Jiraiya's body trembled as his eyes gradually lost their luster, and he collapsed backward.
The silver hair that had entangled Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina also vanished.
Poof.
Jiraiya's figure dissolved into smoke.
It turned out to be yet another shadow clone.
Uchiha Kin let out a helpless sigh. He no longer had the strength to fight.
Fortunately, the bell didn't disappear with Jiraiya. Instead, it fell to the ground and was swiftly caught by Kushina's chains.
Jiraiya emerged from the forest, carrying a box.
"You're really something, you three," he said.
From the very beginning, the one who had appeared before them was just a shadow clone. Yet, even a simple shadow clone of his would typically be too much for a regular genin team to handle. Only a chūnin team could hope to defeat one of his clones.
"Jiraiya-sensei, we won!" Kushina waved the bell triumphantly.
The bell jingled cheerfully with her movements.
Jiraiya smiled.
This brat finally knows how to address me properly.
"Let's eat first," he said, patting the box in his hands. "This is my lovingly made lunch~"
Kushina made a face of disgust, but her growling stomach left her no room to be picky. She followed Minato as they approached Jiraiya. Kin, looking utterly drained, staggered over as well.
The Spirit Bullet consumed an enormous amount of chakra. Though the power derived from his Golden Finger was formidable, it was still too much for him at this stage. The massive chakra drain had taken a heavy toll on his stamina.
"Come on, let's eat!"
The box contained a lavish spread of food, including steaming bowls for each of them. The three dug in immediately, and the dishes vanished at a visible rate.
Jiraiya raised his chopsticks, staring at the rapidly emptying plates in silent contemplation.
Noticing the expectant looks from the trio, he awkwardly chuckled before quickly adopting a stern expression.
"So, who's decided to go back to the academy?"
Minato and Kushina exchanged glances.
Kin, however, lay back leisurely, utterly unfazed by the test.
"Me! I'd love to spend another ten years at the academy."
If he could become a permanent fixture there, he'd be more than happy.
Better than being sent to the battlefield.
As for fighting to protect the village?
Sorry, but this Uchiha Kin is a loophole in the Will of Fire.
Still, it was just a pipe dream. Given their current abilities, the village wouldn't let them go so easily.
Minato raised his hand.
"I'll be the one to give up."
"After all, I don't feel like I contributed much."
Though he wore a smile, a trace of bitterness lingered beneath it. Compared to Kin's direct combat prowess and Kushina's Uzumaki clan secret techniques, Minato felt almost insignificant.
"No, I should be the one to give up," Kushina muttered darkly.
"I doubt the village would let me take on missions anyway."
As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and someone who still saw herself as an outsider, she understood her position all too well.
Among the three, only Uchiha Kin was genuinely sincere.
He couldn't be bothered to argue and simply gazed at the sky.
So blue. And the clouds are so white.
"Hahaha!" Jiraiya burst into laughter, looking at the three with satisfaction.
"You've all passed."
"In the future, you'll be teammates who rely on each other. If you can't even trust your own comrades, it'll lead to disaster."
For him, the real test had been their bond.
Kushina blinked in confusion, then belatedly realized what had happened as Minato's smile brightened again.
"So… we all became ninjas?"
As for Kin? Eh, never mind him.
"Correct. Starting today, you are Genin of Team 7—the Jiraiya Squad!"
"Yay!!" Kushina jumped for joy.
Jiraiya grinned at the trio. They reminded him so much of his old Team 7.
Kushina, the violent girl like Tsunade. Kin, the calm and collected one like Orochimaru. And Minato, the handsome and gentle type like yours truly.
Yep, Minato's totally just like me.
"Since you're our esteemed sensei, shouldn't you treat us to a feast?"
Kin suddenly sat up, a sly grin on his face—like a fox.
Under the hopeful stares of Minato and Kushina, Jiraiya puffed out his chest.
"Of course!"
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
And didn't they just eat?!
Konoha BBQ Restaurant.
Jiraiya stared at the receipt trailing on the floor, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
He pulled out his wallet and counted the bills inside—again and again. It wasn't enough.
Not yet a bestselling author, Jiraiya wasn't exactly rolling in cash.
While ninja missions paid well, the costs of jutsu, tools, and other necessities added up quickly.
He looked up at the BBQ owner, who was smiling ear to ear, and hesitantly asked, "Can I wash dishes to pay this off?"
