Not long after, Akimichi Genbu gave Jiraiya his answer.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Using his shadow clone as a foothold, Genbu kicked off midair and leaped out of the Swamp of the Underworld.
"That's quite creative," Jiraiya said with interest. "Then how about this?"
Jiraiya rapidly formed hand seals."Ninjutsu — Lion's Mane Assault!"
His long hair suddenly stretched and twisted, weaving together into a gigantic mouth that lunged toward Genbu in midair.
The attack was terrifyingly fast. Before Genbu could even land, the massive maw had already reached him.
With no other choice, Genbu raised his sword to block. However, the hair-formed jaws clamped down on the blade, snapping it in half and smashing him straight into the ground.
Jiraiya flicked his long hair aside. A human-shaped crater appeared on the ground—but he did not move closer, simply standing there in silence.
Minato and Kushina watched anxiously."After taking such a heavy blow… I hope Brother Genbu is alright."
"Don't worry," Tsunade said, though her fists were tightly clenched. "Judging by Lord Jiraiya's expression, the fight isn't over yet."
Still, her worry was obvious. Her eyes were locked onto the enormous crater in the arena—the one that held her most prized disciple.
Damn Jiraiya… how can he be so ruthless?If anything happened to Genbu, Jiraiya would be sent straight to the ICU—the mental ward.
It was obvious that in less than half a year, Genbu's position in Tsunade's heart had already surpassed that of the lecherous Jiraiya.
And wasn't that only natural?
Genbu brewed her wine, cooked her meals, and took meticulous care of her. He was a once-in-a-century disciple. Meanwhile, what did Jiraiya do besides drool over her chest?
Who was more important—it was obvious.
A blood-soaked hand suddenly reached out from the crater.
Akimichi Genbu grabbed the edge and pulled himself up.
His clothes were in tatters. Blood flowed from both arms, his forehead was split open, and a hole in his right pant leg was soaked red. He was clearly badly injured.
Genbu tossed aside the broken sword and looked at Jiraiya."Lord Jiraiya… that hurt. Others use fists or legs to fight, but you—using hair—is truly… innovative."
He had never imagined he'd be smashed into the ground by a pile of hair.
When he blocked the giant mouth with his blade, an overwhelming force surged through his arms. Panic flashed through his mind.
This is bad!
He immediately activated his aura to restrain the attack—but he couldn't even spread it across his whole body, much less reinforce it completely. He could only concentrate it on the back of his head and spine to absorb the impact. His front—especially his abdomen—remained dangerously exposed.
Fortunately, he had mastered the Paper Drawing technique, allowing him to twist his body and evade most of the damage. Otherwise, his injuries would have been far worse. The inside of that massive mouth was lined with fangs and steel-like spikes.
Seeing Genbu in such a miserable state, Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly."Didn't you have a technique to enhance your defense? Why are you hurt this badly?"
"Because your attack covers the entire body. I can't coat myself completely with Haki."
"Haki, huh… Compared to Hardening techniques, each seems to have its own strengths."
Genbu didn't reply.
That's because I haven't mastered it yet.Once I perfect the Dragon King Path, I'll beat you senseless and take your surname.
"You can still fight?" Jiraiya asked. "This one's on me. I thought you could defend yourself, so I didn't hold back. Let's stop here and talk it out?"
"No need," Genbu replied calmly. "I want to experience your strange power a bit more."
Using hair as a weapon to unleash such overwhelming force was truly unique in the ninja world. While it lacked Tsunade's raw destructive power, it was faster, had longer reach, and was more than sufficient against a single opponent.
After all, who spends their days smashing mountains for fun?
"I merely took a shortcut," Jiraiya said honestly. "I'm far from mainstream. I'm nowhere near your teacher's level."
As he spoke, the bleeding on Genbu's body had already stopped—thanks to the medical ninjutsu taught to him by that beautiful girl.
Without another word, Genbu formed seals.
"Fire Release — Dragon Flame Bomb!"
A ferocious fire dragon, baring its fangs and claws, roared toward Jiraiya.
