While Takara would prefer to avoid the fight due to his current shortage of puppets, it didn't mean he was completely dependent on them since he could operate in Sage Mode and use the Tenseigan.
At this point, he didn't even need to disguise himself.
"Wild Lion's Mane!"
Jiraiya's hair stretched out with the strength of countless steel wires, trying to catch Takara off guard. Unfortunately for him, his opponent simply levitated out of the reach of his hair.
"Tch, it was already complicated facing the old man from Iwa, but now another flying ninja had to show up," Jiraiya complained, beginning to understand why the boy believed Suna would stand up for him.
How rare is the ability to fly at will in the ninja world?
Instead of retracting his hair, Jiraiya clapped and switched to a similar technique.
"Needle Jizo!"
Projectiles made from his own hair shot out at high speed, aiming to neutralize Takara with countless needles all over his body. It's not a sensation everyone can endure, and under his care, it wouldn't be lethal unless done deliberately.
Takara placed his forearm across his chest, his hand clenched into a fist, and a circular chakra shield materialized in front of him, effortlessly blocking the incoming attack.
While defending against the sannin's assault, Takara considered simply flying away and returning in a few days, but knowing how persistently annoying Jiraiya could be, it might be necessary to teach him a lesson to gain enough time to search for Kokuo's egg.
Takara repositioned himself above Jiraiya and extended his hand.
"Summoning Technique!"
Jiraiya's expression when he saw his target summon a giant Katsuyu, even larger than he had ever seen Tsunade use, right above him, was as fleeting as the time it took for her to fall on him with all her weight.
The sound of breaking bones told Takara he had hit the mark, or it could be the sound of some rocks splitting due to the size of the summoned Katsuyu.
After all, he had summoned one-fifth of her actual size, twice what Sakura and Tsunade could summon together during the final battle.
He wasn't short of chakra after his recent acquisitions, so he directly called in a heavyweight. The dizziness wasn't as severe this time; he was getting used to using large amounts of chakra.
Too bad he still didn't dare to summon the full-sized Katsuyu for fear of giving Jiraiya an opportunity to act while he recovered.
Katsuyu looked around, confused.
To call such a large clone of herself, there should be a battle.
Where was the danger?
And what was that feeling of satisfaction, as if she had just crushed something that had been annoying her for a long time?
"Takara-sama, weren't you on your way south?" Katsuyu asked in her soft voice, wanting to know why she had been summoned.
"I encountered a stalker, so I need to teach him a lesson so he leaves me alone," Takara explained, happy that Katsuyu was sensible enough not to mention the objective of his journey.
"Stalker?" Katsuyu immediately associated that word with a ninja with a metal forehead protector bearing the word "oil," who had a habit of infringing on the privacy of women's hot springs.
She had a hunch.
"You!" Jiraiya broke through the ground, emerging disheveled and covered in dirt. "What's your relationship with Tsunade?!"
Indeed, she heard a familiar voice.
"Isn't it obvious?" Takara gestured to himself from top to bottom with his hand.
Jiraiya suddenly felt enlightened!
The real reason Tsunade had to leave Konoha years ago...
Was it because she was pregnant and didn't want to have the baby in Konoha?
Why she moved from place to place...
It wasn't because of casinos and debts, but to mislead the observers?
And the boy, did he cover himself in bandages so no one could notice his secret parentage?
Wait, something was wrong.
Why would the child of the last Senju wear the Sunagakure headband?
Why wasn't he aware of the boy's existence?
Maybe… did Tsunade believe he would tell sensei and thus hid it from him?
More importantly, who was the father?!
Orochimaru has a child and Tsunade has another, was he the only single dog still preserving his chastity?
Masaka! Were they actually siblings?
Then, the parents would be...
No, no, that has to be wrong.
"Oh, so it's really Lord Jiraiya," Katsuyu looked at Tsunade's former companion, somewhat uncomfortable with the look he was giving her.
"Katsuyu, can you tell me who he is?" the sannin asked, pointing at Takara with his index finger, hoping to get an answer that would clear the fog of confusion.
"He is Tsunade-sama's heir."
Since Tsunade disappeared and Takara was the next contractor she got, from her perspective, it wasn't a problem to say he inherited from her.
In fact, she had some of Tsunade's things in the Shikkotsu Forest; maybe later she should ask Takara if he was interested. Although most were sealed liquors and ninjutsu scrolls, she believed there might be something useful for her current contractor.
She was sure Tsunade wouldn't mind helping her junior.
Katsuyu's response shattered all of Jiraiya's mental defenses, and he fell to his knees with his hands on the ground, feeling the world was dark and malevolent for pure-hearted guys like him.
Suddenly, he lost the fighting spirit and only wanted to go to the red-light district to make up for lost time in his youth.
Takara looked at the old man, bewildered, not knowing what he was thinking. Were they no longer fighting?