Iwa Frontline.
Konoha Camp.
Namikaze Minato sat cross-legged atop a training log, deep in thought.
"Minato, what are you thinking about?"
Kushina, who was doing handstand exercises, walked over and asked curiously.
"I'm thinking about a new jutsu."
Namikaze Minato smiled as he explained.
"Aren't the techniques that Jin left you enough?"
Kushina asked, intrigued. Before leaving, Uchiha Jin had given each of them a set of jutsus.
These jutsus had greatly improved their combat abilities.
For Kushina, they were particularly useful before she entered her Tailed Beast Mode.
Once in Tailed Beast Mode, it was all about blasting Tailed Beast Bombs everywhere.
Just blast until nothing's left, then if anything's still standing, blast it again.
Minato scratched his head and smiled brightly.
"I feel like if I just focus on learning the techniques that Jin developed, I'll never be able to defeat him."
They'd fought countless times, and each time, he ended up completely defeated.
Jin's strength had grown far beyond his reach, whether it was taijutsu or ninjutsu.
And let's not even talk about genjutsu.
Minato knew better than to compare his genjutsu against someone from the Uchiha clan.
"Besides, if I keep using Jin's techniques, I want him to someday have to use one of my techniques in battle."
Minato's competitive spirit wasn't weak, despite being constantly suppressed by Uchiha Jin.
He just never had the chance.
If it were an older generation, like someone from Jiraiya's era, Minato might be able to accept it.
But Jin was only two years older than him.
Minato intended to quietly work hard, and eventually, make Uchiha Jin use his techniques in battle, saying something like:
"Minato's jutsu isn't bad at all."
Unfortunately, Minato hung his head in defeat, knowing he was still far from that level. Despite Jiraiya-sensei providing him with numerous scrolls to study over the past while, creating a technique to surpass Uchiha Jin's was proving too difficult.
"So then,"
Kushina flipped back onto her feet.
"Did you manage to come up with any new jutsus?"
Unlike Minato, who wanted to completely surpass Uchiha Jin, Kushina only cared about gaining enough power to outmatch him.
She wanted to make sure that Jin understood she wasn't someone to mess with!
She was going to smash Uchiha Jin, that weakling!
Kushina's expression turned solemn, and her features looked much more intense.
"Wait a second!!" Minato quickly called out.
Kushina's whole demeanor had changed!
Seeing her quickly return to her usual self, Minato let out a sigh of relief.
That version of Kushina—
He couldn't handle it.
"I did come up with a defensive-type jutsu, actually."
Minato rubbed his temples with his fingers.
"It's something inspired by the Steel Slash"
This realization made him feel even more defeated. Others came up with original techniques, while he was just borrowing ideas—and the borrowed technique still wasn't as good.
He let out a sigh of resignation.
Kushina, eager to try it out, suggested:
"Why don't we test it?"
She'd been trying to regain her spirit lately, but still had some frustration she needed to vent.
Minato hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, "Alright."
Jumping down from the training dummy, he quickly formed several hand seals.
"Gale Slash Steel Wind: Origin Wall! Second Style!"
Suddenly, a wall of wind appeared in front of Minato, just enough to shield him.
"What kind of ridiculous name is that!!"
Kushina yelled, smashing her chakra-enhanced fist into the wind wall.
The wind wall couldn't withstand Kushina's strike and shattered instantly.
"I knew it."
Minato sighed in disappointment.
Kushina seemed thoughtful; she could feel that part of the chakra in her fist had dissipated upon impact.
"This jutsu of yours is meant to defend against chakra-based attacks, right?"
"Exactly," Minato nodded.
"Gale Slash Steel Wind: Origin Wall! Second Style! It's essentially a jutsu that disrupts chakra flow. In theory, anything formed by chakra can be blocked, and the wind attribute can also be used to blow away some weapons."
Most of the technical parts came from jutsus provided by Jiraiya, but the core concept was borrowed from Steel Slash.
Unlike Steel Slash, which absorbs enemy chakra to grow stronger, this 'Gale Slash Steel Wind: Origin Wall! Second Style!' was far less effective.
"So," Kushina's forehead veins began to throb, and she punched Minato in the chin, sending him flying into the air.
"What's up with that ridiculous name?!"
Minato landed on the ground and scratched his head, thankful that his strong foundational training had improved his physique enough that Kushina's punch didn't cause any real damage.
"But I think it sounds great."
However, when it came to naming his technique, Minato stood by it—he had put a lot of thought into that name.
"From now on, it's just called 'Wind Wall,'" Kushina had already decided.
"But…" Minato wanted to refuse, but seeing Kushina raise her fist, he swallowed his words.
Why did Kushina have to train with Lady Tsunade?!
He had a feeling that his future life might be challenging.
Jiraiya suddenly appeared between the two.
"Jiraiya-sensei," they both called out.
Although Jiraiya's face looked troubled, he still managed to smile at his two students.
"How have you been coping lately?"
Minato and Kushina fell silent.
Jiraiya slapped his forehead, realizing how silly his question was.
"Never mind, I received intel from Amegakure that Iwagakure might launch a large-scale attack here soon. Be more cautious. I'll assign a Jonin and another team member to support you."
Jiraiya was currently stressed by Iwagakure's intentions and mostly concerned about his students' safety in the upcoming battles, which is why he came to arrange support.
Minato and Kushina exchanged glances before refusing simultaneously: "Jiraiya-sensei, we don't need new teammates."
Uchiha Jin was a member of Team 7, and neither of them wanted anyone replacing his spot.
This left Jiraiya unsure of what to do.
"But you two…"
Their abilities were still lacking. Without Uchiha Jin, Jiraiya worried for their safety.
"Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei. If things get too tough..." Kushina hesitated, glancing at Jiraiya without finishing her sentence.
She wanted to say she'd use the power of the Nine-Tails.
With Minato assisting her, she wouldn't have to worry about the risks.
"Alright," Jiraiya nodded tiredly in agreement.
At this point, there wasn't time to worry about exposure. If they could withstand the attack from Iwagakure, then Iwagakure would be the one in crisis.
If things got too dangerous, letting Kushina change the tide of battle would be the only solution.
Unfortunately, unlike Orochimaru, he hadn't run into someone like Might Duy, whose presence would make things easier.
"In any case,"
Jiraiya wrapped his arms around his two students, ruffling their hair like a father would.
"Just survive."
Jiraiya wasn't confident he could control the entire battlefield.
Anything could happen at any time.