After testing the Spirit Transformation Technique for a while, Ren dispersed the possession and returned to his own body.
The moment his consciousness settled back in place, his expression shifted slightly.
A familiar chakra had entered the town.
"This perverted aura…"
Ren looked toward the hot spring district.
Meanwhile, beside the women's bathhouse, a tall white-haired man crouched against the wall with a serious expression.
"Excellent… inspiration is overflowing today…"
Before Jiraiya could finish muttering—
BOOM!
The wall behind him exploded.
"Caught you."
Ren's cold voice sounded from the smoke.
"Jiraiya, you really never learn, do you…"
Seeing Ren attack first, Tsunade lowered the punch she had already prepared, crossing her arms as she looked ahead.
Her gaze fell on Jiraiya, whose arms were still numb from Ren's monstrous punch.
Cold sweat ran down his face.
"What?"
Karin stared at the tall, somewhat pathetic-looking man in front of them in disbelief.
"He's Jiraiya? The same Jiraiya who's one of the Three Legendary Sannin with Lady Tsunade?"
As Tsunade's disciple, she had heard countless stories about the legendary Three Sannin.
But the real Jiraiya looked nothing like the heroic figure she had imagined.
The difference was huge.
"Lord Jiraiya… I didn't expect it to be you."
Shizune had also recognized him.
Looking at the man caught red-handed, she smiled slightly.
"But secretly watching girls bathe isn't exactly good behavior."
"Wait, Tsunade—"
Before Jiraiya could finish his sentence—
Ren charged again.
"You can explain while lying down."
His body shot forward like lightning.
The speed was astonishing.
BOOM!!!
Rubble exploded into the air.
A three- or four-meter-tall building collapsed instantly.
Dust and debris filled the air.
"Is this the disciple you took in, Tsunade? That's terrifying…"
Jiraiya narrowly avoided the attack.
Looking at the massive destruction, sweat ran down his forehead.
That monstrous strength was exactly like Tsunade's.
No wonder he was her student.
"Wait a second…"
Seeing Tsunade make no move to stop the fight, Jiraiya realized something.
She clearly wanted Ren to fight him.
Curiosity about Ren's strength surfaced in his mind.
Jiraiya quickly raised his hand toward Ren, who was about to attack again.
"If we fight inside the town, the damage will be too big. Let's go outside the city!"
As soon as he said that, he turned and dashed toward the outskirts.
"Fine."
Ren had already decided to teach Jiraiya a proper lesson.
But he didn't want to destroy the town unnecessarily.
So he stopped attacking and chased after him.
"Lady Tsunade…"
Shizune looked at Tsunade.
She had a strong feeling that Jiraiya was about to suffer badly.
He might even end up bedridden for a few days.
"Come on, let's go watch."
Tsunade smiled lightly.
She was more than happy to let Ren deal with Jiraiya.
After all, that guy used to constantly brag about his brilliant disciple.
Now it was finally her turn to show off.
"Hmph… who says I can't have a genius student too?"
"I've never seen Ren fight seriously before…"
Karin's eyes sparkled with excitement.
She was extremely curious.
Jiraiya—the famous "Mad Oni" among the Three Sannin—should at least force Ren to fight seriously.
After all, she knew Tsunade was primarily a medical ninja.
Even though Tsunade was powerful, her abilities were mainly focused on medical ninjutsu.
But Jiraiya was different.
He should be a true combat specialist.
Outside the Town
On an open field beyond the city.
After confirming they were far enough away, Jiraiya stopped.
He turned around and looked at the slim young figure chasing after him.
"Chiye Ren… I've heard of you."
Jiraiya studied the boy.
The teenager looked unbelievably young, yet unbelievably handsome.
Jiraiya crossed his arms and smiled.
"Two years ago Tsunade returned to the village and accepted you as her disciple. I didn't expect that in just two years you'd already learned her monstrous strength."
Even though he hadn't returned to Konoha,
Jiraiya often encountered Leaf ninja while traveling the world.
Through casual conversations, he had learned about Tsunade suddenly returning to the village to take in a student.
He had been curious about this "young medical prodigy" ever since.
"You don't need to pretend to be friendly."
Ren looked at him indifferently.
"You should be grateful I discovered you early."
"Otherwise, today you'd be a corpse. Even the old Third Hokage wouldn't be able to save you."
"You've got quite the mouth for someone your age."
Jiraiya blushed slightly and defended himself loudly.
"You don't understand! I'm gathering research material!"
"Then go gather it in hell."
Ren had no interest in talking.
His eyes turned cold.
His right hand rose sharply.
Wood Release – Piercing Branch Technique!
"SWISH! SWISH!"
Suddenly—
countless wooden spikes burst out of his arm.
They shot forward like arrows toward Jiraiya.
Without hesitation.
"What?!"
Jiraiya's expression changed drastically.
He had expected Ren to rush in with monstrous strength again.
Instead—
"Wood Release?!"
He was completely shocked.
"Earth Release – Earth Flow Wall!"
His instincts screamed danger.
His hands rapidly formed seals.
He slammed his palm against the ground.
RUMBLE!
A thick earthen wall erupted from the ground.
BOOM! BOOM!
Rocks exploded everywhere.
Dozens of wooden spikes pierced into the wall with terrifying force.
The sight was chilling.
"CRACK—CRACK—"
At the same time—
from every spike embedded in the wall, thorny branches suddenly sprouted.
They burst through the wall one after another.
"This… this is Wood Release?! What a terrifying technique…"
Behind the wall, Jiraiya gasped.
A wooden spike shot past his cheek.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
If one of those hit him directly—
he might not die, but he'd definitely be crippled.
Clearly, the wall he created wasn't thick enough.
He had seriously underestimated both Ren and Wood Release.
"You can use Wood Release?"
Jiraiya jumped onto the wall.
He stared at Ren in disbelief.
His voice was filled with uncertainty.
"Did Tsunade conduct experiments on you or something…?"
At that moment—
Tsunade's voice came from behind.
She had arrived with Shizune, Karin, and Tonton.
"Don't misunderstand, Jiraiya. He's not some experiment."
She crossed her arms calmly.
"Ren is a descendant of the Senju clan."
"Just like the First Hokage… he possesses the Wood Release bloodline."
At Ren's current level of strength, there was no need to hide it.
Even if Konoha's leadership knew he had Wood Release, it wouldn't matter.
"A descendant of the Senju?"
Jiraiya's pupils shrank.
"I see… so that's why you returned to the village and took him away."
Now it made sense.
Tsunade hated Konoha's leadership so much that she would never return without a reason.
"So that's the real reason…"
Jiraiya looked at Ren with blazing eyes.
Although fighting a child might seem like bullying—
he couldn't help but feel excited.
"I've always wanted to see the Wood Release that once ended the Warring States era."
Jiraiya smiled.
"Come on, Chiye Ren."
"Show me what the First Hokage's power really looks like."
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