Bell Snatch

At nine in the morning.

Training Ground Seventeen.

Jiraiya appeared with a Body Flicker right on time.

He took out two bells and clipped them onto his belt.

"Today's task is to take these two bells from me. You can use—" As he said this, Jiraiya suddenly leaped backward, and the spot where he'd been standing exploded with a bang.

Just as Jiraiya was midair with no footing, Namikaze Minato quickly fired three kunai, the Explosive Tags trailing behind them burning fast.

At the same time, Hyuga Ao and Hyuga Hotaru flanked him from left and right, closing in on Jiraiya.

Midair, Jiraiya pulled out a handful of shuriken and scattered them toward Hyuga Ao and Hyuga Hotaru, aiming to drive them back while knocking away Minato's kunai.

Namikaze Minato's kunai fell to either side, followed by a fierce blast.

Hyuga Hotaru paused for a moment, her Byakugan tracking the shuriken's trajectory, then easily sidestepped and kept charging at Jiraiya.

Hyuga Ao didn't slow down, casually swatting away the shuriken and driving a palm strike toward Jiraiya's abdomen.

Though caught off guard, Jiraiya's expression didn't change; in fact, a hint of approval flickered in his eyes at their coordination.

He pulled out a kunai, gripping it in reverse, and met Hyuga Ao's incoming palm.

Hyuga Ao shifted her palm into a grab, keeping her speed steady as she aimed for Jiraiya's wrist.

Jiraiya twisted his wrist, flipping the kunai from reverse to forward grip, and thrust it toward Hyuga Ao's hand.

"I see it," Hyuga Ao said, adjusting her palm slightly as she continued reaching for Jiraiya's wrist. Under her Byakugan, every move of his was crystal clear. If he kept thrusting, the kunai would slip right through her fingers, but his wrist would be caught.

As a ninja, Jiraiya naturally couldn't let his hand be seized, so he had to abandon the kunai.

He leaped back again, hands forming seals rapidly.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

A wall of earth rose between Hyuga Ao and Jiraiya, blocking her line of sight.

Hyuga Ao channeled Chakra into her palm and shattered the wall with a single strike, but Jiraiya was already gone.

Her Byakugan swept the sky and surroundings, then probed underground, finding that Jiraiya had used Earth Style to burrow beneath Hyuga Hotaru's feet.

"Hotaru!" Hyuga Ao shouted a warning.

Hyuga Hotaru had already spotted Jiraiya beneath her. Startled, she tried to step aside, but Jiraiya was far faster.

He grabbed her ankle and started pulling her down, just as Hyuga Ao fired an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm his way.

Jiraiya had no choice but to let go and dive deeper, shifting his focus to Namikaze Minato.

He'd already figured it out: Hyuga Ao was the strongest of the three. Without using lethal jutsu, he couldn't do much against her. So he decided to take out the other two first.

By now, Hyuga Hotaru's entire calf was sunk into the ground, clearly stuck for a while.

Namikaze Minato was observing the situation. Their original plan was for Hyuga Ao and Hyuga Hotaru to engage in close combat while Minato stayed mobile, watching the flow and controlling the traps around them.

But now that Jiraiya had set his sights on him, Minato had no choice but to use a Body Flicker to regroup with Hyuga Ao.

Hyuga Ao stood guard in front of Hyuga Hotaru, alert, while Minato worked behind her to free Hotaru.

Jiraiya emerged from the earth, his fists and feet coated in Chakra, and clashed with Hyuga Ao head-on.

At that moment, his Elite Jonin aura flared. As he traded blows with Hyuga Ao, he repeatedly feigned attempts to slip past her.

But he was pleased to see that Hyuga Hotaru, though one leg was trapped, still held shuriken in her hand, watching the battle closely.

And Namikaze Minato, despite sweating buckets from digging, never once glanced their way—showing he trusted Hyuga Ao completely to hold the line.

Jiraiya clashed with Hyuga Ao once more, using the force to push back, and said with satisfaction, "Alright, you pass."

"Huh?" Hyuga Hotaru and Namikaze Minato both turned to look at Jiraiya. They'd been tense from his pressure moments ago—how were they already passing?

Jiraiya looked at Hyuga Ao. "You knew the test content?"

"Heh, I'm from the Hyuga clan," Hyuga Ao said, playing dumb.

"Mm." Jiraiya glossed over that. "How did you know I'd stand right there?"

By then, Namikaze Minato had finally freed Hyuga Hotaru. He stood up and said, "Because we stood in the exact same positions as yesterday. If the teacher arrived on time and saw our formation, he'd most likely stand in that spot."

"Mm." Jiraiya nodded, recalling the fight. "So if I'd kept retreating, there would have been traps waiting for me?"

"Yes, teacher. If you'd been pushed back by Ao'er and Hotaru's combined attack, there would have been log traps and pit traps waiting further back."

"Then, even knowing the test content, what were you planning to use to force an opening and take the bells?"

A blue sphere of light flickered to life in Minato's hand.

Jiraiya, who hadn't flinched even under a surprise attack, changed expression as he stared at the small blue orb hovering quietly in Minato's palm.

He stepped closer to examine the Rasengan, sensing the destructive power within it.

Jiraiya was stunned. His first thought was that if this thing hit him, he might die. His second was that this was a Ninjutsu without Hand Seals!

He frowned, realizing this was an entirely new technique. "Who invented this?"

Namikaze Minato flashed a confident smile and said, "This is a jutsu I came up with."

Earlier, Minato had found many suspicious points about Kushina's situation, but feeling powerless, he held his breath and accelerated his ninjutsu development. He'd originally wanted to make a big splash, but he got caught anyway.

With Hyuga Ao's help, Minato sped up the completion of the Rasengan (which he'd already been researching for a long time).

"Haha, good, good, excellent." Jiraiya praised repeatedly. He really hadn't expected so many surprises today. It seemed coming to lead this team was the right call. This team was truly something.

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention, and laughed heartily. "To celebrate the official formation of Team Nine, I'm treating you all to a meal!"

After the meal, Hyuga Ao and Hotaru were taking a walk.

She was using this opportunity to talk with Hyuga Hotaru, to get a sense of what her situation was really like.

"That's right, Lady Ao is so amazing! With just her own talent, she made the Main Family elders look at her differently!" Hyuga Hotaru was both envious and admiring. Her smile was so pure, she really didn't seem like someone from the Hyuga clan.

Hyuga Ao was a little flushed from being praised like a fangirl. She found Hyuga Hotaru truly unique.

Hotaru didn't care about the Caged Bird or the Branch Family. She felt that since fate was what it was, she should face life with a smile. That was why she seemed so open-minded.

Toward Hyuga Ao, she felt admiration but not jealousy. She only thought, Ah, Lady Ao is so amazing, without any other thoughts.

Hyuga Ao walked Hotaru home. She felt she could probably never become someone like Hotaru.

"I hope this world treats her well." Hyuga Ao sighed.