Jiraiya stepped onto the field.
Hiruzen smiled warmly as he looked at his disciple and nodded.
"Not bad. You look a lot livelier after coming back from Mount Myōboku. You even look sturdier."
"You're still too skinny. Stop by my house later and take home about fifty kilos of braised beef. You need to put some weight back on."
Jiraiya felt a warmth spread through his heart.
That's Sensei for you.
It was encouragement through and through.
But then something suddenly occurred to him.
"Sensei... does Biwako-sama usually cook fifty kilos of beef at a time?"
"She does."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"I eat quite a lot. It only lasts a few days."
"Sensei, you're really..."
Jiraiya looked at Hiruzen's sturdy, middle-aged features and shoulders that were even broader than his own.
After thinking it over, he wisely kept the rest to himself.
Really what?
Old?
'Being able to eat that much means Sensei's in incredible shape. That's my first piece of intelligence.'
Jiraiya took a deep breath.
"Sensei, in this match... please fight with everything you've got and correct my shortcomings."
"I want to see exactly what I'm capable of when I go all out!"
From the very beginning, this wasn't a match where Jiraiya had the luxury of holding back.
Its purpose was to let the village's shinobi witness the power of Sage Mode, inspire everyone, and lay part of the groundwork for promoting the Curse Mark in the future.
If he just muddled through it carelessly, it would be no different from tarnishing the reputation of the entire research project.
After all, very few shinobi had ever seen Hizashi fight in person.
For most of them, his strength existed only as another Konoha urban legend.
"Very well..."
Hiruzen carefully studied the tension on Jiraiya's face before letting out a quiet sigh.
As both the Hokage of Konohagakure and the director of its hospital, Hiruzen had thoroughly mastered the art of observation and diagnosis.
One look was enough to tell him Jiraiya wasn't in a very good mental state.
He'd always been such a bright, cheerful guy.
'Then again, he used to be practically a fanatic, so this is understandable.'
'But perhaps this is for the best. Mount Myōboku has been completely sincere in its cooperation with Konoha so far. I should meet their leaders in person and have a proper discussion.'
'Maybe I can arrange for Enma to train there and become even stronger.'
Although Hiruzen himself wasn't particularly sensitive to natural energy, that didn't necessarily mean his summon couldn't be.
Given Hiruzen's physique, forcibly accepting a Curse Mark wasn't impossible.
But anything that might lower his upper limit was something the Hokage wanted absolutely nothing to do with.
Better to keep refining the technology.
In that respect, he and Orochimaru were surprisingly alike.
Neither of them was in any hurry.
They believed in the power of time—
And in the continued growth of Konohagakure.
The two faced one another and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
At that moment—
The battle between master and disciple officially began.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
Jiraiya instantly leapt backward.
Even as he retreated, his chest expanded with a deep breath before he unleashed an immense torrent of flames with masterful control.
Minato frowned in confusion.
Didn't I just tell Jiraiya-sensei that Hokage-sama was immune to Fire Release?
But he immediately understood.
It was something no one could truly grasp without experiencing it firsthand.
In that instant, violent lightning erupted around Hiruzen's body.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode!
The lightning rapidly stimulated every cell in his body, driving his speed to its absolute limit.
It was almost as if he had vanished from where he stood.
'So that's the Speed Form...'
Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat.
Only now did he realize Minato hadn't been speaking nonsense at all.
He had simply been describing it exactly as it was.
The surging sea of flames was violently split in two by a streak of lightning.
Hiruzen charged straight through the divided inferno, covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
Jiraiya's eyes flew wide open.
He had only intended to test the waters.
How had a single misjudgment already put him on the verge of losing?
Just like that?
Hiruzen drove a punch straight toward Jiraiya's face, prompting him to instinctively cross his arms to block.
But the difference in their reaction speeds was overwhelming.
Halfway through the punch, Hiruzen had already withdrawn the force behind it. In one fluid motion, he drew up a knee and lashed out with a kick, slamming his foot into Jiraiya's chest and launching him away like a cannonball.
"If you're going to fight with everything you've got, then don't waste time testing a stronger opponent."
