*Chapter 210: The Old Lady in Her Eighties*

Before Jiraiya could make contact with the Raikage, he was already shocked by the lightning aura surrounding the Raikage.

“Raikage!?”

Instinctively, Jiraiya leapt backward, watching the afterimages in front of him.

The Raikage’s speed was such that only the Flying Thunder God Technique could catch it.

Jiraiya hadn’t expected it to be so fast—almost beyond reason. He barely managed to dodge in time.

" Fury Axe!"

Before Jiraiya could devise a countermeasure, a crackling sound of electricity echoed above his head.

It startled Jiraiya, and when he looked up, he saw a massive foot crashing down toward him.

There was no way Ai would just stand by and let Jiraiya gather Sage Mode energy!

He wouldn't make such an arrogant mistake, especially now when it was the best time to strike Konoha. Missing this opportunity, who knew when it would come again?

This time, Ai unleashed his full power, all aimed at suppressing Jiraiya.

“Jiraiya, watch out!” came a reminder from Fukasaku, perched on Jiraiya's shoulder.

From the other side, Shima's cheeks puffed up instantly.

The next moment, a sharp stream of water shot out from the air.

Using the force of the water, Jiraiya was flung away, adjusting his body mid-air to land steadily on the ground.

Finally, Jiraiya exhaled in relief—he hadn’t expected the Raikage to be so difficult.

Not only difficult, but the speed was insane. If he hadn't entered Sage Mode, he wouldn't even be able to see the Raikage's movements clearly.

Jiraiya felt at a bit of a loss, but he knew that as long as he could buy some time, it would help.

“Boom!”

A gigantic toad crashed down as if it had taken a heavy blow, its massive body sprawling on the ground.

Before Jiraiya could react, it turned into smoke and returned to Mount Myoboku.

The Raikage's strike likely gave the toad a concussion. It would need proper rest back at Mount Myoboku.

“Toad Ken…” Jiraiya stared at the smoke cloud with a complicated expression.

He had caused trouble for Toad Ken this time.

But now he needed to conserve his chakra. Otherwise, he'd have to summon the three brothers of Mount Myoboku.

“Kid, stay focused!” Fukasaku yelled at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya snapped back to attention, continuing to gather Sage Chakra.

“It’s not over yet!”

With a furious shout, the Raikage appeared in front of Jiraiya in a flash, his hand slicing down like a blade onto Jiraiya’s shoulder.

The immense weight of the strike forced Jiraiya to one knee.

Fukasaku was knocked off Jiraiya's shoulder, flying backward with his life hanging in the balance.

Shima released the summoning jutsu just as the Raikage turned his focus to her.

“Huff!”

Ai exhaled lightly as his hair slowly settled down.

He had reached his peak speed just now.

Luckily, Jiraiya hadn’t fully entered Sage Mode.

If he had...

"Raikage, those people aren't under your control. Konoha is willing to offer something to make peace," Jiraiya said, his shoulders sagging, his face twisted in pain.

The Raikage's strike had incapacitated him, leaving half his body numb and immobile. He was now at the mercy of the Raikage.

To be honest, Konoha was in a fragile state right now. They had many valuable assets they could offer.

Jiraiya’s plan was to save Konoha first and deal with the rest later.

After all, after this war, he was planning to disappear.

Konoha wasn’t a place for him anymore—it was too deep. He was still young and couldn’t handle it.

“We’ll take what we want ourselves. There's no need for Konoha to offer us anything,” Ai scoffed, looking down at Jiraiya in disdain.

“A defeated army like yours has no right to make demands. If Konoha refuses, we’ll fight again.”

Ai’s face showed scorn as he laughed at Jiraiya.

In his eyes, Konoha hadn’t won this war—Kumo had.

“…”

Jiraiya was left speechless, his gaze drifting toward where Tsunade was fighting. Even the previous Hokages weren’t planning to help.

His hope was almost gone, unless Danzo had a secret weapon—like summoning Sakumo Hatake or the Fourth Hokage with the Reanimation Jutsu.

But Danzo hadn’t done that.

Jiraiya now genuinely hoped Danzo had some hidden trick, because he was out of options, completely overwhelmed by Kumo’s forces.

“Keep advancing! Break through to Konoha Village!” Ai commanded.

He instructed the rear army of ten thousand to follow quickly, planning a full-on assault on Konoha’s gates.

As for the Raikage and his men, they were just the vanguard, clearing the way for Kumo’s main forces.

Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya and frowned slightly.

Although Jiraiya had been talking nonsense earlier, they had been classmates. His previous restraint showed that she was merely disappointed in Konoha, not heartless or cold-blooded.

“It looks like Konoha’s forces have failed. Even summoning us with Reanimation won’t help,” Hashirama Senju said regretfully, realizing Konoha’s downfall.

Years ago, he had accumulated significant strength for Konoha, but this time, it seemed Konoha hadn’t used any of it.

