Chapter 81

Despite this, Jiraiya did not intend to give up.

Su Zhong's talent had greatly surprised him. If someone like him were to join Konoha, it would undoubtedly strengthen the village's power.

Moreover, Konoha was currently in turmoil and in dire need of fresh blood.

"Uchiha Qiu, if you return to Konoha, I can try to get Tsunade to waive all your crimes."

Su Zhong smiled indifferently; he didn't care about any crimes.

Jiraiya's brows furrowed slightly, knowing that such a reputation would not sway Su Zhong.

"Furthermore, I can persuade Tsunade to let you rebuild the Konoha Security Force. You should know that the Konoha Security Force was originally controlled by your clan, the Uchiha. If you rebuild and control it, it would restore the glory of the Uchiha clan."

Su Zhong looked at Jiraiya in surprise.

In the original plot, Jiraiya was free and easy, never uttering such obviously self-serving words.

After some thought, Su Zhong felt at ease.

"The original plot is just the tip of the iceberg. This is the real world. Growing up in a world where interests prevail, and having such a significant reputation, how could he not have some means? I was being naive."

After the surprise, Su Zhong found it somewhat amusing.

"Konoha Security Force, captain? Don't you know how the Uchiha clan was wiped out?"

Jiraiya was taken aback.

"How is this related to your clan's extermination?"

Seeing Jiraiya's reaction, Su Zhong was also stunned for a moment, then a playful smile appeared on his face.

"You don't know? Or did Tsunade not tell you? Or perhaps even Tsunade doesn't know?"

Jiraiya's brows furrowed tightly. He suddenly felt that things were getting out of control. The asymmetry of information made him feel helpless.

What does the Uchiha clan's extermination have to do with the Security Force?

Jiraiya's thoughts raced, and he quickly realized the possibility of internal strife within the village. The Uchiha clan's extermination might be the result of power struggles within the village.

His face showed shock, followed by a strong sense of disgust.

Su Zhong stared at Jiraiya's face, seeing a series of changes, and knew he had guessed correctly.

"You're not wrong. The Uchiha clan's extermination is not a simple matter. The complex interests behind it are not something that can be sorted out in a short time."

Jiraiya's expression darkened even more. The reason he had left Konoha and wandered around was because he couldn't stand such dirty tactics.

He never thought he would be involved in such a situation.

"So, the Uchiha clan is just a failure in Konoha's internal strife. Do you think I would still return to Konoha? Besides, do you think I have nothing better to do than to kill ANBU all day? They don't bother me, so why would I bother them? Crimes, glory? What do they have to do with me!"

Su Zhong sneered.

Since he had crossed over, most of his time had been spent in seclusion, practicing.

If not for Danzo's constant provocations, he wouldn't have paid them any attention.

Jiraiya now completely gave up on persuading Su Zhong to return to Konoha.

However, he didn't plan to leave so easily. He didn't come here to play.

"I can't manage all of Konoha's affairs. I came here just to ask about the Tsuchigumo clan. They have an agreement with Konoha and are our allies. Please let them leave."

Jiraiya put aside his other thoughts. He only wanted to resolve the Tsuchigumo clan's issue and leave as soon as possible.

He sighed inwardly, deciding to focus on training his students.

Su Zhong retracted his gaze from Jiraiya and waved his hand casually.

"They have joined my organization. But I haven't restricted their freedom. You can ask them who wants to leave with you. They can go if they want to."

He truly didn't care. After obtaining the Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden techniques, he had gained a lot and treated them generously.

Su Zhong didn't believe that these people, who had tasted the benefits, would obediently return to their small village.

Even if they left, he didn't really care about his subordinates' strength.

A sense of impatience gradually arose in his heart. After the initial novelty, Su Zhong's interest in Jiraiya had waned.

Jiraiya's heart sank. Su Zhong's reaction gave him a bad feeling.

