"In that case, let's have a fight," said Senju Takuya calmly, facing the provocative Jiraiya.
"Takuya-sama, Master Jiraiya is drunk. You must not act out of anger!" a voice interjected.
"That's right, let us handle this matter. There is no need to get angry with a drunkard," added another.
"Takuya-sama, although you are very strong, Master Jiraiya is a Kage-level expert..." someone else cautioned.
Seeing Senju Takuya agreeing to Jiraiya's challenge, the gathered crowd tried to dissuade him. They believed Takuya was still too young. If he lost to Jiraiya, the Senju clan would lose face.
Sakumo and Minato also approached.
"Takuya, leave this to me," Sakumo said coldly, glaring at Jiraiya. With his strength, he wasn't afraid of Jiraiya. Besides, Jiraiya was clearly overdoing it this time.
"Jiraiya-sensei, how could you do such an outrageous thing?" Minato asked, stepping in front of his mentor. "As your disciple, I will do my best to stop you from making any more mistakes!"
"Sakumo, Minato, step aside," Senju Takuya commanded calmly. "This must be resolved by me."
He wasn't being reckless. If he knew he was weaker than Jiraiya, he wouldn't accept the challenge. Losing would be more embarrassing. But with his current strength, defeating Jiraiya would be easy. Accepting the challenge and winning was the best solution. Plus, the opportunity to fight a genuine Kage-level opponent was rare.
Reluctantly, Sakumo and Minato moved aside.
"Kid, I won't show mercy later," Jiraiya declared, surprised that Takuya accepted the challenge. Did this kid look down on him?
"I hope you can make it more fun for me," Takuya replied. "Jiraiya, come with me."
He led Jiraiya to an open practice area. The crowd followed, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Takuya-sama was impulsive. It's too late to regret now."
"Even if he didn't accept Jiraiya's challenge, no one would say anything."
"If he loses, we must comfort Takuya-sama."
"It's okay to suffer a little loss when you're young. I hope Takuya-sama learns from this."
No one thought highly of Senju Takuya. Danzō, particularly pleased, turned to Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, why don't you try to persuade him?"
"This is Takuya's decision. We must respect it," Hiruzen replied calmly.
"You're always on the moral high ground," Danzō muttered.
"Kid, are you ready?" Jiraiya asked, his pride evident. "You can make the first move."
"It's better if you take the first action," Takuya said calmly. "If I go first, you won't have a chance to."
"What an irritating guy!" Jiraiya felt underestimated. He was one of the "Legendary Sannin." This kid was too arrogant.
"Fire Style: Big Flame Bullet!" Jiraiya formed seals, spewing fire oil from his mouth, igniting it with Fire Style Ninjutsu. The power was several times that of an ordinary Flame Bullet. Fierce flames rushed toward Takuya.
Smirking, Takuya formed seals quickly. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Technique!" A huge fire dragon rushed out, colliding with the big flame bomb. With a loud noise, the scene turned into a sea of fire.
"Not bad," Jiraiya admitted, forming another seal. "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Three fire dragons roared towards Takuya from different directions.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Singing Jutsu!" Takuya responded, summoning four dragons of his own. Three intercepted Jiraiya's, while the fourth charged at Jiraiya, forcing him to dodge clumsily.
"Hateful!" Jiraiya's expression turned ugly. A new round of ninjutsu bombing began, but Takuya stood his ground, countering every attack. The training ground became a mess.
"Is Takuya-sama really that strong?" the crowd murmured in shock.
"Jiraiya didn't gain any advantage; he was suppressed."
"As expected of the Senju clan!"
"Huhuhu~~~" Jiraiya panted. "Why does this kid have so much chakra?"
This couldn't continue. His opponent was like a relentless ninjutsu machine. "Water Style: Water Dragon Bomb Technique!" Jiraiya countered Takuya's fire with water, mist covering the area. "Ninjutsu: Hair Needle Senbon!" White hairs like steel needles pierced the fog.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Takuya raised a wall, blocking the attack. "Messy Lion Hair Technique!" Jiraiya's long hair wrapped around Takuya as he launched a close combat assault.
"Interesting," Takuya said, meeting Jiraiya's attack head-on. In moments, Jiraiya was at a disadvantage. "Too slow," Takuya said, losing interest. A whip kick sent Jiraiya flying, and before he could recover, another kick followed, causing him to spit blood.
" what's going on... Jiraiya lost?"
"How can Takuya-sama be so strong?"
"Could it be that Takuya-sama is also a Kage-level expert?"
"Even a Kage-level expert can't crush Jiraiya like this."
The crowd was stunned. Takuya had completely crushed Jiraiya.
"As expected of Takuya-sama," Minato sighed. He knew Takuya was strong, but this was beyond expectations.
"My worries were unnecessary," Sakumo admitted, impressed. Even he couldn't match Takuya's speed and strength.
"Damn kid!" Jiraiya stood up, bones aching. "Never admit defeat! Summoning Technique!" He bit his finger, summoning Gamabunta.
"Jiraiya, you were beaten badly this time," Gamabunta observed.
"That's why I need your help," Jiraiya said, jumping on Gamabunta's head. "Kid, it's still time to admit defeat."
"It seems you've run out of tricks. Let's end this," Takuya said, his chakra surging. A wave of vitality emanated from him, causing many ninjas to change their expressions.
"This feeling... could it be...??" Hiruzen and Danzō exchanged worried looks.
"Wood Style:-Deep Forest Emergence!"
Takuya clapped his hands, and countless trees erupted from the ground, wrapping around Gamabunta and Jiraiya.
"Wood Style?! How can it be?!" Jiraiya exclaimed.
"Jiraiya, stop dawdling," Gamabunta slashed at the trees, but they were too strong. Unable to hold on, Gamabunta canceled the summoning. Jiraiya was wrapped tightly, his chakra rapidly draining. With a sound of bones cracking, he was thrown to the ground.
"Remember this lesson," Takuya said coldly. Necessary lessons had to be given.
As Jiraiya lay motionless, the crowd was silent. The rebirth of Wood Style overshadowed Jiraiya's defeat.
Minato was the first to react, carrying Jiraiya and using the Flying Thunder God Technique to disappear. The crowd finally came to their senses.
"Did I see correctly? Takuya-sama used Wood Style?!"
"The forest is still here. It can't be an illusion."
"Wood Style... This is Wood Style!"
"Oh my God, Konoha has Wood Style again since the First Hokage?"
"Takuya-sama's performance was incredible. Even Jiraiya couldn't resist Wood Style."
Everyone looked at Takuya like he was a monster. This was Wood Style, the powerful bloodline that calmed the Sengoku era.
"I awakened it recently, so don't be so surprised," Takuya explained lightly.
Everyone was speechless. Accidentally awakened? Such a powerful bloodline?
But complaints aside, everyone present had the same thought: They needed to stay close to Takuya.
Hiruzen and Danzō were grim-faced. The power they sought was now possessed by Takuya. Things had become complicated.
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