A week later, in the forest behind the Ninja Academy.
"Ah~ So good~"
"Ooh, this tingling sensation is so intense, I can't take it, I'm going to become strange..."
Guy convulsed all over, making sounds that would make people blush.
Shizune, watching nearby, widened her eyes and asked curiously, "Is it really that comfortable?"
In front of her, a sword with an ancient design was stuck in the clearing, releasing electric currents around it.
Guy was dancing around from the electric shocks, while Setsuna slowly practiced his fist forms under the current's stimulation.
"It is quite comfortable, but the cell activation is a bit excessive," Setsuna said with a smile. "But you'd better not try it. Your body can't handle this kind of training yet."
Shizune nodded helplessly. She felt there were very few Ninjas in the entire Ninja World who could endure this kind of training. Even Hizashi didn't dare stay in the electric field for too long.
"If we can develop resistance to electricity, we'll have an advantage when fighting Kumogakure's Ninjas," Hizashi said, feeling eager again after recovering for a moment. Most of Kumogakure's Nin-Taijutsu had paralyzing effects, which was a significant counter for close-combat specialists like them.
He had heard that Setsuna almost completely ignored the electric paralysis from the Raikage's son during their fight. Naturally, he wanted that kind of resistance too.
They trained like this until nearly evening. Setsuna put away the Sword of the Thunder God. "It's about time. Let's go to the appointment."
Minato had specifically invited their team to his home as a gesture of thanks.
"Party! Party!" Guy cheered and jumped for joy. He had always been someone who loved excitement.
…
Minato's home wasn't too far from the Ninja Academy. If the road where the Hokage Building and the Ninja Academy were located was considered the 'first ring', then Minato's standalone apartment was in the 'second ring'.
When Setsuna and his three teammates arrived, they saw Obito and the other two going in and out, carrying various dishes to the small yard from afar.
"Let us help too."
The moment Setsuna and the others tried to help, Minato stopped them. He still had soot on the tip of his nose, but the smile on his face was as bright as ever. "You are guests today. What kind of host would let the guests work?"
Just then, a figure came spinning and jumping from a distance. "Haha, I, the Toad Sage, have arr… Wait- "
Jiraiya was preparing for a dazzling entrance when he suddenly noticed Setsuna was also in the small yard below, and his aura instantly became disordered.
Unable to find leverage in mid-air, he flailed his arms and legs in a panic before finally planting headfirst into the ground.
The ground shook slightly. Everyone in the small yard was somewhat dumbfounded, 'Who was this? Such a unique way of making an entrance?'
Jiraiya pulled himself out and looked at Minato with considerable resentment.
He had just returned to the village yesterday, met Minato, who invited him to a party at his home and wanted him to meet the student he was teaching.
He had originally wanted to display his 'Sage' demeanor in front of his disciple's student. If he had known that violent brat would also be here, he wouldn't have come.
"You're that peeping tom!" Obito exclaimed, then quickly corrected himself, "No, it's Jiraiya-sama disguised as a peeping tom."
"Eh? You know Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato was somewhat surprised. After all, Jiraiya hadn't returned to the village for years.
"Of course we know. A year ago, Jiraiya-sama was surveilling a spy outside the women's bathhouse. We thought he was peeping, so Setsuna-san beat Jiraiya-sama up."
Obito described it vividly, then suddenly froze. Pointing at the bruise near Jiraiya's eye, he said in shock, "Setsuna-san hit you that hard back then? Jiraiya-sama, the injury on your face is still there!"
"Oh no, the makeup came off," Jiraiya thought inwardly. After meeting Minato last night, he had run into Tsunade. Before he could even catch up, she had beaten him black and blue.
He had been utterly confused at the time, wondering if Tsunade had learned to read minds, and she knew that he planned to peep on her bathing.
Only after the beating did he learn that his rumor about Tsunade had been exposed.
'That guy Orochimaru has no tact. He's a grown man, yet he still tattles,' Jiraiya grumbled inwardly. After his frustration, he remembered the party. He had just agreed to Minato's invitation and couldn't just stand him up.
Fortunately, he usually liked wearing eyeliner. This time, he just applied heavier makeup.
But today, the moment he made his entrance, he was so startled by Setsuna that he fell to the ground, rubbing off part of his makeup.
