Chapter 53: Chapter 53: A Kick for Jiraiya
By the river, Kaito assessed the young Sannin standing on the opposite bank one by one, information about them surfacing in his mind.
On the left was the tall, white-haired idiot, Jiraiya—a man who spent his life chasing a prophecy, a mere tool. His greatest achievement was training three students who became stronger than him.
In the center stood the Princess of Konoha, the master of medical ninjutsu, Tsunade, her blonde hair tied in two ponytails. But she was most famous for the awe-inspiring number: 106.
On the right was the pale-faced biochemical madman, the master of physical modification, Orochimaru—the most creative and imaginative high-end talent in the ninja world.
Among them, Kaito was naturally most interested in Orochimaru. However, he had not yet embarked on the bright path of science and was currently just a rather cold Konoha jonin. Next was Jiraiya; with his simple mind, he would be the easiest to win over to Kaito's cause and the most likely to offer help. As for Tsunade, her status as a medical ninja was more appealing to him. Kaito hadn't forgotten his promise to find an outstanding medical ninja to be Koso's teacher.
'That's it, that's her.' Kaito took an extra-long look at the youthful, invincible version of Tsunade before retracting his gaze, his expression growing serious.
At this point, they had not yet fought Hanzō and had not yet made their legendary name in the ninja world, but that didn't mean they weren't strong. Even the Kaito who had grown for two years wouldn't dare guarantee a win, so he had to be incredibly careful.
While Extreme Speed gave him a considerable advantage, it also consumed a lot of energy and couldn't be used indefinitely. He would have to rely more on skill.
While Kaito was thinking, the three Sannin were also contemplating how to deal with him.
"Orochimaru, you're the smart one. Have you figured out how to limit his speed?" Jiraiya asked.
"To burst out with such high speed in an instant must require a massive amount of energy. I don't believe a half-grown kid like him can sustain it." Orochimaru's sharp eyes were as venomous as ever, seeing through the drawback of Kaito's Extreme Speed at a glance.
"So, as long as we drag this into a battle of attrition, he'll eventually run out of steam. After all, there are three of us," Tsunade added.
"Hey, hey, hey, are you guys really planning to gang up on him? I feel like that's so embarrassing," Jiraiya said, clapping his hands together. "How about this? We'll go one at a time. That way, we can also prevent him from escaping."
"Isn't fighting a kid in succession even more embarrassing?"
"Ah, is it? Whatever, it's all for the mission."
Having made up his mind, Jiraiya took it upon himself to go first, while Tsunade and Orochimaru stood on either side, watching Kaito like hawks.
"Kaito, let me be your first opponent!" Jiraiya extended his right hand, palm open, and introduced himself. "My name is Jiraiya, the man destined to become a great hero of the ninja world!"
"Hmm, one at a time? So that's your plan?" Kaito shrugged nonchalantly. "That's fine by me. This way, you can accept your defeat more gracefully."
"Make me accept defeat? No one in the ninja world has ever been able to do that! Take this!" Jiraiya shouted, throwing a handful of shuriken he already had in his hand toward Kaito. "Shuriken: Dance of the Heavenly Maiden Jutsu!"
'All flair, no skill,' Kaito thought, easily sidestepping the attack. Jiraiya had already closed the distance, his tough white hair whipping around and suddenly extending to wrap around Kaito's body.
"Hahaha, didn't expect that, did you? This is my Wild Lion's Mane Technique! Now you can't escape," Jiraiya said triumphantly.
"Heh, I can't believe it's over so quickly. We overestimated him," Tsunade said, crossing her arms, her chest looking even more magnificent.
"Not necessarily." Orochimaru saw no trace of panic on Kaito's face.
As expected, Kaito gave a grin. "This hair is quite beautiful. What a pity."
"?" Just as Jiraiya was feeling confused, he saw blazing red flames erupt from Kaito's body. The flames quickly spread along his hair toward him.
"Impossible! How did he form the hand seals?!" Jiraiya was shocked and hurriedly retracted his hair. He had no time to mourn his singed locks, because Kaito, now wreathed in flames, was already in front of him, his arms crossed.
Flare Blitz plus Cross Chop!
Poof!
Jiraiya burst into a cloud of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone? When?" Kaito couldn't help but click his tongue. That was the annoying thing about fighting ninja; they always had ways to avoid damage. 'Looks like I need to master that technique as soon as possible.'
"It must have been when he threw the shuriken," Tsunade said with a laugh. "He used the shuriken to draw your attention, then used the Substitution Jutsu to replace his real body with a Shadow Clone."
"Jiraiya is always full of surprises, isn't he?" Orochimaru looked at Kaito. "I'm more interested in the Fire Release he just used. It was probably a no-seal jutsu."
"A no-seal Fire Release jutsu? Could it be a Kekkei Genkai? Speaking of which, his chakra color is golden. I've never seen chakra like that before," Tsunade said in surprise. "Well, the ninja world is a big place. It's not strange that there are Kekkei Genkai we don't know about."
"Mm." Orochimaru's interest in Kaito grew even stronger.
While the two of them chatted, Kaito stood in the clearing, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings, but he still couldn't find Jiraiya.
A light drizzle began to fall again, dampening everyone's hair and clothes.
Kaito was very patient. Seeing that Jiraiya wasn't coming out, he simply closed his eyes and used his ears, nose, and skin to perceive everything around him.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet trembled, and two arms burst out from the earth, trying to grab his legs. But Kaito, as if he had already sensed it, lashed out with his foot first.
BOOM!
The ground instantly cracked, and Jiraiya once again dissolved into a cloud of smoke.
"Hahaha, I'm over here!" Jiraiya shot out from the forest behind Kaito, his cheeks puffed out as he spewed a massive fireball, even more powerful than before. "Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
As the flames billowed, a figure emerged from the side, rushing toward Jiraiya at an incredible speed. A foot engulfed in flames slammed viciously into his body.
Blaze Kick!
Jiraiya's mouth flew open in pain, his features contorting. He was kicked like a rubber ball, sent flying for dozens of meters before he finally skidded to a halt.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade ran over, worried. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Seeing his goddess approach, Jiraiya immediately sat up, patted out the flames on his clothes, and forced a smile. "I really thought I was going to get him that time."
"You idiot, you were too slow," Tsunade said. After a quick check to confirm it was only a minor injury, she stood up and walked toward Kaito.
"Next, I'll be your opponent!"
"Tsunade, be careful! That kid's strength is nothing to scoff at!" Jiraiya shouted from behind her.
"You're still alive and kicking, and you call his strength 'nothing to scoff at'?" Tsunade scoffed, cracking her knuckles as she looked at Kaito. "You'd better run fast in a minute. Otherwise, you'll die."
"..." Kaito shrugged. "We'll see about that."
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