The violently exploding water splashes obscured the vision.
Affected by the recoil force, Kei's body skimmed backward just above the water's surface.
Twisting his waist and swinging his arm, he delivered a sharp elbow strike behind him, knocking a sneaky attacking toad back into the water. Using the momentum, he flipped himself upright.
His feet carved long ripples across the water. Without waiting for his stance to stabilize, he clapped his hands together forcefully, activating another ninjutsu.
Thick mist rose in an instant.
Kei took a sharp bite on his gums, preparing to draw a little blood for a summoning jutsu—calling upon Mirage to give Jiraiya a taste of illusionary reality. However, his movement suddenly froze.
Wait a minute… Didn't he promise not to use genjutsu?
That mouthful of blood was wasted. His hands quickly formed seals.
He swiftly changed tactics, opting for a jutsu he had just learned last night from the Senju clan's heritage scrolls.
His lack of proficiency in this ninjutsu prevented him from skipping the hand signs, but with [Zero-Frame Start] granting him top-tier chakra control and [Water Release Mastery] enhancing his understanding of water-style techniques, his casting speed was still far beyond that of an ordinary jonin.
As the Wave Riding Jutsu took effect, Kei shot through the water like a fish, disappearing below the surface.
The activation of Hydrification Technique further allowed him to blend seamlessly into the water, vanishing completely from the sight of the few Myōboku toads lurking below, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Jiraiya wiped the sweat off his forehead while Gama beneath his feet continuously shifted positions, on guard for a potential ambush.
From the very beginning, he had been completely suppressed. Every counterattack had ended in failure. Even after summoning eight toads to assist him, he still found himself gradually falling behind.
And that was without Kei even using genjutsu. If he were to go all out…
"Croak! Croak! Croak! Underwater!"
"He's gone! Can't see him! Croak!"
The anxious cries of the toads echoed through the misty battlefield.
Jiraiya's heart clenched. With a sharp leap, he propelled himself into the air while rapidly forming hand seals.
At this rate, the Hiding in Mist Technique was severely hindering his vision, while Kei's perception remained completely unaffected by the thick fog. Trying to counter the mist alone wouldn't even the playing field—it would only make him more vulnerable.
After all, whether he used Wind Release to blow it away or Fire Release to evaporate it, both would consume several times more chakra than the mist itself. And Kei wouldn't just sit back and let him dispel it easily.
"Canopy Method Formation!"
Just as Jiraiya's sensory barrier expanded outward, Gama guarding him slammed its massive fists into the water.
A towering water dragon surged forth, crashing into the toad with immense force, creating a massive bowl-shaped depression in the water's surface! The overwhelming impact exceeded the toad's limit, instantly reducing it to chakra smoke as it was sent back to Myōboku.
However, the sudden counterforce also disrupted Kei's underwater assault, giving Jiraiya a brief moment to catch his breath.
Jiraiya felt a glimmer of hope and prepared to counterattack—until his Canopy Method Formation detected something that made his eye twitch.
Above him, two crows circled menacingly. And around him, a half-meter-tall puppet lurked silently within the mist, sealing off his escape routes.
Kei, having already dispelled Gama, was now calmly standing on the water's surface… just waiting for him to walk into the trap.
No way up. No way out.
Jiraiya was certain that no matter what move he made next, he would immediately face a relentless onslaught.
"I SURRENDER! STOP! STOP!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, completely disregarding his pride.
He had no choice—he was genuinely afraid that if he hesitated even a second, Kei would hit him with some Mind Body Confusion Technique, forcing him to perform an erotic dance against his will.
If a young girl danced, he'd watch with wide eyes. But if he had to do it himself… Absolutely not.
Kei let out a deep breath and casually dispelled the Hiding in Mist Technique.
The two crows circling in the air let out a couple of caws before disappearing into chakra smoke, returning to their roost. The half-meter-tall puppet, controlled by Kei's technique, silently returned to his side.
Reaching into the storage seal scroll on the left side of his jonin vest, he resealed the small puppet.
He sat down directly on the water, contemplating the weaknesses he had exposed during the battle.
First, his ninjutsu proficiency.
The techniques he had learned from the Senju clan's heritage scroll last night were effective, but he still needed to practice more. If he couldn't perform them without hand seals, at the very least, he should be able to activate them with just a clap of his hands!
He couldn't waste the bonus effect granted by [Zero-Frame Start].
With the Great Water Arm Technique enhancing him, utilizing the fighting techniques from his memory palace had resulted in greater explosive power than he had anticipated.
Earlier, he had combined Wave Riding Jutsu with the Great Water Arm Technique to amplify his Iron Mountain Leaning, which directly blew away Gama.
If he could master the Wave Stacking Technique, which he had seen in last night's scroll, then maybe he could start competing in raw power against Tailed Beasts, just like Third Raikage A.
And finally, the most important factor: Battle habits!
His sparring session with Jiraiya was actually a rehearsal for his future fight against Madara. That was why, last night, he had deliberately decided not to use genjutsu.
After all, even though Madara had transplanted his Rinnegan into Nagato, his dōjutsu was still no weaker than the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Using genjutsu against that guy… the results were highly questionable. So, his habit of defaulting to genjutsu at the start of a fight had to be corrected.
Hmm, and lastly, Flying Thunder God…
Once this spar with Jiraiya was over, he had to train with Minato next, adapting himself to the high-speed multi-flash teleportation. He needed to fully maximize the benefits of [Zero-Frame Start].
And once all that was done… A grin spread across Kei's face. He was genuinely looking forward to his encounter with Madara.
"You're a real monster." Jiraiya walked over and sat down beside Kei.
He had never been the type who couldn't accept defeat. On the contrary, seeing younger ninjas surpass him made him happier than anyone.
If Konoha had a few more young talents like Kei… Wouldn't that mean he could finally travel the world freely, saving all those tragically misguided young ladies?
"You could've still counterattacked just now." Kei turned to Jiraiya, not taking his praise too seriously.
"You could've wrapped yourself completely in Needle Jizō, or had a toad swallow you and dispel the summoning jutsu once it hit the water."
Their fight had looked intense, and Jiraiya had been on the defensive the whole time, but that was partly because he had underestimated Kei at the beginning and lost the first move. The rest was due to misjudging the situation.
Even without genjutsu, Jiraiya had plenty of powerful offensive techniques.
As for surrendering at the end…
Jumping into the air had indeed been a tactical mistake. No matter what he did from that position, he would've only fallen into a worse disadvantage.
But Jiraiya had clearly been holding back, too.
He didn't use his foot-seal hand signs, nor did he combine attacks with the Myōboku toads' Ultimate Jutsu.
If he had really gone all out, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to turn the tables.
"That last move you used against Gama…" Jiraiya laughed, shaking his head. "That was on par with Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength—who the hell would dare block it with Needle Jizō? Besides, summoning beasts feel pain too—it was just a spar, after all."
He had always considered the toads his companions, not mere tools. He couldn't bring himself to sacrifice them carelessly. And as for taking that hit head-on…
Even now, when he recalled the one punch he had taken from Tsunade years ago, his ribs still ached. That was not something he wanted to experience again.
"How's your Sage Mode training going?"
Was Sage Mode really that hard? He didn't even want to talk about it?