Uchiha Jin's Battle

In the forest.

A group of ninjas without forehead protectors were chasing Jin and the other two.

The distance between them rapidly shrank.

They were about to catch up.

As they sped up.

One ninja's hand had already reached Kushina's long hair.

The three turned back with terrified expressions.

The pursuing ninjas wore vicious grins.

"Crack."

A sound like shattering glass rang out, as though something transparent around them had broken apart.

Uchiha Jin and the others vanished.

Straight ahead, Jiraiya, clad in gray armor, leaned against a tree and coldly watched the group of ninjas.

Figures in green flak jackets stood across the treetops of the towering trees.

The ninjas all stopped.

"Jiraiya!" A man among them had recognized Jiraiya.

His gaze shifted left, to a man in a gray high-collared coat, its collar covering his mouth. He wore sunglasses, and his left hand rested on a scroll as tall as an adult.

"Shikuro Aburame!"

The current head of the Aburame Clan.

Then his gaze moved right, to a white-clad man in a kimono with pale eyes, standing quietly with his hands behind his back.

"Yufang Hyuga!"

The current head of the Hyuga Clan.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is really heavily guarded."

The man gave a low laugh. Those three were all Elite Jonin.

With so many Konoha ninjas besides.

The outcome was already decided.

"So you were the ones who leaked the Jinchūriki's information."

They had only acted after receiving word about Konoha's Jinchūriki.

The odds might have been slim.

But what if they succeeded?

If they could seize Konoha's tailed beast, it would be like cutting off one of Konoha's arms. Whether war or negotiations came next, they would hold the advantage.

Unfortunately.

This had merely been bait Konoha set specifically for people like them, and they had swallowed it whole.

"I didn't expect to reel in so many either."

Even Jiraiya was surprised at the sight. He looked toward Yufang Hyuga and held up three fingers.

There were actually three Jonin.

Chakra did not necessarily equal combat strength, but those with enormous reserves of Chakra were generally Jonin.

"Let's see if you've got enough teeth not to break them!"

The leading man roared. The moment they saw these people, they knew the mission had failed. Even their chances of survival were slim.

Battle erupted in an instant.

Elsewhere.

"Just as I thought! We were bait."

Jin cursed inwardly.

He glanced back and saw that only three pursuers remained.

A whole crowd of ninjas had been chasing them just moments ago, but those people had all disappeared.

It was obvious enough.

Then clean them all up! What was the point of leaving three behind?

"What exactly happened?!" Kushina was still confused. She had only seen Jin make a gesture telling them to run.

Then people started growing out of the ground.

Minato Namikaze explained it to Kushina.

"Yamada Ichiro set a trap in advance. We stepped right into it."

More precisely, it had been aimed at Kushina, but he did not spell that out.

Jin merely glanced at the two of them. Minato Namikaze really was gentle. He had phrased it that way to spare Kushina's feelings.

Jin said nothing more.

His mind rapidly analyzed how they had ended up becoming bait.

This had not happened in the original story. It seemed he was changing more and more factors.

His thoughts quickly sorted themselves out.

The village had been preparing to fish for a catch from the start. Kushina had been chosen as the bait, while he and Minato Namikaze had simply been dragged into it.

They had accepted the mission today, but the other side's preparations could not have begun today. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to mobilize so many people on such short notice.

If Kushina had not mentioned taking a mission, Jiraiya would likely have proactively helped them switch missions.

The moment they accepted the mission, everything began.

"So that's why Jiraiya agreed so readily."

Normally, Genin had to spend at least a year doing D-rank missions.

They had only been doing them for a few months.

So this was what they had been waiting for!?

Was Kushina being kidnapped by Cloud ninjas in the future also another fishing operation?

Were Jinchūriki really so good for bait?

Had they even asked Kushina? Even if they did not care about Kushina, they should at least consider him, the one being dragged into this!!

"There are only three left behind us. We shook off the rest. Should we counterattack now?"

Having been comforted by Minato Namikaze, Kushina was now eager to fight.

Jin grinned.

Kushina really was foolish. She had not even realized she was being used as bait.

Seeing the puzzled expression on Minato Namikaze's face, Jin realized he too was wondering why there were suddenly so few people.

Jin: ...

They were usually pretty smart. How had neither of them caught on now?

"Don't overthink it. One each! Kill them!"

After speaking, Jin came to an abrupt stop. A thin wire shot from his sleeve and wrapped around a tree. As he dropped downward, the wire swung him back.

One ninja was briefly left hanging in midair and had no time to react before Jin kicked him in the body.

"Down you go!"

Jin fell toward the ground along with the enemy ninja.

The remaining two ninjas landed on the treetops, just about to support their companion.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina appeared between them at the same time.

"Bang! Bang!"

