The Fight Against Jiraiya

"Interesting. Since you've brought back some fond memories, I'll give you a chance. This sage will play with you for a bit."

With that, he hung the bell from his waist and formed Hand Seals again to use Summoning Jutsu.

When the white smoke cleared, a toad about as tall as an adult appeared in front of Qiuyang.

Judging by the iron staff it held, it was clearly a combat-type toad.

"Gamakichi, spar with the kid over there. Be careful not to hit him too hard. Just knock him out."

"Got it."

Gamakichi had never been summoned before and was visibly excited. Waving his staff, he leaped toward Qiuyang.

Qiuyang didn't waste time. To show Jiraiya what he could do, he drew a kunai and fought Gamakichi head-on. He even called out to Jiraiya:

"Teacher Jiraiya, you're underestimating me! Just wait till I knock out your summon and take the bell."

"Hmph."

Jiraiya scoffed, not taking him seriously. The kid hasn't even gotten the bell, and he's already calling me teacher. Talk about nerve.

Besides, after all the fuss, the bathhouse would be closed by the time he got back. He wouldn't get to see any pretty young ladies bathing.

Sigh. What a tiring day. I still haven't collected enough material for my Icha Icha Paradise...

With a helpless sigh, Jiraiya went over to a tree, sat down cross-legged, and started commenting on the fight. He'd treat it as... a little gift for the village's up-and-coming generation.

But after watching for a while, he was so shocked that he stopped coaching the village's young people and started coaching Gamakichi instead.

When Qiuyang used the ricochet of a simple shuriken trajectory to attack Gamakichi from a blind spot, Jiraiya called out:

"Gamakichi, watch out for his thrown weapons! He's very good at Shurikenjutsu. Don't let your guard down."

When Qiuyang used a thin steel wire, moving around to secretly set up a trap that restricted Gamakichi's movements, Jiraiya shouted:

"Jump away, or you'll get tangled up in that wire and won't be able to move! You stupid toad!"

The situation was that Qiuyang could keep Gamakichi flustered, but with Jiraiya coaching him, he still couldn't beat the toad.

How was he supposed to win when it was two against one?

There was no choice.

Qiuyang's gaze shifted. He began pretending to be exhausted, retreating as he fought and luring Gamakichi toward the river nearby.

By the time Jiraiya realized there was another Qiuyang standing in the river, it was too late.

"Huh? When did this kid use Shadow Clone? When I turned around and came over here? Interesting."

He also noticed that the kid in the water was forming Hand Seals... for a powerful Water Release technique.

Gamakichi brought his staff down squarely on the head of the Qiuyang he was grappling with. Just as he turned around, looking rather pleased with himself and ready to report that the mission was complete, the Qiuyang he'd hit vanished in a puff of smoke.

As Gamakichi stood there in confusion, Qiuyang's voice rang in his ears. "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

The power of Water Release in an environment full of water was obvious. Qiuyang lifted a huge mass of water into the air.

The water swirled around the caster as it shifted into position, then crashed toward Gamakichi like a flood bursting through a dam.

"Whoooosh—"

The sound wasn't like the usual rush of water. It was more like the terrifying howl of a gale blowing through the trees.

Gamakichi hurriedly spun his iron staff to block the torrent, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. He didn't last two seconds before vanishing with a splash, sent back to Mount Myoboku.

The waterfall, like a ferocious tiger charging down a mountain, didn't slow at all. It kept rushing toward the tree where Jiraiya was resting.

"Oh-ho! So you deliberately lured Gamakichi over there so you could attack me next?"

This was interesting.

Jiraiya was thoroughly intrigued now. He sprang to his feet and swiftly formed Hand Seals.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

He slapped the ground, and a thick wall quickly rose in front of him, stopping the surging water in its tracks.

Before Jiraiya could catch his breath, several crisp metallic clinks rang through the air.

Clink, clink-clink...

"Shimata." (Oh no.)

Jiraiya had just seen Qiuyang's Shurikenjutsu, so he knew at once that something was wrong. When he turned, several shuriken were already flying at him from a blind spot.

