New Team 7

The training ground was covered in traces of training.

Just looking at it gave one ideas.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina leaned against a training post. They had been waiting from morning until noon.

"Grrr..." Kushina clutched her stomach. She truly had not eaten anything.

"Why haven't those two bastards shown up yet?"

Minato Namikaze rubbed his stomach too. He was starving as well, though he could still endure it.

Yet there was still no sign of Jiraiya or Uchiha Jin.

Just as Kushina angrily punched and kicked a wooden post—

With a sudden poof, smoke erupted, and a massive toad appeared before them.

A figure appeared atop the toad, accompanied by a voice.

"Jiraiya, the Sage of the Toad Spirits of Mount Myōboku, makes his grand entrance!"

Jiraiya struck an exaggerated pose, swaying his head as he spoke in a theatrical tone.

"Get the hell down here!"

Kushina suddenly appeared behind Jiraiya and kicked at him.

Jiraiya glanced back and merely shifted his body to the left, evading Kushina's surprise attack. Then, with a light shove to her back, he pushed her away.

Kushina flipped through the air and landed steadily on the ground.

Jiraiya chuckled. Sure enough, these brats were all pretty capable in taijutsu.

Poof!

As smoke rose, the massive toad vanished.

Jiraiya landed lightly beside Kushina.

"Don't underestimate me. Last time, I was letting you have your way."

Last time, he had only meant to test the three brats, only to get thoroughly beaten up.

Who could he even complain to about that?

"Still, where's that brat Jin?"

He scanned the area, but Uchiha Jin was nowhere to be seen. That kid was not planning to skip out, was he?

Jiraiya's expression darkened slightly. If that was the case, he had the authority to send him back to the Ninja Academy.

Just because someone thought they had talent did not mean they could do whatever they pleased. Even Orochimaru would have nothing to say about it.

"I'm here."

A pile of withered yellow leaves lifted up, and Jin emerged from beneath them with a yawn.

He had been lying in a large pit buried beneath the leaves.

Unless someone stepped on it, it would have been difficult to notice the pit concealed under the leaves.

None of the three had expected that.

"Ahem." Jiraiya coughed twice. "Being good at using the environment is also one of a ninja's required lessons."

"You definitely didn't think of that just now!!" Kushina immediately tore down his façade the moment she got the chance, not giving him an inch.

Jiraiya had clearly looked shocked just now. Did he think she had not seen it?

Seeing that he could not get away with it, Jiraiya hurriedly changed the subject.

"Enough. It's time for your ninja assessment."

"Didn't we already finish the exam?" Minato Namikaze could not help asking.

He cared a great deal about this matter.

With a smile, Jiraiya explained.

"Passing the Academy's exam only means you qualify to become a ninja. My assessment determines whether you can become genin."

"If you fail this assessment, I have the authority to send you back to the Ninja Academy to repeat your studies."

Minato Namikaze wanted to ask about the other students who had become ninja, but after hesitating, he ultimately did not.

"Enough! Stop scaring the kids. Can't you see Kushina's gone pale? Hurry up and tell us the test."

Jin interrupted the ominous atmosphere Jiraiya had been building and urged him to begin.

"Who's pale?!" Kushina shouted furiously, her face indeed pale.

"Heh." Jin gave a cold laugh.

Kushina immediately flew into a rage.

"Let's fight to the death, damn Uchiha!!"

"Hold it, you two!"

Jiraiya hurriedly stopped the impending bloody conflict.

He had not even begun the assessment yet. Why were these two already about to fight?

Could these brats really not see that this was Lord Jiraiya's stage?

"Whatever grudges you have can wait until after the assessment."

Jiraiya took out two bells, gave them a shake, and tied them around his waist as he began explaining.

"Your test is to take these two bells. One bell means one person becomes a genin."

Kushina pointed at the two bells in his hand. "But you only have two."

The smile on Jiraiya's face gradually faded, replaced by a stern expression.

"That means only two of you can become genin."

Before Kushina could question him—

Jiraiya spoke first.

"Begin now!!"

The instant those words fell—

In an instant.

Kushina and Minato Namikaze vanished at the same time, leaving only Jin leaning against a wooden post, his head tilted as he looked at Jiraiya.

He asked an unrelated question.

"Sensei Jiraiya, is anyone else here besides us?"

His keen senses told him that after Jiraiya appeared, the people hiding in the shadows had already left.

Jiraiya did not know what Jin meant, but he nodded anyway.

With him present, all the Anbu and even Root had withdrawn.

Even his teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer observing through the barrier.

In other words, aside from the few of them, no one could watch what happened here.

"Then that makes things easy."

Jin clapped his hands and walked up to Jiraiya.

He had thought it over last night. Now that he had become Jiraiya's disciple, even if he revealed his true talent, Jiraiya should be able to protect him. Besides, Orochimaru clearly thought highly of him as well.

Two of the future Three Ninja had considerable influence in the village right now.

And with Kushina as his teammate, his safety had increased.

