Snatching the Bell

March 16th, 8:00 AM.

Minato Namikaze and Ranwu both arrived at the Third Training Ground fifteen minutes early...

Snore—snore—

To their surprise, Akashi Uchiha was already there, and... his snoring was thunderous!

"What is wrong with this guy? How can he fall asleep while waiting here?" Ranwu said, preparing to deliver a "wake-up slap."

"No, wait... It looks like Akashi must have been training here until very late last night, perhaps even until this morning, and just collapsed where he stood," Minato said, stopping Ranwu.

Minato noticed that not only was Akashi's clothing disheveled, but there were also traces of ninjutsu having been used in the surrounding area.

"Honestly, is this really the time for last-minute cramming?" Ranwu's annoyance faded slightly—her impression of someone who "fell asleep after working hard all night" was, after all, better than that of "someone who came here early just to sleep in."

"Let him sleep a little longer; Jiraiya-sama hasn't arrived yet anyway," Minato said considerately.

Hearing this, Ranwu didn't object.

Akashi had indeed only just fallen asleep; the "immersive experience" was mentally equivalent to sleep, but...

After experiencing the plot of the first six hours, Akashi had finally reached his limit and fallen asleep at seven in the morning!

Akashi had originally thought he would only be able to sleep for an hour, but...

Unexpectedly, Akashi slept for three hours straight, until ten in the morning.

"Could something have happened? How could a jonin like Jiraiya be two hours late... Could there be an emergency meeting?" Ranwu said, worried.

It had to be said, as the granddaughter of the Second Hokage, Ranwu had a strong sense of the big picture...

With Jiraiya two hours late, her first thought wasn't "Why is Jiraiya late," but "Did something happen in the village?" She started to say she wanted to go back and check.

However, Minato analyzed the situation: "Let's wait a little longer, don't be hasty... Perhaps this is also part of the test."

Akashi: Snore—snore—

Looking at Akashi, who was sprawled on the ground sleeping, Ranwu was speechless. She walked over, wondering if she should draw something on his face.

Just then, Jiraiya walked over slowly, looking completely satisfied.

"Jiraiya-sama is here," Minato reminded them quickly.

Ranwu hurriedly kicked Akashi twice to wake him up.

Akashi snapped to attention instantly and scrambled to his feet.

"Not bad, everyone arrived quite early!" Jiraiya said nonchalantly, though he couldn't help but glance at the just-awakened Akashi—the reason he was late was to temper their patience, but who would have thought this Uchiha brat... had such good temperament?

"It's just that you were way too late, Jiraiya-sama!" Once Ranwu realized there hadn't been any accident, she immediately pointed it out.

"Hahaha, don't say that, I just happened to be out gathering material," Jiraiya said with a straight face.

"Gathering material?" Ranwu was stunned.

"Didn't I say my dream is to become a bestselling author? Hahaha..." Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Akashi, Minato, and Ranwu: ...

"Alright, I can see you're all hungry, so let's start with this..."

When Jiraiya said that, Akashi thought he was going to treat them to a meal, but to his surprise, Jiraiya reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a bell.

"So... the Ninja Academy 13th graduating class, Team 7, genin promotion exam, starts now! All you have to do is take this bell from me before twelve o'clock. If anyone succeeds, everyone passes. Otherwise... it means you all need more practice!" Jiraiya said, tying the bell to his waist.

"Eh? There's a test like this?" Akashi said, surprised.

"Be careful, I will be attacking as well," Jiraiya added without further explanation.

As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, Akashi, Minato, and Ranwu instantly flashed away from their spots—Jiraiya was a jonin, and a very famous one at that; the three of them knew they couldn't possibly be his match.

The three of them first separated to hide, but seeing that Jiraiya had no intention of pursuing them immediately, they quietly gathered together...

"Jiraiya-sama is no ordinary jonin. Our clan head said that Jiraiya's... strength is not below his own!" Akashi said with a hint of pride—as if the clan head had told him personally.

"That goes without saying... After all, Jiraiya-sama is a student of the Third," Ranwu also understood that this test wouldn't be simple.

"So we must coordinate," Minato said with a gentle smile.

Seeing this, Akashi cleared his throat and said, "Fine, then I, the strongest one, will take the front to pin him down!"

"The strongest? Wait, who gave you that confidence? Your graduation exam scores weren't even in the top ten, were they?" Ranwu immediately questioned him.

"Heh heh, that was before. Yesterday... I obtained the strongest power of the Uchiha clan!" Akashi said loftily.

"I know you awakened your eyes, but still..." Ranwu was about to continue her questioning.

However, Minato interjected: "Akashi, what is your plan?"

"I'll go to the front to pin Jiraiya down. I won't last long, but... Ranwu, you can use Water Style, right? While I'm pinning Jiraiya down, you attack him from the shadows with Water Style to restrict his movement; don't worry about me.

"And then... Minato, your speed is very fast, right? Remember to hide in a place where you won't be affected by the Water Style, and when Jiraiya is restrained, strike immediately to take the bell!" Akashi laid out a simple plan.

Although the three of them didn't know each other well before this, because Minato and Ranwu were the top students of their respective years, they knew what each other excelled at... and they also knew that Akashi was nowhere near the top.

"Hmm, a very simple method, but direct tactics are often the most effective," Minato said pleasantly.

However...

Akaseki: ...

Akaseki really wanted to say: I already thought I had come up with a complex plan!

Jiraiya was still standing in his original spot. Seeing the three brats know to hide first thing, a sense of satisfaction rose in his heart; at the very least, they weren't hot-headed fools charging straight at him.

A moment later, Jiraiya's expression suddenly shifted as he turned his attention toward his rear...

Akaseki had crept into the bushes behind Jiraiya. Not daring to get too close, he activated his eyes and formed hand seals!

"Sharingan, activate!"

"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!"

Although Akaseki had only just copied this C-rank illusion and was only at the level of "proficient use," the boost from his Sharingan's ocular power enhanced the effect of the technique by several degrees...

The effect of the False Surroundings Technique was simple: it merely caused the target to misjudge their current location. For instance, right now, Jiraiya suddenly found himself standing in the middle of the ocean.

Illusions really are convenient.

"Release."

Jiraiya sighed with a hint of admiration, having dispelled the illusion without even needing to form hand seals...

At the same time, Akaseki had already appeared before Jiraiya—let me show you the taijutsu of my Uchiha Clan!