"Such precise calculations… and his taijutsu is excellent as well."
Standing atop a tree branch, Jiraiya looked at Minato with growing admiration.
"This yellow-haired brat is a monster."
"At his age, Orochimaru was already considered a genius, yet this kid might be even better."
"And then there's Isamu, who still hasn't shown himself…"
Jiraiya sighed helplessly.
"It looks like I won't have any time to write my novel today."
Meanwhile, hidden in the treetops, Isamu watched the battle with interest.
"As expected of the future Yellow Flash."
"To possess this level of combat awareness at such a young age…"
"If I handed him that technique now, he'd probably soar straight into the heavens."
"No wonder Hiruzen values him so highly."
Below, Jiraiya nodded toward Minato.
"I'll admit it—you're completely different from that red-haired girl."
There was genuine appreciation in his voice.
Honestly speaking, even Jiraiya himself had not possessed such ability at Minato's age.
Minato said nothing.
Instead, he quietly began forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Wave!"
The moment the jutsu activated, the ground within several meters suddenly began rippling like flowing water.
Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly.
"What?!"
"A Genin can already use this level of Earth Release?"
"And with his chakra reserves?"
The unstable terrain immediately disrupted Jiraiya's footing.
The opportunity appeared instantly.
"The chance is now!"
Hidden nearby, Isamu moved immediately.
He pulled out eight kunai at once and hurled them toward Jiraiya with both hands.
Watching the incoming attacks, Jiraiya instantly leaped into the air to avoid the shaking ground.
Hidden above, Isamu grinned slightly.
"Nice timing."
"He really knows how to seize an opportunity."
"The little brat's practically a natural opportunist."
The instant Jiraiya jumped—
Minato smiled faintly.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.
"Isamu! Now!"
The two boys immediately formed hand seals simultaneously.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A massive fireball erupted from Isamu's mouth while Minato's Wind Release amplified it instantly.
The flames swelled violently.
Wind fueled fire.
Fire strengthened wind.
The combined ninjutsu instantly expanded into a gigantic inferno over six meters wide, roaring toward Jiraiya midair.
Hidden in the trees, Tian Qi rested his chin in his hand while watching with amusement.
"Interesting."
"The two of them actually used a combination ninjutsu."
"The wind boosts the flames, while the flames empower the wind."
"The result is far stronger than either technique alone."
Then he looked toward Jiraiya.
"Now then…"
"What are you going to do while suspended in midair?"
Jiraiya's expression finally became serious.
"A wind-fire combination technique?"
"The power is already approaching A-rank…"
"Are kids these days all this terrifying?!"
Even while shocked, his hands moved rapidly.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A concentrated stream of water burst from Jiraiya's mouth and collided head-on with the massive fireball.
BOOOOOOM!
Water and fire clashed violently.
Steam exploded outward across the battlefield.
For a brief moment, both sides reached a complete stalemate.
However, as time passed, Jiraiya's Water Release slowly began overpowering the flames.
After all—
He was still a Kage-level Shinobi.
No matter how talented the children were, there remained a massive difference in raw chakra and combat experience.
"To force me into a stalemate even briefly…"
Jiraiya grinned slightly.
"You brats are genuinely impressive."
"But this ends here."
His chakra surged.
The water stream slowly began pushing the flames backward toward Minato and Isamu.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest—
The upside-down Kushina suddenly noticed a lunchbox placed on a nearby rock.
"Huh?"
"There's lunch over there?"
Then her eyes lit up brightly.
"A Ninja must see through the plan within the plan…"
"Hehehe…"
Clearly misunderstanding Jiraiya's earlier lesson completely, Kushina cut the rope again and quietly sneaked toward the lunchbox, intending to fill her stomach first.
Watching this scene from afar, Tian Qi's eyes suddenly brightened.
Then—
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Ohhhh…"
"I've got an idea."
"Jiraiya…"
"I'm definitely slapping you in the face today."
Using White Zetsu's replication ability, Tian Qi instantly transformed into Kushina's exact appearance, even perfectly copying her chakra signature.
Looking at himself, he chuckled mischievously.
"Hehehe…"
"Jiraiya-sama…"
"Here I come."
The fake "Kushina" immediately rushed into the battlefield.
"Isamu! Minato! I'm here to help!"
The sudden arrival stunned everyone.
"Kushina?!"
Both Isamu and Minato looked confused.
Even Jiraiya blinked in surprise.
Wasn't she hanging from a tree moments ago?
How did she suddenly appear here?
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bomb!"
The disguised Tian Qi instantly unleashed another powerful Fire Release technique into the clash.
The flames immediately surged again.
The fireball that had been losing ground suddenly stabilized and began pushing forward once more.
Jiraiya nearly choked.
"DAMN IT!"
"How did this girl get here too?!"
"If a Kage-level Shinobi like me loses to three freshly graduated brats…"
"I'll completely lose face!"
Jiraiya immediately increased his chakra output again, forcing both sides back into another stalemate.
Seeing Jiraiya completely focused on the ninjutsu clash—
Tian Qi smiled slyly.
The real trap had only just begun.
A shadow clone he had secretly prepared earlier quietly emerged behind Jiraiya.
Without making a sound, the clone reached toward Jiraiya's waist—
And lightly stole all three bells.
The clone instantly sank underground.
Moments later, it emerged beside the real Kushina, who was still sneaking toward the lunchbox.
Without her noticing—
The clone quietly attached the bells to her waist.
Poof!
The clone disappeared into white smoke immediately afterward.
At the same moment, Tian Qi received the clone's memories and grinned triumphantly.
Success.
Then he shouted toward Minato and Isamu:
"We got the bells!"
"Retreat!"
"Head back to the original clearing!"
"You actually stole them?!"
Isamu looked genuinely surprised before immediately giving a thumbs-up.
"Nicely done, Kushina!"
Minato also nodded quickly.
"In that case, retreat immediately!"
Although Minato felt there was something strangely off about the current Kushina…
He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
Suppressing his doubts, he quickly withdrew together with the others.
The three immediately stopped their chakra output and fled toward the original clearing without hesitation.
Halfway there, Tian Qi quietly slipped away from the group unnoticed.
Normally, abruptly canceling a ninjutsu clash like that would be dangerous.
But Jiraiya obviously wasn't going to unleash a real killing attack against children.
The moment the three stopped, he redirected his Water Release elsewhere instead.
Then he watched the three fleeing figures disappear into the distance.
Jiraiya blinked blankly.
"Huh?"
"What are those brats doing?"
"Why are they suddenly running away?"
"Did they decide I was too strong and quit halfway through?"
Completely confused, Jiraiya scratched his head before following after them.
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