He planned to reveal his ninjutsu.

After all, he had been called trash for far too long.

It was time to clear his name.

With a different identity and status, he could naturally afford to be a little more aggressive.

Of course, that depended on someone taking the initiative to spread the news. If Jiraiya chose not to publicize it—

Jin would be happy to stay hidden for a while longer.

That would give him a few more trump cards.

"Sensei Jiraiya, I'm going all out."

Jin lowered his body.

"Try not to die."

Jiraiya could only laugh. No matter what, he was an Elite Jonin. How could a student who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy possibly hurt him?

Not even a genius could do that.

Jiraiya pressed his palms together.

"Looks like I need to help you understand the gap in strength first."

The next moment, Jin moved, appearing behind Jiraiya.

Soru!

"Ninja Art! Needle Jizō!"

His silver hair hardened and swiftly wrapped around his body without leaving a single opening.

Jin landed and immediately used Soru to retreat.

Jiraiya had already completed his next ninjutsu.

"Wild Lion's Mane Technique."

Jiraiya's long hair rapidly extended, sweeping toward Jin.

Jin could only use Soru to dodge back and forth at high speed.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he watched Jin evade at high speed, because he saw Jin rapidly forming hand seals.

Couldn't he not use ninjutsu?

"Fire Release! Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Jin spewed fierce flames from his mouth, scattering them in every direction and igniting Jiraiya's hair.

Just as Jiraiya withdrew his hair—

Minato Namikaze appeared behind Jiraiya.

"An opening!!"

A finger shot toward the bells at Jiraiya's waist.

Jiraiya reached out and grabbed Minato Namikaze's hand, but his pupils contracted. The force in Minato Namikaze's hand was too great—he could not hold on.

Before Minato Namikaze could touch the bells, Jiraiya transformed into smoke with a poof, reappearing behind Minato Namikaze and reaching for him.

But at that moment, another furious roar came from behind him.

"Die a hundred times over!!"

A fist wrapped in golden chains hammered down from above.

Jiraiya sidestepped, grabbed Kushina's wrist, and hurled her at Minato Namikaze.

The two became a tangled heap rolling across the ground.

Just as Jiraiya was about to make another move, several Shuriken collided in midair, changing direction as they shot toward him from all sides.

Jiraiya had no choice but to abandon the two of them. He leaped away in a hurry, his body brushing past the flying Shuriken as he escaped their range.

At that moment, Minato Namikaze and Kushina vanished at the same time.

Jiraiya looked up, only to find that Jin had disappeared as well.

"You finally understand that ninja do not fight fair and square."

Something was wrong.

He suddenly sensed the faintest movement behind him.

He spun around at once.

Jin was already within arm's reach.

His arms suddenly turned into streaks of black shadow, as though they had vanished, striking rapidly toward Jiraiya.

"Self-Propulsion Technique! Snake Life!"

Jiraiya defended quickly, but the black shadows formed by Jin's arms were like venomous snakes opening their jaws and biting into his body, bringing intense pain.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a black shadow reaching for the bells at his waist.

"Ninja Art! Shedding Skin Technique!"

Jiraiya's body rapidly withered, only for countless shadowy arms to tear it apart.

Jin suddenly leaped away.

A hand shot out of the ground where he had been standing. If he had not moved in time, he would have been caught.

But Jiraiya, emerging from the ground, did not look relaxed either. He hurriedly jumped up as well.

Three chains erupted from the ground at once, swiftly wrapping around Jiraiya's feet.

Minato Namikaze ran along the chains at high speed toward Jiraiya.

He raised a hand and threw a kunai at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya tilted his head, avoiding the incoming kunai, while rapidly forming hand seals.

"Fire Release! Flame Bullet!"

His cheeks puffed up like a toad's as he spewed fierce flames outward.

Minato Namikaze turned into smoke with a poof amidst the flames.

Behind me!

Jiraiya turned around at once. Sure enough, Minato Namikaze had leaped up from the ground behind him.

No! There's another one!

Jin had appeared in front of him too.

Soru! ×2

Two black shadows crossed toward Jiraiya from opposite directions.

"You're really strong!"

Jiraiya glanced at the chains binding his feet and the wounds that had appeared on the front and back of his body.

Were Ninja Academy Students these days seriously this ridiculously strong?!

Poof!

Jiraiya turned into smoke.

The bells in Minato Namikaze's hand crumbled into dust as he landed.

At the same time, strands of silvery-white hair shot up from the ground. Before they could escape, Minato Namikaze and Kushina were both bound.

"Wild Lion's Mane Technique."

Only Jin swiftly pulled away, evading the silver hair's attack.

Jiraiya's true body slowly emerged from the ground.

"It's over!"

"Not yet!"

Jin clasped his hands together, shaping them like a gun, and aimed at Jiraiya.

A blue sphere of energy spun and gathered at the muzzle.

"What... is that?"

"Spirit Gun!!"

A blue beam instantly pierced through Jiraiya's body.