Chapter 144 - 39: Jiraiya VS Izuran (2)
Free from the distraction of "feminine charms," Jiraiya could finally fight at his full potential, trading blows with Izuran as his kunai clashed against her trident.
Soon, Jiraiya, skilled in taijutsu, spotted an opening for a counterattack.
He leaped high into the air, throwing the kunai from his left hand while simultaneously forming hand seals with his feet in mid-air to release Wind Style: Wind Blade towards Izuran's left side. Meanwhile, he wielded another kunai to strike at her right.
It was a brilliant tactical move - attacking from three directions simultaneously made it impossible to determine which was a feint and which was the killing blow. Any retreat would put her at a disadvantage.
Izuran remained remarkably calm. Instead of dodging or backing away, she deflected the incoming kunai with her trident. However, she hadn't noticed that Jiraiya had attached a paper bomb to the kunai - and it was about to detonate!
Moving left would put her in the path of the Wind Blade, moving right would meet Jiraiya's kunai, and retreating was no longer an option.
With lightning speed, Izuran hurled her right-hand trident, striking the spinning kunai mid-air. But the paper bomb was already detonating, and she was still within its blast radius.
She quickly stepped left, executing a precise 90-degree turn to minimize her exposure to the blast while simultaneously thrusting her left-hand trident at Jiraiya's side.
"This kunoichi is remarkable! Such decisive judgment - willing to weather the paper bomb's blast rather than lose her offensive momentum!" Hiruzen Sarutobi exclaimed in admiration.
"Heh, Lord Hokage, it was arguably the best choice. Retreating would have left her vulnerable to Jiraiya's relentless attacks. Given his superior strength and stamina, backing down would have put her at a severe disadvantage," the Third Raikage said with a smile.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"