Jiraiya's Sage Mode

Konoha.

The biggest change in Uchiha Yoru after he left the tavern compared to three years ago was his demeanor.

The gentle smile of the past is still there, but it has gained a touch of nobility and an undeniable air of dominance, perhaps a gift from strength.

Dark shadows flickered within the towering forest, Jiraiya couldn't help but frown, saying, "It seems this brat's strength has changed a lot in the past few years; he deliberately lured us here."

Tsunade, who was hanging there unhurriedly, casually joked, "Jiraiya, this brat's strength is such that carelessness could cost him his life."

After saying that, Tsunade, with Shizune in tow, gestured for them to observe secretly, having no intention of getting involved.

Upon witnessing this, Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed in a comical manner, "Tsunade, you have information about this brat?"

However, Tsunade completely ignored him, while Jiraiya was secretly shocked. For Tsunade to say that he could die if he wasn't careful, it showed how strong this kid was.

Even Jiraiya secretly pondered, could it be a secret hidden by the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyo? After all, Tsunade's ancestors were from the Senju Clan, far beyond what they could gather in detail.

In the dark forest, a white figure slowly came to a stop, and at the same time, the forest became even more silent.

Uchiha Yoru stood casually on the thick tree trunk, his dark eyes scanning his surroundings with a smile.

"Heh, I smelled the stinky Toad in the tavern and have been following you for so long. Come out now."

Uchiha Yoru's laughter echoed through the silent forest, followed by the crisp sound of wooden clogs. A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

"Heh, kids these days are really not cute at all."

Although Jiraiya was somewhat shocked by Uchiha Yoru's dramatic transformation as he slowly emerged, he showed no sign of it on his face. Instead, he laughed loudly, "I am the Jiraiya!"

"The Sage?" Looking at Jiraiya, Uchiha Yoru gave a mocking smile. "I remember three years ago I had Kakashi deliver a letter to the Sage, but Lord Jiraiya said he didn't want to get involved in village affairs. Now he's back in Konoha. It seems the Third Hokage is getting impatient."

Three years ago!

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya and struck a funny pose, laughing loudly, "Haha, brat, it seems you've improved a lot in these three years. Today, let the Sage of the Toads Jiraiya teach you how to respect your elders!"

Boom!

The words had barely left his lips when Jiraiya's pupils contracted. Instinctively, Jiraiya rolled to the side and slid dozens of meters along the ground. There, where he had been standing, was a Kusanagi Sword with a sheath stuck in the cracked ground.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru was still on the opposite side. Seeing this, Jiraiya a cold sweat trickle down his temple, and he exclaimed inwardly, "Damn it, this brat hasn't even awakened his Mangekyo yet! How did he train for the past three years? To reach this level with just arm strength alone, then this brat's Taijutsu... I'm afraid!"

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru, standing opposite him, smiled and stretched, saying, "Since Lord Jiraiya wants to test my strength on behalf of the Third Hokage, and to avoid anyone accusing me of bullying Lord Jiraiya, I won't be using the Kusanagi Sword this time."

Fire Style: Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame

Fire Style: Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet

Instantly, the two prepared to strike first, and both used Fire Release Ninjutsu at the same time, both of which were B-rank.

Unlike Jiraiya seeing the opponent's Ninjutsu, widened his eyes in disbelief and muttered to himself, "This brat's Chakra is simply monstrous; we can't afford to outlast him."

The two enormous flames collided within the forest, and the Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet was instantly engulfed.

Summoning Jutsu!

Within the forest ablaze with flames, a barrier suddenly opened, and Uchiha Yoruro, witnessing this, smiled.

"It seems that Lord Jiraiya doesn't want anyone to interfere with this battle, or perhaps you don't want to create momentum for me!"

Uchiha Yoru was well aware of Jiraiya's plan. Three years ago, he had given Kakashi a chance: to invite Jiraiya Sannin Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, back, in exchange for leading the Uchiha Clan to elect them as the Fifth Hokage.

As a result, Kakashi firmly stood by his side afterward, which shows the response he received at the time.

Now that Jiraiya has chosen to return to the village, after three years, his discord with the Third Hokage and the higher-ups has become public knowledge. His return at this time is clearly an invitation from the Third Hokage to bring back reinforcements.

I gave you a chance to resolve the conflict, but you didn't seize it. And now you're doing this again?

