Spectacular as it was, the Guardian Deity under Jiraiya's control wielded immense power. When the golden whip came crashing down, the Water Formation Wall shattered instantly, sending water spraying in all directions. The barrier was utterly incapable of stopping the Guardian Deity's attack.
At the same time, the Thunder Guardian and Flame Guardian seized the opportunity to launch their assault on the Mizukage.
With no other choice, the Mizukage's body suddenly became enveloped in a crimson layer of chakra.
He had unleashed the power of the Tailed Beast.
The Mizukage rarely resorted to using his Tailed Beast's power unless absolutely necessary. Unlike a perfect jinchūriki, his relationship with the beast was far from harmonious. If he relied too much on its strength, he risked losing control, allowing the beast to seize dominion over his body.
Although using the Tailed Beast's chakra granted him a significant power boost, he avoided it whenever possible. Only in the Land of Water did the Mizukage seal a Tailed Beast within himself—other Kage-level shinobi from different nations wouldn't dare take such a risk. The potential for disaster was simply too great. Unless one could achieve perfect synchronization with the beast, the consequences of losing control would be unimaginable.
As the Tailed Beast chakra surged outward, the Mizukage became cloaked in its ominous shroud. His speed increased dramatically, allowing him to dodge the Thunder Guardian and Flame Guardian's attacks with ease.
Jiraiya watched the Mizukage, and for some reason, he couldn't shake the eerie feeling that someone was watching him.
Yet, no matter how much he searched his surroundings, he couldn't sense anyone spying on him.
The sensation was unsettling.
At first, he dismissed it as paranoia, but as the feeling grew stronger, he realized that it wasn't an illusion—someone was definitely observing him from the shadows.
The reason Jiraiya couldn't detect Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu was simple.
Madara had already taken control of the Mizukage.
Through the Mizukage's eyes, Madara was watching Jiraiya from afar.
Madara and Black Zetsu were still positioned far from the battlefield, which was why Jiraiya couldn't sense them. Had they been any closer, he would have picked up on their presence immediately.
Of course, the Mizukage himself was completely unaware that he was being manipulated by Madara.
By controlling the Mizukage, Madara intended to weaken the Land of Water's power first. As an isolated island nation surrounded by the sea, the Land of Water had limited contact with other countries. Targeting it first would avoid drawing too much attention from other great nations.
However, before Madara and Black Zetsu could fully set their plan in motion, Jiraiya's unexpected presence had thrown everything into disarray.
Jiraiya had become a thorn in their side, an obstacle that needed to be eliminated.
Unaware of who was watching him from the shadows, Jiraiya decided to slowly wear down the Mizukage instead of defeating him outright.
If he killed the Mizukage too quickly, his unseen enemies might learn too much about his abilities.
He had already taken down the Tsuchikage and Raikage with overwhelming force. With only the Mizukage remaining, his threat level had significantly decreased. Jiraiya could afford to play with his prey, slowly exhausting him like a cat toying with a mouse.
This way, the enemy in hiding might be tempted to strike, believing Jiraiya to be worn out and vulnerable.
If he continued to display overwhelming strength, the hidden enemy would likely remain cautious and refuse to act.
With that in mind, Jiraiya dispelled the Thunder Guardian, Flame Guardian, and Guardian Deity, deliberately feigning exhaustion.
The Mizukage, seeing Jiraiya in such a weakened state, smirked and let out a sigh of relief.
With the three Guardians gone, the pressure on him lessened significantly.
From Jiraiya's performance, it was clear—his battles with the Raikage and Tsuchikage hadn't been as effortless as they seemed. He must have paid a considerable price, and now, he was barely holding on.
That meant there was an opportunity to turn the tables.
Half-transformed into his Tailed Beast state, the Mizukage shot forward with incredible speed. Twin water drills formed between his palms as he aimed to strike Jiraiya down.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Jiraiya stomped the ground, causing a wall of earth to rise up before him.
With a deafening crash, the wall shattered instantly under the Mizukage's assault—it couldn't stop him at all.
Jiraiya leapt back, and to make his deception even more convincing, he dispelled Sage Mode.
"He's finally reaching his limit."
Seeing Jiraiya unable to maintain Sage Mode, the Mizukage became even more confident.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Bind Pillar!"
Jiraiya quickly weaved hand signs, summoning stone pillars around the Mizukage. Lightning crackled across their surfaces, restricting his movement.
However, cloaked in the Tailed Beast's chakra, the Mizukage barely felt the electricity's sting.
With a thunderous explosion, a blinding white light erupted from within the stone pillars, followed by a surge of chakra. The pillars shattered into fragments.
The Mizukage had unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Killing a genius like you… just thinking about it is exhilarating."
The Mizukage roared, drawing upon even more of the Tailed Beast's power. The more he used, the less rational he became.
At this point, his mind was nearly lost—his skeletal structure had begun forming within the Tailed Beast cloak. Complete transformation was imminent.
"Lord Madara, it seems Jiraiya is at his limit. If we're lucky, the Mizukage might finish him off for us. We could claim victory without lifting a finger."
Black Zetsu chuckled.
"Jiraiya has already done more than enough to prove his strength. If he had been born in our era, he might have surpassed both me and Hashirama."
Madara, despite considering Jiraiya an enemy, couldn't help but admire him. A shinobi so young, yet possessing such terrifying power—it was remarkable.
"If only we had discovered his talent sooner… We could have brainwashed him and made him one of us."
Black Zetsu sighed, regretting the lost opportunity.
Had they known Jiraiya's potential earlier, they could have molded him into an ally, making their plans far easier to execute.
"There's no point dwelling on what's already happened."
Madara coughed lightly as he spoke. Though he had faked his death and gained Hashirama's cells to awaken the Rinnegan, the wounds from his past battles still left lingering ailments.
"Jiraiya, die."
The Mizukage's three tails lashed out like whips, hurtling toward Jiraiya with devastating force.
Jiraiya gripped the Lightning Flame Blade and swung, releasing a streak of lightning-infused energy that severed the Mizukage's tails in a single strike.
Jiraiya hurled the Lightning Flame Blade forward. A thunderous roar echoed as a massive lightning dragon and a blazing flame tiger surged toward the Mizukage, ready to strike.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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