The golden quicksand reflected the rays of the sun, rising slowly from the center of the battlefield like a giant tree supporting the world, and its immense shadow expanded continuously from the center toward the surroundings.
Immediately after, golden sand spheres fell one after another from the massive canopy of this tree, pelting the battlefield like a torrential rain storm.
Any monster or ninja touched by this gold dust would have a large hole ripped through them in an instant!
How could Rasa appear here?
Jiraiya stared at the scene before him in disbelief, his expression turning thoroughly ugly.
By this point, someone as intelligent as Jiraiya could easily figure out that the Sand Ninjas had never intended to cooperate with them in good faith from the very beginning.
They were prepared long ago, and even the Kazekage, the head of the village, had abandoned his own village to rush to the battlefield in person, likely with the exact objective of securing the technical secrets of the Jashin Religion!
However, what truly shattered Jiraiya's resolve was not the betrayal of the Sand Ninjas, but rather the sentence Simu had uttered right before vanishing.
Greed is the true color of humanity.
From the moment Rasa made his entrance, this sentence had constantly churned inside his heart like a sharp blade, leaving his desire to save the world completely riddled with holes.
Fortunately, the two Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, did not share such deep emotional sentiments as Jiraiya, and they immediately judged the current situation.
"Little Jiraiya, do not think too much about it, we must leave this place quickly so as not to be targeted by that Kazekage!" Sage Shima spoke calmly.
Her judgment was entirely flawless.
This was because the Hidden Leaf ninjas had suffered catastrophic losses in the preceding combat, and the commander, Jiraiya, had just gone through a major battle while being heavily poisoned, leaving him with barely a fraction of his strength, meaning he could not possibly be Rasa's opponent if they delayed any further.
Furthermore, regarding the other two primary combat forces, Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy.
The former had also experienced a grueling battle, while the latter had overdrawn his limits to take down an apostle, leaving him without a single shred of combat capability at this moment.
It could be said that from the start of the war until now, this precise moment was when the Hidden Leaf forces were at their absolute weakest!
If Jiraiya were targeted by Rasa and killed here, then the Hidden Leaf would truly be finished!
Yet at this moment, Jiraiya's eyes were dull and lifeless, showing no sign of vitality whatsoever.
The scene before him completely annihilated his hope for this world, to the point that he had lost the conviction to save himself.
However, Shima and Fukasaku were truly Jiraiya's old partners and understood him perfectly, so they hurriedly said, "Jiraiya, I know your mood is terrible right now, but your life currently belongs not just to you, but to the Hidden Leaf!"
"If you die in battle here, the Hidden Leaf will lose a top-tier combat force, and leaving Danzo alone will absolutely not be enough to handle the great war that might break out next!"
"Have you thought about those consequences? The Land of Fire will surely be devastated and filled with suffering!"
Fukasaku observed the giant golden tree in the center of the battlefield while using the fastest speed possible to persuade Jiraiya.
Fortunately, these words finally caused Jiraiya's eyes to shift slightly, restoring a trace of life.
He wiped his face forcefully with his rough palm, rubbing it a few more times, and then said, "I understand, I will do my best to preserve the Hidden Leaf ninjas present on the field."
Hearing this, Fukasaku and Shima finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Mount Myoboku had always claimed to live in seclusion away from the world, because of Jiraiya's existence, the toads of Mount Myoboku were actually bound to the Hidden Leaf to a very large extent.
Once Jiraiya died in battle and the Hidden Leaf suffered a heavy blow, it would likely be difficult for Mount Myoboku to remain unaffected.
Therefore, they had to do everything in their power to keep Jiraiya alive!
Jiraiya, who had finally come to his senses, rapidly summoned a small frog, and then along with the two Sages, he squeezed into the frog's stomach in an unimaginable posture.
Just then, the gaze from high above shifted to this location, and dense gold dust crashed down, obliterating the surrounding woods like cannonballs, yet it failed to see any sign of Jiraiya.
There was only a single frog silently and continuously leaping among the broken branches and ruined trees, running toward the other side of the battlefield.
"Did he flee?"
Rasa's icy gaze scanned the battlefield continuously, but he was not renowned for sensory ninjutsu and could not perceive Jiraiya's presence.
On the other side, the moment Rasa appeared, Ebizo pulled his five puppets to launch an attack against Kakashi, who was carrying Might Guy on his back.
Countless venomous senbon rained down upon Kakashi as if they cost nothing, but under the dynamic vision of the Sharingan, they were easily deflected entirely by Kakashi using a kunai.
Kakashi's expression was incredibly grave as he questioned, "Elder Ebizo, what is the meaning of this?"
