I know that this has been going on long enough but i have to point out that itachi is not necesarrily the strongest. When he said the best he could hope for against Jaraiya was a double kill, how do you know that he meant at that moment that he was tired, i think if that was what he was thinking he would have waited till the next day when he was better to ensure his victory. And then people say that Orochimaru said Itachi is better than him and Jiraiya was having trouble against him so that means he can't match Itachi, BUT let's not forget that Jiraiya was DRUGGED by Tsunade and had only a little more than half of half of his strength back during that fight, so imagine how bad he would have raped orochimaru ( i don't literally mean rape either, i just try to avoid cursing.) and the Fourth could take on an army and was able to at least stop the kyubi which an army of Konoha ninjas couldn't do so i say the real debate is between Jiraiya and the Fourth but since the fourth is dead it's Jiraiya. But the thread never said that the debate was only for the living characters, it said who is the strongest not who is the strongest amongst the living. So it's between the fourth and Jiraiya. Point made and i think that about solves that whole strong circle/triangle thing and leaves it at Jiraiya being the strongest at the moment.