"Minato, Kushina."
"Do whatever it takes to let me... touch him once."
Hiroki's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble dropped into still water, carrying clearly to the two who were struggling to hold on.
Touch him?
Under the immense pressure, Namikaze Minato's mind struggled to work. In a situation where even breathing was difficult, let alone touching Lord Jiraiya, even getting close to him was a pipe dream.
Kushina had even less strength left to think. All her willpower was focused on resisting the fear that made her soul tremble.
Hiroki didn't expect them to understand right away. He quickly reached for Kushina's hand and swiftly worked through his system, creating a new txt file in each of his connections with Minato and Kushina.
[Right-click -> New -> Text Document.txt]
He didn't have time to write a complicated script. He could only use the simplest, most direct method and type a single prompt into the document!
"This is a Genjutsu! Try Genjutsu: Release!"
As for whether it would work!? Who cared!
He had to send it first!
"Release!"
Kushina reacted first. Drawing on the Uzumaki Clan's powerful vitality and spiritual energy, she let out a roar and sharply raised the chakra within her!
Buzz—!
The world before her eyes twisted. The tangible killing intent that had almost crushed her receded like a tide.
A moment later, Namikaze Minato gave a muffled grunt, and his gaze cleared.
"Oh?"
Neither of them was an ordinary child. A simple hint was all they needed!
At the center of the field, Jiraiya's face showed undisguised surprise.
He watched the black-haired boy, who had remained calm from beginning to end, with interest. "To resist the effects and even help your teammates break my Genjutsu... What an interesting kid."
No, there was more to it than that.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He'd clearly realized that this kid had been the first to notice him using Genjutsu. Hiroki's immediate, instinctive reaction had told Jiraiya that he'd been affected too.
But... only for an instant. He'd broken free right after!
How had he done it?
Was it that Kekkei Genkai that affected the mind?
Perhaps he could develop in the direction of Genjutsu.
In the viewing stands, Tsunade, who had looked impatient moments ago, raised an eyebrow.
In the shadows, Danzo's gaze grew even more inscrutable.
"Let's go, Minato!"
Freed from the Genjutsu, Kushina didn't hesitate. Like a cannonball, she charged straight at Jiraiya with an unstoppable momentum!
"Ororaorora—!"
She had no fancy techniques. She simply poured her abundant chakra into her fists and feet without holding anything back, launching a torrential barrage of attacks!
"What an energetic kid." Jiraiya chuckled. He moved like a ghost, strolling through Kushina's attacks and dodging each one with the slightest movement.
"Raw strength alone won't let you touch me."
Just then, a flash of steel caught the corner of Jiraiya's eye.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three kunai flew in a triangular formation, blocking every route he could take to dodge left!
It was Namikaze Minato!
The moment Kushina charged, he had already judged the best timing and angle for an attack!
"Good sense of timing." Jiraiya nodded approvingly, sliding a step to the right and easily dodging.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a flash of yellow moved faster than expected!
Jiraiya had only just come to a stop when Minato was already lunging at him, kunai in hand!
The Body Flicker Technique!
So fast!
Even Jiraiya couldn't help but marvel. What an incredibly fast Body Flicker Technique!
Of course Jiraiya knew this move. He was the one who had taught it to Minato!
"Try this one on for size~ Ahahaha~!" Jiraiya laughed. He swung his head, and his wildly whipping white hair instantly lashed backward like a barbed whip!
Thud~!
Minato was blown apart in an instant!
Ribbit~!
Smoke billowed, and a section of wooden post dropped to the ground!
The Substitution Technique!
When had he made the hand seals?
The Jonin in the viewing stands gradually lost their contemptuous expressions, replacing them with solemnity and surprise.
"These ninjutsu combinations... Are they really students from the Ninja Academy?"
That kind of speed!?
"That blond kid's Substitution Technique is incredible! I didn't even see when he made the hand seals! And that Body Flicker Technique! It was way too fast!"
"The red-haired one looks about like an ordinary Genin, maybe even a little below that. But the blond one! Even an ordinary Chunin might not use these basic techniques so skillfully!"
A gratified smile tugged at Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth.
They really were quite good!
But it wasn't enough!
Those skills were nowhere near enough to snatch the bells from Jiraiya and pass the test!
They lacked a decisive blow that could settle everything!
So far, Jiraiya had dodged every attack as if it were a game!
No matter how much Minato and Kushina attacked, they still lacked something that could end it with one decisive blow!
And Hiroki knew he was that "decisive blow."
Of the three, he was the only one with a high-damage ninjutsu, and the only one with a skill he could release instantly!
Hiroki kept his eyes on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was still grinning... but so far, neither Minato, with his Body Flicker Technique, nor Kushina, who kept charging headlong, had managed to touch him even once!
Trying to touch Jiraiya through speed alone or sheer attacks was practically impossible.
Jiraiya showed no sign of wanting to attack either. It seemed he was still waiting for Hiroki.
Hiroki took a deep breath.
With the Third's warning, he hadn't prepared to use Lightning Style: False Darkness. And he still wasn't sure whether it had been the ninjutsu or a bug that had drained his battery and landed him in the hospital.
If he wanted to use that [Brain Overload Attack] to take the bell from Jiraiya, it seemed there was only one way—
He had to make Jiraiya grab him first!
"..." Tsunade quietly turned her attention to Sawada Hiroki, the only child who hadn't made a move yet.
That was also why the test hadn't ended.
If Sawada Hiroki showed any ability at the level of a Ninja Academy student capable of graduating, then the test should have ended already. The old Third wouldn't care whether they'd gotten the bells!
But...
What could he do?
Teacher, what was he expecting?
They'd made such a spectacle of it and invited so many ninjas to watch. Surely they hadn't done all that just to show them a child who was merely good enough to graduate from the Ninja Academy.
Having Jiraiya test them was also meant to give them the freedom to go all out and show what they could really do, wasn't it!?
So, was Sawada Hiroki really that strong?
Just as the audience in the stands wondered, Sawada Hiroki moved!
Like a foolish child, he charged straight ahead in a daze.
?!
"Is he an idiot!?" Someone couldn't help cursing.
"I thought he was standing there motionless because he was analyzing the situation!?" someone else cursed too.
"Damn it! That's it?"
Even Jiraiya couldn't help frowning as he watched Sawada Hiroki charge straight at him, but he didn't dare let his guard down and quickly dodged.
Then he watched Hiroki stupidly swing his kunai through empty air before, as if in a fit of anger, throwing it at Jiraiya.
Was he playing dumb?
Jiraiya took a deep breath and forced himself to set aside the thought that the boy might really be an idiot as he considered the situation.
He could only be pretending to be dumb. After all, he'd been the first to snap out of the Genjutsu at the start, and playing dumb was a tactic someone his age could use! So next, he should be about to use the only ninjutsu he knew!
Jiraiya guessed as much. Sure enough, Hiroki's expression turned serious the next moment, and he quickly formed Hand Seals!
Tiger—Horse—Monkey—Rat—Rabbit...
Jiraiya finally smiled. Then he moved!
"Not a bad tactic~! You almost fooled me~! You'll have to work harder!!" Jiraiya swept out his hand and seized Hiroki's hand as he formed the seal.
The next moment, Jiraiya's face stiffened.
Hiroki stared expressionlessly at the prompt in his system.
[Detected another connectable computer, "Jiraiya." A temporary connection has been established through the "Chakra Communication Protocol."] [Brain Overload Script.bat] launched!
Before you continue