At an abandoned training ground, Jin spotted two figures in the distance and quickened his pace.
Under the shade of a tree stood Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato, who had been waiting for some time.
"Jin, you're late this time," Minato called out, waving with his signature smile. He was dressed in his usual white tracksuit with green trims. The biggest change in him was his demeanor—he seemed much more composed and confident after these past four months of training.
"Yo, Jin, long time no see," Jiraiya greeted him with a broad grin. Unlike his usual attire, Jiraiya was clad in a gray set of armor, with his forehead protector properly in place, looking like a soldier ready for battle.
But looking at the two of them with their similar smiles, Jin couldn't help but mutter, "So it's true that people influence each other when they spend too much time together. I thought it was just a rumor."
He sighed dramatically, looking at the pair with mock regret.
"Who would've thought that even a fool's smile could be contagious?"
Jiraiya's smile froze. He didn't know whether to keep smiling or frown. Who had the fool's smile now? His was obviously the smile of a handsome man! How dare Jin call it foolish! Jiraiya fumed internally.
"Jin, sensei's smile is not a fool's smile. It's the smile of a great hero," Minato said, giving a thumbs-up. For a brief moment, Jin felt like he was talking to Might Dai.
That's just adding fuel to the fire...
"You could at least respect me first!" Jiraiya snapped, bonking Minato on the head with his fist.
Thud!
A large bump formed on Minato's head as he rubbed it with a confused expression. "But I do respect you, Jiraiya-sensei..."
He looked utterly bewildered, unable to understand why he had been hit. His innocent face made Jiraiya sigh deeply. Despite Minato's clueless demeanor, Jiraiya had a sneaking suspicion that his student was more cunning than he let on.
Turning back to Jin, who was grinning like a fox that had just stolen a chicken, Jiraiya couldn't help but growl.
"The troublemaker is clearly you!"
In an instant, Jiraiya appeared next to Jin, raising his fist, but he hesitated before bringing it down on Jin's head. He remembered a certain promise Jin had made. Jin grinned widely, almost as if daring him to strike. Begrudgingly, Jiraiya pulled his hand back. He was genuinely afraid that Jin had hidden poison needles in his hair. After all, he hadn't forgotten the last time Jin had pulled a stunt like that. The boy had been training under Orochimaru for four months now, and while Orochimaru wasn't primarily known for poison techniques, he was still an expert.
"Scared, are we?" Jin taunted, clearly enjoying himself.
"Who's scared?!" Jiraiya shouted, swinging his fist down... only to hit empty air. Jin had already disappeared, reappearing a short distance away with his back to Jiraiya, flashing him a peace sign.
Jiraiya was speechless. Was Jin really playing around like this?
Still, the speed at which Jin moved was impressive.
"That's some incredible speed," Jiraiya muttered, genuinely surprised. He hadn't even noticed when Jin had moved, as if it had been some sort of space-time ninjutsu.
"Six Styles: Swift Step – Instant Step," Jin said with a tilt of his head. It was an upgraded version of the Swift Step technique, and over the past four months, he had refined all of his abilities. His skills had advanced to a completely new level.
Ever since his "golden finger" limit had been lifted, Jin's strength had increased rapidly. In hindsight, his weakness had mostly been due to that restriction.
"Don't get cocky, brat!" Jiraiya's hair grew long and shot toward Jin like a mass of tendrils.
Jin, unperturbed by the incoming attack, smiled and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
In a flash, the sword was drawn.
In an instant, silver strands of hair flew through the air. Jiraiya barely caught the gleam of the blade as it sliced through his hair tendrils. The speed of Jin's draw was reminiscent of Hatake Sakumo, a master of kenjutsu. Even Jiraiya, with all his strength, wouldn't dare face Sakumo's blade head-on, especially not with the added threat of that peculiar taijutsu style that left lingering pain.
"You didn't waste those three months," Jiraiya remarked, his expression serious.
Jin's speed and swordsmanship had reached a level where even Jiraiya would find it difficult to defeat him easily. He could likely last one or two rounds against Jiraiya now.
"But I haven't been idle either!" Jiraiya shot forward, once again appearing beside Jin, who had only just sheathed his sword. This time, Jin had no time to react as Jiraiya's fist came down hard.
Thud!
Jin clutched his head, crouching down in pain. "Ow!"
This time, he hadn't hidden anything in his hair. But the real shock came from the way Jiraiya had moved.
Jin glared accusingly at Minato. Jiraiya had used Swift Step!
Minato awkwardly turned away, avoiding Jin's gaze. It wasn't that he had taught Jiraiya directly—it was more like Jiraiya had learned it from observing him. In fact, Minato had learned more from Jiraiya than the other way around.
