The three figures hiding in the shadows watched the scene unfold, finally breathing a collective sigh of relief when they saw Jiraiya successfully trapped in the Water Prison. The three who had seemingly engaged Jiraiya moments before were, in fact, all Water Clones. However, before they could celebrate, another Jiraiya appeared, and the Water Prison Jutsu was instantly broken. They immediately looked at each other in dismay.
"That cunning Jiraiya! He used a Shadow Clone to trick us," Nawaki said indignantly.
"There's nothing we can do about it. We never said he couldn't use ninjutsu," Minato said, a bit speechless.
"Enough talk. Our first plan failed. Let's figure out what to do next," Kyuushin said, gasping for breath as the last of his clones dissipated. Having created three Water Clones, his chakra reserves were dangerously low. Their margin for error was now razor-thin.
On the other side, Jiraiya was also a bit speechless when he saw the third clone he had just eliminated.
"I wonder who taught them this tactic of only attacking with clones while the real bodies hide," he muttered to himself. However, he had to admit the tactic was effective. If he hadn't been careful enough to leave a Shadow Clone behind in advance, he probably would have fallen for it. "But having used three clones, a boy his age probably doesn't have much chakra left. It seems the next wave of attacks will be their last."
As he was pondering, Nawaki, Kyuushin, and Minato suddenly jumped in front of him.
"Not hiding anymore? To be honest, your tactics surprised me," he praised sincerely.
"Hmph! You saw through it anyway," Nawaki's expression was still a bit sour.
"But it seemed like it was all Kyuushin on the offensive just now. I haven't seen you two make a move yet," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Are you two hiding and afraid to act?"
Goaded by Jiraiya's taunts, the already annoyed Nawaki was the first to charge forward, with Minato following closely behind. Kyuushin, however, did not join them. Instead, he stood still and threw a volley of kunai and shuriken towards Jiraiya.
"Oh? What tactic is this now?" Jiraiya thought as he looked at the motionless Kyuushin. However, his body movements were not slow. While dodging the shuriken and kunai, he instantly engaged Nawaki and Minato. In a direct confrontation, the gap between the two boys and Jiraiya was starkly apparent. They were immediately put on the defensive, able only to parry and dodge awkwardly. Fortunately, Kyuushin was constantly throwing shuriken from the side to distract Jiraiya, disrupting his attack rhythm at just the right moments.
"Binding Jutsu!"
Suddenly, Kyuushin, who was still providing cover fire, abruptly used a new jutsu. In an instant, Jiraiya felt as if his limbs and torso were locked, causing his attacking movements to pause momentarily. The Binding Jutsu is a simple D-rank jutsu, an entry-level genjutsu, but it is very practical. However, with Kyuushin's low chakra and the vast power gap between them, the jutsu only caused Jiraiya's movements to pause for a brief moment.
But in that brief moment, Nawaki and Minato found their opportunity. They pounced, immediately embracing Jiraiya's arms.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss—"
A strange sound came from their bodies. Jiraiya looked closely—explosive tags! A good tactic is timeless. Nawaki was now using the very same tactic Kyuushin had used on him earlier. The real Nawaki and Minato then jumped out from their hiding spots. Minato immediately threw all the ninja tools he had, while Nawaki made hand signs.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!" A stream of water blades shot out from his mouth, hurtling towards Jiraiya. In an instant, Jiraiya faced multiple threats.
However, he was not flustered at all. He even laughed loudly. "Hahaha, well met!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Kyuushin and the others didn't even see Jiraiya form hand signs before a powerful gust of wind erupted from his mouth. In just an instant, this strong wind expanded several times. The Shadow Clones on his arms instantly disappeared, and even the explosive tags were blown away. The incoming ninja tools and Nawaki's ninjutsu disintegrated. Even the three boys themselves were blown several meters away, falling to the ground. When the jutsu dissipated, the area around Jiraiya was completely clear of vegetation.
And just like that, their carefully prepared second plan failed, undone by a single ninjutsu.
"Alright, this survival exercise ends here," Jiraiya said, walking over and helping them up one by one.
The three followed him out of the forest. "Overall, I'm very satisfied with your performance," he concluded. "Especially your use of clones. You used them quite well. However, I still have to say, this jutsu can be used at your age, but you can't create too many at once. I'm sure you've noticed that yourselves, right?" Jiraiya looked at Kyuushin.
Kyuushin nodded. "Indeed, this jutsu consumes too much chakra at this stage. Once too many clones are made, the main body's combat power is greatly weakened."
"That's right, but there's no need to rush. You are still young. Once you reach your teenage years, your bodies will develop rapidly, and your chakra levels will greatly increase. Especially for you two." Jiraiya pointed at Kyuushin and Nawaki. "Your bloodline is uniquely gifted; your future chakra reserves might far exceed my own. As for you, Minato, if you get proper nutrition, your chakra won't be lacking either."
Next, Jiraiya pointed out some minor issues they had, which also greatly benefited them. "Alright, the survival exercise is over. Now it's time for missions. Any requirements?"
The three shook their heads. "With your strength, doing D-rank missions would be a waste of time. Therefore, I plan to directly take on C-Rank missions. These tasks generally don't involve other ninja and are perfect for you to gain some experience." The three nodded in unison. "Then we'll start with C-Rank missions. I'll go ask the old man later if there are any suitable assignments. However, I'll say this upfront: during the mission, I usually won't intervene. It will be entirely up to you. Understood?" Seeing the three nod, Jiraiya was quite satisfied. "Alright, dismissed for now. We'll gather at the same place at the same time tomorrow."
__________________________
"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon
[patreon.com /coolperry]
for early access to future chapters.(+30 chapters)