Under the massive barrier, Uchiha Yoru's Three Tomoe Sharingan as he carefully stared at the surrounding sky. Sure enough, he saw the mysterious sealing barrier in his Sharingan.

"Kid, let me witness the strongest power from the Uchiha Clan!"

As the crisp sound of his wooden clogs echoed, Jiraiya slowly emerged from the sea of fire, his face now filled with solemnity.

His barrier cannot hold out for too long, so he needs to finish this quickly.

This brat is cunning. The last time Orochimaru was driven away, it was this brat who used him to establish his authority. Now he doesn't want to be used by the other party again for nothing.

The Lion Combo

The white hair slowly parted, revealing Jiraiya's body, which caused a look of astonishment to flash in the eyes of Uchiha Yoru, who was standing in the distance.

"I didn't expect that they would even summon the two old Toad from Mount Myōboku. It seems that Lord Jiraiya is serious this time."

It turned out that after Jiraiya's white hair fell away, two old Toad were revealed on his shoulders; they were none other than the Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima from Mount Myōboku.

"Old Toad?"

The two sages who had just been summoned widened their eyes upon hearing the mockery from the other side. Sage Shima, in particular, glared angrily and said, "You brat, how rude of you! You even smell like a stinky snake! You wouldn't happen to be Orochimaru's Disciple, would you?"

"Little Jiraiya, have you run into Orochimaru?" The usually Sage Fukasaku was instead on high alert, wary of his surroundings.

Only Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled sheepishly, "Um, it's this kid."

"Little Jiraiya? You summoned us to use Senjutsu to deal with this brat?" At this moment, both Sage Toad widened their eyes, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

You said if it were Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, they could understand, but you're dealing with Orochimaru's disciple? A little brat, and judging from the situation, the battle has only just begun, and they haven't even gotten into any trouble yet.

"You two immortals, don't be careless. This brat has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he's even more dangerous than Orochimaru."

At this point, Jiraiya's face turned solemn, and the two immortals were also moved upon seeing this. It was rare to be treated this way by Jiraiya.

Seeing Jiraiya clasp his hands together in Sage Mode, Uchiha Yoru did not Teuchi. Instead, the Three Tomoe in his pupils spun into Mangekyo in Jiraiya's three eyes.

"Danger? Article 37 of the Ninja Academy Regulations states that anyone can pose a danger to oneself, even a civilian, a child, or even the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled. Isn't Lord Jiraiya a dangerous person?"

Facing Jiraiya, Uchiha Yoru retorted mercilessly, his face filled with even more mockery.

"You brat!"

Uchiha Yoru's attitude of waiting for him to activate Sage Mode angered Jiraiya, but he was more shocked. This kid was extremely cautious. However, when it came to the level of danger, his eyes showed more seriousness.

"Kid, you made no attempt to hide your ambition in the book, and you've also revealed your actions over the past three years. Your ambition is too great; it will bring disaster to the village and the Shinobi World."

Jiraiya's long speech made Uchiha Yoru's face turn ugly. One thing was that he had grown stronger in the past three years, and the other was that his friction with the Third Hokage and the higher-ups had reached a critical point.

At this point, no one wants to back down, because backing down means losing more benefits!

With his current strength and resources, Uchiha Yoru no longer concealed his ambition and attitude, and his gaze gradually turned cold.

"Jiraiya, I can understand bringing disaster to the Shinobi World, after all, you are someone who places your hopes on so-called fate, but bringing disaster to the village is another matter!"

At this point, Uchiha Yoru raised an eyebrow, and in an instant, his Chakra erupted as he roared with an imposing air, "From top to bottom, in the entire Konoha, apart from the Senju Clan, who has the right to say that the Uchiha will bring disaster to the village? Who do you think you are!"

"Konoha was founded by the Uchiha and Senju clans working together. Do you think you Jiraiya because you're the Third Hokage's disciple, or because of the so-called Sannin?"

Upon hearing the loud shouts, Jiraiya's face turned awkward, but he inwardly cursed the old man for his recklessness, which had made the Uchiha different from before.

The Uchiha clan used to compromise with you, and things seemed much better. But you guys kept pushing them, and now you've pushed them too far.

Now, Uchiha is still the founder of Konoha, the village's master.

Jiraiya, having taken a deep breath, maintained his clasped hands posture. Facing the shout, he said in a deep voice, "Kid, putting aside your ambitions for now, do you know that Iwagakure and Cloud Ninja are already preparing for war?"

