The battle between the Second Tsuchikage and the Third Raikage ended in a mutual elimination!
Although the Tsuchikage held the advantage of flight, the Third Raikage ultimately risked having half his own body destroyed in order to shatter half of the Tsuchikage's body. Following the tacit agreement previously established by the ninja group, since both bodies sustained critical damage, they both bowed out of the competition together.
With their match concluded, the next bout was set between Jiraiya and Uzumaki Nagato.
In Lin Xuan's eyes, this master-disciple confrontation was particularly interesting. After all, in the original Naruto world, Jiraiya had died at the hands of this very student. Now reunited in a different world and crossing hands once more, Lin Xuan was curious to see if the outcome would be any different.
By this time, both Nagato and Jiraiya had stepped onto the ring.
Nagato looked at Jiraiya across from him, a look of nostalgia surfacing on his face. "Teacher Jiraiya, I never expected we would cross hands again in a manner like this."
Jiraiya grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "It is unexpected indeed. But, it's also a pretty good opportunity!"
"Agreed. It is a perfect chance to spar with you again, Teacher."
Nagato had shed the arrogance he displayed during their battle in the Land of Rain, replacing it with the proper respect one holds for a mentor. However, in this new world, many of his techniques were restricted—specifically, the Six Paths of Pain were unavailable. Consequently, his combat power had diminished significantly, and he wasn't entirely sure he could defeat Jiraiya as he had before.
Of course, he knew Jiraiya wasn't at full strength either. Without being able to summon the Two Great Sage Toads, Fukasaku and Shima, in this world, Jiraiya theoretically shouldn't be able to enter Sage Mode.
Overall, Nagato felt his odds of winning were still quite high.
Hearing their dialogue, the audience realized for the first time that these two were master and apprentice, which immediately spiked their interest. They weren't deeply invested in the personal history of the fighters, but the unique dynamic promised an exciting fight.
In fact, the spectators generally found the ninja battles more entertaining than traditional martial arts. While both had their merits, the Ninjutsu shown so far was more diverse, flashy, and visually stunning than the martial arts of this world. Martial arts focused on speed, efficiency, and one-hit kills—often moving too fast for the average viewer to track before the opponent was defeated. Ninjutsu, on the other hand, with its fireballs, swamps, and water dragons, felt more mysterious and cruel.
Uzumaki Nagato and Jiraiya had already drawn attention during the preliminaries as experts in Ninjutsu, so the audience was eagerly anticipating this duel between master and student.
Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, the match began.
Jiraiya made the first move. However, instead of launching an attack, he simply clasped his hands together.
Seeing this, Nagato's Rinnegan narrowed slightly. "Is this... Sage Mode? Have you mastered Sage Mode independently, Teacher?!"
Jiraiya chuckled. "I had no choice. With you youngsters surpassing me one by one, the pressure was too high. I had to work hard!"
As he spoke, his aura shifted rapidly. Distinct markings appeared around his eyes—he had entered Sage Mode!
"Watch out, Nagato!"
Jiraiya shouted, his hands slamming together to complete the signs. "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Instantly, the solid ring beneath Nagato's feet turned into a muddy bog.
The audience gasped in amazement. Although they had seen magical techniques before, witnessing solid brick transmuted into a swamp was still shocking. Before the spectators could recover from their surprise, Nagato sank deep into the mire.
Before Nagato could break free from the swamp, Jiraiya had already leaped into the air, a brilliant light forming in his right hand.
Buzz—!
With a piercing sound of tearing air, a colossal sphere of chakra formed in his palm, crashing down toward Nagato!
"Sage Art: Massive Rasengan!"
Seeing this, Nagato's expression turned grave. "Opening with a heavy hitter? I'll have to get serious too."
This technique, the Sage Art: Massive Rasengan, involved infusing natural energy into a giant Rasengan, causing it to grow to enormous proportions with a vortex of wind raging inside. Its power was immense; if it exploded, it could easily obliterate a small mountain.
Even with his confidence, Nagato knew he had to be careful. The rules for the Reincarnated meant that sustaining "fatal" structural damage equated to a loss. He didn't want to get eliminated by a moment of carelessness.
He slowly raised his hand. Just as Jiraiya's Massive Rasengan was about to make contact—the Rinnegan flashed!
"Almighty Push!" (Shinra Tensei)
Boom!
A massive repulsive force erupted, slamming into Jiraiya and sending him flying backward. The Massive Rasengan in his hand dissipated instantly.
"As expected of the Rinnegan. Truly powerful!" Jiraiya praised as he tumbled through the air.
However, his hands didn't stop. He immediately launched another technique mid-air.
"Sage Art: Wind Style - Rasenshuriken!"
A massive shuriken made of wind chakra screamed through the air towards Nagato. Seeing this, Nagato's expression turned strange. Even the members of the Ninja Guild watching from the sidelines were taken aback.
That was clearly Uzumaki Naruto's signature technique. No one expected Jiraiya to have learned his student's ultimate move!
But upon reflection, the original Rasengan was created by the Fourth Hokage, which Jiraiya also learned from his student. The realization made everyone's expression drop.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, looked incredibly smug, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "If you're so capable, why don't you try getting apprentices who invent ultimate moves for their master to use?"
It left everyone utterly speechless!
----------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon: [email protected]//allbluestories