Chapter 287: Jiraiya's Wager!
Jiraiya's thoughts on the "battle wager" were temporarily set aside.
At the Konoha camp in the Land of Hot Water.
"Lord Nara, my injuries are just about healed."
Jiraiya, who appeared to be in good health, spoke to Nara Keisuke with a booming voice.
"I wonder if Lord Nara is free today to continue our spar?"
"Jiraiya-sama, are you certain your body is truly fine?"
Nara Keisuke looked slightly suspicious, his gaze focusing on Jiraiya's chest and abdomen area.
"After all, broken ribs are no minor injury."
"It's absolutely fine!"
Jiraiya patted his ribcage, producing a dull, thudding sound.
However, the force of his first pat seemed misjudged, as the subsequent thuds were noticeably lighter.
In truth, Jiraiya's injuries were not as fully recovered as he claimed.
Even with the assistance of medical-nin like Shizune and Nohara Rin, only a few days had passed, and the ribs Jiraiya broke in the previous fight were only partially healed, not fully repaired.
Should he suffer a heavy blow in battle again, there was a high probability of the old injury relapsing.
But Jiraiya was currently shouldering the heavy responsibility of "Kirigakure Battlefield Commander."
During the few days he spent recuperating in the Land of Hot Water camp, messages continually arrived from the village urging him to return to the Land of Fire to combat Kirigakure.
Jiraiya simply couldn't stall any longer, which is why he insisted on facing Nara Keisuke while still partially injured.
Rib injuries were a very troublesome negative status for a shinobi.
However, after careful consideration, Jiraiya realized...
As long as he didn't move his body frequently during battle and only used ninjutsu, he wouldn't need to worry about his ribs!
It was only broken bones, not a chakra depletion that prevented him from molding chakra.
A minor issue.
Nara Keisuke looked at Jiraiya with a hint of confusion.
But since the man was insistent, he couldn't outright refuse.
Nara Keisuke had also heard about the "non-stop death-calls" Jiraiya, the Kirigakure Commander, had been receiving from the village recently.
He was a little concerned that the Toad Sage might leave immediately.
Nara Keisuke was still eyeing the S-Rank mission for this Sage Daoist!
"I currently don't have any pressing matters to attend to today."
Nara Keisuke first explained his own situation, then followed up with a question.
"But Jiraiya-sama, have you decided what 'stake' you will be offering?"
"Of course!"
Jiraiya smiled slightly and pulled out a scroll from his ninja pouch.
"After all, this time I was the one who challenged Lord Nara...
"This is the stake I've prepared. It's not the true inheritance of Mount Myōboku, but it is somewhat related to it.
"A-Rank Ninjutsu: Telescope Technique!"
When he heard the phrase "somewhat related to Mount Myōboku," Nara Keisuke felt a brief flash of joy, but the "Telescope Technique" was truly unexpected.
"This Telescope Technique… what is its function?"
"Ahem, its function is huge!"
Jiraiya cleared his throat, his eyebrows twitching with excitement.
"This Telescope Technique is actually a super-large-range sensing ninjutsu. By utilizing a pre-prepared crystal ball, one can peep at—ahem! I mean, observe any place they wish to see."
"Super-large-range?"
Nara Keisuke blinked.
"How large a range?"
"As far as I know, the Old Man [Sarutobi] often used the Telescope Technique to peep on the women's bathhouse—and other places in the village."
Jiraiya said this with a tone that was quite disdainful (and envious).
"When the Old Man—my teacher—uses this jutsu, the entire village is within his scope of observation.
"However… I once witnessed the Great Toad Sage use this jutsu. The Great Toad Sage can directly see the sights within Konoha Village from Mount Myōboku.
"Oh, right, the Great Toad Sage is the leader of all toads at Mount Myōboku and is a very, very, very old toad."
Through Jiraiya's description, Nara Keisuke finally recalled what this Telescope Technique was.
It was the special supplementary ninjutsu that Hiruzen Sarutobi used with his crystal ball to monitor the entire Konoha Village!
But…
The Great Toad Sage could directly see the situation in Konoha from Mount Myōboku?
Nara Keisuke's heart skipped a beat.
One had to remember that with a shinobi's pace, it only took three days to travel from Konoha in the Land of Fire to Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.
