Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 67: Teamwork
"Where did that pervy sensei disappeared again!" she hissed, grinding her teeth. "How are we supposed to catch him if he keeps hiding like a rat?"
"Calm down, Kushina," Minato said softly, scanning the treeline at this time Minato didn't know how to detect people through chakra so the first thing he thought is to calm down. "He's testing us, not just our strength, but how we think when we couldn't see the enemy."
Maruku tilted her head, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Then what do you suggest, genius?"
Minato pointed to the forest edge. "We'll divide our roles. I'll distract him head-on, while you two circle around. Kushina, use your chakra chains underground. Maruku, use your fuinjutsu traps. We'll catch him between all three."
Kushina smirked. "Not bad, blondie. You sound like you've planned this before."
Maruku nodded in agreement. "Let's make it count then. No holding back."
Without another word, they dispersed into the trees. Jiraiya, hidden high among the branches, watched them move with interest. So, they're thinking now? Good… Let's see if they can put it to action.
Minato emerged first from the shadows, running straight toward the clearing. He threw three kunai in quick succession after noticing where Jiraiya had gone to hide. Each Kunai landing in a triangle pattern around Jiraiya last known position.
"Too predictable," Jiraiya muttered. With a flicker, he appeared behind Minato, delivering a light chop to the boy's neck, but the body exploded into smoke.
"Shadow clone," Jiraiya grinned. "Smart kid."
Before he could turn, a golden chain shot out from the ground, wrapping around his ankle. Kushina burst out from beneath the soil, her red hair wild and her grin feral. "Got you, sensei!"
But Jiraiya twisted mid-air, forming a quick seal. The ground cracked, and the chain snapped apart. "Not bad, but you'll need more than that to catch me, Kushina."
"Don't underestimate me!" she yelled, sending three more chains forward.
Jiraiya dodged the first two easily, but the third was faster, infused with a sudden burst of chakra that made it whip through the air like lightning. It grazed his arm, leaving a faint line across his sleeve.
"Tch," Jiraiya murmured, landing gracefully on a branch. "Her control improving faster than I thought."
As he steadied himself, he felt something sticky underfoot. Looking down, his eyes widened slightly, a sealing tag, glowing faintly.
"Got you this time," Maruku voice rang from behind the tree.
The tag detonated with a burst of chakra smoke, forming a sealing barrier that locked the air around him. For a brief second, Jiraiya couldn't move.
"That's our chance!" Kushina shouted.
Minato appeared again this time, the real one darting forward with blinding speed. His hands were already reaching for the bells hanging at Jiraiya's waist.
But Jiraiya smirked, his chakra flaring. "Impressive teamwork," he said, "but not enough."
The barrier shattered, sending a wave of air outward. Kushina and Maruku were thrown back, and Minato barely managed to land on his feet.
"Damn it!" Kushina coughed. "He's too strong."
Minato narrowed his eyes. "We're not done yet."
He turned to Maruku. "You said you can use the duplication seal, right?"
Maruku nodded weakly. "Yes, but it drains a lot of chakra."
"Do it," Minato said firmly. "Trust me."
She hesitated, then bit her thumb, slamming her palm to the ground. Several glowing seals appeared, and in an instant, two perfect copies of Maruku appeared beside her.
Kushina looked stunned. "Whoa, you can make sealing clones?"
"Kind of," Maruku replied with a smirk. "Didn't you learn from your brother before?."
Kushina cheeks become red because she was playing when Maruku learn duplication seal from her brother. "No."
This duplication seal is unlike shadow clone, it was like 2 people moving at once. Maruku could control and see at the same time, but even with high chakra he could only maximum use 2 clones at once. Minato was once seen it concidentally and asked Maruku about it, that is why he knows about this seal.
"Hey genius blondie, my clone is here," said Maruku trying to divert the conversation so Kushina won't be embarassed.
Minato smiled. "Good. Then let's use them as bait."
Before Kushina could ask what he meant, Minato disappeared and went ahead to Jiraiya.
The clones rushed Jiraiya from both sides, throwing sealing tags that exploded in waves of chakra mist. Jiraiya leaped high to avoid them, only for Kushina to appear mid-air, propelled upward by her chakra chains like a slingshot.
"Now!" she yelled.
Her fist glowed with chakra as she swung it toward him. Jiraiya blocked it with one arm but felt the shockwave rattle his bones. "You're getting stronger, brat!" he grunted.
Below them, Minato appeared once more, his movement a blur. He kicked off a tree trunk, flipping midair, and reached for the bells again.
This time, Jiraiya moved to counter, but one of Maruku's clones had slipped behind him, slapping a seal onto his back.
"Fuin: Kekkai Shibari!" the clone cried.
The seal flared, freezing Jiraiya in mid-motion for a fraction of a second, just long enough for Minato's fingers to brush the bells.
Jingle.
The soft sound echoed through the ground.
When the smoke cleared, Jiraiya stood in the center of the field, his hair messy and clothes slightly torn, while Minato held one of the silver bells in his palm. The other dangled loosely in Kushina's hand, her grin wide and triumphant.
"We did it!" she shouted, jumping in joy. "We actually did it, dattebane!"
Maruku let out a long sigh of relief, sitting down on the grass. "That was insane... I thought he was going to turn us into dust."
Jiraiya looked at them, speechless for a moment. Then, slowly, he began to laugh loudly, hearty laughter that filled the entire training ground.
"Well, I'll be damned," he said between chuckles. "You three actually managed to take the bells. You've got teamwork, guts, and creativity, that's all I could ask for in students."
Minato scratched the back of his neck, a modest smile on his lips. "We just followed your lesson, sensei. Together, we can overcome even you as Jonin."
Kushina puffed her chest proudly. "Of course! We're Uzumaki and Namikaze! The strongest combo, dattebane!"
Maruku nodded, her eyes gleaming with pride. "Next time, we'll make it even faster."
Jiraiya grinned and took the bells back from them. "Alright, alright. You've passed the test. From this moment on, you're officially my students — Team 7 of Konohagakure."
The wind blew softly, scattering leaves across the field. The three young genin stood together, their hearts filled with excitement and hope for the future.
Jiraiya looked at them quietly for a moment, his grin fading into a small, thoughtful smile. Minato, Kushina, Maruku... You're all going to change this village one day.
Author Notes: To read advanced chapter you can go to my patreon.
Chapter 95: Teaching
Chapter 96: 18 Years Old
Chapter 97: Marriage
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