Chapter 209: Desperate for Help

Charlotte Linlin’s current state was enough to startle even Kaido.

Noticing that something was off with Linlin, Kaido immediately agreed without hesitation.

When the time came, if Linlin wanted, he would simply hand over the secret techniques of the Hidden Cloud Village to her.

As for the Eight Gates Technique from the Leaf Village, he decided to keep it for himself, thinking that Linlin probably had no idea what he was plotting. It was perfect.

“Of course! Since I’ve already promised you, I won’t go back on my word,” Kaido said, nodding, standing next to Charlotte Linlin.

The two giant figures stood before the crowd, with Kuzan showing a hint of coldness on his face.

At this point, Sengoku had removed his shirt, transforming into a golden Buddha, glaring furiously at both Kaido and Linlin.

Tsunade and Fujitora stood behind Sengoku, ready to fight at any moment.

“Linlin, you haven’t forgotten that move, have you?”

“Ma ma ma ma, of course not.”

Kaido and Charlotte Linlin both raised their weapons above their heads, their weapons coated with Conqueror’s Haki. Their clothes fluttered without wind, and a wild storm seemed ready to break out at any moment.

Sengoku’s face showed a grave expression. When these two opened their mouths, he knew exactly what they were planning. Years ago, these two were like butchers on the battlefield, slaughtering relentlessly. It was this terrifying power that Sengoku truly feared.

“Tsunade, Fujitora, retreat!” Sengoku ordered without hesitation as a surge of energy gathered in the palm of his giant Buddha form. His form continued to expand, surpassing even the size of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.

Meanwhile, half of Kuzan’s body had already turned into ice, with white steam emanating from his mouth. He had fully entered battle mode, ready to face these two monsters.

“Conqueror’s Sea!”

In perfect sync, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin shouted as their weapons glowed with a light that exploded from between them.

“Buddha’s Shockwave!”

“Ice Phoenix!”

A blast of ice transformed into a bird and shot forward. At the same time, Sengoku’s shockwave erupted from his palm.

Boom! Boom!

Everything turned black for Tobirama Senju as terrifying energy engulfed the world. Standing behind Sengoku and Kuzan, they were barely spared from the onslaught.

Tobirama glanced to the side, noticing the forest had been plowed for hundreds, even thousands of meters, leaving a scorched path. Leaf Village’s ninjas had already become ghosts, unable to withstand the attack.

Only Jiraiya barely survived by wrapping his hair around his body as protection. Tobirama’s pupils shrank. Who were these people? They didn’t use chakra, yet their power rivaled that of a Tailed Beast Bomb. It was reminiscent of when Madara Uchiha controlled the Nine-Tails and created a lake with a single attack, stretching all the way to the ocean.

“I didn’t expect there to be people like this after Madara’s death,” Hashirama Senju said with clenched fists, eager to fight. In the past, only Uchiha Madara could match him. He wished there had been such an enemy back then.

“Don’t even think about it, Hashirama. You’d be shattered in one hit,” Mito Uzumaki said, giving him a disapproving look. He was still as reckless as ever, always a battle fanatic. Couldn’t Tobirama share some of his brain with Hashirama? One brother was all brawn, while the other was all brains. How could they be so extreme?

“Ahaha!” Hashirama scratched his head, unsure how to respond, feeling disappointed that he couldn’t test his strength against these opponents.

Boom!

The terrifying clash ended, and four people stood on each side, evenly matched. Though Charlotte Linlin had lost an arm, it was unclear if her combat ability was affected.

“Ma ma ma ma, I didn’t expect you to still be this strong after retiring as Fleet Admiral, Sengoku. You’re quite something, old man,” Linlin said, grinning wickedly at Sengoku. She had thought that since he hadn’t taken on any missions for the past five or six years, he must have let himself go.

“You pirates aren’t dead yet, so I won’t stop fighting. Once you’re all gone, then I’ll retire,” Sengoku said, standing tall before Linlin.

“Let’s see how long you can last,” Linlin snarled, swinging Napoleon at Sengoku, flames igniting along the blade.

Seeing Linlin engage Sengoku, Kaido shifted his attention to Kuzan. A smile crept across his face. Kuzan was the youngest of the Navy Admirals, a full ten years younger than Kaido. To Kaido, it was like fighting a child. After all, when Kaido had set out to sea, Kuzan was probably still in diapers.

“Oh? Am I being underestimated?” Kuzan noted the change in Kaido’s expression. He hadn’t expected to be looked down upon despite being a Navy Admiral.

