Chapter 449 — This Is Better
"Looks like I'll have to get a bit more serious."
Kei spoke calmly as he looked at Jiraiya.
Despite the massive aftershock from their clash, the fight so far had only been at a basic level. The strongest techniques they had used were merely the Rasengan and Chidori.
At that level, neither of them posed a real threat to the other.
For Kei, a standard Rasengan—one without any chakra nature transformation—was hardly worth dodging if he was prepared.
And although his Chidori had been refined over four years, allowing him to unleash its full power without needing a charge—
Jiraiya was no ordinary opponent. He had more than enough ways to evade or counter it.
The result was obvious.
Neither could gain the upper hand.
But their sheer power alone had already reduced the tavern to rubble.
Kei glanced at Jiraiya's increasingly serious expression and let out a faint chuckle.
It was clear—Jiraiya had fully begun to treat him as an enemy.
So the rumors Kei had spread hadn't worked on him.
Then again, rumors were always subjective.
The Fourth Raikage had doubted him too—but after seeing Kei's distinct fighting style, different from the "mysterious Uchiha," he had backed off.
Jiraiya, however, was different.
With Orochimaru's movements as supporting evidence—and now catching Kei meeting Orochimaru firsthand—there was no way he would let it go.
But perhaps… that was for the best.
With real hostility, Kei could finally fight without restraint.
With that thought, he slowly drew the blade at his waist—Kikyu.
Blue chakra flared along its edge, humming with power.
He was getting serious.
Jiraiya's expression tightened at the sight.
The earlier exchange had been nothing more than a warm-up.
Now, the real battle was beginning.
Off to the side, Kakashi sensed the shift immediately.
He stepped forward instinctively, but Imai Kenta stopped him.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi frowned. "Can't you tell? Kei and Jiraiya-sama are about to go all out."
"Of course I can," Kenta replied quietly. "Which is exactly why you shouldn't interfere."
Even Obito turned to look at them in confusion.
"Jiraiya's already misunderstood us," Kenta continued. "Kei could've explained things—but he didn't. Think about why."
"Why?" Kakashi frowned, while Obito glanced around before speaking hesitantly. "Is it because… Kei doesn't want others nearby to overhear something sensitive?"
"Exactly. And notice—Jiraiya didn't mention certain names either."
Kenta nodded, then added, "Who knows what tricks these desperate fools might have? Besides… this fight is something Kei wants."
For Sage Mode, he thought silently.
The moment Kei started fighting Jiraiya, Kenta had already understood.
They had plenty of chances to explain things back in the tavern.
But Kei chose not to.
Which meant—he had a purpose.
As for Jiraiya's behavior…
Kenta found it odd at first, but now it made sense.
Jiraiya had been chasing Orochimaru, and everywhere Orochimaru appeared, incidents involving the "mysterious Uchiha" followed.
With that pattern—and now seeing Kei with Orochimaru—it would be strange if Jiraiya didn't suspect something.
"Summoning Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
Jiraiya suddenly clasped his hands together.
In an instant, chakra surged from his body as his white hair lengthened wildly, forming a massive lion's mane that shot toward Kei like a storm of blades.
Kei moved without hesitation.
His blade flashed, slicing through the hair in an instant.
But the next moment—
Jiraiya was already in front of him.
A heavy punch drove straight toward Kei's abdomen.
"Same trick again."
Using his hair as cover for a sudden close-range assault—Kei had seen it before.
He shifted slightly, avoiding the blow, then countered with a kick.
Jiraiya reacted instantly, pushing off the ground and leaping upward, his fist swinging down toward Kei's head.
Kei leaned back just enough for the punch to graze past his face—
and in that split second, he acted.
His blade thrust forward toward Jiraiya's chest.
Just as expected—
it was blocked.
Jiraiya had anticipated it.
Kei clicked his tongue inwardly.
Jiraiya clearly had experience dealing with the Sharingan's predictive vision.
This technique… something like the "Frog Kata," if he remembered correctly.
The attack failed, but Jiraiya didn't pause.
He pressed forward relentlessly, staying close and denying Kei any room to use his blade.
It worked—to a degree.
His fists were heavy, his defense absurdly solid.
But Kei remained calm.
Close combat posed no real threat to him.
His perception far exceeded Jiraiya's.
Finally, Kei found an opening.
He pulled back just enough—
and before Jiraiya could close the distance again, his blade flashed.
A streak of blue light cut cleanly across Jiraiya's chest.
But in the next instant—
the "Jiraiya" before him dissolved into smoke.
A shadow clone.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
A surge of fire chakra erupted behind Kei.
He glanced back slightly, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips.
In an instant—
black chakra burst forth, enveloping his body.
Like dark flames, it spread outward as a skeletal structure began to form within it.
Moments later, a towering, ominous black figure stood before everyone—
Susanoo.
