Battle Against Jiraiya

Seeing the undisguised fighting spirit in Nawaki's eyes, Minato smiled without a word and nimbly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.

He was just about to go wash the dishes when Tsunade snatched them right out of his hands.

"I might as well tell you now: from now on, you just handle the cooking. Leave the dishwashing to me and Nawaki. We usually split the housework between the two of us—I handle the laundry and cooking, and Nawaki handles the sweeping and mopping. Now that you're here, I've got one less chore to worry about~"

As Tsunade spoke, she shoved the bowls and chopsticks into Nawaki's arms. Nawaki looked speechless, but he obediently went off to wash them.

Tsunade, meanwhile, propped her head up with one hand and lay lazily on the tatami mat.

Laundry and cooking...

Minato looked at Tsunade with a strange expression.

Influenced by the original plot, he had always assumed that Tsunade lacked basic self-care skills.

After all, from the moment Tsunade appeared in the series, it was always Shizune taking care of her.

And Tsunade's own image was defined more by her alcoholism and gambling.

But thinking about it carefully, the current Tsunade was not even twenty years old, in the prime of her youth. Even if she were a bit lazy, she wouldn't be like she was in the original story, not to mention she still had a younger brother to look after.

Besides, the way Tsunade acted in the original series was likely more due to the decadence born from the deaths of her brother and lover.

Furthermore, there was a significant difference in their appearances; the current Tsunade still wore her hair in a single ponytail—a high ponytail at that—which made her look very energetic. Her voice was also softer and more delicate, giving her more of a youthful, maiden-like quality.

Soon, the three of them finished tidying up. Just as they stepped outside, they saw two figures slowly walking toward them.

"Yo, ohayou~ Tsunade."

Jiraiya waved with a grin, while Orochimaru stood beside him with his hands behind his back, a faint, elusive smile playing on his lips.

"Big Brother Orochimaru!"

Nawaki waved excitedly when he saw the two of them.

"You've grown a bit, Nawaki."

Orochimaru's tone was gentle, carrying a hint of doting affection.

"Oi! We both came here together, so why does this kid only have eyes for Orochimaru? Don't you see the dashing and romantic Lord Jiraiya?" Jiraiya complained.

Nawaki chuckled. Personally, he still admired Orochimaru, who held the title of genius, even though Jiraiya was also quite good to him.

Tsunade was a bit surprised by their arrival: "Jiraiya, why have you two come?"

Orochimaru's voice was raspy: "Heh, heh, heh. Isn't there someone who still owes us a barbecue?"

"Tch, almost forgot about that."

Tsunade curled her lip and gave the little blond boy beside her a rough rub on the head.

"By the way, this kid is..."

Jiraiya stared blankly at Minato. They had noticed Minato the moment they arrived; after all, that head of blond hair was far too conspicuous.

"Hmph, let me introduce him: Minato Namikaze, my disciple!"

Tsunade introduced him proudly, then patted Minato: "These two guys are my teammates, Jiraiya and Orochimaru."

"Nice to meet you, seniors!" Minato nodded in greeting.

"Ha--?"

Jiraiya looked shocked, his gaze darting back and forth between the two of them.

For some reason, at this moment, he felt a strange sense of loss, as if he had been cuckolded.

Could it be that I'm jealous this kid gets to live at Tsunade's house?

It doesn't quite feel like that, though. Strange...

"I really didn't expect you to take on a disciple..."

Orochimaru also sized up Minato: "Tsunade disappeared right after you left yesterday. Don't tell me she threatened you into becoming her student?"

"How rude..."

Tsunade put her hands on her hips, looking displeased: "It was clearly this kid who asked to be my student voluntarily. Right, Minato?"

"Yes."

Minato nodded, giving her plenty of face.

"So, where are you all headed?" Jiraiya asked.

"Naturally, to test the strength of my disciple~"

Tsunade spread her hands, her tone playful: "I just handed this task over to Nawaki."

"Hahaha, that sounds interesting. We'll tag along then!" Jiraiya was immediately intrigued.

"Suit yourself, but don't you dare cause any trouble for me."

The group arrived at the nearby Third Training Ground. Minato and Nawaki stood facing each other and simultaneously performed the Seal of Confrontation.

Tsunade, acting as the referee for this duel, stood between the two of them.

"Well... no need for idle chatter. Ninjutsu is allowed, and if there's any danger, I'll intervene immediately. If there are no objections, let's begin!"

As the words fell, Nawaki's hands swept behind his waist, and six shuriken suddenly shot toward Minato Namikaze.

In the next instant, Minato's figure flickered and vanished from where he stood.

"So fast!"