Seeing everyone's confused looks, Jiraiya tried to save his reputation, saying in a calm tone, "Correct. It was because I lost to him that I kept this scar, to constantly remind myself never to underestimate any enemy."
"I understand! Scars are a man's medals, proof of youth! I feel your passion, Jiraiya-sama!" Guy's eyes shone brightly, his intense gaze making even Jiraiya feel a bit scared.
'Is this kid's mental state normal?' Jiraiya wondered inwardly. He smiled awkwardly and changed the subject. "Haha, right, how's the party preparation going? Need my help?"
Hearing the commotion outside, a woman with fiery red hair like a chili pepper came out. It was Kushina, "Jiraiya-sensei..."
Although she couldn't leave Konoha, her movements within the village were relatively free. Of course, that was assuming one ignored the Anbu's members secretly monitoring her.
"Hey, Kushina, you..." Jiraiya greeted her, then his expression changed. Kushina was actually running towards him with open arms.
"Wait..." Jiraiya hurriedly raised his hands. Although he was a pervert, he absolutely couldn't make a move on his student's girlfriend.
Then, he saw Kushina run past him and hug Setsuna tightly. "Setsuna-chan, thank you so much this time."
Looking at Jiraiya with his hands raised high, Guy asked, puzzled, "Is Jiraiya-sama practicing a new hand seal posture?"
"Hah, haha, that's right, you figured it out," Jiraiya's mouth twitched slightly as he laughed awkwardly and asked, "Why is Kushina so enthusiastic?"
Hearing Jiraiya's question, Kushina let go of Setsuna, ran over, and hugged Minato, tears welling in her eyes, "It's all those Kumogakure bastards! I almost lost you."
"Kumogakure? What exactly happened?" Jiraiya frowned. He had just returned from the Land of Rain and wasn't clear on what had happened.
"Those Kumogakure bastards set a trap..." Kushina said, clutching Minato's chest tightly as if worried she would lose him if she didn't hold on tight. She completely failed to notice Minato's increasingly pale face.
Remembering what Mito had told her back then, and thinking about how she had almost lost Minato this time, Kushina felt a faint urge to turn dark.
"Those bastards all deserve to die..." Kushina gritted her teeth, then suddenly noticed Jiraiya gesturing fearfully and saying something quietly.
Kushina listened carefully. Jiraiya seemed to be saying, "Minato looks like he's about to pass out."
Hearing this, Kushina looked up and realized Minato was almost foaming at the mouth. Startled, she quickly let go and frantically patted his back.
"Minato, are you okay?"
"Cough cough... Don't worry, I'm fine."
Jiraiya shook his head with a sigh, seeing his own reflection in Minato. The girls they pursued both had somewhat violent tendencies.
Kushina complained, "Why didn't you say anything? I almost hurt you."
Minato smiled gently. "I made you worry. And... I enjoyed your hug too."
"You're annoying." Kushina shyly hit Minato's chest with her small fists.
Smelling this sour stench of love, Jiraiya felt utterly miserable.
'This isn't right, is it?'
'Both were being abused, so why was I simply being beaten by Tsunade, while Minato got loving hugs?'
'Could it be because of looks? That doesn't make sense. I'm only slightly less handsome than Minato,' Jiraiya pondered, unable to figure it out.
He could only conclude that his way of expressing love was too wild. Even a woman like Tsunade probably couldn't accept peeping as a 'cutting-edge' way of confessing.
"Oh~" Obito was about to tease them when he saw Kushina 'shyly' stomp her foot, making the whole house shake. He was too scared to say another word.
Kushina straightened her appearance, stood on her tiptoes, and patted Setsuna's shoulder with a big-sister attitude, waving her hand quite boldly. "Setsuna-chan, from now on, your business is my business. If anyone bullies you, I'll go beat them up."
'Who would dare bully him? It'd be good enough if he doesn't bully others,' Jiraiya rolled his eyes, touching the spot where Setsuna had hit him. It still ached faintly.
Kushina also spotted the flaw. According to Minato, Setsuna was much stronger than her. After thinking for a moment, she said earnestly, "Setsuna-chan, although you are very strong, your heart is too pure. Some disgusting old guys might use rules to pressure you. If anything like that really happens, just tell your big sister. I'll go crazy for you then. Those old guys are most afraid of me going crazy."
After speaking, she provocatively shouted towards the surrounding corners, "You all heard that, right? Don't leave anything out when you report back."
