Jiraiya's meticulously prepared long speech about the difficulty of sensing natural energy, how to carefully guide it, how to resist its erosion, and how to struggle on the brink of failure—all of it was stuck in his gut, not a single word could be uttered!
Naruto looked at Jiraiya, who was clutching his head and groaning, and said with a smile, "Jiraiya-sensei, since you've finally mastered Sage Mode, why don't we have a practice match?"
Jiraiya suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with excitement.
"That's right, you've only just begun to grasp Sage Mode; you haven't even started real combat yet."
"Activating Sage Mode and using Sage Mode in combat are two completely different concepts!"
Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode cannot be sustained for long, only about five minutes. Since absorbing natural energy requires stillness, and it's impossible to remain still during combat in Sage Mode, that's why Sage Art: Amphibian Technique exists.
"In that case—"
Jiraiya put his hands on his hips and loudly declared to Naruto:
"Get ready to be utterly crushed, brat!"
In front of the Toad Oil Waterfall, Jiraiya, who had also activated Sage Mode, stood tens of meters apart from Naruto, the atmosphere so thick it could be wrung out. "Are you ready, Naruto?" Jiraiya's voice was low and powerful, carrying a strange echo under the amplification of senjutsu Chakra. "The power of senjutsu can only be truly understood in life-or-death battles! Don't expect me to hold back!"
"Couldn't ask for more, Pervert Sage!" Naruto grinned, his azure eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit, and the distinct red eye shadow added a touch of majesty to him. "Let me see what the legendary Sannin look like when they go all out!"
No hand signs, no warning!
"Whoosh"
The two of them, like arrows shot from a bow, instantly closed the distance, enveloped in powerful senjutsu Chakra!
Sage Mode can enhance offense and defense with natural energy, increase the range of taijutsu attacks and perception, and dramatically boost the power of one's Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.
So they decided to start with a taijutsu showdown!
"Bang!!!"
A collision of pure power.
Two fists, amplified by senjutsu Chakra, slammed together with immense force!
A terrifying shockwave exploded from the center of the two, the hard ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch, Lithotripsy, and a visible ring of air instantly spread out, impacting the nearby Toad Oil Waterfall, even causing a golden mist to explode halfway down the waterfall.
Jiraiya's body shook violently, his feet plowing two deep furrows, while Naruto stood steadily in place.
A hint of surprise flashed in Jiraiya's eyes: "Good kid! His strength amplification in Sage Mode is even greater than mine?!"
"Little Jiraiya, the Child of Prophecy has something going for him; he really can fight freely in Sage Mode without using the 'Amphibian Technique'." Shima, who had been summoned, also merged with Jiraiya's shoulder, assisting his Sage Mode.
Fukasaku clasped his two frog hands together and croaked, "Little Jiraiya, don't get careless! If you lose, where will I put my old face?"
"Naruto, again!"
Jiraiya roared, his offensive like a surging tide!
His fists, elbows, knees, and legs all became deadly weapons, each strike carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks, and his speed was so fast that it left trails of afterimages in the air.
This was the taijutsu ultimate technique, a fusion of Mount Myōboku's Frog Kata and senjutsu amplification!
"Oh~ strength, speed, reaction, even stronger than Rock Lee with the Six Gates open. Is this the amplification of Sage Mode?"
Naruto showed no fear, his eyes glinting, and he effortlessly blocked and dodged Jiraiya's storm-like attacks one by one!
As one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya could be said to have far more combat experience than Rock Lee.
But!
Naruto, who had eliminated countless monsters in the Goblin Slayer World, had accumulated even more combat experience than Jiraiya.
His movements were more concise and effective, surpassing Jiraiya's.
"Thump"
Every block produced a dull, thunderous roar, and the collision of Chakra sparked bits of light.
"Good speed! But not fast enough!" A sharp glint flashed in Jiraiya's eyes as he seized a subtle gap in Naruto's guard, and a palm imbued with terrifying senjutsu Chakra struck towards Naruto's chest!
"This kid is off. It's like his body is covered in a defensive barrier; our attacks are being blocked."
"Husband, use that move!"
Shima keenly sensed the effect of Naruto's equipment.
"Sage Art: Frog Kumite!" Fukasaku's voice echoed in Jiraiya's mind, and invisible natural energy, like tentacles, coiled around Naruto, attempting to restrict his movements!
However, the light in Naruto's clear Sage Eyes flared brightly!
His perception of natural energy was at its peak.
The moment the Frog Kumite energy touched his body, Naruto twisted his body at an incredible angle, and at the same time, released senjutsu Chakra around him, instantly forming an azure Chakra sphere that repelled Jiraiya's palm strike.
"This… This is the Hyuga Gentle Fist's Rotation."
No—
Under the amplification of senjutsu Chakra, it should be called Sage Art: Rotation!
A triumphant smile played on Naruto's lips. As he repelled the Frog Kumite, he smoothly followed up with the "after-swing" of Sage Art: Rotation, delivering a powerful whip kick imbued with a spiraling force towards Jiraiya's side!
"What?!"
Jiraiya's pupils constricted, and he forcefully twisted his body to block.
"Boom!"
Naruto's whip kick was blocked, but the immense force still sent Jiraiya flying thousands of meters, like a cannonball shot into the air.
"Jiraiya-sensei, if you don't get serious, you're going to lose the taijutsu segment."
Naruto displayed high-speed movement comparable to the Body Flicker Technique, instantly appearing beneath Jiraiya. The ribbons that floated around him, usually windless, seemed to materialize, like Rock Lee's bandages, scattering and retracting, suddenly coiling around the enemy.
Front Lotus!
The senjutsu ribbons wrapped Jiraiya like a mummy. Naruto embraced him, spinning him rapidly like a top, and slammed him towards the ground.
With a deafening "boom."
The steel-hard ground was forced to yield a crater, with spiderweb cracks extending in all directions.
The ribbons scattered again, revealing Jiraiya, enveloped in his white spiky hair.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo, is it?"
"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Jiraiya had already unleashed the white long hair of Needle Jizo, which shot out towards Naruto like countless steel needles, swift as a torrential downpour, covering an extremely wide area, encompassing all of Naruto's dodging space!
Moreover, these seemingly hairs, under the infusion of senjutsu Chakra, had actually become comparable to ninja tools, "Senbon," with even greater speed and penetration.
Naruto did not dare to underestimate it, activating Sage Art: Rotation to deflect all the countless Hair Needle Senbon.
"Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink..."
The clang of metal striking stone echoed densely and ceaselessly through Mount Myōboku's peculiar forest.