Inside the Hokage's office.
"What do you plan to do? Maybe you should be a bit more patient with Kakashi," the Third Hokage said, looking at Jiraiya.
Kakashi is the biggest troublemaker.
However...
He has talent, and the Third Hokage really doesn't want to see him fail, so he still hopes Jiraiya can give him another chance.
Jiraiya, however, said, "If it really comes to an outcome I don't want to see, then it's just not meant to be."
"Goodbye."
He waved his hand and vanished from the office.
The Third Hokage sighed, a troubled expression on his face.
The next day, in the Death Forest, Training Ground No. 7.
Kurenai arrived early and noticed that both Kyōen and Kakashi were already there, sitting under a tree and resting.
She tiptoed, not daring to make a sound.
"Maybe I should rest too..." she thought, but her mind kept wandering.
Looking up at the shadows of the trees, her thoughts were scattered.
After a long while...
"Ah, sorry, I ran into some trouble on the way and got here late," Jiraiya said with a grin.
"Lord Jiraiya, you're so late!" Kurenai glanced at the time.
It was almost noon.
However, when she looked at the three before her, her smile froze.
One was masked, his gaze cold.
The other two remained calm.
"Looks like you're a well-coordinated team. Seeing this, I feel more confident about your chances of passing the test," Jiraiya said with a slight cough, pulling a bell from his waist.
Kakashi raised a brow. "Is this the test?"
Jiraiya grinned, "If you can take the bell from me, you pass. It's that simple."
Ding!
The bell jingled as he placed it back.
"Any questions?"
"Do we need to grab just one bell, or all of them?" Kakashi asked.
Jiraiya replied, "Considering the difference in strength, as long as you grab one bell, you pass. But the person with the worst performance will be tied up and won't get lunch. They'll have to do another individual test in the afternoon."
Kakashi took a deep breath and said no more.
Jiraiya looked toward the other two.
"And you two?"
"No problem," Kyōen said.
"Alright, then let's begin. You have some time to plan your strategy."
Whoosh!
In an instant, the three of them disappeared in different directions.
Jiraiya squinted, thinking, Did they split up? Could it be…
His heart sank.
Jiraiya had high hopes for Kyōen, but if his teamwork and strategic thinking were this shallow, he'd be disappointed.
At the same time...
Kurenai whispered, "Kyōen, are we really not going to worry about Kakashi?"
"Of course, we are. We'll cooperate, set up a strategy, and leave him an opening. He's a Chūnin, so if he doesn't cooperate, there's nothing we can do," Kyōen said.
Kurenai relaxed a little.
"So, how should we fight?"
"We'll drag things out with direct confrontation, drawing attention. Then, we'll use traps and genjutsu to work with Kakashi's positioning and surprise him. Let's see if we can grab a bell. Specifically, you'll use genjutsu to assist, and then..."
"Got it."
"Let's begin. You must grab my bell before the sand timer runs out, or you'll fail," Jiraiya announced, flipping the hourglass over.
He then focused his chakra and surveyed the surroundings.
"Not bad. They're hiding well."
Jiraiya smiled slightly.
These kids, despite everything, had solid basic skills.
However...
One of them had left an opening.
Jiraiya walked forward, seemingly casual, but his steps were careful.
Crash!
A massive, tied-up log swung toward him.
Jiraiya quickly dodged.
But in the blink of an eye, he saw a figure ahead of him twist and vanish.
Kurenai?
Genjutsu: Tree Binding Kill!
The name of the jutsu flashed in Jiraiya's mind, and he immediately disrupted his chakra flow.
In an instant, he broke free from the genjutsu.
However...
In the blink of an eye, several traps flew toward him.
Jiraiya vanished in an instant.
The next moment, he crouched on a tree, warily observing his surroundings.
These kids...
I can't underestimate them.
He hadn't expected Kurenai, the girl from the Yūhi clan, to already master a B-rank genjutsu.
Before he could observe further, two figures leapt toward him.
Kakashi held a knife, while Kyōen lunged upward from below.
Jiraiya smiled slightly.
Then...
Ding!
He blocked Kyōen's kunai with his own.
