Iwa Battlefield.
Thanks to the intimidation factor of White Fang, the pressure here had eased considerably.
After all, the enemy also feared the sudden appearance of White Fang, so they dared not push too far.
Although pushing or not pushing led to the same outcome.
Now that things had quieted down, Jiraiya started training Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
At the training ground set up in the camp, they had created some wooden dummies for throwing practice.
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a rock.
Minato was leaning against another rock, studying a ninjutsu scroll, while Kushina was exercising nearby.
No matter how he looked at the two of them, Jiraiya felt that something was off.
It was just... peculiar.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was wrong.
"Jiraiya-sensei."
Kushina, having finished her handstand push-ups, looked at Jiraiya with curiosity.
"Who's stronger, you or Lord White Fang?"
After all, they were both leading elite shinobi on the front lines.
Minato also perked up his ears at this; he was quite interested in the answer.
"Between me and Sakumo, huh?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"If we go by our past sparring results, it's probably a 70-30 split."
Jiraiya's tone wasn't entirely certain. The two had completed missions together, but they had never actually fought.
"You only have a 30% chance of winning?"
Kushina looked a bit surprised.
What if... she wanted to switch teachers now? Would Lord White Fang accept her as a disciple?
"Do you really underestimate your teacher that much?" Jiraiya rolled his eyes at Kushina.
He was Jiraiya, after all—no pushover.
"I mean 70-30 in my favor. He would find it difficult to beat me."
Although Hatake Sakumo also excelled in ninjutsu, he couldn't compare to Jiraiya.
"What about in a life-or-death battle?" Minato asked curiously.
"More like 90-10."
Jiraiya mused over the numbers.
"You mean, you'd be that dominant in a real fight to the death?"
Kushina looked thrilled. Maybe changing teachers wasn't necessary after all.
"No," Jiraiya shook his head, "I'd only have a 10% chance of winning."
"Tch!" Kushina clicked her tongue. "So weak."
What were the steps for switching teachers again? She glanced at Minato; he might know.
"Don't disrespect your teacher like that."
"Bang!"
Jiraiya raised a fist, veins bulging on his forehead.
Kushina clutched her head, looking aggrieved.
What did she do wrong? She just wanted a stronger teacher.
"Why is there such a big difference between sparring and a life-or-death battle, Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato's curiosity deepened.
Given their similar experience levels, the gap shouldn't be that large between sparring and a real fight.
"Because Sakumo and I are different types of shinobi."
"I'm a versatile ninja, while Sakumo is a speed-focused assassin type. I'm good at ninjutsu; he's good at killing."
In a true battle, the one adept at killing naturally had the upper hand.
Nowadays, Sakumo was undeniably stronger.
Cutting mountains with a single strike—Jiraiya simply couldn't compete.
"I see," Minato nodded thoughtfully.
"By the way," Jiraiya said, resting his chin in his hand, "Minato, your path actually mirrors Sakumo's. If you get a chance, you should train under him."
"You both walk the path of speed and assassination."
Except one relied on secret family blade techniques, while the other used a combination of ninja and body techniques.
"If the opportunity arises," Minato smiled, clearly hopeful, before suddenly remembering something.
"Didn't Lord White Fang leave Jin behind?"
Jiraiya nodded. He wasn't sure why Sakumo had decided to keep Uchiha Jin around.
"Jin must be really happy," Kushina chimed in.
After all, it was White Fang's mentorship.
That's right.
A thrilled Uchiha Jin was, at that moment, chasing Konoha's White Fang with a sword.
"You bastard! When will this end?!"
With a single slash.
White Fang easily sidestepped.
No matter how fiercely Jin slashed, he couldn't touch a hair on White Fang's head.
Jin even tried using the Body Flicker Technique, but still couldn't harm him.
The gap between them was just too vast.
Suddenly, White Fang's attention wandered, and Jin managed to strike him.
"Poof!"
White Fang turned into smoke.
At that moment, every hair on Jin's body stood up. He shivered, instantly using the Body Flicker Technique to move far away without even looking back.
There, White Fang was forming the Tiger Seal, poised to strike.
"You bastard," Jin ground his teeth, nearly losing his cool.
"Your reflexes are sharp, Jin," White Fang said, nonchalantly lowering his hands.
"What the hell do you want?!"
Jin demanded directly. He had already applied for a transfer, but this bastard had blocked it, effectively making him a member of White Fang's team.
Now it was just him and White Fang; Aburame Mushi had temporarily joined but had since returned to her squad.
Accompanying White Fang on dangerous missions was worse than dealing with Minato and Kushina's lovey-dovey moments.
"Jin, don't sound like a scorned woman who's been abandoned. You're supposed to be a man, and men are the ones who make women talk like that," White Fang said without any expression, making outrageous statements. As he spoke, something seemed to cross his mind.
"A real man shouldn't make a woman cry anywhere except in bed," he added.
"Die already! You perverted Jonin! Spirit Ball Barrage!!"
Jin's fingers pointed erratically in the air, forming multiple blue spirit orbs that quickly coalesced.
They turned into beams of light, streaking towards White Fang.
White Fang's sword appeared in his hand without anyone noticing, and with a gentle move, all the spirit orbs split in two and dissipated.
Just as Jin was about to continue attacking, ready to eliminate the man who had both put him in danger and filled his head with trashy thoughts—
"Poof!"
A masked, gray-clad ninja suddenly appeared between them.
Jin frowned.
Was this an Anbu member, or perhaps someone from Root?
He turned around and kneeled halfway, addressing White Fang. "Lord White Fang, by the order of the Hokage, you are to relinquish command of the River Country defensive line to Lady Tsunade."
This kind of deference was typical for Anbu.
Root members rarely displayed such manners.
Moreover, Root had no authority over front-line personnel.
"Return to the village immediately," the masked ninja ordered.
White Fang took the scroll with an impassive expression.
"Poof!" The Anbu vanished in a puff of smoke.
Only then did White Fang open the scroll with a complicated expression, confirming the seal of the Hokage.
"They really intend to discard us once we're no longer useful, huh? Lord White Fang, maybe we should just rebel," Jin muttered, coming closer to read the contents.
White Fang gave him a sidelong glance, letting Jin interpret the meaning of his gaze on his own.
Jin casually leaned back, gazing up at the sky.
Wasn't this kind of thing inevitable?
If you're strong but not one of their own, you're bound to be targeted.
White Fang simply looked off into the distance—towards the direction of the Sand Village.
If he left now, the Sand would undoubtedly attack.
Why would the Hokage make this choice?
"You're coming back to the village with me."
"What?!"
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