"Really? Tsunade and I have already raised our limits to a whole new level. Are you really okay with being left far behind by the two of us?"
Orochimaru wasn't surprised by Jiraiya's attitude—he was simply laying out the facts.
"Idiot! How stubborn can you be? This is just a kind of power similar to Sage Mode. The technology Orochimaru has is only about planting a seed in you. How far your potential grows, or what stage you reach, is entirely up to you. No one's giving you extra arms or cutting off a leg."
Tsunade saw right through Jiraiya's hesitation. Arms crossed and face cold, she called him out bluntly.
Then she rubbed her right hand and gave Orochimaru a glare while Jiraiya stared at her in horror.
"Let me beat him up, drag him into your lab once he's too weak to resist. I've been in a really bad mood lately!"
"Even though the awakening technology is much more stable now, it still comes with risks. It's best if he accepts it willingly and understands his own heart and desires. That would increase the chances of success."
Orochimaru sounded a little regretful, but quickly added, "Still, giving him a good beating might just be the best way to make him face reality right now."
"My suggestion is to let him summon the two Toad Sages and enter Sage Mode."
Tsunade subtly glanced at Orochimaru, almost rolling her eyes. Having been deeply involved in many of Orochimaru and Kagetsu's experiments, she knew exactly what Orochimaru was thinking.
He wanted to personally experience Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode, take specific samples, and use them for future purposes—maybe even to steal the power?
Orochimaru had never hidden that intention from her. It was just that, for now, the technology to steal Sage Arts wasn't fully developed.
It was still in the experimental phase.
Plus, Orochimaru himself hadn't completely mastered Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode yet. Otherwise, the first thing he'd likely do would be to target and try to take the power of her Shikkotsu Forest.
"Are you two serious about this?" Jiraiya could feel how serious his two old teammates were. His expression turned solemn.
Orochimaru tossed away the Hokage hat, and his Hokage robe was soon hanging on a nearby tree branch. Underneath, his battle outfit was revealed.
At the edge of the Forest of Death, four walls of purple chakra suddenly rose up, enclosing the area around them with Orochimaru at the center.
But the three Sannin didn't seem concerned at all.
"It's been a long time since we've sparred, hasn't it? Don't worry about getting hurt. As long as you're not killed instantly, no matter how badly you're injured, Tsunade can bring you back," Orochimaru said with a sly grin.
"What a pain. You're all fired up all of a sudden," Jiraiya muttered, but his heart started pounding with excitement.
Back when they were younger, he was the weakest of the group. The one he most wanted to defeat was always Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was always praised by their teacher, while Jiraiya often got scolded and called an idiot. He once believed that if he could beat Orochimaru, he'd finally gain their teacher's recognition.
Now that he'd grown up, those childish ideas had faded. But that didn't stop him from still wanting a full-on, satisfying fight with Orochimaru.
"Are you sure... you want me to summon the two Toad Sages?" Jiraiya's hair returned to normal as he fully revealed himself again. He looked at Orochimaru and asked seriously.
"Come on. I want to see which is stronger—the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku or the power of Hogyoku Mode." Orochimaru's overwhelming aura surged toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya grinned widely, biting his left thumb until it bled, then smeared the blood onto his right palm.
He formed hand seals.
After two bursts of white smoke, two small toads appeared on Jiraiya's shoulders.
"Little Jiraiya, what's going on? I'm in the middle of cooking!" A somewhat complaining voice rang in Jiraiya's ear.
"What's happening? Are you fighting Orochimaru and the others? Did you betray the village?" Another deep voice, sensing Orochimaru's blatant killing intent, asked in surprise from the other shoulder.
"Don't say nonsense, old man! Little Jiraiya is such a good kid. How could he betray the village? There must be some misunderstanding!" The first voice responded, dissatisfied.
"I didn't betray the village! I just want to have a long-overdue spar with Orochimaru!" Jiraiya quickly corrected, feeling a bit nervous from the back-and-forth of the two toads.
"So it's just a spar? Since it's not a fight, I'll go back to cooking then." Shima, the elder toad sage, said as she began to form the seals to cancel the summoning.
"Wait, Big Sister! I need your help to enter Sage Mode!" Jiraiya quickly stopped Fukasaku and Shima from leaving.
"What do you mean? For a spar, do you really need Sage Mode?" Shima stopped her hand seals, looking puzzled.
"Please, Boss, Big Sister!" Jiraiya pressed his hands together in a prayer, pleading.
Amid the noise, Jiraiya stood still with his hands pressed together, eyes closed, and focused on entering Sage Mode with the help of the two sages.
"The ratio of natural energy from Myoboku Mountain..."
Orochimaru, having been modified by the Hōgyoku, had a specialized ability to sense natural energy.
His golden eyes shimmered with a strange glow, as if he could see the flow of natural energy, blending with Jiraiya's chakra in a precise balance within him.
Soon, Jiraiya opened his eyes.
The lines around his eyes had transformed into camouflage-like patterns, and his nose had grown significantly, giving him a somewhat comical appearance.
However, the aura around him, and the pressure he exuded, rose to a surprising height the moment he opened his eyes.
"I'm ready," Jiraiya said, releasing his hands and speaking in a low voice to Orochimaru.
"Then, let's begin," Orochimaru replied, and his body was instantly enveloped in a cloak of dark, ominous chakra.
"What the hell is that?"
"I know, it looks like some sort of Sage Mode."
"I thought Orochimaru made a contract with the Ryūchi Cave? This doesn't look like Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode."
"I don't feel the disturbing power of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode. This is strange. When did the ninja world get another Sage Mode?"
"We'll find out by testing it."
The two sages quickly exchanged words.
"Then, let's greet him with this technique." Check latest chapters at Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Thousand Spears!"
Jiraiya suddenly bent forward. His white hair, empowered by the Sage Mode energy, instantly hardened, and then exploded in a storm of countless needles, shooting toward Orochimaru's direction like a torrential rain.
Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon!
Orochimaru slammed his hands onto the ground. A series of Hell Gates, carved with demonic faces, rose up from the earth, forming a barrier between him and Jiraiya.
The countless needles from Jiraiya's attack relentlessly pierced the gates, and the force of the needles soon cracked the first two Rashomon gates, making them look like a porcupine, until the third Rashomon gate finally stopped the assault.