Nawaki felt a jolt in his heart, instinctively searching for Minato's silhouette.

But before he could make a move, a kunai was already pressed against his throat.

Sensing the sharpness of the blade, Nawaki's movements instantly stiffened.

Was I... defeated in a second?

"Winner, Minato Namikaze!"

"How is this possible? Ahhh!"

Watching Minato calmly sheath his kunai and reach out to perform the Seal of Reconciliation, Nawaki's composure shattered: "What is up with you, kid? Why couldn't I even track your movements?!"

"Hahaha, serves you right for being so cocky!"

Tsunade laughed heartily: "You're two years ahead of him, yet you couldn't even see his shadow. It seems you still have a long way to go~"

"Damn it!"

Nawaki wailed, reluctantly hooking his finger with Minato's to perform the Seal of Reconciliation, though he remained stubborn: "I was just careless this time, I didn't dodge! Next time, I definitely won't lose to you!"

Minato nodded gently: "I look forward to it."

Damn it, he even has such a good personality!

Nawaki hadn't expected this reaction from Minato. The mature and gentle aura the boy exuded made him feel somewhat ashamed, and when he recalled his boast from yesterday about looking after the newcomer, his face turned bright red.

"That Body Flicker just now was faster than many genin. It seems Minato-kun is a speed-type ninja."

The two observers stepped forward. Orochimaru's face showed appreciation; although he had been called a genius since childhood, he admitted that at the age of five, he truly wasn't as outstanding as Minato.

"Of course, Nawaki didn't do poorly either."

Nawaki pulled a bitter face: "But I was defeated in a second..."

"It's just that your talents lie in different areas."

Orochimaru smiled faintly. Minato possessed strong learning ability, excellent chakra control, and a calm temperament—much like he had been—which allowed him to manifest his talent at such a young age.

As a descendant of the Senju clan and the grandson of the First Hokage, Nawaki did not lack talent, but due to psychological and age-related limitations, he needed time and training to fully realize his potential.

"But come to think of it, we still haven't really tested the kid's full strength."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, eyeing Minato with great interest: "Tell you what, how about I give it a try?"

"Hmm... that works."

Tsunade thought for a moment. She had intended to do it herself, but as a medical ninja, while she possessed combat capability, her style differed from mainstream combat.

When it came to direct combat experience, Jiraiya was indeed more suitable than her.

"Yosh, then this Sage will be the one to test your strength!"

Jiraiya leaped out, taking a wide, low stance. With his fingers splayed, one hand forward and one back, he struck a classic Kabuki pose.

Seeing this, Minato turned to cast a questioning look at Tsunade.

Tsunade pondered for two seconds, then gave a gentle smile: "Well... feel free to go all out. No matter what happens, I'm here."

Minato nodded and stepped forward: "Jiraiya-senpai, please teach me."

"Oh~ easy, easy!"

Jiraiya said enthusiastically. Judging by Tsunade's attitude, Minato's talent must be quite exceptional.

"Then... begin!"

Tsunade swung her arm down lightly.

Minato's gaze sharpened. A flash of golden light flickered under his feet, and his figure suddenly appeared right in front of Jiraiya.

"So fast!"

A trace of shock flashed in Jiraiya's eyes, but his extensive combat experience allowed him to instinctively block.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he easily parried the incoming straight punch.

Boom!

Feeling the force behind the strike, Jiraiya felt a sense of relief.

Good, although he is very fast, his physical strength is limited by his age.

Though, that's only relative to me. For his peers, this kid's strength is absolutely overwhelming!

And what was that golden light under his feet? His speed was twice as fast as it was when he fought Nawaki just now...

Some kind of special Body Flicker technique?

Or perhaps... a Kekkei Genkai?

It seems I cannot afford to be careless; if I were to suffer a loss at the hands of a mere child, my reputation would be utterly ruined...

Thinking this, Jiraiya used both hands to forcefully shove Minato away, then lunged forward, slamming a fist toward him!

Due to the difference in their height, Minato had jumped to land his previous punch, and just as his feet touched the ground after being shoved away, Jiraiya's fist came crashing down.

In the blink of an eye, Minato leaned his body sharply backward, and while dropping to his knees, he whipped out six shuriken, flicking them toward Jiraiya's face!

His reaction time is incredible!

Just as Jiraiya was about to tilt his head to dodge, he caught a glimpse of Minato's movement out of the corner of his eye—while throwing the shuriken, the boy had leaned sideways, pressed his body to the ground, and kicked upward, aiming directly for his crotch!

A chill instantly ran through Jiraiya's heart, and he let out a startled cry.

"Hold on... hey, hey, hey!!!"