The training field was a wreck, scarred with fresh craters, smashed logs, and burned patches of dirt. Anyone could tell this place had seen action.
Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina leaned against a broken training post, waiting since morning.
"Grrr~." Kushina clutched her stomach. "Damn it, I haven't eaten a thing. Why aren't those two jerks here yet?"
Minato rubbed his stomach too. He was starving as well, but at least he could endure it. Still, neither Jiraiya nor Uchiha Jinzō had shown up.
Kushina finally snapped and started pummeling the wooden dummy like it owed her money—when a loud "POOF!" of smoke erupted in front of them.
A massive toad loomed in the haze, and a tall white-haired man struck a dramatic pose on its head.
"Behold! The great Jiraiya, Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, makes his entrance!" he boomed, voice dripping with theater.
"Get lost!" Kushina's foot came flying before he even finished.
Jiraiya barely dodged, sliding left and swatting her aside with one hand. She twisted midair, flipped, and landed light on her feet.
He chuckled, unfazed. "Hah. Not bad. You brats aren't weak with taijutsu."
Another puff of smoke, and the giant toad vanished. Jiraiya landed smoothly beside her.
"Don't flatter yourselves. Last time, I went easy on you." Which, technically, was true. He had only wanted to test the three kids. The fact that they'd beaten him bloody anyway? …Well, he wasn't going to admit that part.
"But speaking of three—where's that brat Jinzō?"
Jiraiya's brow darkened. If the Uchiha kid dared skip out, he had every right to send him back to the Academy. Even Orochimaru wouldn't defend that kind of arrogance. Talent wasn't a free pass.
"I'm here."
The ground rustled. A pile of dried leaves stirred, and Jinzō crawled out of a shallow pit with a wide yawn. He had literally buried himself in a nest of leaves.
If you weren't standing on it, you'd never notice the pit.
Kushina gawked. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Jiraiya coughed into his fist, pretending this was all according to plan. "Er—using the environment is… also a key ninja skill. Good initiative."
Kushina rolled her eyes. "Please. You were totally surprised just now. Don't even try it."
Jiraiya ignored her. "Anyway, enough waiting. Time for your test."
"Test?" Minato blinked. "Didn't we already graduate?"
"That was just the school exam," Jiraiya said, grinning. "I decide whether you're worthy of being genin. Fail, and I send you back to class."
Minato frowned. He wanted to ask about the other students, but swallowed it down.
"Come on, stop scaring them already." Jinzō cut in dryly. "Kushina's already gone pale."
"WHO'S PALE?!" Kushina snapped, face bright red now.
Jinzō smirked. "See?"
"You damn Uchiha—fight me right now!"
Before she could actually lunge, Jiraiya stepped between them. "Save it! You can beat each other up after the exam."
He pulled two small bells from his pouch and clipped them to his waist. Ching-ching.
"Your task is simple: take these bells from me. Two bells. Two genin spots."
Kushina blinked. "…Wait. Two? There's three of us!"
The smile faded from Jiraiya's face, his tone suddenly sharp. "Exactly. Only two of you get to pass."
"Start—now!"
The instant he said it, Minato and Kushina vanished into the trees. Only Jinzō stayed put, leaning against a post with his head cocked.
"Jiraiya-sensei," he said lazily. "We alone here?"
Jiraiya blinked. "…Yes." Truth was, the ANBU and Root operatives had melted away the moment he arrived. Even Sarutobi's surveillance barrier had been pulled back. Right now, it was just them.
"Good." Jinzō stepped forward, dusting his sleeves. His expression sharpened.
Last night, he'd made his choice. If he wanted to shed the "Uchiha failure" label, this was the moment. If he revealed his strength, Jiraiya would guard him. With Kushina and Minato as teammates, his odds of survival skyrocketed.
Time to stop hiding. Time to prove himself.
"Jiraiya-sensei," he said, voice low. "I'm coming at you with everything."
"…Don't kill yourself trying," Jiraiya chuckled. An elite jōnin versus a fresh graduate? Please.
He raised his hands, forming a seal. "First, I'll show you the gap in our strength—"
But Jinzō blurred, appearing behind him in an instant.
"Shave—!"
"Needle Jizō!" Jiraiya's long white hair hardened like steel needles, cocooning him.
Jinzō clicked his tongue, retreating with another blur. Flames exploded from his lips.
"Fire Style—Phoenix Fire!"
Fireballs peppered Jiraiya's hair-shield, forcing him to release it. Minato flickered in behind him, hand reaching for the bell.
"Got you—!"
"Too slow." Jiraiya vanished in smoke, reappearing behind Minato and grabbing his arm.
But Kushina's roar split the air: "DIE A HUNDRED TIMES, YOU PERVERT!!"
Her golden chakra chains came crashing down. Jiraiya twisted, using her momentum to slam her into Minato. The two tangled into a heap.
Shuriken suddenly clashed midair with a metallic ping-ping-ping!, forcing Jiraiya to retreat again. He landed, eyes narrowing. Where the hell was Jinzō—?
Right behind him.
Shadowy arms burst from Jinzō's body, lashing like venomous snakes. One grazed Jiraiya's side, sending pain lancing through his ribs.
At the same moment, Jinzō's other shadow-arm darted for the bells.
"Tch—Shedding Skin!" Jiraiya's body split and crumbled like old bark, revealing a clone as Jinzō tore through it.
The real Jiraiya burst from underground with a counter—but three golden chains whipped up, binding his legs. Minato sprinted down the chains like a highway, kunai in hand.
"Fire Style—Flame Bullet!" Jiraiya spat a blazing torrent, engulfing Minato—
POOF! A clone burst in flames.
The real Minato emerged behind him, kunai raised—while Jinzō struck from the front.
"Shave—double!"
Two black shadow-arms crossed through Jiraiya's body at once.
"Too strong… these brats are too damn strong!" Jiraiya grunted, even as his body burst into smoke once more.
The "bell" Minato had grabbed disintegrated into dust. Illusion. A trap.
From the ground, Jiraiya's silver-white hair erupted, binding both Minato and Kushina like snakes.
"Lion's Mane!"
Only Jinzō slipped through, his speed cutting past the writhing hair.
Jiraiya surfaced, panting. "It's over."
"Not yet."
Jinzō clasped his hands into the shape of a gun, chakra whirling at his fingertip. A glowing orb of pure blue energy spun into existence.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "…What the hell is that?"
Jinzō grinned. "Spirit Pill."
The sphere blasted forward, a bolt of light tearing straight through Jiraiya's chest.