As the flames roared, Jiraiya's long white hair instantly recoiled and snapped in the middle. A faint smell of burning filled the air.
Jiraiya's gaze turned slightly serious. He had already realized that the Root Ninja standing beside the old man was no easy opponent, but this level of strength still surprised him.
"What powerful Fire Style! Even among the Uchiha Clan, a Fire Style user with your level of skill must be a rare find!"
Although hair was flammable, the hair controlled by the Lion Combo Technique was clearly no ordinary hair. It had been completely suppressed by the opponent's Fire Style. His skill with Fire Style was probably no worse than Jiraiya's own.
Jiraiya was a quintessential all-rounder. His taijutsu and ninjutsu had both reached Kage Level, and his genjutsu was no worse than that of a Jonin who specialized in it. His resistance to genjutsu was likewise at Kage Level.
Among conventional ninjutsu, Fire Style was Jiraiya's greatest strength. Anyone capable of wielding Fire Style at his level could be considered one of the finest Fire Style users in all of Konoha—or even the entire Shinobi World.
In the face of Jiraiya's praise, Uchiha Itachi's expression remained calm. He raised a hand and slowly removed his mask, revealing a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
Whether Anbu or Root masks, they left only a tiny viewing hole over the eyes. For an ocular jutsu user like an Uchiha, this was a real hindrance.
Against an ordinary opponent, the slight loss of Dojutsu Power caused by the mask meant little. But facing an opponent like Jiraiya, even a Mangekyō user like Uchiha Itachi wouldn't dare hold anything back.
The two Mangekyō revolved slowly. The one that represented Amaterasu looked somewhat dim at the moment. Uchiha Itachi had once used this