Chapter 162: Never Acting on Emotion
Whoosh—
The wind swept across the grass.
The two men stood opposite each other, bathed in the glow of the midday sun. Suddenly, the silence broke.
"No matter the direction—North, South, East, or West—I am peerless under heaven! One of the Sannin, the white-haired toad-summoner, a dashing man who can make a crying child fall silent... I am none other than the great Jiraiya-sama!"
Jiraiya struck a series of poses he considered incredibly cool, a confident grin plastered on his face. Then, his expression shifted to one of serious appraisal.
Sensory type, Genjutsu type, Ninjutsu type, Taijutsu type... From Ninjutsu to Taijutsu to Genjutsu—and even dimensions beyond—this was an all-around elite ninja. This was the conclusion Jiraiya had reached after speaking with the Third Hokage and Kakashi.
He's almost as excellent as I am, Jiraiya thought. It reminded him of Orochimaru; this man possessed the same caliber of raw potential that Orochimaru had shown in his youth.
"Heh, Lord Jiraiya, isn't your self-introduction a bit... outdated?" Tonbo chuckled at the display. "It's my turn. Do you know who I am?"
Jiraiya blinked. Aren't you Tonbo Tobitake? But he played along: "Who are you?"
BOOM!
An aura erupted violently—Tonbo unleashed a surge of Conqueror's Haki (Haki-like pressure).
"Since you've asked so sincerely, I shall grant you an answer out of the goodness of my heart! To prevent the world's destruction, to protect the world's peace..."
"First: Never act on emotion!"
"Second: Never let a single bad deed go unjudged!"
"Third: Maintain the absolute beauty of a ninja's earnestness!"
"I am the elite among Konoha's Jonin, the elite of the elites—Captain Tonbo! Come, Lord Jiraiya. I will face you with the same strength I used against the Rain Shadow."
Tonbo kept his hands in his pockets as he activated a genjutsu, causing cherry blossom petals to drift down from the sky. He hadn't used this "show-off" style of ninjutsu in a long time. Since Jiraiya wanted to be cringey, Tonbo proved he was "all-around" even in that department.
Whoosh—
Jiraiya's jaw nearly hit the ground as he stared at Tonbo's dramatic posture. Feeling the goosebumps on his skin and seeing the falling petals, he realized he had already fallen under a genjutsu without even noticing.
"Those lines... damn it! I'm a world-famous best-selling author, and I actually lost in the dialogue department? This is preposterous!" Jiraiya roared, pointing a finger at him. Then he added: "Fine, those lines are mine now! Hmph, this is just 'creative inspiration' between authors—not plagiarism!"
Release!
Upset that he had lost in his favorite field, Jiraiya decided to save face through combat. He dispelled Tonbo's illusion, his eyes turning sharp.
Boar – Dog – Bird – Monkey – Ram
Summoning Jutsu!
Poof!
One of Jiraiya's hands formed seals with lightning speed before slamming onto the ground. A human-sized toad appeared, clad in samurai armor.
"Lord Jiraiya, what's the situation? Is it an enemy?" the Iron-Arm Toad asked, looking at the man across from them.
"Just a spar, Old Iron," Jiraiya replied.
"Old Iron" nodded. "Understood. It seems like an important spar." He didn't ask further questions.
"Lord Jiraiya, that's cheating! Using two against one is dirty," Tonbo teased. "In that case, I won't be polite either."
Tonbo formed his own seals, and a human-sized monkey manifested beside him.
"That's not a Summoning Jutsu," Jiraiya noted, his brow furrowing at the hand signs. If it wasn't Summoning, how did he call forth a monkey?
"It's a Genjutsu! Watch out—go, Berserk Ape! I choose you!" Tonbo commanded. The Berserk Ape lunged at the Iron-Arm Toad.
Zip!
The Iron-Arm Toad charged out to meet it. CRASH! The toad and ape collided, immediately engaging in a fierce exchange of Taijutsu.
Tonbo turned his gaze back to Jiraiya. Since you want to experience the methods I used against Pain, you can have a taste.
Psycho Mind Transmission: Pain
"Argh!"
Jiraiya saw the toad was occupied and prepared to move in personally, but Tonbo's seals were too fast. Before Jiraiya could even look away, the jutsu was complete. Instantly, his entire body was wracked with agony.
A piercing, heart-wrenching pain—worse than any of the lethal wounds he had sustained on the battlefield over the years.
Psycho Mind Transmission: Itch
Just as he tried to use his ninja willpower to endure the pain and break the genjutsu, he was hit again. His entire body began to itch uncontrollably—more intense than the sensation of cells regenerating under Tsunade's medical ninjutsu.
He quickly averted his gaze from Tonbo. Release!
The sensations vanished as he broke through the illusion. This is the technique that countered the Rinnegan? Impossible. Even if the current leader of the Rain wasn't Nagato, he wouldn't be defeated by just this.
"Lord Jiraiya, not looking at your opponent during a fight... are you looking down on me? In that case, I'll give you a beating on behalf of all the girls you've peeped at!"
The corner of Tonbo's mouth curled up. He used a Body Flicker to appear directly in front of Jiraiya, throwing a punch straight at his face.
Thwack!
The fist connected, but Jiraiya's body turned into a log. Substitution Jutsu.
Whoosh!
Tonbo leaped lightly away from his position just as a hand reached out from the ground to grab his ankle. Tonbo's sensory abilities had allowed him to avoid the trap.
"A sensory ninja with this kind of combat experience... you truly are a man praised by Sensei," Jiraiya said, emerging from the ground. That genjutsu earlier had been far too dangerous. And that Body Flicker...
"But if you want to hit my face, I'm not playing nice anymore!"
Shuriken All-Out Barrage Jutsu!
Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall.
Thud, thud, thud!
A massive stone wall rose to block the projectiles.
Bringer-of-Darkness Jutsu.
Darkness began to bleed out, centering on Tonbo and expanding rapidly. Jiraiya was caught off guard.
"Isn't that a forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals?" Jiraiya was shocked that Tonbo knew such a technique—and that the Third had allowed him to learn it. Everything plunged into absolute darkness.
If it's this jutsu, it might actually counter the Rinnegan, Jiraiya thought. He realized standard methods wouldn't work to break it, and his truly powerful techniques weren't suitable for a friendly spar. Moreover, he understood now that Tonbo's primary strength lay in Genjutsu.
However, back when he was teaching Nagato, he knew that most Genjutsu shouldn't work on those eyes. If the Bringer-of-Darkness was the only thing used, it wouldn't have been enough. Either Tonbo had other trump cards he was holding back, or Tonbo's combat experience simply overwhelmed the Rinnegan wielder.
"I give up." Jiraiya raised his hands in surrender. This man was a true Genjutsu Master—his skills even surpassed Orochimaru's.
Tonbo dispelled the darkness. Did I really beat Jiraiya that easily?
"Lord Jiraiya, surrendering so soon? I haven't even used the secret moves I used against that 'god' guy!"
Tonbo felt a bit of regret. He had wanted to see if Jiraiya could break his Psycho Mind Transmission: Depression or his Bandage Trap. But he hadn't intended to use them; those techniques were far too dangerous for a friendly match.
It seemed Jiraiya had chosen to forfeit the moment the forbidden jutsu came out.
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