Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Ryūjin closed the distance, the long white hair of Jiraiya suddenly hardened and split into countless sharp strands. Each strand shot forward like a blade, aiming directly at Ryūjin.
However, Ryūjin showed no intention of retreating.
He pushed the Rasengan in his hand forward with even greater force.
The swirling sphere of chakra spun violently, forming a powerful vortex around it. Any strand of hair that approached was immediately pushed away by the turbulent energy.
Furthermore, Jiraiya had been forced to use the technique in a split second. It was enough to block, but the timing was too rushed for it to become a proper counterattack.
The hair blades had only just extended when the Rasengan had already reached them.
Boom!
A violent burst of chakra erupted.
The impact sent Jiraiya flying backward.
His body bounced across the ground several times before he finally regained his balance and landed steadily on his feet.
The majority of the Rasengan's power had been absorbed by his defensive technique, Needle Jizō. Because of that, Jiraiya did not suffer any serious injury.
Even so, his expression had completely changed.
His eyes locked onto Ryūjin, filled with both seriousness and shock.
This man had suppressed him in such a short exchange. His strength was difficult to measure.
"Fire Release, Flame Bullet!"
Without hesitation, Jiraiya formed a series of hand seals. A massive torrent of flames burst from his mouth and surged toward Ryūjin like a blazing tide.
In an instant, Ryūjin's entire field of vision was swallowed by fire.
Although Jiraiya's Fire Release could not compare to the overwhelming scale of Uchiha Madara's flames, it was still far beyond what most ninja could produce.
Ryūjin merely shrugged.
"Since when has Fire Release ever actually killed anyone?"
His tone was casual, almost dismissive.
With his current chakra reserves, fighting Jiraiya head on would be a foolish decision. Ryūjin had no intention of wasting energy unnecessarily.
Instead, he pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai and threw it forward.
Whoosh!
The kunai shot straight through the sea of flames and headed directly for Jiraiya's face.
Jiraiya frowned slightly.
He could not understand the purpose behind that throw. Did his opponent seriously believe a simple kunai could harm him?
That was impossible.
Yet just as the thought crossed his mind, his vision suddenly blurred.
A figure appeared in front of him without warning.
Ryūjin.
Jiraiya's pupils shrank.
"This is... Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Violent electricity gathered in Ryūjin's hand. The sound of chirping filled the air, sharp and piercing, as if countless birds were screaming at once.
A powerful and oppressive aura of lightning spread outward.
"That brat Kakashi's Chidori!"
Jiraiya felt a headache coming on.
The mysterious man in front of him had only used a few techniques so far, yet every single one was a signature jutsu of Konoha.
The Rasengan.
The Flying Thunder God.
Now Chidori.
Who exactly was this person?
While these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jiraiya immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and moved sideways at high speed.
Ryūjin's Chidori pierced through empty air.
"As expected of Jiraiya. You can even dodge that."
Ryūjin smiled with clear admiration.
Using the Flying Thunder God, he had appeared in front of Jiraiya almost instantly. Most ninja would not even have had time to react before being struck by the Chidori.
Yet Jiraiya had avoided it cleanly.
That level of skill truly deserved the title of one of the Legendary Three.
"It looks like I need to show a little more strength. Otherwise it will be hard to force you to summon the toads of Mount Myōboku."
Ryūjin came to a decision.
He slowly removed the sunglasses from his face.
Beneath them was a pair of crimson eyes.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Ryūjin had already planned to use Kotoamatsukami later to alter Jiraiya's memories. He would make Jiraiya believe that he had already met Yahiko and the others, and that everything they said perfectly matched the information given by Minato Namikaze.
Once that happened, the entire situation would become airtight.
Because of that plan, Ryūjin had no reason to hide his Sharingan anymore.
Jiraiya's expression changed dramatically.
"Sharingan? You're an Uchiha!"
This was something he had never expected. It also explained why the opponent could use so many powerful techniques.
Ryūjin gave a cold sneer.
"Defeat me, and I'll tell you everything. But right now, you haven't beaten me yet."
His Mangekyō turned slightly as his gaze locked onto Jiraiya.
"Kamui."
This time it was long range Kamui.
Crack!
Jiraiya's head was instantly severed.
His body collapsed to the ground as a headless corpse.
Thud.
But the moment the corpse hit the ground, a puff of smoke appeared and the body transformed into a wooden log.
Substitution Jutsu.
At the critical moment, Jiraiya had switched places with a piece of wood.
What Jiraiya did not realize was that Ryūjin had no intention of killing him. Because of that, the activation of long range Kamui had been deliberately slowed, leaving enough time for Jiraiya to react.
Otherwise, even if Jiraiya survived, he would have suffered severe injuries. A simple Substitution Jutsu would not have saved him.
Even so, cold sweat formed on Jiraiya's back.
He instinctively touched his neck.
Moments earlier, he had felt death brush past him. If his reaction had been even slightly slower, his head would have been gone.
More terrifying was the fact that he still did not know what kind of technique had almost killed him.
This opponent was far too dangerous.
"Hiding already, Jiraiya? Too scared to face me directly?"
Ryūjin deliberately spoke with an arrogant tone, looking toward the seemingly empty surroundings.
A faint voice reached his ears.
"Earth Release, Hiding Like a Mole Technique."
The ground beneath Ryūjin suddenly softened and turned into mud.
His footing collapsed instantly.
At that moment, Jiraiya burst out from the ground using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
His long white hair expanded violently like a raging waterfall. The strands shot forward and wrapped tightly around Ryūjin's body.
Everything happened in the span of a single breath.
From Ryūjin's perspective, his feet sank into the softened ground. His balance faltered, and before he could react, the mass of white hair had already bound him completely.
There was not even time to activate the Flying Thunder God.
Moreover, the hair was restraining him rather than attacking. Because of that, Ryūjin's short range Kamui did not automatically transfer his body into the Kamui dimension.
Now that his strength had grown, Ryūjin had decided to avoid using the power of the Rinnegan unless absolutely necessary. Techniques such as Shinra Tensei were not even considered.
Even so, the speed with which Jiraiya had captured him proved something clearly.
The Legendary Three truly lived up to their reputation.
They were far beyond ordinary ninja.
"Now, will you answer my questions?"
Jiraiya spoke in a serious voice as his hair tightened around Ryūjin.
To avoid the strange ability Ryūjin had used earlier, Jiraiya did not appear directly in front of him. Instead, he positioned himself beside Ryūjin.
Although the previous attack had only appeared for a brief moment, Jiraiya had already deduced that it was most likely a dōjutsu.
Because of that, he deliberately avoided standing within Ryūjin's direct line of sight.
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