"Is that Wind Release?" Genuine bewilderment was etched across Jiraiya's face. Outwardly, the attack certainly resembled a Wind Release technique. However, Shiki absolutely hadn't woven any hand seals, and to top it off, he had unleashed it with his legs! Could he have actually invented a ninjutsu that required no hand seals?
Jiraiya wasn't the only one astonished; Kushina and Minato were also frozen in shock. Despite practically spending all their time around Shiki, they had no idea when he had managed to master such an array of bizarre and powerful ninjutsu and taijutsu techniques.
Hearing his mentor's question, Shiki replied with unruffled calm, "Sensei, that's not ninjutsu. It's taijutsu."
"Taijutsu?" Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully. It was no wonder the Third Hokage had specifically asked him to pay close attention to this kid's hand-to-hand combat skills. In those days, Might Duy had not yet made a name for himself, so Konoha knew practically nothing about specialized taijutsu techniques capable of inflicting ranged damage.
"I'm attacking," Shiki warned, and in that very second, his figure materialized right behind Jiraiya.
"Decided to distract me with chatter and then land a surprise attack?" Jiraiya, a veteran of hundreds of battles, reacted with lightning speed. He spun around sharply, blocking Shiki's kick with his forearm.
A sly smirk spread across Shiki's face. "You're the teacher. It's only natural that I'd try to use a little trickery."
Jiraiya caught Shiki's leg, took a step back, and forcefully hurled him high into the air. Without wasting a single second, he rapidly wove hand seals. His shock of white hair instantly expanded, sprouting like the branches of a mighty tree, and surged toward Shiki, who was suspended in the sky. Realizing her teammate was in danger, Kushina hastily threw several shuriken. Alas, they merely bounced helplessly off Jiraiya's steel-like hair.
"As expected of a Sannin. Decided to attack me in mid-air, where I can't dodge?" Shiki didn't look frightened in the slightest. He even found the time to analyze the situation. In this world, where the ability to fly was an extreme rarity, such a tactic was indeed an excellent choice. Unfortunately for Jiraiya, Shiki's abilities did not belong to this world.
At the exact moment the lethal hair was about to completely engulf him, Shiki kicked off against thin air. As if treading on an invisible staircase, he ascended step by step, climbing higher and higher into the sky.
"How is that possible..." Jiraiya, who had seen his fair share of miracles over his lifetime, couldn't fathom where this brat was getting such incredible abilities.
"This is also part of my taijutsu, Jiraiya-sensei!" Shiki shouted from above. He was now at an altitude that Jiraiya's hair could no longer reach.
Kushina, momentarily stunned by the sight, quickly snapped back to reality. Now was not the time to marvel! Her main objective was to create an opening for Shiki to attack! Taking advantage of the fact that Jiraiya's attention was glued to the sky, she lunged forward. The ground beneath her feet caved in from the sheer force of her launch. The crushing power concentrated in her fist slammed into the Sannin's steel mane.
Boom!
The earth beneath Jiraiya's feet splintered with cracks. His silver hair instantly lost its rigidity, transforming from an impenetrable wall into a viscous quagmire that ensnared Kushina, who had poured all her strength into the strike. Jiraiya deftly manipulated his hair, swathing the girl like a mummy.
Shiki, observing the unfolding scene from his vantage point, seized the moment and aimed all ten fingers at Jiraiya.
"Shigan: Ten-Finger Bullet!"
The air at his fingertips compressed, turning into ten invisible bullets that slammed into Jiraiya's hairy shield at breakneck speed. The Sannin managed to reinforce his defense, blocking the majority of the projectiles, but one bullet still broke through, hurtling straight toward his face. Left with no other choice, Jiraiya deflected it with a kunai. The collision between the compressed air and the metal struck a shower of blinding sparks.
Shiki kicked off the air once more and vanished instantly. It was a high-level combination of the Geppo and Soru techniques. Spinning in mid-air, he brought down a devastating kick precisely into the breach opened by his air bullets.
Boom!
Multiplied by his incredible speed, this strike possessed colossal destructive power. It literally punched a massive hole through Jiraiya's steel defense. From the resulting gap, a kunai flew out, aimed right at the Sannin's face. There was no time to block—Jiraiya had to dodge sharply. The moment the kunai flew past, it transformed into a cloud of smoke with a soft poof.
And from that smoke, his golden hair gleaming, emerged Namikaze Minato! It turned out that the flying kunai was merely a disguise created using the Transformation Jutsu. Now at point-blank range, Minato swung a real kunai. It seemed the Sannin was backed into a corner and defeat was inevitable. But at that exact moment, a faint smirk played on his lips.
Minato's heart skipped a beat. Jiraiya took a step back, and the silver hair that Shiki had just scattered aside surged back like a tidal wave, swallowing Minato whole! Jiraiya had seen through their joint plan from the very beginning. He had merely been playing along, luring them into a trap! By sacrificing a portion of his hair, he broke out of their encirclement, securely binding both Kushina and Minato in return. Nevertheless, the fact that three greenhorn rookies had managed to push one of the legendary Sannin into such a position was already a reason to be proud.
"Well, kid, you're the only one left. What are you going to do?" Jiraiya asked, looking at Shiki, who had just landed.
Shiki scratched the back of his head, already preparing to raise his hands and surrender. What was the point of busting a gut just to beat Jiraiya? It wouldn't bring him any benefit. It was better to simply capitulate than to swing his fists for nothing.
But before he could even open his mouth, Kushina's head poked out from the cocoon of hair.
"Shiki! If you beat up this old pervert, I'll give you fifty thousand ryo!"
Jiraiya was taken aback for a second. And then... he saw the light.