Chương 144: Hattori Heizo vs. Jiraiya
It seems that in every era, fate has a way of creating similar individuals. Jiraiya, just like Uchiha Obito and Uzumaki Naruto in the future, is known as the class clown or "dead last" at the ninja academy. Despite their future achievements, at this point in time, Jiraiya isn't particularly strong, much to the dismay of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who views him as the complete opposite of Orochimaru, his other star student.
Aside from their strength, their personalities share common traits—stubbornness, perseverance, and passion. It's almost as if they were cut from the same mold. Of course, due to their respective opportunities as adults, they each walk different paths. Fumori Masaki is the only one who knows this future.
After Hattori Heizo agreed to spar with Jiraiya, the two moved to the center of the training field. No one intervened. Tsunade certainly wasn't going to, in fact, she was eager to see Jiraiya get beaten up. Even Hatake Sakumo, who felt it might not be fair, kept quiet. After all, it was Jiraiya who provoked the fight and seemed to have struck a nerve with Heizo.
As for Orochimaru, he had no intention of stopping the match. Jiraiya was always noisy and a bit of a nuisance, so Orochimaru was happy to let him face the consequences. Asuna, however, knew Jiraiya's strength well and could see that Heizo wasn't someone to take lightly. She was worried, but she also understood that no amount of persuasion could deter Jiraiya. The more someone told him he couldn't do something, the more determined he became to prove them wrong.
If things get out of hand, she'll step in and stop the fight, Asuna decided. He'll need to learn his lesson the hard way first.
"Alright, watch this! You're about to witness the true strength of this 'man,'" Jiraiya declared with his typical exaggerated bravado.
Heizo responded with a scoff, "Stop calling yourself a 'man.' You're only two years younger than me, brat."
"That doesn't make you allowed to calling me a 'brat,'" Jiraiya retorted. "It's only two years!"
"You don't get it," Heizo sighed. "In the ninja world, two years represents a significant gap in experience. That's enough for me to see you as a brat. If it were Orochimaru, I might consider using his name out of respect."
Jiraiya, who had no deep bond with Orochimaru and was always jealous of him, scowled. "Enough talking! Let's get this over with!"
"You first," Heizo said with a smirk. "Consider it a courtesy from a senior."
Irritated by Heizo's condescending tone, Jiraiya drew a kunai from his pouch and shouted, "I'll show you the advanced ninjutsu that Sarutobi-sensei taught me—Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Asuka gasped, "No way! Did Jiraiya actually learn that jutsu?"
Even Orochimaru's expression changed slightly, showing a rare hint of surprise. However, what happened next left everyone stunned.
Jiraiya hurled a kunai... and then threw every other kunai he had, filling the air with them. But it was obvious to anyone watching that this was no Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, it was simply a barrage of kunai.
Heizo, who had prepared for something impressive, looked bemused. He casually charged forward, blocking the kunai with ease.
"Huh?" Jiraiya blinked in disbelief. Did... did that actually work?
For a moment, he thought maybe Heizo had just been bluffing and wasn't as skilled as he appeared. Swelling with pride, Jiraiya let his guard down. He failed to notice Asuna's frantic signals and Orochimaru shaking his head in disapproval. By the time he realized what was happening, a fist had already connected with his face, sending stars across his vision.
Jiraiya's world spun as he crumpled to the ground, dazed. He could barely make out Asuna's face hovering over him, shouting something he couldn't quite hear.
When he finally regained his senses, he found Asuna shaking him vigorously while yelling his name.
"Ah! Your voice is too loud, Asuna. Turn it down a notch," Jiraiya groaned, covering his ears.
Asuna sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, you're okay."
"Of course I'm okay!" Jiraiya grumbled. "I wasn't seriously hurt."
Heizo's voice rang out, much to Jiraiya's annoyance. "I wasn't trying to injure you. I was just teaching you a lesson. But really, you haven't even mastered the basics."
"What do you mean, tricks?" Jiraiya demanded, jumping to his feet and pointing at Heizo. "What did you pull?"
Heizo responded coolly, "No tricks. Just standard ninja tactics. But you—if you can't even tell the difference between a real body and a substitution, you've got a long way to go."
"Huh?" Jiraiya looked confused until Asuna nudged him and pointed to the side.
Scattered among the kunai were pieces of wood and what appeared to be a "body" dressed in Hattori Heizo's clothes. Upon closer inspection, Jiraiya realized it was nothing but a well-placed log dressed up to look like Heizo.
"He used the Body Replacement Technique..." Jiraiya muttered, finally understanding. Heizo had substituted himself with the log just before the kunai hit, then used the opportunity to land a clean punch while Jiraiya was distracted.
"Damn it!" Jiraiya yelled in frustration, clenching his fists.
Heizo gave a slight nod, as if to acknowledge Jiraiya's realization, before turning to face Orochimaru. "What about you? Do you want to try earning back some face for your teammate?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "He's got nothing to do with me."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Asuna interjected.
"Whatever," Jiraiya muttered, turning his back. "I don't need him to defend me anyway."
As Heizo walked to Tsunade and Sakumo, he overheard the bickering behind him and smiled slightly. "Their relationship is certainly rocky. Nothing like ours."
"Of course. With someone like him, how could it be smooth?" Tsunade quipped.
Sakumo, however, had a different perspective. "I think they're just finding their own way to connect. Someday, their bond might be as strong as ours."
"Really?" Tsunade sounded doubtful.
Heizo smiled knowingly. "Who knows? I don't believe Masaki-sensei's friend would have chosen talentless disciples. Perhaps one day, even Jiraiya will surprise us. Though for now, I can't see it."
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