March 16, 8:00 a.m.
Minato Namikaze and Ranwu both arrived at the Third Training Ground fifteen minutes early...
Snore... snore...
Akashi Uchiha had already arrived, and... his snores were thunderous!
"What is with this guy? He can fall asleep even while waiting here?" Ranwu said, about to use her "Wake-Up Slap."
"No, wait... It looks like Akaseki trained here until very late last night, maybe even until this morning, and fell asleep right where he was." Minato stopped Ranwu.
Minato noticed that not only were Akaseki's clothes disheveled, but there were also traces of ninjutsu having been used around him.
"Seriously, even cramming at the last minute doesn't mean grinding this hard, does it?" Ranwu's dissatisfaction faded somewhat—after all, she had a better impression of someone who "worked hard all night and fell asleep" than someone who "came early in the morning just to sleep in."
"Let him sleep a little longer. Lord Jiraiya hasn't arrived yet either," Minato said considerately.
Ranwu did not object.
Akaseki really had only just fallen asleep. Immersion was mentally equivalent to sleeping in the first place, except...
After experiencing the first six hours of the plot, Akaseki had finally been unable to hold on any longer and fallen asleep at seven in the morning!
Akaseki had thought he could only sleep for an hour, but...
Unexpectedly, he slept for three hours straight, until ten in the morning.
"Could something have happened? How could Jonin Jiraiya possibly be two hours late... Could there be some emergency meeting?" Ranwu said worriedly.
It had to be said that, as the Second's granddaughter, Ranwu had a strong sense of the bigger picture...
When Jiraiya was two hours late, her first thought was not, "How could Jiraiya be late?" but rather, "Did something happen in the village?" As she spoke, Ranwu wanted to go back and check.
However, Minato analyzed, "Let's wait a little longer. Don't rush... Maybe this is part of the test too."
Akaseki: Snore... snore...
Seeing Akaseki sleeping flat on the ground, Ranwu was speechless. She walked over, considering whether to draw something on his face.
Just then, Jiraiya strolled over slowly, looking thoroughly satisfied.
"Lord Jiraiya is here," Minato quickly reminded them.
Ranwu hurriedly kicked Akaseki twice to wake him up.
Akaseki instantly came awake and hurriedly scrambled to his feet.
"Not bad, everyone got here pretty early!" Jiraiya said carelessly, though he could not help glancing twice at the freshly awakened Akaseki—he had deliberately been late to temper their minds, but who knew this Uchiha Clan brat... had such a steady temperament?
"You're the one who was late for too long, Lord Jiraiya!" Once Ranwu realized there had been no accident, she immediately pointed it out.
"Hahaha, don't put it like that. I just happened to be gathering material," Jiraiya said solemnly.
"Gathering material?" Ranwu froze.
"Didn't I say it? My dream is to become a bestselling author! Hahaha..." Jiraiya burst out laughing.
Akaseki, Minato, Ranwu: ...
"All right, you look hungry, so let's start with this..."
When Jiraiya said that, Akaseki thought he was going to treat them to a meal. Instead, Jiraiya casually took a bell out of his ninja tool pouch.
"Now then... Ninja Academy Class 13, Team 7, Genin promotion test begins now! Your task is to take this bell from me before noon. If even one of you succeeds, all of you pass. Otherwise... it means you still need more training!" As Jiraiya spoke, he tied the bell to his waist.
"Huh? There is a test like this?" Akaseki asked in surprise.
"Careful, I'll be attacking too," Jiraiya added without explaining.
The moment Jiraiya finished speaking, Akaseki, Minato, and Ranwu instantly vanished from where they stood—Jiraiya was a Jonin, and a famous one even among Jonin. Naturally, the three knew they could not possibly be his match.
The three first scattered and hid. Seeing that Jiraiya did not immediately try to track them down, they quietly regrouped...
"Lord Jiraiya isn't an ordinary Jonin. Our clan head said Jiraiya... is no weaker than he is!" Akaseki said with a hint of pride, as if the clan head had personally told him so.
"Of course he isn't... Lord Jiraiya is the Third's disciple, after all." Ranwu also understood that this would not be a simple test.
"So we have to work together." Minato smiled slightly and spoke gently.
Seeing this, Akaseki cleared his throat. "No choice, then. The strongest one, me, will hold him off from the front!"
"The strongest? Wait, who gave you that confidence? You weren't even in the top ten in the graduation exam, were you?" Ranwu immediately challenged him.
"Heh heh, that was before. Yesterday... I obtained the Uchiha Clan's strongest power!" Akaseki declared arrogantly.
"I know you awakened your eyes, but..." Ranwu was about to continue questioning him.
However, Minato said, "Akaseki, do you have a plan?"
"I'll hold Jiraiya off head-on. I won't last long, but... Ranwu, you know Water Style, right? While I'm keeping Jiraiya occupied, attack him from the shadows with Water Style focused on restricting his movements. Don't worry about me.
"Then... Minato, you're fast, right? Remember to hide somewhere the Water Style won't affect you. The moment Jiraiya is restrained, make your move and take the bell!" Akaseki laid out a simple plan.
The three had not known one another before, but Minato and Ranwu were both top students in their respective grades, so they knew what each other specialized in... and they also knew Akaseki was nowhere near the top.
"Mm, it's a very simple method, but direct tactics are often the most effective." Minato said it pleasantly.
But...
Akaseki: ...
Akaseki really wanted to say: I already thought this was a complicated plan!
Jiraiya was still standing in the same place. Seeing that the three brats knew to hide first, he felt somewhat satisfied. At least no hotheads had charged straight at him.
A moment later, Jiraiya's expression shifted as he noticed something behind him...
Akaseki had slipped into the bushes behind Jiraiya. Not daring to get too close, he directly activated his eyes and formed hand seals!
"Sharingan, activate!"
"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!"
Although Akaseki had only just copied this C-rank Genjutsu and could merely use it proficiently, under the boost of the Sharingan's Dojutsu Power, the Genjutsu's effect was enhanced severalfold...
The effect of the False Surroundings Technique was simple: it merely caused the target to misjudge where they were. For example, Jiraiya suddenly found himself standing above the ocean.
Genjutsu really was convenient.
"Release."
Jiraiya merely marveled for a moment before dispelling the Genjutsu without even needing hand seals...
At the same time, Akaseki had already appeared before Jiraiya—let me show you the Taijutsu of my Uchiha Clan!
Before you continue