The sun hung high in the sky.
The Chūnin Exam preliminaries had ended.
To invite the great lords of the various nations and shinobi villages to witness the finals, one month of preparation was set aside.
On the second day, the person Yuichi had been waiting for finally appeared in Konoha—Jiraiya.
To be precise, he strolled boldly through the village's main gate.
As the gatekeeper ninja, Yuichi was the first to notice.
Just like in the original story, Jiraiya's return to Konoha was anything but quiet.
While spying on the women's bathhouse, he was discovered by a righteous Jōnin—who was promptly floored with a single punch.
It wasn't long before Naruto began pestering him for ninjutsu training.
And Jiraiya, recognizing him immediately, agreed.
Thus, as in the original tale, Naruto became his student.
Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
Yuichi continued his usual duties in Konoha's defenses.
Rising slowly from a wooden bench, he looked up as the defensive captain of the Zhongshan clan approached him.
Expression blank, the man said,
"It's time for your inspection. You'll need to cover the east and west."
The arrangement was troublesome—two opposite directions at once.
It would take no less than three to four hours to finish.
But that suited Yuichi just fine.
Lowering his head slightly, he grinned, lips curling upward.
"I'll complete the task without fail."
And then—
Huff!
Yuichi vanished in an instant.
The captain froze, Yuichi's parting words still lingering. A sudden chill gripped his throat as though invisible fingers were squeezing it tight.
He couldn't breathe.
Shaken, cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Is… that really Yuichi?"
Meanwhile, Yuichi moved swiftly through the forest.
His hand brushed across his face.
Poof!
A burst of white smoke erupted, dispelling the Wood-Style disguise and revealing his true features once more.
He stomped heavily onto a rock. Chakra flared, shattering the stone beneath his feet.
Like a cannonball, Yuichi launched forward—his speed surging until only an afterimage remained.
"Finally…"
"Three weeks… three weeks of patience… and it's about to begin."
His face was cold, expressionless, yet brimming with murderous intent.
BOOM!!
The killing aura spread like wildfire, shaking the forest. Birds shrieked in alarm, bursting from the trees and scattering in all directions.
Far away, Jiraiya's gaze shifted toward the disturbance.
He watched the startled birds fleeing into the sky, frowning as dark clouds slowly crept over the sun.
The wind carried a faint metallic tang, like blood—yet when he tried to smell again, it was gone, as if it had never been.
His brow furrowed.
What is this uneasy feeling?
Since returning to Konoha, it's been constant—as though something dreadful is watching me…
As one of the Sannin, Jiraiya feared no enemy.
But this feeling… he couldn't dismiss it.
Glancing back, he saw Naruto still struggling with the Summoning Technique.
"Oi, Naruto," Jiraiya called, his voice oddly tense. "I'm hungry. Go find something to eat."
"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "Find food? Out here? Where?"
The forest stretched endlessly around them. What could he possibly find?
Jiraiya waved impatiently.
"As a shinobi, you can't even handle that? Figure it out!"
"Tch… fine!" Naruto grumbled, then bolted into the woods.
Only when his student was gone did Jiraiya exhale in relief.
The air pressed heavily against him. Even his body felt sluggish, weighed down.
Clenching his fist, he found nothing amiss—just that same unsettling premonition gnawing at him.
BOOM!!
The earth rumbled violently.
Jiraiya's head snapped up.
A massive mudslide came roaring toward him, uprooting trees and grinding them to splinters in its wake.
"Earth Release…" he muttered grimly.
He turned and leapt away, but the torrent pursued him relentlessly, gaining no less speed.
Even after sprinting hundreds of meters in seconds, the mudslide thundered after him.
Whist—
The air screamed.
Looking skyward, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. Several massive fireballs plummeted from above like flaming meteors.
BOOM!!
The impact obliterated everything within ten meters, but Jiraiya narrowly evaded with his swift movements.
Another fireball fell. Jiraiya vaulted upward—yet the shockwave from the explosion hurled him through the air. Twisting mid-flight, he used the blast to spin and land firmly atop a tree branch.
Flames rained endlessly, but he slipped past each strike with razor-thin precision.
When the bombardment ended, he dashed free of the forest—only to skid to a halt at the edge of a cliff.
Below yawned a deep canyon, shrouded in shadow.
Breathing hard, he turned as the mudslide ground to a halt behind him.
"Who's there?!" Jiraiya barked. His voice was steel. "Show yourself!"
At this time, in this place, for someone to launch such an attack—who could it be?
"Konoha's Sannin…"
The voice came from behind.
Jiraiya's blood ran cold.
The attacks had come from in front—yet the speaker was behind him?
He whipped around.
Across the canyon stood a lone figure, cloak snapping in the wind. A mask concealed his face, hiding all but his stature.
A boy?
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
The masked figure's tone was calm, almost mocking.
"The name of the Sannin… I've long admired it. I want to see for myself—how strong is the legendary Jiraiya?"
The killing intent radiating from him was suffocating.
"Challenge me if you want," Jiraiya replied coldly. "But state your name first."
BOOM!
A heavy impact came from behind once again.
Jiraiya spun—his pupils contracting. Another of the masked figures stood there, fist driven into the ground.
I didn't sense the clone?! No… it's too real—completely indistinguishable!
Cracks spread outward from the boy's fist, racing toward Jiraiya's feet.
This power… it's just like Tsunade's monstrous strength. Who is he?!
CRACK!!
The ground beneath Jiraiya gave way.
He fell, the canyon swallowing him whole.
Yuichi stood at the edge, watching calmly.
Then he stepped forward—
And plunged after him.
Whsshh!