After making up his mind, Ryūjin continued his patrol duties in the village as usual, showing no hint of his real intentions.
In truth, he had already dispatched a Ninja Crow to circle above the outskirts of Konohagakure, carefully monitoring the movements of Jiraiya.
Although Jiraiya often behaved like a carefree and unreliable man, Ryūjin knew that when something truly mattered, the legendary Sannin never treated it lightly.
Sure enough, Jiraiya did not linger in the village for long. After leaving the Hokage Office, he immediately headed toward the village gates without even stopping for a drink of water.
Ryūjin wasted no time either.
He left a shadow clone inside the village to maintain appearances while his real body quietly followed Jiraiya from a distance.
This mission was not particularly urgent, so Jiraiya did not rush forward using the Body Flicker Technique. Instead, he traveled casually, almost like a tourist wandering through the countryside.
He walked leisurely, admired the scenery, and even made time to relax at a hot spring along the way.
Naturally, his so called "research" continued as usual.
Sometimes he would remain in certain places for hours, observing and collecting what he proudly called inspiration.
Ryūjin watched all of this with a blank expression.
Alright. He officially took back what he had said about Jiraiya being reliable.
"At this pace, who knows how many days it will take that old man just to leave the Land of Fire," Ryūjin muttered with irritation.
In the end, he had no choice but to temporarily return.
However, he still left the Ninja Crow behind to keep watch over Jiraiya's movements.
It was not until the afternoon of the third day that Jiraiya finally crossed the border of the Land of Fire and entered a remote and barren wilderness.
Flap. Flap.
The Ninja Crow circled the area once before flying away.
At that moment, space nearby suddenly twisted.
A spiraling vortex appeared in midair, and Ryūjin stepped out from within it using the power of Kamui.
"Transformation Jutsu."
Poof.
With a puff of smoke, Ryūjin altered his appearance completely.
Immediately afterward, he used the Body Flicker Technique and chased after Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, who had been strolling along the road in a relaxed mood, suddenly stopped.
As one of the legendary Sannin, his senses were extremely sharp. Since Ryūjin had not intentionally hidden his presence, Jiraiya detected him from a considerable distance.
Several swift movements later, Ryūjin landed directly in front of him, blocking the path ahead.
"You shameless bastard, where do you think you're going?"
Ryūjin shouted angrily, his voice filled with fury as if he carried a deep personal grudge.
"I'm here to settle the score today."
Jiraiya blinked in confusion.
He studied Ryūjin carefully for a moment, but the disguised stranger did not resemble anyone he recognized.
"Sir, I don't believe we've met before," Jiraiya said cautiously. "Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"
"Mistaken you?" Ryūjin spat.
"Jiraiya, you're exactly the man I'm looking for. How could I possibly be wrong? You dared to flirt with my wife and turn me into a laughingstock. Today I'm going to kill you."
Jiraiya froze.
Cold sweat slowly formed on his forehead.
"Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding," he replied awkwardly. "I am a man of principles. I would never do something like that."
"Stop pretending!" Ryūjin roared.
"I saw it with my own eyes. You kissed my wife's cheek behind my back and even grabbed her backside. How do you expect me to tolerate that?"
His tone carried unmistakable killing intent.
Without waiting any longer, Ryūjin suddenly flipped his hand and drew out a giant shuriken.
With a sharp motion, he hurled it forward.
The weapon instantly split apart midair, transforming into countless copies that rained down toward Jiraiya from every direction.
Jiraiya's expression changed slightly.
His hands formed seals in a blur before he slammed both palms onto the ground.
"Earth Release, Earth Style Wall."
Rumble.
A thick wall of earth surged upward from the ground in front of him, forming an instant barrier.
The storm of shuriken crashed against the wall with sharp metallic sounds.
Once the attack ended, Jiraiya leapt out from behind the earthen defense.
His playful demeanor had vanished. In its place was the serious expression of a veteran shinobi.
He stared at Ryūjin with narrowed eyes.
"This technique," Jiraiya said slowly, "was created by my teacher. How are you able to use it?"
Ryūjin snorted.
"I have a nickname, Copy Master. Any ninjutsu I witness can be replicated."
"I saw Hiruzen Sarutobi use this technique once, and I learned it."
Of course, it was complete nonsense.
Jiraiya's eyes hardened.
"Enough lies. Tell me the truth. Who are you, and what is your objective?"
"If you manage to beat me," Ryūjin replied casually, "you'll find out."
His tone was openly provocative.
The reason Ryūjin intercepted Jiraiya was simple.
First, he needed to prevent Jiraiya from meeting Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Second, he wanted to force Jiraiya into summoning a toad from Mount Myōboku.
Once that happened, Ryūjin intended to secretly place a Flying Thunder God seal on the summoned toad, allowing him to infiltrate Mount Myōboku later and complete a sign in.
Because of that, this battle with Jiraiya was unavoidable.
More importantly, he needed to push Jiraiya far enough to make summoning necessary.
"Fine," Jiraiya replied with a cold snort.
"Once I beat you, you'll talk."
Without hesitation, he launched forward using taijutsu.
In an instant, he closed the distance.
Ryūjin's eyes narrowed slightly.
So fast.
Jiraiya truly deserved his reputation as one of the Legendary Sannin. Judging from taijutsu alone, he was far more experienced than Ryūjin.
A swirling sphere of chakra suddenly formed in Jiraiya's hand.
"Rasengan."
Ryūjin's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Oh, that one? I know it too."
An identical sphere of spinning chakra appeared in his right hand.
The sight made Jiraiya's eyes widen in disbelief.
"How is that possible?"
His expression grew even more serious as he thrust the Rasengan forward.
Ryūjin raised his own Rasengan as if preparing for a direct clash.
However, just as the two attacks were about to collide, Ryūjin's body suddenly shifted slightly.
His form became intangible as he activated Kamui's phasing ability.
Jiraiya's attack passed straight through him.
"Nani?"
Caught completely off guard, Jiraiya's momentum carried him forward.
His back was suddenly exposed.
Ryūjin had already turned around, seizing the perfect opportunity.
The Rasengan in his hand drove forward toward Jiraiya's back.
But Jiraiya was no ordinary ninja.
At the critical moment, the Rasengan in his hand dissipated as he quickly brought his palms together.
"Ninja Art, Needle Jizo."
Instantly, Jiraiya's long white hair surged outward, wrapping around his body like a defensive shell.
In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into something resembling a spiked hedgehog, completely shielding himself from the incoming attack.
---