Chapter 162: Never Act on Impulse

Wind stirred the grass between them. Jiraiya stood beneath the high sun, studying the younger shinobi before him.

Hiruzen and Kakashi had described a man skilled in genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and sensing. Jiraiya had gathered enough to know that Tonbo could not be judged by one specialty. The breadth of his abilities reminded him of Orochimaru in his younger days.

That did not mean he intended to surrender the stage.

"Behold Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, one of the legendary Sannin!" He struck a pose, white hair swinging behind him. "Try not to look too impressed."

Tonbo gave a short laugh. "Is that still your introduction?"

Jiraiya waited. The younger man slipped his hands into his pockets with a composure that seemed deliberately irritating. A sudden weight of chakra filled the air, and pale petals began to drift around them.

"Then you should know who you're facing. Tobitake Tonbo, Analysis Team captain and one of Konoha's finest jōnin." He let the petals fall between them. "You wanted to see what I used against Pain. Here I am."

Jiraiya stared at the blossoms. He had allowed himself to be caught in genjutsu before the fight had properly begun. Worse, Tonbo had made the entrance look effortless.

"I am a published author," he protested. "I cannot possibly have lost the contest of introductions."

"Then don't act on impulse. Think of a better one."

"I'm taking yours. Consider it professional appreciation."

Jiraiya disrupted his chakra. The petals vanished, and his expression grew serious. His hands moved rapidly through the summoning seals before striking the ground.

An armored toad appeared in a burst of smoke, standing about the height of a man. It looked toward Tonbo, then back at Jiraiya.

"An enemy?"

"Only a spar."

The toad studied the opposing shinobi again. "An important one, then."

"Two against one?" Tonbo formed his own seals. "I suppose I should answer that."

An ape took shape beside him, matching the toad in size. Jiraiya watched the signs with a frown. Those were not the signs of the Summoning Technique, yet something substantial stood ready to fight.

"Genjutsu," Tonbo said. "Be careful."

He sent the ape forward. The armored toad rushed to meet it, and they collided in a rapid exchange of blows. Their struggle occupied the space between the two shinobi, but Tonbo's attention had already returned to Jiraiya.

The Sannin began to move. Tonbo completed his signs before Jiraiya could avert his gaze.

Psycho Mind Transmission: Pain.

Pain tore through Jiraiya's body. Old battlefield injuries had hurt less. He tried to endure the sensation long enough to break the genjutsu, only for a second assault to follow it.

The pain gave way to an intolerable itch. It spread across his skin and through his limbs, worse than the sensation of tissue knitting under Tsunade's medical ninjutsu. His first effort to regain control faltered beneath it.

Jiraiya turned his eyes away and forced his chakra to break the illusion. The sensations vanished.

That was dangerous, but it could not be the whole answer. If this was all Tonbo had used, how had he gained so much against the Rinnegan? Jiraiya needed to see more.

"Looking away during a fight?" Tonbo's voice was suddenly close. "I should give you a beating for every woman you've spied on."

Body Flicker carried him within reach. His fist struck where Jiraiya's face had been, but a log received the blow. Tonbo sprang away before a hand broke through the earth beneath his feet.

Jiraiya rose from the ground. The younger shinobi had sensed the attack and moved in time. Hiruzen's praise had been earned; Tonbo had the experience to use his abilities well.

"If you're aiming for my face," Jiraiya said, "I won't make this easy."

Shuriken flew toward Tonbo in a dense spread. He raised an Earth Release wall, and the blades struck it in quick succession. Behind the shelter of the wall, his hands moved again.

Bringer-of-Darkness swallowed Jiraiya's sight.

He had not expected a forbidden technique from the Scroll of Seals. Hiruzen had evidently trusted Tonbo with more than praise. The darkness enclosed him, leaving no visible trace of the opponent who had cast it.

This might interfere with the Rinnegan, Jiraiya thought. Yet most genjutsu should have been ineffective against Nagato. He remembered that much from teaching him. Bringer-of-Darkness alone still did not explain the outcome of Tonbo's battle.

Ordinary means would not release him quickly. More powerful techniques might answer the darkness, but they did not belong in a friendly spar. He had learned something about Tonbo's methods; forcing the contest further would tell him less about the abilities Pain had kept hidden.

Either Tonbo possessed another technique he had not shown, or his experience had given him an overwhelming advantage over the Rinnegan wielder. Jiraiya could not settle that question by escalating this fight.

"I surrender."

He raised his hands. The darkness lifted, revealing Tonbo looking distinctly disappointed.

"Already? I haven't used the technique that stopped him."

Jiraiya had yielded more quickly than Tonbo expected. He would have liked to know whether the Sannin could escape Melancholy, or avoid the trap prepared in his bandages. Both were too dangerous for a spar, however. He had not intended to use them merely to satisfy his curiosity.

Perhaps bringing out a forbidden technique had been enough to convince Jiraiya to stop. The man was a finer judge of genjutsu than his theatrical introduction suggested.

The armored toad and the ape ceased their struggle. Jiraiya still needed the explanation he had come for; the techniques he had just faced were only part of it.