As Qiu Xia walked out of Ichiraku Ramen and began his return to the Uchiha compound, his mind was occupied with thoughts of how to teach Jiraiya a lesson. After a moment, a realization struck him.
Both Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi had been tormented so miserably by him before; why did they dare return to Konoha this time? Were they planning to rely on the Reverse Summoning Jutsu for self-preservation?
Or did they simply want to come and eat a bowl of ramen? If that were the case, they could have just taken the ramen back to Mount Myoboku. After all, while other types of pain could be endured, the specific agony he had inflicted was not something one would willingly face again. Jiraiya must have found a solution.
That solution had to be the woman traveling with him. At that thought, Qiu Xia stopped in his tracks and released his Divine Sense. He immediately discovered Jiraiya and the woman following him from a short distance away.
He hadn't bothered to sense his surroundings before, but now that he did, he noticed an energy similar to Dharma Power emanating from the woman and in massive quantities.
In terms of pure volume, her Dharma Power was more than ten times that of Uncle Jiu. In the Nine Provinces, this power would be called Dharma Power, but since this was Japan, she was likely an Onmyoji or a Miko.
Qiu Xia checked himself and noticed a lingering trace of Spiritual Power on his clothes. He couldn't help but sigh. "As expected, I've been enjoying myself for too long lately. I've become a bit careless."
Having reached this conclusion, Qiu Xia didn't continue toward the Uchiha compound. Instead, he turned toward the other side of the village. His sudden change of direction startled Jiraiya. "Why did the little guy suddenly change course? I was planning to take him down in that clearing on the way to the Uchiha district. Changing direction like this might actually make him easier to catch."
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Miroku shook her head. "No, we're about to have trouble. He has already discovered us."
"Discovered us? How is that possible?" Jiraiya asked, stunned.
"I just felt a powerful Divine Sense spread out in all directions. It stopped right when it reached our position. If I'm not mistaken, he's already realized my identity as a Priestess. His goal is likely to find a quiet place to fight us. Let's follow."
Qiu Xia and Jiraiya's group walked one after the other, and soon the three of them arrived at a deserted training ground that had been abandoned for a long time. Upon reaching the center, Qiu Xia turned around to look at Jiraiya and Miroku. "Impressive. I didn't expect you to find a Priestess from a lineage that's nearly extinct. You've got some moves!"
"So you were the one who placed those curses on me and my teacher? Were you also the one who killed the three Elders and your two clansmen?" Jiraiya asked, his face grim.
"I'm the one who cursed you and your teacher. As for my two clansmen and the three Elders? Why don't you guess if I was the one who did it?" Qiu Xia looked at Jiraiya with a smirk.
"Why would you do such a thing?" Jiraiya asked sternly.
"You mean why I targeted you and your teacher? Because you were too annoying. I like a quiet life, but you kept testing me over and over without end. It started to irritate me, so I gave you a simple lesson.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, if I killed him, it might spark a new war in the shinobi world. I used to think he couldn't die until he found a successor, but while I was teaching you a lesson, I realized I didn't have to kill him I could just discipline him. That's why he ended up in the same state as you."
"If you had stayed away from Konoha, everything would have been fine. But you not only returned, you even brought a Priestess back with you. That makes me unhappy. Therefore, I'm going to erase your memories of this period. If I catch you again after this, I'll have no choice but to kill you."
"Erase them? Just try it!" Jiraiya laughed. His body blurred like a phantom as he lunged toward Qiu Xia. However, just as he reached him, he was sent flying back at an even greater speed. He slammed into a tree, and a shockwave erupted from his body, obliterating a large patch of trees behind him.
The moment Jiraiya had closed the distance, Qiu Xia had struck him with a punch. He hadn't used raw physical force but rather an "internal shock," meaning Jiraiya felt intense pain but suffered little actual damage; the bulk of the force had dissipated through his back.
"Jiraiya, oh Jiraiya. Did you think I was like an ordinary Onmyoji or Miko completely finished the moment someone gets close? If that's what you thought, then I'm telling you, you thought wrong."
Jiraiya eased his pain and steadied himself, looking at Qiu Xia in disbelief. "How is this possible? How can you have such strength? Even Tsunade couldn't have possessed this much power at your age. How do you have it?"
"Maybe it's because I'm a genius!" Qiu Xia shrugged.
"In that case, I can't hold back anymore! Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu!" With a flick of his head, Jiraiya's white hair began to grow rapidly, surging toward Qiu Xia like a tidal wave.
Facing the encroaching long hair, the ring on Qiu Xia's hand flashed. A sword covered in talismans appeared in his hand. He swiped his fingers across the blade, causing a red glow to ignite upon it the Divine Weapon Demon-Slaying Art. Gripping the sword, Qiu Xia executed the Three Pure Ones Demon-Subduing Sword.
His sword was already a top-tier Divine Weapon he had refined himself. With the enchantment of the Divine Weapon Demon-Slaying Art, the blade became even sharper. Under the flurry of the Three Pure Ones Demon-Subduing Sword technique, a massive chunk of Jiraiya's hair was sliced away in an instant.
Seeing Qiu Xia drawing closer, Jiraiya tried to dodge and leave the area. However, Qiu Xia's footwork was like Ground-Shrinking, covering distance with every flash of his movement.
He stuck to Jiraiya like a plaster, impossible to shake off. In desperation, Jiraiya had no choice but to use Ninja Art: Needle Jizo to protect himself.
Seeing Jiraiya stop moving, Qiu Xia became even more amused. He used his Mystic Steps, his figure flickering around Jiraiya's perimeter. His sword blurred as he swung it repeatedly. Throughout the process, Jiraiya felt a chill on his scalp but didn't sense any actual attacks hitting his body.
After an unknown number of slashes, Qiu Xia's figure flashed back to his original position. He stowed the sword back into his Space Ring.
Because the exchange between Qiu Xia and Jiraiya had been too fast primarily because Qiu Xia moved with such blinding speed Miroku had been unable to lock onto a target and had remained stationary. She feared accidentally hurting Jiraiya. But the moment she saw Qiu Xia return to his position and stop, she raised her hand and fired a bolt of purple energy at him.
Facing Miroku's attack, Qiu Xia rapidly formed Hand Seals. An Eight Trigrams pattern appeared in front of him. Miroku's attack hit the Eight Trigrams and was instantly deflected, flying straight toward Jiraiya.
Miroku only heard Jiraiya let out a miserable scream before he was blasted several meters away. As Jiraiya tumbled through the air, the long hair he had grown for so long suddenly scattered and fell away, leaving only a tiny tuft of hair right in the center of his head.
Seeing Jiraiya's new hairstyle, Miroku was stunned for a second before her face turned bright red. Qiu Xia, upon seeing Jiraiya's new look, immediately burst into hysterical laughter.
"Haha! Cough, cough, cough!" Miroku couldn't help but let out a few giggles at Qiu Xia's laughter, but realizing it was inappropriate, she coughed twice and looked away from Jiraiya's predicament.
Miroku's spell hadn't dealt much damage to Jiraiya, so he quickly scrambled to his feet. Upon standing up, he saw the pile of white hair scattered around him and felt a distinct chill on his head. His expression changed instantly as he reached up to feel his scalp.
When he realized his head was bare except for a single tuft of hair, Jiraiya froze. He couldn't believe it. He checked again in a panic, and when he confirmed that only a single tuft remained, he was utterly dumbfounded.
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