Danzo was blasted back by Jiraiya's ninjutsu, and the air suddenly fell into a dead silence.
The Root ninja, in particular, widened their eyes, blinking in disbelief. They couldn't fathom how Danzo, wielding Wood Release, had been so easily injured by Jiraiya.
Some of them even began to suspect that Danzo's Wood Release was an illusion rather than the real deal. Though they'd never seen true Wood Release, the ancient texts were clear on its overwhelming power.
What Danzo had displayed didn't come close to matching those records.
Root ninja felt a mix of frustration and disappointment.
"I knew it. Danzo mastering Wood Release? Not a chance," Isamu muttered, his shock at seeing Danzo sent flying beginning to subside.
If Danzo had truly mastered Wood Release, they'd all be dead by now with no hope of victory.
"I've fought Senju Hashirama before. The power of his Wood Release is incomparable to what Danzo just used," Kakuzu said, though he was clearly embellishing. Hashirama had never actually attacked him with Wood Release, but that didn't stop him from bragging.
If Hashirama's strength hadn't been overwhelming, Kakuzu wouldn't have thrown a shuriken and fled without hesitation.
"But that wasn't an illusion just now. Danzo has definitely mastered some kind of Wood Release-like jutsu. Let's finish these grunts off quickly and help Jiraiya," Isamu said firmly.
He unsheathed his Blade, infused it with chakra, and unleashed a torrent of lightning that merged with his Water Release technique. The power of his jutsu increased dramatically, catching a Root elite off guard and killing him instantly.
With one elite ninja down, the Root formation fell apart. Their ability to hold off Isamu relied entirely on their coordinated group tactics.
Now, with their formation broken, they could no longer keep Isamu at bay.
"How could this be? Wood Release's defense… how could it be broken?"
Danzo crashed to the ground and looked at Jiraiya, a flicker of fear rising in his heart.
His trump cards were the power of the Sharingan and Wood Release.
Now, both had failed against Jiraiya. It was hard for Danzo to accept that Jiraiya had grown this powerful.
His chest was caved in, with multiple broken ribs and a fist-sized wound bleeding profusely. Even with Hashirama's cells implanted, recovering from such severe injuries would not be easy.
Danzo's face burned with humiliation. He'd just declared himself invincible moments ago—only to be sent flying by Jiraiya in the next instant.
It was beyond embarrassing.
"Danzo, I told you before—those powers are beyond your control," Jiraiya said coldly.
Now that he had broken Danzo's Wood Release defense, he had a clear sense of its strength—or lack thereof. It wasn't true Wood Release. Danzo had only recently transplanted Hashirama's cells and couldn't tap into the technique's full potential.
Moreover, Danzo's limited chakra reserves and lack of any special bloodline made it impossible for him to fully wield Hashirama's power.
Just being able to use Wood Release at all was already a significant feat for Danzo.
"In this form, I am invincible! You cannot defeat me!" Danzo roared as he struggled to his feet.
He'd been careless. He hadn't dodged because he'd assumed his Wood Release could withstand Jiraiya's attack.
But who would've thought that the jutsu's power would fall so short?
"Shun-Goku Shadow Assassination Formation."
Jiraiya wasn't about to give Danzo time to recover. His chakra surged as he summoned seven shadow clones, which scattered and charged at Danzo alongside his main body.
In Sage Mode, each shadow clone held nearly the same chakra as Jiraiya's main body. However, each clone could only withstand a single attack before dispersing and losing all its chakra.
What made Sage Mode truly terrifying was Jiraiya's chakra regeneration. No matter how much chakra he used, it would be replenished almost instantly.
In this state, Jiraiya effectively had unlimited chakra. However, if he exited Sage Mode, he'd face a period of extreme exhaustion.
Danzo's right Sharingan began spinning rapidly as he tried to discern which of the figures was Jiraiya's main body.
The Sharingan's greatest strength lay in its ability to track even the fastest movements and distinguish between real bodies and shadow clones.
Yet Danzo's expression darkened.
Despite his Sharingan's enhanced perception, he couldn't tell Jiraiya's main body from his clones.
All of them radiated the same chakra.
That meant every clone's attack would be just as powerful as the main body's.
He'd have to defend against all of them equally.
"How is he this strong?"
Danzo cursed internally.
Jiraiya's chakra reserves were monstrous, far beyond anything a normal human should possess. They rivaled even those of a Tailed Beast.
The Uzumaki Clan was renowned for its abundant chakra, but compared to Jiraiya, they were nothing.
When Uzushio fell, Danzo had led the ANBU team responsible for its destruction. Even Uzushio's leader hadn't possessed chakra of this magnitude.
In Danzo's experience, only Hashirama—during his life—had chakra comparable to a Tailed Beast.
"Could he have the Sage Body too?"
The thought struck Danzo like a thunderbolt.
Though Jiraiya had informed Hiruzen Sarutobi of his awakening to the Sage Body, Hiruzen had kept it secret.
If word got out, other villages would surely send their strongest to assassinate Jiraiya.
Realizing this, the Sharingan implanted in Danzo's arm began spinning wildly.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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