Konoha, Hokage's Office.
"Lord Hokage, an Amegakure ninja named Su Zheng is outside. He says he wishes to seek your guidance!" a Konoha ninja reported.
"So he's finally come," Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered. "Understood. Take him to the training ground. I'll be there shortly!"
"Yes!"
Before long, all of Konoha had learned that Su Zheng of Amegakure would be fighting the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi!
The training ground that served as the final venue for the Chunin Exams in the original story soon became bustling, with countless ninjas and civilians scrambling to enter.
After requesting permission from the Third Hokage and receiving approval, the Konoha ninjas opened the venue!
Before long, the place was packed with people, their voices rising in a deafening din!
Among them, Uchiha Jitsu had dragged Obito Uchiha over to join in the excitement.
Wasn't Uchiha Jitsu one of Su Zheng's Identity Vests? Yes, but they could exist at the same time. For someone as powerful as Su Zheng, even a Shadow Clone was stronger than some ordinary jonin!
"Obito, sit here and save me a seat. I'm going to the bathroom!" Uchiha Jitsu said.
"Fine, hurry back, or it'll start soon!" Obito waved him off.
"Ah!" Suddenly, on Jitsu's way to the bathroom, a father carrying his daughter on his shoulders lost his grip amid the crowd's jostling. The girl was about to fall down the stairs...
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Uchiha Jitsu leaped up, caught the girl, and landed back on the platform.
"Hello, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, my child..." The young mother thanked Jitsu while scolding her husband. "It's all your fault..."
The father awkwardly scratched his head and repeatedly offered his thanks.
"It's nothing. Just be more careful next time!" Uchiha Jitsu smiled.
The brown-haired girl stared fixedly at Jitsu before her parents pulled her into the crowd.
Among the seats on the viewing platform.
"Kazuya, do you think Su Zheng really came to Konoha just to seek guidance from Lord Hokage?" a ninja asked.
Nara Kazuya, head of the Nara clan, stared deeply at Su Zheng. After observing him for a while, he analyzed, "It's not just that. He's likely here to test Konoha's strength and warn the other countries as well!"
"Warn the other countries? What do you mean?"
"The Land of Rain has developed rapidly in recent years. Major nations have already set their sights on them. He may be here to display their military strength!" Nara Kazuya explained.
"So that's how it is. Kazuya really is smart!"
"Have you used the appliances from Zhengwen Company in the Land of Rain? They're incredibly convenient!" another ninja chimed in.
"I think so too, especially the televisions and washing machines. Watching TV when you have free time is amazing!"
"It's just... why haven't we promoted them more widely?"
Things like electrical appliances were not something ordinary households could afford. It was possible in the Land of Rain, but not in these major nations!
Ordinary civilians were poorly informed and had no way of seeing the real world. Since they enjoyed Konoha's protection, they naturally had to give something in return.
Nara Kazuya naturally knew the reason, but he could not say it, nor could he break that rule. Their clans, the ninja village, and the Daimyo were all bound together. As long as there were benefits to be had, they could never turn against one another!
After all, they were beneficiaries too!
Near the entrance below, Jiraiya and Orochimaru watched Su Zheng standing in the middle of the arena, each lost in thought.
Experts of their caliber could naturally sense the immense power contained within Su Zheng's body.
"Jiraiya, what do you think of him?" Orochimaru asked hoarsely.
Jiraiya nodded. "I can tell. He's very strong!"
"Tsunade left the village a month ago. Do you know where she is?" Jiraiya asked.
"Who knows? Maybe she's found the meaning of her existence again!" Orochimaru revealed a sinister smile.
Jiraiya felt somewhat helpless. After Nawaki's death, both of his teammates had changed. Orochimaru spent every day researching who knew what, while Tsunade had once spent every day drinking and gambling before disappearing last month.
Sigh, what a headache! Their team was probably finished!
Whoosh!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in battle gear and protective equipment, arrived in the arena.
"Kid, since you want to seek this old man's guidance, you'd best be prepared to die. I will not hold back!" Hiruzen said coldly.
"Enough talk. Come on," Su Zheng said calmly.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Boom! A massive fire dragon swallowed Su Zheng. Once the flames faded, only a clump of earth remained where he had stood.
Earth Substitution!
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
From underground, Su Zheng grabbed Hiruzen's ankle. Boom! Hiruzen was buried in the earth, but moments later, he turned into a clump of soil.
Hiruzen stood in the distance and said, "Are these techniques interesting?"
Su Zheng chuckled. "Then let the Professor of Ninjutsu teach me something!"
Hiruzen formed hand seals. "Genjutsu: Tree Binding Technique!"
Suddenly, the scene before Su Zheng changed.
Boom! Several enormous vines rose from beneath his feet and wrapped around him...
Su Zheng smiled faintly. "A technique like this is useless!"
Boom!
Hiruzen discovered that he was the one bound to the vines. Crash! The image shattered, and the two remained standing where they were.
Seeing his genjutsu broken, Hiruzen understood that his opponent possessed immense spiritual power and great mastery of genjutsu. "Then how about this!"
"Ninja Art: Earth Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Whoosh!
