A bead of cold sweat trickled down Jiraiya's forehead.
The truth was indeed as Orochimaru had said. Jiraiya had never beaten Orochimaru in battle, though that was partly because he had never used his true trump card.
But Orochimaru was proficient in all kinds of ninjutsu, and his chakra possessed every nature transformation. When facing Jiraiya, he had certainly never gone all out either.
Though they had been friends for years, Orochimaru was undoubtedly the one who understood Jiraiya best. He had the mind for it, and he knew how to hide his strength.
Still, thoughts were one thing. Facing an old friend like Orochimaru, Jiraiya could never admit defeat. "Hmph! I only let you win before because I knew you cared about saving face. You wanted to show off in front of the old man, so I didn't want to embarrass you..."
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru spread his palm and slowly walked toward him, chuckling softly. "Then it seems I truly ought to thank you! To show my gratitude, I'll leave you here forever!"
As soon as the words fell, his face twisted with malice!
Holding a Kusanagi Sword in reverse, he charged toward Jiraiya!
Then he was sent flying back at even greater speed!
Rasengan Bullet!
Naruto Uzumaki withdrew his fingers and rubbed his aching temples. "My instincts thought he was a friend, but he turned out to be an enemy!"
Just now, Naruto's subconscious had wanted him to search through his memories. Deep down, it had even believed Orochimaru was friendly.
Who would have thought that Orochimaru would attack Jiraiya the very next moment!
Could the subconscious deceive people too?
Or had Orochimaru altered his perception through some kind of genjutsu?
Jiraiya had just drawn a kunai to defend himself. Hearing Naruto's words, the corner of his