"It seems you're not willing to let go. However, the Tsuchigumo clan has an agreement with Konoha not to leak the forbidden techniques outside of Konoha. Please return the forbidden techniques."

Su Zhong's face turned cold, then quickly returned to normal as he looked at Jiraiya expressionlessly.

"I heard you know senjutsu? I wonder how you compare to the First Hokage."

Jiraiya's face changed, and he shouted, "Who told you!"

Senjutsu was a secret technique he had practiced, known by very few. How could Uchiha Qiu know? Jiraiya was immediately suspicious.

Su Zhong pushed himself up from the ground and stood up.

Jiraiya didn't dare to be careless, jumping up from the ground and watching Su Zhong warily.

"This isn't the place. Follow me. I want to see what senjutsu is all about."

As Su Zhong spoke, the space around his body trembled.

Buzz!

A black sphere suddenly enveloped Su Zhong.

Jiraiya's heart tightened, immediately drawing a kunai and carefully examining the black sphere around Su Zhong.

The sphere was hollow, with a thin wall and not completely sealed, appearing as a translucent black ball with hollowed-out sections.

"What is this secret technique? A chakra shield? Similar to Hakkeshō Kaiten?"

Jiraiya examined it closely and realized it wasn't a hollow sphere at all. It was a network of twisted, branch-like seals.

"Sealing technique?!"

The Fourth Hokage was particularly skilled in sealing techniques, and as his teacher, Jiraiya was also an expert. He immediately recognized the nature of the black sphere.

The black sphere floated in the air, and Su Zhong stood inside, his gaze calm as he said, "Let's go."

Whoosh!

The black sphere shot out, shattering the window behind it, and quickly rose into the air, flying away.

Jiraiya didn't hesitate, instantly disappearing from the spot.

He leaped into the dense forest behind the base, using the trees to propel himself forward in a zigzag pattern. His speed was so fast that only black shadows could be seen, and he quickly caught up to Su Zhong.

The moon was bright and full.

A black sphere was rapidly advancing in the sky, while a black shadow was swiftly moving on the ground.

They soon arrived at a training ground filled with craters.

"Let's stop here. Jiraiya, you can make your move. If you can defeat me, I'll let the Tsuchigumo clan leave. If you can't, you can leave on your own."

Su Zhong stood still, the black sphere around him unmoving.

Jiraiya arrived almost simultaneously, his eyes fixed on Su Zhong. Hearing Su Zhong's words, his expression darkened.

Too arrogant!

"Are you that confident?"

Su Zhong didn't speak, his gaze clear as he watched Jiraiya, waiting for him to attack.

Jiraiya focused his mind and dispelled his thoughts.

"Ninjutsu, Messy Lion Mane Technique!"

With a shout, his white hair grew rapidly, like a white dragon, crossing the distance between them and wrapping around the black sphere.

The soft hair became hard and sharp.

The tips of the hair were like steel needles, piercing the black sphere's protective shield as they wrapped around it.

Under Jiraiya's control, the hair tried to penetrate the hollow sections of the black sphere.

Clang, clang, clang...

The sound of metal clashing filled the air. The hair, hard as needles, hit the black sphere like steel.

No effect at all!

The hollow sections, seemingly empty, had an invisible force that resisted the piercing.

Jiraiya shouted and increased his strength, the sound of clanging becoming more urgent. The force of the hair's wrapping increased.

The black sphere instantly shrank, becoming oval.

Su Zhong suddenly clenched his right hand, channeling a large amount of energy into the shield.

With a hum, the black sphere returned to its original size, perfectly enclosing Su Zhong.

"This move is useless. Give it up."

Su Zhong looked at the undamaged black sphere and nodded in satisfaction.

"Being able to resist Jiraiya's Messy Lion Mane Technique, this shield is indeed powerful. As long as I have enough energy, I can maintain it. I can also add runes to absorb natural energy to improve it. Then the shield's consumption will be minimal. After using some energy to activate it, the energy required to maintain it will be negligible."

