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On the Iwagakure battlefield, at the Konoha camp, Minato was sitting cross-legged on a wooden training dummy, deep in thought.
"Minato, what are you thinking about?" asked Kushina, who was practicing handstands nearby, curious about his contemplation.
"I'm thinking about a new jutsu," Minato explained with a smile.
"Aren't the jutsu Jin left you enough?" Kushina asked curiously. Before leaving, Jin had given each of them a set of jutsu, significantly boosting their abilities.
For Kushina, Jin's jutsu were incredibly useful—at least until she activated her tailed beast mode. Once that was active, it was all about unleashing the Tailed Beast Bomb repeatedly. If there were still survivors, she'd just bomb them again.
Minato scratched his head, flashing his signature bright smile. "I feel like if I just keep learning the jutsu Jin developed, I'll never be able to surpass him."
The two had sparred countless times, with Minato always ending up defeated. Jin's strength had grown too far beyond his reach, whether in taijutsu or ninjutsu. As for genjutsu, Minato wasn't foolish enough to compete with an Uchiha in that department.
"Plus, if I only keep learning Jin's jutsu, I really want to create something that he'll have to use against me," Minato said, revealing his competitive spirit.
While he admired Jin, who was only two years older, he was determined to eventually defeat him and prove his own abilities.
He was secretly working hard, hoping to one day force Jin to use one of his jutsu to counter Minato's own, and say, "Minato's jutsu isn't bad."
Unfortunately, Minato sighed and lowered his head in frustration. He was nowhere near that level yet. Even though his teacher, Jiraiya, had provided him with many ninjutsu scrolls, creating a jutsu that could surpass Jin's was still too difficult.
"So," Kushina said, flipping upright to stand on the ground, "have you developed any new jutsu yet?"
Unlike Minato, who wanted to surpass Jin in every aspect, Kushina just wanted to become stronger than him and show him that she, Kushina, wasn't someone to be underestimated.
She was determined to beat Jin to a pulp!
Kushina's expression became solemn, her face showing intense determination.
"Wait!" Minato quickly called out, stopping her. Kushina's entire demeanor had changed!
Seeing her return to her usual self, Minato breathed a sigh of relief. That version of Kushina was a bit too much for him to handle.
"I've been working on a defensive jutsu," Minato said, rubbing his temples. "It's inspired by the Wind Slash technique."
But this only deepened his sense of defeat. While Jin had created techniques from scratch, he was merely borrowing ideas, and his version wasn't nearly as powerful.
Kushina, eager to try it out, suggested, "How about we test it?"
She had been itching for a fight and still had some pent-up frustration to release.
Minato hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "Alright."
He jumped down from the wooden dummy and quickly formed hand seals.
"Wind Style: Gale Wall!"
A wall of wind appeared in front of Minato, just large enough to shield him.
"What kind of ridiculous name is that?!" Kushina roared as she slammed her fist, infused with chakra-enhanced strength, into the wind wall.
The wall couldn't withstand her punch and shattered instantly.
"I knew it," Minato sighed in disappointment.
Kushina, on the other hand, noticed something during the strike. She felt some of the chakra from her punch dissipate into the wall.
"This jutsu is meant to counter ninjutsu, isn't it?" she asked.
"Exactly," Minato nodded. "The Gale Wall is designed to disrupt chakra, theoretically blocking anything made of chakra. As a Wind Style jutsu, it can also deflect some physical weapons."
Most of the technique came from ninjutsu scrolls provided by Jiraiya, but the core idea was inspired by the Wind Slash technique. However, unlike Wind Slash, which absorbed chakra to grow stronger, his Gale Wall was much less effective.
"So," Kushina's forehead veins bulged as she punched Minato under the chin, sending him flying, "what kind of stupid name is that?!"
Minato rubbed his head where he had landed, thankful that his basic ninjutsu training had strengthened his body, allowing him to endure Kushina's punch.
"But I thought it sounded pretty cool," he said, still somewhat attached to the name.
"From now on, we're calling it Wind Wall," Kushina declared, making the decision final.
"But—" Minato wanted to protest, but seeing Kushina's raised fist, he swallowed his words. Why did Kushina have to learn from Lady Tsunade?! He couldn't help but feel that his future might be less than ideal.
Jiraiya suddenly appeared between them.
"Jiraiya-sensei," the two of them greeted simultaneously.
Though Jiraiya looked worried, he smiled warmly at his two students. "How have you two been holding up?"
Minato and Kushina fell silent, causing Jiraiya to slap his forehead. What a foolish question he had asked.
"Forget it. I've received information from Amegakure that Iwagakure might be planning a large-scale attack here. Be on your guard. I'll be assigning you a Jonin and another team member."
Jiraiya was currently overwhelmed by Iwagakure's intentions, mainly concerned about his students' safety during this war, which is why he had come to make arrangements.
Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads, rejecting the offer. "Jiraiya-sensei, we don't need new teammates."
Jin was a member of Team 7, and neither of them wanted anyone to take his place.
This left Jiraiya at a loss. "But you—"
He worried about their safety, knowing that without Jin, their strength was insufficient.
"Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei. If worst comes to worst—" Kushina hesitated, glancing at Jiraiya but ultimately not finishing her sentence.
She had considered using the power of the Nine-Tails. With Minato's support, she wouldn't have to fear the danger.
"Alright," Jiraiya reluctantly agreed, nodding his head.
At this point, exposure didn't matter as long as they could hold off Iwagakure's assault. If they managed to defend successfully, Iwagakure would find itself in a precarious position.
Jiraiya hugged both of his students tightly, ruffling their hair like a father.
"Survive."
Jiraiya had no confidence in his ability to control the entire battlefield. Unforeseen events could occur at any time.
(End of Chapter)