In an instant, the forest filled with mist. "What!" Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, "That's the Hidden Mist Technique! Isn't that a technique from Kirigakure in the Land of Water? How do you know it?"
Tōshirō smiled and replied, "The Uchiha clan's Sharingan has the ability to copy ninjutsu. In our family, we have a wealth of ninjutsu techniques, and something of this level is easy for me to learn."
Honestly, if he weren't afraid of revealing the Sharingan's ability, Tōshirō would have considered copying ninjutsu and selling it for money.
In the original story, the Sand Village was so poor that they sold their ninjutsu techniques, indirectly showing how valuable ninjutsu really is.
While Jiraiya cursed at the unfairness of the situation, the mist grew thicker, making visibility nearly impossible. Tsunade and Orochimaru leaped onto the trees to observe the battle.
"I can't wait until the mist fills the area completely. I need to defeat Tōshirō now," Jiraiya decided, commanding his shadow clones to attack Tōshirō while preparing to execute a new technique himself.
If the mist fully enveloped the area, Jiraiya wouldn't be able to see his target, and the clones would become useless, all while maintaining them would drain his chakra.
In this situation, Tōshirō could use the Hidden Mist Technique to wear Jiraiya down. If Jiraiya canceled his shadow clones, all the chakra he had used would be wasted.
Facing the approaching clones, Tōshirō temporarily retreated before disappearing into the mist.
Shortly after, the entire area was engulfed in fog.
Jiraiya and his clones couldn't locate Tōshirō, leaving them no choice but to wait.
In this standoff, neither Tōshirō nor Jiraiya could see the other, making it a contest of who had more chakra to outlast the other.
"Damn Tōshirō! I didn't expect him to resort to such a cheap tactic."
Jiraiya cursed again, knowing that maintaining multiple shadow clones consumed a lot of chakra. If things continued like this, he wouldn't be able to keep up with Tōshirō.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he called out, "Tōshirō, if we keep this up, neither of us will win. How about you stop using the Hidden Mist Technique, and I'll cancel my shadow clones?"
A voice came from within the mist: "Fine, but you stop first."
"How cautious," Jiraiya muttered to himself as he formed seals, and Tōshirō heard the sound of the shadow clone technique being canceled. Naturally, Tōshirō would keep his word and dispel the Hidden Mist Technique.
The mist began to fade gradually, and as visibility improved, Jiraiya noticed a shadow in the distance. A cunning thought crossed his mind, and he decided to exploit the situation. Suddenly, his body turned into white smoke.
"Head-Hunter Jutsu!"
Using this technique, the user launches a surprise attack from underground. Jiraiya imagined that Tōshirō would think Jiraiya had canceled his clones, but when he realized the area was empty, panic would set in. At that moment, Jiraiya would launch his attack.
As Jiraiya had expected, when Tōshirō stood in place, a hand suddenly emerged from the ground, pulling Kōji beneath the earth, leaving only his head exposed.
Jiraiya looked down at the trapped Tōshirō with disdain, recalling how the Third Hokage had defeated him using this exact technique in the past. He couldn't believe he had managed to use it on someone else today.
"Times are changing!"
Jiraiya burst into loud laughter.
Suddenly, there was the sound of an explosion.
Jiraiya: ???
The buried Tōshirō vanished into white smoke, leaving behind a soft rectangular object.
Upon closer inspection, Jiraiya realized the rectangular object was a pillow...
"A Substitution Jutsu!"
At the moment Tōshirō was about to be attacked, he replaced his body with the pillow using the Substitution Jutsu, allowing him to escape.
Jiraiya realized he had fallen into a trap.
His eyes widened as he sensed a shadow approaching from behind him, and it was Tōshirō.
Jiraiya braced himself for an attack but misjudged Tōshirō's method of attack.
Tōshirō rushed toward Jiraiya with lightning speed, lifting his entire body in a powerful strike.
"Uchiha's Special Throwing Move!"
"Let go of me!" Jiraiya cried out as he tried to free himself from Tōshirō's grip, noticing another shadow forming hand seals.
"This…?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened at the incredible sight. The clone he had thought was just a shadow was actually forming hand seals, something that required high skill.
"Impossible!"
It should be the real body, but if that's the case, why was the shadow clone behind him executing the hand seals?
It's not that shadow clones couldn't use seals, but for a shadow clone to perform hand seals was an advanced skill. How could Tōshirō, so young, be this proficient?
Furthermore, the end of the seals was the 'Tiger' seal, and given Tōshirō's family background, this could only mean one thing — a fire jutsu.
"My big brother, do you really have to take this so seriously?"