"Ha ha!" Jiraiya laughed triumphantly, hands on his hips. "Don't underestimate the great Jiraiya-sama!"
With the Foundation Training, Jiraiya had grown stronger at an incredible pace.
Just then, all three of them turned their attention skyward.
A figure was descending from the sky, growing closer by the second.
"Is that Kushina?" Jin asked in confusion. That red hair was unmistakable.
"Why is she coming from the sky?" Minato's face was filled with concern. That height could kill her!
As Kushina's figure plummeted toward the ground...
Boom!
The ground shattered on impact, sending dirt and stones flying. A cloud of dust billowed into the air.
A figure leaped from the debris, flipping mid-air before landing between the three of them.
"Uzumaki Kushina has arrived!" she announced dramatically, brushing off her forehead protector.
Jin had a black line on his face. Anyone who knew her would recognize her arrival, but anyone who didn't would think they were under attack.
Jiraiya and Minato, on the other hand, were starry-eyed. "So cool!" they exclaimed.
Jin couldn't hold it in anymore. "Enough already!"
He felt out of place in this group of enthusiastic fools.
Kushina, seeing their reactions, grinned even more proudly. She had spent a long time coming up with this entrance, even asking Tsunade for advice.
Jiraiya and Minato eagerly approached her to ask about her entrance technique.
"That's enough, you two!" Jin shouted, trying to rein them in. This was supposed to be a team meeting, not a fan convention.
"Oh, it's you, Jin." Kushina raised her chin, trying to act superior. "It's been a while. How's your progress?"
She acted like a big sister talking down to her younger brother.
Jin hesitated for a moment before responding. "Probably not as good as yours. After all, I can't yet look down on people with my nostrils like you can."
That was something he definitely couldn't do.
"Die, you jerk!" Kushina threw a punch, but Jin easily dodged, and her fist slammed into a wooden post behind him, turning it into dust.
"Monster strength, huh," Jiraiya said, looking nostalgic. It had been a while since he had been on the receiving end of that punch.
Watching the chase between Jin and Kushina, with her destructive punches and his ghost-like speed, Jiraiya couldn't help but reminisce about the past. It was a little different from his own experiences—Orochimaru, after all, wasn't as prone to taunting as Jin. And Jiraiya had never been fast enough to run; Tsunade had always beaten him in one hit.
Cough! Cough!
Jiraiya cleared his throat, and the two finally stopped.
"Hmph!" Kushina turned away with a snort.
Jiraiya then explained the mission. "We're heading to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass to guard against any surprise attacks from Iwagakure. Most of the work will be reconnaissance."
"Any questions?"
The three of them shook their heads.
"Then, Team Seven is assembled! Let's move out!"
---
Though winter's chill lingered in the air, the ice was beginning to melt, turning the land into a muddy mess. The snowmelt revealed barren ground as Team Seven walked down the desolate path, with no sign of Konoha behind them.
"Minato, Jin, I've got the summoning beast of the First Hokage," Kushina boasted, walking ahead of the group.
Jiraiya smiled knowingly.
Minato hesitated before speaking. "I also have a summoning beast. It's the same kind Jiraiya-sensei has."
"Let's summon them and see who has the better one!" Kushina's competitive spirit flared up
. Without waiting for Minato to protest, she had already completed the summoning jutsu.
Poof!
A two-meter-tall slug appeared, and Kushina proudly stood atop it.
"Little Kushina, do you need to fight?" the slug asked.
"No, I just wanted to show off to my teammates!" Kushina replied, lifting her chin proudly. After all, this was the same summoning beast used by the First Hokage.
Slug: ???
Minato scratched his head and performed the summoning jutsu as well.
Poof!
A large toad, also two meters tall, appeared at his feet.
Jin looked up at the two towering beasts, his face expressionless.
"Hey, Jin! Orochimaru-sama also has a powerful summoning beast, doesn't he? Don't tell me you don't have a contract yet!" Kushina taunted, always eager to get under Jin's skin.
"I have a contract," Jin replied coolly, walking past them without giving Kushina a chance to gloat.
Behind him, Kushina and Minato quickly dispelled their summons and rushed to catch up.
"If you don't have one, just admit it! I'll make sure to laugh at you properly," Kushina teased from behind.
Suddenly, Jin stopped, causing Kushina to nearly bump into him.
Before she could say anything, Jin shouted, "Little White, bite her!"
A white blur shot out from Jin's collar and clamped onto Kushina's nose.
"Ahh! My nose is going to fall off!" Kushina screamed, grabbing the small white snake and running around in a panic, only to slam her head into a tree.
"Hmph." Jin crossed his arms, smirking. "That's my summoning beast."