The future great sage, while similarly passionate and warm-hearted, possessed rich life experiences that allowed him to see through the complexities of the world and understand human nature with great depth.
Although many things might displease him, he wouldn't comment excessively.
If it were that future Jiraiya, he would have already understood the answer and would never come to question Ryuji over it.
After all, it was war. Killing was normal.
If I don't kill you, I'll be killed.
Such a simple principle, no one could fail to understand it.
And this Jiraiya before him... he understood too. But not yet having seen the full spectrum of human experience, he still harbored naive illusions in his heart, resembling Naruto in many ways.
He knew why Ryuji did it, but couldn't accept the reality, his heart filled with dissatisfaction.
His question to Ryuji wasn't why he killed Nagato and the others, but why he waged war.
He knew war was unavoidable, but influenced by the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, he firmly believed there was a way to achieve peace.
He himself didn't know how to bring about peace, so he pinned his hopes on the Child of Prophecy.
Now, that Child of Prophecy he placed his hopes in was dead.
So, he came to question Ryuji, hoping for a different answer, hoping to find a glimmer of hope for peace within that different answer.
But what different answer could Ryuji possibly have?
If Jiraiya asked him whether the world could achieve true peace, his answer would always be impossible.
His understanding might differ from others in the Shinobi World, but the conclusion would be the same.
Jiraiya at this stage wouldn't understand.
In the end, unable to provide an answer he could accept, they would still end up fighting due to the grief of losing his disciples.
Since the result would be the same anyway, there was no need to waste words.
Hearing this response, Jiraiya froze for a moment, then snapped back to reality, his eyes filled with unconcealed disappointment.
Though he never truly expected to get the answer he wanted, merely asking out of a sliver of hope.
But actually receiving the answer still brought disappointment.
"I understand."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, his gaze calm as he stared at Ryuji. "In that case, you will bear the full wrath of an unworthy master who has lost his disciples!"
With that, he clasped his hands together, his chest expanding.
[Fire Release: Flame Bullet!]
Blazing flames spewed from his mouth, expanding instantly to engulf the area where Ryuji and the others stood.
"Ryuji-sama!"
Kana and other Sunagakure's Shinobi who had just rushed out happened to witness this scene and couldn't help but shout.
"No need for alarm."
Ryuji's steady voice came from within the flames, accompanied by a hissing sound and billowing steam.
Within the fire, moisture from the air gathered, forming a wave that surged back against the flames, charging toward Jiraiya.
"Jump!"
Jiraiya commanded. The giant toad beneath him bent its legs, springing dozens of meters into the air like a coiled spring.
"Use oil!"
Jiraiya ordered again, simultaneously forming hand seals. [Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!]
Even more intense flames erupted from his mouth. The toad simultaneously spewed a large amount of oil. The two met mid-air, the flames instantly expanding, burning thicker and fiercer. The area within a dozen meters was engulfed in intense fire, terrifying heat illuminating the sky and rapidly heating the air.
This was fire that even water would struggle to extinguish.
But...
"Utterly meaningless!"
Ryuji stepped forward calmly, spreading his hands toward the flames, absorbing them completely.
—Chakra Absorption.
He had now also learned this technique he once developed, using it for the first time against a fire technique mixed with oil.
"He can absorb Chakra!?"
Jiraiya's expression changed. He immediately commanded, "Then use physical attacks! Crush him like this!"
The giant toad spread its limbs, falling from the sky, then immediately bounced, slamming down toward Ryuji.
Ryuji remained calm, pressing his palms together. [Earth Release: Fang Forest!]
Thud! Thud! Thud!!!
Dense clusters of stone pillars and spikes erupted from the ground, pointing toward the toad.
Jiraiya's heart leaped. He quickly canceled the summoning technique.
The giant toad vanished in a puff of smoke, avoiding being skewered. But Jiraiya, carried by momentum, crashed toward the stone forest.
Unfazed, he clasped his hands, forming a seal.
[Wild Lion's Mane Technique!]
His wild white hair suddenly grew, lengthening over ten meters instantly, wrapping around a distant tree and yanking him toward it.
Whoosh!
Air whistled sharply. Ryuji pursued from behind.
Jiraiya laughed, his hair releasing the tree and retracting, covering his body like porcupine quills. The outward-facing tips stood erect, gleaming with a metallic coldness. A single glance made one instinctively recoil, fearing to collide with them.
But Ryuji showed no fear. His fist, clad in super combat life-fiber gloves, clenched and shot toward Jiraiya's head.
Clang!
A metallic clang echoed as the fist struck the hair spikes, sparks flying. The immense force crushed the spikes, striking Jiraiya's face through the hardened hair, sending him flying.
Thud! Thud! Thud!!!
His tumbling body bounced several times on the ground before he stabilized his balance. On the final bounce, he pushed off the ground, leaping up.
His gaze fixed on Ryuji, growing unprecedentedly grave.
He was a traditional-style Shinobi, skilled in various elemental Ninjutsu. His usual combat style relied on coordinating Ninjutsu and summoning technique to produce immense destructive power against enemies.
But Ryuji's ability to absorb Chakra first sealed most of his Ninjutsu.
Second, Ryuji was also proficient in different elemental techniques and had vast Chakra Reserve, giving him an advantage against large summonings.
He was practically the natural counter to Jiraiya's type of Shinobi.
However...
"The debt for my disciples must be repaid. Even if Nagato and the others died in the merciless nature of war, with the perpetrator right before my eyes, how can I, their teacher, stand idly by?"
Though finding the situation difficult, Jiraiya didn't lose heart in the slightest.
He took a deep breath and charged fiercely toward Ryuji.
If Ninjutsu and summoning were ineffective, he'd rely on Taijutsu.
Though Taijutsu wasn't his forte, it was now the only path to victory. Even if it wasn't his area of expertise, he had to give it his all.
Seeing Jiraiya charge, Ryuji couldn't help but smile slightly, then met him head-on.
Boom!
Their fists collided mid-air, the force roughly equal.
After testing and roughly gauging each other's strength, they held nothing back. Fists and feet flew wildly toward each other.
To be honest, while Jiraiya wasn't specialized in Taijutsu, his skill wasn't poor. Compared to his Ninjutsu expertise, his Taijutsu might be slightly weaker, but it was still top-tier.
The two shifted and dodged in the open space before the mansion, exchanging blows in a Taijutsu exchange that would make ordinary Shinobi tremble with fear.