[We have a winner!! ahaha, schedule will be as always, one chapter per day]
In the abandoned training ground. (Changed the name of the MC to Jin. There are to many Gin-sans in fanfics!)
Jin spotted two figures in the distance and quickened his pace to catch up.
Under the shade of a tree.
Jiraiya and Minato had been waiting for quite some time.
"Jin, you're late this time."
Minato waved at Jin, dressed in his signature white tracksuit with green borders.
The biggest change was probably in his demeanor, which had become much more composed. It seemed that in the past four months, his strength had improved significantly.
"Yo, Jin, long time no see."
Jiraiya also had a bright smile on his face, dressed not in his usual casual attire, but in a gray armor with a forehead protector firmly in place.
He looked like a soldier ready for battle.
But looking at the similar smiles on their faces…
"People do influence each other after spending a lot of time together. I thought it was just a rumor."
Jin looked at the two of them with a regretful expression.
"I didn't expect that even a fool's smile could be contagious."
Jiraiya's smile froze, unsure whether to keep smiling or not.
Who had a fool's smile?
This was clearly a handsome guy's smile!
Kid, be careful, or Jiraiya-sama might sue you for slander!!
Jiraiya roared in his heart.
"Jin, Jiraiya-sensei's smile isn't foolish; it's the smile of a hero."
Minato gave a thumbs up, and Jin could almost feel the same vibe as Might Duy.
Completely adding fuel to the fire.
"Show some respect for me first!"
Jiraiya punched Minato on the head.
"Bang!"
A bump quickly formed on Minato's head. Rubbing it, he looked at Jiraiya with a face full of confusion.
"I do respect Jiraiya-sensei."
Why did he get hit?
Minato's innocent look made Jiraiya sigh deeply. Though his student was a bit naive, if you looked inside, you would definitely find darkness.
Turning to see Jin smiling like a fox that had just stolen a chicken, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel frustrated.
"You're the real culprit!"
In a flash, Jiraiya appeared beside Jin, raising his fist but hesitating to bring it down.
He remembered some promises made by certain people.
Seeing Jin's smile, revealing all his teeth as if expecting something, Jiraiya reluctantly withdrew his hand. He was genuinely afraid Jin had hidden poison needles in his hair.
Jin's words from last time still echoed in his mind.
This was someone who would actually put poison needles on his head, and Jiraiya was a bit scared.
Jin had been training with Orochimaru for four months. While Orochimaru wasn't a poison expert, he was still skilled in it.
In the village, he was one of the top when it came to poisons.
Teaching Jin how to mix poisons and such was quite easy for him.
"Scared, aren't you?"
Seeing Jiraiya hesitating, Jin shamelessly taunted him.
"Who's scared?!"
Jiraiya, with a burst of energy, swung his fist quickly towards Jin's head, only to find he had punched air—Jin had already vanished.
Turning around, he saw Jin with his back to him, flashing a peace sign.
Feeling speechless, Jiraiya couldn't believe someone was playing with him.
But Jin's speed surprised him greatly.
"Such speed!"
Jiraiya hadn't even seen when Jin moved; it was almost like a space-time jutsu.
In response to Jiraiya's praise, Jin tilted his head and casually said,
"Rokushiki - Soru - Shunpo."
An upgraded version of Soru, Jin hadn't spent the past four months idly. All his skills had leveled up, far beyond what they were before.
Since the restriction on his "Golden Finger" had been lifted, his strength had skyrocketed.
So his previous weakness was all because of the Golden Finger.
"Don't get too full of yourself, kid!"
Jiraiya's hair quickly extended towards Jin.
Facing the incoming hair, Jin simply smiled faintly, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.
In the next moment.
The sword was drawn.
In an instant, silver strands of hair flew everywhere.
Jiraiya only saw flashes of the sword; he couldn't even make out the blade.
This high-speed sword-drawing technique was comparable to that of Sakumo.
Sakumo was a master of sword techniques, and even Jiraiya wouldn't dare face his blade.
Especially that certain killer taijutsu of his—just thinking about it made Jiraiya feel a sharp pain in specific areas.
"You haven't been slacking off these three months."
Jiraiya looked at Jin seriously.
With Jin's speed and sword-drawing ability, in a fight, it wouldn't be easy to take him down. At the very least, he could hold his own for a round or two.
"But I haven't been idle either."
Jiraiya appeared next to Jin again just as his sword returned to its sheath, giving Jin no time to react.
Without giving Jin any time to react, Jiraiya's fist came crashing down.
Bang! Jin crouched down, clutching his head.
"That hurt."
This time, he really hadn't hidden anything in his hair, and the way Jiraiya moved…
Jin glared at Minato in anger.
Jiraiya had used Soru!!
Minato unconsciously turned his head away.
It wasn't like he taught Jiraiya; Jiraiya-sensei had learned it on his own, along with three other techniques.
Instead of learning much ninjutsu from Jiraiya, Minato had ended up teaching him quite a bit.
Who was teaching whom now?
