Toad Sage, Fight

Naruto slowly lowered his right hand to his waist.

A cold gleam flashed.

A jet-black short blade, its surface traced with dark golden patterns, slid from its sheath.

The blade rang clear, shaking the surrounding leaves loose in rustling showers.

"The sense of security the village gives me isn't even a fraction of what he gives me."

Naruto's fingertips brushed across the cold blade, his gaze frighteningly calm.

"I think it's better to keep a blade in my own hand."

The smile on Jiraiya's face stiffened slightly.

For the first time, he sensed a chill from this boy that did not match his age.

It was not a child throwing a tantrum.

It was the gaze of someone who had truly crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Oh?" Jiraiya chuckled, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart. "Big words for a kid."

"Oh, right." Naruto suddenly spoke. "Don't summon any toads."

"Otherwise, man against man and frog against frog would be a little cruel."

Jiraiya immediately burst out laughing, hands on his hips.

"You should at least look at who you're bragging to! Do you think you can force me to use my full strength?"

"I'm one of the Three Sannin, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, the great Jiraiya!"

Before his words had even faded—

Naruto moved.

There was no warning whatsoever.

With a flick of his left hand, four Fūma Shuriken: Shadow Windmills flew out in a cross formation, spinning at high speed through the air with piercing whistles.

Fūma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill!

Jiraiya's gaze sharpened. With a light step, he twisted aside and evaded them.

"That's it?"

He was just about to mock him.

When his pupils suddenly shrank.

At the center of those four seemingly ordinary shuriken was a rapidly spinning mass of azure chakra!

Sharp wind blades wrapped around the chakra, emitting a sizzling cutting sound.

Wind Release: Spiral Wind Thrust!

An A-rank ninjutsu at its peak, created by Naruto himself!

It perfectly fused the compressive force of the Rasengan with Wind Release's cutting power, concealing it within the Shadow Windmill's shadow to kill without a trace.

"Not bad, kid!"

Jiraiya shouted lowly and rapidly formed hand seals.

Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!

A thick earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking him from view.

"A basic ninja tool, yet you've made it produce the effect of the Third Hokage's A-rank ninjutsu."

"But that still isn't enough!"

Crack—

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

The earthen wall was pierced through in an instant by the Spiral Wind Thrust, as if it were made of paper!

The sharp wind blades shot straight toward Jiraiya's face!

"What... there was an even bigger one hidden in there!"

Jiraiya's heart jolted. He threw himself backward, and the wind blades skimmed past the tip of his nose, slicing off several strands of white hair.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Just then—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

White smoke billowed.

More than a dozen Shadow Clones appeared at once, each holding a Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade with icy eyes.

"Kill!"

More than a dozen black figures lunged at Jiraiya simultaneously. Their blades flashed like snow, leaving no gaps.

The sound of blades slicing through the air was like the whisper of the Death God.

"Impressive!"

Jiraiya praised as his body weaved through the blade light like a phantom.

"At your age, you already possess this level of swordsmanship."

"In all my life, I've only encountered two people like that."

He casually knocked aside two stabbing short blades, a hint of regret in his voice.

"Unfortunately, one died, and the other became a rogue ninja."

After all, he was one of the Three Sannin.

Even Naruto, who could easily smash a Jonin to pieces, combined with the assault of more than a dozen Shadow Clones, could not harm him in the slightest.

Jiraiya handled the fight with ease and even had the leisure to comment on it.

"About time to end this."

Jiraiya suddenly leaped back and formed hand seals.

Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame!

A massive pillar of fire erupted forth, its heat so intense it warped the air as it swept toward Naruto's clones.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

Naruto's real body formed seals as well. A howling gale surged out and forcibly pushed the fire pillar back.

Flames and wind collided, exploding into sparks that filled the sky.

At that instant, amid the blazing firelight—

Wild Lion's Mane Technique!

Jiraiya's white hair instantly lengthened, spreading wildly in every direction like countless venomous white snakes.

"Not good!"

Naruto's expression changed.

But it was already too late.