"A trump card you never get to use is meaningless."
Hiruzen spoke calmly.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly across the arena, accompanied by the crackling of the lightning surrounding him.
"Heh."
Danzō proudly turned to Tobirama beside him.
"See that? Hiruzen's Lightning Release only reached this level because I kept tempering it with my Wind Release!"
Tobirama gave a few absent-minded nods without really responding.
After learning that his beloved disciple had actually mastered the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal, he couldn't help feeling a sense of urgency.
It wasn't because he wanted to compete with Hiruzen.
It was simply that, having been given a second life, he couldn't very well end up weaker than he had been in the first.
At the very least...
He ought to become noticeably stronger than before.
Otherwise, wouldn't he just be holding Hiruzen back?
"That Lightning Release Chakra Mode is incredibly refined..."
Izuna muttered quietly.
"Even among the commanders of the Land of Lightning back in the Warring States Era, there weren't many who could match Hiruzen."
"That's true..."
Tobirama found himself instinctively wondering what he would do if he ever had to fight Hiruzen.
With Lightning Release at that level...
Water Release probably wouldn't accomplish much.
Within the cloud of dust, Jiraiya slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his chest as he gasped for air.
That kick had nearly knocked the wind out of him.
'Sensei was still holding back. If he'd followed up, I'd have been in real trouble.'
'I can't drag this out anymore. Sensei's right. Against someone stronger than you, you have to go all out from the very beginning.'
Without another moment's hesitation, Jiraiya bit his thumb and formed hand seals.
Summoning Technique!
A thin mist drifted across the arena as Fukasaku and Shima appeared on Jiraiya's shoulders.
"Jiraiya-chan, you've called for us already?"
"Well, after all, he's the Teacher of the Prophecy the Great Sage spoke of... and the Hokage of Konoha," the two sage toads muttered.
"You two, please help me enter Sage Mode as quickly as possible!"
Jiraiya said with complete seriousness.
"Sensei is strong... stronger than I ever imagined."
Hiruzen made no move to attack.
Instead, he calmly observed Jiraiya.
He even smiled and waved politely to the two sage toads.
Whatever the case, Mount Myōboku was currently supplying enormous quantities of raw materials for Sage Region Pills at cost price.
And during the Second Shinobi World War, the toads had bled alongside Konohagakure.
They might be a little eccentric...
But they were still worthy allies.
Fukasaku and Shima froze for a moment before waving their webbed hands back in greeting.
"Boss... Big Sister..."
"We're going all out this time. This is going to be a tough fight."
"Don't worry about getting hurt. Tsunade and the Slug Sage are already standing by. Today's match is meant to showcase the power of natural energy to Konoha. It also gives me a chance to prove the results of my training."
Jiraiya spoke quietly.
"All right!"
Fukasaku and Shima readily agreed.
Being able to fight the Teacher of the Prophecy without holding back was a rare opportunity for them as well.
It would also help verify the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
The two sages had already been on standby at Mount Myōboku.
It didn't take long before they had refined enough senjutsu chakra to sustain Jiraiya in battle for quite some time.
Now the two sage toads stood firmly on Jiraiya's shoulders.
His body swelled slightly.
His nose became broader, developing the bumpy texture of a toad's skin.
Most striking of all—
The deep crimson markings of Sage Mode appeared around his eyes.
"Sensei, I'm incredibly strong in this form!"
Jiraiya's confidence was visibly restored.
The enhancement granted by senjutsu, effectively doubling his physical abilities, gave him every reason to be proud.
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
If he defeated Jiraiya in a single move before Sage Mode came into play, how could everyone appreciate just how powerful Sage Mode really was?
Everything needed a comparison.
"Here I come, Sensei!"
Jiraiya's speed had increased dramatically.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside Hiruzen.
The two exchanged a solid punch.
This time, Jiraiya wasn't sent flying backward.
Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
Jiraiya's physical strength had clearly doubled.
That alone proved Sage Mode truly was extraordinary.
But while Hiruzen was pleasantly surprised—
Jiraiya felt as though stormy seas were churning inside him.
