Naruto: Starting with Infinite Chakra-Chapter 168: - : Shocking Everyone

Against a Sage Mode Jiraiya, he stood no chance.

Now that he was gravely wounded by Sage Art techniques, half of his body was nearly useless. There was no way he could endure Jiraiya's next attack.

"Sage Art: Blazing Rasengan!"

Jiraiya refused to give Ryūgen any breathing room. Extending his right hand, a Rasengan rapidly formed in his palm, spinning intensely. Fire-natured Sage chakra surged into it, causing it to ignite in roaring flames.

The Rasengan expanded rapidly, burning with intense heat.

Just yesterday, Jiraiya had completed another half-moon system sign-in, earning him Minato Namikaze's Rasengan technique as a reward.

Along with it came various Rasengan-based jutsu.

Blazing Rasengan was one of them—an enhanced Rasengan infused with Fire-natured Sage chakra, dramatically increasing its power.

Rasengan was a versatile technique, requiring no hand seals and having no inherent elemental affinity, making it perfect for chakra nature transformations.

In the original story, after Naruto gained the power of various Tailed Beasts, he infused their chakra into his Rasengan to create powerful new variations.

"You Konoha shinobi think you can take Tetsuishi Town? Keep dreaming!"

Ryūgen's face twisted in despair as he stared at the ever-expanding Rasengan in Jiraiya's hand.

Jiraiya thrust the Blazing Rasengan forward.

Upon impact, Ryūgen's body was torn apart in a swirling inferno, reduced to nothing but blood mist. He had no chance to fight back.

Jiraiya then retrieved the Soul Vessel and absorbed Ryūgen's soul into it.

Although the Rasengan had obliterated Ryūgen's body, his soul remained intact.

Only his severed head was left behind.

Jiraiya had intentionally avoided destroying Ryūgen's head.

Picking it up, he also retrieved Ryūgen's twin blades—exceptionally crafted weapons worth keeping.

With that, Jiraiya dispelled the barrier, leaped onto the walls of Tetsuishi Town, and raised Ryūgen's head high.

"Ryūgen has been slain! What will you fight Konoha with now?!"

His thunderous voice echoed through the battlefield.

"This can't be real! There's no way Captain Ryūgen is dead!"

"I must be seeing things! There's no way Captain Ryūgen lost! This has to be a genjutsu! The Konoha shinobi are trying to trick us!"

"Captain Ryūgen is Lord Hanzō's personal guard! His strength is unfathomable! How could he lose to a brat like Jiraiya?! This must be fake!"

The Amegakure shinobi stared in disbelief at the severed head in Jiraiya's grasp. Many shouted in denial, refusing to accept the truth.

Ryūgen was their pillar of strength.

They had dared to fight Konoha's shinobi to the death because Ryūgen was here.

They had believed he would defeat Jiraiya and lead them to victory.

Ryūgen had been their unwavering source of hope.

But now, Jiraiya had killed him!

Their morale shattered in an instant, replaced by utter despair.

"Even Lord Ryūgen was slain... How can we possibly resist Konoha now?"

"That's right! If even someone as powerful as Lord Ryūgen died at Konoha's hands, what chance do we have? Tetsuishi Town is doomed."

"No! I refuse to believe this! Captain Ryūgen can't have lost! This must be some kind of trick! The Konoha shinobi are playing mind games with us! This isn't real!"

Some Amegakure shinobi fell into despair, losing all will to fight.

Others stubbornly refused to accept Ryūgen's death, shouting in a frenzy. The battlefield descended into chaos.

Jiraiya's victory over Ryūgen shocked not only the Amegakure shinobi but even Konoha's own forces.

At first, many Konoha shinobi suspected it was an illusion, a deception to break Amegakure's morale.

After all, Ryūgen was a well-known name—a personal guard of the legendary Hanzō, a ninja feared for his immense strength.

Jiraiya, despite being the Hokage's disciple and a prodigious talent, was still young. It was expected that he would need more experience before challenging an elite veteran.

But when they confirmed Ryūgen's body had truly been destroyed, reality sank in.

A deafening cheer erupted from Konoha's forces. Their morale skyrocketed.

"The markings on Jiraiya's face... those are Sage markings, aren't they?"

"No doubt about it! Those are Sage markings! I can't believe he's already mastered Sage Mode! No wonder he could kill Ryūgen so quickly and emerge unscathed!"

"I've heard rumors that Mount Myōboku has a training method for Sage Mode. It turns out to be true! Jiraiya's talent must be far greater than we ever imagined—he's already achieved Sage Mode!"

Konoha's elite jōnin were left speechless, staring at Jiraiya's Sage markings in awe.

As for the other Konoha shinobi, most didn't even notice the markings.

After all, knowledge of Sage Mode was usually limited to the higher-ups of each village, recorded only in secret archives.

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (245 Chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)