A gust of wind kicked up, sending leaves and debris swirling into the air.
As Jiraiya charged, Naruto Uzumaki infused Wind Release chakra into the Rasengan in his hand, its form twisting and sharpening. "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
Naruto didn't understand why Jiraiya was coming at him with a standard Rasengan, but to avoid any mishaps, he decided to upgrade his own jutsu preemptively. At the very least, the Rasenshuriken packed enough power to guarantee it wouldn't be overpowered in a single clash.
Just as expected of a legendary ninja... the man who had inspired him. Jiraiya's mental fortitude was immense. Even as he closed the distance, he hadn't altered the Rasengan in his hand.
Naruto sighed internally, raised the Rasenshuriken high, and charged forward.
However, when Jiraiya saw the Rasenshuriken, a flash of surprise crossed his face. He never imagined the kid had already developed the Rasengan to this level.
"Not good." Jiraiya glanced at the small Rasengan in his own palm. Was he really going to clash with a Rasenshuriken using this? That was a death wish.
This kid has already surpassed his father!
Jiraiya's hand moved, dispelling his Rasengan into a swirl of chakra. His hands flew through seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
An earthen wall erupted from the ground, blocking Naruto's path. The wall Jiraiya summoned was thicker and taller than any Kakashi had ever produced.
Boom!
The solid earth wall was obliterated by the Rasenshuriken in a deafening explosion. Dust, sand, and debris filled the air.
The young Konoha ninja stood his ground, letting the dust settle on him as he retracted his hand. "Just as expected from a legendary ninja," he said, his voice cutting through the haze. "That's the first time I've seen an Earth-Style Wall even slow down a Rasenshuriken…"
"No, you're the one who's opened my eyes," Jiraiya replied, shaking his head with a grave expression. He could only vaguely make out Naruto's outline through the lingering dust. "That's the first time I've ever seen a nature transformation applied to the Rasengan. You're not a simple kid, are you?"
His praise held a hint of relief. This was a boy who had inherited his parents' talent. No, the student had truly surpassed the master.
As the dust finally settled, Jiraiya looked at Naruto's shock of yellow hair and could almost see the face of Minato Namikaze.
But the battle had to continue. Seeing the Rasenshuriken had already made this trip worthwhile, but if he could push Naruto to his limits, he might learn even more.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Jiraiya quickly formed another set of hand seals. The ground beneath Naruto's feet instantly liquefied into a thick swamp. He sank uncontrollably, the mud swallowing his calves as he continued to descend.
Naruto struggled, but it only made him sink faster. Escaping Jiraiya's Earth Release was never easy, and this was one of his signature techniques.
"Double Spiral Shockwave!"
A vortex of chakra gathered in each of Naruto's palms. He slammed them downward, and the resulting shockwave blasted him free from the mud, launching him out of the swamp's range.
Before he could even land, Jiraiya's next attack was already on him. His white hair shot out like flexible ropes, ensnaring Naruto's body. "Lion's Mane Jutsu!"
"So fast…"
The yellow-haired genin gritted his teeth. He pulled hard but couldn't break free from the white hair's grip. The power of the Lion's Mane Jutsu was immense.
"I've got you, kid." Jiraiya's fingers came together to form seals, but his words were meant to provoke Naruto. "Feeling desperate? Powerless? Then use that great power inside you to break free!"
"..."
Naruto gritted his teeth. Jiraiya knew exactly how strong this jutsu was. If it were so easy to escape, why would that man still be so calmly forming hand seals over there?
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched the stubborn youth. Then, he spat a scorching blast of oil-laced fire. "Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
"Spiral Bullet!"
Naruto flicked a fingernail-sized Rasengan from his finger. It shot out instantly, slamming into Jiraiya and sending him flying.
But the mass of flames was still rushing toward him. Naruto could feel the intense heat as he raised his other palm. "Sealing Technique: Devour!"
The surging flames vanished in an instant. The fire and oil, both created from Jiraiya's chakra, were converted back into raw chakra and absorbed directly into Naruto's body.
With Jiraiya sent flying, Naruto finally broke free from the white hair restraining him, resetting the battle.
He landed on the ground and flicked his palm, which was emitting a wisp of white smoke. He looked at Jiraiya, who had already gotten back up, his expression once again vigilant.
Jiraiya rubbed his shoulder, which ached faintly. The Spiral Bullet had formed so quickly and been fired so stealthily that even he was caught off guard.
The Spiral Bullet wasn't fatal, but the impact disrupted the flow of chakra in his shoulder. It felt like the bones might have been slightly dislocated, too, which would make forming hand seals difficult.
That didn't matter. He had other ways to form seals.
He thought he had been taking Naruto seriously enough, but he hadn't expected the boy's mastery of the Rasengan to be so advanced. What surprised Jiraiya even more was how Naruto had completely neutralized the Flame Bullet and emerged unscathed.
Absorbing the chakra from an enemy's ninjutsu and converting it for one's own use… as far as he knew, only the Samehada greatsword from the Hidden Mist could do that.
But Naruto Uzumaki had just done it with his bare hand.
"Incredible," Jiraiya muttered, raising an eyebrow. He brought his fingers together for a one-handed seal. "Tsk, no wonder Kakashi told me not to be careless... In that case, let's see what level of ninjutsu it can absorb!"
"...One-handed seals again?" Naruto looked up as Jiraiya formed the seals and rushed forward, using a Spiral Shockwave to boost his speed.
He aimed a kick at Jiraiya's head, but Jiraiya was in his prime. In a taijutsu duel, the Sannin had a massive advantage, easily dodging several of Naruto's rapid attacks.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. Chakra gathered in his chest, and he unleashed an even hotter stream of fire from his mouth. "Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
In the distance, Kakashi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He wondered if he should tell Jiraiya to stop testing Naruto's strange absorption jutsu. It was a complete waste of effort.
From what Kakashi had observed, Naruto could extract the chakra from any ninjutsu he could touch, regardless of its rank or element.
Even the chakra inside a ninja's body was no exception.
Naruto already had a massive chakra reserve, and he could use that technique to absorb an enemy's ninjutsu or even recover the chakra from his own jutsu.
If Jiraiya kept testing him with ninjutsu, one side's power would grow while the other's diminished. Jiraiya's already not-so-glorious record might end up with a new stain on it.
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Bonus:
Kakashi: I told you not to be careless!
Jiraiya: My mistake, my mistake…
Kakashi: So, did you learn anything?
Jiraiya: I figured out why the Nine-Tails doesn't come out anymore.
Kakashi: ???
Jiraiya: If I were the Nine-Tails and the kid was siphoning my chakra like that, I wouldn't want to come out either.
Kakashi: ...