"Hey, why is Lord Jiraiya just standing there?"
Watching Jiraiya remain motionless as Qingshui's Shadow Clone closed in, Yahiko asked in confusion.
"Lord Jiraiya's caught in Big Brother Qingshui's Genjutsu!"
Minato immediately explained, having noticed Qingshui Main Body's movements.
"Does that mean Lord Jiraiya's going to lose?"
Yahiko and Konan asked in unison, both sounding utterly incredulous.
The thought was too shocking for them to accept.
Lord Jiraiya lost to Big Brother Qingshui? Why would I have a dream like that?
"No, Lord Jiraiya can't lose!"
Nagato immediately protested.
But no one paid attention to him. Everyone was focused on the two contestants, afraid they might miss even the slightest detail.
Just as Qingshui's two Shadow Clones were about to land their attacks, something unexpected happened!
Jiraiya, who had been standing perfectly still, launched a counterattack in the blink of an eye, destroying both of Qingshui's Shadow Clones at once.
They didn't even get a chance to fight back.
Before they vanished, their faces were full of confusion, as though they couldn't understand what had happened.
"Qingshui, you really are too cautious."
After dealing with the Shadow Clones, Jiraiya turned to look at Qingshui and said helplessly.
Even after he'd been caught in a Genjutsu, Qingshui had still sent only Shadow Clones forward, keeping his real body hidden at a distance.
That's right. Jiraiya hadn't been pretending just then. He really had fallen for Qingshui's Genjutsu.
Or rather, he'd deliberately let himself be caught in it.
Jiraiya couldn't use Genjutsu, but he had plenty of experience dealing with Genjutsu users.
He had dispelled the Genjutsu himself almost as soon as it took hold.
Only Sharingan Genjutsu might have caused him a little trouble.
Jiraiya had wanted to teach Qingshui a lesson this way: never let your guard down just because your opponent has been caught in a Genjutsu.
Otherwise, given Jiraiya's abilities, how could Qingshui have restrained him so easily?
He was the Toad Sage, renowned throughout the Ninja World!
"You're Lord Jiraiya, after all. No amount of caution is excessive when facing you."
As he sheathed his Ninja Sword, Qingshui spoke.
He could still fight, but there was no need to continue.
The only Genjutsu he could use against Jiraiya had proven ineffective. Dragging things out would only waste time.
Unless he brought out his hidden trump card.
But this was only a friendly match, not a fight to the death.
It was a shame he hadn't won the Color Orb, but he'd only tried on a whim.
Getting it would have been nice, but he had nothing to lose either way.
"Qingshui, you're very capable. You're skilled with the sword, and your Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are strong too. Even among Konoha's Jonin, you'd hold your own."
Jiraiya meant every word.
If he hadn't noticed Qingshui preparing to use Genjutsu, Jiraiya might really have been caught off guard.
Of course, Jiraiya would never have let that happen.
He was in front of his students, after all. How embarrassing would it have been to lose to Qingshui?
Didn't the Toad Sage care about his reputation?
Hearing Jiraiya's praise, Qingshui remained composed, but Minato was taken aback.
Lord Jiraiya thought very highly of Big Brother Qingshui!
Unlike the Three Little Ones beside him, Minato had grown up in Konoha and knew just how strong Konoha's Jonin were.
And Qingshui was still only a Genin.
"So, who won in the end?"
Still bewildered, Yahiko asked, looking a little dazed.
"Lord Jiraiya won."
Qingshui approached and gave him the answer.
"Compared to Lord Jiraiya, I'm still too young. I have a long way to go."
Several days had passed since the match with Jiraiya.
Qingshui and the others had been here for a whole week. It was time to leave.
When Konan heard the news, she looked a little unhappy.
The week had gone by so quickly. It seemed like only a moment had passed, and now she had to say goodbye to Big Brother Qingshui again after so long apart.
But she was a sensible girl. She quickly put her disappointment aside, folded a Paper Flower, and gave it to Qingshui.
"Thank you, Konan. I really like your gift."
Taking the Paper Flower, Qingshui crouched in front of Konan and gave her a hug.
At the same time, he silently vowed that Konan was so lovable, and he had to change her future.
The simplest solution would undoubtedly be to separate Konan from Nagato.
But that wasn't realistic.
Konan had spent several years with Yahiko and Nagato. The Three Little Ones had become the best of companions.
So the best solution was for him to grow stronger—strong enough to protect her.
"Goodbye, Big Brother Qingshui!"
That was Konan.
"Goodbye, Big Brother Qingshui!"
That was Yahiko.
Unlike their journey here, when they had to travel at the pace of the merchant caravan, Qingshui and the others could now return to Konoha as fast as they could.
At a Ninja's pace, they would be back in Konoha in just over a day.
However, not long after leaving Jiraiya and the others, they were attacked by a group of Rain Ninja.
There were fifteen of them in all. Their leader was a Jonin, and the rest included both Chunin and Genin.
They were no match for Qingshui and the others.
But they were more troublesome than the Missing-nin Organization they'd encountered before.
They could kill a group of Missing-nin without a second thought. No one would come after Konoha over that.
But Rain Ninja were different!
They were in the Land of Rain, on Amegakure's home turf.
If they killed Rain Ninja here, it would undoubtedly be seen as a provocation against Hanzo of the Salamander.
Although Amegakure was only a Small Ninja Village, it had the "Demigod" at its helm and ranked among the strongest Small Ninja Villages.
With that standing, even Konoha couldn't afford to provoke it lightly.
Any conflict between nations could easily spark a war.
No one could bear such a heavy responsibility.
So when the Rain Ninja attacked, they focused entirely on defending themselves.
"We mean you no harm. We entered the Land of Rain to carry out a mission, and now that we've completed it, we'll leave the country at once."
Mikoto, the Jonin leading the team, quickly explained.
But the Rain Ninja showed no interest in talking. Every move they made was aimed at killing, as if they were determined to take Qingshui and the others' lives.
"We're Konoha Ninja. Are you trying to start a war with Konoha?"
Yet even when Mikoto threatened them with war, the Rain Ninja showed no intention of stopping.
The attackers' bizarre behavior put grim expressions on Qingshui and Mikoto's faces.
The Rain Ninja couldn't possibly be unaware of who they were, yet they had attacked anyway. To Mikoto, that could only mean they were plotting something.
After all, in the recently concluded Second Shinobi World War, Amegakure had fought wars against Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure in succession.
But Qingshui thought of Uchiha Madara.
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