In the Forest.
A squad of ninja without forehead protectors chased after Jinzō, Minato, and Kushina, closing the distance fast.
One of them even reached out, fingers brushing Kushina's long red hair.
The trio spun around, wide-eyed—just in time to see the enemy's feral grin.
And then— crash! A sound like shattering glass ripped the air. The world fractured around them, and in the blink of an eye, Jinzō and the others were gone.
What stood before the enemy instead was Jiraiya, clad in gray armor, leaning casually against a tree. His gaze was ice-cold.
Above them, figures in green flak vests filled the treetops.
The enemy froze.
"...Jiraiya!" one of them blurted, recognizing him instantly.
To the left stood a man in a high-collared gray coat, face hidden behind dark glasses, one hand resting on a scroll as tall as he was.
"Aburame Shihu," someone hissed. The current head of the Aburame clan.
On the right, a man in white robes and a kimono stared silently, pale eyes glowing faintly.
"Hinata Yukata!" The head of the Hyūga clan.
The enemy leader's smirk twisted. "The Nine-Tails jinchūriki really is heavily guarded, huh?"
Three elite jōnin. Plus a whole unit of Konoha shinobi. The battle's outcome was already written.
"So the leak came from you," the man growled. They'd only acted after hearing whispers about Konoha's jinchūriki on a mission. A long shot, sure—but if they succeeded? Snatching away Konoha's Nine-Tails would cripple the village, tip war or negotiation in their favor.
Instead, they'd bitten down on bait.
"Didn't think we'd catch this many fish at once," Jiraiya muttered, actually surprised. He glanced at Hyūga Yukata and held up three fingers. Three enemy jōnin in the net.
"Chakra doesn't always equal strength," Jiraiya thought grimly, "but usually, that kind of presence means jōnin-level for sure."
The enemy leader roared, eyes bloodshot. "Even if we die here, we'll drag you bastards down with us!"
And the forest erupted into battle.
Elsewhere.
"Called it. We're the bait," Jinzō muttered bitterly.
Only three enemy shinobi still chased them. The rest—vanished. That alone said everything.
"What's going on?!" Kushina gasped. She'd only seen Jinzō gesture for an escape, and suddenly the ground seemed to sprout enemies.
Minato, ever gentle, explained for her sake. "We walked into a trap Yamada Chuichirō set in advance." He left out the part where the trap was for Kushina specifically.
Jinzō gave him a sidelong glance. Minato always softened the truth for her.
But Jinzō's brain was already running. None of this had happened in the "original" he remembered—his butterfly effect was growing.
The village had planned this from the start: use Kushina as bait to lure infiltrators. Minato and Jinzō were just caught in the net with her.
They hadn't prepared all this in one day. No, the mission itself had been chosen as part of the setup.
That meant Jiraiya's quick agreement back then hadn't been kindness—it was calculation.
"Is this how it was when Kumo tried to kidnap Kushina in the future?" Jinzō thought grimly. "Is a jinchūriki just… convenient bait? Did anyone even ask her opinion? Or mine, since I got dragged in?"
Kushina, meanwhile, clenched her fists. "There are only three left! Should we turn and fight?"
Jinzō grinned despite himself. She was strong, but way too oblivious—didn't even realize she was the lure. Minato looked puzzled too.
"Don't overthink it," Jinzō said flatly. "One each. Take them down."
He suddenly skidded to a halt, sleeve flicking out. A wire shot forward, wrapping around a tree. He swung backward with the momentum—
—and slammed a kick straight into the chest of a ninja midair.
"Go to hell!" Jinzō snarled, slamming the man into the ground.
The other two landed in the trees—only for Minato and Kushina to flash beside them.
Bang, bang! Two simultaneous kicks sent both flying.
Jinzō dropped down, but the enemy he'd kicked was gone.
"Oi," he called into the trees. "You a jōnin or a chūnin?"
The ground rippled. A plain-looking man rose from the earth. "...Chūnin."
The honesty almost made Jinzō laugh.
"Perfect," he muttered, drawing a kunai. "I need to test my real strength anyway."
He blurred forward with Shave, leg lashing out—
—but the target burst into mud. Earth Clone.
Then Jinzō's eyes went wide—detonating tags littered the dirt.
"Shit! Iron Body!"
BOOM!
The explosion blasted him off his feet. He barely blocked with crossed arms, but burns still seared his skin.
Thorns of stone shot from the ground—Earth Spear! He scraped them aside with his kunai, sparks flying, then kicked hard and vanished into the trees.
Smoke clung to his skin, breath ragged. "This is just a chūnin?!" he cursed.
From above, the man's voice answered. "I failed the jōnin exam."
Hands clapped together. "Earth Release: Earth Prison!"
A cage of rock sealed Jinzō in.
"It's over," the man growled, weaving more seals. "Earth and Wind: Sand and Stone!"
Stones whipped into shuriken, tearing through Jinzō's body—until his bleeding form puffed into smoke.
The man stiffened. A shadow unfurled from the tree, branches binding tight—
"Genjutsu: Tree-Binding Death!" Jinzō's clone lunged, kunai stabbing—
Only for the enemy to swap with a log at the last second. Still, blood seeped from his shoulder. He'd been just a step too slow.
Jinzō didn't chase. He only noticed the burning tag at his feet.
"Called it."
Another explosion thundered—but this time Jinzō had already Shaved clear.
From below, he shouted, "Why the hell are you this strong for a chūnin?"
The enemy stared down at him, baffled, but answered anyway. "The chūnin you've fought were weaklings—academy instructors or dead weight. We're different. We survived the frontlines. Chūnin rank doesn't mean we're equal."
Jinzō smirked. "Lesson learned." He turned to leave, showing his back.
The man frowned. "What are you—"
His words cut off with a spray of blood.
"You're already dead," Jinzō said coldly, eyes narrowing.
The man collapsed, blood pouring from his mouth, nose, and ears.
"Poison?" he gasped, fumbling for an antidote pill.
"Snake venom," Jinzō explained, voice flat. "Special mix from Orochimaru himself. Your little antidote won't save you."
The man's body twitched, then fell limp from the branch.
And just like that—the fight was over.