Even after the enormous boost from Sage Mode...
His strength still couldn't surpass Sensei's?
Gritting his teeth, Jiraiya poured every ounce of strength he had into the fight.
No matter what—
He had grown stronger.
Senjutsu: Frog Kumite!
Hiruzen neither dodged nor retreated.
He simply raised an arm to intercept, his forearm striking the precise point where Jiraiya's punch generated force before smoothly rotating his wrist to lock Jiraiya's elbow.
This time, Jiraiya reacted in time.
Using the enhanced agility granted by senjutsu, he redirected the force and swept out with a kick powerful enough to shatter the ground beneath it.
Hiruzen immediately leapt into the air.
As he descended, he drove a knee straight toward Jiraiya's shoulder and neck.
Jiraiya's heart sank.
There was no choice but to take it head-on.
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
Jiraiya felt his shoulder bone go numb, as though half his body had instantly lost all sensation.
At that very moment, the two sage toads shot out their long tongues infused with senjutsu chakra, barely forcing Hiruzen's offensive back.
"Your sensei..."
Fukasaku retracted his now-numb tongue and mumbled, "...feels like he's in far better physical shape than you, you brat who's been soaking himself in booze and women!"
Shima nodded in complete agreement.
"Sensei's reaction speed is just too fast..."
Jiraiya forced himself to rotate his shoulder.
"I honestly think he could even react to Minato's Flying Thunder God."
Watching Jiraiya's lips move from below the arena, Minato smiled.
He really can.
"So then, Jiraiya-chan..."
"What do you think? Time to change tactics?"
"No."
Jiraiya stubbornly shook his head.
"I think I'm finally starting to adapt to Sensei's level."
"Boss, Big Sister, give me more senjutsu chakra."
"This time, I'm going to fight Sensei using nothing but Frog Kumite from start to finish."
"With the two of you supporting me, I can make up the difference in speed."
"As long as I can match him in strength!"
Hiruzen quietly watched Jiraiya and let out a faint sigh.
He had three disciples.
Tsunade and Orochimaru had already overcome the burdens weighing on their hearts.
But Jiraiya hadn't.
Today was the perfect opportunity.
"Sage Mode really is incredible..."
Danzō narrowed his eyes.
"It gives him enough strength to trade punches with Hiruzen, and his speed doesn't fall too far behind either. The physical enhancement alone is astonishing..."
"The Curse Mark definitely has tremendous potential."
Danzō sighed.
He decided that from now on, he would stop repeatedly scrutinizing Orochimaru's project.
At least as far as the Curse Mark was concerned.
Sakumo narrowed his eyes as well.
All of a sudden, he felt that perhaps he needed to become stronger too.
He was starting to fall behind the times.
The Curse Mark.
Sage Mode.
Kekkei Genkai.
I need to figure something out...
Sakumo pondered what path would suit him best.
He'd heard that the young Uzumaki who had recently joined the village had even awakened a pair of mixed dōjutsu.
Maybe I should visit the Research Department for a full examination one of these days...
Without the strength to protect the Will of Fire, the very thought left Sakumo feeling uneasy.
It was probably just his imagination.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that Kakashi's gaze toward him just now had contained a little less admiration than before.
Hiruzen and Jiraiya clashed once again.
This time, Jiraiya maintained Sage Mode throughout the entire exchange, answering every attack with Frog Kumite.
Although he still couldn't quite keep up with Hiruzen's speed, the support provided by Shima and Fukasaku effectively turned the fight into three against one.
As a result, the battle at least appeared evenly matched.
After several exchanges—
Hiruzen stepped back slightly.
The lightning surrounding his body instantly vanished, replaced by surging white steam erupting all around him.
Boil Release Chakra Mode: Peerless Monster Strength!
The moment he heard the pressure generated by Hiruzen's fist, Jiraiya knew he was in trouble.
So this is the Power Form Minato mentioned?
There was no time to dodge.
Jiraiya gathered every ounce of strength in his body and was forced to meet Hiruzen's punch head-on.
The instant their fists collided—
A deafening explosion thundered across the arena.
