I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 233 Jiraiya's Sage Mode

Leaf.

The biggest change in Uchiha Yoru after he left the tavern compared to three years ago was his demeanor.

The gentle smile of the past is still there, but it has gained a touch of nobility and an undeniable air of dominance, perhaps a gift from strength.

Dark shadows flickered within the towering forest, and Jiraiya couldn't help but frown, saying, "It seems this brat's strength has changed a lot in the past few years; he deliberately lured us here."

Tsunade, who was hanging there unhurriedly, casually joked, "Jiraiya, this brat's strength is something that can kill you if you're careless."

After saying that, Tsunade gave Shizune a look that signaled her to observe secretly, with no intention of getting involved.

Upon witnessing this, Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed in a comical manner, "Tsunade, you have information about this brat?"

However, Tsunade completely ignored him, while Jiraiya was secretly shocked. For Tsunade to say that he could die if he was not careful, it showed how strong this kid was.

Even Jiraiya secretly pondered, could it be a secret hidden by the Uchiha clan's Mangekyou Sharingan? After all, Tsunade's ancestors were from the Senju clan, far beyond what they could gather in detail.

In the dark forest, a white figure slowly came to a stop, and at the same time, the forest became even more silent.

Uchiha Yoru stood casually on the thick tree trunk, his dark eyes scanning his surroundings with a smile.

"Heh, I smelled the stinky toad in the tavern and have been following you for so long. Come out now."

Uchiha Yoru's laughter echoed through the silent forest, followed by the clear sound of wooden clogs. A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

"Heh, kids these days are really not cute at all."

Although Jiraiya was somewhat shocked by the drastic change in Uchiha Yoru as he slowly emerged, he showed no sign of it on his face. Instead, he laughed loudly, "I am the Sage Jiraiya!"

"The Sage?" Looking at Jiraiya, Uchiha Yoru gave a mocking smile. "I remember three years ago I had Kakashi deliver a letter to the Sage, but Lord Jiraiya said he didn't want to get involved in the village's affairs. Now he's back in Konoha. It seems the Third Hokage is getting a little anxious."

three years ago!

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya clapped his hands and struck a funny pose, laughing loudly, "Haha, brat, it seems you've made great progress in these three years. Today, let the Toad Sage Jiraiya teach you how to respect your elders."

boom!

The words had barely left his lips when Jiraiya's pupils contracted. Instinctively, he rolled to the side and slid dozens of meters along the ground. There, in the cracked earth where he had been standing, was a Kusanagi sword with a sheath stuck in its sheath.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru was still on the opposite side. Seeing this, Jiraiya felt a cold sweat trickle down his temple, and he exclaimed inwardly, "Damn it, this brat hasn't even awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan yet! How did he train for the past three years? To reach this level with just arm strength alone... then this brat's taijutsu... I'm afraid!"

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru, standing opposite him, smiled and stretched his limbs, saying, "Since Lord Jiraiya wants to test my strength on behalf of the Third Hokage, and to avoid anyone accusing me of bullying Lord Jiraiya, I won't be using the Kusanagi Sword this time."

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation

Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet

Instantly, the two prepared to strike first, and both used fire-style ninjutsu at the same time, both of which were B-rank.

Unlike Jiraiya, who, upon seeing the opponent's ninjutsu, widened his eyes and muttered to himself, "This brat's chakra is simply monstrous; we can't afford to outlast him."

The two enormous flames collided within the forest, and the Great Flame Bullet was instantly engulfed.

Spiritual communication!

Within the forest ablaze with flames, a barrier suddenly opened, and Uchiha Yoru, witnessing this, smiled.

"It seems that Lord Jiraiya doesn't want anyone to interfere with this battle, or perhaps you don't want to create momentum for me!"

Uchiha Yoru was well aware of Jiraiya's plan. Three years ago, he had given Kakashi a chance: to invite either Jiraiya or Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, back, in exchange for leading the Uchiha clan to nominate the Fifth Hokage.

As a result, Kakashi firmly stood by his side afterward, which shows the response he received at the time.

Now that Jiraiya has chosen to return to the village, after three years, his discord with the Third Hokage and the higher-ups has become public knowledge. His return at this time is clearly an invitation from the Third Hokage to bring back reinforcements.

I gave you a chance to resolve the conflict, but you didn't seize it. And now you're doing this again?

