Chapter 70 – The Evaluation
Taichi's breath came in short bursts, his chest heaving, but his face was glowing with excitement. This—this kind of battle where he could unleash his full strength—was the kind of fight he truly lived for.
"Jiraiya-sensei!" he shouted, eyes shining. "I'm going all out this time!"
"Oh?" Jiraiya grinned, cracking his knuckles. "You sound pretty confident, brat. In that case… I'll get serious too."
His grin deepened, the gleam of battle reflected in his eyes.
Taichi smirked, then drove his short blade into the ground beside him. His hands blurred into a series of seals.
"Fire Style – Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Thirty-six blazing fireballs erupted from his mouth in quick succession, streaking through the air like shooting stars. They formed into a three-layered pattern, converging from multiple angles toward Jiraiya.
"Not bad," Jiraiya murmured, watching calmly as the fireballs spiraled toward him. But when he noticed their erratic, constantly shifting flight paths, his expression sharpened.
He's still controlling them midair…?
That was something only a handful of shinobi could manage. Most ninja released a jutsu and let it follow its natural course—but Taichi was still manipulating each orb individually.
Jiraiya's hands clapped together. "Earth Style – Earth Flow Wall!"
With a rumble, a thick earthen wall rose up, blocking the barrage of incoming flames.
Taichi's eyes narrowed. "As expected."
He instantly formed another seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Two puffs of smoke erupted—one clone darted left, the other right. Without a word, both circled around the sides of the wall.
"Wind Style – Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Style – Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Wind and fire fused behind the wall—fire feeding on wind, wind driving the flames—creating a roaring inferno that tore through the entire structure.
The explosion shattered the wall and engulfed everything behind it in blinding heat.
But Taichi didn't relax. He knew Jiraiya wasn't the kind of man to be taken down so easily. This wasn't an attack meant to defeat his teacher—it was to show him just how far he'd come.
A tremor rippled beneath his feet.
"Not good—!"
He leapt instinctively, just as a massive hand burst from the ground, grasping for his ankle.
Taichi twisted midair, slashing downward—
CRACK!
The "Jiraiya" that emerged from the earth shattered into dirt and smoke—it was a shadow clone.
The ground behind him exploded a second time. This time, the real Jiraiya rose from the dust, forming hand seals in one smooth motion.
"Fire Style – Giant Flame Bomb!"
A massive fireball—larger than Taichi himself—shot straight toward him.
Too close. No time to counter with ninjutsu.
Taichi gritted his teeth and poured his remaining chakra into his blade. Wind-natured chakra surged along its edge—not as a cutting current, but a tight vortex of compressed air.
He slashed downward.
FWOOOM!
The blade sliced through the fireball cleanly, splitting it in two. The roaring flames curved outward, spinning harmlessly past him.
Taichi blinked, stunned. That move had been pure instinct—and it worked. Though his hair was singed from the blast, he'd just done something few ninja could dream of: he'd cut a jutsu apart.
On the other side of the field, Jiraiya's eyes widened.
He actually split my flame bomb... with a sword?
His grin returned, wide and wolfish. "Heh. Impressive. Then let's see how you handle this one!"
"Fire Style – Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
This time, an enormous dragon-shaped inferno roared toward Taichi.
Taichi steadied his breath. He could tell Jiraiya wasn't attacking to harm him—it was a deliberate test. That thought steadied his nerves.
He refocused, guiding the flow of wind chakra along his blade—not spinning, but flowing outward evenly from the edge like a stream. It devoured chakra faster, but gave him better control and cutting power.
The fiery dragon surged closer—
And Taichi met it head-on.
SHHHHK!
His sword cleaved through the blaze, splitting the dragon's head in two. Searing flames washed around him but couldn't touch him—repelled by the swirling barrier of air.
Still, he had to keep slashing. The moment he stopped, the flames would close in and consume him.
Jiraiya watched from the other side, genuinely impressed. He really pulled it off…
But the test wasn't over. With a grin, he dashed forward.
The real fight began.
Taichi barely had time to react before Jiraiya was upon him—his movements sharp and overwhelming. Even unarmed, the older man's sheer speed and power left Taichi on the defensive.
Every punch, every kick carried precision and weight. Taichi parried where he could, ducked where he couldn't, but the pressure only grew heavier.
After several exchanges, a heavy fist caught him square in the ribs. The impact stole his breath—and from that moment, it was all over.
Blow after blow rained down until Taichi lay sprawled on the ground, battered and gasping.
Jiraiya's final punch stopped just short of his forehead.
Taichi blinked up at him, then gave a weak, crooked smile. "Sensei… you definitely did that on purpose."
Rubbing his bruised face, he added, "No—seriously, you meant to hit me that hard."
Jiraiya forced a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hahaha—what are you talking about, brat? You're imagining things!"
He reached out a hand and hauled the boy upright.
The two of them sat down on the grass, facing the river as the wind carried away the lingering scent of smoke.
"Taichi," Jiraiya said after a moment, his tone turning serious, "do you know what your biggest problem in battle is?"
