The bells chimed surprisingly loudly as Jiraiya let them dangle from two fingers, acting like a fishermen while we were the fish, being baited. I finally knew what Naruto and the others felt, and maybe because I know the details, but it was even more exciting than I imagined it would be.
"All right," Jiraiya said, breaking the silence, wearing a tight smile on his face, "Here's how this works. You've got until noon to take a bell from me, and when you do, you pass."
"Huh?" Kushina's eyes narrowed at him, sensing a trap, "That's it?"
"Nothing else." Jiraiya nodded slowly, "That's it."
"Yeah, but," Minato spoke calmly, because there was a problem. "There are three of us."
"Mm-hm."
"And two bells." He continued.
"Mm-hm."
"Which would mean..." Kushina's mouth twitched as she looked at us, knowing that if anyone had a chance to take them from him, it was us two... and not her. "One of us fails automatically."
"The life of a shinobi is unpredictable," Jiraiya shrugged as he spoke, "Maybe you all fail. Maybe not."
While Minato was thinking hard, trying to come up with a solution, maybe to touch the bells at the same time, or cut them up and share them, or something... Kushina was simply complaining under her breath. I, on the other hand, looked at the bells, then at Jiraiya-sensei, and activated my Sharingan, not wanting to miss an opportunity like this.
"All right," he clapped once, unbothered by being looked on by me, which was understandable, "Begin."
Minato moved first, the moment his mouth began opening, but he wasn't attacking him; he came to us.
"Split roles," he said quickly, making his best effort to keep it a whisper so only we heard him, "Renji, your rule is pressure and disruption. Kushina, try to bind and force his movements! I'll go for retrieval..."
"Wha-?!" Kushina opened her mouth to protest, not really getting it, but knowing the trick to the test, I cut in before she could blow it up.
"I'm in."
"..." Kushina blinked at me, still annoyed, then huffed. "Fine! But if you two leave me out, I'll bury you both, dattebane..."
"Noted," Minato said instantly, knowing we had no time to argue.
The moment she nodded, Minato vanished, going wide into the trees, while I stepped forward, expecting a reaction, but Jiraiya didn't even acknowledge it... That was the first problem. He just stood there, hands loose at his sides, shoulders relaxed. I expected him to pull out his book, but instead of how Kakashi kept reading it, he would continue writing it.
"Come on," Jiraiya teased me, noticing that I saw he wasn't taking us seriously, "I don't have all day."
I lunged at him the next moment, deciding to indulge myself in the challenge. I started with a faint, aimed at his ribs, then of course, pivoted on my forward leg and aimed a knee toward his thigh. My next idea was a follow-up palm strike aimed at the elbow, to disable the joint, force the body to compensate, open the belt line... But of course, none of that came to pass. My strike cut air, easily avoiding it, then his fingers tapped my wrist lightly, and a sharp-feeling pain surged up my arm while I snapped it back, feeling my bones vibrate.
"Good instincts," he said, grinning, "but you're too slow."
"I'm fifth of your age," I muttered, and I spun into another strike, to keep his attention on me because behind him, Kushina's chakra was already raging. Which... made me frown because she never showed something like this...
"Uzumaki Technique—!" she shouted, and reddish-golden chakra chains erupted forward like living whips, making me surprised again.
Oh... She can already do that?! Why hasn't she used it before?! But the answer was clear: the way those chains rushed forward told me she was hurting inside, and she was quickly exhausting herself. I guess she didn't have enough control over them yet... But she had enough to choose the attack well, because she didn't aim for his hands, but for his legs.
Smart!
But, of course, Jiraiya hopped back like he was on a playground, and the chains crashed into the ground where he'd been standing, carving lines through the dirt and grass but missing their target.
"Oh?" he said, amused and genuinely surprised, "That's not bad at all!"
"Of course it's not, dattebane!"
I used that moment, while his attention was split, to snap my fingers and try to use genjutsu on him. I knew that he could probably shrug off or see through anything visual-based that I was capable of... He was way too experienced for that. So I was trying something less obvious, with a half-second delay layered into his perception. I was aiming to make his own movement feel wrong, to make the ground feel somewhat inconsistent, like stepping on a plank that should be solid but isn't, and similar, annoying, minute things that hopefully would add up enough, even if he can adapt to them. Just enough to make his instinctual moves hesitate, just a split second, because that is all Minato needed.
Sure enough, when Jiraiya-sensei's first step felt off, and he began adjusting, Minato was already moving in, appearing like teleportation, slashing with a kunai, going for the jugular... ruthless! But of course, Jiraiya vanished in a puff of smoke... a clone?! Damn it!
"Nice try!" his voice boomed from behind us, standing there, smiling. I never even saw him switch...
I twisted my waist, expecting an attack, and watched as Kushina got there first. She swung at him without reservation, and Jiraiya ducked under her punch and flicked her forehead with two fingers. Did he... copied Tsunade? But it wasn't as hard, but somehow, it still sent her stumbling back two complete steps like she'd been hit properly. I think Kushina was about to complain when my eyes watched as he formed a seal... Damn it! We are too slow! By the time I read the last of the signs, the ground under me turned to something like sticky mud, grabbing at my feet and ankles, trying to swallow my legs.