An earth dragon rose from the ground, while Hiruzen's Fire Dragon Bullet followed closely behind!
"Water Style: Water Dragon Technique!"
Boom!
A vast surge of water rose from the level ground and took the form of a dragon, majestic and imposing!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three dragons collided, yet the water dragon completely overwhelmed the others!
At the same time, Hiruzen had finished preparing his next technique. "Genjutsu: Dark Night Technique!"
Whoosh! The entire area below was shrouded in darkness!
"Five Elemental Ninjutsu: Great Combined Bullet!"
Hiruzen coordinated with four Shadow Clones, each using a different type of ninjutsu!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Su Zheng activated Chakra Armor to resist them. The ninjutsu was powerful, but it was completely useless.
In the instant after Hiruzen finished, Su Zheng charged forward and sent him flying with a punch!
Bang!
The darkness faded. Hiruzen emerged from the wall and looked at the azure armor covering his opponent's body, inexplicably thinking of Madara Uchiha...
He shook his head, casting away those thoughts, then bit his finger. "Summoning Technique: Enma King!"
Poof! Enma appeared!
"Old friend, I need your help again!" Hiruzen said with emotion.
"There is no need for such words between us!"
Whoosh! Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff and whirled through the air, his staff techniques impenetrable...
"Just what I wanted. Enma has a diamond-hard body, and this armor of mine needs someone to temper it!" Su Zheng flashed forward, raising both fists to clash against the Adamantine Staff!
Rumble! The two collided, and the sounds of metal striking metal rang without end!
Orochimaru was somewhat shocked. "No one has ever been able to withstand Sensei's attacks head-on. Yet he blocked them with his body alone!"
Jiraiya was equally astonished. Even if he used Sage Mode, he would not dare take that attack directly with his body! What exactly was that armor?
In the arena, the two exchanged blows faster and faster until only two afterimages could be seen colliding continuously...
"Eight Gates: Fourth Gate of Pain: Open!!!"
Boom! A green storm erupted in every direction, blasting Su Zheng's body away.
Seeing this, Su Zheng stopped holding back. "Seven-Day Breathing Method: Third Activation!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Likewise, white steam swirled around Su Zheng as a fierce storm swept outward...
The two stood like figures at the hearts of separate storms, continuously compressing the pressure around them. At last, the forces met. Boom! Boom! Boom! White air pressed relentlessly toward Hiruzen. He knew he could not wait, or he would fall into a disadvantage!
Boom! Boom! Hiruzen's body continuously swelled and enlarged. In the end, the two waves of pressure became evenly matched, while Su Zheng rushed in at high speed...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their attacks grew even stronger. The shockwave from a casual strike could punch through walls. They were roughly three hundred meters from the edge of the arena, yet their power was this terrifying!
The barrier squad had no choice but to deploy a formation to ensure the safety of those near the arena's edge!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderous roars erupted from the arena as the armor and Adamantine Staff collided time and again...
Su Zheng's armor did not have the slightest crack. Hiruzen, on the other hand, was drenched in sweat, while the Adamantine Staff was already covered in blood. It seemed that even a diamond-hard body could not break Su Zheng's armor!
"Huff... hah..." Hiruzen retreated into the distance, breathing heavily. Seeing that Su Zheng was neither flushed nor out of breath, he was secretly horrified. What kind of monster is this...?
Su Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, looked toward Orochimaru and Jiraiya by the arena, and said, "Send your two disciples in."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Orochimaru and Jiraiya stood before Hiruzen. "Sensei, leave the rest to us!"
"Good!" Hiruzen supported himself with the Adamantine Staff and moved to the edge of the arena.
Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips. "Su Zheng? How interesting. Would you like to discuss things with me in greater depth?"
A chill ran down Su Zheng's spine. He quickly shook his head. "Don't say that. Let me see what you two can do!"
"What a pity," Orochimaru said, licking his lips.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof! Poof!
Amid enormous clouds of white smoke, Manda and Gamabunta appeared. Unfortunately, Tsunade's slug was missing!
"Damn Orochimaru, why did you summon me? To deal with such a mere—"
"So that bastard Manda is here too. I happen to need some snakeskin—"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Su Zheng did not give the two beasts any chance to ramble. He directly sent them back to the summoning realm!
Before the smoke had even dispersed, they had vanished...
The two were utterly shocked. Only by truly facing Su Zheng did they understand just how powerful he was!
Jiraiya said solemnly, "Orochimaru, stop testing him. Attack him directly, or both of us will lose!"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Hiss! Several vicious snakes shot from beneath Orochimaru's sleeves and coiled toward Su Zheng.
Whoosh! Su Zheng grabbed a snake by the head, swung Orochimaru over, and struck him hard with a punch.
Bang! Orochimaru flew backward and smashed heavily into the wall. At that moment, Jiraiya's attack arrived.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Roar! Roar! Roar! Three enormous fire dragons came from the left, center, and right, striking Su Zheng's armor and exploding into an immense fireball!
Su Zheng's gaze shifted slightly as he formed hand seals. "Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Su Zheng spewed out an immense sea of flames that came rolling forward...
