I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 211 and 212: The End of the Dungeon, the Toad Giant Statue

"Is this the Toad Oil Waterfall?"

Mineko Yuki and the others who had crossed from Yoyogi Park to Mount Myōboku stood beside Jiraiya, gazing into the distance.

The sheer cliff face, cleaved vertically by a knife and axe, is covered with green lichen and various giant taro leaves. A yellow, oily waterfall cascades down and collects in a pool, where a giant stone frog holding a leaf spits out an even smaller waterfall.

On the flat ground in front of the waterfall, rows of dark blue toad-shaped stone statues of varying sizes stand silently.

"Mount Myoboku is a famous cultivation holy land in the inner world, and there are countless people who come here to cultivate in seclusion. However, the spiritual energy of Mount Myoboku is very mysterious. If you cannot control it properly and inhale too much, you will turn into a toad. After turning into a toad, you will become a part of nature again..." Jiraiya looked at these toad statues and sighed with a complicated expression.

"Those who failed in their cultivation in the past are these toad statues in front of you."

Mineko Yuuki couldn't help but swallow hard, and looked around again.

"These are all..."

There are hundreds of toad-shaped stone statues all over the mountains and valleys.

Were they once living people?

These toad-shaped stone statues have frog heads and human bodies, with a Buddhist-like expression and their hands forming a mudra as they sit upright on the ground.

Looking at it this way, it does indeed retain some traces of humanity.

"Was the strange change in Kiritani-san's hands a sign that she was about to turn into a toad?" the blond-haired youth blurted out.

"That's right. Mortals like you, who have almost no spiritual power, will gradually turn into toads if you stay on Mount Myōboku for just two or three days. Among these toad statues, a small portion are also strangers like you." Jiraiya said without changing his expression.

"Miss Kiritani has good aptitude and has absorbed more spiritual energy, so her frog transformation has been accelerated."

The crowd looked at each other in disbelief.

At this moment, they couldn't help but recall that they had also encountered a toad statue on their journey.

He was probably a mortal who, like them, strayed into Mount Myōboku. But that unlucky fellow wasn't so fortunate as to meet Lord Jiraiya and ended up as a toad statue, forever remaining on Mount Myōboku.

"I see! It's like oxygen intoxication. We humans who have traveled from reality can't get used to the high concentration of spiritual energy in Mount Myōboku, which is why we experience these changes." The bespectacled man pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

So-called "oxygen intoxication" is a low-altitude reaction, as opposed to altitude sickness.

When you go from a high-altitude area with thin oxygen to a plain with relatively high oxygen content, you feel sluggish and dizzy, just like when you're drunk.

Jiraiya listened to the bespectacled man's speculation and gave him an ambiguous expression.

Mineko Yuuki instinctively pressed down on her left hand, which had previously turned into a toad leg, a look of lingering fear flashing in her eyes.

Turning into a toad was an unbearable burden for a young woman as proud of her looks.

I'd rather be dead!

Uh, after turning into a toad, it seems to turn into stone very quickly, so it must be dead...

"Although I previously resolved the frog-like symptoms on Kirito-san's body, that was only a temporary fix. If you continue to stay on Mount Myōboku, you'll end up like that sooner or later," Jiraiya continued, spouting nonsense.

"If you really turn into toads, even I, the immortal, will not be able to restore you."

Hearing what the lecherous sage said, Mineko Yuuki had no choice but to suppress her own ulterior motives.

During their time together, she observed that although Jiraiya possessed powerful Sage Mode and occasionally made lewd jokes like a middle-aged man, with his eyes darting around inappropriately, he was essentially a kind-hearted and compassionate person, even a bit of a pushover.

Even if he is a little lecherous, it is harmless and even shows some humanity.

This is also an excellent opportunity for breakthrough. Yuki Mineko originally wanted to curry favor with Jiraiya and learn more magic techniques by staying by his side, but she realized that staying at Mount Myōboku for too long would pose such a great threat. She should hurry back to Tokyo.

"Lord Jiraiya, how can we leave Mount Myōboku?"

