Something is wrong

It was clear that taking advantage of the snake contract obtained from the previous transaction (and as a plan B) to divert suspicion had unexpected results, but at least Jiraiya was unable to associate him as a Katsuyu contractor.

And seeing how grotesque some of Orochimaru's techniques can be, he was able to successfully confuse his Sage Arts (experimental and with temporary names subject to possible changes).

Naturally, the snakes used were the most basic from the Ryuichi Cave. Strong enough to get the job done, but dumb enough to follow orders as long as they felt he was a legitimate contractor.

So imitating some of Orochimaru's movements was easy, just throw a handful of snakes and let them squeeze.

He wasn't going to bring out a snake like Manda, which could turn against him.

"Idiot," Takara couldn't help but insult him in a flat tone.

"Ah-ha!" Jiraiya pointed again as if he had caught someone red-handed. "That tone, that expression, that insult... I knew it, you're an exact reflection of your father!"

Only Orochimaru knew that operation and knew how to insult him like that!

What memories, good times...

Takara realized that even though he had lowered his impressions of Jiraiya beforehand in most aspects except for the fight, his evaluations should still be lowered even more.

"But that raises a critical question," Jiraiya put on a serious expression as he rubbed his chin. "Who is your mother?"

Takara almost wanted to tell him that he was born after Orochimaru and Tsunade had a drunken night together, but he held back. Mentioning Tsunade now couldn't be the best idea.

"Seal Technique: Five Flames Barrier!"

A barrier of five interconnected reddish walls sprouted and sealed both the ground and the sky, catching Takara and Jiraiya by surprise. Takara had a grim expression as he looked at the surviving jonin who gloated over their situation.

"Indeed, you wasted time on purpose to trap me."

Jiraiya stopped acting humorously and looked at Takara seriously.

"Even if you're the son of my former comrade, I won't let go of the matter that you killed Konoha ninjas," he said as he clasped his hands together and gathered chakra. "I'll take you back to the village, and after questioning, I'll personally supervise your rehabilitation."

Just after recovering Naruto from Otogakure, after all, now he would have to watch over not only his godson but also his newly discovered "nephew."

"Do you think you can catch me alive?" Takara taunted.

"It's not a belief, kid, I will."

Killing Orochimaru's son?

Never! That would escalate the situation to an extremely dangerous level.

Jiraiya didn't know how much Orochimaru appreciated his son, but just because of the Ryuichi Cave contract, he knew that he wouldn't abandon him. In a way, he could act as bait for the snake.

He also couldn't deny that he felt some pity for the boy, what it must have been like to grow up with Orochimaru busy in his laboratory every day, exposed to atrocious experiments at such a young age...

Jiraiya's imagination just ran wild with a story full of drama, pain, and tears.

Takara, on the other hand, felt that Jiraiya's gaze wasn't quite right, but he didn't ignore the fact that he was still gathering chakra and seemed to be gaining time.

"Does he want to summon the old toad couple?" he thought as he played along as if he wasn't aware of his actions and let time pass.

It was logical to imagine that he wanted to face one Sage Mode with another, but the move was going to backfire, as the goal was never to win the fight.

"Summoning Technique!"

After the smoke screen, a white-haired toad appeared on Jiraiya's right shoulder, and a female toad appeared on his left shoulder.

"Again?" the old toad looked around dismayed.

"Young Jiraiya, why do you always have the habit of calling us when it's time to eat? The delicious food I worked so hard to prepare will get cold!" complained the female toad.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Jiraiya apologized as he rubbed the back of his head. "The situation warrants that I needed you to lend me a hand."

"Hmm?"

Only then did they both realize the barrier and Takara's presence.

"An unknown sage? Hey, Ma, doesn't that seem strange to you?"

"Pa, what's so weird about it?" the female toad dismissed. "There's always a handful every generation, and it was about time for another one to appear."

"He's Orochimaru's son, I have to catch him no matter what," Jiraiya went back into serious mode and gave them a quick summary of the situation.

"Orochimaru?" Pa blinked confused and examined Takara more closely, sensing the way the other party used senjutsu chakra. "But... he doesn't seem like the Sage Mode of those disgusting snakes."

"Pa's right, the feeling is completely different."

This severely confused the Sannin.

"Eh? No, no, it definitely has to be the Sage Mode of the Ryuichi Cave," Jiraiya pointed to the snakes that killed several ninjas. "Look! There's no doubt, he even uses some of Orochimaru's techniques."

The toad duo saw it and only became more confused.

Indeed, they could recognize the snakes they faced almost every day, but that made everything even stranger.

Does a contractor of those disgusting snakes practice a Sage Mode different from theirs?

It made no sense!

As for the possibility of it being Katsuyu's Sage Mode, it didn't even cross their minds. She's just an old, huge insect, she's food, how could she even have a proper Sage Mode?

The toads simply couldn't take Katsuyu seriously.

But still, Pa felt that something was wrong. Orochimaru's son just stood there, listening to them without interrupting or taking actions like surprise attacks...

"No!" he suddenly understood why he felt that way. "Young Jiraiya, what you've caught is just a clone!"

"A clone? Impossible!" Jiraiya denied incredulously. "When could he...?"

And then he realized.

The kid used the moment he was underground to make a clone with senjutsu chakra and secretly escape!

"Indeed, as expected from Orochimaru's son!"