Battle Against Jiraiya

"Spread out!"

As the graduation exam began, Yueshu immediately ordered them to scatter.

Kushina and Mikoto were no small fry; they dispersed instantly, concealing themselves behind the surrounding grass and trees.

Now, only Yueshu and Jiraiya remained face-to-face.

"Not bad at all."

Jiraiya remarked, while Minato Namikaze watched from the sidelines.

"And what about you?"

Jiraiya looked at Yueshu.

"Are you so confident that you can defeat me head-on?"

Yueshu placed his hand on the hilt of his Kusanagi Sword.

"As for that..."

"You won't know until you try!"

"Draw Sword Slash!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than a flash of steel surged violently toward Jiraiya.

A lock of white hair drifted down, leaving Minato Namikaze stunned on the sidelines.

Jiraiya dodged the strike by shifting his body, but no one had expected Yueshu's attack to be so fierce.

This slash.

Jiraiya looked at Yueshu, his heart filled with shock.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."

Yueshu was never one for idle chatter; he would exploit every opening his enemy presented.

Because of that single dodge, Jiraiya had revealed a flaw that Yueshu seized upon.

The fire dragon erupted from Yueshu's puffed-out cheeks, scorching the air as it barreled toward Jiraiya.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough."

Kushina's voice rang out from the side.

No one had expected Kushina to suddenly dash out and amplify Yueshu's ninjutsu.

The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet roared, fueled by the wind, its power surging from a B-rank jutsu to nearly the level of an A-rank.

Jiraiya smiled.

These children were truly interesting.

Jiraiya did not panic; he reached for the ninja tool pouch at his waist and pulled out a scroll.

"Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method."

Jiraiya yanked the scroll open, aiming the blank paper directly at the incoming Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

Incredible—the scroll acted like a vortex, absorbing Yueshu's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet entirely.

"Returning this to you."

Jiraiya began to weave hand seals.

Swish.

Several Shuriken flew in from the side, attempting to interrupt Jiraiya's seals.

"Too naive."

Jiraiya glanced over, leaping into the air while continuing his seals, his wooden sandals clicking together.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo."

Jiraiya's white hair instantly transformed into long, sharp needles, wrapping around his entire body.

The Shuriken struck Jiraiya directly, but they were useless.

Clang. The Shuriken were deflected and sent flying aside.

"Fire Sealing Method: Release."

The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet burst forth from the scroll once more, but this time, it was not aimed at Jiraiya—it was aimed at Yueshu.

"Barrier: Canopy Method Formation."

A formation suddenly appeared beneath Jiraiya's feet, and everyone nearby felt a sudden sensation of being watched.

"Fire Style: Flame Eraser."

Jiraiya did not stop; he continued his seals, spitting several flame bullets into the ground.

Yueshu didn't see Jiraiya's movements; all he saw before him was the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

He clicked his tongue, leaped to the side, and narrowly dodged the incoming flames.

The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet slammed into the ground and detonated with a bang, sending a shockwave surging directly toward Yueshu.

Yueshu's body swayed under the force, and in the corner of his eye, Jiraiya's smile appeared.

Not good!

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Yueshu felt a sense of impending trouble.

"Watch your surroundings!"

Yueshu shouted a warning.

"It's already too late."

Bang! Bang!

Two explosions rang out; before Yueshu could react, the ground beneath his feet erupted as well.

A flame bullet shot up from under him.

Although he reacted in time, Yueshu still couldn't avoid being lightly scorched.

The impact sent Yueshu flying off to the side.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."

Jiraiya threw a single shuriken toward Yueshu.

As the shuriken spun, it multiplied—one became two, two became four—slowly filling the entire sky.

The dense swarm of shuriken flew toward Yueshu, and he couldn't help but feel the immense pressure bearing down on him.

"Yueshu!"

Kushina and Mikoto, who had been struck by the flame bullets, lay on the ground with soot-stained faces, but they couldn't help but cry out in worry upon seeing Yueshu's predicament.

"Wind Style, Great Breakthrough."

"Fire Style, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

The two women forced themselves up, their hands moving quickly through seals, determined to lend Yueshu a hand.

Yueshu, naturally, would not stand idly by.

He gripped the Kusanagi Sword in his hand, channeling his chakra into it.

A faint glow emanated from the blade of the Kusanagi Sword.

"Hah!"

With a loud shout, Yueshu swung the Kusanagi Sword, unleashing a massive slash.

The combined jutsu from Kushina and Mikoto surged forward alongside it.

The Phoenix Sage Fire projectiles exploded one by one, while the slash continuously cleaved through the shuriken.

Amidst the series of explosions, the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique was successfully blocked by the trio's teamwork.

"Wild Lion's Mane Technique."

No sooner had one wave subsided than another rose.

In battles between ninjas, there was no such thing as waiting for an opponent to recover; before Yueshu could catch his breath, Jiraiya's next attack arrived.

Jiraiya's white hair surged forward, elongating and aiming directly for Yueshu.

The Wild Lion's Mane Technique was Jiraiya's unique offensive method; despite the hair appearing soft, it possessed the power to snap an opponent in two.

As the white hair swarmed toward him, Yueshu immediately raised his Kusanagi Sword to block.

With a clang, Yueshu was knocked back once more by the immense force.

His feet scraped against the ground as he slid backward, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Yueshu flicked his blade, clearing the surrounding dust away.

Jiraiya watched Yueshu, his hands already moving to form more seals.

At that moment, two graceful figures darted out from the sides.

It was Kushina and Mikoto.

Each held a kunai in one hand and threw shuriken at Jiraiya with the other.

Puff.

A cloud of smoke rose, and the Jiraiya struck by the shuriken transformed into a log.

It was the Body Replacement Technique!

"Where is he?"

Kushina and Mikoto landed steadily, immediately becoming vigilant.

"Shadow Clone Technique."

The three of them looked toward the source of the voice.

Three Jiraiyas suddenly burst out from behind a nearby tree.

Swish.

The three Jiraiya launched their shuriken.

This naturally had little effect on Yueshu and the others, but the three Jiraiya successfully closed the distance.

Next came the contest of taijutsu.

Yueshu and his two companions engaged Jiraiya in close-quarters combat; Yueshu was certainly not weak when it came to taijutsu—on the contrary, it was his forte.

However, the same could not be said for Kushina and Mikoto.

Perhaps Kushina's taijutsu was decent, but in front of a Sannin like Jiraiya, it simply didn't measure up, and Mikoto fared even worse, finding herself completely overwhelmed.

Caught off guard, Mikoto was sent flying by a kick from Jiraiya, and Kushina was also kicked away after a momentary lapse in concentration.

Yueshu grew slightly anxious; he slashed his Kusanagi Sword, causing the Jiraiya before him to vanish, and then moved to provide support.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

At that moment, the ground beneath his feet suddenly split open, and a pair of hands reached out to grab Yueshu's ankles.