Full-Map Battojutsu

The battle erupted again. Baiyu unleashed a combination of Thunder Breathing and Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu sword techniques.

A modified version of Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki burst forth, instantly enveloping Jiraiya.

Everything within ten meters became a target for Baiyu's attack. The force of gravity ripped all objects from the ground, while Jiraiya, caught at the center, couldn't move at all.

Jiraiya hadn't underestimated Baiyu. He immediately escaped with the Substitution Technique, leaving a log to endure the first wave of attacks in his place.

But the range was only about ten meters, so the Substitution Technique couldn't take him beyond it.

Still trapped in the gravitational field, Jiraiya saw the technique Baiyu unleashed, and his expression changed...

One slash, and heaven and earth shifted.

The blade carried a mighty gale, sweeping forward with the force of a mountain crashing down.

In that instant, that slash—

His mastery reached a new level once more!

He had achieved it by combining the mysteries of these sword techniques.

As he executed the technique, a strange sensation arose.

It felt as though a single, gentle swing of the long blade in his hand could cut through anything.

"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have comprehended a sword technique: Thunder Breathing: First Form: Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki: Sword Qi. Note: To trigger the sword qi enhancement, you must use the secret art, Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, while in the Thunder Breathing state."

The boost that came from his body's power-ups gathered a surge of lightning in the sword in his hand.

With a gentle swing, Baiyu used the centrifugal force of the turn to cover eighty percent of the space, leaving no blind spots.

Jiraiya had been on guard ever since the previous attack, but he still couldn't dodge Baiyu's strike.

The lightning condensed into a dazzling blade of sword qi and swept toward him.

Jiraiya was fast, but not faster than Baiyu's blade.

The sword qi that appeared out of thin air shattered everything Jiraiya knew.

He had never seen anyone make such a tremendous display without using chakra.

"Is he practicing the way of the samurai?"

Jiraiya had no time to think. The thought flashed through his mind, but his hands never stopped moving.

His hand seals flew faster than ever before. At that moment, he wished he had four hands.

"I... lost another huge clump of hair! If he keeps cutting it off, he'll leave me bald!"

After using the Substitution Technique, he followed up with the Body Flicker Technique and another Substitution Technique. Only after all three layers of defense did he finally escape.

But he still left a huge swath of white hair drifting through the air.

Everything caught in the sword qi's path shattered into pieces. Stone and wood alike crumbled like thin paper.

Jiraiya had no intention of holding back. The moment Baiyu moved, he summoned two sages.

"Summoning Technique!"

Two toad sages appeared and leaped onto Jiraiya's shoulders.

"Jiraiya, what's going on?" Sage Fukasaku asked. He'd been summoned so suddenly that he didn't know what had happened.

"Little Jiraiya, have you run into trouble again?" Sage Shima asked as well. Jiraiya rarely summoned them, so this time he must have been in a bind.

"There's no time to explain. Please prepare Sage Mode!"

Baiyu didn't pursue after missing with his attack. Instead, he quietly savored the sensation he'd just experienced.

A Sword Master, by rights, could unleash sword qi after reaching a certain level of mastery. Every strike carried a cutting force, at any time and in any place.

Baiyu was beginning to grasp some of the mysteries of the Sword Master. With the support of his Breathing Style, he could finally unleash a measure of that cutting force.

"If Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki can be enhanced with sword qi, what about Battojutsu?"

Baiyu placed his right hand on the hilt and rested his left hand by the sword guard, channeling all the power granted by his chakra and Thunder Breathing into the scabbard.

When he had finished his preparations, his appearance remained utterly calm.

His killing intent lay hidden deep within the scabbard.

"I'll give you some time to prepare," Baiyu thought. He'd realized that Battojutsu required some time to prepare, while Jiraiya's Sage Mode was still incomplete.

Both of them needed time to prepare. Baiyu opened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and focused all his attention on Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, who is he? He gives me a dangerous feeling. His chakra is so dark... Is he from the Uchiha Clan?"

As far as Sage Fukasaku knew, the Uchiha Clan were the only people in Konoha with chakra like that.

"That's right, but he's just a youngster. I don't want to be looked down on by some kid."

Jiraiya grinned as he spoke.

He'd been planning to use his movement skills to keep Baiyu at a distance, but he hadn't expected Baiyu to see through him.

"This kid acts like he knows all my trump cards!" Jiraiya thought, a strange idea surfacing in his mind.

Sage Shima shook her head. "Little Jiraiya, I have a bad feeling about this. He seems to blend into his surroundings, but the sword at his waist stands out. It looks like he's preparing something too. We need to be careful!"

"Old woman, you noticed it too?" Sage Fukasaku said. Baiyu's chakra was steadily dwindling, but he himself wasn't moving at all.

Ordinary shinobi might not notice, but the two sages had sharp eyes and could see what Baiyu was doing.

"Done!"

Jiraiya felt a rush of joy. It looked like he'd entered Sage Mode first.

"Sage Art: Goemon!"

Jiraiya shouted, and the two sages moved with him, unleashing a combined ninjutsu.

Jiraiya used Toad Oil Flame Bullet, Sage Fukasaku used Wind Style: Gale Palm, and Sage Shima used Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet. Combined, the three techniques had immense destructive power, capable of burning an opponent to ashes across a wide area.

Baiyu looked on with faint displeasure. Had this guy really entered Sage Mode so quickly?

He still had more than half his chakra left...

His charge hadn't reached its peak, and he felt a little disappointed.

Who would've thought? Jiraiya was so fast.

But it was enough time. With nearly half his chakra spent and Thunder Breathing pushed to its limit, Baiyu had concentrated nearly all his power into this, his strongest Battojutsu.

His breathing reached its limit, and with nearly half his chakra, the power of his slash was invincible.

In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react, it obliterated a vast stretch of the surrounding land.

Anyone familiar with the scene would surely cry out, "Full-Map Battojutsu!"

Everything within a hundred meters was cut in half.

A massive blade of sword qi flew from the blade, shattering everything around it. The sword qi from Battojutsu was even more terrifyingly sharp than Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki had been.

Iai Battojutsu, Sword Soul Qi Gathering.

Jiraiya pressed himself hard against the ground, Sage Fukasaku's warning still ringing in his ears.

"Get down!"

There wasn't even time to unleash Goemon's Wind Release. He could only yell a warning. Jiraiya dropped at the last possible moment, and the attack scraped a layer off his scalp, leaving the top of his head completely bald.

He felt the wind chill above his head. The sensation lingered for a long time.

At last, Jiraiya muttered, "Uchiha Shiraha? With his strength, how could he fail to kill Orochimaru? Could Orochimaru have mastered Senjutsu too?"

Sage Art: Long-Hair Technique!

Chakra surged through his body, and his bald head disappeared.

When Jiraiya looked up again, Baiyu was nowhere to be seen.