Under the massive barrier, Uchiha Yoru's three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eye sockets as he carefully stared at the surrounding sky. Sure enough, he saw the mysterious sealing barrier in his Sharingan.

"Kid, let me witness the strongest power from the Uchiha clan."

With the crisp sound of his wooden clogs echoing, Jiraiya slowly emerged from the sea of ​​fire, his face now filled with solemnity.

His barrier cannot hold out for too long, so he needs to finish this quickly.

This brat is cunning. The last time Orochimaru was driven away, it was this brat who used him to establish his authority. Now he doesn't want to be used by the other party again for nothing.

The Art of the Lion's Hair

The white hair slowly parted, revealing Jiraiya's body, which caused a look of astonishment to flash in the eyes of Uchiha Yoru, who was far away.

"I didn't expect that even the two old toads from Mount Myōboku would be summoned. It seems that Lord Jiraiya is serious this time."

It turned out that after Jiraiya's white hair fell away, two old toads were revealed on his shoulders, who were none other than the hermits Fukasaku and Shima from Mount Myōboku.

"An old toad?"

The two sages who had just been summoned widened their eyes upon hearing the mockery from the other side. Shima, in particular, glared angrily and said, "You brat, how rude of you! You even smell like a stinky snake. You wouldn't happen to be Orochimaru's disciple, would you?"

"Jiraiya, have you run into Orochimaru?" The usually composed Fukasaku was instead on high alert, wary of his surroundings.

Only Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, "Um, it's this kid."

"Little Jiraiya? You summoned us to use Sage Mode to deal with this brat?" At this moment, both Sage Toads widened their eyes, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

You said if it were Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, they could understand, but you're going to fight Orochimaru's disciple? A little brat, and judging from the situation, the battle has only just begun, and they haven't even gotten into any trouble yet.

"You two immortals, don't be careless. This brat has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, and he's even more dangerous than Orochimaru."

As Jiraiya said this, a solemn expression appeared on his face, and the two immortals were also moved upon seeing this. It was rare to be treated like this by Jiraiya.

Seeing Jiraiya clasp his hands together in Sage Mode, Uchiha Yoru did not interrupt him. Instead, the three tomoe in his pupils spun into a kaleidoscope in Jiraiya's three eyes.

"Danger? Article 37 of the Ninja Academy Regulations states that anyone can pose a danger to oneself, even a civilian, a child, or even the elderly, weak, or disabled. Isn't Lord Jiraiya a dangerous person?"

Facing Jiraiya, Uchiha Yoru retorted without mercy, his face filled with even more mockery.

"You brat!"

Jiraiya was somewhat angry at Uchiha Yoru's attitude of waiting for him to activate Sage Mode, but he was even more shocked. This kid was extremely cautious, but when it came to the level of danger, his eyes were more serious.

"Kid, you made no attempt to hide your ambition in the book, and you also revealed your actions over the past three years. Your ambition is too great and will bring disaster to the village and the ninja world."

Jiraiya's long speech made Uchiha Yoru's face turn ugly. One reason was that he had grown stronger in the past three years, and another was that his friction with the Third Hokage and the higher-ups had reached a critical point.

At this point, no one wants to back down, because backing down means losing more benefits!

Furthermore, given Uchiha Yoru's current strength and resources, he no longer concealed his ambition and attitude, and his gaze gradually turned cold.

"Jiraiya, I can understand bringing disaster to the ninja world, after all, you're someone who places your hopes on so-called fate, but bringing disaster to the village is another matter!"

At this point, Uchiha Yoru raised an eyebrow, and in an instant, his chakra erupted as he roared with an imposing air, "From top to bottom, in the entire Konoha, apart from the Senju clan, who has the right to say that the Uchiha will bring disaster to the village? Who do you think you are?!"

"Konoha was founded by the combined efforts of the Uchiha and Senju clans. Do you think you, Jiraiya, can succeed solely because of your status as a disciple of the Third Hokage? Or perhaps the so-called title of the Legendary Sannin?!"

Upon hearing the loud shouts, Jiraiya's face turned awkward, but he inwardly cursed the old man for his recklessness, which had made the Uchiha clan different from before.

The Uchiha clan used to be able to compromise with you and things would be much better, but you guys have been pushing them relentlessly, and now you've pushed them too far.

Now, Uchiha is always the one who founded Konoha and is the master of the village.

