A hurricane-like gust of wind, generated from a powerful palm strike, forcefully suppressed the scorching oil and sent it surging back toward Jiraiya.
"What… what kind of technique is this? No hand seals?" Fukasaku furrowed his brow, his voice low as he asked, "This Uchiha… what are his combat characteristics? Little Jiraiya, something about him seems off."
Jiraiya swiftly dodged the rebounding wave of boiling oil, explaining quickly to the two toad sages.
"This probably isn't ninjutsu… It's more like some kind of air cannon produced purely by brute strength. Although Fuma is a ninja from the Uchiha clan, his specialty is taijutsu."
"Moreover, his taijutsu isn't the usual chakra-based combat style. Instead, he refines his physical body, making his defense incredibly strong."
Noticing the astonished expressions on the two sages' faces, Jiraiya added, "That said, an attack on the level of a Tailed Beast Bomb should be enough to break through his defenses. If we use that move, he shouldn't be able to withstand it…"
"A Tailed Beast Bomb is the minimum required to break his defenses?" Shima marveled.
"Such a ninja is truly rare. But if what you say is true, little Jiraiya, then Mount Myoboku should be more than enough to handle him."
With a confident puff of his chest, Fukasaku declared, "Let's use that move and take him down in one go!"
"Alright!"
The two toad sages and Jiraiya simultaneously expanded their chests, preparing to unleash their combined Sage Art.
Jiraiya supplied the oil, Fukasaku provided Wind Release, and Shima added Fire Release, merging their powers into a single devastating attack.
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
"Oh… So it's not just Fire Release?" Fuma narrowed his eyes as he watched the wave of burning oil surge toward him.
He mused, "Using Wind Release to fuel the flames and Fire Release to raise the temperature…
but the main attack method is the actual liquid oil itself, combining the searing heat of fire with sustained damage. A well-thought-out technique."
"Hmph… This technique has an enormous area of effect. Even with your speed, you won't be able to escape!" Jiraiya declared, watching as the burning oil devoured the forest.
His chest swelled with pride, "With Sage Mode, my growth has far exceeded what you can imagine!"
"This… this is the power of a true Jonin?" Rin and Yūhi, watching the endless wave of flaming oil, were filled with terror. "If that hits, there won't even be a body left…"
The sea of oil blazed a deep crimson, bubbling violently, resembling a scene from the depths of hell.
Even from a distance, Kakashi and the others could feel the intense heat scorching their skin.
"So this is the true strength of Jiraiya-sensei? I never expected that perverted student of my father's to be this powerful…"
Asuma's eyes gleamed with excitement, his fists clenched tightly. "Uchiha or not, let's see how you block this!"
Kakashi, however, frowned, deep in thought.
How many times would he and his father have to swing their blades to achieve this level of devastation?
Meanwhile, the atmosphere among Minato's squad was much more casual.
Perched high in the sky on his flying ninja tool, Minato seemed unimpressed.
"Jiraiya really hasn't improved much… Against Fuma, what's needed is single-point burst damage. Large-scale attacks like this might look impressive, but they're just wasting chakra."
He casually smacked Obito on the head, his expression serious.
"So remember, Obito—when you fight, use your head. Don't choose flashy moves just because they look cool. And don't waste chakra for the sake of spectacle.
Instead, carefully analyze the situation and strike at the enemy's weaknesses!"
"Ugh! That hurts! I get it, Minato-sensei…" Obito initially wanted to protest, feeling like Minato was calling him out directly. But seeing the knowing look in his teacher's eyes, he instead nodded earnestly.
"But, Minato-sensei, Jiraiya-sensei's technique seems pretty powerful, doesn't it?" Konan asked hesitantly, watching as the massive oil wave was about to engulf Fuma.
"It feels like his chakra is denser and more potent than usual."
Minato nodded, explaining, "Jiraiya must have acquired the power of 'Natural Energy'—a force from the Three Great Sage Lands. This move he's using was once one of the First Hokage's trump cards."
"Still, don't worry. At Jiraiya's level, he won't be able to do anything to Fuma."
Despite his words, Minato himself was amazed by the power Sage Mode had granted Jiraiya. This was a boost comparable to an Uchiha unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan.
'Sage Mode, huh… Maybe it's time for me to visit Ryuchi Cave or Shikkotsu Forest. But which one should I choose?'
Lost in thought, Minato's gaze drifted, momentarily forgetting that a high-level battle was unfolding beneath him.
.........
The burning oil wave crashed down, consuming Fuma completely.
Feeling the temperature rising around him, Fuma chuckled, shaking his head, "Jiraiya, compared to Orochimaru, you truly are an uneducated brute…"
The ignition point of oil rarely exceeded 500 degrees. Fire, when fueled by chakra, could easily reach thousands of degrees.
If Jiraiya had focused more of his chakra on increasing the fire's temperature instead of spreading the oil, the attack would have posed a greater threat to Fuma.
'Right now, in terms of temperature alone, it was no more than a hot bath.'
"That said… the Sage Chakra infused in this technique is quite impressive."
Natural Energy, when merged with chakra, could amplify a technique's power by three to five times.
In the hands of someone like Naruto from the original timeline, it was potent enough to inflict severe, unhealable damage on a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
The Natural Energy within the Sage Chakra felt like countless steel needles piercing into Fuma's skin—giving him a rare sensation of pain.
"Let's test this out…"
A thick, dense black mist surged from Fuma's body, spreading outward like a tide, engulfing the burning sea of oil.
[Blissful Gluttony: Devour]
In an instant, the mist ravenously swallowed the entire sea of flames, leaving nothing behind.
"Sage Chakra… is still just another form of chakra. It's within my absorption range."
"In the original timeline, the Preta Path was able to absorb Naruto's Sage techniques—but failed against pure Natural Energy, which turned it to stone…"
"That makes sense. Absorbing vast amounts of Natural Energy is a power exclusive to the God Tree and the Ten-Tails. I shouldn't get too greedy."
Fuma savored the taste of the Sage Chakra, shaking his head with a sigh.
'No wonder… Even in a world with a native power system, the Shinobi still got completely annihilated by Kaguya alone.'
Natural Energy… Despite its potential, even Naruto, who mastered it and possessed a full Nine-Tails, could only fight Sasuke to a standstill after he absorbed the power of eight Tailed Beasts.
And more importantly, absorbing chakra was far easier than absorbing Natural Energy.
In the ninja world, even lower-tier shinobi—like Chukichi from the original timeline—were born with abilities to absorb chakra.
But for Natural Energy? Aside from the Ten-Tails and the God Tree, only Madara, after his resurrection, could absorb Sage Chakra from Hashirama's body. The threshold was far higher.
"…Alright, Jiraiya. Thanks for demonstrating Sage Techniques to me."
Fuma's mind shifted toward the future.
Rather than waste time seeking out the elusive Natural Energy of the Sage Lands, it would be far more efficient to capture the Tailed Beasts.
If he could consume all nine of them, the evolution of his abilities would essentially turn him into a walking, humanoid God Tree.
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