"Right now, countless villages in the Shinobi World are listening to Konoha, eagerly hoping to see the Uchiha and their villages engage in civil war, so that they can take advantage of the mutual weakening to start a full-scale war."

"The internal strife between the Uchiha and the village could even become the trigger for the Fourth Great Ninja War. Am I wrong to say that you will bring disaster to the village and the Shinobi World?"

Faced with Jiraiya's candid question, Uchiha Yoru naturally understood that the key issue was that his faction was so powerful that it could easily ignite a civil war.

But Uchiha Yoru sneered, "Then why don't you say that the Third Hokage brought disaster to the village and even the Shinobi World?"

"Don't forget, the Third Shinobi War of leaders had already resigned to take responsibility for the failure of the Third Hokage World War, but now they're back, refusing to step down. Three years ago, you Jiraiya gave up the opportunity to resolve all of this."

Faced with these words, Jiraiya was red-faced and felt incredibly aggrieved. Who would have thought that in less than three years, this brat would have built up such a formidable reputation through constant speeches, almost surpassing the prestige of the Sannin?

His composure back then stemmed largely from the fact that in peacetime, without military achievements, how could one establish prestige? Besides, he was always tied to the village, so if any problems arose, he could simply return to provide relief.

But it was clear that Jiraiya had misjudged his opponent. In just three years, this kid had built up enough prestige through his words and methods to challenge for the Hokage position, and he could even compete with the Sannin.

"Stop talking nonsense, Jiraiya. You have your principles, and I have my ideals. Ten seconds left!"

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru interrupted Jiraiya's nonsense, a smile of excitement spreading across his face. Jiraiya in Senjutsu Mode was definitely one of the strongest among Kage Level shinobi, and this was the perfect opportunity to achieve his goal.

One reason was to test his current strength, and the other was to use Jiraiya to intimidate the Konoha High Command.

Sage Mode!

In an instant, Uchiha Yoru's Mangekyo solidified, and the Cursed Seal on his neck released its power. As the patterns instantly covered his entire body, Jiraiya's Jiraiya changed drastically.

With red eyeshadow patterns, a large nose, and white whiskers sprouting from his chin, his aura has increased dramatically, and even the feeling he Chakra has changed drastically.

A pair of eyes hidden in the shadows were shocked when they saw this scene. Tsunade stared at it all in disbelief. Jiraiya had actually gone this far!

Sage Mode! And this brat too!

"Since he's from the Uchiha Clan, father of the child, use Fire Style!"

It was obvious that Sage Shima was still angry about what Uchiha Yoru earlier. The Uchiha were most skilled in using Fire Style, yet they still had to use Fire Style against them.

Immortal Technique: Sage Art: Goemon

In an instant, with Jiraiya spitting oil and the two Toad —one breathing wind and the other fire—a combined Senjutsu: Fire Style was created.

A deluge of oil, like a tsunami, swept in. Even though he already knew this, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but gasp in amazement when he actually witnessed this Ninjutsu.

Immortal Earth Release Technique: Earth Style: Earth Core

However, the next moment Uchiha Yoru slammed his hands on the ground, and in an instant, the earth shook and rumbled.

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru mouth to reveal a smile, gazing at Jiraiya opposite him.

The two looked at each other, Jiraiya couldn't help but frown and sigh, "Has this kid grown to this extent?!"

Between the two was a raging river, or rather, Uchiha Yoru's Ninjutsu 'Earth Style: Earth Core' had directly caused the earth to collapse, creating a deep ravine.

As a result, all the raging oil was poured in, turning the area between the two into a sea of fire.

Fueled by the oil, the fire roared fiercely. Seeing this, Fukasaku Sage Fukasaku, said in a low voice, "Jiraiya, be careful. This brat's timing and reaction to Ninjutsu are incredibly fast."

At this moment, Jiraiya had entered Sage Mode, couldn't help but grin and said heartily, "Haha, I was actually underestimated by a brat. If Orochimaru knew, he would laugh himself to death. But how much has this brat changed in the past few years!"

Jiraiya's voice still echoed for a moment, but his figure had already disappeared.

My energy levels after testing positive for COVID-19 are really terrible. I can't seem to muster any energy every day. I'm fed up. Brothers, please make sure to wear masks and take precautions when you go out from now on.