Journey

The abandoned training ground.

Jin spotted two figures in the distance and quickened his pace toward them.

Under the shade of a tree.

Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze had been waiting for quite some time.

"Jin, you're late this time."

Minato Namikaze waved to Jin.

He wore his ever-unchanging white tracksuit with green trim.

The biggest change was probably his demeanor. He was far more composed than before; it seemed his strength had improved considerably over the past four months.

"Yo, Jin. Long time no see."

Jiraiya wore an equally sunny smile. Instead of his usual clothes, he was dressed in gray armor, with his forehead protector properly fastened.

He looked like a soldier heading onto the battlefield.

But seeing their similar smiles.

"People who spend too much time together really do influence each other. I thought that was just a rumor."

Jin looked at the two of them with regret written all over his face.

"I never expected even an idiot's smile to be contagious."

Jiraiya's smile froze. Smiling was awkward, but not smiling was awkward too.

Who had an idiot's smile?

This was clearly a handsome man's smile!

Kid, watch it, or I, Jiraiya, will sue you for slander!!

Jiraiya roared furiously in his heart.

"Jin, Jiraiya-sensei's smile isn't an idiot's smile. That's the smile of a hero."

Minato Namikaze gave a thumbs-up, and Jin somehow saw a trace of Might Duy in him.

That was just adding fuel to the fire.

"Show me some respect first!"

Jiraiya slammed a fist onto Minato Namikaze's head.

Bang!

A lump swiftly rose on Minato Namikaze's head. Rubbing it, he looked at Jiraiya in confusion.

"But I respect Jiraiya-sensei."

Why had he been hit?

Minato Namikaze's blankly adorable expression made Jiraiya sigh. This student might seem airheaded, but if you cut him open, he would definitely be black inside.

Turning to Jin, who was grinning like a fox that had stolen a chicken, Jiraiya immediately felt his temper flare.

"You're the culprit!"

Jiraiya appeared beside Jin in an instant, raising his fist over Jin's head, yet he hesitated to bring it down.

He remembered certain promises people had made before.

Jin was grinning so widely that his teeth showed, as though he were expecting something.

Jiraiya resentfully withdrew his hand. He was genuinely afraid Jin had hidden poisoned needles in his hair.

Jin's words from last time still echoed in his mind.

This was someone who had considered putting poisoned needles on top of his head. Jiraiya was at least a little wary.

Jin had trained with Orochimaru for four months. Orochimaru might not have been an exceptional poison master, but he was still an expert.

Within the village, he ranked among the best when it came to poisons.

Teaching Jin how to prepare poison and such would have been easy enough.

"Scared, huh!"

Seeing that Jiraiya still had not struck, Jin openly mocked him.

"Who's scared?!"

Jiraiya gathered his resolve and drove his fist down at Jin's head, only to punch empty air. The person beneath his fist had already vanished.

When he turned around, Jin was standing with his back to him, then turned and flashed him a V sign.

Jiraiya was speechless. Who was playing around with whom here?

Still, he was shocked by Jin's speed.

"What incredible speed."

He had not even seen when Jin moved. It was practically like Space-Time Ninjutsu.

In response to Jiraiya's praise, Jin tilted his head and said calmly.

"Six Powers—Soru—Shunpo."

An upgraded version of Soru. He had not spent those four months idly; all of his skills had effectively risen by a level and were no longer comparable to before.

Ever since the Golden Finger's restrictions had been lifted, his strength had begun to soar.

So his weakness had all been the Golden Finger's fault.

"Don't get carried away, brat!"

Jiraiya's hair rapidly lengthened and wrapped toward Jin.

Facing the long hair rushing at him, Jin merely smiled calmly. At some point, his hand had already gripped the hilt of his sword.

The next moment.

The blade left its sheath.

In an instant, silver hair fluttered through the air.

Jiraiya only saw flashes of blade light. He could not make out Jin's sword at all.

This kind of high-speed Iaijutsu was practically on par with Sakumo Hatake's.

Sakumo Hatake was an expert in sword techniques. Even Jiraiya now would not dare face Sakumo Hatake's blade.

Especially that certain body technique of his that could get someone killed in a pit. Just thinking of it made a certain part of Jiraiya ache.

"You really haven't been training for nothing these past three months."

Jiraiya looked at Jin with a serious expression.

With Jin's movement and sword-drawing ability, if they fought, Jin was no longer someone Jiraiya could easily defeat.

At the very least, he could exchange one or two moves with him.

"But that doesn't mean I haven't improved."

Jiraiya appeared beside Jin again in an instant. Jin had just sheathed his sword and had no time to react.

Without giving Jin even a moment to respond, Jiraiya's fist came crashing down.

Bang!

Jin squatted down, clutching his head.

"That hurts."

This time, he really had not stuffed anything into his hair. And that movement technique Jiraiya had used...

Jin shot Minato Namikaze a resentful glare.

Jiraiya had used Soru!!

Minato Namikaze unconsciously turned his head away.

It was not really something he had taught him. Jiraiya-sensei had learned it himself, along with the other three techniques.

Minato Namikaze had not learned much ninjutsu from Jiraiya. Instead, Jiraiya had gained quite a bit from him.

He did not even know who was teaching whom anymore.

