As the Fourth Hokage's teacher, Jiraiya's understanding of the Flying Thunder God Technique even surpassed that of the Third Hokage.
The most important point is to never engage in close-quarters combat with a ninja who knows the Flying Thunder God Technique, because you never know when they might leave a mark on you.
Once that mark is in place, the only outcome waiting for you is death.
To dodge Ethan's attack, Jiraiya's movements became a bit clumsy. He hunched over and darted sideways, then rolled to regain his footing. However, the move was quite unsightly and somewhat tarnished his image as one of the Three Sannin.
"Hahaha, Ero-sennin, you look so pathetic!"
"..."
Jiraiya happened to dodge in the direction where Kakashi was standing, ending up crouching in front of him. He turned his head to look at Kakashi, who was clearly enjoying the scene, and felt his old face flush with embarrassment.
"The old man actually let him learn this kind of jutsu? Who exactly is this kid?"
"A genius."
"A genius?"
Jiraiya never thought of himself as a genius, but he had seen many. Whether it was his classmate Orochimaru, his student the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, or even Kakashi standing beside him, all of them were called geniuses.
Ethan, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique at such a young age, was clearly worthy of that title. And that Uchiha kid over there, who awakened the Sharingan early, was also a genius.
"I didn't expect Konoha to have so many outstanding young people again."
At this moment, his expression resembled that of his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, when watching the Chunin Exam preliminaries.
"Jiraiya-sama, if you underestimate these brats, you'll end up suffering."
"Hahaha, I already realized that."
Jiraiya, now back on his feet, straightened his expression. He was ready to test just how capable these young people were.
"Come, let me see your strength!"
Before he finished speaking, the sound of something slicing through the air reached his ears. He immediately sensed that the opponent had used a weapon this time.
"Already here!"
Ethan didn't rely solely on the Flying Thunder God Technique. At close range, he could also use the Body Flicker Technique to achieve a similar teleportation effect.
He held a newly purchased short sword in his hand. The sharp blade slashed directly at Jiraiya's neck, but failed to cause any damage.
"Earth Style?"
Among the Three Sannin, Jiraiya was proficient in both taijutsu and ninjutsu. He could instantly activate a technique like hardening, but to precisely reinforce only a small area to block Ethan's attack required a level of control that ordinary ninjas couldn't achieve.
"My turn now!"
Jiraiya had been attacked multiple times by Ethan. Although he admired Ethan's strength, being on the defensive the entire time was indeed a little embarrassing. If he didn't show something, these juniors really would look down on him.
Unfortunately, just as he was about to make a move, Sasuke's Great Fireball Technique came blasting toward him.
"..."
Jiraiya was growing frustrated from the wave of surprise attacks. Every time he tried to counterattack, Ethan would precisely use the Body Flicker Technique or the Flying Thunder God Technique to disrupt him.
Since they were in Konoha's training ground, he couldn't unleash large-scale destructive ninjutsu, so the situation had reached a stalemate.
Until Sasuke saw an opening and released the Chidori, piercing straight into Jiraiya's body...
"Tsk!"
The moment his attack landed too smoothly, Sasuke felt something was off. When the Jiraiya in front of him turned into a pile of mud, he quickly withdrew his hand and prepared for the next move.
"Ugh!"
Although he hadn't used the Chidori during his previous spar with Ethan, his Sharingan had consumed a significant amount of chakra. After fighting for a while and using multiple ninjutsu, then finally releasing the Chidori he had just learned, Sasuke's chakra was nearly depleted.
"Talented, but lacking actual combat experience."
Only realizing his chakra was about to run out when it was nearly gone was a classic sign of insufficient combat experience. However, for someone who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy and had little mission experience, it wasn't surprising.
In comparison...
"Is this kid really a rookie?"
Up to this point, Ethan hadn't used any large-scale ninjutsu. While Jiraiya didn't know how much chakra Ethan had, it was obvious the kid still had plenty of energy.
His taijutsu and ninjutsu were both above average, and his control over the rhythm of combat was excellent. It was hard to believe this was a genin trained during peacetime. Even genin who had experienced multiple battles in the war years, or even some chunin, didn't have this level of strength.
