For three days straight, Yamanaka Shinno arrived at the training cavern early in the morning to spar with Jiraiya.
Whenever he ran out of chakra, he'd pop a soldier pill to recover quickly. If he got injured, he'd patch himself up with medical ninjutsu. Only when the sun had fully set would he finally drag his exhausted body home, using the night to continue his study of the Senju clan's Water Release techniques.
Thanks to his remarkable comprehension skills and learning ability, along with Jiraiya's purple-tier trait [Destined Mentor], those three days of relentless training had paid off tremendously.
His five years in the dissection class, where he extracted and recorded combat knowledge from the memories of various ninja, were finally bearing fruit. The myriad Water Release techniques that once seemed overwhelming had begun to blend seamlessly into his own style.
Whether it was jutsu selection, timing, countermeasures, or battle rhythm—Shinno had undergone a complete transformation.
Jiraiya had initially believed that after a few rounds of sparring, he'd figure out Shinno's techniques and trump cards, gaining the upper hand in their battles.
But, as always, reality had a cruel way of shattering expectations.
The slightest lapse in focus, and one of the legendary Sannin, the great Jiraiya himself, would find himself performing 'Pure Land Paradise,' 'The Mighty Warrior,' 'Love Loop,' or 'Predatory Stance'...
It might have been bearable if Shinno was the only one watching.
Unfortunately, by the afternoon of their very first spar, Namikaze Minato had brought along Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin to spectate.
To make matters worse, Shinno's three disciples had started their own training nearby that same afternoon.
And if that wasn't enough, Uzumaki Kushina and a girl named Honoka began showing up every day at noon, carrying packed lunches.
And they never left!
They'd stay until dusk, then head home with their respective boyfriends.
Damn it!
He didn't mind gathering material for his novels, but he had no interest in becoming the material!
In a desperate bid to avoid humiliating himself with public dance performances, Jiraiya stopped holding back entirely for the next two days. But despite his full effort, the outcome remained the same.
The fact that he didn't just keel over from sheer embarrassment was a testament to his mental fortitude.
After three days, Jiraiya didn't say a word—he simply packed up his belongings and fled to Mount Myoboku to train.
Sage Mode was hard to master? Didn't matter—he had to master it!
He was one of the legendary Sannin… He had a reputation to uphold… He… He…
He couldn't let his titles down!
"I don't think Jiraiya-sensei is coming back anytime soon," Minato remarked, staring at his mentor's now-empty residence, where even his toiletries had been cleared out. The sheer determination in Jiraiya's retreat was impossible to ignore.
"Did we… laugh too loudly?" Nohara Rin asked hesitantly, glancing at Yūhi Kurenai, who was holding her hand.
Kurenai shook her head, looking just as uncertain, before turning toward their teacher.
"Don't go blaming yourselves. If anyone should take responsibility, it's the one who actually made him dance." Shinno ruffled both their heads playfully.
"Jiraiya-sensei's dance was quite entertaining. A shame we won't get to see it today," Uchiha Obito said as he polished his goggles, completely agreeing with his teacher's sentiment.
Still, he felt a pang of regret.
He hadn't fully memorized those dance moves yet!
If—just if—he ended up with Rin one day… wouldn't it be great if she could dance for him instead…?
"You're bleeding from your nose," Kakashi deadpanned, his dead-fish eyes scanning Obito's progressively lewder expression.
Seriously. Who the hell got a nosebleed from thinking about Jiraiya dancing?
Was this guy a pervert?
"Huh? Ah! I-I, uh… it's just, just…" Obito wiped the blood away hastily, his face turning beet red as he scrambled for an excuse.
"I saw how yellow your pee was yesterday—I knew you were overheating. That's just the full power of youth!" Might Guy smacked Obito on the shoulder, flashing his signature thumbs-up and toothy grin.
Obito gawked at him.
Dude… that's seriously the best excuse you could come up with?
"Puberty-induced overheating? Yeah, checks out." Shiranui Genma, chewing on a senbon, gave them both a once-over before his gaze briefly lingered on Rin and Obito.
As a perceptive outsider, he saw right through everything.
Minato and Shinno exchanged knowing smiles.
Ah, youth—so wild, so passionate.
They'd been that age once too. It wasn't hard to guess what was running through the kids' heads.
"Alright, fun's over. Time for training," Shinno clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Yes, sir!" The three younger students responded in unison.
Might Guy immediately took off running laps around the training cavern.
Kurenai and Genma moved into a standard triangular formation, following Guy's lead.
Thanks to the improved sustained-limb-sealing technique Kushina had developed, all three had seen noticeable increases in physical strength.
Whereas they used to need hours to achieve effective training results, now they only needed a fraction of that time.
With this newfound efficiency, Guy poured even more time into honing his taijutsu, while Kurenai and Genma devoted themselves to mastering new ninjutsu.
"Let's give it our all today!" Minato encouraged Kakashi and the others.
Already accustomed to this daily routine, the trio quickly got to work on their own training regimen.
As for Shinno and Minato…
"Shall we begin?" Shinno raised an eyebrow, twirling a kunai between his fingers.
"No more trickery," Minato warned, brandishing his Flying Thunder God kunai. His usually warm face was uncharacteristically serious.
For the past three days, he had watched every single spar between Shinno and Jiraiya.
And he was utterly baffled.
How had Shinno hidden so much?
Clan secret techniques, genjutsu, Water Release, taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, sealing techniques…
Just how much was he keeping up his sleeve?
"I won't trick you if you don't trick me," Shinno smirked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
...
A moment later—
Clang!
Sparks flew as their kunai clashed.
Their figures blurred as they sprang apart, each immediately hurling their weapons forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the not-so-spacious courtyard, their silhouettes flickered like ghosts, colliding repeatedly.
After a brief exchange, both leaped outside.
Shinno flicked his wrist, sending one kunai skyward and another toward the ground.
Meanwhile, Minato held four Flying Thunder God kunai in each hand. With a swift spin and a flick of his waist, he launched them toward Shinno.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Minato's kunai struck midair, altering their trajectories—two arced overhead, cutting off Shinno's upward escape route; two angled downward, blocking his retreat; while the remaining four curved toward his vital points.
Shinno's eyes flashed in surprise.
Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu?
Interesting.
He hadn't expected Minato to incorporate such a flashy yet technically demanding technique into his Flying Thunder God strategy.
Still…
It was too late.
Shinno ignored the incoming kunai, bit his thumb, and vanished.
In the next instant—
Poof!
A murder of crows burst forth, each marked with a Flying Thunder God seal.
Minato's face darkened.
He'd spent three days watching Shinno not use Flying Thunder God.
When he'd asked why, Shinno had claimed he wasn't skilled enough to apply it in real combat.
…So this was what he meant by 'not skilled enough'?!
Betrayed!
Over and over again, Shinno tricked him—and every time, it felt different!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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