Crack!
The sound of breaking stone echoed as the flaming projectile struck. The massive boulder, under the impact of the Fire Release: Flame Bullet, developed fractures. The direct hit left a dent, and the surrounding area turned to a glassy finish—evidence of the intense heat.
Thanks to the oil-infused chakra within the Flame Bullet, the flames continued to burn, radiating scorching heat that slowly melted the stone.
The terrifying aspect of Fire Release techniques lay in their extreme temperatures.
"As expected, the Sage Body amplifies the power of ninjutsu," Jiraiya murmured, gazing at the melting boulder with satisfaction. The potency of these techniques exceeded anything he had achieved before.
From the memories he had inherited, Jiraiya knew that his previous attempts at Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld and Fire Release: Flame Bullet were far less impressive.
Previously, his Swamp of the Underworld could only affect a three-meter radius and had limited effectiveness—barely sufficient to trap a grown man. Yet now, Jiraiya was nearly eight meters from the boulder, easily channeling chakra to the target. And this wasn't even his limit.
The boulder was over a meter long and half a meter wide. The swamp he conjured completely engulfed it, with room to spare.
As for the Flame Bullet, Jiraiya had only been able to form one projectile before, with an attack range of less than five meters. Its strength was barely enough to break wood, and its temperature couldn't even scorch stone.
With the Sage Body, the power of these techniques had effectively doubled.
The Flame Bullet's strength now rivaled B-rank ninjutsu.
And Jiraiya had just begun adapting to the Sage Body. He hadn't fully explored its potential yet. Over time, it would undoubtedly enhance his ninjutsu even further.
Afterward, Jiraiya practiced some basic techniques: Shadow Clone Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, and Body Flicker Jutsu.
"I need to learn a defensive technique as soon as possible," Jiraiya muttered after finishing his training. From his inherited memories, he realized that the previous Jiraiya hadn't mastered even one defensive jutsu.
This was a glaring weakness in combat. He needed to address it quickly.
Jiraiya decided to return to his house and search through the belongings his parents had left behind. Among their possessions, he recalled there were numerous scrolls detailing various ninjutsu.
"Jiraiya, you idiot! Are you still lazing around?!"
As he stepped out of the training room, a shout rang from outside the yard.
Bang!
The courtyard gate burst open with tremendous force, one of the panels crashing to the ground.
A young girl with a ponytail, clad in a green top that accentuated her ample chest, stomped into the yard.
"Tsunade, could you please stop being so violent? I would've opened the door for you! These gates are a pain to fix, you know," Jiraiya groaned at the sight.
The newcomer was none other than Tsunade, granddaughter of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, and the future Fifth Hokage.
Jiraiya recognized her instantly—not just from her iconic features but also because of her... notable assets. Even at her young age, they were already impressive.
Currently, both Tsunade and Jiraiya were Chunin, apprenticed under the Third Hokage.
Jiraiya moved toward the fallen gate panel to prop it back up, but before he could, Tsunade stomped on it. The wood shattered into pieces.
Jiraiya twitched. This was the fifth gate panel Tsunade had broken this month.
"Jiraiya, you idiot! Waking up early for once—are you planning to spy on a bathhouse again?" Tsunade scolded, hands on her hips, glaring at him.
"Hey, don't accuse me of things I didn't do! I woke up early to train my ninjutsu, not to peep!" Jiraiya retorted hurriedly.
"Yeah, like I'd believe that," Tsunade shot back. "Tomorrow, we're up against Danzo's students. How's your preparation going?"
Jiraiya sighed, knowing his reputation preceded him. He couldn't even blame her disbelief.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage, he established a rule: Jonin must mentor three graduates from the Ninja Academy to strengthen Konoha's overall skill level.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had been chosen by Sarutobi to form a three-person squad after graduating from the Academy.
Three days ago, while training under Sarutobi, Danzo had brought his students to their training grounds, proposing a friendly spar between the teams. Sarutobi had agreed, scheduling the match for tomorrow.
"Looking at you, I bet you're not ready," Tsunade said bluntly, folding her arms. "Listen, Jiraiya, you better not lose too badly tomorrow. If you embarrass us, I'll make sure you regret it."
Before Jiraiya could respond, she clenched her fist in warning. It was clear she had little faith in his ability to win.
Does she really think I'm that weak? Jiraiya thought, exasperated.
"Tsunade, how about we make a bet?" Jiraiya suggested with a sly grin. "If I win tomorrow, you'll grant me one request. Deal?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, then smirked.
"If you actually win, I'll grant you three requests. But if you lose badly, you'll wish you hadn't."
Jiraiya grinned, confident in his newfound power. With the Sage Body, he was sure he wouldn't lose to Danzo's Chunin-level students.
Watching Tsunade leave, Jiraiya chuckled to himself.
First small goal: win the bet and get Tsunade to clean the training grounds.
He glanced at the broken gate pieces on the ground and sighed.
"I really hope I can unlock the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai someday. Fixing gates would be so much easier."
...
For each 100 Power Stones +1 Chapter