Jiraiya, realizing his technique had failed, retracted his hair.

He quickly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

His cheeks suddenly bulged, and he spat out chakra refined into oil.

Boom!

A massive fireball appeared in the air and shot toward Su Zhong like a cannonball.

Su Zhong's expression turned serious as he channeled energy into the black shield. The black sphere didn't expand but shrank by a third, becoming more solid. From a distance, it looked almost tangible.

Boom!

A dull impact sound echoed as the black sphere and the fireball collided.

A shockwave formed a strong wind, scattering leaves and dust.

The collision was evenly matched.

The fireball,无形无质，撞击之下突然散开，带着强力粘着性质的火焰，迅速将黑球包裹淹没。

苏重瞬间落入了无尽火海之中。

高温袭来，苏重却脸色不变。相比于这灼热高温，刚才的猛烈撞击反而更让他忌惮。

心念一动，黑球迅速升空，眨眼间便摆脱了火海。

飞至半空，苏重下意识地低头看向地面，却发现自来也早已消失在原地。

“大玉螺旋丸！”

一声厉喝突然在耳边炸响，不知何时，自来也竟然腾空而起，逼近他身后！

砰！

苏重一下被砸飞出去。

晶莹透亮的大玉螺旋丸砸在黑球上，顿时把黑球砸变了形。苏重反应不及，被巨大的力量推着，轰隆一下再次掉进火海之中。

自来也脚尖在树梢上点落，眼睛一眨不眨地盯着火海。

他可不信苏重会被如此轻易地干掉。

果然，不一会儿，一个黑色的圆球再次从地面升起，飞到了半空中。

苏重眉头皱起。

“你尽管攻击我就是，我不攻击，作活靶子。你犯不着搞这些偷袭，你不累，我应付的都累了！”

大玉螺旋丸突然袭击对他无用，但被人从天上砸到地下，翻来滚去，苏重不耐烦。

他只想测试黑球的防御力。

自来也不禁冷哼一声：“想让我做你的陪练？！妄想！”

苏重不置可否，答非所问。

“我这黑月的防御力如何？”

他决定，这个已经基本完善了的防御秘法，就叫做黑月。

The fireball, intangible and formless, suddenly dispersed upon impact, the sticky flames quickly enveloping and submerging the black sphere.

Su Zhong instantly fell into the endless sea of fire.

Despite the intense heat, Su Zhong's expression remained unchanged. Compared to the scorching heat, the violent impact earlier was more concerning.

With a thought, the black sphere quickly ascended, instantly escaping the sea of fire.

Flying to the sky, Su Zhong instinctively looked down, only to find that Jiraiya had already disappeared from his original spot.

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

A fierce shout suddenly exploded in his ear. Somehow, Jiraiya had leaped into the air and was closing in on his back!

Bang!

Su Zhong was sent flying.

The crystal-clear Big Ball Rasengan hit the black sphere, deforming it. Su Zhong, caught off guard, was pushed by the immense force and crashed back into the sea of fire.

Jiraiya landed on a tree branch, his eyes fixed on the sea of fire.

He didn't believe Su Zhong could be so easily defeated.

Sure enough, a black sphere soon rose from the ground and flew back into the air.

Su Zhong's brows furrowed.

"Feel free to attack me. I won't attack, I'll be a live target. You don't need to resort to these ambushes. You're not tired, but I am!"

The sudden attack with the Big Ball Rasengan was ineffective, but being slammed from the sky to the ground and tossed around made Su Zhong impatient.

He only wanted to test the black sphere's defensive power.

Jiraiya couldn't help but sneer, "Want me to be your sparring partner? Dream on!"

Su Zhong didn't respond, instead asking a different question.

"How is the defensive power of my Black Moon?"

He decided to name this nearly perfected defensive secret technique "Black Moon."