"Swamp of the Underworld," Jiraiya announced casually, but I wasn't going to be taken down by this alone, hmph!
I pushed chakra into my legs hard, forcing my feet free, then leapt backward, only to feel a gust of air slam into my ribs and toss me sideways as I rolled through the grass and came up coughing, a nasty heat in my lungs. Ouch... How did he do that? I couldn't even see it! Of course, by then, Kushina charged him again with a roar, one more time, her chains snapping out in a wide pattern, anchoring to trees and earth and anything that could hold as she was trying to build a cage and trap him in there.
"Nice!" Jiraiya laughed delightedly as he watched it happen.
As he got trapped there, Minato moved in again while Jiraiya was focused on the chains. He aimed at the bells this time around, but Jiraiya anticipated that, and his hand snapped down, catching Minato's wrist mid-reach. Even then, Minato didn't freeze; he rode his momentum on the spot, turning the caught wrist into leverage, trying to swing around Jiraiya's arm... But he simply released him and shoved him aside. Of course, Minato skidded, unable to resist the shove, but then he caught himself and returned to his base stance immediately.
"Now that's a student."
Kushina lunged for the bells next, while Jiraiya was praising Minato, one of her chains shooting toward his waist, trying to hook and yank everything off him. Then, Jiraiya's white hair exploded quite literally, as white spikes shot outward like a net, extending like dozens of needles that tangled the chain midair and slammed it aside. Even though he couldn't break those adamantine chains, Kushina was already exhausted enough and still inexperienced in actual battle, which easily allowed him to redirect them.
"What the hell is THAT, DATTEBANE?!" Kushina complained, probably incensed that her big secret trick, which she never showed us, got slapped around like nothing.
"Hair," Jiraiya said proudly, "Majestic, isn't it?"
While the two were bantering, I tried to take advantage of it. I inhaled through my nose, formed seals as fast as I could, and sent a fireball forward, knowing it wouldn't hit him, but I was simply aiming to force him to move. With the chains still trapping him, there was only one way for him to escape, and Minato could take advantage of that. And, to my surprise, it worked, because he jumped up, and that's when Minato struck again, his foot slicing down like a blade. Probably already calculating the incoming attack, Jiraiya blocked him, grabbing his leg and throwing him into the fireball, which was then cut apart by Minato as he landed, skidding on all fours, his clothes smoking a little. We watched as Jiraiya also landed, then took a step back, and his smile suddenly faded.
Oh... The shift was subtle, but the entire field felt colder. I think he warmed up enough...
"All right," he said, "Let's move to phase two."
"What?" Kushina blinked, glancing towards us, "Phase two?"
"I don't like the sound of that." I agreed, not even letting myself blink. What will it be...? Summoning a toad? Clones? Rasengan? Wait, that he doesn't know yet... so scratch that.
We watched as Jiraiya clapped his hands and, with a puff of smoke, three bento boxes appeared on the grass behind him, perfectly placed like props he prepared beforehand. Huh? What's going on? Even Minato's eyes narrowed, unsure of the meaning of it.
"Um..." Kushina tried to put the puzzle together, but was just as lost as we were, "Is… is that food?"
"It is," Jiraiya nodded. "I brought lunch."
"Why?" we all asked.
"Why, why?" Jiraiya wiggled the bells at his waist. "Because you're going to be hungry. And because you're going to learn something!" Then he sat down on a rock like this was a picnic... Okay. What the hell is going on? Hello? "Only those who pass get to eat." Jiraiya leaned forward slightly, his grin returning. "Now, if you want, you can keep fighting me. Or…" his eyes flicked between the three of us, "you can fight each other."
"Huh?!" Kushina's face twisted at that, "What?"
"You heard me," Jiraiya said lightly. "Because only two of you can pass." He pointed at the bells and the three boxes, "One of those is mine." Here we go... the psychological part of the test. I have to agree, this was even more insidious than Kakashi's version. Tsk! "Time's ticking," he warned us, "Begin again."
"Yeah," Minato spoke quickly, glancing at us. "We're not doing that."
"Suit yourself. You can all fail if that's what you want." Jiraiya said with a shrug, watching us.
"So..." I stepped closer to Minato and spoke in a low voice, eying the man with the food, "New plan?"
"..." His eyes flicked to the bells, trying to think. "We should force him to defend multiple attacking vectors. He can't guard everything at once if we layer the attacks correctly."
"I can only use my chains about... one more time," Kushina huffed, wiping her brows, "I'll be a 'vector,' huh?"
"Yeah," Minato didn't even blink, still thinking, "If I knew about those first..."
"Everyone has secrets, dattebane!" She scoffed, crossing her arms, pouting, and looking around, "It was my first time using them for real..."
"We still have a shot." I smiled, not taking it to heart.
"We do..." she nodded, finally looking at me, then at Minato.
