Under the overwhelming power of Yoru's celestial weather phenomenon, all of Jin'nan Town had been transformed into a frozen wasteland.
Death and frost saturated the air.
In that moment—
Even the atmosphere itself seemed to freeze.
"Crack… crack!"
Thick sheets of ice shattered as Fugaku punched through them, pulling a slender figure from beneath the frozen ground.
The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly as he scanned his surroundings—
Fugaku's heart was filled with indescribable shock.
What he saw defied belief. Even having witnessed Yoru's terrifying Ice Release once before, the sheer scale of this… made his chest tighten.
"Can Ice Release really do something like this...?"
According to legend, the First Hokage Senju Hashirama could reshape the landscape in an instant—summoning entire forests from nothing.
Even the ultimate powers of Uchiha Madara paled in comparison.
Fugaku didn't know what that world looked like firsthand, but he knew one thing for certain:
Even with Susanoo at its third stage, he might not be able to defeat this version of Yoru.
"The Uchiha's power... is actually inferior to your Ice Release…?"
Fugaku clenched his fists, eyes full of bitterness.
The once-proud Uchiha—reduced to helplessness.
"Let's go, Shisui. We need to fall back."
Gripping Shisui by the shoulder, Fugaku turned—
Only to notice Shisui still frozen in place, eyes wide and vacant as he stared at the frozen wasteland.
"They're all dead… They're really… all dead…"
"Just like that..."
"Yuki Yoru..."
The Uchiha prodigy stood paralyzed, unable to comprehend the scale of devastation. His remaining eye locked onto Yoru, who stood atop the icy cliffs, overlooking the world beneath him.
Yoru's right eye was covered by a white mask—
While Shisui's was wrapped in bandages.
Their gazes clashed midair.
Shisui could clearly see the sneer tugging at Yoru's lips—
Mocking his weakness.
Mocking Konoha's helplessness.
"You bastard…"
Shisui's hands clenched, his nails carving deep grooves into the ice.
Then suddenly—
An overwhelming pressure surged from above.
Fugaku sensed it instantly. His expression darkened as he grabbed Shisui by the shoulder and pulled him back.
And they weren't alone.
Everyone on the battlefield felt it.
Their gazes turned, all drawn to the white-haired figure above.
"HAAAH!!"
With a mighty shout, Jiraiya brought his hands together in a familiar seal.
Yoru felt it clearly—
A strange agitation in the natural energy of the world.
A terrifying force, difficult to describe, gathered around Jiraiya.
"That posture… that presence—"
Yagura's eyes narrowed.
He immediately shouted a warning.
"Yoru, be careful! This is the legendary Sannin Jiraiya's power—the reason he's called the Toad Sage! He's entering Sage Mode!"
Jiraiya's mastery of Sage Mode, a power said to rival even the First Hokage, wasn't exactly a secret among high-ranking shinobi.
He had used it many times during his travels across the ninja world—
Even recently, in this very war, he had activated it during the Iwagakure campaign to fight off two Tailed Beasts at once.
This kind of overwhelming combat power had long drawn attention from elite shinobi across the world, sparking efforts to study Sage Techniques.
But none had succeeded.
Only Jiraiya—and now his student—had managed to touch that realm.
The power of Sage Mode…
Was truly on another level.
"You think I'll just sit back and let you complete your technique?"
In a flash, Yoru appeared in front of Jiraiya—
A massive ice dragon roared forth.
But before it could strike—
A small toad wielding a trident and shield jumped in, blocking the path.
"I may be clumsy, but I can still be useful!"
"Annoying little toad!"
Yoru's eyes narrowed. Hyōrinmaru clashed against the trident, the ring of steel-on-steel ringing out across the battlefield.
Freezing energy surged along the metal, threatening to freeze the toad solid—
But the squat creature was shockingly agile.
Before the ice could reach him, he threw away his trident and dodged the attack cleanly.
"Thanks, Gamaken!"
Gamaken looked at his frozen weapon in dismay.
"Ugh… I really am too clumsy…"
"I'll forge you a new one when this is over. For now, leave it to me." Jiraiya grinned.
As more natural energy gathered, his body began to change.
Red eye markings—signs of Sage Mode—began to form beneath his eyes.
His pupils transformed into horizontal slits, and raised warts appeared on either side of his nose.
Then—
With a puff of white smoke, two small figures appeared beside him.
"I was in the middle of cooking, Jiraiya-boy… Why is it so cold here? Did you take us to the Land of Snow again? Eh? Even Gamabunta's here?"
"Be nice, dear. Looks like Jiraiya's up against a tough one this time."
The smoke cleared to reveal two talking toads—
Fukasaku and Shima, the Sage Elders of Mount Myōboku.
"Sorry for dragging you two into this." Jiraiya took a deep breath, eyes locking onto Yoru and the wave of Mist shinobi behind him.
"But I'm afraid this time, I really have no choice."
"So it's war, huh?" Fukasaku muttered.
"No wonder you're resorting to Sage Mode—you hate using this form."
His gaze swept the battlefield.
"Mist shinobi… That explains the Ice Release. Must be a member of the Yuki Clan?"
"To manipulate the battlefield like this… the Yuki Clan's Ice Release is really that powerful? Hmm…"
"By the way, Jiraiya, maybe it's time you learned to enter Sage Mode on your own. Young Minato can do it already!" Shima piped up with a disapproving frown.
At that—
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"Hahaha… Minato can do it now? That brat… Just what I'd expect from my student!"
"Yup, his Sage Mode is flawless. No toad features at all," Fukasaku confirmed with a proud nod.
"Don't praise him too much. He'll get cocky." Jiraiya smiled, pride in his voice.
"Guess I'll have to test how far he's come when I get back… if I get back."
"Alright—let's do this."
The two Sage Toads flanked Jiraiya on either side, channeling their chakra.
At the same time, natural energy inside Jiraiya reached its peak.
Sage Jiraiya—Toad Hermit of Mount Myōboku—
Was ready to unleash his full power.