—Sage Art: Corrosive Acid Rain!
Acid fell from the sky like a curtain. The vast forest began to wither and rot. The mountain cliffs and the earth itself were pitted and scarred.
"Acid rain?"
Sasuke immediately erected the skeletal frame of his Susano'o, watching as the skeleton melted and dissolved under the relentless downpour.
"Is this acidity… even stronger than the previous Mizukage's Lava Release?"
He looked up at the sickly green sky. "The problem… is that cloud."
SHINK!
The melted bones reforged. Muscle and sinew crawled over the skeleton, encasing it in heavy, dark armor.
—Crow Tengu Susano'o!
SHING!
A massive bow of black flames formed. The string drew taut. A blazing arrow of Amaterasu shot skyward, piercing the clouds!
The arrow exploded inside the cloud, dispersing into a curtain of searing black fire that scoured the acid-producing cloud clean.
Jiraiya emerged from the swirling dust, his expression deathly serious. "That form… is the true appearance of Susano'o!"
Fukasaku croaked gravely from his shoulder. "If we don't finish him here, Jiraiya-boy… who will be able to stop him in the future?"
Jiraiya nodded, his eyes hard. "Yeah. I feel the same."
Shima, on his other shoulder, took a ready stance. "Alright, kid! Oil from you! Fire from me! Wind from the old man!"
—Sage Art: Goemon!!
Oil. Flame. Gale.
Amplified by Sage chakra, the three forces fused into an overwhelming torrent of fire—one capable of boiling seas and incinerating mountains!
Sasuke formed a single-handed seal.
—Fire Release: Flame Wurm!
SHING!
The Flame Wurm—a technique that absorbed fire to grow stronger, nearly invincible in fire-style clashes—was utterly swallowed by the Sage Art: Goemon in the blink of an eye!
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "So… the ninjutsu version can't absorb a Sage Art fire technique. Not unless I master Sage Mode myself."
BOOM…!
The ocean of fire rolled over the ground. The armor of the Susano'o shimmered and distorted under the blistering heatwave… but did not melt.
Jiraiya's heart sank. Even this form of the Susano'o… Goemon can't break through it directly. That armor… we need a way to crack it!
BOOM…!!!
Jiraiya stopped his oil stream. With a frog-like leap, he sprang onto the surface of the rolling fire sea.
WHOOSH!
A massive Sage Art: Super Giant Rasengan spun to life in his right palm!
Fukasaku halted his wind. "Jiraiya-boy, you…?"
"I never mastered Nature Transformation with the Rasengan, not like Minato did. Naruto found his own path, but he's not there yet." Jiraiya's gaze was fierce, focused on the swirling sphere. "But earlier… Sasuke lit a Rasengan with Amaterasu. It gave me an idea. If I can't add a nature to it… I'll use its physical property instead!"
His voice rose to a shout. "Old man! Ma'am! Assist me! I'll use the Rasengan's rotation to gather all the power of Goemon and concentrate it!!!"
Shima's eyes widened. "Ah…! If we do that—!"
VWOOM!
With Fukasaku and Shima channeling their chakra, the vast, dispersed sea of fire was violently sucked into Jiraiya's Super Giant Rasengan.
The sphere swelled, its color shifting to a blazing, pale gold. It grew to the size of a miniature sun, searing the air around it.
"Hah! This thing's got some real weight to it!"
BOOM!! Jiraiya landed, his legs bending deep into a crouch. Then he launched himself upward again, hurling the monstrous fireball with all his might at the towering Susano'o!
"That's right…! This is it!"
—Sage Art: Super Detonating Flame Giant Rasengan!!!
Sasuke's eyes snapped wide. "That one… is bad news…!!"
—Blaze Release: Armament!
SHING! A second layer of armor, woven from searing black Amaterasu flames, clad itself over the Susano'o's existing dark plate, creating armor over armor.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth. "He created an extra layer of black flame armor outside the Susano'o… that's Shape Transformation! His control over those flames… surpasses even Itachi Uchiha's!"
Fukasaku cried out. "It's no good, Jiraiya-boy! That black fire is the ultimate counter to our techniques!!"
Jiraiya's expression turned to grim resolve. "We're past the point of holding back. This left arm… I don't need it anymore!!!"
ZZZT…!!!
