"You… you actually know Senjutsu?"
Jiraiya's eyes roamed up and down Senju Haruto, disbelief etched across his face.
"If you're going to challenge me," Haruto said without a second's hesitation, "you'd better go all out."
Truthfully, Haruto believed that if Jiraiya didn't use Sage Mode, he could defeat him in a single strike.
But that alone probably wouldn't be enough to convince Jiraiya that Haruto had the ability to turn Naruto into a perfect Jinchūriki.
So instead, he wanted Jiraiya to enter Sage Mode—then crush him in one move.
Once that happened, there would be nothing left for Jiraiya to doubt.
"Challenge… me?"
Jiraiya had never imagined Haruto would use that word with him.
After all, not only did he bear the title of one of the Legendary Three Sannin of Konoha, but to most shinobi, he was a living legend.
It was no exaggeration to say that if he had been in the village on the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, might not have had to sacrifice his life.
But with Haruto saying this much, there was no way Jiraiya could ignore it.
Still, he didn't summon Fukasaku or Shima.
This wasn't a battle to the death—just a sparring match—so there was no need to prolong Sage Mode as much as possible.
Haruto, it seemed, was thinking the same thing. As Jiraiya began to focus, drawing in nature chakra to enter Sage Mode, Haruto simply stood there on the wooden bridge, watching him.
He didn't interrupt. He didn't interfere.
Jiraiya's breathing grew calm, his body perfectly still—yet his face began to take on the telltale traits of a toad.
At the same time, as Sage Chakra filled him, his sensory perception expanded dramatically, the range multiplying with ease.
This chakra…
In moments, Jiraiya sensed the chakras of other shinobi rushing in his direction—among them, some very familiar presences.
They were moving fast.
Just as Jiraiya fully entered Sage Mode, the lead shinobi dropped from above.
Haruto glanced at the newcomer. It was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And at his side, naturally, were members of the ANBU.
"Jiraiya… it really is you…"
Hiruzen froze. When he had first sensed Jiraiya's chakra, he'd found it hard to believe. Now, seeing him in person left no doubt.
But he couldn't understand—why was Jiraiya clashing with Haruto? And why was he in Sage Mode?
"What is going on here?" Hiruzen demanded.
At first, he had only sensed Haruto's massive, overwhelming Wood Release chakra, locked in combat with someone. So he'd immediately gathered ANBU and rushed to the scene.
It was only after Haruto and Jiraiya had clashed a second time that he noticed the other chakra signature—one that felt unmistakably like Jiraiya's.
"Hiruzen-sensei," Jiraiya said, surprised to see him.
"I was just trying to convince Jiraiya to take me to Mount Myōboku," Haruto explained casually, "but he wanted to test my strength first."
Even with the Hokage here in person, Haruto didn't seem the least bit concerned.
"Mount Myōboku…"
Hiruzen muttered the name, instantly recalling Haruto's plan—helping Naruto learn to control the Nine-Tails' chakra.
And he himself had agreed to it.
In that moment, realization dawned: Jiraiya simply didn't believe Haruto was capable.
"Stand back."
Without hesitation, Hiruzen stepped away and ordered the ANBU to clear the area. No one was to get caught in the crossfire.
Once in Sage Mode, Jiraiya's chakra quality, attack range, and sheer power were on another level entirely.
In fact, Hiruzen admitted to himself—right now, Jiraiya might even be stronger than he was.
That only deepened his curiosity. Which was stronger—Jiraiya's Sage Arts or Haruto's Wood Release?
"Hiruzen-sensei?" Jiraiya noticed Hiruzen moving back, surprise flickering in his mind.
He'd thought the Third Hokage would stop him. After all, Hiruzen knew exactly how dangerous he was in this state.
Which meant… in Hiruzen's eyes, Haruto was his equal.
"In that case… Sage Art—!"
Jiraiya didn't hold back any longer. His toes pressed into the bridge as he launched himself into the air, soaring toward Haruto.
His right hand extended, gathering an enormous mass of chakra that began to spin violently.
Boom!
With a deep thud, a sphere several times larger than Jiraiya himself formed in his hand.
"Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!"
Haruto looked up at Jiraiya barreling down on him.
This wasn't just Jiraiya's trump card—it was probably the most destructive jutsu in his entire arsenal.
That chakra…
Every ANBU behind Hiruzen gasped. None of them had ever seen chakra so dense, so overwhelming.
In that instant, many finally understood why Jiraiya was called a Sage.
Even Hiruzen's eyes widened.
So… Jiraiya's grown this strong…
"Haruto! Dodge!" Hiruzen shouted, alarm spiking as he saw Haruto standing still.
In his eyes, the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan was on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb in destructive power. At this range, Haruto couldn't possibly emerge unscathed.
And with Sage Chakra infused into the attack, this wasn't a kind of chakra one could comprehend through normal experience—it was utterly unique.
If Haruto didn't evade now, the consequences could be disastrous.
But even with Hiruzen's warning, Haruto didn't move.
Facing the Rasengan head-on was… indescribable.
"So this is Sage Chakra," Haruto murmured. "It's stronger than any chakra I've ever encountered."
Even he had to acknowledge Jiraiya's strength.
"But…"
"I already told you…"
"No matter how many jutsu you've mastered, I can shatter them with a single move."
Haruto clapped his hands together, channeling chakra into the wooden bridge beneath his feet.
A massive wooden dragon erupted upward, roaring as it lunged, its jaws clamping down on the incoming Rasengan.
Not only that—the dragon twisted and coiled toward Jiraiya, its body wrapping around him in an instant.
Before Jiraiya could even try to break free, he felt his Sage Chakra draining away.
This dragon wasn't just blocking his Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan—it was absorbing his chakra.
Jiraiya's toad-like eyes went wide in shock, stunned by the sheer power Haruto possessed.