Although he had already deduced the Hidden Sand Village's intentions, Kakashi still found it somewhat difficult to accept.
Opposite him, a smile actually appeared on Ebizo's aged face: "Although this is not very honorable, the reality is already laid out before us."
He lifted his heavy eyelids, and the five puppets in his hands emitted a strange, creaking sound: "Brat, the last thing this old man can teach you is... never trust anyone else, on the battlefield, no strategy or deception is ever uncalled for."
With those words, the five puppets converged to surround and attack Kakashi.
Even though the latter had the enhancement of the Sharingan and could successfully resolve each attack of the five puppets, this did not mean Kakashi was free from danger.
This was because he possessed a massive shortcoming, which was his chakra!
Due to not possessing Uchiha blood, Kakashi could not actively control the opening and closing of the Sharingan, and could only continuously consume chakra to maintain its active state, which also led to him being extremely deficient in chakra.
Furthermore, he currently had to carry Guy while fighting, which made his already stretched chakra situation even more precarious.
If he continued to be surrounded and attacked by the five puppets like this, Kakashi would likely be unable to hold out much longer...
The experienced and calculating Ebizo had likewise discerned this point, and after witnessing the true power displayed by Might Guy, he had already placed Might Guy on his absolute must-kill list.
Not to mention that he could also add the legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake to the tally, a harvest sufficient for Ebizo to disregard all the other Hidden Leaf ninjas.
In any case, Jiraiya was being dealt with by Rasa, and as long as he killed Kakashi and Might Guy, it would be a monumental achievement!
Screams echoed continuously across the battlefield, and the vast majority came from the Hidden Leaf's side.
After all, most of the Hidden Leaf ninjas never expected that the Sand Ninjas would turn on them just when they were about to defeat the Jashin Religion, and even the Kazekage himself had entered the field to do this dirty work...
Only at this moment did the Hidden Leaf ninjas discover that when they were fighting the Jashin Religion earlier, it seemed their side had encountered much stronger opposition, whereas the Sand Ninjas' losses were probably only half of theirs.
Coupled with Rasa's continuous bombardment, and the fact that their Scorpion Jade secret technique was indeed suited for close combat, the Hidden Leaf side lost a massive amount of combat power at the very first moment the chaos began.
Jiraiya's disappearance further allowed Rasa, a Kazekage, to effortlessly slaughter the Hidden Leaf ninjas, and the Hidden Leaf forces gradually degenerated from their initial confusion into a complete rout!
Kakashi naturally noticed this phenomenon as well, but no matter how anxious he was, being firmly entangled by Ebizo meant he had absolutely no opportunity to provide reinforcement.
"Where is Senior Jiraiya?"
Guy was slumped on Kakashi's shoulder, his thick eyebrows and large eyes likewise filled with anxiety.
Lacking the time to respond, Kakashi slashed away a kunai that was flying toward him and retreated.
Immediately after, a puppet descended from the sky, its large cleaver splitting the ground wide open.
Kakashi stared at the closely pressing Ebizo, his tone exceptionally grave as he said, "Senior Jiraiya has likely encountered some kind of mishap."
Based on Kakashi's understanding of Jiraiya, unless some uncontrollable force had occurred, he would absolutely never hide his presence at a time like this.
"Ah?"
Hearing these words, Guy panicked slightly, and without a shred of hesitation, his gaze suddenly grew resolute as he said with certainty, "Kakashi, put me down, I am confident I can take this guy out."
Kakashi's brow furrowed as he seemed to realize something.
"Are you planning to use that move? If you do that, you will..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted.
Might Guy slapped his shoulder heavily, splitting his mouth into a grin as his teeth flashed with a white gleam.
"Don't forget, I am the Sublime Green Beast of the Leaf!"
With that, he used both hands to forcefully push himself off Kakashi's back, preparing to open the final gate of the Eight Inner Gates...
At this exact instant, a massive toad suddenly emerged from the ground, swallowing Kakashi and Might Guy in a single gulp.
"What?!"
Ebizo's expression shifted, and he immediately tried to manipulate his puppets to attack.
However, that toad did not hesitate at all, dispersing into a cloud of white smoke the moment it swallowed Kakashi and Guy.
Kakashi and Guy only felt the scene before their eyes shift abruptly, changing from the chaotic battlefield into a red intestinal tract.
"Eight Inner Gates: Eighth Gate of Death..."
Just as he was about to roar and unleash the technique, he was hurriedly pressed down and interrupted by the quick-witted Kakashi.
"Kakashi, what are you doing?"
Guy turned around to glare at Kakashi.
The latter shrugged his chin helplessly: "Take a good look at where we are before you speak, don't die for nothing."
