"Oh no!"
Jiraiya immediately sensed that something was wrong, but it was already too late.
Smack!
A hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.
"Jiraiya, you've lost."
A calm and relaxed voice sounded behind him. Jiraiya slowly turned his head, and as expected, the person standing there was the mysterious opponent he had been fighting all along.
"I lost, and I admit defeat."
Jiraiya was not someone who refused to acknowledge reality. His opponent had used the Body Replacement Technique to divert his attention and then appeared behind him without making a sound. That alone proved the outcome of the battle.
If the man behind him had intended to kill him, he would have died dozens of times already.
What truly confused Jiraiya was how the opponent had managed to approach him without him sensing anything at all. With his experience and strength, that should have been nearly impossible.
Could it be another unknown technique?
Jiraiya quickly reviewed everything in his mind. There was no Flying Thunder God seal behind him, and the opponent had not thrown a Flying Thunder God kunai earlier in the fight.
Naturally, Jiraiya had no idea that Ryūjin had used Kamui's spatial transfer.
Although Ryūjin had previously demonstrated Kamui's intangibility and the long distance Kamui space cutting ability in front of Jiraiya, he had never shown the ability to transport himself through space.
Because of that, Jiraiya had no way of guessing the truth.
This allowed Ryūjin to appear behind him so easily and secure victory.
"Since you've lost, just accept it."
Ryūjin smiled faintly. His Sharingan spun quietly, and he immediately used Kotoamatsukami on Jiraiya.
A carefully prepared memory was implanted into Jiraiya's mind.
Once the process finished, Jiraiya instantly believed that he had successfully found Yahiko and the others and had already obtained the information he wanted.
Everything matched perfectly with what Minato Namikaze had previously mentioned. The information lined up completely and contained nothing extra that might raise suspicion.
Satisfied, Jiraiya began heading back toward Konoha at a relaxed pace.
Watching Jiraiya's retreating figure disappear into the distance, Ryūjin felt a small spark of excitement.
"Now I can go check in at Mount Myōboku without worrying about anything."
He quietly sensed the location of the Flying Thunder God mark he had placed earlier, and the approximate position of Mount Myōboku became clear in his mind.
However, the distance between his current location and Mount Myōboku was extremely far. With the amount of chakra he currently had, Ryūjin was not completely confident that he could use the Flying Thunder God over such a long range.
Even if he succeeded, the chakra consumption would be enormous. Doing that before entering Mount Myōboku would be a foolish decision.
So Ryūjin chose a far safer method.
Kamui.
For long distance transportation, Kamui was simply unmatched.
Hum!
Once he made the decision, a spiraling vortex of space began forming in Ryūjin's left eye. The surrounding air twisted and folded as the spatial vortex expanded.
In the next moment, Ryūjin's body was pulled into the vortex, disappearing completely.
...
Mount Myōboku.
Beside a peaceful stream surrounded by tall rock formations, the scenery looked almost like paradise.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Two enormous toads were engaged in intense sparring.
One held a weapon shaped like a massive slingshot, while the other wielded a pair of short blades.
They were none other than Gamabunta's brothers, Gamahiro and Gamaken.
The two giant toads were training seriously when suddenly a loud bang echoed across the clearing.
A massive figure appeared not far away.
It was Gamabunta.
However, the moment he appeared, his enormous body collapsed onto the ground. His breathing was heavy and uneven.
He was clearly badly injured.
Gamahiro and Gamaken immediately stopped their sparring and rushed toward him.
"Gamabunta, what happened?"
"What happened to you?"
Gamabunta took several heavy breaths before replying weakly.
"Don't ask too much. I ran into a troublesome Uchiha."
His voice sounded unusually serious.
"Where is Sage Fukasaku? I need to report something to him immediately."
Hearing this, Gamahiro and Gamaken did not hesitate. They quickly supported Gamabunta and moved toward the residence of Sage Fukasaku.
When Sage Fukasaku and Shima heard that Gamabunta had returned injured, they rushed over at once.
Gamabunta explained everything in detail, from Jiraiya summoning him to the sudden appearance of the mysterious Uchiha who had activated Susanoo.
After listening to the full story, both Sage Fukasaku and Shima became noticeably more serious.
"Uchiha..."
Sage Fukasaku sighed slowly.
"What a troublesome name."
"I'm afraid the ninja world may not remain peaceful for much longer."
Long ago, the Great Toad Sage had told him about the history of Indra, the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan. Indra had rejected the wishes of his father, the Sage of Six Paths, and turned against him.
Sage Fukasaku also knew about the story of Uchiha Madara betraying Konoha.
The power contained within the Sharingan had always been terrifying.
Throughout history, members of this clan often brought turmoil to the ninja world.
Even now, after their decline, their relationship with Konoha remained tense.
If the Uchiha regained great strength once again, the consequences could be unpredictable.
Just as Sage Fukasaku was sighing quietly, his expression suddenly changed.
"Oh no!"
"Someone has broken into Mount Myōboku!"
The moment he said those words, everyone present froze.
Through his senjutsu perception, Sage Fukasaku had just sensed an unfamiliar presence within Mount Myōboku.
This had never happened before.
Very few people in the ninja world even knew where Mount Myōboku existed.
Even if someone somehow learned about it, entering the sacred land was nearly impossible.
Yet someone had managed to appear inside without making any noise at all.
Sage Fukasaku, Shima, and the others immediately leapt into action, disappearing across the landscape in several swift jumps.
Meanwhile, the one who had silently entered Mount Myōboku was none other than Ryūjin.
Using Kamui's spatial transfer, he had appeared directly inside the sacred land.
The moment he arrived, Ryūjin felt an indescribable sense of clarity wash over him.
The mountains were majestic, the water was pure, and natural energy filled the air.
It truly felt like a paradise untouched by the outside world.
"If someone lived in a place like this, even an ordinary person would probably stay healthy and live a long life."
"No wonder the Great Toad Sage has lived for so many years."
Ryūjin murmured quietly to himself.
At that moment, a familiar voice sounded in his mind.
"Check in location detected. Does the host wish to check in?"
Ryūjin's eyes brightened instantly.
"Check in."
"Ding. Congratulations to the host for a successful check in."
"Reward received: Perfect Grade Mount Myōboku Sage Mode."
Perfect Grade Sage Mode.
Ryūjin felt a surge of excitement.
Across the entire ninja world, whose Sage Mode could truly be called perfect?
Even Hashirama's Sage Mode left visible markings on his face when activated.
Jiraiya's version altered his appearance even more drastically.
Neither of them could be considered perfect.
So what would a truly perfect Sage Mode look like?
Ryūjin activated it with a simple thought.
Natural energy flowed into his body instantly.
Yet nothing about his appearance changed.
No facial markings appeared.
No transformation occurred.
His body remained exactly the same as before.
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