A circular shockwave burst outward from the point of impact, sweeping away dust and shattered stone in every direction.
The stone beneath their feet collapsed instantly as spiderweb-like cracks raced across the entire arena floor.
Jiraiya felt an overwhelming force surge through his fist and crash directly into his chakra pathways.
Every bone in his right arm seemed to cry out in agony as every muscle tightened to its absolute limit.
His feet carved two deep trenches through the stone before he finally managed to stabilize himself with the aid of senjutsu chakra.
The hand he'd clenched into a fist trembled uncontrollably.
The skin between his thumb and index finger had already split open, crimson blood dripping steadily between his fingers.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled.
Compared to Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Boil Release Chakra Mode sacrificed both speed and durability.
But in return—
Its raw striking power increased dramatically.
That punch had essentially been a chakra-enhanced freight train.
"Ma... I feel dizzy..."
"So do I, Pa..."
Although neither of the two sage toads had taken Hiruzen's punch directly, the force transmitted through Jiraiya alone left them feeling as though their brains had been shaken into soup.
'We absolutely cannot fight Sensei with taijutsu!'
'Unless you're someone like the Third Raikage, who could wrestle Tailed Beasts barehanded, trying to fight Sensei up close is practically suicide...'
A thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind.
Wind Release.
Toad oil.
Blazing flames.
Combined with natural energy to form senjutsu.
Senjutsu: Goemon!
It was a torrent of burning oil heated to several thousand degrees.
Not only was it unimaginably hot, but it continued burning relentlessly after making contact.
Its area of effect was enormous as well.
It was the ultimate battlefield technique.
With the right opportunity, it could effortlessly wipe out multiple enemy squads at once.
"Senjutsu, huh?"
Hiruzen focused his gaze.
Compared to ordinary ninjutsu, the structure of senjutsu was indeed fundamentally different.
A faint blue-white glow appeared within his eyes.
Invisible Spirit Release chakra erupted violently inside the sea of burning oil.
That unseen force instantly pierced the very core of the senjutsu, forcibly stripping away the chakra that maintained the technique's balance.
The harmony between chakra and natural energy collapsed.
The natural energy woven throughout the burning oil immediately burst outward in every direction.
The remaining chakra descended into complete chaos within the technique.
The Wind Release framework was the first to collapse.
Originally, it had supported the torrent of oil, fueled the flames, and multiplied the technique's power severalfold.
Without the support of natural energy, it instantly degenerated from a focused gale into a mass of wild, uncontrollable turbulence.
Instead of strengthening the technique—
It became the very force tearing it apart.
The raging air currents scattered burning oil and fire in every direction.
What had once been a perfectly unified torrent split apart in an instant.
The Fire Release, no longer reinforced by natural energy, immediately reverted to its ordinary form.
The flames that had once been compressed to an extreme became thin and unstable, no longer even hot enough to visibly distort the surrounding air.
In less than a single breath,
Goemon had degenerated into nothing more than a chaotic stream of ordinary burning oil and scattered flames.
Most of the flames and burning oil dissipated within the chaotic turbulence before they could even reach Hiruzen.
The few scattered fireballs that remained landed weakly on the ground, producing nothing more than a patch of ordinary flames.
On Jiraiya's shoulders, Fukasaku and Shima's eyes widened in shock. Even the flow of chakra sustaining Sage Mode wavered slightly.
Jiraiya himself stood frozen in place, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.
He never could have imagined that his senjutsu would collapse in the blink of an eye—from a world-shattering Sage Art into a sloppy technique that even an ordinary jōnin could casually block.
'It worked...'
'The ratio of senjutsu chakra really is the key. I can't interfere with natural energy itself, but as long as I dismantle the chakra component, that's enough...'
A thought crossed Hiruzen's mind.
The blue-green glow around his eyes and mouth intensified as his Spirit Release dōjutsu locked onto Jiraiya.
Against an ordinary shinobi, the Spirit Release dōjutsu wouldn't have much effect.
The chakra inside their bodies naturally existed in a stable, attribute-neutral state.
At worst, it would only cause temporary instability.