“Well then, let’s see what separates you from the other pirates who failed to claim the title of Pirate King. Even a failure should have something worth my attention,” Kuzan said as cold air spread from his body, turning the surroundings into frost, though he carefully avoided freezing Tsunade and the others.

“Haha, brat!” Kaido’s eyes hardened. He hated it when people mentioned his past failures. Even Whitebeard, considered the world’s strongest man, was also seen as a failure in the race for Pirate King. And as for Kaido? He was in an even worse position, without even the title of the strongest creature.

Boom!

Kaido’s club clashed with a fist, and Haki exploded at the point of contact. Although Kaido hadn’t yet mastered Conqueror’s Haki infusion, his Armament Haki was honed to perfection, enough to compete with it.

Meanwhile, the Leaf Village ninjas had already been wiped out by the shockwaves, sparing only a few survivors like Jiraiya.

“Advance! Now’s our chance to infiltrate the Leaf Village while Kaido is holding them off. Capture Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi!” A commanded, pushing his troops forward.

At this moment, asking such a question is truly foolish—just look at the lineup on the other side. What can these small fries possibly do?

“Retreat! I'll cover you,” Jiraiya said after a brief internal struggle, finally hardening his resolve.

He quickly formed hand seals and summoned two toads onto his shoulders. Standing in front of the charging ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village, he decided to buy time for the Konoha ninjas to retreat with the intel.

At this moment, Jiraiya felt quite heroic, proud of his selfless decision. But to Tobirama Senju, it was sheer stupidity!

In Tobirama’s eyes, Jiraiya should be preserving the strongest combatants. The role of the Anbu and Jōnin during war is to create an escape route for the Hokage. Yet here was Jiraiya, the leader of his unit, throwing his life away for his subordinates. Unless, of course, Jiraiya had a son behind him like the Third Raikage once did. After all, the Third Raikage only acted similarly because he was protecting his son and a thousand troops.

However, behind Jiraiya stood only a few ninja.

“Boss, Big Sis, I’m going to need your full support this time,” Jiraiya said, addressing the two toads on his shoulders.

“You should be running by now. Facing this kind of enemy head-on is unwise,” said Fukasaku Sennin, who had just opened his eyes and saw the vast army before them. He was already considering returning to Mount Myōboku and abandoning this fight altogether.

“I have no choice,” Jiraiya said with a bitter smile. “The village is right behind us, and the Old Man is gravely injured. Only I can stand in their way.”

With that, he slapped both hands to the ground, summoning a toad holding a shield and halberd, positioning it between him and the charging Hidden Cloud ninjas.

“I’m going to enter Sage Mode now. Gamaken, hold them off for a few minutes,” Jiraiya requested, fully aware of how unreasonable it was. But he didn’t have enough chakra left to summon another toad. He’d have to wait until Sage Mode was activated before calling for more help.

Gamaken remained silent, glancing at the oncoming ninjas and the two toads on Jiraiya’s shoulders. He bit back the words he wanted to say. If he survived this, he would never respond to Jiraiya’s summons again—assuming he lived to see another day.

“Sage Mode? So it’s a power like that of Hashirama Senju!” A scornful voice cut through the air. “But in front of me, you’ll never pull off such a trick,” said A, the Fourth Raikage. Though he had never fought Hashirama himself, he had heard enough about Sage Mode to know its dangers.

Boom! Lightning surged around the Raikage’s body. The next moment, the ground beneath him shattered, and he vanished from sight, becoming a flash of lightning that streaked toward Jiraiya. The chakra surrounding him was terrifying, his outstretched fingers like sharp blades.

“Liger Bomb!” Lightning coalesced in the air as the Raikage’s burly figure appeared atop Gamaken’s head. Lightning crackled around his fingertips as he slashed downward toward Jiraiya.

“Jiraiya, look out!” Fukasaku Sennin reacted immediately, instinctively extending his tongue to bind the Raikage. But before he could make contact, the electricity from the Raikage’s body caused him to recoil.

“Raikage!?” Jiraiya leapt back, catching sight of the blur left by the Raikage’s incredible speed. The only technique fast enough to keep up with this would be the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, but Jiraiya hadn’t expected him to be this fast. It defied all logic—he had barely managed to dodge.

“Guillotine Drop!”

Jiraiya hadn’t yet formulated a counterstrategy when the crackling of electricity filled the air above him. Looking up, he saw a massive foot descending toward him.