Ambushed by Jūzō Biwa!

Sen's grin nearly stretched from ear to ear.

I didn't see it, but my system definitely did!

Though that was what he thought, he said, "Of course it's because Minato got stronger. I'm happy for him! It feels a bit like our Uchiha Sharingan."

Jiraiya didn't respond. Right now, all he could think about was his beloved Minato.

He stepped forward and helped Minato up, saying with satisfaction, "Minato, from today on, practice maintaining this state. If your body can sustain it for a long time, you'll have a chance to learn that jutsu invented by the Second Hokage."

He looked at Minato, growing more and more pleased.

He was exceptionally talented and kindhearted—a perfect candidate for a student!

At least he was much better than a certain someone who, even while grilling meat, was thinking about learning a few tricks from Orochimaru!

"If he reacts so quickly, how come he still can't dodge my punches?" Kushina walked over and asked, puzzled.

Jiraiya and Minato both wore expressions of utter despair.

Sen chuckled. Minato, you've sacrificed so much for the sake of team harmony.

Jiraiya looked helpless too as he replied, "Kushina, you should thank Minato more..."

Just then, a masked Anbu Ninja landed silently in front of them.

"Jiraiya, there's a new mission."

Jiraiya took the scroll and opened it. His expression instantly grew serious.

"Do you remember Lookout Island, where we landed last time?"

The three nodded. Sen asked, "Are we launching a counterattack?"

Jiraiya shook his head and pointed to a smaller island beside Lookout Island on the map. "Not yet. The intelligence coming from this satellite island is 'too normal.'"

"Isn't normal a good thing? Why do we need to check?" Minato was the first to notice the contradiction.

Jiraiya explained, "Normally, during peacetime, only one or two reports arrive on schedule. But the war footing was activated some time ago, and the 'undercover agents' at every outpost were woken up too."

Seeing the confusion on their faces, Jiraiya continued, "These agents communicate with Anbu in one direction to verify the authenticity of the intelligence. They haven't sent anything back for several days, so..."

Jiraiya sighed. "The outpost has actually been taken by the enemy. The real purpose of this mission is to confirm their numbers and strength, so we can plan our next move."

"I see." Kushina nodded. "It looks like what we learned at the Academy really was just the basics."

Jiraiya glanced at the sky and said, "In that case, everyone go back and rest. We leave in exactly six hours, at midnight."

He watched as Sen and the others took their sleeping pills, then turned and headed toward the logistics office, his brows still tightly furrowed.

In theory, a reconnaissance mission like this shouldn't have been assigned to their squad. Sen hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet, and Orochimaru knew that. So why had he arranged it this way?

At night, moonlight spilled across the choppy sea.

Four figures raced across the water as if running on solid ground.

"I'll say it again!" Jiraiya, at the front, looked back and reminded them. "This is an infiltration mission, not a frontal assault! Confirm the intelligence, then return the way we came! The two islands are fifteen kilometers apart. If you're running low on chakra, eat the Soldier Pills I gave you!"

Seeing that the others still looked a little groggy, Jiraiya barked, "Kushina, what's our backup plan? Repeat it!"

Kushina immediately snapped to attention. "If we're discovered, we can still flee to Lookout Island. The islands are more than thirty nautical miles apart, but there are plenty of uninhabited islands in between where we can rest.

"Anyway, whatever happens during the mission, we must never give up hope!"

Jiraiya turned back. Since Kushina could answer, the other two certainly wouldn't have any trouble.

"Good!"

Several dozen minutes later, their target island came into view in the distance.

The island covered less than half a square kilometer. Lights swept across it in every direction, and every so often, two ninjas could be seen looking around.

The group surfaced after swimming underwater. Minato said, "We're just over a hundred meters away. Let's dive the rest of the way and land at the northwestern cliff, as planned."

Just as he was about to dive, Jiraiya grabbed him.

Minato was about to ask why when he saw more than a dozen Mist Ninja standing on the water, their weapons glinting in the moonlight.

It was a trap!

"Turn back!" Jiraiya immediately ordered.

He had far more combat experience than the others. From a single glance, he could tell that the enemy had at least four Chunin and nine Genin—which meant there was definitely a Jonin here too!

As they prepared to retreat, a huge splash erupted behind them. Three ninjas had cut off their escape!

At their head was Jūzō Biwa, with Kubikiribōchō strapped to his back.

He rested the great sword on his shoulder, seawater dripping from its blade, and wore a mocking smile. "Just like the intel said. White-haired Jiraiya, black-haired Uchiha Sen, and... two insignificant little nobodies."

The four immediately stood back-to-back and took up defensive stances.

They were all worried. They were out at sea, and the odds weren't in their favor.

"How do you know about us?" Jiraiya demanded, shocked and furious.

It wasn't strange that their information had leaked after Suikazan Fuguki escaped. But the enemy even knew Sen and the others by name!

"Oh, that? Shimura Danzō told us." Jūzō Biwa smiled and revealed a secret that could shake Konoha to its foundations. "I never thought a little Uchiha brat about my age would be worth five million ryo.

"My mission is to take Uchiha Sen's head back with me.

"As for the three of you, I'll cut off your legs and send you back to Konoha. You'll have plenty of time to investigate then."

"What exactly do you mean? Shimura Danzō is a Konoha shinobi too. How could he possibly collude with you? Stop spouting nonsense!" Jiraiya shouted.

"Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll find out when your legs are broken. You can crawl over and ask him yourself." With that, Jūzō Biwa immediately waved his hand and ordered, "Attack!"

"Don't let him mess with your heads!" Minato shouted.

Jiraiya steadied himself, quickly checked that Sen was unaffected, then roared, "Use C formation!"

The four stood back-to-back and formed Hand Seals at the same time!

Jiraiya: "Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

Minato: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Sen: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Kushina: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The combined jutsu of Fire Release and Wind Release erupted over the sea. The flames and gusts, which had been separate moments before, seemed to come alive. The flames greedily lapped up the oxygen carried by the wind, while the wind swept the fire outward in every direction.

In an instant, an enormous sea of fire, stretching dozens of meters across, took shape over the waves. Orange-red flames rolled and roared, dyeing the moonlight a searing gold and crimson. Even the air began to burn, as though the sea itself might boil.

Jūzō Biwa's pupils contracted at the sight. He immediately shouted, "It's a combination jutsu! Everyone, dive underwater and take cover!"