Yet, to travel from Konoha to Mount Myōboku, it took a full month.
In other words, the distance between Mount Myōboku and Konoha was ten times the distance between Konoha and Sunagakure!
The Telescope Technique could directly show the sights within Konoha from Mount Myōboku?
Was this really called the Telescope Technique, or was it the "Satellite Technique"?
Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Telescope Technique to monitor all of Konoha.
The Great Toad Sage used the Telescope Technique to monitor the entire Shinobi World!
Doing a quick conversion, how many Hiruzen Sarutobis equaled the Great Toad Sage?
'The Three Sages of Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest... I knew they were strong, but I didn't realize they were this strong!'
"I am reasonably satisfied with this Sensing Ninjutsu."
Nara Keisuke suppressed his inner excitement and looked at Jiraiya.
"Then let's agree.
"If I lose this spar, I will give you the Camouflage Hiding Technique; and if you lose, this Telescope Technique will belong to me?"
"It's a deal!"
Jiraiya immediately nodded.
The stake was confirmed, and the wager was set.
Nara Keisuke gave a quick instruction to Nara Shikaku, then he and Jiraiya quickly left the Konoha camp and found a quiet, uninhabited area within the Land of Hot Water.
This time, there would be no spectators for the spar.
On the open field, Nara Keisuke and Jiraiya stood opposite each other.
"Lord Nara."
Jiraiya's confident voice drifted over on the breeze.
"This time, I won't hold back!"
Nara Keisuke raised his right hand, forming the "Seal of Confrontation," and replied calmly.
"I hope so!"
As his voice fell, the Seal of Confrontation was completed.
Jiraiya immediately put his right index finger into his mouth, biting his skin and drawing blood.
"Summoning Technique!"
Jiraiya slammed his palm onto the ground. A highly complex and massive summoning array expanded outward with his palm as the core.
Poof!
As a huge cloud of smoke rose, an enormous, dark-red toad materialized out of thin air onto the ground of the Land of Hot Water.
At the very beginning of the second spar, Jiraiya brought out his pre-prepared "trump card strategy"—
The Toad Summoning Technique!
'Gamabunta, is it?'
Nara Keisuke lowered his right hand, observing the massive toad in the distance.
'The Great Toad I once had a brief encounter with…'
"Jiraiya, who is the enemy this time?"
Gamabunta, smoking a pipe and wearing a blue vest, asked in a deep voice.
"This doesn't look like the Land of Rain…"
"He's right across from us."
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on top of Gamabunta's head, rapidly molding chakra, while not forgetting to instruct his summon.
"Bunta, just buy me some time and hold off the opponent!"
"No problem!"
Gamabunta looked at the small figure facing them. It moved its arms, forming hand seals like a shinobi, and molded a large amount of Water Release chakra.
A moment later, Gamabunta opened its wide toad mouth and unleashed an astonishingly powerful Water Release Ninjutsu.
"Water Style: Toad Oil Bullet!"
A gigantic water sphere erupted from Gamabunta's mouth. It was as large as the toad's head, and it struck Nara Keisuke's position with immense force.
"The scale of ninjutsu from these super-large summoned beasts really is exaggerated…"
Nara Keisuke sighed softly.
"No wonder Jiraiya asked if Kokuō would participate in the fight earlier… If Kokuō were here, why would I need to worry about a Water Style jutsu of this level?"
With a thought, a Shadow Creature emerged from the shadow beneath Nara Keisuke. It carried him as he soared directly into the sky, avoiding a head-on collision with Gamabunta's Water Style ninjutsu.
Boom!
Gamabunta's "Water Style: Toad Oil Bullet" directly struck the ground where Nara Keisuke had been standing. The violent, condensed water sphere slammed into the earth, creating a deep pit.
Water sprayed everywhere and rapidly filled the hole in the ground, instantly creating a small, toad-made pond.
"Jiraiya, you didn't say this guy could fly, did you?"
Gamabunta scratched its head, looking at the Shadow Creature flying freely in the sky.
"It's fine, just hold him there!"
Jiraiya accelerated his absorption of natural energy.
"Bunta, trust me, you're the best!"
Would you like to move on to the next chapter, or review the information from the A-Rank Secret Ninja Scroll Nara Keisuke received for defeating Jiraiya?
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