The incoming flames struck it—
and vanished without a trace.
Not even a ripple remained.
"A black chakra giant… Susanoo, huh?"
Jiraiya inhaled slowly, feeling the oppressive aura radiating from it.
"Looks like I'll have to use that technique…"
He steadied himself, then formed hand seals rapidly.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Without warning, the ground beneath Kei transformed into a vast, churning swamp.
The scale was immense, and the speed of its formation was staggering.
Kei glanced down briefly.
So Jiraiya intended to trap him.
But—
would that work?
Without moving a step, Kei stood firm atop the swamp.
Chakra surged from his body, stabilizing him completely.
The mire couldn't drag him down even an inch.
"Is that all?" Kei asked calmly, looking at Jiraiya. "If this is your limit… then I won't hold back anymore, Jiraiya-sama."
As his words fell—
Susanoo moved.
Its massive arm reached toward the blade at its waist, chakra beginning to gather.
By now, the surroundings were empty.
The wandering ninja and samurai were no fools.
The moment they felt that chilling chakra… the moment they saw the black giant appear—
they had already fled.
The souls of those seven thousand fallen Kumogakure shinobi still seemed to linger, whispering their tragedy. These wandering samurai and rogue ninja might live on the edge—but that didn't mean they wanted to die for no reason.
Even the Konoha shinobi were visibly uneasy. None of them could understand why two of the village's top figures would clash like this, unleashing such destructive power.
But there was nothing they could do except retreat and report back.
They neither had the authority nor the strength to intervene.
As Susanoo drew its blade, Jiraiya immediately felt a crushing sense of danger.
It was as if death itself had locked onto him.
He knew—he could no longer hold back.
Blinding speed. Terrifying perception. And techniques like Chidori with overwhelming destructive power.
Even without Susanoo, Uchiha Kei was already a near-perfect shinobi.
With it—
he became a weapon of pure destruction.
"According to intel, his Susanoo has already fought the Nine-Tails…"
Jiraiya made his decision.
"And if Orochimaru and those incidents are connected… then his Susanoo may be even more dangerous than that. More importantly…"
His chakra began to shift—strange, yet perfectly in harmony with nature.
In truth, he had been preparing since the start of the battle.
He bit his finger, using the blood to draw markings across his face.
The Susanoo struck like an asura, its blade tearing through the earth in a single motion—
but Jiraiya had already vanished.
He reappeared at a distance, standing firmly as he watched the ground split apart. His hands moved rapidly through seals.
A burst of smoke followed—
and two toads appeared on his shoulders.
Their chakra resonated with his.
"Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama… I'm counting on you."
"Ah, Jiraiya-boy. Leave it to us."
As their chakra synchronized, strange markings spread across Jiraiya's face, and a faint white beard formed along his chin.
He stared ahead at Kei, who stood calmly in place, watching him with a curious expression.
Jiraiya formed another set of seals.
"Most importantly… he's not alone. His allies haven't moved yet, but I have to keep something in reserve. If things go badly, Gamabunta and the others will be my way out… or my means to pass on information. And that Sharingan…"
His thoughts raced, but his hands never slowed.
"Sage Art: Fire Release—Great Flame Bullet!"
This time, the flames were on an entirely different level.
A massive inferno erupted from Jiraiya's mouth, fueled further by chakra-infused oil, surging forward like a tidal wave toward Kei.
Kei watched it all with a calm expression—
but inside, he was thrilled.
Sage Mode.
The power he had been waiting for had finally appeared.
He had long coveted this state—this chakra.
And now it stood right before him.
But excitement didn't dull his focus.
Facing an attack infused with senjutsu chakra, Kei controlled Susanoo and swung its blade once more—
and then, his expression shifted slightly.
He clearly sensed it.
The flames had indeed been split apart—
but the senjutsu chakra within them had seeped into Susanoo itself.
And worse—
the internal structure of the chakra blade had been disrupted.
"So even second-stage Susanoo can't fully withstand Sage Mode…"
Kei frowned slightly, then let out a quiet laugh.
"That makes sense. Sage Mode transcends conventional limits. And while second-stage Susanoo is powerful… its internal structure and chakra precision still fall short against something like this."
He lifted his gaze slightly, his tone calm.
"Perhaps the third or fourth stage could resist it… and the fifth would ignore it entirely."
After all, if senjutsu chakra could completely dismantle Susanoo, then how could Madara have ever fought Hashirama?
Even though Madara had lost those battles, he had always pushed Hashirama to the brink.
And Hashirama was a master of Sage Mode.
Without some level of resistance, Madara would never have been able to contend with him.
"But… this works out perfectly."
Kei raised his head.
His eyes had already transformed—
into a pair of eerie Mangekyō Sharingan.
"This way, I can observe your Sage Mode even more closely… and make a proper judgment."