The town's residents hadn't fled too far. When they realized the sudden appearance of the giant toads wasn't directed at them, they grew bolder and returned.

Standing outside the fence, they couldn't see the creatures on the ground but could see the three largest toad monsters swinging their weapons wildly. The residents were confused.

"Are these toads destroying our town?" an elderly man asked, squinting at the bizarre scene.

"No idea, but it's better than those things, right?" a young woman replied.

"Look!"

Suddenly, someone pointed at the largest toad in the center. "There's a person on top of that toad!"

Everyone looked in the direction the person pointed. Sure enough, there was a man sitting on the toad's head, seemingly meditating.

"Isn't that the person who came to our tavern yesterday?" The tavern owner recognized the man on top of the toad.

"Why is he standing on the toad's head? Could he be allied with these creatures?"

Meanwhile, Momoi, lying on the ground, suddenly had a realization.

Although he had never seen Jiraiya in person, if someone were impersonating him, they would have some knowledge of his reputation. Among Jiraiya's many titles, one was the Toad Sage.

This person was controlling such giant toads, and with a face somewhat resembling his own—could it be... he's Jiraiya?

Realizing this, he broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced around to see that everyone was still focused on the toad monsters and hadn't noticed him.

Faced with the real Jiraiya, of course, the imposter had to make a quick escape.

While Momoi slipped away, inside the fence, the toads from Mount Myōboku were locked in a fierce battle with the creatures.

At first, the toads used their unique battle tactics to suppress them, but as their numbers grew, it became difficult for the toads to hold them off.

"Damn it! They just keep coming!" Gama shouted. "It's like trying to empty the ocean with a sake cup!"

He swung his short sword left and right, causing large, horizontal wounds to the Dimensional Shamblers. But if his angle was slightly off, he would only manage to cut off one of their arms, which wasn't enough to eliminate them completely.

Moreover, with them continuously charging forward, many managed to break through the front line formed by the three toads and reach the feet of the three larger toads in the rear, wildly slashing with their claws.

Their claws were razor-sharp. Even though the three large toads were tough-skinned, they couldn't withstand the relentless attacks, and bloody streaks appeared on their bodies.

"Argh! These claws are sharper than they look!" Gamahiro cried out in pain.

"Big brother, my rear hurts!" Gamoto whined, trying to shake off the clinging Dimensional Shamblers.

"Hold on! We can't let them win!" Gamabunta called back.

"It's all my fault for being so useless," Gamaken moaned. "I knew I should've practiced more with this spear!"

The town square was fairly spacious, but with the three massive toads from Mount Myōboku taking up most of the space, they had effectively blocked the entire square.

While forming a wall of toad flesh to prevent the creatures from advancing, the three large toads were enduring a barrage of attacks.

The dense buildings around them made it impossible to jump away and avoid the Dimensional Shamblers' attacks. The only option was to endure the damage with their bodies.

"Stand firm!" Gamahiro shouted. "We are the pride of Mount Myōboku! We won't fall!"

"Jiraiya, now's not the time for a nap!" Gamabunta grumbled.

"Patience, Gamabunta," Fukasaku said calmly. "Jiraiya-boy is gathering natural energy. The real battle is about to begin."

As the toads struggled to hold on, Jiraiya, who had been meditating on Gamabunta's head, finally opened his eyes.

At the same time, his appearance began to change slightly. His nose grew larger and developed warts, and the red markings on his face became more intricate.

On his shoulders stood Fukasaku and Shima.

"That's our boy," Shima said proudly. "Show these creatures the true power of a Sage!"

"Thank you for holding out. Leave the rest to me," Jiraiya declared.

With a bang, the six large toads in the square vanished.

The Dimensional Shamblers in the square were momentarily confused with no target to attack, but when they smelled something in the middle of the square, they all turned and charged at Jiraiya.

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"Over here," he taunted. "Let's see how you handle a Sage!"

He crouched down on all fours as his hair spread out like the spines of a porcupine.

"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"

His hair swept through the air like a storm, striking them. The Dimensional Shamblers, already mid-leap, were instantly repelled, their bodies riddled with countless holes.

This was one of Jiraiya's widest-range and fastest ninjutsu attacks. With the enhancement of the two great sages, he could even shoot his hair endlessly.

The high-speed hair needles pierced through their' skin, leaving holes in both the front and back.

Although the best way to kill them was to create a large cut, the sheer number of hair needle holes eventually had the same effect as a wide cut.

As the number of holes increased, their skin lost its integrity, causing them to deflate like punctured balloons, eventually collapsing into empty husks.

After several rounds of Needle Senbon, the hundreds of Dimensional Shamblers in the square fell one after another, their bodies full of holes and deflated.

Seeing that there were no more Dimensional Shamblers capable of moving, Jiraiya stood up, released his ninjutsu, and rushed toward the mansion.

He punched through the wooden barricade blocking the main door, walked straight to the mural inside, and used his Sage-enhanced hand to tear down the wall.

Not only that, but Jiraiya folded the walls inward and tied them together with cloth strips.

"A two-dimensional trap for two-dimensional monsters," Jiraiya explained. "Poetic, isn't it?"

