Inside the Hokage Office.
"What are you planning to do? Maybe you should be a little more patient with Kakashi."
The Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya.
Kakashi was the biggest problem child.
But...
He had talent, and the Third Hokage couldn't bear to see him go to waste. He still hoped Jiraiya would make an exception for him.
Jiraiya only said, "If things really come to the outcome we don't want, then I guess we just weren't meant to be."
"I'm off."
He waved his hand and vanished from the office.
The Third Hokage sighed, his brow still furrowed with worry.
The next day, at Training Ground 7 in the Forest of Death.
Kurenai Yuhi arrived early. She noticed that Kyohiko and Kakashi had already arrived too, sitting beneath a tree and resting.
She crept over, afraid to make a sound.
Should she sit down and rest too...?
But she couldn't stop thinking about it!
Kurenai Yuhi looked up at the shadows in the tree, her thoughts in turmoil.
After a long while...
"Oops, sorry. Something came up on the way, so I'm late."
Jiraiya grinned.
"Lord Jiraiya, you're really late!"
Kurenai Yuhi glanced at the time.
In another hour, it would be noon.
But...
When he saw the three of them before him, his smile froze.
One wore a mask and had a cold gaze.
The other two were perfectly calm.
"You're getting along and working together so well. Seeing you like this makes me even more confident you'll pass the test."
Jiraiya cleared his throat, then took a bell from his belt.
"Kakashi, I don't know what happened during your first test, but mine is simple. All you have to do is get a bell to pass."
Jingle~
The bell chimed.
He hung it back on his belt.
"Any questions?"
"Is getting one enough to pass, or do we have to get them all?"
Kakashi asked.
"Given the gap between us, you only need to get one to pass. But whoever performs the worst will be hung up and miss lunch, then take a separate test this afternoon."
Kakashi took a deep breath and said nothing more.
Jiraiya looked at the other two.
"What about you?"
"No problem," Kyohiko said.
"Good. Then let's begin. I'll give you some time to plan your strategy."
Whoosh!
In an instant, all three vanished.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and thought, They went in different directions? Could it be...
His heart sank.
Jiraiya had high hopes for Kyohiko, but if Kyohiko had such a narrow outlook and so little sense of teamwork, he would be very disappointed.
At the same time...
"Kyohiko, are we really going to ignore Kakashi?" Kurenai Yuhi whispered.
"Of course not. We'll work together and come up with a strategy, leaving him an opening. He's a Chunin. If he refuses to cooperate, there's not much we can do."
Kyohiko replied.
Kurenai Yuhi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then how should we fight?"
"You and I will keep him occupied from the front and draw his attention. We'll use traps and genjutsu to support Kakashi's position and his ambush, and see if we can get a bell. Specifically, you use genjutsu to support us, and then..."
"Okay."
"It's started. Before the sand runs out, you have to get my bell, or you'll fail too."
Jiraiya turned the hourglass over.
Then he sensed the situation around him.
"Not bad at hiding."
Jiraiya's lips curved into a slight smile.
These three kids had their fundamentals down, at the very least.
But...
One of them had still let a flaw slip.
Jiraiya walked forward. He seemed casual, but watched his step carefully.
Crack!
A massive log, bound in place, swept toward him from ahead.
Jiraiya used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.
But...
In that instant, he saw a figure up ahead twist and vanish.
Kurenai Yuhi?
Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!
The name of the jutsu flashed through Jiraiya's mind, and he immediately used chakra to disrupt his own flow.
In the blink of an eye, he broke free of the genjutsu.
However...
Several traps flew at him all at once.
Jiraiya vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
The next instant, he crouched on a tree branch, warily surveying his surroundings.
These kids...
Not one of them could be underestimated!
He had never expected the little girl from the Yuhi family to have already mastered a B-rank genjutsu.
Before he could look around carefully, two figures attacked.
Kakashi charged with a sword, while Kyohiko used the Body Flicker Technique to rise from below.
Jiraiya's lips curved into a slight smile.
Then...
Clang!
He struck upward with a Kunai, perfectly blocking Kyohiko's thrust.
Kyohiko didn't linger. He vanished from his original position at once and landed on another tree.
But...
"Not bad tactics."
Jiraiya's voice came from behind him.
The Jiraiya from a moment ago turned into a bubble and disappeared.
