"Why are you telling such painful truths?" Jiraiya was unhappy.
Aokiji shrugged. "I haven't trained seriously in a long time. You three have been under the Third Hokage for so long, and you've all become Chunin. I might not even be a match for you now, so if I don't want to lose too badly later, naturally I should pick a weaker opponent."
He was not just saying that. He genuinely felt that he might not be able to defeat Jiraiya now, especially if he did not use the Sharingan.
He had not felt that way before, until he began training under Elder Itachi recently and realized just how important it was to have someone guide you.
No wonder Sasuke, Indra's reincarnation in the original story, had been brutally beaten by Rock Lee when they first met.
This was not meant to disrespect Rock Lee. The reason Rock Lee could defeat Sasuke early on really was because he had a good teacher guiding him.
When it came to hard work, Sasuke might not have fallen far behind Rock Lee, who was known for his diligence.
After all, Sasuke had lost his entire clan. Under that kind of pressure, how could he not train desperately?
Only after gaining a good teacher later did Sasuke truly take off, leaving the younger generation far behind in just three short years.
Jiraiya said unhappily, "Damn it, you actually dare look down on me. Get ready."
In a small forest far from the center of Konoha, beneath blue skies and white clouds, Aokiji and Jiraiya formed the Confrontation Seal under Orochimaru and Tsunade's watchful eyes.
The last time they had done this was back at the Ninja Academy. For a moment, it felt as though they had returned to those carefree school days.