Jiraiya, having taken a deep breath, maintained his clasped hands posture. Facing the shout, he said in a deep voice, "Kid, leaving aside your ambitions for now, do you know that Iwagakure and Kumogakure are already preparing for war?"

"Nowadays, countless villages in the ninja world are listening to Konoha, eager to see the Uchiha clan and their villages break out into a civil war, and then take advantage of the mutual exhaustion to start a full-scale war."

"The internal strife between the Uchiha clan and the village could even become the trigger for the Fourth Shinobi World War. Am I wrong to say that you will bring disaster to the village and the shinobi world?"

Faced with Jiraiya's candid question, Uchiha Yoru naturally understood that the key issue was that his faction was so powerful that it could easily trigger a civil war.

But Uchiha Yoru sneered, "Then why don't you say that the Third Hokage brought disaster to the village and even the ninja world?"

"Don't forget, the three generations of leaders had already resigned to take responsibility for the failure of the third war. But now they're back in their positions, refusing to move. Three years ago, you, Jiraiya, personally gave up the opportunity to resolve all of this."

Faced with these words, Jiraiya was red-faced and felt extremely aggrieved. Who would have thought that in less than three years, this brat would have become so powerful through constant speeches that he had almost surpassed the prestige of the Three Sannin?

His composure back then stemmed largely from the fact that in peacetime, without military achievements, how could one establish prestige? Moreover, he remained tied to the village, so if any problems arose, he could simply return to provide relief.

But it was clear that Jiraiya had misjudged his opponent. In just three years, this kid had built up enough prestige through his words and methods to challenge for the Hokage position, and he could even compete with the Sannin.

"Enough with the nonsense, Jiraiya. You have your principles, and I have mine. Ten seconds left!"

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru interrupted Jiraiya's nonsense, a smile of excitement on his face. Jiraiya in Sage Mode was definitely one of the strongest among Kage-level shinobi, and this was the perfect opportunity to achieve his goal.

One reason was to test his current strength, and the other was to use Jiraiya to intimidate the Konoha leadership.

Sage Mode!

In an instant, Uchiha Yoru's Mangekyou Sharingan solidified, and the cursed seal on his neck released its power. As the patterns instantly covered his entire body, Jiraiya's appearance on the other side also changed drastically.

With red eyeshadow patterns, a large nose, and white whiskers sprouting from his chin, his aura has increased dramatically, and even the feeling of his chakra has changed drastically.

A pair of eyes hidden in the shadows were shocked when they saw this scene. Tsunade stared at it all in disbelief. Jiraiya had actually gone this far!

Sage Mode! And this brat too!

"Since he's from the Uchiha clan, father of the child, use Fire Release!"

It was obvious that Shima was still angry about what Uchiha Yoru had said earlier. The Uchiha were most skilled at using fire-style techniques, yet they still had to use fire-style techniques against them.

Immortal Technique: Goemon

In an instant, with Jiraiya spitting oil and the two toads—one breathing wind and the other fire—a combined Sage Art: Fire Release was created.

A deluge of oil, like a tsunami, swept over them. Even though he already knew about this, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when he actually witnessed this ninjutsu.

Immortal Earth Escape Technique: Earthquake Core

However, the next moment, Uchiha Yoru slammed his hands on the ground, and in an instant, the earth shook and rumbled.

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru slowly curled up the corners of his mouth to reveal a smile, gazing at Jiraiya opposite him.

The two looked at each other, and Jiraiya couldn't help but frown and sigh, "Has this kid grown to this extent?!"

Between the two was a raging river, or rather, Uchiha Yoru's ninjutsu "Earthquake Core" had directly caused the earth to collapse, creating a deep ravine.

As a result, all the raging oil was poured in, turning the area between the two into a sea of ​​fire.

Fueled by the oil, the fire raged fiercely. Seeing this, Fukasaku the Sage said in a low voice, "Jiraiya, be careful. This brat is very quick in timing and reacting to ninjutsu."

At this moment, Jiraiya, who had entered Sage Mode, couldn't help but grin and said heartily, "Haha, I was actually underestimated by a brat. If Orochimaru knew, he'd laugh himself to death. But how much has this brat changed in the past few years!"

Jiraiya's voice still echoed for a moment, but his figure had already disappeared.

My mental state after testing positive for COVID-19 is really terrible. I can't muster any energy every day. I'm speechless. Brothers, please make sure to wear masks and take precautions when you go out in the future.

(End of this chapter)