Chapter 074: The Power of an Idol

Time advanced to noon.

Wang Bo was eating when Bai rushed in from outside like a whirlwind.

"My lord, the Leaf ninja are preparing to attack," Bai said, his androgynous handsome face full of seriousness. "From the looks of it, they intend to annihilate us in one fell swoop."

Wang Bo nodded, finished the last piece of steak, and walked out of his tent.

Then, he and Bai arrived at the outpost.

Wang Bo opened his vision and clearly saw the Leaf ninja gathering, even more than yesterday—about seven or eight thousand shinobi.

It really had the feel of a final showdown.

Although the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was not present, Wang Bo spotted a white-haired man among the ranks.

One of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf: Jiraiya!

Though Jiraiya was called a sage, to someone like Wang Bo who had seen true immortals, Jiraiya's claim was nothing but self-glorification. He couldn't even ride clouds or achieve immortality, yet he dared to call himself a sage—who gave him such audacity?

Still, Wang Bo hadn't expected to see Jiraiya here.

Wasn't this guy always wandering the ninja world, gathering material for his smutty novels?

Why would he return to the Leaf at such a critical moment? Had he heard of their difficulties and rushed back in a panic?

But it didn't matter. Even if the enemy had an extra Jiraiya, it wouldn't change the facts.

Wang Bo withdrew his gaze and turned to Bai. "I'll go say hello first. You prepare here, and when you receive my signal, lead our people in."

Bai naturally didn't doubt Wang Bo's words and nodded readily. "Understood, my lord."

Wang Bo smiled faintly, vanished in a flash, and reappeared high in the sky the next second, sprinting through the air toward the Leaf side.

After watching Wang Bo disappear, Bai immediately turned back to the base and called an emergency assembly.

...

Meanwhile, the Leaf shinobi erupted in excitement upon seeing Jiraiya. After all, the name of the Legendary Sannin had spread across the ninja world. At this critical moment, Jiraiya's appearance was like a shot of adrenaline for the troops who had just suffered a defeat. The shinobi, who had been somewhat fearful, miraculously calmed down upon seeing him.

Such was the charm of an idol.

Many shinobi believed that as long as this great man was here, they would not lose.

Even Shikaku Nara and Kakashi Hatake breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Jiraiya on the field—after all, a man's reputation casts a long shadow.

Jiraiya truly deserved to be the anchor in everyone's hearts.

"It's really great that you could come, Lord Jiraiya," Shikaku Nara said, letting out a breath as he led Jiraiya into the tent.

Regardless of Jiraiya's strength, his mere presence was a symbol.

The morale, which had been somewhat flagging, had risen.

Jiraiya spoke slowly, "Even you feel the pressure. It seems this enemy is truly formidable."

Though reluctant, Shikaku Nara had to admit it. "Yes, this enemy is proficient in three types of hand-seal-less jutsu: movement, defense, and attack. Combined, they leave almost no weaknesses."

"Against one of their genin, we need to dispatch several experienced genin just to hold them off. In a one-on-one fight, we're easily killed."

"The situation is similar for chunin and jonin. While our ninja are still forming hand seals, they can effortlessly take our lives. The conditions are far too unequal."

"To put it bluntly, if these three jutsu spread, they could completely change the combat landscape of the ninja world."

Shikaku Nara poured out his fears and concerns in one breath.

After hearing this, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel alarmed. "So, we can only rely on our numerical advantage to defeat them now?"

Shikaku Nara nodded and said with a bitter smile, "If it weren't for our overwhelming numbers, I would have advised the Hokage to surrender outright."

He had fully witnessed the strength of the Igarashi side in yesterday's battle.

Who would have thought that combining those hand-seal-less jutsu would yield such devastating power?

On this point, Jiraiya had much to say, as he himself had mastered a hand-seal-less jutsu created by his disciple and understood its advantages all too well.

No need for hand seals; as long as one had precise chakra control, the jutsu could be used anytime, anywhere.

He knew exactly what advantage such hand-seal-less jutsu provided in battle.

After some thought, Jiraiya said slowly, "It seems there's only one way to defeat the enemy and minimize our casualties."

Shikaku Nara was no fool and immediately understood Jiraiya's meaning. "Lord Jiraiya, you want to..."

"That's right."

Jiraiya nodded affirmatively. "Only by striking first and killing their leader can we defeat this army at the smallest cost."

"What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing."

Just then, an outsider's voice suddenly rang out in the tent, which had only a few people.

Shikaku Nara, Jiraiya, and Kakashi Hatake, who had been listening to their conversation, were startled.

Because at some point, an outsider had appeared in the tent.

And they hadn't even noticed.

Wang Bo looked around the tent, seeing many familiar faces, but his gaze settled on Jiraiya. "This must be our first meeting, Jiraiya. I am Igarashi, though you can also call me Wang Bo. I think we're quite in sync—we both had the same idea."

Jiraiya's hair stood on end. At his level of power, he could clearly sense Wang Bo's strength, and more importantly, he felt a familiar aura from Wang Bo.

It was the aura of sage chakra.

"Are you even human?"

Jiraiya couldn't help but exclaim sharply. He had never seen anyone like this—every move in harmony with nature, the狂暴 natural energy within him as docile as a tame cat.

Though his body was filled with the aura of sage chakra, there was no trace of natural transformation on him.

Even a perfect Sage Mode had eye shadow or facial markings as signs of change.

But this man had none of that.

This wasn't a perfect Sage Mode; it was something beyond perfect Sage Mode.

It was as if he hadn't entered Sage Mode but was a sage himself.