Jiraiya's Defeat

Jiraiya dropped from the tree hollow, a kunai held in his right hand before his chest in a defensive stance.

"I was almost killed by you, old man. How terrifying!" Kizaru patted his chest, putting on a show of being thoroughly frightened.

This guy has a truly wretched personality! Jiraiya wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth with his left hand, silently grumbling to himself.

"As expected of the new genius from Konoha, you're quite a handful," Jiraiya said, mimicking the harsh, aggressive tone of a Kumogakure ninja. "A brat like you must be eliminated before you grow any further!"

With that, Jiraiya bent his knees, pushed off with both legs, and leaped into the air.

Aiming at Kizaru, he hurled the kunai in his right hand with all his might.

With a sharp whistle, the kunai flew straight toward Kizaru's face.

"Old man, tell me," Kizaru said, tilting his head to dodge the kunai, "is it possible that I've already grown up just a little bit?"

After speaking, Kizaru raised his right hand and made a "C" gesture that would have infuriated a certain nation.

"Enough talk, brat!"

Landing from the air, Jiraiya performed a series of hand seals and unleashed the Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld.

As his feet touched the ground, Kizaru looked down to find the solid earth beneath him turning into a muddy swamp.

"This is the price of your arrogance, brat. Go to hell!" Seizing the opportunity to teach Kizaru a lesson, Jiraiya shouted, "Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

"That kind of attack won't kill me, old man!" Kizaru quickly formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and unleashed the Super Wind Style: Vacuum Wave.

Wind blades, shaped like whips, erupted from Kizaru's mouth. As he swung his head, they moved with the agility of a venomous Wind Snake, striking toward Jiraiya.

Jiraiya leaped backward, dodging and weaving with agile movements to evade the attacks of the "Wind Snake."

Even while dodging, Jiraiya didn't stop his assault. He continued to weave hand seals, his cheeks puffing out as he spat a burst of raging flames. The fire traveled in a straight line, obliterating the "Wind Snake" Kizaru had controlled before continuing toward him with undiminished force.

Tsunade, who had been watching from behind a bush, tensed up as she saw Jiraiya use the high-level Dragon Flame technique, ready to rush in and rescue the boy at any moment.

"Isn't Jiraiya taking this a bit too far?" Tsunade half-rose, looking as if she were about to bolt out.

Orochimaru, Kizaru's future teacher, remained calm and motionless.

"The brat is fine," Orochimaru said coolly.

"What?" Tsunade, her focus entirely on the training ground, hadn't heard him clearly and instinctively turned her head to ask.

"He's already moved," Orochimaru replied.

Hearing this, Tsunade snapped her head back to the front, just in time to see Kizaru break free from the swamp's mire and leap into the air.

"That was scary, old man!" Kizaru laughed as he jumped into the air, avoiding Jiraiya's attack.

Jiraiya didn't waste words. He charged forward, pulling three shuriken from the holster on his thigh as he ran, and threw them at Kizaru in the air.

Falling from the sky with no leverage, Kizaru seemed unable to dodge the three shuriken Jiraiya had thrown.

Seeing he was about to be struck, Kizaru didn't use the Substitution Technique like a typical ninja. Instead, he raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

Seeing the movement, the charging Jiraiya slowed slightly, his heart filled with caution. What is this brat planning now?

A dazzling golden light bloomed at the tip of Kizaru's index finger. A laser shot out, melting through the shuriken in mid-air and firing toward Jiraiya's path.

Having already raised his guard, Jiraiya leaped instantly to the front-left, barely evading the laser.

Boom!

The laser hit the ground, causing an explosion that sent rocks and dust flying.

Shielding his face with his arm from the debris, Jiraiya felt a secret relief that he had dodged in time.

What kind of jutsu is that? Lightning Release? Jiraiya looked up at Kizaru, who had just landed, and wondered.

"You've actually discovered my secret. Whatever shall I do, old man?" Kizaru remained in his landing pose, pointing his right index finger at Jiraiya with a troubled expression.

"It looks like I'll just have to finish you off," Kizaru said with a smile.

Jiraiya's heart tightened; for the first time, he felt a genuine sense of crisis!

"Then give it your best shot, you damn brat!" Jiraiya retorted firmly.

"Then I won't hold back, old man!" Kizaru smiled.

With that, Kizaru used the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from his spot. He leaped into the air, transformed into a flash of light, and appeared instantly before Jiraiya.

Returning to human form, Kizaru's body emitted such a blinding, intense light that it was impossible to look directly at him.

"That guy... he turned into light!" Tsunade exclaimed in shock.

"What kind of jutsu is this?" Orochimaru's curiosity deepened.

Compared to his two friends watching from afar, Jiraiya was in a much worse position.

The high-intensity light emitted by Kizaru caught Jiraiya off guard; never having encountered such an attack, his eyes were temporarily blinded by the glare.

Squeezing his eyes shut as tears streamed down his face, Jiraiya relied on his ninja instincts and leaped backward, hoping to avoid Kizaru's follow-up attack.

But Kizaru, in his golden form, would not grant his enemy time to recover. Tipping his toes against the ground, he lunged forward, closing the distance to the retreating Jiraiya in an instant.

"Old man, have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?" As he spoke, Kizaru raised his right leg, which transformed into a golden streak of light, and struck the side of Jiraiya's body before instantly solidifying.

Speed is power. The right foot, accelerated to the speed of light and bolstered by Kizaru's enhanced strength, sent Jiraiya flying the moment it made contact.

Jiraiya transformed into a blurred afterimage, flying backward with violent force. After snapping three tree trunks in succession, he slammed into the ground and skidded several meters.

Turning to face the direction his enemy had been sent flying, Kizaru did not hold back. He raised his right hand, and a golden flash ignited at the tip of his index finger.

"Well then, goodbye."

"Wait!"

Rising from behind the bushes, Princess Tsunade shouted as she leaped toward the training ground.

Maintaining the glow on his right index finger, Kizaru looked at the newcomer.

Looking at her face, she was quite pretty and somewhat familiar. His gaze drifted downward—so big!

As his eyes lingered below her neck, Kizaru recognized her identity: one of the future Sannin, Princess Tsunade.

"The person you just fought was Jiraiya, a ninja from Konoha," Tsunade hurriedly explained, meeting Kizaru's gaze.

Raising an eyebrow, the smile on Kizaru's face grew even brighter. He chuckled, "So it was Lord Jiraiya! My deepest apologies. Lord Jiraiya's acting was so convincing that I truly thought he was a spy sent by Kumogakure to assassinate me. You really scared me to death."

Tsunade, who had been prepared to continue her explanation, fell into a brief silence after hearing Kizaru's words. She couldn't help but feel that the tone of this brat's voice was dripping with sarcasm, the kind that made the listener want to punch him!