Sarutobi Enjun hurriedly stepped forward to speak with Jiraiya, gesturing with his eyes for Uchiha Gen to take out the bell.
"Haha, it's fine. Orochimaru already told me about this little bell. Rest assured, this bell utilizes a sound-based Genjutsu, while Gama-riki's style is all-encompassing. At his level, combining the two will definitely be more effective than using either one alone!"
At that moment, a mischievous expression shifted onto Jiraiya's face.
The pits I've fallen into, I have to let you guys experience them once, too!
Sarutobi Enjun's face immediately turned even greener, and Uzuki Ruri also looked a bit worried.
"Very well, let's begin!" Jiraiya barked.
"Alright, here I come! You first, young man!"
Under Sarutobi Enjun's terrified gaze, Gama-riki extended his long tongue and pounced toward him.
"Nooo!"
"Mwah!!!"
Uchiha Gen closed his eyes, unable to watch.
Although Jiraiya and Gama-riki were restrained and the scene wasn't too violent, it was still bizarre. A few seconds later, Sarutobi Enjun slumped to the ground with a look of terror, his hands forming seals as he struggled to disrupt the Genjutsu's influence on his chakra, trying his best to release the illusion.
Well, the scenes within this Genjutsu were much more violent and surreal than in reality; Sarutobi Enjun had no choice but to give it his all.
"Gama-riki-senpai, please... please don't hold back. I will also go all out!" Uzuki Ruri spoke with determination.
"A girl... and quite cute, too. Alright then, it's your turn now."
Gama-riki blew a kiss at Uzuki Ruri. The flying heart and his long tongue touched her cheek simultaneously, hypnotizing her into the Genjutsu world.
"Here, kid, the bell. Give them a bit more intensity."
Jiraiya reached out his hand toward Gen. The latter handed the Genjutsu bell to Jiraiya, who then tossed it to Gama-riki.
"I'll leave them to you, Gama-riki. Kid, let's go. It's time for you to witness this Great One's teaching level!"
Jiraiya stood with hands on hips, head held high, and strode forward confidently.
Two hours later, on the other side of the training ground.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Style: Gale Wolf Dance!"
The massive fireball was swirled and spun by the air currents, slamming into the solid, rammed earth and smashing out an irregular crater. The powerful impact sent rubble flying everywhere, and the ground briefly glowed red-hot. After the heat faded, the earth remained a dull grayish-white.
"Tsk tsk, this Great One is indeed a genius. With just a little guidance, this kid can use Composite Ninjutsu so well."
Jiraiya leaned against a tree in the distance, left hand behind his head, holding a novel with an explicit cover in his right. He peeked at Gen and couldn't help but praise himself. He wondered which lucky talent would encounter a genius teacher like himself in the future.
On the other side, Gen looked at the marks on the ground and breathed a small sigh of relief, satisfied with his progress.
Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru's teaching abilities were exceptionally strong. Judging solely by results, the former was perhaps superior. Aside from the short-lived Yahiko, his disciples were each more monstrous than the last. Konan, who possessed Kage-level strength, was actually considered the least among them in terms of raw potential.
However, besides teaching Sasuke who was practically his equal the only other person Orochimaru trained whose strength could be considered extraordinary was Yakushi Kabuto. And even then, Kabuto only became a self-made talent after absorbing Orochimaru's legacy following the latter's death.
After following Jiraiya through this training session, Gen figured out why their teaching results differed so much.
Compared to Orochimaru, Jiraiya was undoubtedly much more long-winded, but he was far more detailed. Orochimaru was too much of a genius. He was a genius to the point that what many people considered difficult were trivial issues to him, or not even problems at all.
It was like asking him how to solve a problem; Orochimaru would just glance at the question, give a solution that skipped many steps, and then tell you it was already detailed enough. If you couldn't understand that, then you were stupid, and he didn't know how else to explain it.
Jiraiya was different. Although his talent was far higher than that of an ordinary ninja, he was inferior to Orochimaru in terms of raw comprehension. In his youth, just keeping up with the team's progress had been extremely difficult.
But a slow person has a slow person's methods.
He couldn't learn ten thousand kinds of Ninjutsu like Orochimaru, but he could practice one technique ten thousand times, building an extremely solid foundation and using the simplest moves with the greatest power. He strove for perfection in those details; even the simplest movement had to be mastered to the extreme.
When Naruto entered the Shippuden era, he hadn't learned many powerful Ninjutsu, but his foundation had been cultivated so solidly by Jiraiya that it allowed him to grow rapidly within a year. Nagato and Konan were the same. Jiraiya didn't teach them profound secret arts or any Ninjutsu belonging to Konoha. After deciding they had enough self-preservation ability, he left the Land of Rain.
They became powerful later on without Jiraiya's guidance, but the solid foundation he laid allowed them to accelerate once they found their own path. The floor was guaranteed, and the ceiling was very high.
As for flaws, Jiraiya's teaching method was relatively slow in the early stages and consumed a lot of time, focusing on accumulating strength for a later breakout. Without a fortuitous encounter or natural talent like Minato or Konan, it was also difficult to break through that ceiling.
Orochimaru's system, on the other hand, was linked directly to talent. It was most suitable for genius ninjas like Sasuke and Kabuto, who had high IQs and strong comprehension. For those with mediocre aptitude, he used forbidden techniques and biological modifications to forcibly break through their limits though it was easy for them to become consumable experimental subjects.
From this perspective, Jiraiya actually seemed quite suitable for Gen. The years spent with the Sakura Haruno character card were enough for him to digest her abilities as his own. It was like attending the Ninja Academy twice; his foundation was extremely solid.
"Well, as for Composite Ninjutsu, you've pretty much reached the entry level. Wind can continuously stir the air, letting the fire come into contact with more oxygen to burn more fully, while expanding the range of the flames. This is the most basic principle of Wind Style strengthening Fire Style. At your level, it's not difficult."
Jiraiya closed his book and walked over.
"But if you want to continue improving, you still need to further enhance your Wind Style level. Compared to your Fire Style, your Wind Style level is quite a bit worse."