The back hills of Konoha were quiet and wide, a place Tōma rarely came to.
Right now, two figures faced each other in the open space. One tall, one small.
"Tōma," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Use everything you've got. Don't hold back."
Now that he'd officially taken him in, the way he addressed Tōma had naturally grown closer. Bringing him here had only one purpose: to see his foundations clearly.
"Alright," Tōma nodded. "Then please be careful, Sensei."
"Don't worry about me," Jiraiya laughed. "Come at me however you like. I'm a sage, you know."
Tōma didn't waste time.
He launched forward directly, no tricks, no setup. This wasn't a real fight, just a demonstration. He chose the simplest approach and engaged Jiraiya head-on with taijutsu.
Of course, "engage" was generous.
Jiraiya didn't attack at all. He simply defended, calmly dismantling every strike.
Tōma quickly realized his attacks weren't getting through. Every movement was read, every blow stopped with ease.
Still, he wasn't discouraged.
If this had worked, he'd be questioning whether choosing Jiraiya as a teacher had been a mistake.
On the other side, Jiraiya's expression was quietly changing.
This isn't bad at all, he thought. Solid body control, clean movements. Someone's trained him properly.
Definitely not wild, self-taught flailing. But it also didn't feel like academy instruction.
I'll ask later, Jiraiya decided.
After finishing his basic taijutsu showcase, chakra surged through Tōma's body. Thin arcs of lightning crackled over his skin. His strength rose, but the real change was speed.
Even so, against Jiraiya, it still wasn't enough.
Lightning-coated fists slammed into Jiraiya's palm and went nowhere. He didn't even take a step back.
Yet inside Tōma, something stirred.
I want to try it.
He focused all his chakra into his legs. Lightning Release reinforcement pushed to its current limit.
Then he kept going.
Hand seals followed immediately.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm."
Violent wind erupted around him, compressing tightly along his body, most intensely around his legs.
"Sensei, here I come."
The moment the words left his mouth, Tōma vanished.
This wasn't the same burst of speed as before. Stronger fundamentals, deeper Lightning Release mastery, Wind Release layered on top. Everything stacked together.
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
That lightning wasn't just reinforcement. It was acceleration, fully grasped. And the Wind Release… Gale Palm at this level?
The speed surged again.
Even most chunin couldn't reach this. Speed-specialists included.
And at that velocity, even a basic strike would be devastating. Let alone a kick powered by lightning and wind.
"Needle Jizō."
For the first time, Jiraiya formed hand seals.
His long white hair exploded outward, hardening instantly and wrapping around his body like a spiked shell.
The next instant, Tōma appeared in front of him.
His leg crashed into the wall of white hair.
Boom!
The ground beneath Jiraiya's feet fractured as he slid backward several steps. When he stopped, a shallow crater marked where he'd been standing.
That kind of power… from a seven-year-old body.
It was absurd.
Tōma's eyes lit up when he saw Jiraiya use a jutsu. He hadn't hurt him, but forcing that response was already proof enough.
But he wasn't done yet.
Taijutsu was shown. Now came ninjutsu.
He didn't have many options. Just one C-rank Wind Release.
But it was the best one.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter."
Simple. Clean. Perfect for cutting.
Wind Release thrived on speed and pressure, and Wind Cutter embodied both. All Tōma had done was push those traits to their limit.
Invisible blades of compressed wind slashed toward Jiraiya's hardened hair.
They didn't break through.
But when Jiraiya looked down, several strands of his hair lay severed on the ground.
That was enough.
Tōma stopped attacking and stepped back.
Only then did Jiraiya have the space to actually think about what he'd just witnessed.
A seven-year-old with solid taijutsu and physical conditioning. Fast, precise hand seals. Clear mastery of both shape and nature transformation. Exceptional sensory ability. Flying Thunder God talent on top of all that.
What exactly did I just take in as a student?
There was no way anyone had secretly trained him.
If that were the case, the Third Hokage would've uncovered it long ago.
Which meant…
He figured this out himself?
Jiraiya clicked his tongue in disbelief.
He suddenly felt very lucky he'd come back. If he hadn't, this kid might've ended up calling him junior instead.
"I'm done, Sensei," Tōma said calmly.
He'd deliberately left one thing out.
The Rasengan.
There was no way he could explain that. A technique the Fourth Hokage took years to create, even with constant observation of a Tailed Beast's chakra sphere. For Tōma to use it now would raise questions no amount of talent could answer.
"Good. Very good," Jiraiya said, finally retracting Needle Jizō.
His gaze burned with excitement.
Flying Thunder God aside, Tōma's overall potential had blown straight past his expectations.
This wasn't just a prodigy.
This was something rarer.