair digging into his skin, leaving deep blood marks.

Thud!

A hand attacked from behind, tearing through the masked man's spine, piercing his chest.

"Kekkei genkai shinobi are strong, but you all rely too much on those god-like organs you were born with…"

Jiraiya withdrew his hand, looking at the fallen enemy with a complex expression.

"I know you must have prepared plenty of tricks, but you're so used to fighting with the Mangekyō. How could you adapt to using someone else's three-tomoe Sharingan?"

He spoke while taking out a kunai and decapitating the body.

Jiraiya was no stranger to finishing blows after surviving two shinobi world wars.

"It's all over…" Jiraiya sat on the ground, dispelling Sage Mode.

The most confused moment in his life was after being rejected by his teacher and Orochimaru. It was right after that night that Obito appeared before him.

His broken legs and years of heavy drinking had reduced his physical abilities to rock bottom, and it also clouded his mind. That night, Jiraiya let Obito go, and for the next two years, he regretted it daily, constantly thinking of how to make up for his mistake.

He had considered telling Orochimaru and his teacher, but admitting, "I let the village's enemy go," was too difficult to say.

He had thought of taking his own life to atone for his sins, but such a cowardly act was beneath him. Jiraiya only wanted to die as the Hokage had before him.

There is a saying, "The true talent of a shinobi doesn't lie in the number of jutsu they know, but in their unyielding perseverance, their unwavering loyalty to their oaths, and their determination to never give up no matter the circumstances…" Now, he was once again standing on his shinobi path.

"It's over," Jiraiya repeated, standing up and preparing to return to Konoha. He wanted to bring back the enemy's head and confess his mistakes to his comrades.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened!

The masked man's head reattached itself to his body, with fleshy tendrils intertwining like tree roots, stitching his head back onto his neck.

No human shinobi could possibly do this.

Jiraiya stared in shock, gritting his teeth.

"You're not Obito, you're…"

'I was careless. No wonder he was so weak…' Cold sweat broke out on Jiraiya's forehead as he immediately prepared another Rasengan, aiming to subdue the masked man.

Boom!

A puff of white smoke appeared, and then vanished, along with the masked man and the Uchiha fan.

—Someone had summoned him away!

On the shattered ground, Jiraiya froze, lowering his hands and closing his eyes.

'Obito wasn't here, but someone was pretending to be him, carrying the Uchiha fan. So… where was Obito?' Suddenly, memories resurfaced, and Jiraiya recalled what happened that year in Amegakure, the night he killed Nagato…

The white-haired man felt as if his heart was being tightly gripped, his blood freezing.

He had figured out the key.

"Orochimaru, you must not…" Jiraiya gritted his teeth and sprinted toward Konoha.

Roar!

The earth-shattering roar shook the heavens as a massive five-tailed beast appeared in the distance. Even from far away, Jiraiya could feel the overwhelming chakra.

"Orochimaru, you must not…"

Jiraiya's eyes filled with blood as he pushed his Sage Art chakra to the limit, moving at lightning speed.

"You must not use the Impure World Reincarnation…"

(End of Chapter)