"What a pain of a kid." Hearing the rushing sound behind him, Jiraiya felt his head throb. How is this brat so fast?
"Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu)!" Hearing the sound get closer, Jiraiya subconsciously used the technique. Then, he noticed Setsuna's pursuit paused for a moment before he changed direction and continued chasing.
"He can't use the Body Flicker Technique?" Jiraiya was surprised. The Body Flicker Technique is only a Rank-D Ninjutsu. Given the speed Setsuna was showing, it was astonishing he didn't know it.
"Is he only a Taijutsu user?" Jiraiya's mind became active. Anyone can accelerate in a straight line; speed in the curves is what truly matters.
He used the Body Flicker Technique several more times and, sure enough, found that while the kid's linear speed was incredibly fast, once Jiraiya used the Body Flicker to change his landing spot, the kid had to re-acquire his position.
"Tsk, pure Taijutsu really does have its flaws," Setsuna lamented, having found his own deficiency. His Ki perception was still in the early stages; he could only sense subtle changes in the surrounding air currents and use that to track the enemy's presence and movement.
If the opponent used a high-speed movement like the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Body Flicker, he could certainly perceive the air currents. However, Jiraiya's Body Flicker Technique was Ninjutsu-based, and being completely unable to use Ninjutsu made it difficult for him to keep up.
Setsuna sighed inwardly, confirming that he couldn't underestimate ninja. If his opponent was unprepared, he could instantly kill most physically fragile ninja with a single punch. But once those ninja took precautions, even a simple Body Flicker Technique could cause him quite a bit of trouble.
Of course, this trouble was limited to the pursuit phase. If anyone tried to close the distance to attack him, he would quickly show them the consequences of getting close to a martial artist.
Jiraiya chuckled triumphantly. "Hey kid, you should just stop. You can't catch me."
Setsuna was unfazed and calmly said, "Do you plan to rely on the Body Flicker Technique for the whole trip?"
The smile on Jiraiya's face instantly froze. Oh, right. I still can't shake this kid. If he kept using the Body Flicker Technique for travel, his chakra would eventually run out, and then he would be at the kid's mercy.
Thinking of this, Jiraiya turned around. "Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson, kid."
Setsuna was delighted rather than surprised. "That's more like it! What's the fun in just running?"
Jiraiya's hand signs were extremely fast, and he used a Ninjutsu almost instantly: "Fire Release: Flame Bullet (Katon: Endan)!"
As he used the technique, he was a little worried that he might hit too hard. Although it was only a Rank-C Ninjutsu, it was as powerful as a Rank-B in his hands, especially against a kid who didn't know Ninjutsu.
However, Setsuna casually swatted the flame bullet away, looking quite displeased. "Is that all the power you have? Take this seriously!"
While his "Magic Resistance" wasn't as high as his "Physical Resistance," he could still withstand explosions like Goku. Compared to the high temperatures released when a cannonball exploded, the heat from this oil-flame was nothing.
Jiraiya was astonished. It was the first time he had seen anyone block a Ninjutsu like that. He quickly performed new hand signs: "Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet (Katon: Dai Endan)!"
As an advanced version of the Flame Bullet, the Great Flame Bullet was ten times more powerful, roughly the size of a small house. The scorching oil-flame rapidly heated the forest, and the fire shot up into the sky.
The Third Hokage, rushing from a distance, saw this sight and his expression tightened. The power of this Ninjutsu was beyond the scope of a typical Jōnin. It seemed what that boy, Obito, said was true.
Knowing that the enemy was powerful, Obito and the others had rushed to find reinforcements.
Normally, given their status, they wouldn't be able to see the Hokage just by asking, but they found Asuma, who, despite his loss to Setsuna, wasn't resentful. After hearing about the spy situation, he found the Third Hokage as quickly as possible.
Just then, a deafening roar echoed through the forest.
The Third Hokage didn't understand what had happened, but Jiraiya was drenched in sweat. His Great Flame Bullet had been blown back by a single roar from Setsuna.
What terrified him more was that Setsuna, who dashed out of the sea of fire, delivered a punch that tore through the air. Although Jiraiya narrowly dodged it, the ground where he had been standing was now a massive crater, like an impact site.
Seeing the destruction caused by Setsuna, Jiraiya was soaked in a cold sweat and muttered inwardly, "Could this kid be Tsunade's illegitimate child?"
He didn't have time to think much more, as Setsuna's attack followed closely, like a shadow clinging to bone. The pressure made him feel like he was fighting the Raikage, leaving him barely able to catch his breath.
"This is trouble. I underestimated this kid at first. Now, it's too late to summon the two Sage Toads for Sage Mode." Jiraiya's expression was grave. His Sage Mode training was incomplete, requiring the assistance of the two Great Sages, Fukasaku and Shima. But Setsuna's offense was too fierce, giving him no time to summon them.
"It's come to this. I have to gamble everything!" Jiraiya quickly made hand signs: "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld (Doton: Yomi Numa)!"
The ground in a radius of several hundred meters instantly turned into a massive swamp, trapping Setsuna's legs.
However, Jiraiya didn't expect this move to hold Setsuna for long. After using the Earth Release Ninjutsu, he quickly made more hand signs and used a Summoning Technique: "Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind (Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari)!"
He summoned the flesh walls of the Rock Dwelling Great Toad (Iwayado no Ōgama). This technique was usually a means to trap an enemy, but now he was using it to protect himself.
After doing all that, Jiraiya still didn't feel safe and made another set of hand signs: "Ninja Art: Needle Jizō (Ninpō: Hari Jizō)!"
His long silver hair rapidly grew out, wrapped around his body, and then hardened, looking like the shell of a sea urchin.
Jiraiya finally let out a small sigh of relief, joining his hands to prepare to summon the two Sage Toads.
However, barely a second after he caught his breath, he saw a fist punch through the Needle Jizō and land on his lower abdomen.
Jiraiya's face instantly contorted. He felt an intense pain in his body, as if he had been stomped on repeatedly by an elephant.
The walls of the Toad Mouth Bind disappeared. He was sent spinning hundreds of meters backward, crashing through over a dozen large trees before finally stopping. Every part of his body ached.
"What kind of power is this? It's even more terrifying than Tsunade's Monstrous Strength!" Jiraiya was deeply horrified. If he hadn't been beaten up by Tsunade since childhood, giving him a certain immunity to pain, and if the defense of the Needle Jizō hadn't absorbed much of the force, he suspected that punch would have given him comminuted fractures.
"He should be alive, right?" Setsuna muttered softly. He was confident in his control over his strength; that punch should have only caused Jiraiya some serious pain.
Hearing Setsuna's muttered question, Jiraiya quickly slowed his breathing. He admitted defeat this time but wanted to try to save face.
"It looks like I'll have to use the Reverse Summoning Technique to escape when he's not paying attention," Jiraiya thought to himself. He had already figured out that the opponent had no chakra and couldn't use any Ninjutsu. Without chakra, he couldn't seal him.
As long as he could still use Ninjutsu, this kid couldn't keep him.
Just then, Setsuna lightly tapped a few points on his body.
Jiraiya suddenly widened his eyes, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He asked with a trembling voice, "Chi Blocking (Tenketsu technique)! You don't have the Byakugan, how can you use Chi Blocking?!"
Setsuna gave him a calm look. As a martial artist, wasn't knowing Chi Blocking a perfectly normal thing?
Jiraiya wanted to cry. The thought of being escorted back to the village and becoming the laughingstock of Orochimaru and Tsunade made the grief and indignation in his heart surge like a tide, beyond words.