Kyōen didn't hesitate. He instantly disappeared from his position, landing on another tree.
But...
"Not bad, good tactics."
Jiraiya's voice came from behind.
What had appeared to be Jiraiya was actually a shadow clone.
Jiraiya immediately launched a barrage of punches and kicks, moving with great speed.
In no time, Kyōen and Jiraiya had exchanged three punches and two kicks.
Impressive Taijutsu!
Jiraiya was surprised in his heart.
Kyōen's movements...
He was definitely top-tier among Genin, and many Chūnin might not even be as skilled as him.
Jiraiya's mind shifted, and he immediately increased his strength.
But...
Boom!
The figure in front of him turned into wood.
The real Kyōen...
Had already escaped to another position.
Good kid!
A glimmer of admiration flashed in Jiraiya's eyes.
He admired not just Kyōen's skill and speed with body substitution and teleportation, but also his judgment.
As soon as Jiraiya applied more force, Kyōen immediately escaped.
Such decisiveness showed how calm Kyōen was.
Impressive!
"This way!"
A giant log flew from above, sweeping toward Jiraiya.
Kurenai had cut down the trap to cover for Kyōen.
But...
Jiraiya punched through the wooden trap, breaking it apart.
"If that's all you've got, you'll never pass the test."
"Go!"
Kyōen knew very well—
Jiraiya wasn't using his full strength!
In a real battle, Jiraiya could've easily used Lion's Mane Jutsu, and his speed would have been even faster.
After all, Jiraiya was one of the Legendary Three Ninjas!
Right now, Jiraiya's speed was only slightly faster than his own.
Kyōen needed traps and teamwork to escape.
This was a test.
But...
He had already led Jiraiya to the right spot.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Spiked wooden planks came flying from all directions, targeting Jiraiya mid-air.
At the same time, two clones appeared.
One was Kyōen, the other was Kakashi.
Both "individuals" rushed toward Jiraiya.
Kurenai stood on a tree, forming seals with her hands.
In the blink of an eye, four or five wooden planks were flying, and the two clones were closing in on Jiraiya.
At that moment...
Jiraiya's hair grew rapidly, extending toward the incoming wooden planks, while several others grabbed the two clones.
Boom!
The clones exploded.
This was Kurenai's advanced genjutsu, Naraka Clone—a clone jutsu with additional abilities.
Jiraiya had been keeping his chakra disrupted, so he hadn't fallen victim to it. But at that moment, the wooden planks flying toward him instantly transformed into human shapes.
Kakashi grabbed a rope, his knife like the fangs of a wild beast, rushing toward Jiraiya with incredible speed.
Clang!
Jiraiya blocked the knife with his kunai.
But...
From behind, a gust of wind blew.
Kyōen?
Such speed!
Jiraiya was shocked—
Though he had known that Kyōen's teleportation was impressive, facing his full-speed technique was still astounding.
To master this level of teleportation at 7 years old...
Incredible!
Not only that.
His fists, kicks, and body balance all exceeded the Taijutsu level of others his age.
The only ones who could match him...
Were probably Kakashi, and another rare genius.
And now...
There was another Kakashi surrounding him.
Knife, kunai, fists.
And the constant barrage of Sakura Blossom Genjutsu.
The three attacks combined, dazzling the eyes.
The next moment, knife and fist struck simultaneously.
"Watch out!"
Kyōen's fist connected, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.
This wasn't the usual feeling.
Moreover...
With their limited skill, could they truly threaten Jiraiya?
Sure enough, the Jiraiya in front of them turned into a puddle of mud.
It was a Mud Clone.
"Above!"
Kurenai immediately shouted.
Without needing to give further instructions, Kakashi swung his knife upward—
A large net fell from above.
Around them, the wooden planks that had been held by the hair earlier began to move in, closing in.
Tear!
The net was slashed open by Kakashi's knife, creating a huge gap.
Before he could pull back, Jiraiya appeared right before him.
But...
Kyōen instantly appeared in front of him.
Boom!
A solid punch collided.
Boom!
Kyōen was knocked toward the ground, but in that instant, he shouted, "Jiraiya-sama, you don't want anyone to know you're always..."