In an instant the battlefield exploded in size. Rasa's advantage spread to every Sand ninja. They fought harder, faster, more vicious than before. The Leaf's morale collapsed. Their trump card—Jiraiya—had been pushed into a corner by Rasa's bizarre new techniques.
"Kill these Leaf bastards!"
"Lord Kazekage is unstoppable!"
"Sunagakure wins!"
"Take down Jiraiya!"
The Sand side was electric. The ground they'd given up earlier was clawed back in seconds. Now they were chasing the Leaf forces like wolves.
Jiraiya's face was grim. "Where the hell is Rasa getting all these weird-ass jutsu?"
He didn't have time to think. Another wave of sand soldiers closed in. He dodged the first pair, but more kept coming.
"Bestow S!"
"Bestow N!"
The magnetism yanked him off-balance again. At the same time a massive gold-dust storm formed overhead.
"Sand Gold Thunder Cloud!"
Lightning rained down in silver snakes, cracking and sizzling. The entire zone became a death trap. Leaf reinforcements couldn't even get close without getting fried.
"This is Rasa's real power?"
"He's completely dominating Lord Jiraiya!"
"That lightning is insane!"
"Is Lord Jiraiya okay?!"
The sand soldiers kept Jiraiya pinned while the thundercloud blinded him. He couldn't even see where Rasa was anymore. But Rasa could see everything.
Rasa wanted Jiraiya dead. Sand and Leaf were enemies, plain and simple. The stronger the enemy, the worse it was for Sunagakure. Jiraiya was one of Leaf's most important pieces—loyal to a fault, ruthless in battle, and soaked in Sand blood. And once he went Sage Mode? He'd be even stronger next time. This was Rasa's best shot.
He went all-out.
"Arc-Moon Sand Dune!"
A massive sand hand formed on Rasa's right arm and lunged for Jiraiya. Jiraiya tried to dodge but the sand soldiers forced him to block instead. He poured chakra into his palm.
"Rasengan!"
The collision sent a shockwave out. Jiraiya's eyes went wide. His arm suddenly felt like it was being drained—water ripped out of his flesh at terrifying speed. Skin shriveled and cracked. The dryness was spreading fast.
"Shit!"
He bit down hard, yanked a kunai with his free hand, and sliced his own forearm clean off. Blood sprayed. He kicked backward even as a sand soldier's spear punched into his side.
"Damn it!"
Rasa wasn't done. He was already closing in again.
"Ninja Art: Needle Hell!"
Thousands of hair-needles screamed at Rasa. To Jiraiya's shock, Rasa didn't dodge. He walked straight through them, closing the distance fast.
"What the—?!"
Rasa raised the Anubis Blade. Jiraiya's eyes widened further when the needles passed right through Rasa's body like he wasn't even there. No damage. Nothing.
Rasa swung.
Jiraiya tried to block with his kunai, but there was no clash of steel. The blade sliced straight through the kunai like it didn't exist.
"What?!"
Jiraiya twisted desperately. Too late.
The Anubis Blade cut deep. Blood erupted in a violent spray. Jiraiya's eyes went huge with pain.
Then—
"Reverse Summoning Technique!"
At the last possible second, half of Jiraiya's body vanished. The lower half dropped limply onto the sand.
"Damn. So close."
Rasa's expression darkened with disappointment. "If I'm right, that was Gamamaru. He didn't lift a finger when Pain killed Jiraiya last time, but now he saves him? Probably because Jiraiya still has work to do for them."
"Even if he survives, he's finished. Might as well be dead."
With Jiraiya's defeat, the battle was over. Leaf ninja scattered in panic. Sand forces chased them down, cheering like mad.
"Leaf's done! Leaf's done!"
"Jiraiya lost!"
"Sunagakure wins!"
"Lord Kazekage wins!"
"Long live Lord Kazekage!"
Jiraiya was reverse-summoned straight to Konoha's medical wing. He lay on a hospital bed, wrapped head to toe in bandages, completely still, face twisted in pain. One arm gone. Both legs gone. He'd only survived thanks to Mount Myoboku's reverse summoning.
He had lost. Badly.
Hokage Tower.
"What?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shot to his feet.
"Jiraiya lost?!"
"Even Jiraiya got beaten?!"
"He's seriously injured?!"
"What the hell kind of power does Rasa have now?!"
Hiruzen's face went pale. He had pinned everything on Jiraiya teaching Sunagakure a lesson—making them back off the Weekly and stop humiliating the Leaf. Instead Jiraiya came back in pieces.
"With Rasa's personality, he's going to hit us even harder now. That bastard doesn't know when to quit once he's winning."
"Damn it… why did Jiraiya lose?"