It was a Shadow Clone.
Jiraiya immediately attacked with a rapid flurry of punches and kicks.
In a matter of moments, Kyohiko exchanged three punches and two kicks with Jiraiya.
Not bad Taijutsu!
Jiraiya was surprised.
Kyohiko's skills...
Among Genin, he was definitely top-notch. Plenty of Chunin might not be as good as him.
Jiraiya's thoughts shifted, and he immediately struck harder.
But then...
Thump!
The figure before him turned into a log.
The real Kyohiko...
Had already fled in another direction.
Well done, kid!
A hint of approval flashed in Jiraiya's eyes.
He admired more than Kyohiko's fighting skills. He also admired how quickly he'd combined the Substitution Technique with the Body Flicker Technique, and how well he'd judged the situation.
The moment Jiraiya struck harder, Kyohiko had quickly retreated.
That kind of judgment showed how calm Kyohiko was.
Impressive!
"Over here!"
A massive log flew out from above, sweeping forward toward Jiraiya.
Kurenai Yuhi had triggered the trap, using it to cover Kyohiko.
But...
Jiraiya punched straight through the wooden contraption.
"If that's all you've got, there's no way you'll pass the test."
"Go!"
Kyohiko understood perfectly—
Jiraiya wasn't using his full strength!
In a real battle, he could have used the Wild Lion's Mane Technique just then. His speed should have been far greater, too.
After all, Jiraiya was one of the Sannin!
Right now, Jiraiya was moving just a little faster than Kyohiko.
Kyohiko had to rely on traps or work with his teammates to get away.
It was a test.
But...
He had already led Jiraiya to the right spot.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Spiked wooden panels flew at Jiraiya from every direction as he leapt into the air.
At the same time, two clones attacked.
One looked like Kyohiko.
The other had transformed into Kakashi.
The two "people" rushed toward Jiraiya.
Kurenai Yuhi was in a tree, forming Hand Seals.
In the blink of an eye, four or five wooden-panel traps and both "people" had reached him.
At once...
His hair grew rapidly, spreading in all directions. It caught the first wooden panel to arrive, while the rest reached for the two attackers.
Thump!
The clones exploded immediately.
It was a genjutsu created by Kurenai's Father, Hell Clone.
An advanced clone genjutsu with an added ability.
Jiraiya had kept his chakra disrupted the whole time, so the genjutsu hadn't affected him. But at that moment, the wooden panels flying in from behind instantly transformed into human shapes.
Kakashi grabbed a rope. The blade in his hand, like a beast's fangs, shot toward Jiraiya at lightning speed.
Clang!
Jiraiya blocked the blade with his Kunai.
But...
A breeze stirred behind him.
Kyohiko?
What incredible speed!
Jiraiya was shocked—
Although he'd known for a long time that Kyohiko's Body Flicker Technique was astonishing, facing it at full power was still breathtaking.
To have mastered the Body Flicker Technique to this degree at seven years old...
It was incredible!
And that wasn't all.
His fists, kicks, and balance were all beyond what you'd expect from someone his age in Taijutsu.
The only ones who could compare...
Were probably Kakashi and another prodigy.
What's more,
another Kakashi was attacking him at the same time.
A sword, Kunai, and fists.
And the relentless illusions of cherry blossoms.
The three worked together in a dazzling flurry.
The next moment, the sword and fist struck at once.
"Watch out!"
The moment Kyohiko's fist made contact, he sensed something was wrong.
It didn't feel right.
Besides,
could their amateur skills really pose a threat to Jiraiya?
Sure enough, the Jiraiya before him turned into a puddle of mud.
It was an Earth Clone.
"Above!"
Kurenai Yuhi shouted at once.
Without needing instructions, Kakashi swung his blade upward to meet the attack—
A large net came flying down from above.
All around them, the wooden planks that had earlier been held in place by hair also swept inward to attack.
Riiip!
Kakashi slashed the net open with his sword, cutting a huge hole in it.
Before he could recover, Jiraiya was already right in front of him.
But—
Kyohiko appeared in front of him in an instant.
Thud!
Their fists collided with a solid impact.
Boom!
Kyohiko was sent flying toward the ground, but in that instant, he shouted, "Lord Jiraiya, you wouldn't want people to know that you're always..."
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