Beheading!

"Jiraiya's strength is beyond question. With my Jonin-level abilities, even with Flash Step, I might not be able to land a hit on him. There's no way I can take him on alone!"

Hidden in a large tree some distance away, Li narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Jiraiya below. Jiraiya was standing casually, yet Li couldn't find a single opening to attack. After thinking it over, Li decided to work with Minato Namikaze and Kushina.

"Minato Namikaze specializes in Wind Release Ninjutsu, which can make up for Fire Release's shortcomings. Kushina hasn't learned any Ninjutsu; she's learned the Uzumaki Clan's orthodox Sealing Jutsu. She isn't much of a fighter face-to-face, but it'll be useful for a sneak attack."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Li was still considering how to attack when three sharp whistles suddenly rang out. Three black Kunai shot out from the trees in a triangular formation, streaking toward the back of Jiraiya's head.

"That Kunai-throwing technique!" Li's face darkened. There was no mistaking it: that could only be Kushina. After all, Li had taught her how to throw Kunai, so he knew her technique well. He had only just thought that Kushina's Sealing Jutsu would be useful for a sneak attack, and the next moment, she was already the first to make a move.

"There's no helping it. Kushina's given herself away. Looks like I'll have to keep Jiraiya occupied!" With that, several shuriken appeared in Li's hand, and he flung them straight at Jiraiya. He leaped out of the trees, and while still in midair, rapidly formed Hand Seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Several more flaming shuriken flew toward Jiraiya, but Li wasn't about to stop there. His right hand darted into his ninja pouch, pulled out four Kunai, and hurled them at Jiraiya. His left hand was just as busy, producing another four Kunai, which he threw along the same trajectories as the first four.

"The first four Kunai had neither force nor accuracy. That Ninjutsu was fairly powerful, but not enough to catch me. What's this kid Li up to?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly, then shifted his body several times to dodge the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. The Kunai that followed were still several meters away, but Jiraiya could tell that even if he stood still, the first four would miss him. The final four Kunai were following the same trajectories as the first four, and they were just as inaccurate.

Clang!

The Kunai that came later caught up with the first four in an instant, their tips striking the sides of the leading Kunai with a series of nearly identical, crisp clangs. The seemingly weak and inaccurate Kunai suddenly accelerated several times over. All eight even looped around on their own, spreading into a fan as they shot toward Jiraiya.

"What an exquisite Kunai-throwing technique! That kid—" Jiraiya's eyes flashed. Realizing he'd been fooled, he immediately formed Hand Seals. "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!" In an instant, Jiraiya's hair rapidly grew longer. He crouched down, and his long hair wrapped around his entire body.

Clang!

All eight Kunai struck Jiraiya's hair at once, but rang out like metal hitting metal. The Kunai bounced away. Li wasn't surprised. He pulled his hands slightly, revealing two silvery-white threads in the sunlight. They were Chakra Threads. At Li's tug, the eight deflected Kunai circled back around Jiraiya. They didn't attack, but looped around him, crossing over one another to form a knot. Li gave a sharp pull with both hands, yanking Jiraiya into the air and flinging him toward where Kushina was waiting.

"Kushina!"

At Wenxuan's low shout, Kushina burst out of the trees and leaped toward Jiraiya in midair. She formed several strange seals with her hands. They weren't Ninjutsu hand signs, but seals belonging to Sealing Jutsu. After knowing Li for so long, Kushina could guess at least some of what he was thinking.

"Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragon Seal!"

Kushina pressed a palm against Jiraiya's lower back. A strange pattern appeared on his body. Li had heard Kushina talk about this Sealing Jutsu: it could seal another person's chakra, and it was the only Sealing Jutsu Kushina had mastered so far.

After sealing Jiraiya's chakra, Li tied the Chakra Threads around his arms and quickly formed Hand Seals. He glanced toward the place where Minato Namikaze was hiding. Minato had clearly noticed what was happening, and when he saw Li's gaze, he jumped out and came to Li's side.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The two C-rank Ninjutsu combined, their elements complementing each other. The Great Fireball's power instantly multiplied several times as it rolled toward Jiraiya, who was still in midair.

Boom!

The fireball collided with Jiraiya, triggering a violent explosion. Even the Chakra Thread in Li's hand burned through. Then a heavy body fell to the ground, landing motionless. Jiraiya was still wrapped in his hair, but some of it had been scorched black and was giving off wisps of smoke.

"Li, we didn't kill Master Jiraiya, did we?" Seeing Jiraiya lying motionless on the ground, Kushina grew worried. She had sealed Jiraiya's chakra with her Sealing Jutsu. In that state, even Jiraiya might not survive a Great Fireball combined with a Great Breakthrough.

"Kushina, today I'm going to teach you something." Li said as he took out a Kunai and looked at her. "This is only a training match, but it's still a real fight. Master Jiraiya is our enemy for now. When dealing with an enemy, if you can't be sure they're dead, you have to cut off their head with a Kunai. You and Minato watch from the side. If Master Jiraiya isn't dead, he'll get up. If he is dead, then he's dead anyway, so there's no use keeping his head!" As he spoke, Li had already reached Jiraiya's side. He aimed the Kunai at Jiraiya's neck, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes, then stabbed down.

Kushina and Minato were both startled. It was too late to stop him, so they could only close their eyes and leave it to fate.

Smack!

At that moment, Jiraiya, who had been lying motionless, reacted. He quickly sat up and grabbed Li by the wrist. His face flushed as he complained, "You're way too ruthless, kid! Even if someone's your sworn enemy, there's no need to cut off their head after killing them! Who taught you to do something like that?" Jiraiya was fuming. Thank goodness he'd only been pretending to pass out. If he'd actually been unconscious, his own student would've cut his head off for no reason!