Abandoned Training Ground.
From a distance, Jinzō spotted two figures waiting under the trees. He jogged over, only to see Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya standing there like they'd been waiting forever.
"You're late, Jinzō," Minato called, waving with his usual sunshine smile. He wore that same white-and-green tracksuit he always did, though his aura was sharper now—calmer, more confident. The past few months had clearly leveled him up.
"Yo, long time no see," Jiraiya added with his trademark grin. Unlike his casual look before, he was armored today, forehead protector shining. He looked more like a battlefield shinobi than the goofy perv Jinzō remembered.
And both of them were smiling the same smile.
"Wow," Jinzō muttered. "Guess it's true what they say—spend enough time together and you start looking alike. Never thought I'd live to see idiocy be contagious."
Jiraiya's smile froze. Who the hell was this brat calling an idiot? His smile was dashing! Heroic! He was not about to be slandered by a snarky Uchiha runt.
Minato, however, completely missed the point. He gave Jiraiya a thumbs-up. "That's not a fool's smile, Jinzō. That's the smile of a hero."
Jiraiya's fist immediately slammed down on Minato's head. "Respect me properly, damn it!"
"Ow—sensei, I do respect you!" Minato rubbed the forming bump with wide eyes, confused why admiration had earned him a lump.
Jinzō smirked like a fox that had just raided the henhouse, and Jiraiya felt his blood pressure spike.
"You! You're the real culprit here!"
In a blur, Jiraiya appeared in front of Jinzō, fist raised. But he hesitated. He still remembered the kid's promise to booby-trap his head with poison needles. Knowing the brat had trained under Orochimaru these past months, it wasn't an empty threat.
Jiraiya pulled back his fist. No way was he risking stabbing himself on some hidden senbon.
"Scared?" Jinzō teased, smirk widening.
"Me? Scared? Don't be ridiculous!" Jiraiya roared, slamming his fist down—
Whoosh.
His knuckles hit empty air. Jinzō had vanished, reappearing behind him, back turned, already mocking him with a little hand wave.
"…You little—what the hell was that speed?" Jiraiya muttered, genuinely impressed. It was like the kid had used Flying Raijin.
"Sixth Style: Shave—Shunpo," Jinzō said calmly. His new upgraded body techniques weren't just for show. Four months of training under Orochimaru had paid off, every skill sharper than before.
Jiraiya grinned. "Not bad. But don't get cocky, brat!"
His hair shot out like living wires, whipping toward Jinzō. In response, Jinzō's hand was already at his blade.
Shing!
Steel flashed. Silver strands rained down like snow, Jiraiya's jutsu severed cleanly before it even touched him.
"Tch…" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. That draw speed was dangerous—comparable to Hatake Sakumo's sword. With those moves, even he couldn't take Jinzō lightly.
"You've grown, kid," Jiraiya admitted.
"Yeah, but you're not the only one improving."
Jiraiya blurred forward with his own version of Shave, fist slamming down before Jinzō could react.
Thunk!
Jinzō crouched, clutching his head. "Ow! Damn it, that hurt!"
He glared at Minato, who guiltily looked away. Of course Jiraiya had stolen Minato's training techniques—what else did you expect from a so-called mentor?
"Bwahaha! Don't underestimate Jiraiya-sama!" the Sannin boomed, hands on his hips, laughing to the sky.
Their banter was interrupted when all three noticed a shadow dropping from above.
"…Is that Kushina?" Jinzō blinked, squinting at the falling red blur.
"Wait—why is she falling from the sky?!" Minato yelped.
BOOM!!
The ground split open with a deafening crash, dust exploding everywhere. From the crater, a figure flipped into view, landing in front of them with a flourish.
"Uzumaki Kushina has arrived!" she announced proudly, flicking her forehead protector.
Jiraiya and Minato's eyes sparkled. "So cool!"
Jinzō dragged a hand down his face. "Are you serious right now? This isn't a stage entrance, it's a team meeting…"
Kushina preened under their admiration. After all, she'd asked Tsunade-sensei for tips on "how to make an entrance."
Of course, when she spotted Jinzō, she immediately reverted to her usual self. "Jinzō! Long time no see. How's your training going, huh?" She puffed herself up like a big sister scolding a younger brother.
"…Not as good as you," Jinzō deadpanned. "I still haven't mastered looking down at people with my nostrils."
"You little—!" Kushina swung, fist cracking through a wooden training post when Jinzō dodged with Shunpo. The pulverized stake crumbled to dust.
"Weird Fist, huh…" Jiraiya muttered, nostalgia flickering across his face. That strength was pure Tsunade.
After some more back-and-forth bickering, Jiraiya finally coughed and got serious. "Enough. We've got a mission. We're heading to the Fire–Grass border for recon. Iwagakure's planning something nasty."
The three genin straightened. "Understood."
And just like that, Team Jiraiya's first mission began.
On the road, Kushina couldn't resist bragging. "By the way, I made a contract with one of the First Hokage's personal summons."
"Oh yeah? I've got a decent summoning too," Minato added sheepishly.
"Then let's compare right now!" Kushina declared, flashing through seals.
Poof! A massive two-meter slug appeared, Kushina perched proudly on its head.
"Pretty impressive, huh?" she grinned.
Minato followed. Poof! A two-meter toad landed beneath him.
Jinzō sighed. His teammates were flexing giant summons while he was still short enough to be mistaken for a middle-schooler.
"Hey, Jinzō, don't tell me you don't have a summon contract?" Kushina teased mercilessly.
"I do," Jinzō said flatly.
"Oh really? Let's see it—"
He cut her off with a sharp command. "Xiaobai, bite her!"
A flash of white shot from his collar. Kushina shrieked as a small creature latched onto her nose.
"AHHH! My nose! My nose is gonna fall off!" She flailed wildly, running in circles until she slammed straight into a tree.
Jinzō crossed his arms smugly. "That's my summon."