"Oh?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, looking at Qingshui with mild surprise.
"Are you sure you want to challenge me?"
He wasn't underestimating Qingshui.
On the contrary, after witnessing Qingshui's performance over the past few days—both on the battlefield and during training—Jiraiya had already acknowledged his strength.
Qingshui possessed combat power comparable to a jōnin.
But Jiraiya himself was different.
He was already standing at the threshold of Kage-level.
The gap between the two was not something that could be bridged with effort alone.
In the world of ninja, the higher one climbed, the more terrifying the disparity became. A small difference at the bottom could turn into an insurmountable chasm at the top.
Even if Jiraiya deliberately held back, Qingshui would almost certainly be unable to defeat him.
"That's fine," Qingshui replied calmly.
"I know I'm no match for you right now, Lord Jiraiya. But I want to see for myself just how large the gap is."
Of course—
That was only half the truth.
In reality, Qingshui had another objective.
He wanted to see if, under the condition that Jiraiya held back, he could still injure him—even slightly.
If he could do that…
And then heal him…
He would obtain his first colored orb.
Ever since discovering the system's reward hierarchy, Qingshui had been looking forward to the colored orb more than anything else. The blue orbs alone were already generous—so what kind of reward would a colored orb provide?
But despite his desire, Qingshui remained rational.
Certain things absolutely could not be exposed.
The Rinnegan, in particular, was non-negotiable.
If that secret were revealed, the consequences would spiral completely out of control.
Seeing the seriousness in Qingshui's eyes, Jiraiya stopped joking around.
"Alright," he said after a brief pause.
"I accept your challenge."
At first, Jiraiya had only been willing to teach Qingshui out of consideration for Minato.
But after spending several days together, his impression of Qingshui had improved dramatically.
Talented.
Polite.
Calm.
Hard-working.
Jiraiya genuinely liked him.
"Thank you."
Soon, the two of them stepped onto the training ground and stood facing each other.
The rain continued to fall lightly, soaking the earth beneath their feet.
"You may attack whenever you're ready," Jiraiya said casually, hands relaxed at his sides.
Qingshui said nothing.
He slowly drew his ninja blade.
Then—
Wind-nature chakra surged into it.
A faint, sharp glow formed along the blade's edge, the air itself seeming to distort slightly around it.
This was chakra nature transformation applied to weapons.
Originally, Qingshui hadn't been capable of such fine control.
But after awakening the Rinnegan, his mastery over chakra manipulation had risen to an entirely new level.
Seeing this, Jiraiya nodded inwardly.
Just this alone already surpasses some jōnin.
"Watch out," Qingshui said quietly.
Before the last syllable fully left his mouth—
He vanished.
Body Flicker Technique!
"So fast!"
Yahiko gasped involuntarily.
Even the same technique could differ drastically depending on the user.
Compared to Minato's earlier display, Qingshui's speed was on a completely different level.
Nagato's eyes narrowed.
If he placed himself in Jiraiya's position, he realized something unsettling—
Against Qingshui's current speed, he wouldn't even have time to react.
He wouldn't be able to block like he had against Minato.
He would be forced to rely on Almighty Push immediately.
Clang!
Qingshui's blade was stopped mid-swing by a kunai.
Jiraiya hadn't even changed his expression.
Naturally, he too knew how to infuse chakra into ninja tools. Otherwise, a normal kunai would have been sliced cleanly in half.
"As expected of Lord Jiraiya," Qingshui praised sincerely.
He didn't pause.
Instead, he continued his assault.
Although he hadn't yet mastered Konoha-style Willow, the sword technique taught by Kosuke—an S-rank difficulty art—his current kenjutsu had already improved drastically.
At this point, his swordsmanship alone was enough to contend with special jōnin who specialized in blades.
A flurry of strikes followed.
Fast.
Sharp.
Relentless.
For a brief moment, Jiraiya was pushed onto the defensive.
"Not only is Big Brother Qingshui a medical ninja," Yahiko said in disbelief,
"but he's strong enough to suppress Teacher Jiraiya?!"
In Yahiko's mind, Hanzō the Salamander—the so-called Demigod—was the strongest ninja in the world.
And Jiraiya, who had once fought that Demigod, was naturally among the highest tier.
Yet now—
Such a powerful figure was being pressed back.
The impact on Yahiko was enormous.
Konan, on the other hand, was simply excited.
She clenched her fists unconsciously, eyes shining as she watched Qingshui, even quietly cheering for him.
But what neither of them realized was—
Although Qingshui appeared to be suppressing Jiraiya, that was all it was.
Every single one of his attacks was blocked.
Perfectly.
Flawlessly.
Jiraiya's defense was absolute.
No matter how fierce Qingshui's offense became, not a single strike landed meaningfully.
After several exchanges without results, Qingshui retreated decisively.
He knew when to stop.
Jiraiya excelled in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and even senjutsu through Sage Mode.
But—
There was one weakness.
Genjutsu.
Jiraiya himself was not skilled in it.
When he used genjutsu, he relied on the two Great Toad Sages of Mount Myōboku.
This is my chance.
Qingshui leapt back, creating distance.
"Very good," Jiraiya commented calmly.
"Your swordsmanship is impressive."
Since this was a spar, he did not pursue.
Qingshui did not respond.
Instead, his hands flew through seals.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Three shadow clones appeared.
One clone immediately hurled a dozen shuriken, then charged forward with its blade.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Jiraiya casually knocked aside every shuriken with his own, movements relaxed yet precise.
Then—
With a single strike, he dispelled the approaching shadow clone.
But in that instant—
The other two clones completed their hand seals.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Wind fueled the flames.
The already massive fireball expanded violently, its power skyrocketing.
The rain evaporated before it could even touch the inferno.
The sheer heat distorted the air.
All four spectators gasped simultaneously.
"Big Brother Qingshui's attack is terrifying!"
Jiraiya didn't panic.
"A good combination," he said calmly,
"but still useless."
He formed seals instantly.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
His fireball collided head-on with Qingshui's wind-enhanced flames.
The resulting explosion sent a scorching shockwave outward, forcibly clearing the rain from the area.
The blast nearly knocked Yahiko and Konan off their feet.
That alone spoke volumes about the technique's power.
As the flames exploded—
The remaining two shadow clones rushed in from opposite sides.
At the same time—
Qingshui's main body activated genjutsu.
For a brief instant, Jiraiya's movements froze.
He stood still.
Caught.
The shadow clones' faces lit up with joy.
They succeeded.
Both clones struck simultaneously—
---
To be continued…
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)