"Huh? Why is Jiraiya-sensei just standing there without moving?" Watching Jiraiya remain motionless even as Aoshi's shadow clones approached, Yahiko asked in confusion.
"Jiraiya-sensei has been caught in Aoshi-senpai's Genjutsu!" Minato, who immediately noticed the subtle hand signs from Aoshi's real body, quickly explained.
"Then... does that mean Jiraiya-sensei is going to lose?" Yahiko and Konan exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with disbelief.
That kind of result was simply too shocking for them to process.
Jiraiya-sensei lost to Aoshi-nii? Am I dreaming?
"No! Jiraiya-sensei would never lose!" Nagato immediately objected.
But no one paid him any attention. All eyes were glued to the match, afraid to miss even a single detail.
And then, just as the attacks of Aoshi's two shadow clones were about to land, something unexpected happened!
The Jiraiya who had been standing motionless suddenly launched a lightning-fast counterattack—so swift it couldn't be followed with the naked eye—instantly obliterating both of Aoshi's clones.
They didn't even have a chance to react.
Right before they dispersed, shock and confusion were written all over their faces—as if they couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
"Aoshi, you're really too cautious." After eliminating the clones, Jiraiya turned to face the real Aoshi and spoke with a somewhat helpless tone.
He had genuinely been caught in a genjutsu, and yet Aoshi had only sent his shadow clones forward, keeping his real body far in the back the entire time.
That's right—Jiraiya hadn't been faking it. He had fallen under Aoshi's genjutsu. Or rather, he had deliberately allowed himself to be caught in it.
Though Jiraiya himself couldn't use genjutsu, he had vast experience in dealing with genjutsu-type opponents.
He had broken free of Aoshi's illusion almost the moment it took effect. Unless it was a Sharingan genjutsu, it was unlikely to cause him real trouble.
What Jiraiya wanted was to teach Aoshi a lesson that catching an opponent in a genjutsu was no excuse to let your guard down.
Otherwise, how could someone of his caliber be restrained so easily?
He was the Toad Sage, renowned across the shinobi world!
"When your opponent is someone like Jiraiya-sama, being cautious is never wrong." Aoshi sheathed his blade as he spoke.
Though he still had some fight left in him, there was no longer any point in continuing.
If even genjutsu couldn't work on Jiraiya, then pushing further would only be a waste of time. Unless he resorted to his trump cards. But this was only a friendly spar, not a life-or-death battle.
Though it was a little disappointing not to earn the Rainbow Orb, this had only been a spontaneous test of luck.
It would've been great to succeed, but there was no loss in failing either.
"Aoshi, your strength is impressive. You're skilled in swordsmanship, and both your ninjutsu and genjutsu are powerful. Even among Konoha's Jonin, you wouldn't be considered weak."
That was Jiraiya's honest assessment.
Had he not realized early on that Aoshi was preparing a genjutsu, and if he'd let his guard down, things might have turned out very differently.
Of course, Jiraiya would never actually allow that to happen. Not in front of his own students. Losing to Aoshi would've been far too embarrassing.
What would happen to the pride of the great Toad Sage?
Hearing Jiraiya's praise, Aoshi remained calm, though Minato was clearly surprised. Jiraiya-sensei really does think highly of Aoshi-senpai...
Unlike the three younglings, Minato was born and raised in Konoha. He knew full well how strong its Jonin were. And more importantly, Aoshi was still technically just a Genin.
"So… who actually won in the end?" A completely bewildered Yahiko finally asked, blinking blankly.
"Jiraiya-sama won." Aoshi, who had walked over, answered with a calm voice.
"Compared to Jiraiya-sama, I'm still too young. I have a long road ahead of me."
---
Several days had passed since the spar with Jiraiya.
Aoshi and his group had now been staying here for an entire week. It was finally time to leave.
Upon hearing the news, Konan looked visibly upset. To her, the week had flown by in the blink of an eye, and now it was already time to part ways with her long-lost Aoshi-nii.
But in the end, she was a thoughtful child. She quickly tucked away her disappointment and folded an origami flower, which she handed to Aoshi.
"Thank you, Konan. I really love your gift." Accepting the paper flower, Aoshi knelt down and hugged her gently.
And in that moment, he silently swore to himself: Konan is so kind and sweet—no matter what, I will change her future.
Of course, the simplest way to do that would be to separate her from Nagato. But that was unrealistic.
Konan had spent years with Yahiko and Nagato. The three of them were now the closest of companions. So the best path was for him to become strong—strong enough to protect her.
"Goodbye, Aoshi-nii!" That was Konan.
"Goodbye, Aoshi-nii!" That was Yahiko.
Unlike when they arrived, where they had to move at the caravan's pace, the return to Konoha could now be done at full ninja speed.
At their pace, it would take just over a day to reach the village.
---
However, shortly after parting ways with Jiraiya's group, they were ambushed by a squad of Ame-nin.
Fifteen in total. Their leader was a Jonin; the rest were a mix of Chunin and Genin. Power-wise, they posed no real threat to Aoshi's team.
But the situation was more troublesome than the rogue ninja group they'd fought earlier.
Missing-nin were one thing, no one would come after Konoha for killing them. But Ame-nin were different.
They were now deep within the Land of Rain, in territory belonging to Amegakure. If they killed official shinobi here, it would undoubtedly be seen as a provocation against Hanzo the Salamander himself.
Though Amegakure was a small shinobi village, Hanzo's presence made it one of the most elite. Even Konoha wouldn't dare provoke it lightly.
If conflict broke out between nations, it could easily spiral into war. And no one here could afford to take responsibility for that.
So, when faced with the attack, they chose full defense.
"We don't mean any harm. We only entered the Land of Rain to complete a mission. Now that it's done, we're leaving immediately."
Mikoto, the Jonin team leader, quickly explained.
But the Ame-nin gave no response. Their attacks were all aimed at killing, stubborn, and ruthless.
"We're shinobi from Konoha! Are you trying to start a war with us?" Even when Mikoto invoked the threat of war, the other side didn't stop.
Their abnormal behavior darkened both her and Aoshi's expressions. There was no way they didn't know their identities. Yet they still pressed forward with this attack.
In Mikoto's eyes, that could only mean one thing: Amegakure was plotting something.
After all, in the recent Second Great Ninja War, Amegakure had fought against Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure in succession.
But what came to Aoshi's mind was the figure of Uchiha Madara.