"Didn't you say you wouldn't use offensive ninjutsu?"
"Even Tsunade and Orochimaru noticed something strange. What was Tōshirō trying to do? Had he lost his mind and planned to use a fire technique to burn Jiraiya to death?"
Tsunade and Orochimaru realized something was wrong. It seemed that Tōshirō had lost his senses and was about to use a Fire Release jutsu to burn Jiraiya.
"Stop, Tōshirō!" they tried to halt him, but it was too late.
Like an arrow that had left the bow, there was no stopping him. He said, "The ultimate taijutsu technique of the Uchiha clan: One Thousand Years of Death!"
"No, don't come near!" Jiraiya screamed.
Boom!
Jiraiya:…....
Orochimaru:…....
Tsunade:….
A strange silence filled the air, as if a crow had flown overhead.
Moments later, a loud shriek echoed through the area like the cry of a pig being slaughtered.
"Aaaah—!" Jiraiya screamed after being struck by Tōshirō's devastating taijutsu, lying on the ground trembling, his face frozen in shock.
Tōshirō smiled, relaxed, brushing his hair out of his eyes, and said with a grin, "That was really a tough battle."
Luckily for Tōshirō, Jiraiya wasn't proficient in Wind Release, or the fight would've been much harder.
While this technique had little damage, it was an enormous humiliation, even for someone as tough-skinned as Jiraiya. Now, Jiraiya was furious, vowing to get his revenge on Tōshirō, declaring they would never reconcile.
As for Tsunade, who had been watching from the tree, she wondered what would've happened if she had faced Tōshirō instead of Jiraiya. The mere thought made her shiver...
She jumped down from the tree, standing beside Jiraiya, and said with disgust, "I've never seen a more despicable combat technique in my life."
Tōshirō gave her a nonchalant look and shrugged, "Whether it's a fair fight or a dirty one, the important thing is that it works. Combat isn't about honor, it's about survival."
Tsunade, furious, threatened him, "If you ever dare use that technique on me, I'll kill you."
Tōshirō raised his hands in surrender, saying, "Even though my technique isn't honorable… I do have my principles. For instance, I'd never use it on women. I have other techniques for that."
(￣_￣): "Other techniques?"
(ー`′ー): "And why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm just looking at… trash."
"Pft!"
Jiraiya screamed, "Tōshirō, let's fight again!"
Tōshirō replied, "Another time, I'm tired now."
Tōshirō wasn't dumb. With Jiraiya's personality, he would definitely try to use the same technique against him for revenge.
Jiraiya clenched his fist in anger and yelled, "Next time, I'll make you feel the pain I felt!"
Orochimaru, who had been observing, began to grasp Tōshirō's power and said, "Tōshirō, I think your strength is enough to become a Chūnin. Would you like to participate in the Chūnin Exams?"
Tōshirō immediately refused, "I'm not interested in becoming just another tool of war. The only reason I train is to gain the strength I need to protect myself in this chaotic world."
Jiraiya didn't understand and asked, "But the war is over, where's the chaos going to come from?"
Tōshirō laughed at Jiraiya's naivety, "Agreements between nations are just like toilet paper. You never know when someone will throw it in the trash."
Tsunade, recalling her ancestors' dream, spoke with determination, "One day, I will end this chaotic world, and I'll fulfill the dream my grandfather left unfinished."
Tōshirō clapped encouragingly: "I wish you the best of luck. I'm confident you'll become a great Hokage in the future."
Tsunade lifted her head proudly and said, "I don't need your approval for that."
Tōshirō paused for a moment before speaking, "I have a question for you."
Tsunade, puzzled, asked, "What is it?"
Tōshirō asked her, "What is your chakra nature?"
Tsunade, after recalling the results of her chakra test, answered, "Earth and water."
"Just as I thought..." Tōshirō whispered.
"What?"
"Kekkei Genkai."
"Kekkei Genkai?"
"You always talk about wanting to awaken Mokuton (Wood Release), which your grandfather used, right?"
"Yes, and what's wrong with that?"
"Then you should focus on training earth and water techniques."
In the original timeline, Tsunade was never able to awaken the Mokuton technique, perhaps due to lacking the necessary talent.
Now, Tōshirō intended to guide her towards training earth and water techniques, hoping she could achieve what she hadn't before.
Even though she didn't have the full bloodline for the Mokuton technique, being a descendant of the Senju clan might slightly increase her chances of success.
Tōshirō's goal was to help increase her strength, so she wouldn't have to rely solely on her physical power in combat. Additionally, he wanted to exchange insights with her regarding the development of Kekkei Genkai techniques.
(End of Chapter)
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