Ethan glanced at Sakura, who was trying her best to interfere but had little effect before exhausting her chakra. Then he looked at Sasuke, who was clearly frustrated, and finally shifted his gaze to Jiraiya.
"It's turned into a one-on-one."
"Oh? You still want to continue?"
Jiraiya had been handling things with ease. Aside from the initial awkward dodge, he quickly showed the power of a Sannin, giving the younger generation a real sense of the gap in strength.
He thought that after realizing the disparity, Ethan would give up on continuing the fight.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was indeed troublesome, but as someone who understood the technique better than anyone else, Jiraiya had ample experience dealing with it.
Combined with his overwhelming advantage in chakra reserves, physical strength, and ninjutsu power, once the fight entered his rhythm, even the Flying Thunder God Technique wouldn't be enough to threaten him. He saw no reason to keep going.
"After all, it's not easy to find someone who can help me refine that jutsu."
"That jutsu?"
Jiraiya was a little curious. What kind of jutsu did Ethan still have up his sleeve? But Kakashi immediately guessed what Ethan was planning to use next.
"Wait, Ethan!"
That jutsu was too disruptive. If used, it would definitely attract attention. With the current situation in Konoha and countless spies hiding in the shadows, now was not the time to expose that Ethan had mastered such a technique.
Even though Kakashi understood why Ethan dared to use that jutsu in front of Jiraiya, he still decided to stop the sparring match.
Due to Kakashi's sudden interruption, the spar ended without a clear result. Jiraiya was still puzzled, while Sasuke and Naruto were both extremely curious about the jutsu Ethan had mastered. Based on Kakashi's reaction, it had to be something incredible.
Even Jiraiya was very intrigued, but since Kakashi had stopped the fight, there had to be a reason. So, he didn't push the issue. Instead, he waited until the day's training ended before asking Kakashi about it privately.
Kakashi didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked toward a large tree nearby. Jiraiya followed his gaze, looked at the tree, then looked back at Kakashi.
Seeing Kakashi remain silent, Jiraiya thought for a moment and came to a conclusion that left him stunned.
"You mean..."
"Cough, I didn't say anything."
"..."
He hadn't said anything, but the implication was clear. If anyone else had asked, Kakashi wouldn't have revealed a word.
Jiraiya stood there silently for a long while, digesting the information.
"So that's it. No wonder the old man taught him the Flying Thunder God Technique."
This information was far too important. If it leaked out before Ethan had grown strong enough, he would be targeted by countless assassination attempts.
Some would come from other villages. Others might even come from inside Konoha.
Learning the Flying Thunder God Technique was already enough to boost his self-preservation. But just mastering that alone was enough to make many people wary.
"Oh man, I didn't expect such a person to appear in Konoha during my absence."
"Even if I'd stayed in Konoha, I wouldn't have imagined someone like him would emerge."
The two Konoha elites suddenly felt a sense of being left behind. But as veterans with a strong sense of duty, they immediately recognized their mission—to protect these young people until they fully matured.
Ethan had not yet drawn too much attention. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had enough means to protect himself.
By comparison, Naruto was currently in the most dangerous position, having already become a target of the Akatsuki.
Besides giving Naruto close protection, Jiraiya was also trying every possible method to improve his strength.
Unlike the original story where they trained separately, this time, Team 7 was together. Both Naruto and Sasuke could see each other's progress directly, which motivated them to push themselves harder.
After more than half a month, Naruto had already learned to use some basic Wind Release techniques effectively and could coordinate with his Shadow Clones in actual combat.
With Naruto and Ethan as sparring partners, Sasuke not only improved quickly but also gained a significant amount of real battle experience.
Meanwhile, although Sakura seemed somewhat overlooked, staying with the group still had its benefits. Jiraiya gave her appropriate guidance, which was more than enough for her to digest for the time being.
In addition, due to her excellent chakra control, Jiraiya had already suggested that she start learning medical ninjutsu. She might begin walking the path of a medical ninja earlier than expected.
Under these circumstances, the third stage of the Chunin Exams was approaching. That also meant Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan was about to begin.
And Ethan would soon have another opportunity... to stir up trouble.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)