"The test begins right now!"
The moment those words were spoken, Minato and Kushina vanished from sight. One of the cardinal rules drilled into the heads of Ninja Academy students was this: when faced with an overwhelmingly superior opponent, the first thing you do is find reliable cover. Utilize the Clone Jutsu, the Substitution Jutsu, and other deceptive maneuvers. Only coordinated teamwork will allow you to overcome a stronger enemy.
Left alone in the clearing, Jiraiya leisurely pulled out the waistband of his pants and did something no one could have foreseen—he dropped the bell straight down his underwear!
At the sight of this, Shiki's eye twitched nervously.
"I thought I was a pervert, but you, sensei, have outdone even me."
"What an old pervert!" Kushina echoed from her hiding spot in the bushes.
"It's safer this way," Jiraiya replied unperturbed, as if oblivious to their indignation. He then turned to Shiki. "And why aren't you hiding?"
Shiki scratched the back of his head, adjusted his sunglasses, and lazily drawled, "Hiding? I think they actually taught us something like that at the Academy."
Jiraiya smirked and, right before Shiki's eyes, began rapidly weaving hand signs.
"Since you're so confident in yourself, I won't hold back."
Shiki pushed off the ground lightly and, in the blink of an eye, appeared dozens of meters away from his instructor.
"My apologies, but I need to take off my cloak."
He carefully laid his cloak with the word "Justice" on a nearby bench and immediately returned to the battlefield.
Jiraiya raised his eyebrows. Suddenly, his hair began to grow rapidly, making him look like a ferocious lion.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
With a thunderous roar, his wild hair instantly acquired the hardness of steel. In a flash, it shot forward like a torrential downpour, crashing down upon the retreating Shiki.
"As expected of a legendary Sannin. How truly terrifying," Shiki continued to play his part, not altering his usual tone even in such a critical situation.
The faces of Kushina and Minato, watching from their cover, went pale.
"He's just asking to get killed!" Kushina exclaimed, and despite her words, she leaped out of the bushes that very second, rushing to his aid.
Minato, however, remained in the shadows, continuing to watch the unfolding events intently. Although Shiki seemed like a frivolous slacker, Minato knew that a calculating and cautious mind hid behind that mask. Shiki would never throw himself into an attack so recklessly unless he was entirely confident in his abilities.
The rain of steel hair battered the ground, leaving deep craters in its wake. Shiki calmly observed the attack closing in from all sides, trying to gauge how much of his power Jiraiya had put into it. Ten percent? Twenty?
When the whistle of the slicing air rang out right by his ear, Shiki crossed his arms in front of his face.
"Rokushiki: Tekkai!"
Every muscle in his body instantly tensed, transforming into a monolithic shield ready to absorb the hail of blows.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The razor-sharp silver hair crashed into Shiki, but the sound it produced was like steel needles falling from a great height and striking a thick iron plate. A piercing screech of metal rang out.
Kushina, who had been rushing to help, froze dead in her tracks. There wasn't a single scratch on Shiki—only his clothes had suffered. Meanwhile, Jiraiya's steel-like hair had actually bent upon colliding with his body!
Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise, and he finally grew serious.
"My hair is as tough as steel. If he was able to block it, that means..."
The durability of Shiki's body had reached the level of steel!
Shiki himself wasn't the least bit surprised by this outcome. After all, he hadn't just inherited the basic Rokushiki techniques, but the skills of Marine Admiral Borsalino himself. And although Kizaru's primary strength lay in his Devil Fruit, to achieve the rank of Admiral, his foundational taijutsu also had to be at the highest level, surpassing the skills of the vast majority of Marines.
Deflecting Jiraiya's restrained attack was effortless. Shiki even suspected that the Sannin wouldn't be able to break through his Tekkai even if he struck with full force—at least, not with a standard attack.
Shiki dramatically patted his chest.
"As expected of a Sannin, I was almost hurt."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, mentally repeating like a mantra: He's my student. He's my student. Don't get mad. Don't get mad.
But how could he not get mad?!
"If that's how it is, I'll have to get serious."
Jiraiya wove hand signs, his cheeks puffing out like a toad's, and he exhaled forcefully:
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
The roaring flames coiled into a giant fireball, its diameter twice Shiki's height! The heat was so intense that the surrounding air distorted. Jiraiya's Flame Bullet, in its scale and destructive power, was beyond any comparison to Uchiha Hanabi's pathetic attempts. It seemed Shiki's insolent tone had managed to rile the Sannin up after all.
"Tsk, tsk, so this is the true power of a Sannin?" Shiki's face was illuminated by the reflections of the dancing flames, but even now, he couldn't resist making a comment.
The fireball rapidly approached, leaving a scorched trail across the grass in its wake. Shiki didn't hesitate and smoothly raised his leg.
"Rankyaku!"
A powerful kick sliced through the air, creating a crescent-shaped vacuum blade. It collided with the fireball and, after a second of resistance, effortlessly cleaved it in two! Just like a hot knife slicing through butter.