A week later, in the forest behind the Ninja Academy.
"Ahh~ Feels so good~"
"Hiss, this tingly, numb sensation is too stimulating. I can't take it anymore, I'm going to get weird..."
Might Guy's whole body twitched as he made sounds that made people blush.
Shizune watched with wide eyes from the side and asked curiously, "Does it really feel that good?"
Before her, an ancient-looking longsword was embedded in the clearing, releasing electrical currents into the surroundings.
Might Guy danced wildly from the shocks, while Setsuna slowly practiced his punches under the stimulation of the current.
"It does feel pretty good, but the cellular activation is a little excessive," Setsuna said with a smile. "Still, you'd better not try it. Your body can't handle this kind of training yet."
Shizune nodded helplessly. She felt that there probably weren't many ninjas in the entire Ninja World capable of enduring this kind of training. Even Teacher Hizashi did not dare remain in the electric field for too long.
"If we can develop resistance through electrocution, we'll gain an advantage when fighting Hidden Cloud Village ninjas." After resting for a while, Hizashi was eager to try again. Most of Hidden Cloud Village's Nintaijutsu came with paralysis effects, which were quite a restraint for close-combat ninjas like them.
He had heard that Setsuna had almost completely ignored the lightning paralysis when fighting the Raikage's son. Naturally, he wanted that resistance as well.
They continued training until evening was near. Setsuna put away the Thunder God Sword. "It's about time. Let's go to the gathering."
Minato Namikaze had specifically invited their team to his home as thanks.
"A feast, a feast!" Might Guy cheered. He had always loved lively occasions.
Minato Namikaze's home was not too far from the Ninja Academy. If the road where the Hokage Building and Ninja Academy stood counted as the "first ring," then Minato Namikaze's detached apartment was in the "second ring."
When the four of them arrived, they saw Obito Uchiha and the other two going in and out, carrying all sorts of tableware into the small courtyard.
"We'll help too."
Setsuna and the others had just moved to lend a hand when Minato Namikaze stopped them. His nose was still smudged with soot, but his smile remained bright. "You're guests today. How could I let guests do the work?"
Just then, a figure spun through the air from afar. "Hahaha, I, the Toad Sage, have—wait..."
Jiraiya had been preparing for a dazzling entrance when he suddenly noticed Setsuna in the courtyard below. His chakra instantly went haywire, but he had no foothold in midair. After a frantic struggle, he finally plunged headfirst into the ground.
The ground shook, and everyone in the courtyard stared blankly. Who was this? What an unusual entrance.
Jiraiya pulled himself out and looked at Minato Namikaze with considerable resentment.
He had only returned to the village yesterday, when he ran into Minato Namikaze, who invited him over for a feast and wanted him to meet the disciples he had brought along.
He had intended to show off the bearing of a "sage" before his grand-disciples. If he had known that violent brat would be here, he would never have come.
"You're that peeping pervert!" Obito Uchiha cried out, then quickly corrected himself. "No, you're Lord Jiraiya, who was disguised as a peeping pervert."
"Huh? You know Teacher Jiraiya?" Minato Namikaze was a little surprised. Teacher Jiraiya had not returned to the village in several years.
"Of course we know him. A year ago, Lord Jiraiya was monitoring spies outside the women's bathhouse. We thought he was peeping, so Big Brother Setsuna gave Lord Jiraiya a brutal beating."
Obito Uchiha told the story vividly, then suddenly froze. Pointing at the bruise at the corner of Jiraiya's eye, he said in shock, "Did Big Brother Setsuna hit that hard back then? Lord Jiraiya, the injury on your face is still there!"
Oh no, my makeup came off. Jiraiya inwardly panicked. After meeting Minato Namikaze last night, he had run into Tsunade before he even had time to catch up with her, and she had promptly beaten him senseless.
He had been utterly confused at the time, wondering whether Tsunade had learned mind-reading. How else could she have known that he planned to peep on her while she bathed?
Only after getting beaten did he learn that his rumors about Tsunade had been exposed.
"Orochimaru really has no sense of decency. At his age, and he still went tattling." After sulking for a while, Jiraiya remembered the feast. He had only just accepted Minato Namikaze's invitation, so he could not turn around and stand him up.
Fortunately, he usually liked wearing eye makeup. This time, he could just put on heavier makeup.
Yet today, the moment he appeared, Setsuna had scared him into crashing into the ground, rubbing off part of his makeup as well.
Seeing everyone's puzzled looks, Jiraiya forced himself to save face and said calmly, "That's right. I kept this scar because I lost to him, to remind myself at all times never to underestimate any enemy."
