Jiraiya's body trembled; his eyes lost their luster as he fell backward. The silver hair binding Minato and Kushina dissipated.
"Boom!" Jiraiya vanished in a puff of smoke—a shadow clone.
Jin sighed. He was spent. Fortunately, the bells hadn't disappeared with the clone; Kushina had secured them with her chains.
Jiraiya emerged from the trees, carrying a box. "Impressive, you three." He'd sent a shadow clone, which should have been more than enough for a Genin team. Only a chunin team could take down a single shadow clone.
"Jiraiya-sensei, we won!" Kushina declared triumphantly, shaking the bells.
Jiraiya smiled. The brat was finally using the proper honorifics. "Let's eat first." He patted the box. "It's my special bento!"
Kushina looked unimpressed, but her hunger overruled her displeasure. She and Minato joined Jiraiya. Jin, also looking weak, joined them. The Spirit Ball had been incredibly draining. Despite its power, it was too much for his current chakra reserves. His chakra was depleted, and his body ached.
"Alright, let's eat." The box contained a feast, with steaming bowls of rice for everyone. The three devoured the food. The dishes emptied at an alarming rate.
Jiraiya watched, using his chopsticks to stir his rice, lost in thought. Noticing their gazes, he forced a smile, then his expression turned serious.
"Who will return to the Academy?"
Minato and Kushina looked at each other. Jin, however, remained unperturbed. This test meant nothing to him.
"I want to return to the Academy and study for another ten years," Jin announced. He'd be happy to be a permanent Academy fixture. Better than being sent to the battlefield. As for fighting for the village… he was a rogue element, unaffected by the Will of Fire.
But that was wishful thinking. With their abilities, the village wouldn't let them go easily.
Minato raised his hand. "I'll drop out." "I don't feel I'm that useful." His smile couldn't quite mask the bitterness in his voice. Compared to Jin's devastating taijutsu and Kushina's potent bloodline, Minato felt insignificant.
Kushina's face darkened. "I'll drop out too." "I don't think the village will send me on missions anyway." As a jinchuriki, a strategic asset, she knew her position.
Only Jin was truly content with this outcome. He gazed at the sky. The sky was so blue; the clouds so white.
"Hahaha," Jiraiya laughed, his satisfaction apparent. "You all passed." "Because you will be relying on each other. Mistrust between teammates is dangerous." He'd been testing their bond.
Kushina looked dumbfounded, then noticed Minato's sunny smile. "So, we're all Genin now."
Jin was ignored.
"Starting today, you are Genin Team Seven, under my command," Jiraiya announced.
"Yay!" Kushina jumped with joy. Jiraiya grinned. They were a mirror image of the original Team Seven: Kushina's violent tendencies echoing Tsunade's; Jin's stoicism reflecting Orochimaru's; Minato's gentle nature reminiscent of Jiraiya's. He was like Minato, after all.
"As our instructor, shouldn't you treat us to a feast?" Jin suddenly sat up, a mischievous grin on his face. He looked like a sly fox. Minato and Kushina looked at him expectantly.
Jiraiya slapped his chest. "Of course!" He had a bad feeling about this, though. And hadn't they just eaten?
Konoha Yakitori Restaurant. Jiraiya stared at the enormous bill, his jaw dropping. He checked his wallet—not nearly enough money! He wasn't wealthy yet. Being a ninja was lucrative, but equipment and jutsu were expensive.
He looked at the smiling restaurant owner, then hesitantly said, "Can I wash dishes to pay?"
The owner's eyes widened. This ninja was brazen, far less generous than the previous customer. He used his abacus, then agreed to the deal.
Jiraiya was dejectedly leaving when he heard Jin's voice.
"Those of us who are always hungry have to find someone to treat us." Minato looked embarrassed; Kushina was serious.
Jiraiya's face darkened. He rescinded his earlier compliments about Jin's character. Jin, in the middle of advising Minato and Kushina on finding "meal tickets," looked up to see Jiraiya, his face grim.
"Oh, Jiraiya-sensei," Jin greeted him, a sly grin on his face.
You wanted to say "meal ticket," didn't you?! Jiraiya roared internally. This kid was a bottomless pit!
"Alright, alright, don't be mad," Jin said, producing a small notebook. "Here."
"This is…?" Jiraiya examined the contents.
"Foundation Training. This is why I couldn't use ninjutsu before." He needed to establish transparency within the squad. This wasn't about Jiraiya's jutsu.
Jiraiya was intrigued.
"Jiraiya," a low voice said. Orochimaru had appeared without warning.
Jiraiya's face brightened. A savior! "Yo, Orochimaru! You're late! Lend me some money!"
Orochimaru tilted his head. "???" He checked his pockets. "I didn't bring my wallet."
There was no savior.
Orochimaru's eyes fell on the notebook. A smile played on his lips.
"Jiraiya, this contains the true path."
"Huh?" Jiraiya looked at the notebook, utterly confused. Orochimaru offered no further explanation. "I'll take them."
Jin waved at Minato and Kushina. "See you tomorrow."
Minato looked at Jiraiya questioningly after Jin and Orochimaru left. "Jiraiya-sensei, who was that?"
Jiraiya was lost in thought. "Jonin Orochimaru. My teammate." His pensive expression turned grim. "I have some business. You two can go home. I'll take you on your first mission tomorrow."
Jiraiya walked back to the restaurant, a look of resignation on his face. He was going to wash a mountain of dishes.
Minato and Kushina exchanged bewildered glances.
Jin followed Orochimaru deeper into the forest, towards the Forbidden Forest, an area closed to civilians due to dangerous animals and beasts. Many Uchiha obtained their summoning animals from this area.
Jin had questions but remained silent. He followed Orochimaru through a hidden passage to a laboratory.
Orochimaru explained the layout. "This will be your training ground. The first floor is the training area. The second floor houses the beasts; the third is a jutsu library, free for your perusal. The fourth floor is my laboratory."
Jin was blunt. "Orochimaru-sama, you're not just training me, are you?" Regardless of his past or present actions, Jin didn't believe Orochimaru would be entirely selfless. He wasn't Nawaki. Orochimaru clearly had a plan.
"Jin, do you understand what your technique represents?" Orochimaru asked, instead of answering.
Jin frowned, lost in thought. His technique had been developed differently from standard ninja techniques. What did it represent?
Orochimaru answered. "Change. A change for the entire shinobi world."
Jin leapt back, drawing his kunai. Change wasn't something to be taken lightly, especially when uttered by someone else. It signaled danger.
"Hiss!" A snake slithered towards Jin, wrapping around his body. He froze, unable to move. The power difference was too great.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Don't worry, Jin. I won't harm you. I'll protect you, but I need you to continue developing the Foundation Training." Orochimaru had spent the past few days studying the technique. It was profound, yet the approach was immature. He couldn't alter it without understanding the underlying principles. That might take a while. Why not let the creator do the work?
"My current knowledge isn't enough to continue," Jin said. He wasn't refusing to use Deduction! Deduction was rejecting his requests!
"I'll provide you protection and resources. You just need to give me the results, and I will let you participate in my expeirment."
"And what kind of experiment?"
"The Hashirama Cell experiment."
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If we can reach 50 power stones, I will release additional 3 bonus chaps.