Oh well... if all else fails, I can still offer to quit; that should do it. Damn, this was fun! While thinking about it and smiling to myself, Minato went wide again, being the fastest of us three. As for Kushina, she advanced directly, her chains flickering into existence while I went in between the two.
"Haaah..." Jiraiya sighed theatrically, watching us give it a shot one more time, "Kids these days..."
Then he stood up, and the air shifted again around him, pressuring us by the sheer presence, with his chakra alone. It had an effect because Kushina hesitated for a brief moment, but by then, Minato had arrived, and he darted in. As an opening, he threw a kunai toward Jiraiya's shoulder to force a block. Then, when Jiraiya swatted it away lazily, the swiping hand movement exposed his belt line for half a heartbeat, and Kushina's chain snapped forward like a striking cobra, aiming to grab him. He was about to twist his waist when my attack landed, and I hit him with a genjutsu, just as our eyes met. I went for the most basic one and flashbanged him, making him see nothing but white, feel himself go towards the wrong angle, turning right when he was turning left, just enough to make his twist be misjudged by a hair's breadth. Bingo! Kushina's chain caught the hem of his vest, and without hesitation, she yanked at it. Unexpectedly, Jiraiya stumbled a single step, which was catastrophic in this case, because Minato was there instantly, his hand going towards the bells... Just when Jiraiya's hair shot out again like its own living being. I saw as Minato's fingers brushed the cord of the bells and the next moment, Jiraiya's hair wrapped his wrist mid-motion, and for a moment, he was caught.
"Too slow—" Jiraiya began, blinking away the whiteness from his eyes, just when Kushina slammed into his side like a battering ram, trying to get a hold of him and lift... Which was impossible; it was like an ant trying to raise and throw a mountain. Still, she was trying it, making Jiraiya grunt, getting surprised despite himself, and his hair loosened just enough for Minato to rip his arm free.
And then, the cords to the bells snapped loose... because I was there, moving almost as fast as Minato, using his presence to block my approach, capitalizing on the attention he took... to arrive, shoot past him, giving me the heartbeat of a moment to yank them off. As I straightened, grinning, Minato landed lightly, watching as I held them up, making them clink together and giving a loud chime. I watched as Jiraiya stared at the bells for a long second, then patted his belt before he began laughing, genuinely, without anger.
"Well," he said, rubbing his jaw like he'd been hit harder than he expected. "Would you look at that? I did not expect you to succeed! Huh... I should have taken you three more seriously."
"Um..." Kushina stepped forward, still unsure, "We… we did it? There are still two... not three."
"Good observation," Jiraiya nodded, crossing his arms, looking at me. "Two of you can keep them. One of you can't. Who will you choose, boy?"
Kushina's face tightened at one, and Minato was already opening his mouth, but I just chuckled, throwing one at Kushina and one at Minato.
"It's fine!" I shrugged, scratching the back of my head, my cheeks faintly pink, because I felt so bad about knowing the correct answer... ugh... Honestly, I felt like cheating, and I was, but... Haaah... "We're a team."
"Tch," Jiraiya suddenly clicked his tongue and muttered something, like he was annoyed yet satisfied at the same time, "You know… I really wanted to watch you idiots fight."
"That's... rude...!" I pouted, "We are of the same Village!"
"Yes..." He nodded, looking at each of us once before breaking into a smile. "Yes, you are. Go ahead, eat," he ordered, throwing the bentos at us, "You earned it."
"Huh?" Kushina caught hers with both hands, suspicious. "So... we pass?"
"Yeah!" Jiraiya sat back down on the rock, sighing again, waving a hand at us, "You pass," he said simply, "First time I see a group work together this well and even willingly giving up their spot after winning... What a bunch of weirdos!"
"Yeah!" Kushina yelled out, then she regained her senses, "Hey! I am not a weirdo, dattebane!"
"Doubtful... ugh?! Why are you hitting me?!" I grunted, making Minato chuckle, feeling relaxed and relieved at the same time.
"Shut up, dattebane!" She repeated, hitting me over the head with her bento, "You two are the only weird ones!"
"You all three are weird!" Jiraiya pointed at us with a chopstick, already having a fourth box in his lap, eating, making my stomach growl. "Sit and eat. As official genins, listen carefully, because this will be my first lesson to you as my team." He continued as we all sat down before him, opening our bento... and Kushina was already stuffing herself. So loudly, in fact, that Minato was preparing to share his meal with her, because in two bites, half of her portion was gone. Those chains indeed took a lot out of her... "The bells are meaningless." Jiraiya continued, ignoring Kushina wolfing down her portion, "The fight was meaningless from the start. The only thing that matters is whether you'll abandon each other when it's inconvenient or not. Would you turn on the other... or not? Are you going to prioritize personal gain, or the good of the whole?"
"Sooo..." I began, stuffing my face, "How well did we do?"
"Don't get carried away, kid!" He snorted, looking at me with one eye, then kept smiling, "You all did well... But that doesn't mean you are special. You'll see!"
"We are special," I said proudly, making him chortle.
"We will see after a few real missions..." He looked at me, playing to be the mysterious sensei, "We. Will. See."