Not even their allies, the Uzumaki Clan, had come to help. Nor had Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchuriki been seen on the battlefield.

"It’s obvious. Konoha is divided internally. Winning would be a miracle,” Tobirama Senju added.

The power gap was too wide—Tobirama couldn’t believe his brother couldn’t see it.

If Konoha somehow won, Tobirama would have to call Danzo a military genius.

“Ha ha ha, it’s just surprising that no clan has come to Konoha’s aid this time,” Hashirama chuckled, scratching his head.

Before his death, Konoha had strong alliances with the Uzumaki Clan and others. Even the Uchiha Clan was nowhere to be seen.

“They must not be so heartless as to abandon Konoha in its time of need,” he mused.

“… Hashirama, the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out by the other villages over twenty years ago,” Mito Uzumaki explained quietly.

Hashirama had died too early to know this, so she had to clarify.

“Oh…”

Senju Hashirama was momentarily speechless.

“Brother, the Uchiha clan rebelled within the Leaf Village and has completely left the village,” Senju Tobirama said. “As for the other clans, most of them have aligned themselves with the Uchiha and left as well. Otherwise, the Leaf wouldn’t be in such a weakened state now. Our Senju clan, too, likely lost its bloodline within the Leaf long ago.”

Tobirama’s voice carried a hint of cold mockery. How ironic it was that the Senju, one of the founders of the village, had fallen to such a state.

Hashirama's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he had stumbled into a parallel world. "Is this still the Leaf? Why does it feel so dark and foreboding?"

“Grandfather, after Nawaki died, there hasn’t been any legitimate Senju descendants in the village. It’s just me now, and even I’ve thrown in with the Uchiha,” Tsunade interjected as she crashed into the ground after being hit by Jigen, her body drawing strength from the earth to keep her fighting.

“. . . Then what are we even fighting for?” Hashirama muttered, his mind reeling as he struggled to comprehend what remained of the village he once knew. Was this even the Leaf Village anymore, with the Uchiha gone?

Senju Tobirama and Uzumaki Mito exchanged uncertain glances, speechless at Hashirama’s remarks.

“Should we just go back?” Tobirama suggested, contemplating confronting Danzo to see if the Impure World Reincarnation technique could be undone so they could return to the afterlife.

“Let’s help Tsunade finish off this guy first,” Mito said sternly, glaring at the two of them before moving to assist Tsunade in her fight against Jigen. Although they were limited by their reincarnated bodies, at least they could act as a shield for Tsunade.

Hashirama, scratching his head, chuckled and said, “I almost forgot about Tsunade.”

Mounting a wooden dragon, he charged at Jigen, feeling a strange familiarity from the man—as if he were his son. The thought perplexed him, as he was certain he hadn’t fathered any children.

Tobirama sighed, exasperated. "Even after dying, my brother still hasn’t learned his lesson."

Suddenly, a voice called out to Tobirama from behind, causing him to instinctively activate the Flying Thunder God technique. But before he could fully react, a large hand pierced through his body, trapping him in place.

“This can even bind my soul? Who are you?” Tobirama asked in shock, surprised that he had been ambushed on the battlefield, especially considering his status as the fastest shinobi.

"Uchiha!" Tobirama snarled as he was forcefully locked in eye contact with Raijin's Mangekyo Sharingan. His expression darkened, his body shaking with fury. To be ambushed by anyone was an insult, but for an Uchiha to catch him off guard—he couldn’t bear the humiliation. After all, his legacy was built on defeating Uchiha shinobi, starting with Uchiha Izuna.

“Evil Uchiha brat! How dare you ambush me on the battlefield!” Tobirama fumed, his anger boiling over like a volcano.

Raijin smirked, unimpressed. “Evil Uchiha? You’re the disgraceful Senju with that white hair!”

The two exchanged scathing remarks, but Tobirama, smirking coldly, wasn’t fazed by the insults. "So that's how your clan sees me? I’ll take that as a compliment."

At that moment, Uzumaki Mito appeared at Tobirama’s side, eyeing Raijin warily. "An Uchiha? We were just talking about them earlier, and now one shows up."

“Uzumaki Mito,” Raijin said, grinning. “You carry the Uzumaki clan’s legacy of sealing techniques, which are as powerful as Uzumaki Kushina’s. You’ll be of great use to us.”

Without hesitation, a clone of Raijin appeared beside Mito, grabbing her by the neck and throwing her in front of the original Raijin. Despite her youthful appearance, Mito was, after all, an old woman who had died of old age, at least in her eighties or nineties. Raijin, upon recalling her true age, lost any interest in her, unlike Uzumaki Kushina, who had died at just twenty-four.

“What kind of look is that?” Mito snapped, noticing the shift in Raijin's demeanor—from admiration to disgust. The thought nearly made her explode with anger.

"Nothing," Raijin replied indifferently, uninterested in exchanging further words. He was more focused on extracting Tobirama's soul, then moving on to Mito.