Jiraiya Fails

That's right, the man in black was none other than the grinding fanatic, the black-faced miser who saw nothing but money in his eyes—Kakuzu.

He was a tragic figure who had spent his entire life painstakingly saving up money, only to have every cent squandered by a spendthrift woman.

Running into Kakuzu wasn't enough to shock Genye; his mind was currently occupied with only one thought...

I'm only worth thirty million ryo?!

Genye found it hard to accept that he was worth less than his little buddy Asuma.

Honestly, you'd be better off waiting a few years to kill Asuma. Wouldn't that be easier money than taking me on?

But then Genye had a second thought: perhaps it was due to inflation twenty years later. After all, look at Pervy Sage—his current bounty was only forty million ryo.

"So, a bounty hunter. It seems there's nothing left to say." Jiraiya let out a cold snort, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.

"Lord Jiraiya, let me handle him!" Genye rubbed his palms together, eager to give it a try.

Since his debut, he had only beaten up the brainless Nine-Tails; he had yet to cross blades with a true Kage-level powerhouse!

"No, let me!"

Jiraiya pulled Genye behind him, his gaze deep and serious as he said, "After all, protecting one's student is the sacred duty of every teacher."

Over the past half-year, the two had eaten, drank, and bickered together. Even without the formal title of master and student, they had long since developed the bond of one.

Jiraiya decided to act serious in front of his student, attempting to salvage his own image.

"But... (I don't really need your protection, though.)"

"Enough, less chatter." Kakuzu said with growing impatience, "Both of you, come at me together."

"You're pretty arrogant, kid!" Genye shot Kakuzu a look, then turned to Jiraiya. "Fine, Pervy Sage, I'll stand by and cover you."

"Haha, leave it to me!"

Jiraiya gave a hearty laugh and patted Genye on the shoulder, looking completely confident.

In the prime of his life and well-versed in the senjutsu of Mount Myoboku, there were few in the ninja world who could threaten him.

"Hey, old man, don't underestimate your opponent!"

Seeing Jiraiya's smug expression, Genye decided to stir the pot and give him a little scare.

"By the way, Lord Jiraiya, I suddenly remembered—I think I've seen intel on this guy somewhere."

"Oh?" Jiraiya remained grinning, completely unaware of the gravity of the situation.

Seeing this, Genye continued, "He should be the strongest missing-nin from Takigakure, the immortal warrior who rampaged across the battlefield—Kakuzu!"

"It is said that he once fought the First Hokage!"

The... the First Hokage?!

The smile on Jiraiya's face froze instantly.

Although the Third Hokage always claimed to be the strongest Hokage, Jiraiya knew very well that the First Hokage could absolutely thrash his "strong-mouthed" teacher.

And this guy in front of him had actually been an enemy of the First Hokage? Then his strength must be...?!

"And!" Genye suppressed a laugh, speaking with a grave expression, "They say that back then, this guy only lost to the First Hokage by a single move!"

"Hiss—" Jiraiya drew a sharp breath. "Is his strength truly that terrifying?"

Never mind him—once Genye said this, even Kakuzu's expression became unnatural.

(Low EQ: Lost by one move) (High EQ: A shuriken thrown from eight hundred miles away)

Jiraiya's expression grew increasingly solemn. This was a high-stakes match; he would have to pull out his real power!

Snap.

He bit his finger, formed hand seals, and immediately performed the Summoning Jutsu, slamming his palm onto the ground with force.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Not a single toad appeared in response. Jiraiya's eyes turned into tiny dots: "Eh? Are the toads all busy right now?"

Genye and Kakuzu: "..."

"Haha, haha." Jiraiya scratched his head with a sheepish laugh, looking at Genye with embarrassment.

"Uh, Genye, this next move of mine requires some preparation time. How about you hold him off for a bit?"

Genye rolled his eyes: "Pervy Sage, are you even capable? I gave you a chance, and you're still useless."

"Enough with the nonsense, hurry up! I'm in a rush!" Veins throbbed on Kakuzu's forehead. It was already getting dark, and these two idiots were still yapping!

"What's the rush? I haven't even taken my coat off yet."

Genye took off his white robe, tossed it aside, and began walking slowly toward Kakuzu without looking back.

"You'd better hurry up... Sensei. Otherwise, I'm going to finish this guy off myself."

"Yosh!" Hearing Genye finally change his address to 'Sensei,' Jiraiya felt a surge of spirit.

He used his blood to draw markings on his face, folded his wrists together, and began to sense natural energy.

BOOM!

Unable to endure any longer, Kakuzu instantly appeared beside Genye and threw a punch, aiming straight for his face.

"You want to trade blows with me?"