Taichi exhaled, shaking his head. "Not really… I haven't had enough real combat. Most of my fights so far were either against weak opponents or won with strategy. I've never truly gone all-out like this."
Jiraiya nodded slowly, eyes thoughtful. "Then it's time you start learning what a real fight feels like."
He smiled faintly, the kind of smile only a veteran warrior could wear. "Because from now on… every battle you face might be one that decides life and death."
"Your swordsmanship, taijutsu, and ninjutsu," Jiraiya began, "each one, on its own, is exceptional. In fact, if we judged you by any single skill alone, you'd already be on par with most jōnin."
Taichi's eyes lit up slightly, but Jiraiya's next words cut that pride short.
"But your biggest problem," he continued, "is that your abilities don't complement each other. Your transitions between styles are too rigid. When you fight with your blade, you can't perform jutsu; when you perform ninjutsu, you literally stab your sword into the ground so you can form hand seals. That's a huge waste of time and opportunity."
Taichi nodded slowly. He had felt that himself during training—that sense of broken rhythm, that lack of flow between his movements.
Jiraiya went on, tone patient but sharp. "Another issue—you know too few jutsu. You don't need to master everything, but you do need a wide range of techniques. A true ninja must be adaptable. You never know what kind of enemy or situation you'll face."
He crossed his arms and sighed. "To be fair, these aren't problems unique to you. Most ninja struggle with them. But your strength has already surpassed the average. If you don't address these weaknesses now, they'll only hold you back later."
Taichi lowered his head slightly. "So… what should I do, Jiraiya-sensei?" he asked humbly.
"Ordinary shinobi usually specialize," Jiraiya explained. "They pick a single path—ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu—and focus on that to reach mastery. But you're different, kid. You've got the rare talent to grow in all directions."
He raised a finger. "So here's my advice. First—learn to perform one-handed seals. And if, by some miracle, you can invent seal-less ninjutsu, even better."
"Second—start earning more merit through missions. Then use your achievements to exchange for new jutsu from the village archives."
Seeing Taichi still listening intently, Jiraiya chuckled. "One-handed seals, I can teach you the theory behind them, but you'll have to practice on your own. Everyone's chakra control is different. As for seal-less ninjutsu…" He shrugged with a grin. "Don't get your hopes up. Even I can't do that."
Taichi smiled wryly. "Understood, Sensei."
Jiraiya leaned back against a boulder and continued, "And before you ask why I'm not teaching you new jutsu myself—village rules. Any jutsu you learn from Konoha's library can't be passed on to others unless it's your own creation or something you've acquired independently. That's just how it is."
Taichi nodded again. "I get it, Sensei. I really do."
"Good."
For the next half hour, Jiraiya began explaining the fundamentals of one-handed seals—the flow of chakra through uneven mudra, how to anchor control with focused breathing, and how to compensate for imbalance through finger movement.
Taichi listened intently, committing every word to memory. His mind replayed the motions, adjusting and simulating the flow of chakra again and again.
When Jiraiya finally stood up, stretching lazily, the sun had already begun to dip toward the horizon.
"That's enough for today," he said with a grin. "We've eaten, sparred, and you've been properly beaten up. My job here's done."
He waved casually as he turned to leave.
"Ah—Jiraiya-sensei!" Taichi called out. "So you were hitting me on purpose!"
Jiraiya laughed over his shoulder, raising a hand in mock salute. "You're imagining things, brat!"
Taichi could only sigh as he watched the tall figure of the Sannin disappear down the dirt path.
Then, with a faint smile, he flopped back onto the ground, gazing up at the endless blue sky. The breeze brushed over his bruises, stinging yet strangely comforting.
The spar still replayed vividly in his mind—the clash of chakra, the roar of flame, and that single strike where his blade split a fireball in two.
That moment. That feeling.
If he could perfect that technique… it would become a weapon of terrifying surprise.
Resolved, Taichi pushed himself up, brushing off the dust.
"Let's see if I can recreate that again," he muttered, gripping his short blade.
He closed his eyes, channeling wind-natured chakra into the steel. The air around the weapon began to stir, faint at first, then gradually swirling faster and faster.
He focused on the subtle shifts of pressure, the rhythm of the air currents—testing, adjusting, shaping them.
A soft hum began to fill the clearing.
[You are practicing chakra control. Insight +100]
[Skill: Chakra Control +100]
[Skill: Wind Nature Transformation +100]
[You have gained understanding: Advanced Kenjutsu +200]
Notifications echoed within his consciousness, but Taichi didn't stop.
His breathing deepened. His senses sharpened. The blade in his hand began to sing—a thin, rising whistle as wind wrapped around it, dancing in invisible spirals tinged faintly with blue light.
And then, pushing himself further, Taichi poured all his chakra into the weapon.
The air howled. Dust lifted from the ground. The invisible current around the blade turned violent, bending the surrounding grass flat.
The faint blue glow deepened into a razor-thin edge of light.
Finally—
CRACK.
The sound split the air like a thunderclap.
The blade trembled in his hand, overflowing with power that even Taichi himself struggled to control.
And in that instant, he realized—
He was standing on the threshold of something entirely new.