He felt rather helpless; if Might Guy suddenly opened the Gate of Death and kicked Jiraiya to death, that would be an incredibly massive joke.
Hearing Kakashi's words, Might Guy finally calmed down, opening his eyes to see the scene and figures before him clearly.
Beneath the dark red backdrop, Jiraiya was leaning against the wall with an expression of agony, while two toads were beside him providing medical treatment.
In addition, several other Hidden Leaf ninjas were standing next to Jiraiya.
These individuals were, without exception, elite jonin of the Hidden Leaf, totaling nine people when counting Guy and Kakashi.
"Senior Jiraiya, what happened to you?"
No matter how simple-minded Guy could be, he could tell that Jiraiya had suffered a highly severe injury at this moment.
This was because his entire face had turned completely pale with a greenish tint, and his entire person was leaning against the wall listlessly, looking as if he might pass away at any moment.
Hearing the inquiry, Jiraiya forced himself to muster some energy.
"Everyone, it is my misfortune to inform you all that in order to monopolize the spoils of the Jashin Religion, the Sand Ninjas have torn up our alliance treaty and betrayed the Hidden Leaf."
Once Jiraiya said this, all the Hidden Leaf ninjas present displayed furious expressions, wishing they could tear those damnable Sand Ninjas into ten thousand pieces.
Betrayers were always the most detestable, with no exceptions.
Even Guy could not help but want to go out, open the Gate of Death, and perish together with them.
An expression of pain surfaced on Jiraiya's face as he said, "We are currently on our way to Mount Myoboku. Because our time and remaining energy are limited, I could only take the few of you away..."
"What? We have already left the battlefield?"
Might Guy was immediately displeased; he was a man of unyielding character, so how could he abandon his comrades and flee on his own?
"No! I want to return to the battlefield! Even if I die, I want to die in battle together with my comrades!"
Might Guy's voice brooked no argument, and his aura of boldly marching to his death moved the other ninjas.
Fortunately, Jiraiya had prepared for this, and a jonin quietly stepped up behind Guy, using a specialized anesthetic to knock him out.
Jiraiya raised his head to look at Kakashi: "What is your opinion, Kakashi?"
Among all the jonin present, aside from Jiraiya, Kakashi's words carried the most weight.
If he disagreed with this strategy, perhaps half of the ninjas would follow him, taking Might Guy back to the battlefield.
However, he nodded his head quite decisively: "To tell the truth, this is the best method. Even if we stay on the battlefield, we cannot change anything. It is better to preserve our strength to prepare for future revenge."
These words instantly deflated half of the momentum that the other ninjas had gathered, and each of them hung their heads in dejection once more.
Seeing this, Jiraiya said while coughing, "Please rest assured, everyone, I will bear the blame for this failure alone. However, the Hidden Leaf will likely encounter great warfare next, and we will still need to rely on the strength of you all!"
As he reached the end of his words, the grand Sannin actually performed a direct dogeza, lowering his proud head toward the crowd.
The others hurriedly helped Jiraiya up, rapidly saying they did not deserve such a gesture...
Nevertheless, Jiraiya had managed to use a humiliating method to reawaken the fighting spirit within their hearts.
That was right, the Hidden Leaf would still need them next; they absolutely could not be discouraged, and they had to desperately improve themselves to avenge their fallen comrades!
Yet sensing the emotions within them, Jiraiya could not help but fall silent.
The Hidden Leaf's hatred toward the Sand Ninjas had deepened by another layer, and along with the Hidden Leaf's future retaliation against the Sand Ninjas, this hatred would grow denser and denser, ultimately repeating the cycle in an infinite loop...
Could the hatred of the Shinobi World truly never be appeased?
Thinking this way, Jiraiya's mind suddenly went blank, and then he collapsed, as the alarmed cries of the two Sages and the others echoed in his ears.
On the battlefield, having lost their commander and a group of elite jonin, the Hidden Leaf was quickly and thoroughly routed.
Some ninjas were fortunate enough to escape with their lives, some were taken prisoner, while the vast majority were buried in this strange, foreign land.
As the Fourth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village, Rasa also led Ebizo into the temple of the Jashin Religion with an air of complete satisfaction.
The dazzling array of treasures, ninja tools, secret techniques, and research materials simply caused the Sand Ninjas' eyes to glaze over.
Only at this moment did they deeply understand just how wise their nearly shameless choice had truly been.
With these riches and secret techniques, the strength of the Hidden Sand Village would usher in an unprecedentedly grand development!
As for Rasa, from the moment he stepped into the temple, his gaze had already been completely captivated by the blood pool in the center of the temple structure.