"Haha." Jiraiya laughed heartily, hands on his hips. "Kid, don't underestimate Jiraiya-sama."
His strength was nothing to scoff at.
That basic internal technique had drastically accelerated his growth.
At that moment.
All three of them simultaneously looked up at the sky.
A figure was slowly descending from above, getting closer and closer.
"Is that Kushina?"
Jin asked, puzzled. That red hair was too conspicuous.
"Why is she coming from the sky?"
Minato also looked worried. Wouldn't she fall to her death from that height?
As Kushina's figure landed on the ground.
"Boom!!"
The ground instantly shattered from the impact, sending dirt and rocks flying in all directions, kicking up a cloud of dust.
A figure leaped out from the dust cloud, flipping in the air before landing in the middle of the three.
"Uzumaki Kushina! Here to help!"
Kushina slowly stood up from her crouched position, adjusting the forehead protector on her head.
Jin's face darkened. The way she made her entrance, those who knew her would understand, but others might think it was an enemy attack.
Jiraiya and Minato's eyes sparkled: "So cool!"
Jin: "Enough already!!"
Jin felt like he didn't fit in with them, as if he wasn't silly enough.
Their reaction only made Kushina more pleased with herself. She had worked hard and even asked Tsunade for help to perfect that entrance.
Jiraiya and Minato eagerly stepped forward to ask Kushina about her entrance technique.
"That's enough!! You guys!!"
Jin quickly stopped them. They were supposed to be gathering as a team, not holding a fan meeting.
"Oh, it's Jin." Kushina looked at Jin, tilting her head back in pride.
"It's been a while. How's your progress?"
She acted like a big sister talking to a younger brother.
Jin hesitated for a moment.
"Probably not as much as you. After all, you've even learned how to look down on people with your nostrils."
He really couldn't do that.
"You…! Die!"
Kushina threw a punch at him, but Jin dodged, reappearing on the other side. The wooden stake behind him took the full brunt of her punch.
"Boom!" The entire stake turned to powder.
"That's monster strength."
Jiraiya looked on with nostalgia, realizing it had been a long time since he'd experienced it himself.
Watching the figures in pursuit—one destroying everything in her path with her monster strength, the other like a phantom, untouchable—reminded him of his past.
At least Orochimaru wouldn't mock Tsunade so harshly.
As for him, he usually got knocked out by Tsunade in one hit, with no chase involved.
"Ahem!"
Jiraiya cleared his throat twice, and the two finally stopped and walked back.
"Hmph!" Kushina snorted and turned her head away.
Jiraiya then explained the mission to the three of them.
"This time, we're heading to the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire, mainly to guard against a potential attack from Iwagakure. It's mostly reconnaissance."
"Any questions?"
"No." The three shook their heads simultaneously.
They had no objections, especially since this would be their first time leaving the country.
"Alright then, Team 7, let's move out!"
The remnants of the cold still lingered, and the air carried a chill.
As the snow melted, it revealed the barren land beneath. The melting snow had made the ground muddy.
Team 7 walked along the desolate road.
Konoha was no longer in sight.
"Minato, Jin, I've got a summoning beast that once belonged to the First Hokage."
Kushina, who was leading the way, turned around, full of pride.
Jiraiya, walking ahead, merely smiled knowingly.
Minato hesitated for a moment.
"I've also got a great summoning beast."
One that was the same as Jiraiya-sensei's.
"Summon it then, let's see whose summoning beast is stronger."
Kushina, with her strong competitive spirit, wanted to see it right away. Not waiting for Minato to object, she had already finished the hand signs.
"Summoning Jutsu."
"Poof."
A slug over two meters tall appeared, with Kushina standing on its massive figure.
"Little Kushina, do you need to fight?"
"No, I just want to show my teammates!" Kushina lifted her head proudly.
This was the summoning beast that only the First Hokage had.
Slug: ???
Minato scratched his head and finished his own summoning signs.
"Poof!"
A toad over two meters tall also appeared under his feet.
Jin, who hadn't yet fully grown due to his age, looked up at the two giant figures with a blank expression.
"Hey! Jin! Orochimaru-sama also has a powerful summoning beast, right? You didn't make a contract, did you?"
Kushina seized the opportunity to mock Jin.
"I made a contract."
Jin quickly walked past the two standing on their summoning beasts, not giving Kushina a chance to make fun of him.
A white cloud of smoke appeared behind him, and as the summoning beasts were dismissed, Kushina and Minato hurried to catch up.
"If you didn't make a contract, just admit it. I'd definitely mock you properly."
Kushina taunted from behind.
Jin suddenly stopped, and Kushina nearly bumped into his back.
Before she could ask what was going on, Jin gave an order.
"Shiro, bite her!"
A white shadow suddenly shot out from Jin's collar, biting Kushina's nose.
"Ah! My nose is going to fall off! It's going to fall off!"
Kushina frantically grabbed onto Shiro's body, running around in a panic, and ended up crashing into a tree.
"Hmph." Jin snorted coldly.
"This is my summoning beast!"
(End of Chapter)