"Mount Myoboku has a special device that resembles a well, also called the Distant Waterfall. The toads can use it to travel to any place that already has water." Jiraiya gestured with his chin towards the distant Toad Oil Waterfall, indicating that they should go and see it.

"See that yellow pool under the toad oil waterfall? Once you go in, I, the immortal, will use my magic to send you back to the mortal world through your own efforts and the pull of the mortal realm."

"Lord Jiraiya! Let's go quickly."

The fat woman spoke with obvious eagerness, unlike the men who were thirsting for supernatural power. She was utterly fed up with the bizarre experiences of being repeatedly swallowed by giant toads and pythons, and was impatient to leave this awful place.

"You all stay here and don't wander around. I'll go and take care of this." Jiraiya scratched his long, gray hair, looking somewhat impatient.

"Lord Jiraiya, what do you mean?"

"The most dangerous part of this journey is yet to come. Following me will only get you in the way. The last leg of a journey is often the hardest; you don't want to collapse at the very end, do you? So stay here obediently!"

After giving a stern warning, Jiraiya pushed off with his wooden clogs and slid down the hillside.

Then he swaggered into the stone forest of toad statues.

Hundreds of toad-shaped stone statues, covered in moss and weathered by time, range in size from three meters to over ten meters tall, truly colossal creatures.

"Look! Aren't those toad statues moving?"

Mineko Yuki, with his keen insight, immediately noticed that something was amiss.

The two-story-tall toad statue behind Jiraiya suddenly changed its posture, separating its hands from the hand seals and raising one hand in an attack stance.

Moreover, from this group's vantage point, looking down from above, they could see that even more toad-shaped stone statues were beginning to stir.

"Lord Jiraiya, watch out!"

"Behind, behind!"

When they discovered that the toad statue was trying to ambush them from behind, their eyes widened in fury. They cupped their hands into megaphones and shouted at Jiraiya.

The toad statue raised its hand and slammed its fist heavily into the ground!

"boom!"

Earth and rocks scattered everywhere, and dust filled the air.

However, the attack missed its mark, and Jiraiya appeared on top of the toad statue's head without Jiraiya's knowledge.

He glanced casually at the group of people shouting loudly on the hillside and shook his head.

"I've run the Mt. Myōboku dungeon before, so of course I remember the group of [Stone Toad Guardians] at the end. But these toad statues are no match for me!"

All the toad statues in front of the Toad Oil Waterfall have come to life, shaking their heads and swaying their bodies as dust and mud fall down with a whoosh.

A giant toad statue, expressionless, raised its enormous hand and slammed it down on Jiraiya, its dark clouds looming overhead!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Jiraiya clasped his hands together and spat out a powerful fireball from his mouth, which smashed into the toad statue and shattered it into pieces.

Jiraiya's signature fireball technique, containing oil refined from chakra, adheres to the flesh like a leech after burning. However, it is not as effective as the simple and brutal Great Fireball Technique against these inorganic toad statues.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"

After another powerful fireball blasted over the massive toad statue, Jiraiya used Fire Release techniques with a wider attack range to deal with the smaller toad statues.

After Fire Release is upgraded to LV3, even the small fireballs of Phoenix Flower Technique are as powerful as artillery fire, which is quite astonishing!

The continuous explosions rose and fell, as if we had arrived at the very center of a battlefield.

Soon, under Jiraiya's fierce attack, he destroyed nearly half of the hundreds of toad statues.

"That's about it. When the number of stone toad guards is reduced to half, the final boss will appear!"

Jiraiya blew out a dozen more Phoenix Flames, which shattered several toad statues, and then a strange change finally occurred on the field.

One by one, the toad statues, along with the previously smashed stones, rolled towards the largest toad statue, merging into it piece by piece.

The toad statues that appeared before Jiraiya were over twenty meters tall, even larger than Gamabunta of Mount Myōboku, and were practically a hill rising from the flat ground.

In the toad-like giant's hand, it also held a dark stone rod that was over ten meters long.

This is the final boss of the Myoboku Mountain Secret Realm dungeon: the [Toad Giant Stone Statue]!

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Jiraiya formed a hand seal, and a raging flame, like a dragon dancing, burst from his mouth. The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet struck the toad statue's head in the blink of an eye, blasting it to pieces!