"I understand. Scars are a man's medals, proof of youth. I can feel your passion, Lord Jiraiya." Might Guy's eyes shone, and his burning gaze made even Jiraiya feel a little frightened.
Is this brat mentally sound? Jiraiya muttered inwardly, then awkwardly changed the subject. "Hahaha, anyway, how are the preparations for the feast going? Need any help?"
Hearing the commotion outside, a woman with fiery, pepper-red hair stepped out. It was Kushina. "Teacher Jiraiya..."
Although she could not leave Konoha, she was fairly free to move around within the village, provided she ignored the ANBU ninjas secretly watching her.
"Hey, Kushina, you—" Jiraiya began to greet her, but his expression suddenly changed. Kushina had spread her arms and was running toward him.
"Wait..." Jiraiya hurriedly raised both hands. He might be lustful, but there was no way he could make a move on Minato Namikaze's girlfriend.
Then he watched Kushina run right past him and throw her arms around Setsuna. "Little Brother Setsuna, thank you so much this time."
Looking at Jiraiya with both hands raised, Might Guy asked in confusion, "Is Lord Jiraiya practicing a new hand-sign posture?"
"H-Haha, that's right. You actually saw through it." Jiraiya's mouth twitched as he awkwardly asked, "Why is Kushina so enthusiastic?"
Hearing Jiraiya's question, Kushina released Setsuna, then ran over and hugged Minato Namikaze. Tears filled her eyes. "It was all because of those Hidden Cloud Village bastards. I almost lost Minato."
"Hidden Cloud Village? What happened?" Jiraiya frowned. He had just returned from the Land of Rain and did not yet know what had occurred.
"Those Hidden Cloud Village bastards set a trap..." Kushina tightly clung to Minato Namikaze's chest, as if she feared that loosening her hold would make her lose him. She completely failed to notice Minato Namikaze's face steadily turning blue.
Remembering what Lady Mito had once told her, then recalling how close she had come to losing Minato Namikaze this time, Kushina faintly felt an urge to snap.
"Those bastards all deserve to die..." Kushina ground her teeth, then suddenly noticed Jiraiya making frightened gestures and mouthing something.
Kushina listened closely. Jiraiya seemed to be saying, "Minato looks like he's about to die."
Kushina looked up after hearing that, only to discover that Minato Namikaze was nearly foaming at the mouth. Terrified, she quickly let go and hurriedly patted his back.
"Minato, are you okay?"
"Cough, cough... Don't worry, I'm fine."
Jiraiya shook his head with a sigh. He saw his own reflection in Minato Namikaze. The girls they pursued both had somewhat violent tendencies.
Kushina complained, "Why didn't you say anything? I almost hurt you."
Minato Namikaze smiled gently. "I was the one who made you worry. Besides, I enjoyed your hug too."
"You jerk." Kushina shyly punched Minato Namikaze's chest with her little fist.
Smelling the sickening sweetness of romance in the air, Jiraiya felt awful all over.
Something was wrong here.
They were both getting abused, so why was he simply being beaten by Tsunade, while Minato Namikaze received hugs full of love?
Could it be because of looks? That makes no sense. I'm only slightly inferior to Minato. Jiraiya could not understand it no matter how much he thought about it. In the end, he could only conclude that his methods of expressing affection were too wild. Even a woman like Tsunade might not be able to accept such a "progressive" confession as peeping.
"Ooh—" Obito Uchiha had just been about to cheer when Kushina bashfully stomped on the ground, making the entire house tremble. He was so frightened that he no longer dared say another word.
Kushina tidied herself up, stood on tiptoe, and patted Setsuna on the shoulder. With the air of a big sister, she grandly waved her hand. "Little Brother Setsuna, from now on, your business is my business. Whoever bullies you, I'll beat them up."
"Who would dare bully him? It'd already be good enough if he didn't bully other people." Jiraiya rolled his eyes and rubbed the spot where Setsuna had hit him. It still ached faintly.
Kushina noticed the flaw in her words as well. According to Minato Namikaze, Setsuna was much stronger than she was. After thinking briefly, she earnestly said, "Little Brother Setsuna, you may be very strong, but you're too innocent at heart. Some disgusting old bastards may use rules to pressure you. If that ever happens, just tell your big sister. I'll go crazy on them directly. Those old bastards are most afraid when I go crazy."
After saying that, she loudly called out toward the surrounding corners as if issuing a warning, "You all heard that, right? Don't leave it out when you report back."
Hizashi secretly clicked his tongue. The Hokage and the others are probably more afraid of Setsuna going crazy.
