Practice Battle!

"That's about the size of it. From today on, I am your instructor. Before I announce my own name, you should all introduce yourselves first!"

A gentle breeze swept through, pressing down the grass and rustling the leaves. In the Third Training Ground, Jiraiya stood facing the three of them.

The three exchanged glances upon hearing this. Then, Mirai Uchiha stepped forward, looked at Jiraiya, and said calmly, "My name is Mirai Uchiha. I have no hobbies, nor do I have any grand ideals. If I had to say, I just want to avoid making mistakes for as long as I live!"

This was Mirai Uchiha's persistence; once a person makes a mistake, they lose too much!

"That's a rather unique ideal," Jiraiya said with a chuckle, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Is that Mirai Uchiha's ideal? Not wanting to make mistakes? Why wouldn't you want to make mistakes?" Kushina Uzumaki tilted her head to the side, thinking for a long time but unable to make sense of it.

"My name is Minato Namikaze. My hobby is training, and my ideal is to become the Hokage!" Minato Namikaze introduced himself with a smile, his gentle expression radiating like sunlight directly into the hearts of others.

"Tch, a sissy wants to be the Hokage?" Kushina Uzumaki curled her lip immediately. If there was anyone in class she disliked the most, it was definitely Minato Namikaze. In her eyes, Minato Namikaze was too soft and would surely suffer for it later.

"Becoming the Hokage? That's a fine ideal!" Jiraiya was quite appreciative, especially of Minato Namikaze's gentle smile, which made him nod. He was a good judge of character and could see that Minato Namikaze was a person of firm resolve, the type who would sacrifice everything for his ideals. After giving Minato Namikaze a long, deep look, Jiraiya suddenly changed his expression, looking at Kushina Uzumaki with a grin. "Now only the little beauty of the class hasn't introduced herself. Tell us your ideals or whatever, and your teacher will surely help you achieve them!"

Jiraiya was back to his unserious self again!

"Teacher, you're too inappropriate, hmph!" Kushina Uzumaki's face flushed red at Jiraiya's words, but she quickly glared at him, huffing, "My name is Kushina Uzumaki, and my hobby is..." At this point, her face turned even redder. Her hobby was playing pranks, but how could she say that now? She stammered for a long time, unable to get it out; she was afraid that if Mirai Uchiha knew she liked pranks, he would look down on her.

"It doesn't matter. Just be yourself. People don't live for others, but for themselves," Mirai Uchiha said softly, brushing the back of Kushina Uzumaki's hand.

Hearing Mirai Uchiha's words, Kushina Uzumaki froze. She turned to look at him, and seeing the clarity in his pupils, she took a small breath, closed her eyes, and shouted, "My hobby is using pranks to beat up everyone who bullies me every day, and my ideal is to protect Mirai Uchiha's ideal!"

By the end, her catchphrase had slipped out. After shouting it, she lowered her head, her ears turning bright red.

Jiraiya was a bit dumbfounded. Why are you shouting at Mirai Uchiha while introducing yourself? But soon, he looked at Mirai Uchiha with a mischievous glint in his eyes, carrying a different kind of meaning.

Minato Namikaze felt a wave of desolation in his heart upon hearing Kushina Uzumaki's words, knowing he likely had no chance. He glanced slightly at the still-composed Mirai Uchiha, a sour feeling rising within him.

The relationship between Mirai Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki had been set in stone nearly three years ago; the longer time passed, the firmer it would become. As for Kushina Uzumaki, Mirai Uchiha had nothing to say—no one, absolutely no one, could hurt her.

"Teacher, it's about time you introduced yourself!" Sensing the atmosphere was a bit off, Kushina Uzumaki gathered her courage and said to Jiraiya with feigned dissatisfaction to shift the focus.

Cough, cough!

Hearing Kushina Uzumaki, Jiraiya snapped back to reality. He put away his playful grin, turned serious, bit his finger, and performed a few hand seals.

Seeing this, Mirai Uchiha turned his head slightly away. Seeing Jiraiya like this, he didn't even need to think to know what he was about to do.

Poof!

After a burst of smoke, a giant toad appeared before the three of them. Jiraiya stood atop it with a flourish, eyes slightly closed. After a moment, he opened them abruptly and began to dance about.

"I am the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, Master Jiraiya!"

Hearing this introduction, Mirai Uchiha felt powerless to even complain. He had been speechless at Jiraiya's entrance style when watching the anime, but experiencing it in person felt even more profound.

"Ahem, as for my ideal! It is to become a novelist who travels the world, and then, I hope there will be no more war in this world!" Speaking of this, Jiraiya changed his demeanor, becoming somewhat melancholy.

"Teacher?"

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki looked at Jiraiya strangely. The contrast so far was just too great; one moment he was a grinning fool, and the next he was filled with melancholy.

Sensing their strange gazes, Jiraiya's old face flushed red. Not wanting to dwell on the subject, he coughed twice and said again, "Since everyone knows each other's names, then, next is the training battle!"

"Training battle?"

"Yes. Since I am your instructor, I have an obligation to help you train. Therefore, before that, I need to fight you once!" Jiraiya nodded and said calmly.

Hearing Jiraiya's words, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki nodded in understanding. Mirai Uchiha wasn't surprised at all; he had known a fight was coming before he even arrived.

"Ding! System mission issued: Receive a favorable review from Jiraiya in the upcoming battle. Mission success rewards 1,000 points! Mission failure results in a deduction of 1,000 points from the host!"

Hearing the system's mission, Mirai Uchiha's eyes lit up. He looked up at Jiraiya. Jiraiya's strength was undeniably high—at least at the Kage level—and if he mastered Sage Mode, he would be even more formidable. To get a favorable review, relying on a solo fight probably wouldn't work; he would need to approach it from other angles.

"Then, I will give you time to hide. You have two hours, and then we will have a battle. If you are ready, start moving now!" Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked at the three of them seriously.

As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, the three had already vanished, diving into the forest behind them. In a short while, they were gone, each heading in a different direction.

"I wonder to what extent these two brats, Minato Namikaze and Mirai Uchiha, can fight?" Jiraiya muttered, rubbing his chin. He had watched their sparring yesterday, but the gap in strength was too wide, so he hadn't seen much. This made Jiraiya slightly excited; the more outstanding his disciples were, the happier he was as a teacher. Jiraiya was looking forward to the coming battle.