The owner's eyes bulged. Since when do ninjas have the audacity to pull this?! That pale-eyed kid from last time was way more generous.
With a flick of his abacus, the owner reluctantly agreed to the deal.
As Jiraiya stepped outside, dejected, he overheard Kin's loud voice.
"When you're always hungry, you gotta find a sucker to foot the bill."
Minato looked embarrassed, while Kushina nodded solemnly.
Jiraiya's face darkened. I take back what I said about Kin.
Kin, mid-lesson on "how to spot a sucker," glanced up and waved at the fuming Jiraiya.
"Hey there, sucker—I mean, Jiraiya-sensei."
You were totally about to say "sucker"!!
Jiraiya screamed internally.
This guy's a menace!!
"Alright, alright, don't be mad."
Kin approached and handed Jiraiya a small notebook, speaking in a哄小孩的语气.
"What's this?" Jiraiya examined the contents.
"Basic Internal Energy."
"The secret to how I fought without using ninjutsu."
It's not like I'm after your ninjutsu knowledge or anything.
Jiraiya's interest was piqued.
"Jiraiya."
A cold voice interrupted them. Orochimaru had appeared beside the group unnoticed.
Jiraiya's face lit up.
My savior!
"Orochimaru! Where've you been? Quick, lend me some money!"
Orochimaru tilted his head. "???"
He patted his pockets but came up empty.
"I didn't bring my wallet today."
Jiraiya: orz.
So much for a savior.
Orochimaru's eyes landed on the notebook in Jiraiya's hands, and a faint smile crossed his lips.
"Jiraiya, that contains the real path."
"Huh?" Jiraiya lifted the notebook, bewildered.
Orochimaru offered no explanation.
"I'm taking him."
Kin waved at Minato.
"See you tomorrow."
As Uchiha Kin and Orochimaru left, Minato turned to Jiraiya, puzzled.
"Jiraiya-sensei, who was that?"
Jiraiya sighed heavily.
"Elite Jōnin Orochimaru. My teammate."
His expression shifted to one of grim resolve as he addressed Minato and Kushina.
"I've got something to handle. You two head home. Tomorrow, we'll take on missions."
With that, he marched back into the BBQ joint like a man heading to his doom.
Ten thousand dishes to wash today.
Minato and Kushina exchanged glances.
Kin followed Orochimaru deeper into increasingly remote areas.
If he remembered correctly, they were heading toward the Forest of Death—a zone sealed off due to its abundance of wild beasts and ninja creatures. Only authorized ninja were permitted entry. Many Uchiha had obtained their summons from there.
Though curious, Kin kept his questions to himself.
After passing through the forest and a hidden passage, they arrived at what appeared to be a laboratory.
Orochimaru explained the layout.
"This will be your training ground. The first floor is for training. The second holds captive ninja beasts. The third is a ninjutsu archive—feel free to study there. The fourth is my lab."
Kin cut straight to the point.
"Orochimaru-sama, you didn't bring me here just to train me, did you?"
Regardless of how things differed now, Kin wasn't naive enough to think Orochimaru would selflessly devote himself to his growth.
I'm no Nawaki with connections.
There had to be an ulterior motive.
"Kin, do you understand what your creation represents?" Orochimaru countered.
Kin frowned, deep in thought. His technique was born from a deviation from conventional ninja logic.
What else could it mean?
Orochimaru answered before he could.
"Revolution. A revolution for the entire shinobi world."
Kin instantly leaped back, drawing a kunai.
Revolution wasn't a word to be thrown around lightly—especially when it came from someone else's mouth.
That alone spelled danger.
Hiss.
A snake's whisper sounded beside him. Kin turned to see a patterned serpent coiled around his body.
He froze, not daring to move.
The gap between them was too vast.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Relax, Kin. I won't harm you. In fact, I'll protect you. All I ask is that you continue developing this Basic Internal Energy."
Through his research, Orochimaru had realized that while the technique was profound, its methodology was still immature.
Without understanding its underlying principles, he couldn't modify it freely. Though he could eventually decipher it, the process would be time-consuming.
Why not let the creator handle the improvements?
"My current knowledge isn't enough to develop it further."
It's not like I don't want to refine it—my Golden Finger keeps rejecting my submissions!!
"Thus, I'll provide you with shelter and the resources to grow. In return, you'll share your results with me."
"And during this time, you'll participate in my experiments."
"What kind of experiments?"
"Experiments with Hashirama's cells."
(End of Chapter)