Jiraiya p.o.v
When Jiraiya first arrived and saw Shinnosuke's team together with the Uchiha, he immediately felt that something was wrong.
Might Duy had faced the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist alone to the point where even they were being pushed back.
Yet the ANBU who were supposed to support him all lay dead across the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Duy himself looked like his body could collapse at any moment.
His breathing was ragged.
His legs trembled weakly.
Blood dripped slowly from his torn arms onto the dirt below.
Just looking at him was enough to tell how much pressure his body had endured.
The moment Jiraiya saw this—
Anger rose inside him.
The air around him became heavier.
Without hesitation, he attacked the Mist swordsmen.
The battle shook the already damaged forest once again.
Trees split apart.
The ground cracked.
And before long—
Three of the Seven Ninja Swordmen's swords were already broken.
The Mist swordsmen quickly realised they could no longer continue fighting him directly.
Jinin Akebino stepped forward cautiously.
"Jiraiya Sannin... this battle has already proven why you are called one of the Legendary Sannin."
His voice remained calm despite the blood running down his arm.
"It would be best if we stopped here. You have protected your supplies... we forfeit this mission."
Jiraiya stared at him coldly.
His white hair moved slightly in the wind.
"Do you take us for fools?"
His voice was low.
Dangerously low.
"This is clearly a full-scale attack planned by your village."
The Mist swordsman smiled faintly after hearing this.
"And yet you call this only a mission?"
For a few seconds—
Only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Then Jinpachi Munashi laughed lightly.
"Jiraiya Sannin... the Mist is only protecting its own borders from Konoha."
His sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
"But it is Konoha that still stands at the Mist frontier."
He slowly pointed toward the supply carts behind Jiraiya.
"Your village is the one preparing for full-scale war against us."
A faint smile appeared beneath the swordsman's bloody face.
"These war supplies are proof enough."
Then his tone became colder.
"So you cannot simply accuse us."
The atmosphere became tense instantly.
Even the remaining Mist sword shinobi tightened their grip on their swords.
Then the swordsman continued quietly,
"And if you wish to continue this battle..."
He paused briefly while staring directly at Jiraiya.
"...then we will have to consider it a declaration of war against the Mist."
Silence spread across the battlefield.
The cold wind passed through the ruined forest once again.
"I don't think any of us wants that."
Then, Biwa Juzo looked directly at Jiraiya again.
There was no fear in his eyes now.
Only pressure.
and calculation.
"Jiraiya Sannin... we are also trying to protect our village."
His voice echoed softly across the ruined battlefield.
Jiraiya heard his words, but his expression did not soften.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the fallen ANBU shinobi lying across the forest.
Broken masks.
Blood-covered flak jackets.
Motionless bodies.
The cold wind passed through the battlefield silently.
Jiraiya's jaw tightened slightly.
He couldn't just let them leave.
Not after this.
Too many Konoha shinobi had died here.
For a few seconds, Jiraiya said nothing.
He simply stared at the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
And that silence alone made the Mist shinobi even more tense.
The pressure coming from Jiraiya was already enough.
Just moments ago—
He had destroyed three of the Seven Ninja Swords and heavily injured several of their members, almost by himself.
And then there was the man in the green jumpsuit behind him.
Even if Might Duy looked barely able to stand now—
None of them dared to lower their guard against him anymore.
'We can't fight both of them...'
Some of the Mist swordsmen thought silently while gripping their broken sword tighter.
'We need a way out of this.'
Then one of the female swordsmen 'Ameyuri Ringo' suddenly looked toward the dead ANBU shinobi scattered across the ground.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
'Still... this mission wasn't a complete failure.'
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Then she looked back at Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya Sannin... these ANBU shinobi themselves are proof that Konoha was planning something big against the Mist."
She slowly gestured toward the battlefield around them.
"Otherwise, there would be no reason for this many ANBU to be stationed here."
The atmosphere became even heavier after her words.
The Mist swordsmen were no longer trying to win through strength.
They were trying to corner Jiraiya politically.
Ameyuri Ringo continued calmly,
"So now the decision is yours."
Her sharp gaze stayed fixed on Jiraiya.
"If you continue this battle..."
She paused slightly.
"...then the Mist will consider it a declaration of full-scale war."
Silence spread once again.
Only the sound of leaves moving under the cold wind could be heard.
Jiraiya heard their words and remained silent for a few moments.