"Triple Rashomon!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Triple Rashomon had barely risen when the sea of fire reached it, its scorching flames causing the gates to sizzle.
Orochimaru walked up beside Jiraiya, rubbing his right cheek. "He's too strong, especially that armor. It simply can't be broken. Do you have any ideas?"
Rumble!
The Triple Rashomon, which had endured the flames, collapsed with a thunderous crash!
Jiraiya shook his head. "If only we had an attack like a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
(This was Konoha's thirty-eighth year. Minato was fourteen and had yet to develop the Rasengan.)
What the two did not know was that Su Zheng was not even afraid of a genuine Tailed Beast Bomb, much less the Rasengan!
"Then we can only fight him head-on!" Orochimaru said. He drew the Kusanagi Sword and charged at Su Zheng.
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the ground. He bit his finger and painted markings across his face. Once he finished, he pressed his hands together!
Su Zheng did not stop him. He fought Orochimaru while waiting for Jiraiya's Sage Mode.
The more Orochimaru fought Su Zheng, the more alarmed he became. He could naturally see that his opponent was merely going through the motions, yet this young boy possessed such overwhelming strength. He felt as though he had lived his life in vain. The title of "genius" slapped his face with resounding cracks!
"Little Jiraiya, didn't you say girls didn't like this appearance?" Sage Fukasaku asked from Jiraiya's right shoulder.
"Now isn't the time for that. This boy is exceptionally powerful..." Sage Shima spoke from Jiraiya's left shoulder.
"That's right. Please, Sages, help me drive him back!" Jiraiya said solemnly.
"The ninja world truly has no shortage of talented people!" the two Sages sighed.
Orochimaru spat blood and retreated to Jiraiya's side. Seeing Jiraiya's power, he felt deeply conflicted!
Just as in the original story, Jiraiya's Sage Mode was still incomplete. His nose had swollen, his skin bore the grainy texture of a toad, but the two Great Sages on his shoulders perfectly filled the gap in his combat strength!
Jiraiya said, "Sages, his armor is extremely tough. If we cannot break it, we cannot hurt him at all!"
"Leave it to me!" Sage Fukasaku took the lead, deciding to break the armor.
He formed hand seals. "Sage Art: Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
He spat out an ultra-high-pressure Water Pillar that transformed into a sharp blade and sliced toward Su Zheng...
Yet after the surging water dispersed, the armor had not changed in the slightest!
"That's impossible!" Sage Shima cried out!
The Water Severing Wave enhanced with sage chakra was dozens of times stronger than an ordinary Water Severing Wave, yet it had done absolutely nothing!
Sage Fukasaku furrowed his brow deeply as well. "Jiraiya, your opponent this time is far from simple! Techniques with this kind of power are completely ineffective!"
Jiraiya suggested, "How about you use genjutsu in conjunction with my technique and give it a try?"
"No! At our age, singing together with an old man is far too embarrassing!" Sage Shima's aged face flushed red.
"Ma, help little Jiraiya just this once!"
"Fine!" Sage Shima pressed her palms together, her cheeks swelling as she began chanting alongside Sage Fukasaku...
Sage Art: Toad Song!
"Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!!" A strange song swept forth.
Thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, an unprecedented sense of delirium flooded Su Zheng's consciousness.
Sage Art: Infinite Hair Needles Senbon!
Jiraiya's long hair began to grow and harden.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Hair hardened like steel rained down upon Su Zheng!
Beneath his armor, Su Zheng's pupils abruptly changed into Rinnegan. "Buzz!" His consciousness returned to his body just as the attack arrived.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The rain of attacks brought no change to the armor, and Su Zheng had already returned to normal.
"Jiraiya, I just sensed powerful spiritual fluctuations from that young man!" Sage Fukasaku warned.
"Yeah, our genjutsu is useless too. There's only that one move left!" Jiraiya said.
"Alright!" The three sages formed hand seals at the same time.
The three sages' chests swelled in unison as they unleashed a combined ninjutsu of Fire Release, Toad Oil, and Wind Release!
Sage Art: Goemon!
Howling Wind Release, blazing Fire Release, and surging Toad Oil fused with vast natural Sage Chakra, transforming into this ultimate Fire Release sage technique!
Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar!
Before this boundless sea of flames, all matter would be reduced to ashes. The temperature within reached several thousand degrees!
Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils watched Jiraiya unleash this powerful ninjutsu, and unwillingness surged within him. I never expected you, once the weakest of the three, to grow to this extent, while I, who called myself a "genius"...
Thinking of something, Orochimaru's expression darkened as he made up his mind!
Three minutes later, the crimson ocean finally vanished, revealing the blue armor still standing tall...
"Little Jiraiya, surrender. We can't possibly defeat him!" Sage Fukasaku said in despair.
Jiraiya dispelled his Sage Mode and said, "Thank you both for your help!"
"Mm, little Jiraiya, see you around!" After saying their goodbyes, the two sages vanished.
Su Zheng also dismissed his armor. "Thank you for Konoha's guidance. If you are willing, you are welcome to visit our Land of Rain!"
Before you continue