They locked down his escape routes, forcing him to use a defensive technique. "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

His long white hair hardened like armor and covered his entire body, leaving only his face exposed. He looked like... a hedgehog in a defensive stance.

But Jiraiya hadn't noticed that one of the kunai that had just flown past bore a faint yin-yang mark from the Eight Trigrams. It had embedded itself in the tree behind him.

After using Great Waterfall Technique, Qiuyang moved within range of the Flying Thunder God Formula. Raising two fingers like a sword, he silently appeared on the tree, then formed Hand Seals...

His chakra was nearly gone. This would be his last technique, and one of only two Fire Release techniques the original body had learned from the Uchiha Clan.

If he wanted to see Jiraiya use Rasengan, this was his one shot.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Jiraiya had dodged the kunai and was standing on top of the Earth Style Wall, angrily searching for Qiuyang when he suddenly heard a voice overhead. His heart tightened.

When did this kid get up into the tree? There's no way I wouldn't have noticed.

And he's got quite the scheming mind. He hasn't made a single unnecessary move this whole fight.

"Nice work, kid. You've got that combo down. I'll admit you've earned my respect. Rasengan!"

Qiuyang's eyes turned red. He watched closely as the Rasengan formed in Jiraiya's hand.

The power, the rotation, the compression... I see.

As Jiraiya used Rasengan to block the Phoenix Flower Fire, he noticed Qiuyang's eyes.

Those are Sharingan! Wasn't that clan wiped out by the rogue ninja Itachi, with only a kid named Sasuke left? This white-haired boy looks a few years older than him.

One year earlier:

Jiraiya had once again been brought before the Great Toad Sage by Fukasaku and Shima. They said there was something important to discuss.

The Great Toad Sage asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Jiraiya, Great Sage. Have you forgotten again?"

Jiraiya was helpless. The toad sage had lived for an untold number of years, and his memory had clearly grown poor. Every time Jiraiya visited, he asked his name all over again.

"Oh, oh, it's little Jiraiya. I remember now. I had something to tell you."

"Little Jiraiya, I had a dream while I was sleeping."

At that, Jiraiya immediately grew serious.

"Is it another prophecy or revelation?"

Every time the Great Toad Sage dreamed, it foretold something that would happen in the future, like the time Jiraiya met Nagato, who possessed the Sage's Eyes.

"Little Jiraiya, you will take on another student who will influence the future of the world. He will have a pair of scarlet eyes and use the same techniques as you..."

The Great Toad Sage spoke more and more slowly, so slowly that Jiraiya began to think that the next moment, the ancient fossil who had lived for millennia—

"Will he destroy the Ninja World like Uchiha Madara, or protect it like the First? That will depend entirely on how you guide him..."

Then came a snore. Fukasaku came over and said the Great Toad Sage had fallen asleep again, then led Jiraiya away.

Now, he had truly met another Child of Prophecy.

Jiraiya took the next part of the fight seriously, treating the contest for the bell like a test for a potential student.

But Qiuyang was no match for Jiraiya when he got serious. After the combination techniques at the start, Jiraiya simply ran circles around him.

By evening, Qiuyang was worn out from fighting. He was hungry and tired, and since Jiraiya had disappeared for the time being, he decided to find something to eat.

The obvious choice was the plump mandarin fish in the river.

Before long, Jiraiya, hiding nearby and just as hungry, caught the smell of grilled fish. He sniffed several times.

Wow, that smelled good!

What seasoning had the kid used to make it so enticing? Why did he smell rich, malty beer, too?

Jiraiya quietly peeked toward the fire Qiuyang had lit in the distance. Even from far away, he could hear the fish sizzling and see the golden skin gleaming beneath a layer of oil.

It was enough to make anyone's mouth water. The fish was clearly done.

The kid might not know the first thing about manners, but he did have some redeeming qualities. His cooking, for one.

This was the secret weapon Qiuyang had brought with him.

Surely no man could resist the temptation of grilled fish and beer.