When Sarutobi Hiruzen heard that Jiraiya wanted to challenge Fox, he frowned.
"Jiraiya, Fox just returned from the Land of Wind. He developed an important spy for Konoha and solved a major problem for the village.
What you should be doing is completing missions that can change the course of the war, just like Fox—not standing here trying to prove who's stronger.
A challenge? A duel? Do you think you're still in the Ninja Academy?"
Seeing Jiraiya's confidence, Yako said, "Hokage-sama, I'm very interested in the inheritance of the sacred land of Mount Myōboku. This is a good chance to test which is stronger—the great toads of Mount Myōboku, or Wood Release."
Orochimaru also said, "Hiruzen-sensei, let Jiraiya try. Let him give up properly."
Hiruzen looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade glanced at Fox, then looked at Jiraiya with clear disgust. She said nothing.
Hiruzen sighed.
Why did all three of his disciples still have so many problems even at their age?
Look at Hatake Sakumo's disciple, Namikaze Minato. He was practically the ideal student. If only Minato had been his disciple—or even his grand-disciple.
Minato's strength was rising quickly, and he had even learned the forbidden technique, Flying Thunder God.
Fox had said Minato possessed talent for space-time ninjutsu, and according to the principle of orderly inheritance for forbidden techniques, he had reported it to the Hokage Tower. Thus, Flying Thunder God had been passed to Minato.
Once Minato became fully proficient with Flying Thunder God, who knew how far he would grow?
During several mission reports, Hiruzen had personally assessed Minato. Minato's mindset could only be described as perfect—everything he did placed Konoha first.
The group vanished with Body Flicker and left Konoha.
Whether it was Jiraiya's giant toads or Fox's Wood Release, neither could be properly unleashed inside the village.
When the Barrier Team detected several people leaving Konoha, they immediately reported to their captain, Yamanaka Inoen.
Inoen had only just left the Barrier Team and was preparing to head to the Hokage Tower when he encountered Black Ant, an ANBU squad captain.
"Clan Head Inoen, the people who left the village are the Hokage, the Sannin, and Commander Fox. The Hokage asked me to inform you so you wouldn't worry."
Yamanaka Inoen sighed.
These powerful people really were too reckless.
Hiruzen's group arrived at a valley outside the village.
This was where the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki trained. The ground was covered in deep craters.
Jiraiya scanned the place, unsure what had happened here before.
He ignored it, formed hand signs, and slapped the ground.
Poof!
After the white smoke cleared, Gamabunta appeared in the valley, pipe clenched in his mouth.
Gamabunta lowered his head and saw Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.
"Yo. Haven't seen you lot in a long time. What are you doing?" Gamabunta exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "Hokage, are you trying to remold Jiraiya from scratch? Isn't it a bit late? He's already in his thirties."
Jiraiya's wooden sandals stomped against Gamabunta's head with sharp clacks.
"Bunta! Your opponent is that ANBU over there! Not them!"
Gamabunta turned toward the ANBU opposite him and thought for a moment.
"I've seen this ANBU before. Back when you were training those three orphans in the Land of Rain, Konoha's ANBU interrupted you later. Those ANBU were commanded by this Fox, weren't they?"
Jiraiya's expression turned serious.
"Bunta, this isn't ordinary training or sparring. This involves the knot in my heart."
He turned to glance at Tsunade, only to see her arms folded across her chest, showing not the slightest worry for Fox.
"Go all out, Bunta!"
Gamabunta moved extremely fast. He drew the forty-meter short blade from his back, leaped up, and brought it down in a heavy slash.
But two wooden hands burst from the ground.
Clap!
The wooden hands caught the blade barehanded, trapping Gamabunta's short sword between their palms.
"Hm?"
Gamabunta's voice rumbled like thunder.
"This kind of strength... is this the legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage?"
Jiraiya had been away too long. Gamabunta had never seen Fox's Wood Release before.
Gamabunta immediately pulled his short blade back and jumped away. While in midair, he used ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Gunshot!"
A water sphere as large as a mountain smashed toward Fox.
Yako murmured, "Let me think. What counters Water Release again...? Oh, Earth Release.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall."
A wall of earth dozens of meters high rose in front of Yako.
The wall, wider at the base and narrower at the top, blocked Water Release: Gunshot.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed in the distance.
Fox's Earth-Style Wall was unusual. It looked like a dam, with five supporting pillars behind it.
Was it this precise structural design that strengthened the wall?
Orochimaru immediately shook his head.
No.
The shape of the Earth-Style Wall was important, but what truly mattered was Fox's chakra.
He had used an ordinary Earth Release technique to block Gamabunta's Gunshot.
Gamabunta landed with a crash, flattening dozens of meters of trees beneath him.
"Jiraiya, he's strong. Too strong."
"I know he's strong. So buy me some time."
"Hm? Don't tell me you're going to..."
Jiraiya jumped down from Gamabunta's head, pressed his hands together, and sat atop a tree trunk.
Gamabunta extended his tongue and licked the surrounding air.
"The natural energy is restless... Jiraiya, you're using senjutsu in a spar against a Konoha ANBU?
What exactly did that ANBU do to you?"
Gamabunta leaped again, charging toward the Konoha ANBU.
But what met him was a Wood Dragon.
The Wood Dragon erupted from the earth and wrapped around Gamabunta's waist. His chakra began draining rapidly.
"Damn it! I forgot the legends say Wood Release can absorb chakra!"
Yako said to Gamabunta, "Be quiet. Don't disturb Jiraiya while he gathers natural energy."
Gamabunta froze.
So this really was just a spar.
The Konoha ANBU was actually complaining that he was too noisy and disturbing Jiraiya.
Everyone waited for Jiraiya.
Gamabunta sat at one side of the valley, occasionally drawing from his pipe and exhaling thick smoke.
In a true life-or-death battle, who would ever give Jiraiya this much preparation time?
Half an hour later, Jiraiya's aura changed drastically.
After a burst of white smoke, Jiraiya slowly walked out.
More voices joined him.
"Little Jiraiya! What are you doing? I just started stewing beetles! Beetle shells are hard to stew soft!"
"Ma, don't rush. Jiraiya may have encountered a troublesome enemy."
As they emerged from the smoke, Fukasaku Sage first looked at his son, Bunta, and then saw Sarutobi Hiruzen beside him.
"What's going on? Is Sarutobi Hiruzen testing Jiraiya's training results from the past few years?"
Shima Sage said impatiently, "You summoned the two of us just to test your strength? Isn't that a little childish?"
Jiraiya said seriously, "Honored Sages, this is not Hiruzen-sensei's examination. It's a kind of verification."
"Verification of what?"
"Verification..." Jiraiya said, "that the Child of Prophecy may already have appeared. His strength is so great that I suspect he already has the power to change the shinobi world."