Chapter 115: Chapter 113: Just Use Sage Mode Already
Jiraiya had a certain level of understanding of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan.
If someone who wasn't from the Uchiha clan transplanted the Sharingan, it would remain in a permanently active state, continuously draining chakra.
Kakashi was a perfect example of this.
However, the way Haru activated his Sharingan was the normal method.
In other words, the young man in front of him not only perfectly inherited the Wood Style, which only the First Hokage could use, but also possessed the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai.
Had the Senju and Uchiha clans intermarried?
Jiraiya swallowed hard, his mind filled with shock.
No wonder Haru was so confident.
The chakra of Wood Style had the power to suppress the Nine-Tails, while the Sharingan had the ability to invade the mental realm.
However, even after witnessing Haru's power, Jiraiya still didn't immediately agree to his plan.
To become a perfect jinchūriki, it would be necessary to break the seal Minato Namikaze had placed, releasing the Nine-Tails from its cage.
If they failed, not only would the Nine-Tails be freed, but Naruto, as the jinchūriki, would die on the spot.
As the orphan of his most talented student, Jiraiya couldn't bear to see such an outcome.
But on the other hand, Haru wasn't just spouting nonsense.
"In that case, prove your strength to me."
Jiraiya's voice was low, and his expression was unusually serious.
In his view, since Haru couldn't convince him, and he couldn't make Haru give up on this idea, the only option was to use strength to make Haru abandon his plan.
He needed to make Haru realize the vast gap between himself and the Nine-Tails.
Simply inheriting Wood Style and the Sharingan wasn't enough to fully suppress the Nine-Tails.
"Prove my strength?"
Haru furrowed his brow but quickly understood.
Jiraiya had just returned to the village. Although he knew about the Nine-Tails' rampage, he might not yet know who had suppressed it.
Even though Haru had already revealed his Wood Style and Sharingan, Jiraiya still didn't fully believe that Haru could effectively suppress the Nine-Tails.
No...
Perhaps Jiraiya just wanted to use the difference in their strength to make Haru give up on this idea.
"In other words, if I can defeat you, you'll agree to take me and Naruto to Mount Myōboku?"
"Correct." Jiraiya responded without hesitation.
The reason he was known as one of the Legendary Sannin wasn't just because he was Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, but because he had directly confronted Hanzo the Salamander during the Second Shinobi World War.
Whoosh
The moment the two reached an agreement, they both stepped back, creating enough distance between them.
As they retreated, Jiraiya's hands began to form hand seals with practiced ease.
Haru watched this closely.
Because of his mastery of the five basic nature transformations, he could replicate any jutsu below A-rank just by seeing it once.
In other words, no matter which ninja he fought, Haru could copy their techniques and then overwhelm them with his vast chakra reserves.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
However, Jiraiya didn't intend to harm Haru, as he was also a ninja of Konoha.
So, the first move Jiraiya made was a capture-type jutsu.
As the jutsu activated, Jiraiya's chakra seeped into the ground, turning the area where Haru stood into a massive swamp.
Once trapped, there would be no escape until the victim was completely submerged.
The match was over.
"Perhaps your genes are indeed strong, but in a battle between ninjas, experience and intelligence are the most important factors." Jiraiya's voice was low as he gave Haru a lesson.
"Experience and intelligence? I can't quite agree with that."
Haru's lips curled into a smile as he clapped his hands together, activating Wood Style beneath him.
Thick wooden pillars erupted from the ground on either side of the swamp, moving horizontally and intertwining to form a massive wooden bridge.
Haru landed safely, effectively blocking Jiraiya's swamp beneath the bridge.
"Chakra and adaptability are the most important." Haru said with a smile.
"Not going on the offensive?"
Jiraiya frowned. Although he had initiated the attack, Haru could have countered while using Wood Style to neutralize the Swamp of the Underworld.
However, Haru didn't do that. Instead, he stood on the bridge with his arms crossed, seemingly waiting for Jiraiya's next move.
"Haru, it seems you're truly confident."
Jiraiya suddenly understood the reason behind Haru's actions.
He wasn't trying to defeat Jiraiya; he wanted Jiraiya to realize just how strong he was.
"It seems you've realized it, Jiraiya."
Haru locked eyes with Jiraiya. Although the Sharingan's dynamic range wasn't as good as the Byakugan, its visual perception was still remarkable.
Haru could not only see the subtle movements in Jiraiya's body but also read his lips to understand what he was muttering.
"No matter how many jutsu you master, I'll break through them all."
Haru's voice was low, exuding absolute confidence.
"Is that so?"
Jiraiya's mood was complicated. On one hand, he was glad that another genius had emerged in the village. On the other hand, he couldn't help but think of Tsunade.
He wondered how she would feel if she saw this.
"But if that's the case, then I'll have to get serious too."
With that, Jiraiya took a deep breath and exhaled sharply.
"Toad Oil Bullet!"
A wave of yellowish-brown oil surged toward Haru, covering the area. Before it could reach him, Jiraiya followed up with another attack.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
A massive fire erupted from Jiraiya's mouth, instantly catching up to the oil and turning the entire area into an unprecedented inferno.
The sheer scale of the attack was such that even Haru would find it difficult to emerge unscathed.
Moreover, this wasn't a jutsu that relied on a single burst of chakra to defeat the enemy. It was a continuous damage-dealing technique.
With his sensory abilities, Jiraiya was certain that Haru was still in front of him, neither dodging nor fleeing.
However, due to the raging flames, Jiraiya couldn't see Haru's movements.
"Did he not dodge?"
The flames continued to burn for over half a minute before Jiraiya wiped his mouth.
As the fire gradually subsided, he was finally able to see the situation on the bridge.
A row of wooden pillars had grown from the bridge, curving to form an arch that shielded Haru.
Despite being made of wood, it had completely blocked Jiraiya's Fire Style.
And Haru himself was, of course, unharmed.
"Jiraiya, let's skip the testing phase. Why don't you just use your real power?"
Haru looked down at Jiraiya from his position on the bridge. He had no intention of continuing this small-scale skirmish.
"Since you call yourself the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, you must have mastered Sage Mode, right?"