"Haha." Jiraiya planted his hands on his hips and laughed toward the sky. "Brat, don't underestimate the great Jiraiya."

His strength was no trifling matter anymore.

Just then.

The three of them simultaneously looked into the sky.

A figure was slowly descending from above, getting closer and closer.

"Is that Kushina?"

Jin sounded doubtful. That red hair was simply too conspicuous.

"Why is she coming from the sky?"

Minato Namikaze looked worried as well. Falling from that height would kill someone, would it not?

As Kushina's figure dropped toward the ground.

Boom!!

The ground was instantly torn apart by tremendous force. Dirt and stones sprayed in every direction, raising a cloud of dust.

A figure leaped out from the dust, flipped through the air, and landed between the three of them.

"Kushina Uzumaki! Reporting in!"

Kushina rose slowly from a half-crouch and shook the forehead protector on her brow with one hand.

Jin's face darkened. With an entrance like that, anyone who did not know better would think the enemy was attacking.

Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze had stars in their eyes. "So cool."

Jin said, "Enough, you two!!"

Jin looked like he was about to break down. He always felt that he did not fit in with them because he was not dumb enough.

Their reaction made Kushina even more pleased with herself. She had spent a long time thinking it over and had begged Tsunade for help to pull off this entrance.

Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze eagerly stepped forward to ask Kushina how she had made her entrance.

"That's enough, you two!!"

Jin hurriedly stopped them. They were gathering as a team, not holding a fan meeting.

"So it's Jin." When Kushina saw him, she practically lifted her chin to the sky.

"It's been so long. How much have you improved?"

She looked like a big sister addressing a little brother.

Jin hesitated for a moment.

"Probably not as much as you. After all, you've already learned how to look at people through your nostrils."

That was something he could not do.

"Go die!"

Kushina threw a punch at him. Jin's figure flickered, and he appeared on the other side. The wooden post behind him took Kushina's punch head-on.

Boom! The entire post turned to powder.

"Monster Strength Punch."

Jiraiya looked nostalgic. It felt like he had not taken one of those in a long time.

Watching the figures chase each other before him, destruction followed every Monster Strength Punch, while the other moved like a phantom that could not be touched at all.

It was still different from Jiraiya's past experiences. At the very least, Orochimaru would not have used such venomous words to mock Tsunade.

As for Jiraiya himself, Tsunade had always one-shot him with a single blow. There had never been any chasing involved.

"Ahem!"

Jiraiya cleared his throat twice, and the two finally stopped and walked over.

"Hmph!" Kushina snorted and turned her head away.

Only then did Jiraiya explain the mission to the three of them.

"This time, we're heading to the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire. Our main purpose is to guard against a surprise attack from Hidden Rock, so it will mostly be reconnaissance."

"Any questions?"

"No." The three shook their heads at the same time.

They really had no objections. After all, it was their first time leaving the country.

"Then Team 7 is assembled! Move out!"

The lingering chill of winter had yet to fade, and the air still carried a cold draft.

Melting snow and ice revealed the barren earth beneath. The water from the thaw had turned the ground muddy.

Team 7 walked along the desolate road.

Konoha had already disappeared from sight behind them.

"Minato, Jin, I got the Summoning Animal once possessed by the First Hokage."

Kushina, walking at the front, turned around with a smug expression.

Jiraiya, leading the way ahead, merely smiled knowingly.

Minato Namikaze hesitated for a moment.

"I got a very good Summoning Animal too."

It was the same kind of Summoning Animal as Jiraiya-sensei's.

"Then summon it and let's see whose Summoning Animal is stronger."

With her strong competitive streak, Kushina wanted to see it right away. Before Minato Namikaze could object, she had already finished forming her hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu."

Poof.

A Katsuyu more than two meters tall appeared, and Kushina stood atop its massive body.

"Little Kushina, do you need to fight?"

"No, I'm letting my teammates have a look!" Kushina proudly raised her head.

This was a Summoning Animal that only the First Hokage had possessed.

Katsuyu: ???

Minato Namikaze scratched his head and formed the summoning seals as well.

Poof!

A toad over two meters tall appeared beneath their feet as well.

Jin, whose height had yet to develop because of his age, looked up at the two enormous figures without expression.

"Hey, Jin! Doesn't Lord Orochimaru have powerful Summoning Animals too? Don't tell me you haven't made a contract!"

Kushina never missed an opportunity to mock Jin.

"I have."

Jin quickly walked past the two riding their Summoning Animals, giving Kushina no chance to press the issue.

White smoke rose behind them as the Summoning Animals were dismissed, and Kushina and Minato Namikaze quickly followed.

"If you don't have one, just say so. I'll definitely make fun of you properly."

Kushina followed behind, sneering sarcastically.

Jin suddenly stopped, and Kushina nearly crashed into his back.

Before Kushina could ask anything,

Jin gave an order.

"Little White, bite her!"

A white blur suddenly slipped out from Jin's collar and bit down on Kushina's nose.

"Ahhh! My nose is falling off! It's falling off!"

Kushina grabbed Little White's body tightly and ran around in a panic. Without watching where she was going, she slammed headfirst into a tree.

"Hmph." Jin snorted coldly.

"This is my Summoning Animal!"