In a town somewhere within the Land of Rain—
A tall, white-haired man emerged from a tavern with a woman on each arm. Both women were dressed scantily and drew attention wherever they went, while the man wore a lecherous grin.
Had Aoshi been here, he would've instantly recognized the man as a ninja from Konoha. This was none other than Jiraiya, one of the famed "Legendary Sannin" alongside Tsunade.
Ordinarily, if a Konoha ninja like Jiraiya showed up in the Land of Rain, one would assume he was here on a mission—just like Aoshi and his team.
But that wasn't the case. Ever since the end of the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya had remained in the Land of Rain. After the conflict ended, he encountered three war orphans and made the decision to teach them ninjutsu.
Had he not been the student of the Third Hokage, his actions could've easily been seen as a betrayal of the village.
Though 'village' is in Konoha's name, it's not a literal village—it's a military stronghold.
And the same holds true for the other major shinobi villages. When it comes down to it, ninjas are nothing more than organized mercenaries.
From simple chores like planting rice or finding lost cats, to assassinations and large-scale warfare—no mission is off-limits.
Despite the two women pleading for him to stay, Jiraiya didn't forget his original purpose. He promised to return another time and then left.
Next, he headed straight for a local food and fruit market in town. After purchasing what he needed, he set off alone from the town.
However, trailing behind him in secret were a few lowlifes. These weren't ninja, just thugs who often targeted lone travelers and stole their supplies.
Clearly, they had picked Jiraiya as their next victim.
Incidents like this were all too common in the Land of Rain, and had become even more frequent since the end of the war. Most people didn't even bat an eye at such things anymore.
"Where the hell is he? A guy that big doesn't just disappear!"
"I don't know, boss. I swear I saw him head this way. This is nuts."
While the group searched around for any sign of Jiraiya, he suddenly appeared right behind them. "Looking for me?"
His voice startled them all. But their leader quickly tried to cover his fear with bravado.
"Hand over the food, or don't blame us for getting rough!"
Jiraiya let out a sigh. Confirming they weren't ninja, he casually took them down and moved on.
He hadn't gotten far before spotting several Rain ninja hurrying in one direction. They clearly weren't after him—something else was going on.
"What's happening over there?" Muttering to himself, Jiraiya followed the direction the Rain ninja were headed.
---
"Aoshi-senpai is amazing!" Tomoki's exclamation was met with agreement from Minato and Ayame.
After dispatching their initial attackers, Aoshi immediately went to assist Mikoto's shadow clones.
This gave them the chance to watch Aoshi fight in earnest. Enemies they had considered extremely powerful were no match for him. Most were slain within just a few brief exchanges.
Only one enemy remained locked in battle with him—a female jonin. She was, after all, a jonin from Kirigakure. Her strength far surpassed the others.
Unlike the elite of smaller villages, jonin from the Five Great Nations had balanced mastery in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, leaving no real weaknesses.
So defeating her as easily as the others was clearly not realistic.
"Damn it... He looks so young, but he's ridiculously strong." The female Mist Jonin stared at Aoshi with a grim expression.
Initially, she had been held back by Mikoto's shadow clone. By the time she defeated it, all her subordinates had already fallen to this young man.
And even now, she was being stalled in one-on-one combat. A rogue ninja herself, she was already considering retreat.
But one glance at her two comrades fighting Uchiha Mikoto made her push the thought aside.
The three of them had defected together, disillusioned with the Blood Mist policy back in the village. Even as high-ranking jonin, their repeated petitions to the Third Mizukage to abandon the policy were ignored.
They were forced to watch their comrades stop seeing each other as allies, treating everyone as enemies instead.
That suffocating atmosphere had become unbearable.
Eventually, the three of them deserted together, recruiting defectors from minor villages to form their own group and relocate to the Land of Rain.
Unfortunately, today they had run into Konoha shinobi—and it seemed they were doomed to fall here. Still, she didn't slow down. Her blade clashed against Aoshi's in a fierce duel.
She was a skilled swordswoman who had once competed in Kirigakure's 'Seven Ninja Swordsmen' selection.
Although she wasn't chosen in the end, her strength was unquestionable.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
In mere moments, they exchanged several blows—neither giving an inch in swordsmanship.
Meanwhile, Mikoto held her own against two enemies by herself—and still had the upper hand. Her opponents were doing their best to avoid direct eye contact, fearing her Sharingan and potential genjutsu.
Once again, Kiyoshi's attack failed, and he was kicked away by Mikoto. He knew this couldn't go on.
"Yuzuki, buy me some time—I'm going to use that jutsu."
"Got it!"
As Kiyoshi's partner, Yuzuki immediately understood—he meant the Water Dragon Jutsu. A B-rank Water Style jutsu with serious destructive power.
Its only drawback: too many hand seals.
Even with Kiyoshi's impressive speed of four seals per second, he still needed eleven seconds to complete it.
No enemy would normally give him that much time in battle. Which was exactly why he needed Yuzuki's support.
Mikoto, of course, noticed the setup. Her instinct was to disrupt Kiyoshi's jutsu.
But Yuzuki didn't give her the chance. He once again used Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spears, forcing Mikoto to dodge.
She'd been hit by this before—launched into the air and nearly finished off as a helpless target. Had she not reacted in time, she'd be dead now.
Yuzuki wasn't surprised.
He didn't expect the same move to work twice on a Uchiha jonin. If it did, he'd suspect he was already caught in a genjutsu.
But his goal wasn't to land a hit—it was to stall. And stall he did, casting Rock Pillar Spear again and again, never letting up, denying her any chance to counter.
He just needed to buy eleven seconds.
And those seconds passed quickly.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"