The hardened hair, like steel cables, instantly wrapped around his limbs and nailed him firmly in place.

The surrounding Shadow Clones were also struck by the hair, each vanishing into white smoke with a bang.

In a single second—

More than a dozen Shadow Clones were completely wiped out.

Only the real body remained, tightly bound by the wild hair and unable to move.

"That technique looks cool."

Naruto suddenly smiled instead.

"I could learn it too."

"Then I could sell my hair later and never worry about food or clothes."

Jiraiya froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"You've got good taste!"

"But worry about blocking it first!"

His fingers tightened, and his hair instantly constricted, squeezing Naruto's bones until they cracked.

"You lost, kid."

Jiraiya's smile held a trace of smugness.

However—

At that moment—

The smile froze on his face.

A cold chill rose from behind his heart.

It was as though he had been targeted by a venomous snake.

The hairs on his body stood on end.

"Is that so?"

A calm voice sounded beside his ear.

Jiraiya abruptly turned around.

The Naruto who had been tangled in his hair had vanished at some point.

Only a severed lock of white hair remained on the ground.

And the real Naruto was standing behind him.

In his right palm, an azure Rasengan slowly spun.

It was less than ten centimeters from Jiraiya's back.

Substitution Technique!

The one who had been caught just now was merely a Shadow Clone Naruto had left behind in advance!

The real body had already used the Body Flicker Technique to move behind him at the instant Fire Release and Wind Release collided!

Jiraiya's entire body stiffened.

Cold sweat slid down his forehead.

He could clearly feel the Rasengan's devastating power.

If Naruto exerted even a little force—

Even as one of the Three Sannin, he would be injured.

"You..."

Jiraiya opened his mouth but could not say anything.

He never imagined that a twelve-year-old brat would force him into a dead end this way. Although Naruto had not used his full strength, this was enough to prove how strong he was.

Naruto dispersed the Rasengan and took a step back.

"I concede, Teacher Jiraiya."

The wind blew past.

Jiraiya's white hair drifted about in disarray.

He looked at Naruto with a complicated expression.

Shock.

Gratification.

And a trace of indescribable excitement.

He suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He slapped Naruto's shoulder hard, nearly knocking him flat.

"When Kakashi invited me here, I thought you were just a little guy who only knew the Three-Basic Techniques."

"Who would've thought! I really never expected this!"

Jiraiya's voice trembled slightly.

He raised his head toward the sky, his eyes faintly reddening as he thought with relief:

"Minato, your child is incredible. He shines even brighter than you did back then."

"Will he... be the one the Toad Sage's prophecy spoke of, the person who changes the world?"

Kurama, inside the sealing space, unusually did not make any sarcastic remarks.

It looked at Jiraiya's back and lightly snorted.

"Guess the old man has some taste after all."

Naruto rubbed his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I'm not actually that amazing. I just left a clone behind in advance."

Jiraiya waved his hand, a smile returning to his face.

"Cut it out! A win is a win!"

"You qualify for Sage Mode."

"But." Jiraiya changed the subject. "There's no rush to learn Senjutsu."

"I see that you only specialize in Wind Release and some taijutsu. Your ninjutsu system is too limited."

"Although the Third Hokage knew many techniques, he mastered every single one. That's why he was called the Professor of Ninjutsu."

"There's some sense in following that path."

"For the next month, I'll first give you intensive training in ninjutsu of every nature."

"Once your foundation is solid, we'll go to Mount Myōboku and learn Sage Mode."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Alright!"

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Konoha's Chunin Selection Exam Continuation Round arrived as scheduled.

The entire Konoha Stadium was packed to capacity.

The crowd roared, their cheers deafening.

On the terrace.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked down at the arena below.

"It's finally begun."

Beside him, Jiraiya had a cigarette clenched between his teeth, puffing out clouds of smoke.

"Yeah." Jiraiya smiled. "The brats this year are much more interesting than we were back then."

At the center of the arena.

Host Iruka took a deep breath and announced loudly.

"The Chunin Selection Exam Continuation Round, first match!"

"Sasuke Uchiha—VS—Rock Lee!"