The stone chamber trembled under the force of the battle that raged within it. Shinno, now a monstrous being beyond recognition, loomed over Jiraiya and his allies. His dark chakra was oppressive, filling the room with a sense of dread that threatened to choke the life out of anyone who dared oppose him.
Gamabunta, Jiraiya's trusted summon, was locked in a brutal struggle with Shinno's monstrous form. The giant toad's massive sword cleaved through the shadows that surrounded Shinno's new body, but the creature seemed to regenerate with every strike. It was a battle of attrition, and the creature's strength seemed to grow with each passing second.
Jiraiya stood on Gamabunta's back, eyes narrowed in concentration. He knew that they couldn't continue this fight for much longer. Every attack they landed only seemed to delay the inevitable.
"Dammit!" Jiraiya cursed under his breath. "How the hell do we stop something like this?"
He looked over at Tsunade and Orochimaru, who were trying to keep up with the battle, but even their formidable abilities didn't seem to be enough against Shinno's new form.
Tsunade was using her strength to smash through the shadowy limbs that lashed out at her, while Orochimaru was dodging and striking with his usual serpentine grace. But neither of them were having much luck in landing a decisive blow.
"This isn't working," Tsunade said, gritting her teeth as she slammed her fist into one of the creature's tendrils. "We need a plan, and fast!"
"Plan?" Jiraiya muttered. "We need a way to break through his regeneration, but everything we do is just feeding him more power."
Shinno's voice echoed through the chamber, a low and mocking tone that sent chills down their spines. "You think you can stop me? I am beyond your reach now. My power knows no bounds!"
With a wave of his hand, Shinno summoned more of his monstrous creations—creatures made entirely of dark chakra, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light. They surged forward, attacking from every direction. The sheer number of them was overwhelming.
Jiraiya's mind raced. They needed a way to sever Shinno's connection to the crystal, to cut off the source of his power. But how?
Gamabunta roared as he swung his sword once more, cutting through a group of shadow creatures. "Boss, any ideas?"
Jiraiya's eyes flickered toward the crystal in the center of the room. The eerie glow of the crystal pulsed with an ominous energy. It was clear now that it was the source of Shinno's transformation. If they didn't destroy it, Shinno would only keep getting stronger.
"That crystal," Jiraiya muttered. "It's the key. We need to destroy it, but I'm going to need some help."
Tsunade and Orochimaru, who had been struggling to keep up with the fight, turned to Jiraiya. They could see the determination in his eyes. If there was any chance of defeating Shinno, it would lie in the crystal.
Tsunade nodded. "We'll cover you. Just get to it."
Jiraiya nodded in return and, with a swift motion, leaped off Gamabunta's back. His feet landed with a soft thud on the stone floor, and he dashed toward the crystal. The monstrous creatures attacked, but Jiraiya dodged and weaved through them with ease, his speed fueled by desperation and the knowledge that the fate of their world rested on this moment.
As he reached the crystal, Jiraiya felt the overwhelming surge of chakra that radiated from it. It was suffocating, but he steeled himself. His hands came together in a series of intricate hand seals. He was preparing his most powerful technique—the Sage Mode.
He closed his eyes, focusing inward, letting the natural energy of the world flow into him. The chakra around him began to shift, responding to his will. The world seemed to slow as Jiraiya's senses expanded. His connection to the natural world grew stronger, and the air around him hummed with power.
The transformation was instantaneous. His hair grew longer, his eyes glowed with the markings of Sage Mode, and the power of the toads surged through his veins. The ground beneath his feet cracked with the sheer force of his transformation.
With his newly awakened power, Jiraiya turned and faced Shinno, whose monstrous form was still engaged in battle with Gamabunta. The shadow creatures continued to surge forward, but Jiraiya no longer needed to dodge them. With a single motion, he released a wave of chakra so powerful that it tore through the shadow creatures, reducing them to dust.
Shinno's eyes narrowed as he sensed the shift in the battle. The oppressive dark energy in the room seemed to lessen, and he turned to face Jiraiya.
"You've awakened your Sage Mode," Shinno sneered. "But it won't be enough to stop me."
Jiraiya smirked, his eyes glowing with determination. "We'll see about that."
He clenched his fists, channeling more chakra into his body. The air crackled with the intensity of the power he was now wielding. With a single leap, Jiraiya was airborne, heading straight for the crystal.
Shinno roared in fury, summoning a torrent of dark energy to stop him. But Jiraiya was faster. In an instant, he had reached the crystal and, with a single strike, shattered it into a million pieces.
The entire chamber shook as the crystal exploded, sending shockwaves of energy throughout the room. Shinno's monstrous form screamed in agony as the power that had been feeding him was severed. The dark chakra that had consumed him began to dissipate, and his body began to revert back to its original state.
But it was too late. The damage had already been done. Shinno's transformation had left him too weak to recover fully.
Jiraiya landed gracefully on the ground, his Sage Mode still active, his eyes fixed on Shinno's now-human form.
"You're finished," Jiraiya said coldly, his voice unwavering.
Shinno looked up at him, his eyes filled with hatred and regret. "You think you've won? You've only delayed the inevitable. There are others who will follow in my footsteps. The darkness... it will never fade."
Jiraiya's expression hardened. "We'll make sure it does."
The room was eerily silent now, the oppressive darkness that had once filled it now gone. The battle was over.