"So fast!" Sage Fukasaku shouted. A fierce light flashed in Jiraiya's eyes. Facing this deadly fireball that had pierced through his own sage art, he didn't dodge or evade, but crossed his arms fiercely over his chest. At the same time, his waist-length, silver-white hair, infused with sage chakra, instantly burst into a dazzling golden light.

"Sage Art: Needle Jizo!"

Twaaaang!

Like a billion steel needles vibrating in unison, Jiraiya's hair grew wildly, hardened, and stood on end. In an instant, it enveloped him in an enormous, impenetrable ball of silver thorns. Each strand of hair was like a spear made of pure gold, shining with the golden luster of sage chakra, and each one pointed straight outward, forming an absolute, thirty-sixty-degree defense.

BOOM!

As the extremely compressed fireball slammed into the golden thorn ball, a deafening explosion ripped through the canyon. The blazing red flames and the brilliant golden light collided violently, and the terrifying shockwave expanded in a circular shape, instantly evaporating the rain within a radius of dozens of meters into white steam and scraping a layer off the very ground.

At the center of the explosion, the flames licked at Needle Jizo frantically, making a harsh sound of metal friction and burning. The stalemate lasted for just a moment.

BOOM!

An even more powerful sage energy suddenly erupted from inside the thorn ball. The golden light instantly overwhelmed the endless flames. Countless strands of hair, wrapped in sage energy, suddenly shot outward like powerful bows and crossbows that had been gathering strength for a long time. Official source is NoveI(F)ire.net

Swoosh! Hiss! Thwack!

The hardened hair, like countless javelins infused with sage power, instantly pierced through the flames and shockwaves of the explosion, shooting indiscriminately at Itachi Uchiha, who had just released a powerful ninjutsu and had not yet stabilized. The speed was incredible, like a golden lightning storm.

Itachi's Sharingan captured the trajectory of every deadly golden thread, but his consciousness was delayed for a split second due to the continuous use of his Mangekyo Sharingan and the release of the powerful Fire Style jutsu.

Thwump, thwump, thwump!

Although he tried his best to dodge and block, several spear-like hairs still penetrated his defense. His left thigh was pierced, and his right ribs were torn. The most dangerous one flew past his temple. The severe pain and impact made him groan, and he staggered backward, leaving bloody footprints on the muddy ground with every step.

"Cough!"

Itachi knelt on one knee, covering his violently heaving chest with his right hand. Blood mixed with rainwater seeped out from between his fingers and dripped onto the ground.

On the opposite side, the golden thorn ball slowly dispersed, turning back into falling silver hair. Jiraiya slowly lowered his crossed arms. There were a few blackened burn marks on his orange-red robe, and his breathing had become a little rapid, but the light golden halo on his body remained stable. The two great sages squatted on his shoulders, watching the kneeling Itachi warily.

"Hah…" Jiraiya let out a long breath, the white mist of it particularly conspicuous in the rain. "Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are worthy of being the forbidden power of the Mangekyo," he said, his voice solemn, holding a note of recognition for his powerful opponent. "To be able to hold on to this point under my sage art, Itachi Uchiha, your strength is worthy of the title of 'genius'."

He took a step forward, the rain splashing under his feet. "But that's all. You must be reaching your limit…"

Itachi slowly raised his head. The rain washed away the blood on his face, but it could not dispel the cold, burning flames in his Mangekyo Sharingan eyes. He struggled to support his body and stood up shakily.

"No.....Jiraiya sama," he said, his voie a low rasp. "The battle… has just begun."