Konoha Tradition! Bell Test 2

The three little ones went out with him. As if performing a magic trick, Jiraiya pulled two bells from behind his back, dangling them in his hand with a crisp jingle.

"See these? These bells are today's test.

Before noon, the three of you have to snatch the bells from me."

He raised one finger. "But let's be clear—I'm only taking two students.

So at most, only two of you can pass. But it's also possible that none of you will pass! Anyone who fails will be sent back to the Ninja Academy!"

As he finished speaking, Jiraiya revealed a mischievous grin, looking rather convincing.

Minato's expression immediately turned serious. He lowered his body slightly and reached for his ninja tool pouch.

Zhili's gaze also turned cold for a moment, her fingers curling slightly as she prepared to strike at any time.

Only Mirai remained where he stood, wearing an expression that said, "Just as I thought."

He could not help sighing silently. A bell-snatching test. Again.

In the original story, Kakashi had played bell-snatching with Team 7. When Minato had taught Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, it had been bell-snatching too.

So Konoha's tradition of passing down teachings was to give one person two bells, then watch their disciples fight like their lives depended on it?

Still, he did not take it too seriously.

Jiraiya was powerful, but there was no way he could go all out against three Genin.

Mirai looked at Jiraiya's easygoing smile and offered a reminder.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I suggest you go all out."

"Hm?"

"Otherwise," Mirai said with a slight curl of his lips, "you might embarrass yourself."

Jiraiya burst into laughter and thumped his chest hard.

"Hahaha! You've got quite the mouth on you, brat!

I, the great Jiraiya, have crossed more bridges than you've eaten salt. How could three little beans like you possibly snatch them away—"

Before he could finish—

Whoosh!

A Golden Chain shot past his ear and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

Jiraiya's smile froze for a moment. He looked back at Mirai Uzumaki, who stood in the center with one hand outstretched, firing chains.

Then he tilted his head toward the other two little ones, who had already spread out into position.

Minato stood to the left, holding a Shuriken, a smiling expression on his face.

Zhili had silently circled into the blind spot on the right, a Kunai clasped between her fingers.

Jiraiya touched the ear that the Kunai had grazed, then turned back around. His smile took on a different flavor. "...Interesting."

He dusted off his hands, spread his legs slightly, and assumed a fighting stance.

"Well! Then let me show you what a real ninja is, dattebayo!"

A gust of wind swept across the training ground.

The battle seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

Mirai's red hair fluttered in the breeze. He turned slightly and lowered his voice as he spoke to the two beside him.

"Listen. Don't worry about how many bells there are for now. Just snatch them first.

In a moment, I'll use Sealing Jutsu to restrict Jiraiya-sensei's movements. Zhili, attack from the front and draw his attention. Minato, you're the fastest—wait for an opening and grab the bells."

Minato nodded, his fingers gripping the Shuriken as his eyes locked onto Jiraiya's waist. "Understood."

Zhili did not reply, but she silently shifted two steps to the right, widening the distance between them.

Jiraiya crossed his arms and watched the three little ones whispering among themselves with a smile. He had no intention of eavesdropping—

Or rather, he simply did not believe that three freshly graduated Genin could pull off anything against him.

"Have you finished discussing it?" He spun the two bells around his finger, making them jingle. "Time waits for no one."

"The strategy's set! Ahem!" Mirai's voice came from the front.

Then he raised both hands and formed a brief hand seal—

Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Six Golden Chains shot out from behind Mirai at once, denser than ever before.

They wove together in midair into an impenetrable net and descended toward Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's relaxed expression changed slightly.

Of course he knew what Adamantine Sealing Chains were.

It was the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline Sealing Jutsu. Once caught, even one's chakra would be suppressed.

The kid before him could not possibly have mastered it to Lady Mito's level, but for a boy who had only just become a Genin to unleash six chains was truly outrageous!

Even getting grazed once would be more than enough trouble.

"Tch—" Jiraiya pushed off the ground and leaned backward, his whole body sliding through a gap in the chain net in a posture that nearly brushed the ground.

The golden chains swept past the front of his clothes, kicking up a sharp rush of wind.

But before he could steady himself, the second wave of chains had already caught up.

Under Mirai's control, the six chains moved like six snakes with eyes, precisely sealing off Jiraiya's escape routes and forcing him to dart left and right without even a chance to form hand seals.

"Hey, hey, hey! This thing can fire continuously?" Jiraiya bared his teeth as he leaped away.

"Zhili!"

The moment Mirai spoke, Izumi Uchiha's Shuriken were already flying.

Three Shuriken shot toward Jiraiya's landing point in a triangular formation, their tricky angles sealing off both his left and right escape routes.

At the same time, her fingers moved as she rapidly formed hand seals—

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!

The seals were complete. Zhili raised two fingers of one hand to her lips. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A fireball several times larger than the one from three years ago burst from her mouth, carrying scorching waves of heat as it blasted toward Jiraiya.

The flames and Shuriken arrived almost simultaneously, exploding into a cloud of black smoke where Jiraiya had just been standing.

Bang!

A wooden log burst out of the smoke, while Jiraiya had already vanished from his spot.

"It's the Substitution Jutsu, be careful!" Just as Minato was about to charge forward, Mirai stopped him with a shout.

The perception of Mirai's Mind's Eye of the Kagura spread out like an invisible net.

In that instant, Jiraiya's chakra fluctuation had shifted from ahead of them to behind the bushes on the right.

It stood out as glaringly as a bright lamp in the darkness.

But he did not speak up immediately.

If he revealed his sensory ability now, Jiraiya would become more cautious afterward.

Better to let him think he was hiding well, then catch him off guard at the right moment.

Inside the bushes, Jiraiya crouched down, exhaling softly as he wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

"Those three little brats... they're pretty troublesome. Especially that redhead. He's throwing around chains like they cost nothing."

He touched the bells at his waist to make sure they were still there, then muttered quietly.

"But they're still too green. A blockade at this level can only force me back. Next—"

A Golden Chain suddenly pierced through the bushes, shooting straight for the bells at his waist!

Jiraiya's pupils shrank sharply. His body instinctively flashed to the side, and the chain scraped past his belt with a piercing screech.

"—How did they find me?!" He was startled, then immediately realized. "The Uzumaki Clan's sensory abilities... does this kid have the same sensing technique as Lady Mito?!"

He cursed, What a freak, but his movements did not stop.

He sprang from the bushes in a fierce burst, flipped halfway through the air, and landed in the middle of the clearing. Pointing toward the bushes, he said, "You sneaky little brat, you—"

"Minato!"

Ignoring his accusation, Mirai shouted directly.

Minato Namikaze had long been poised to strike. He formed hand seals, and three figures split off from his body at once—

Three identical Minatos closed in on Jiraiya from three different directions, each holding a Kunai, moving fast enough to leave afterimages.

Jiraiya swept his gaze over them, the corner of his lips lifting. "Clone Technique? Three against one isn't a good habit—"