Seeing Kushina's smug expression, Setsuna smiled. "Then I'll be relying on you, Senior Kushina."
Kushina was very dissatisfied when she heard that and corrected him, "Calling me senior is too distant. You should call me Sister Kushina."
Setsuna did not know whether to laugh or cry. He truly was not used to addressing people that way, but he did not reject Kushina's goodwill. "Yes, Sister Kushina."
"Mhm~ That's more like it." Kushina raised her right fist. "Then let's start the feast."
"A feast, a feast!" Everyone cheered as they brought out the last of the ingredients, then gathered around the grill.
The fire burned fiercely, and the charcoal crackled. The moment thick slices of pork belly hit the grill, they let out an enticing sizzle. Beads of fat slowly rolled along the grain of the meat, dripping onto the charcoal and sending up wisps of smoke fragrant with roasted meat.
Setsuna picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it in Kushina's special sauce, wrapped it in a fresh lettuce leaf, and took a bite. Scalding juices burst across his tongue, while the layered texture of lean and fatty meat blended with the savory sauce. Even Setsuna, who had sampled countless delicacies in his previous life, was somewhat surprised by the flavor.
Although the seasonings could not compare to those from his previous life, the quality of the ingredients far surpassed Earth's.
"Haha, this is satisfying." Jiraiya drank as he slapped the grass, then casually asked, "By the way, Minato, how did you escape in the end?"
Minato Namikaze patiently explained. Nearly everyone who learned of the incident asked the same question.
Jiraiya broke out in a cold sweat as he listened. The matter of him egging Orochimaru on to challenge Setsuna had not been exposed, had it?
After being beaten last time, he had thought he had merely been careless. If he had entered Sage Mode beforehand, the scales of victory would surely have tipped in his favor.
But now, it seemed that even if he entered Sage Mode, the outcome would likely not change.
Jiraiya happened to meet Setsuna's gaze and hurriedly turned away with a guilty conscience. He laughed loudly and changed the subject. "I heard on my way back from the Land of Rain that Hidden Sand Village is holding the Joint Chunin Exams. Are you planning to participate?"
"Hidden Sand Village is holding the Joint Chunin Exams?" Setsuna was somewhat surprised. Although all Five Great Nations had the right to host the Joint Chunin Exams, they were usually held by Konoha, Hidden Stone Village, or Hidden Cloud Village—the three "upper-tier ninja villages."
After all, hosting the Joint Chunin Exams required a considerable amount of funding. Hidden Sand Village was so poor that the Kazekage had to work as a "gold miner," yet they could still afford to host the Joint Chunin Exams.
Jiraiya tempted him, "If war breaks out, Genin can only obey orders. But if you're a Chunin, you can apply to take missions and have a certain degree of autonomy."
Setsuna rubbed his chin and pondered silently. This really is a good opportunity. And if someone performs exceptionally well in the Joint Chunin Exams, they can theoretically skip Chunin and be promoted directly to Jonin, just like Neji was promoted directly to Jonin in the future timeline.
Under normal circumstances, the regular Chunin Ninja Exams could be held twice a year. But because of the arms race, Konoha had not held them at all this year, which was why Setsuna remained a Genin even now.
Setsuna continued thinking. If I can become a Jonin before the Third Shinobi World War, I can plan for greater achievements during the war as a Jonin. Only then can I seek the position of Hokage after the war ends.
He did not have any particular obsession with becoming Hokage himself, but his parents in this life had held fervent hopes that he would become Hokage before they died.
Even though it was difficult for him to feel much genuine affection for his parents in this life, he still had to repay the grace of raising him. Besides, becoming Hokage was merely something to do along the path toward becoming the strongest.
Seeing Setsuna fall silent, Jiraiya asked in surprise, "Don't tell me you're worried?"
Setsuna nodded slightly. "I do have some concerns."
Even if the venue were changed to Hidden Cloud Village, he would not be too concerned. But Hidden Sand Village was the ninja village among the Five Great Nations most skilled at using poison.
Even if he remained vigilant, there might still be a one-in-a-thousand, or even one-in-ten-thousand, chance that he would be poisoned.
Jiraiya was speechless. "With your strength, you could probably compete for Kazekage. Other people are the ones who should worry. How much psychological damage would it do to them to encounter a monster like you in the same exam?"
Obito Uchiha and the others nodded deeply in agreement. It was too unfair. A senior like him should be promoted directly.
Setsuna smiled faintly without explaining. He merely thought to himself, The one-year cooldown is about to end. I wonder whether the New World will have a way to help me resist Genjutsu or improve my poison resistance?
Before you continue