Chapter 39

Jiraiya was on the verge of going mad.

"Orochimaru, I challenge you!" he shouted, his voice full of determination.

At the Konoha training ground, Jiraiya, with his wild white hair, stood fiercely in front of Orochimaru. His face was twisted in frustration and determination, his eyes burning with the desire for a duel. Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked calm, almost indifferent.

It didn't take much for Orochimaru to piece together what had happened. Jiraiya must have seen him and Tsunade together just moments ago, with Tsunade teasing him as usual. The sight had probably triggered Jiraiya's burning need to prove himself, and here he was, demanding a fight.

Jiraiya clenched his fists. "Orochimaru, fight me like a man!" His voice was full of passion, reminiscent of their days at the Ninja Academy when he would challenge Orochimaru almost daily.

Before Orochimaru could even respond, Tsunade, who was lazily munching on a skewer, scoffed, "Jiraiya, give it a rest. With your current strength, you're no match for Orochimaru."

Tsunade's words hit Jiraiya hard, but his determination didn't waver. "I don't care! I'll fight him, no matter what!" Jiraiya's stubbornness had fully kicked in. He was in full second-year syndrome mode, shouting dramatically, "Orochimaru! Come on, let's settle this right now!"

"Idiot," Orochimaru muttered under his breath. He had no interest in humoring Jiraiya's ridiculous challenge. He knew exactly what was going on in Jiraiya's head jealousy, insecurity, and a desperate need to prove himself. But there was no point in indulging this.

"Come on, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya yelled again, determined not to let Orochimaru walk away. He stepped forward, fists raised. "Hit me! Fight me like a real ninja!"

Orochimaru sighed. He knew Jiraiya wouldn't give up unless he got what he wanted. As Jiraiya lunged at him, Orochimaru sidestepped smoothly, dodging his punch with ease. With a swift counter, Orochimaru delivered a sharp kick to Jiraiya's midsection, sending him flying backward. It was the same move he had used against Uchiha Ji before, but with Jiraiya, he held back, not intending to cause any serious harm.

Jiraiya crashed onto the ground but quickly recovered, landing on his feet with a hard slide that left a trail of dust behind him. "Damn… he's stronger than I thought." He clenched his arm, still feeling the numbing force of Orochimaru's kick.

"Give it up, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said coldly. "You're not ready for this fight."

Jiraiya's face twisted in frustration. "No way! I've been training hard these past two months! I'm not the same person I was before!"

With newfound resolve, Jiraiya quickly formed a series of hand seals. "Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

A massive stream of fire erupted from Jiraiya's mouth, a blazing inferno that shot toward Orochimaru. The sheer heat of the flames warped the air around them, and the roaring fire raced to engulf Orochimaru.

Tsunade, who had moved off to the side to watch, raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Huh, looks like Jiraiya's not holding back."

Despite the intensity of Jiraiya's attack, Tsunade remained calm, almost bored. She knew Orochimaru far too well to be worried. In fact, she was so unconcerned that she sat down on the grass to watch, as if it were a casual show.

The flames engulfed Orochimaru entirely, creating a massive wall of fire that seemed almost impenetrable. Jiraiya watched the fire rage on, but he didn't relax. He knew Orochimaru wouldn't be taken down that easily.

As the flames slowly died down, there was no sign of Orochimaru.

"Where did he go?" Jiraiya muttered, his eyes scanning the training ground.

Suddenly, his instincts kicked in. Without thinking, Jiraiya leapt forward, narrowly avoiding a sneak attack from beneath the ground. Orochimaru's figure emerged from the earth, rising out of the dirt like a phantom. He had used Earth Release to burrow underground and avoid Jiraiya's fire attack entirely.

"Earth Release?" Jiraiya frowned. Orochimaru had mastered the multi-element jutsu of their teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, long ago. He knew how dangerous Orochimaru could be with that knowledge.

"It seems I won't get any peace until I defeat you today, huh?" Orochimaru sighed, shaking his head.

"That's right!" Jiraiya grinned, biting his thumb and quickly forming seals again. "Summoning Jutsu! Orochimaru, remember this day! This is the day that I, the great and handsome Jiraiya, defeat you once and for all!"

A loud bang followed by a puff of white smoke filled the air. When the smoke cleared, a large toad stood beside Jiraiya, its face twisted into a frown of annoyance.

"Jiraiya! Why do you always summon me during my nap time?" the toad grumbled.

"Quit complaining! I need your help to defeat Orochimaru!" Jiraiya shouted back, full of confidence.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he saw Jiraiya summon a toad from Mount Myoboku. "So, you're serious about this," he murmured to himself. Without hesitation, he clasped his hands together, preparing his own summoning.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Orochimaru called out.

Another bang filled the training ground, and out of the smoke appeared a massive flower patterned python, even larger than the toad. Its scaly body shimmered in the sunlight, and it hissed ominously as it coiled itself beside Orochimaru.

Tsunade, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but laugh. "Oh great, they've both gone all out now," she said, taking another bite of her skewer.