"Fire Release — Flame Bomb!""Oil Bomb!""Combination Ninjutsu — Toad Oil Flame Bomb!"
Jiraiya and the dual-blade toad that had appeared beside him unleashed a combined attack. The oil flame instantly devoured the fire dragon—but instead of striking Genbu directly, it split into two streams, forming a blazing ring around him.
Jiraiya used the ring of fire to restrict Genbu's high-speed movement.
"Toad Light, return."
"Got it!"
With that, Gamahiro dispelled the summoning and returned to Mount Myōboku.
Genbu donned insulated tactical gloves and elbow guards and leapt into the ring. Though the chakra-infused flames protected him from electricity, the limited space was still troublesome.
Just as he prepared to jump out, a heavy punch slammed into him.
"It's not too late to surrender, Genbu-kun."
In response, lightning erupted in Genbu's right hand.
"Chidori!"
Boosted by the technique, his speed surged once more as he charged straight at Jiraiya.
Within the blazing arena, the two clashed violently. Lightning and fire intertwined as afterimages overlapped in rapid succession.
...
What is an elite jōnin?
An elite jōnin is someone with no weaknesses in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu—possessing vast chakra reserves and a unique, personal secret technique.
Just like Jiraiya.
He completely suppressed Genbu in both ninjutsu and taijutsu. If not for Genbu's Razor Step—faster and more efficient than standard Body Flicker techniques—and his incredibly resilient, Haki-reinforced body… and if Jiraiya hadn't been deliberately holding back, Genbu would have already lost.
Yet even Jiraiya was astonished.
This kid is too fast.
His short-range burst speed was even faster than the Toad Body Flicker. Trying not to kill him was becoming increasingly difficult.
More than ten minutes passed.
Although Jiraiya maintained the upper hand, capturing Genbu and stealing the bell remained extremely difficult. Time was running out—losing now would be humiliating.
Jiraiya bit his finger and formed seals."Summoning Technique!"
With a loud bang, a massive toad wearing a bamboo hat and wielding a steel fork appeared beside him.
Genbu scowled."Lord Jiraiya, that's shameless—calling in reinforcements again."
"I've got no choice. You're too slippery."
"Gamaken, let's go."
"I'm clumsy… but I'll do my best."
...
Outnumbered two to one, Genbu's situation grew dire. But only thirty seconds remained.
He just needed to hold on.
At the critical moment, Gamaken's hat suddenly expanded, forcing Genbu—who had just dodged Jiraiya's wind blade—into a corner. A steel fork followed immediately.
But his leg wound split open, slowing him down.
He couldn't evade.
The fork pierced straight through him.
"Well done, Gamaken."
Jiraiya appeared in front of him in an instant."Understood."
Just as he reached for the bell—
"Vajra Seal."
A golden barrier rose between them and snapped shut, trapping Jiraiya inside.
"What?! A sealing technique? When did you learn that?!"
"Take a guess, Lord Jiraiya. Ten seconds left."
Jiraiya could break the barrier—but there wasn't enough time.
"I win," Genbu said with relief.
But the moment he relaxed—
A small purple toad suddenly snatched the bell from his waist.
The toad-sword had shrunk and stolen it unnoticed.
"You damn toad," Genbu cursed. "I thought you were honest!"
"I'm sorry, Genbu-kun," Gamaken said sincerely. "Even if I'm clumsy, I must help Jiraiya."
The toad grew large again and leapt beyond the barrier, preventing Genbu from dispelling it.
"I'll stew you alive someday."
Roaring with rage, Genbu ripped the fork from his body and chased after them.
"Well done," Jiraiya laughed.
Forming seals once more, he unleashed Lion's Mane Assault, smashing the barrier from inside. Cracks spread rapidly. Gamaken struck the weak points from outside, punching a hole through it.
The bell was tossed inside.
Jiraiya caught it.
Now the barrier trapped Genbu instead.
No matter how fast he was, he couldn't reach them.
"Hahaha—my victory," Jiraiya declared.
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