The Dimensional Shamblers could come out of the mural, but if the mural faced another two-dimensional world, they would be stuck in an endless loop, unable to enter the three-dimensional world again.

After doing all this, he took out a sealing scroll.

Forming hand signs, he sealed the entire wall into the scroll.

After sealing away the source of the problem, Jiraiya checked the mansion and the square for any remaining Dimensional Shamblers, and once he was sure there were none, he sat down, exhausted, and released Sage Mode and the two great sages.

It was only then that Wataru finally arrived with his soldiers and the townspeople, late as ever.

"What happened here?" Wataru gasped.

Seeing the countless monster corpses in the square, everyone was shocked. Only now did they realize what the monsters truly looked like and how many had been lurking in their town.

During this time, Jiraiya briefly explained the origins of the monsters. While not overly detailed, it was enough to let the people know that the danger had passed.

"The danger has passed," Jiraiya assured them. "Your town is safe now."

"I will report this to His Majesty and request a grand reward for you!" Wataru declared enthusiastically.

Jiraiya smiled and shook his head at his offer. "No need for rewards."

He glanced around at the ruins of the town, which had been left scarred by his battle alongside the toads of Mount Myōboku.

Well, as long as they don't hold me responsible for the damage, that's good enough.

---

Three days later, two unfamiliar travelers appeared unexpectedly at the entrance of Lotus Hollow. The atmosphere was peaceful, with townsfolk going about their daily routines, rebuilding what was lost.

One of the travelers was tall and thin, while the other was hunched over. However, they both wore matching uniforms—a red-clouded black cloak with high collars covering their cheekbones. On their heads, they wore brown straw hats with several wind chimes, which jingled softly as they moved.

This backwater town... hardly worth our time. But orders are orders, His hunched form concealed his irritation.

The tall man's eyes darted around. Hmm, signs of recent destruction. Seems we might be too late.

The townsfolk eyed them suspiciously as they passed. "Mom, what's with their weird clothes?" a kid asked his mother.

The mother quickly shushed her child, "Shh, don't stare. Let's go home."

Without hesitation, the two oddly dressed travelers entered a small bar in the town. Approaching the counter, the hunched figure spoke in a raspy, nearly dry voice to the bar's owner.

"Hey, I heard there was a man-eating monster around here, and the Land of Spice is offering a hefty reward for any ninja who can deal with it, right?"

Normally, the bar owner would have been irritated by such a rude inquiry, especially from someone who didn't even know the basic rule of making a purchase before asking for information in a bar. But when he turned and saw their outfits, he immediately swallowed the harsh words he had prepared.

From years of experience reading people, he knew these two were not ones to be trifled with.

"Yes, a few days ago, that was true."

"A few days ago?" The deep tone in the question sent a chill down the owner's spine, prompting him to answer quickly.

"The monster was dealt with three days ago. There's no danger anymore."

"Dealt with?"

The angry tone forced the owner to be even more forthcoming.

"Yes, by a white-haired man in a red cloak, wearing a headband with the word 'oil' on it. He summoned a bunch of giant toads."

The hunched figure didn't react; the details didn't seem to interest him. Instead, the purpose of his question appeared to be a signal to the tall figure beside him.

The tall man's eyes brightened as a familiar name crossed his mind. Jiraiya. Always one step ahead, aren't you, old friend?

"Damn, we were beaten to it," the hunched figure turned to his companion, speaking with a voice laced with lethal intent.

"Orochimaru, it's all your fault we didn't get here in time."

"If it weren't for waiting on your damn experiment, we'd have claimed that bounty."

"You know I hate waiting for others. If you make me wait too long next time..."

"I promise, there won't be a next time," Orochimaru replied.

As he spoke, a sharp scorpion tail emerged from beneath his cloak, hovering threateningly in front of Orochimaru.

But he didn't seem to care about the threat and walked forward to ask the bar owner about the monster's specifics. "Let's not be hasty. Perhaps there's still something of value here. Tell us more about this... monster."

The owner, having seen the scorpion tail, quickly recounted everything he knew about the mural monster, desperate to get these two out of his bar.

---

After leaving the bar, Orochimaru turned to the hunched figure. "Sasori, wait for me here. I'm going to the monster's lair."

"Hmm? Didn't you hear what I just said? If you..."

Before Sasori could finish, he had already darted off.

"That damn Orochimaru. One of these days..." Sasori grumbled, his patience wearing thin.

Away from Sasori, Orochimaru headed straight for the mansion. A monster from another dimension... how fascinating.

The bar owner's description of the monster had piqued his interest.

After crossing the battle-scarred plaza and entering the mansion's hall, he noticed that the mural said to summon the monster had vanished—likely taken by Jiraiya.

Carefully searching the surrounding ruins, Orochimaru found a camera in the corner of the hall. The tripod was still extended, suggesting that someone had been using it before being interrupted.

He picked up the camera. Stuck in the front of it was an undeveloped photograph.

In the photo, a massive, gray-green plain and a blood-soaked mountain of corpses could be seen. In the corner of this scene, he spotted something unusual.

It was a red-covered book.

While the text on the cover wasn't entirely clear, Orochimaru knew in his heart exactly what it was.

The Necronomicon!

And it was in that world!

Oh, Jiraiya, you fool. You've left behind the greatest prize of all.