The white smoke cleared, revealing a world completely different from the ninja world.
The air here was thick with natural energy. It was not just present, but gathered, as if the entire land itself was drawing it in.
This was the reason the three great sacred lands were different from ordinary places. Their environments naturally collected energy, allowing the creatures living there to form senjutsu chakra more easily and grow far beyond normal size.
Mount Myōboku was one of those places.
The moment Gamabunta returned to familiar ground, some of his confidence came back. No matter how strong the human on his head was, this was still the territory of the toads. The Great Toad Sage was here. The toads of Mount Myōboku were here.
A human could not really act wild here, could he?
Gamabunta forced himself to lift his head and asked in a low voice, "Human, I brought you to Mount Myōboku. What do you want now?"
Jie looked down at him.
So he still had the energy to test him?
Jie pressed his foot down.
Boom!
Gamabunta's huge body slammed into the ground again, and the earth beneath him caved in. This time, the blow was heavier than before. Blood soon seeped from the wounds across his body and gathered in the pit below.
Jie glanced at it and paused for a moment.
So toads bled red too.
Then he looked at Gamabunta's unmoving body and clicked his tongue inwardly. He had used too much strength. His guide had collapsed before leading him anywhere.
Still, Mount Myōboku was full of toads. Finding another guide should not be hard.
Several powerful auras were already rushing toward him, probably drawn by the noise. Since he had already been discovered, Jie simply remained standing on Gamabunta's head and waited.
"Brother Bunta!"
A purple-red toad arrived first, carrying a pot-lid shield on his back and a huge spiked weapon in his hand. Black markings ran along his arms, and his body was only slightly smaller than Gamabunta's.
Jie recognized him at once.
Gamaken.
One of Gamabunta's brothers, and one of Mount Myōboku's stronger defensive fighters.
Gamaken froze when he saw Gamabunta lying in the pit, covered in injuries.
"Brother Bunta, what happened to you?"
Only after asking did he notice Jie standing on Gamabunta's head.
His grip tightened around his weapon.
"Human, what did you do to my brother?"
Jie replied calmly, "There are only two of us here. Isn't the answer obvious?"
Gamaken stared at him in disbelief.
A human had beaten Gamabunta to this state?
For a moment, he wondered if this person was one of Jiraiya's disciples. But very quickly, he sensed something wrong. There was no Mount Myōboku contract on Jie at all.
Instead, there was a scent the toads instinctively hated.
Ryūchi Cave.
Gamaken's expression grew serious.
"What does Ryūchi Cave's contractor want in Mount Myōboku?"
He raised his weapon and pointed it at Jie.
"I may be clumsy, but I'll do everything I can to stop you. I won't let your scheme succeed."
Jie fell silent for a moment.
He had always thought Gamaken only said that out of humility.
Now, looking at Gamabunta lying half-dead in a pit while Gamaken still chose to stand in his way, Jie was no longer sure.
Was this loyalty, or was he really just that clumsy?
Either way, he needed a guide.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Jie clapped his hands together. A huge wooden dragon rose behind him and charged straight toward Gamaken.
Gamaken reacted at once. He swung his giant weapon with all his strength, striking the wooden dragon again and again. Each blow carried enough force to crush stone, but the dragon did not even slow down.
Its body twisted through the air, wrapped around him, and locked him in place.
Gamaken struggled, but he could not break free. When he tried to use the senjutsu chakra inside his body, the wooden dragon absorbed it instead.
Strength was useless. Chakra was useless.
In only a few seconds, Gamaken had been completely restrained, with only his head left free.
Jie looked at him and asked, "Where is that old thing Gamamaru?"
"Gamamaru?"
Gamaken paused.
The name sounded familiar, but he could not immediately connect it to anyone. Still, if this human from Ryūchi Cave was looking for someone in Mount Myōboku, it could not be anything good.
He shut his mouth.
"I may be clumsy," Gamaken said stubbornly, "but I won't betray my companions. Even if I die, you won't get anything from me."
Jie sighed.
He only wanted to find Gamamaru and settle an old matter. Why did every toad here insist on making this difficult?
It was not as if Jie had no idea where Gamamaru was. The Great Toad Sage should be in the temple deep inside Mount Myōboku. The problem was that this place was enormous. With so many giant toads living here, the land could not possibly be small.
Even with Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Jie could only cover part of it at once.
A guide was still the fastest option.
Since Gamabunta had collapsed and Gamaken refused to cooperate, Jie was considering a more direct method when a heavy pressure suddenly came from above.
"Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique!"
A huge green toad dropped from the sky, falling straight toward Jie with enough force to crush the ground beneath him.
Jie looked up and recognized him at once.
Gamahiro, another one of Gamabunta's brothers.
As Gamahiro's massive body came down, Jie calmly formed a one-handed seal.
"Earth Release: Rock Lift."
The ground beside him surged upward, gathering into a giant stone fist.
"Earth Release: Super Added-Weight Rock Technique."
The stone fist grew even heavier, its size almost rivaling the Gedo Statue's severed arm. Jie waited until Gamahiro was close enough, then sent it upward.
"Taijutsu: Toad Bowling!"
The fist slammed into Gamahiro and punched him straight across Mount Myōboku.
Jie had named the move on the spot, but it fit. Gamahiro flew into the distance like a giant toad-shaped ball.
Gamaken, still trapped by the Wood Dragon, fell silent.
Food Cart Destroyer was Gamahiro's signature move. With his size and weight, he could crush most enemies just by falling on them. But against Jie, he had been knocked away in a single hit.
Only now did Gamaken truly understand why Gamabunta had ended up in that pit.
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