The cold wind brushed past his white hair as his eyes slowly moved across the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
Then finally—
"You can leave."
The Mist shinobi looked at him carefully.
But before anyone could relax, Jiraiya continued,
"...but your swords stay here."
The moment those words came out—
The atmosphere instantly changed.
All seven Mist swordsmen looked at Jiraiya with dark expressions.
Some of them even tightened their grip around their swords instinctively.
One of the Mist shinobi immediately stepped forward.
"Don't make things difficult for us, Jiraiya Sannin."
His tone had lost the earlier calmness.
"Why would we leave our swords here?"
Jiraiya looked at them steadily.
His expression remained cold.
"If you want to return safely, then you will leave your swords behind."
The pressure in his voice became heavier.
"That way, you won't have another chance to attack us again."
The battlefield became silent.
Even the Mist shinobi behind them looked uneasy now.
Then Jiraiya spoke once more.
"And when your village signs a peace treaty with Konoha..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...the swords will be returned."
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist fell silent after hearing this.
Their expressions became ugly.
The swords were not ordinary weapons.
They were symbols of the Mist itself.
Leaving them behind here—
especially in enemy territory—
would become one of the greatest humiliations of their lives.
But at the same time...
fighting Jiraiya now meant almost certain death.
Several of them silently glanced toward Might Duy in the distance.
Even exhausted—
That monster still terrified them.
After a long silence, one of the Mist swordsmen finally spoke.
"...We agree to it for now."
His voice was heavy with unwillingness.
The other Mist shinobi behind him had ugly expressions on their faces, but none of them objected.
Slowly, the swordsman looked toward Jiraiya and Might Duy.
"But remember this..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Even without these swords, the Mist is still capable of launching a full-scale war against Konoha."
The warning in his voice was clear.
"So remove the shinobi forces stationed near our borders."
The ruined battlefield became silent once again.
In the end, the Mist shinobi already knew what the best path for survival was.
Compromise.
Jiraiya watched them silently as the Seven Swordsmen slowly began retreating deeper into the mist-covered forest.
He said nothing.
The cold wind brushed past the broken battlefield one more time.
Only after the Mist shinobi completely disappeared did Jiraiya finally let out a small breath.
Then he turned toward Might Duy.
"You've done a great job, Duy-senior."
There was genuine respect in his voice.
"Stopping the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist alone... I never thought your taijutsu had that much potential."
The moment the tension finally disappeared, Duy's exhausted body gave out.
He dropped onto one knee before falling to the ground heavily.
"Dad!"
Might Guy shouted as he immediately ran toward him along with his teammates.
Duy heard Jiraiya's praise and gave a wide smile despite his terrible condition.
"My youth didn't disgrace me!"
Even now, his voice was full of energy.
"All I had to do was believe in my taijutsu!"
Jiraiya couldn't help but smile slightly after hearing that.
Around them, the surviving shinobi slowly began gathering the scattered supply scrolls while checking the battlefield one last time.
After confirming everything, they began moving toward the Konoha camp near the Mist border, where the Uchiha were stationed, so they could report the situation.
Duy's condition no longer allowed him to walk properly.
Without hesitation, Might Guy carried his father onto his back.
The forest had become much quieter now.
Only the sound of footsteps and moving leaves remained.
At first, Jiraiya thought everything had finally settled down after the Mist swordsmen retreated.
But the moment he reached the camp—
His expression changed.
The Uchiha was holding down Shinnosuke and the remaining ANBU.
The atmosphere there was even more tense than the battlefield they had just left behind.
And worse...
Shinnosuke was being accused of desertion and betrayal.
Jiraiya instantly understood what had likely happened.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke had definitely retreated after seeing the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
But now—
He had made things far worse for himself.
Accusing the Uchiha of conspiring with the Mist was not something that could be brushed aside easily.
Especially not in front of Uchiha like those.
Jiraiya silently looked toward Toyoma in the distance.
He already knew—
This matter would not end quietly.
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AUTHOR NOTE:
This chapter was focused more on pressure than action.
Not every battle in the shinobi world is decided through strength alone. Sometimes a single word can start a war, while silence itself becomes a weapon.
I also wanted to show why people like Jiraiya are feared and respected. Strength alone isn't enough to carry the burden of a village. Every decision he made here could have affected thousands of lives.
And of course... Might Duy finally got the respect he deserved.
Thank you for reading.
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