Genye let out a cold snort, shifting his body slightly to create distance before twisting his torso to deliver a punch of his own, meeting Kakuzu's fist head-on.

"Gentle Fist—Collapse!"

BANG!

A terrifying force erupted between their fists, instantly forcing both of them to retreat several steps before they could steady themselves.

Genye glanced at his own fist, his brow furrowing slightly. "This guy..."

Although he had only used "Collapse" as a probe, the four-fold force of the impact was enough to blow a Jonin to pieces with a single strike.

Yet, when his fist had connected with Kakuzu, it had transmitted a very strange sensation, as if...

As if he had struck a mass of tough yet soft cotton!

The force that should have pierced through Kakuzu's body had been cushioned and dissolved by the "cotton" filling his insides, resulting in almost no damage at all.

Is it because of the Earth Grudge Fear technique? Genye speculated inwardly.

SNAP!

Giving Genye no time to think, Kakuzu raised his arm, and his right hand instantly detached from his body, shooting toward Genye's neck like a cannonball.

"Hey, what kind of outrageous move is that!" Jiraiya, watching from the sidelines, twitched his eyes and couldn't help but complain, "He looks even more twisted than that guy Orochimaru!"

SWISH!

Genye's figure flashed, dodging the incoming severed hand, and he transformed his fist into a palm, hacking fiercely at the pitch-black tentacles connecting the hand to Kakuzu's main body.

But the next moment, those tentacles suddenly elongated and spread out in all directions, nimbly dodging Genye's attack like coils of thread before wrapping around him instead.

At the same time, Kakuzu's main body rushed forward, his left hand turning into a blade and stabbing viciously toward Genye's heart.

"Eight Trigrams—Rotation!"

Unfazed by the danger, Genye spread his arms and spun like a top, instantly erecting a hemispherical chakra shield.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The black tentacles and Kakuzu's left hand struck the "Rotation," producing sounds like metal colliding before being violently repelled by the surging chakra.

"Gentle Fist—Explosion!"

A sharp glint flashed in Genye's eyes; taking advantage of Kakuzu's temporary loss of balance, he launched his strongest attack.

BANG!

Kakuzu split apart.

Before Genye's fist could even land, this guy had actually taken the initiative to explode his own body, using the traction of his tentacles to evade the strike!

Plop, plop.

Several tentacles were caught in the wake of the punch, snapping into pieces and falling to the ground as a bizarre mask quietly squeezed out from the tangled mass of tentacles.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

Dense lightning was suddenly released from the mask, sweeping toward Genye like a sharp spear; the wisps of annihilation aura made Genye's scalp tingle.

BOOM!

Genye didn't hesitate to activate his ocular technique, teleporting to another location as the ground where he had just been standing was instantly blasted into a massive crater by the lightning.

Body Flicker Technique? No, it's more like Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as another mask crawled onto his shoulder, opening its mouth in a mask of weeping and laughter to spit out a small wind sphere.

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

As soon as the highly concentrated wind sphere flew out, it instantly expanded to over ten meters in width before suddenly detonating!

BOOM!

The gale formed by the terrifying pressure acted like sharp blades, with dense wind blades whistling through the air, intent on shredding everything within range into pieces.

"Oh crap!"

Seeing the situation turn dire, Jiraiya pressed his palms together and turned to run; because his upper body was immobilized, his backside swayed rhythmically as he fled.

"Omoikane!"

As for Genye, he was far more graceful, using a single ocular technique to retreat to a safe distance.

It really is Space-Time Ninjutsu, and the range isn't small either. This is getting tricky.

Kakuzu wore a pensive expression, and the two masks he had intended to use for a combined ninjutsu slowly retreated back into his body.

SWISH!

Genye reappeared in front of Kakuzu, his expression somewhat grim.

Although his repertoire of techniques was limited, his overall strength was definitely not inferior to Kakuzu's.

However, compared to an old veteran like Kakuzu, his combat experience was truly lacking.

He hadn't made any major mistakes just now, yet Kakuzu had still managed to seize the rhythm with a sudden change in tactics, landing a full combo right in his face.

While this left Genye feeling frustrated, it also served as a secret wake-up call; he had to make sure to patch this shortcoming in his future training.

"You've annoyed me, Kakuzu. Next—"

"No, Genye. Leave the rest to me."

Genye paused his movements and turned around.

In the darkness, three pairs of soul-piercing eyes lit up.

Jiraiya walked forward slowly with Shima and Fukasaku perched on his shoulders, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile that radiated absolute confidence.

[Maoqiu's post-COVID inner monologue:

Challenging a god... how reckless! Let me show you the Will of Fire burning within my heart!]