The Exam Continues

It all happened so suddenly that Yueshu hadn't expected Jiraiya to pull a trick like that.

He had to admit it.

What a cunning old fox.

"Damn it."

Yueshu was already too late to dodge those hands.

He cursed under his breath and drove the Kusanagi Sword in his hand into the ground.

Chakra surged into the Kusanagi Sword in an instant, but by then Yueshu had already been dragged underground.

As if he'd stepped into thin air, Yueshu dropped straight into the ground until only his head remained above it.

"Hah!"

The chakra coursing through the Kusanagi Sword formed a blade of energy. Yueshu blasted open the hole trapping him.

Boom!

A cloud of dust billowed up, and Yueshu sprang into the air.

After landing safely, he saw that Kushina and Mikoto had also been tied up with ropes, while two Jiraiyas stood guard nearby.

After what had just happened, Yueshu knew both of these Jiraiyas were Shadow Clones. The real Jiraiya was still hiding somewhere, refusing to show himself.

Never underestimate a Jonin's ability to conceal himself. Jiraiya could be anywhere, especially since there was a jutsu called Transformation Jutsu.

His teammates were all down, and the enemy was still hiding in the shadows?

Yueshu scanned the area, his guard fully raised. He gripped the Kusanagi Sword even tighter.

Just then, the two Jiraiyas guarding Kushina and Mikoto left the girls alone and charged straight at him.

With a whoosh, a shuriken came flying toward him.

Yueshu kept his eyes fixed on it.

Suddenly, he had a hunch.

Just like Naruto in the original story, it might transform into a Fuma Shuriken to catch him off guard.

For Jiraiya, that wasn't impossible.

Once he'd thought it through, Yueshu immediately began forming Hand Seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

It was an A-rank jutsu Madara Uchiha had used in the original story, and its destructive power was immense.

Flames poured from Yueshu's mouth. This time, they burned even brighter, making anyone who saw them feel a chill.

By rights, Yueshu shouldn't have been able to use an A-rank jutsu like this. But he had an absurdly powerful bloodline.

The Senju Bloodline he'd drawn earlier had given Yueshu a chakra reserve many times greater than an ordinary ninja's.

A mere Great Fire Annihilation was no problem at all with the chakra reserves granted by the Senju Bloodline.

The flames of the Great Fire Annihilation surged violently, reducing everything in their path to ashes.

The incoming shuriken was burned away in an instant, and the two Jiraiya Shadow Clones dispersed into clouds of smoke.

"Toad Oil Bomb!"

The sunlight overhead was briefly blocked. Yueshu snapped his head up.

Jiraiya had already finished forming his Hand Seals and spat a mouthful of oil from his mouth.

"Fire Style: Flame Eraser!"

The ground beneath his feet shifted slightly, and Yueshu noticed at once.

Now he was under attack from above and below.

"One of the ninja's mottos!"

Jiraiya's figure drifted through the air, and Yueshu could almost make out the grin on his face.

"Tornado!"

Yueshu swept the Kusanagi Sword sideways. The sword energy gathered like wind, then formed a tornado.

Flame bombs shot up from below, while oil bombs fell from above. Caught between them, Yueshu didn't panic.

The sword energy became a tornado, surrounding him like a barrier.

Both the flame bombs from below and the oil bombs from above were sliced apart by the sword energy around Yueshu.

Just like that, Yueshu broke through the pincer attack.

"Anything goes in war!"

Jiraiya's voice rang out again.

The tornado of sword energy had just dissipated when Yueshu whipped around toward the sound.

It had come from beneath his feet.

"Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

The same move again!

"I've been waiting for you!"

Yueshu wasn't startled. Instead, he smiled, while the Jiraiya underground began to feel uneasy.

Yueshu held a blue-white ball of chakra in his hand.

"Rasengan!"

Yueshu slammed the Rasengan into the ground.

Boom!

Whoosh!

An explosion rang out, and several shuriken flew from the cloud of dust.

The shuriken sailed through the air, heading straight for Kushina and Mikoto.

By chance, they skimmed across the ropes binding Kushina and Mikoto, cutting them cleanly.

"What was that?"

Kushina and Mikoto naturally noticed that they'd been freed. The two girls exchanged a glance and immediately readied themselves for battle again.

Clang!

"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"

A fierce gust swept through, scattering the dust cloud as Yueshu was knocked backward.

Jiraiya's white hair struck Yueshu and sent him flying.

When Yueshu looked again, Jiraiya appeared rather disheveled.

His oily white hair was tousled, and his face was smudged with dust.

Only Jiraiya knew how close he'd come when Yueshu suddenly hit him with the Rasengan.

If he hadn't used the Substitution Technique in time, the Rasengan would undoubtedly have landed squarely on him.

Jiraiya glanced at the spot where the Rasengan had struck and was startled.

Its destructive power was immense—easily on the level of an A-rank jutsu.

But most importantly—

It was a jutsu that required no Hand Seals. It skipped the tedious process of forming them entirely, giving it a speed advantage over other jutsu.

Jiraiya looked at Yueshu, who now had two more people at his side: Kushina and Mikoto.

Had he taken advantage of the chaos to rescue his teammates?

Jiraiya looked at Yueshu and wondered.

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying Yueshu seemed.

He fought with skill, kept a cool head, had tremendous individual strength, and could work with his teammates.

Then there were all the jutsu he'd used earlier, along with this jutsu that required no Hand Seals. Never mind how astonishing it was for an eight-year-old to know these jutsu—his chakra reserves alone were enough to shock anyone.

Jiraiya had gotten a full grasp of Yueshu's abilities. In his eyes, Yueshu was the most prodigiously talented person he'd ever met.

Minato Namikaze was also staring in amazement. His eyes held boundless unwillingness to give up, but no hint of surrender.

"Kid, where did you learn that jutsu?"

Jiraiya had already guessed the answer, but he still asked. Even he thought his guess was almost too frightening to believe.

"I developed it myself."

Yueshu answered calmly. Minato Namikaze was about the same age as him, so there was no way he could have developed the Rasengan.

Jiraiya quietly drew a breath, and Minato Namikaze stared in shock as well.

Yueshu had developed a jutsu himself—and at that age. He'd managed to astonish everyone there.

"Interesting."

Jiraiya smiled.

Yueshu had completely exceeded Jiraiya's expectations.

Wasn't this only fitting for a descendant of the person in that legend?

Jiraiya thought of the legend, his face wearing a helpless, wry smile.

The bells still hung at his waist. Yueshu, Kushina, and Mikoto readied themselves once more.

This time—

They would face him head-on.

Jiraiya looked at the three children before him.

Kids these days...

Jiraiya took a deep breath.

They really were getting stronger and stronger!

Jiraiya opened and closed his eyes, the pupils now filled with seriousness.

The exam—

Continued!