Chapter 56: Tōshirō vs. Jiraiya

"What's this absurd truth you're spouting?" Jiraiya was not pleased.

Tōshirō shrugged and said, "It's been a long time since I seriously trained. You three have been under the Third Hokage's guidance for quite some time, and you're all Chūnin now. I may not be able to face you as I am, so to avoid an embarrassing defeat, it's only natural I choose a weaker opponent."

He wasn't bluffing; he genuinely felt that he might not be able to beat Jiraiya, especially without using the Sharingan.

He hadn't felt this way before, but recently, during his training under Old Man Itachi, he realized the importance of a good mentor.

It's no surprise that Indra's reincarnation, Sasuke, got beaten up badly by Rock Lee the first time they met.

No disrespect to Rock Lee, but initially, Rock Lee's ability to overcome Sasuke largely depended on having an excellent teacher.

If we talk about effort, Sasuke was likely no less dedicated than Rock Lee, who was known for his devotion.

Remember, Sasuke had lost his entire clan, and under that immense pressure, he had no choice but to train like a madman.

And with a good mentor later on, Sasuke truly started soaring, surpassing his peers significantly in just three years.

Jiraiya wasn't satisfied and said, "That's unacceptable! How dare you underestimate me? Get ready!"

....

In a small forest far from the center of Konoha, under the blue sky and white clouds, and witnessed by Orochimaru and Tsunade, Tōshirō and Jiraiya made the hand sign to begin their duel.

The last time they had done this was during their days at the ninja academy, and for a brief moment, it felt like they were back to those carefree school days.

To avoid unnecessary injuries, they agreed to fight hand-to-hand, without using any offensive Ninjutsu techniques like fire jutsu.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow and beckoned with four fingers, a gesture full of challenge: "I'm at least a Chūnin now, while you're not even a Genin anymore. I'll give you the courtesy of making the first move."

Tōshirō smiled faintly; it seemed Jiraiya had gotten cocky now.

But after thinking it over, it was natural. Jiraiya had spent the past years becoming a real ninja, unlike Tōshirō, who had been idling in school.

Now that Jiraiya had the chance to show off, how could he not take it?

With Jiraiya's challenge, Tōshirō wasn't foolish enough to charge in headfirst. He formed hand seals, and with a puff of white smoke, a figure appeared by his side.

As the smoke cleared, a young man with black hair and dark eyes appeared, a strand of hair hanging down his forehead.

He was dressed entirely in black, with the upper part resembling a kimono and his pants flowing wide down to his ankles, tied at the ends. He wore straw sandals and a sleeveless white coat. His attire had a very unique look.

(Note: For clarification, his outfit resembles that of a captain from Bleach.)

On closer inspection, it was clear that this young man bore an undeniable resemblance to Tōshirō, as if it were a version of himself.

Seeing this, the look of disdain faded from Jiraiya's face, replaced by seriousness.

Tōshirō's lazy demeanor was one thing, but his caution and prudence were another, making him a natural fit to be a ninja.

Ninjas rely on information in combat. Attacking without knowing your opponent well is reckless.

In the past, Jiraiya had been reckless, but under the guidance of the Third Hokage, he had mostly shed that bad habit and began using his brain in battle.

Is this a clone technique?

Or a Shadow Clone Technique?

These two ninja techniques may sound similar, but their effects differ significantly. The first is merely a copy without consciousness that vanishes with the first touch, turning into white smoke. The second uses chakra to create a physical clone with independent consciousness and a certain level of durability and attack capability.

When Jiraiya saw that Tōshirō summoned a clone, he deduced it was the latter.

Using the Shadow Clone Technique to test an opponent's strength is a fundamental tactic of the technique.

Jiraiya analyzed the situation this way, but what he didn't expect was that Tōshirō didn't order his clone to attack him; instead, he charged at him himself.

What's this? Not following the usual plan?

While Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, his opponent was already closing in and throwing a punch.

In that instant, Jiraiya raised his arm to block the attack and successfully deflected Tōshirō's strike.

Orochimaru, who had been watching the fight, quickly noticed Tōshirō's intent and commented, "As I expected, Tōshirō doesn't disappoint."

Tsunade added her analysis: "The Shadow Clone Technique has many advantages compared to a regular clone, but it has a fatal weakness—it consumes a lot of chakra. Tōshirō summoned the clone and left it still, making it hard for Jiraiya to determine if it's a Shadow Clone or not."

"And the significance of this clone is that it keeps Jiraiya on constant alert, expecting a sudden attack from it, which distracts him."

Orochimaru, observing closely, remarked, "Still, I didn't expect Tōshirō to keep up with Jiraiya in taijutsu like this. Even though now he's not..."

He stopped himself from finishing his thought.

Jiraiya's weakness was only apparent compared to Orochimaru and Tsunade. He had undergone strong training under the Third Hokage, which was why he was able to become a Chūnin.

After a brief exchange of blows between Tōshirō and Jiraiya, Tsunade commented, "Although Jiraiya's a fool, he's definitely going to start retaliating now."

Jiraiya's other skills may be below Orochimaru and Tsunade's, but there was one area in which he excelled over them.

Jiraiya was well aware of his strengths, and so was Tōshirō, which is why he kept up the pressure, preventing him from forming seals. But eventually, a small gap appeared, and Jiraiya seized the opportunity, forming hand signs and declaring, "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

As soon as he spoke, clouds of white smoke burst out on both sides of Jiraiya, and when they cleared, twenty clones of Jiraiya surrounded Tōshirō.

Tōshirō glanced around at the large number of Jiraiyas and smiled bitterly. This technique suited a certain ramen-loving hero.

The original among the multiple clones crossed his arms and laughed mockingly, "Tōshirō, surrender."

The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is classified as a B-rank difficulty jutsu. It was the strongest ninja technique Jiraiya had learned so far from the Third Hokage, and it was a technique only someone with a naturally large chakra reserve could perform.

Orochimaru, watching the situation, narrowed his golden eyes in thought: "Tōshirō, what will you do now? Will you perhaps..."

The best way to defeat the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is to use a large-scale offensive Ninjutsu to wipe them all out at once. This saves time and effort.

However, since this was a friendly sparring match, it wasn't recommended to use powerful offensive techniques to avoid injuries.

The other solution to defeat the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was to use taijutsu to eliminate them manually, which would be difficult for Tōshirō.

Tōshirō chuckled quietly and said, "The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, truly impressive..."

Facing the overwhelming number of enemies surrounding him, Tōshirō remained calm and began forming hand seals.

Indeed, the best way to defeat shadow clones was with wide-range Ninjutsu, but there were other ways too.

Tōshirō raised his left hand toward the sky while his right hand continued forming seals.

Orochimaru, known for his passion for studying various ninja techniques, gasped in surprise when he saw this signature move and said, "The Hidden Mist Technique!"

(End of Chapter)

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