The kanji for 'Seal' blazed to life on Jiraiya's left palm. Without hesitation, he thrust that hand directly into the outer shell of Amaterasu flames.
—Sage: Fire Sealing Jutsu!!
WHOOSH!
The outer layer of Blaze Release armor was forcibly ripped from the Susano'o and sealed into Jiraiya's left hand.
The price: his left arm was horrifically scorched, the flesh charred and smoking. Useless for the rest of the fight.
Sasuke watched, silent.
"RAAAAAAAAAGH…!!!"
With a furious roar, Jiraiya pushed forward with his right arm, driving the miniature sun of chakra and fire forward with everything he had!
—Sage Art: Super Detonating Flame Giant Rasengan!!!
BOOM...!!!
The Crow Tengu Susano'o was hit squarely in the chest. The impact drove it backwards, slamming it deep into the mountainside with catastrophic force.
CRACK! CRACK-CRACK!
The armor held for all of three seconds. Then it fractured. Splintered. Exploded into fragments. If the strongest defense fell so quickly, the underlying muscle and bone stood no chance. They shattered in the next instant.
Orochimaru watched from the sidelines, a faint, approving smile on his lips. "Jiraiya… you've grown stronger in this battle as well…"
BOOM...!!!
The Susano'o vanished completely. Sasuke, with nowhere to retreat, no room to dodge, was caught dead-center in the advancing storm of the Rasengan.
"Getting caught in this… is a death sentence…"
RIIIP!
At the last possible millisecond, his back split open. With a wet, tearing sound, a new, slick Sasuke unfurled from the gash, white, curse-mark wings spreading from his back. He shot out of the mountain crevice, escaping the blast.
Jiraiya's eyes bulged. "That's…!!!"
Fukasaku yelled. "Jiraiya-boy, get back…!!"
Jiraiya frog-leaped away.
KABOOOOOOOM—!!!
The flaming Rasengan detonated. The resulting firestorm flattened the mountain before them into a smoldering crater. A tsunami of heat radiated outward, melting the snow and ice for miles in every direction.
Jiraiya looked up. Dark clouds churned overhead. And hovering in the sky on pale wings… was the boy.
"Besides all those other troublesome abilities… he even has Orochimaru's substitution technique mastered!!"
Shima suddenly stiffened. "Hey! Old man! Jiraiya-boy! Do you feel that? The natural energy… it's going wild!!!"
Fukasaku's face paled. "Ah…! Could it be?!"
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE…!!
Above Sasuke, the lightning running rampant through the clouds began to coalesce. It twisted, gathered, taking on a monstrous, bestial shape of pure thunder…!!!
Fukasaku gasped. "He's using the heat from the fire techniques to superheat the atmosphere and create a natural lightning storm! He started brewing this the moment he shot that black flame arrow into the sky! He even used our fire jutsu to fuel it!!!"
Jiraiya's blood ran cold. "Damn it…! If it's a direct lightning strike… even Sage Mode might not be enough to dodge it!!!"
Fukasaku forced calm into his voice. "That's not the main issue. The Mount Myōboku Sage Arts allow us to interfere with and manipulate external natural energy. Even if we can't dodge, we can cancel out most of the power. Of course… we'll still take some damage. And that technique doesn't look like something he can use repeatedly…"
Sasuke, high above, assessed the shape of the gathering Kirin. "I learned a thing or two from my fight with Itachi. Let's test it out…"
ZZT!
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
SHINK!!
Over the thunderous body of the Kirin… the dark armor of the Susano'o materialized, encasing the beast of lightning!
"Barely enough to cover it…"
Jiraiya stared, cold sweat pouring down his face. His body trembled. "Uchiha Sasuke… just how far have you grown?"
Watching from the sidelines, Itachi spoke softly. "Ah… he's mimicking my Blazing Susano'o: Divine Flame Avatar."
Orochimaru chuckled. "He's a quick study."
Itachi's voice held both pride and concern. "I am glad for Sasuke's growth… but I worry for Lord Jiraiya now."
Orochimaru merely smiled, saying nothing.
High in the air, Sasuke raised a hand crackling with stolen lightning. His eyes gleamed. "What should I call this one? Got it."
He brought his hand down in a slicing motion.
The Armored Kirin descended with a deafening roar.
—Thunder's Roar: Takemikazuchi!
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