But Jiraiya was different.
He had to maintain an exquisitely precise balance between his chakra and natural energy.
"My chakra is destabilizing!"
Jiraiya's expression stiffened.
Fukasaku and Shima were equally horrified.
They had practiced senjutsu for centuries, yet they had never experienced their chakra suddenly refusing to obey them.
Hiruzen immediately used the Summoning Technique and appeared directly in front of Jiraiya.
His hands, still glowing with blue-green light, gripped Jiraiya's shoulders.
Without a sound—
The Adamantine Staff, transformed from the Monkey King Enma, suddenly extended from the distance.
An arm split off from the staff itself, seized Fukasaku and Shima, and pulled them away from Jiraiya's shoulders.
Sage Mode was forcibly dispelled.
Jiraiya's heart lurched.
His greatest trump card...
The Sage Mode that only he among the Sannin had managed to master...
Was gone.
Among the countless geniuses of Konohagakure...
Among his brilliantly talented fellow disciples...
The one thing that had allowed him to stand tall and prove he was anything but mediocre...
Had been taken away.
But Hiruzen also withdrew from Spirit Release Mode.
He didn't activate either Boil Release Chakra Mode or Lightning Release Chakra Mode again.
Instead, he simply threw punches that were only slightly heavier than Jiraiya's own.
Whenever Jiraiya began to adjust...
Hiruzen would subtly change both the force and trajectory of his punches, steadily increasing the pressure.
"Hang in there, Jiraiya!"
Hiruzen shouted.
Jiraiya froze for a moment.
Somehow, strength welled up from somewhere deep within him.
He forced himself to keep pace with Hiruzen.
As the rhythm accelerated and each blow grew heavier...
Jiraiya gradually lost awareness of everything else.
It felt as though he had returned to his childhood, enduring Hiruzen's brutal special training.
His body moved on instinct alone.
Sheer willpower forced his hidden potential to erupt again and again.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
Eventually—
Jiraiya collapsed from exhaustion, landing flat on his back and gasping for breath.
"Sensei..."
"I guess... I'm still the dead last after all."
"Even after mastering senjutsu."
He let out a bitter laugh.
"How could that possibly be true?"
Hiruzen sat down beside him.
"How could the dead last be the one who dreams of bringing peace to the entire shinobi world?"
"That's far too great an ambition for someone ordinary."
Jiraiya stared silently at Hiruzen, bitterness filling his heart.
"You..."
"You were mischievous from the time you were little. But out of the three of you, you were always the one I worried about most."
"You're stubborn."
"But every single time you fell, you got right back up."
"Just like today."
"You pushed past your limits again and again."
"You endured wave after wave of increasing pressure."
"But no one can keep enduring forever."
"When you can't hold on anymore..."
"It's okay to lie down and rest for a while."
"Look around."
"See whether your comrades can lend you a hand."
"And then continue walking forward together."
Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"One person's strength is limited."
"Jiraiya..."
"If peace can be brought by one person alone..."
"Then it can also be taken away by one person."
"You spent so many years traveling the shinobi world searching for the Child of Prophecy."
"Whether it was Nagato..."
"Yahiko..."
"Minato..."
"Or even me, your sensei..."
"None of us can bring peace to the world by ourselves."
"The strength I possess today..."
"Exists because countless shinobi of Konohagakure each fulfilled their own role, stood united, and contributed everything they could."
"Only because of them have I possessed the courage and determination to continue growing stronger."
Hiruzen looked directly into Jiraiya's eyes.
"Peace has never been one person's epic."
"It is countless people walking forward together..."
"Passing the torch from one generation to the next."
"You've already done an excellent job."
"I'm proud that you're my disciple."
"But you are not the world's savior."
"And neither am I."
"The only ones who might truly save the shinobi world..."
"Are all of us together."
"All those who long for peace..."
"And stand united under the Will of Fire."
Jiraiya stared blankly at Hiruzen.
He was speechless.
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged a glance.
Both could clearly see the delight in the other's eyes.
As expected...
The Teacher of the Prophecy truly lived up to his name.
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