"Lord Jiraiya, is this resolved?"

Everyone who saw this was overjoyed.

But to everyone's surprise, the rubble that had burst from the head of the toad statue composite flew back and glued back together to its original shape.

The giant toad-like stone statue swung its stone club high, and with a seemingly effortless yet powerful strike, brought it down hard on Jiraiya.

A sickeningly loud bang echoed through the air, as if even the atmosphere itself was groaning in pain!

"Boom!"

The earth cracked and shattered, the ground rippled and folded like ocean waves, and terrifying cracks, tens of meters long, extended from where the stone club struck.

The people hiding on the opposite cliff felt the earth tremble, as if the mountain was about to collapse from the shockwave.

This earth-shattering blow, with its pure and terrifying destructive power akin to a natural disaster, caused them all to turn deathly pale.

Amidst the swirling, billowing smoke, a figure streaked across the dust like a shooting star and landed on the cliff.

"Lord Jiraiya!"

"Lord Jiraiya, are you alright?"

Seeing Jiraiya appear unharmed beside them, the people couldn't help but surround him and offer their concern.

"It's alright! How could such a clumsy, big, and ugly thing possibly harm a single hair on this immortal's head?"

Jiraiya dusted himself off, still looking completely calm and composed.

"Every time the guard mechanism of the Toad Oil Waterfall is triggered, it causes a huge disturbance like this. I'm already used to it."

"Lord Jiraiya, do you have a way to deal with this giant monster?"

The group, who had been on tenterhooks the whole time, relaxed.

Judging from what Jiraiya-sama said, this isn't the first time he's dealt with this giant toad statue, so he should have a way to deal with this big guy.

"Hmm, this immortal has a brilliant plan."

The giant toad-like rock charged towards them with overwhelming force, its every step causing the earth to tremble.

"Earth Release·Yellow Spring Marsh!"

Jiraiya calmly formed a hand seal, and a large muddy swamp appeared at the feet of the toad-shaped stone statue, completely submerging its legs.

The giant toad-shaped rock is trapped in the Yellow Springs Swamp, its body sinking deeper and deeper.

"That will do. I've been here several times already. Even if all the toad statues are destroyed, they will automatically reset themselves in the end."

Jiraiya shook his head and said, "Furthermore, this automatic defense mechanism can prevent villains from getting close to the Toad Oil Waterfall. This immortal has no intention of completely destroying it; it is enough to just trap it."

"While these big guys are currently trapped in the swamp, this immortal will send you back to the mortal world. Stand still!"

At Jiraiya's command, no one else dared to say anything more, and they all stood obediently behind Jiraiya.

"Earth Release: Great River of Earth Release".

Jiraiya clasped his hands together, and the soil beneath their feet began to flow, carrying them downstream. In just over ten seconds, they arrived at the Toad Oil Waterfall.

"There's no time to lose. You should hurry and get into this pool of toad oil. I will use my magic to send you back to the mortal world." Jiraiya said solemnly, his palms emitting a ghostly blue light.

Behind him, the giant toad statue trapped in the Yellow Springs Swamp began to tremble again.

"OK!"

Yuki Mineko and the others looked at the cascading Toad Oil Waterfall, and without much hesitation, jumped in after being urged by Jiraiya.

The viscous toad oil covered Yuki Mineko's calves, making her feel a strange coolness flowing into her limbs.

But before they could fully experience it, Jiraiya's hands flew across the field, dazzling the eye, forming a series of complex and profound hand seals.

"Drink! Boundary-Breaking Technique!"

Mineko Yuuki and the others noticed their bodies beginning to glow, and a white light shot out from the top of their heads, shooting straight into the sky.

I felt my body was light and my consciousness was gradually fading.

In the end, Mineko Yuuki felt a pang of affection for the lecherous sage who had saved her several times and even taught her a fire-style technique, and she couldn't help but feel a little reluctant to part with him.

Mineko Yuuki, struck by a sudden inspiration, couldn't help but ask:

"Lord Jiraiya, no, Mr. Jiraiya! Will we ever have a chance to meet again?"

(End of this chapter)