They kicked the two away, one to the left and one to the right.

Jin landed on the ground, but the ninja he had kicked down was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey! Are you a Jonin or a Chunin?"

Jin suddenly asked.

The ground rippled like water, and a simple-looking man rose out of it.

"I'm a Chunin."

He actually answered.

Still.

"Good. I needed to see what my real strength is."

Jin lowered his body and pulled a kunai from his leg.

On paper, he was a Special Jonin, but actual life-and-death combat might be different.

As for sparring with Might Duy and the others in the village, they had all held back. It had been impossible to accurately assess his strength.

It could only count as practice, not something that let Jin clearly determine his level.

This ninja before him was perfect. He was only a Chunin.

Soru!

Jin instantly appeared before the man and delivered a sweeping kick, blasting him into pieces.

But what scattered apart was nothing but mud.

Earth Clone Jutsu.

What flew out from the mud made Jin's pupils contract.

A rapidly burning piece of paper.

An Explosive Tag!!!

"You motherfucker!! Tekkai!!"

Boom!!

Caught in the explosion, Jin only had time to cross his arms over his chest before the blast wave sent him flying. He hit the ground face-first and lay motionless.

Earth Style: Earth Spear!!

Sharp earthen spikes erupted from the ground.

Jin blocked the sudden spike with his kunai just in time, sparks flying as it scraped across the blade. At the same time, he kicked off the earth spike with all his strength.

His figure vanished in an instant.

Hidden among the dense trees, Jin controlled his breathing.

Parts of his body were scorched. That Explosive Tag had still injured him.

It just was not serious enough to affect the battle.

"This is a Chunin!!"

Jin cursed under his breath. He had nearly been killed outright. The fact that a Chunin had put his life in danger left him deeply annoyed.

"I failed the Jonin exam."

A voice came from above, making Jin's pupils shrink.

Earth Style: Earth Prison Technique! The simple-looking man hung upside down from a tree, one hand aimed at Jin. A prison of rock and earth trapped him inside.

"It's over."

The man rapidly formed hand seals.

He took a deep breath and forcefully blew into the earthen prison containing Jin.

Earth Style: Wind Sand Stone Technique!

Stones hidden within the wind and sand, each with the power of a shuriken, instantly pierced through Jin's body.

"I..."

Jin stared at him in disbelief, his face filled with despair before death.

Then it suddenly turned into a smile.

"Got you!"

"Poof!"

The pierced Jin turned into white smoke.

Two arms holding kunai grew from the tree, followed by half of Jin's body.

Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death!

The kunai pierced through the man's body. With a "poof," the man turned into a wooden log.

The man appeared on a distant tree, clutching his shoulder as blood streamed from it.

Though he had used the Substitution Technique in time, he had been a step too slow and still suffered a heavy blow.

Jin could not spare attention for the man now. Looking down, he saw it.

An Explosive Tag was rapidly burning.

"Heh, just as I thought."

Boom!!

Within the burst of fire, Jin used Soru first this time and appeared on the ground, avoiding the explosion's damage.

"Why are you so strong when you're also a Chunin?"

Jin looked at the man standing on the tree, still somewhat puzzled.

A Chunin like Satoru Inoue was someone he could kill in seconds.

The man did not understand why Jin was asking that. Since Jin was not moving, he did not attack rashly either.

But the sudden disappearance of his companion gave him a faintly bad feeling.

Still, he patiently answered Jin's question.

"I assume the Chunin you encountered were Chunin in the village who had barely done any missions. Those people are just theorists. They're useless in actual combat. They can bully children well enough, but if they truly go onto the battlefield, surviving would be pure luck."

Their ninja village had Chunin like that too, though they were few.

After all, Chunin who had emerged from killing and Chunin who had spent all their time teaching in the village were both Chunin, but their combat strength was worlds apart. They simply specialized in different things.

If Chunin like them, who had fought their way through bloodshed, were sent to teach, it would be a miracle if they produced even one good student.

"I've learned something." Jin nodded, then simply turned around as if to leave, exposing his back to the man.

"What do you mean?" The man looked utterly confused. Why had this brat given up the fight?

Jin stopped walking and waved a hand, turning sideways to look at him.

"You're already dead."

"What?" The man's eyes widened. With a puff, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Blood began streaming from his eyes, ears, and nostrils.

"Poison on the kunai!"

He hurriedly dug through his Ninja Tool Pouch for an antidote pill.

"It's useless. That's snake venom specially concocted by an Elite Jonin. Unless you have a Medical Ninja nearby, ordinary antidote pills won't work."

Orochimaru had carefully prepared it; once the enemy took it, they would go down without a sound.

The man quickly swallowed the antidote pill, but just as Jin had said, it had no effect whatsoever.

His strength left him, and he fell from the tree.

The victor had been decided.