"What?! Behind me?!"
Jiraiya had only just declared that Kushina's technique posed no threat to him when another chakra chain suddenly burst from the ground behind him and wrapped tightly around his body.
The unexpected restraint caught him completely off guard.
Hidden in the trees, Isamu nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad at all."
"She used two chains as a distraction while secretly sending a third underground for a sneak attack."
"Kushina might be scatterbrained sometimes, but she's definitely clever."
Bound tightly by the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Meanwhile, Kushina triumphantly clenched her fists.
"How can a Ninja leave their back defenseless, Jiraiya-sensei?!"
"You kicked me earlier, so now it's my turn!"
She immediately charged forward, preparing to take revenge.
Hidden in the bushes nearby, Senba looked excited.
"Nice one, Kushina!"
Even Minato's eyes lit up.
"She actually used a feint attack… amazing!"
Kushina raised her leg confidently.
"Take this, you perverted white-haired idiot!"
However—
Watching this scene, Isamu merely shook his head.
"The Adamantine Sealing Chains are troublesome enough to restrain ordinary Jonin…"
"But the opponent is Jiraiya."
"One of the Legendary Sannin."
"If he were this easy to beat, he wouldn't deserve that title."
Sure enough—
Just as Kushina's kick was about to land—
Poof!
Jiraiya instantly transformed into a wooden log.
It was merely a Body Replacement Technique.
"Huh?!"
Kushina's eyes widened in shock.
Unable to stop her momentum in time, she stumbled forward and crashed face-first into the ground.
Smack!
"Owwww…"
Watching her fall again, Senba immediately became speechless.
"Alright… I take back what I said earlier."
Minato also smiled helplessly.
"Kushina really is…"
"To get tricked by such a basic substitution…"
Meanwhile, Kushina rubbed her sore backside while standing up angrily.
"How did he disappear so fast?!"
Then suddenly—
Her eyes landed on a bell lying beneath a nearby tree.
"A bell?!"
Her face immediately brightened.
"He must've dropped it while escaping earlier!"
"Hahaha! My luck is amazing!"
Without hesitation, she rushed over and grabbed the bell.
The instant she touched it—
SWISH!
A hidden rope trap activated instantly.
"AHHHH!"
Kushina was hoisted upside down into the air.
"Huh?! W-What is this?!"
"My bell!"
Hidden above, Isamu covered his face again.
"That's obviously a trap…"
"She really can't tell at all?"
"Kushina doesn't think things through even slightly."
"She's exactly like Naruto."
"No… Naruto inherited it from her."
Normally, Isamu focused mainly on physical training and combat drills, assuming the Academy teachers would handle theoretical knowledge.
But judging from this performance…
Either the teachers were slacking badly—
Or Kushina herself was naturally hopeless at trap detection.
At that moment, Jiraiya casually walked out from behind a tree.
He bent down, picked up the real bell, and looked up at the hanging Kushina.
"Before using ninjutsu, you should think carefully."
"A powerful binding technique was broken by a simple Body Replacement Technique, yet you never considered why."
"And falling for such an obvious trap…"
Jiraiya sighed dramatically.
"You really are a silly girl."
"AHHH! SO ANNOYING!"
Kushina instantly exploded again.
"A Ninja must learn to see through traps hidden inside other traps," Jiraiya continued lazily.
"If you can't even understand that, I seriously wonder what they teach at the Academy."
"I KNOW THAT!"
Kushina struggled angrily while hanging upside down.
"You clearly don't," Jiraiya replied mercilessly.
"And your attacks are filled with unnecessary movements."
"Now!"
At that exact moment—
Hidden behind Jiraiya, Minato suddenly saw an opening.
Without hesitation, he threw three shuriken directly at Jiraiya's back.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The attacks struck cleanly—
But the "Jiraiya" they hit instantly transformed into a log.
Minato's expression changed immediately.
"Another Body Replacement Technique?!"
The moment he realized his attack had exposed his hiding place, he instantly retreated.
"I was careless…"
"He intentionally revealed an opening to lure me out."
Meanwhile, Jiraiya's real body appeared nearby atop a tree branch.
"There you are."
On the other side, Kushina finally pulled out a kunai and began sawing through the rope.
"What does he mean by 'a trap within a trap' anyway?"
"Hmph! I definitely won't fall for the same trick twice!"
After cutting the rope, she landed safely on the ground and proudly smirked.
"Hehe—"
SWISH!
Before she could finish celebrating, another hidden trap activated immediately.
"AHHHHH!"
She was hoisted upside down once again.
"How did I fall for it AGAIN?!"
Watching this, even Jiraiya couldn't help shaking his head.
"Kushina's thought process really is too simple."
Meanwhile, Jiraiya stood calmly on a tree branch in front of Minato.
Minato stopped moving and stared at him seriously.
"With Kushina's personality, it's natural for her to fall for traps."
"But I'm different."
"I won't lose to such simple tricks."
"Hehe."
Jiraiya grinned casually.
"Save the tough talk until after you steal the bells."
Minato narrowed his eyes.
Then suddenly—
He threw another three shuriken directly toward Jiraiya.
"A frontal attack is meaningless," Jiraiya said while casually dodging.
However—
The instant Jiraiya moved—
Minato revealed a small smile.
"Got you."
One of the shuriken sliced through a hidden rope nearby.
Instantly, multiple kunai hidden in the trees launched toward Jiraiya from several angles.
"A trap?"
Jiraiya burst into motion and dodged swiftly.
The flying kunai slammed into the tree trunk behind him.
But during that brief moment—
Minato exploded forward at full speed.
His figure instantly appeared behind Jiraiya.
BANG!
A kick flew toward Jiraiya's side.
Jiraiya reacted immediately and grabbed Minato's leg.
But Minato followed with a punch.
Jiraiya caught that too.
Then Minato twisted his body and launched another kick.
This time, Jiraiya had to block with his other arm.
For a brief instant—
Both of Jiraiya's arms were occupied.
At that moment, Minato smiled.
The bells hanging from Jiraiya's right waist were completely exposed.
Using his only free hand, Minato reached directly for them.
"This kid—!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly.
The instant Minato touched the bells, Jiraiya immediately released Minato's limbs and leaped backward to create distance.