Hizashi was inwardly astonished, thinking, 'Hokage-sama and the others are probably more afraid of Setsuna going crazy.'
Seeing Kushina's proud expression, Setsuna smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Kushina-senpai."
Kushina was very dissatisfied upon hearing this and corrected him, "Calling me 'senpai' is too distant. You should call me Kushina-nee."
Setsuna was somewhat amused and exasperated. He wasn't really used to addressing people like that, but he didn't refuse Kushina's kindness, "Yes, Kushina-nee."
"Mhm~ That's more like it." Kushina raised her right fist high. "Then let's start the party!"
"Party! Party!" Everyone cheered, brought out the final ingredients, and then gathered around the grill.
The fire burned fiercely, the charcoal crackling. The moment the thickly sliced pork belly was placed on the grill, it made an enticing sizzling sound.
Drops of oil slowly rolled down the meat's grain, splashing onto the charcoal and sending up a wisp of fragrant smoke.
Setsuna picked up a piece of roasted meat, dipped it in Kushina's special sauce, wrapped it in a fresh lettuce leaf, and took a bite. The scalding meat juices burst on his tongue, the combination of fat and lean mixed with the savory sauce. The flavor even surprised Setsuna, who had tasted delicacies from his previous life.
Although the seasonings couldn't compare to his previous life, the quality of the ingredients far surpassed that of Earth.
"Haha, satisfying." Jiraiya drank alcohol while slapping the grass, casually asking, "By the way, how did you two escape in the end?"
Minato patiently explained again. Basically, everyone who knew about this incident asked the same question.
Jiraiya broke out in a cold sweat listening, 'The fact that I instigated Orochimaru to challenge Setsuna shouldn't have been exposed, right?'
Last time he was beaten, he thought he had just been careless. If he had entered Sage Mode in advance, the scales of victory would definitely tilt in his favor.
But now, it seemed that even if he entered Sage Mode, the outcome likely wouldn't change.
Jiraiya happened to meet Setsuna's gaze and guiltily looked away, laughing loudly to change the subject. "I just came back from the Land of Rain and heard that Sunagakure is going to host a joint Chunin Exams. Are you planning to participate?"
"A joint Chunin Exams hosted by Sunagakure?" Setsuna was somewhat surprised. Although the five great nations all had the right to host joint Chunin Exams, they were usually held by the 'top three Ninja Villages': Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure.
After all, hosting a joint Chunin Exams required a lot of funding. Sunagakure was so poor that the Kazekage had to become a 'gold miner'. How could they still come up with the money to host a joint Chunin Exams?
Jiraiya tempted them, "If war breaks out, Genin can only follow orders. But if you're a Chunin, you can apply to carry out missions and have a certain degree of autonomy."
Setsuna rubbed his chin, thinking inwardly, 'This is indeed a good opportunity. Moreover, if one performs exceptionally well in the joint Chunin Exams, it's theoretically possible to be promoted directly to Jonin, skipping the Chunin rank, just like Neji's direct promotion to Jonin in the original work.'
Under normal circumstances, regular Chunin Exams could be held twice a year. But due to the arms race, Konoha hadn't held any this year, which was why Setsuna was still a Genin.
Setsuna continued pondering, 'If I can get promoted to Jonin before the Third Great Ninja War, I can plan for more achievements during the war as a Jonin. Only then can I seek the position of Hokage after the war.'
Although he didn't have any particular obsession with becoming Hokage himself, his parents in this life had held the earnest expectation for him to become Hokage.
Even though it was difficult for him to feel much sincere emotion towards his parents in this life, he still had to repay the debt of their care and upbringing. Besides, becoming Hokage was just a convenient matter on his path to pursuing the strongest.
Seeing Setsuna fall silent, Jiraiya said in surprise, "Don't tell me you're worried?"
Setsuna nodded slightly. "I do have some concerns."
Even if the venue were changed to Kumogakure, he wouldn't be too worried. But Sunagakure? That was the village most skilled with poison among the five great villages.
Even if he were careful, there might still be a one-in-a-thousand, or one-in-ten-thousand chance of being poisoned.
Jiraiya was speechless, "With your strength, you could probably compete for the position of Kazekage. It's the others who should be worried. What kind of psychological damage would it cause to their minds to encounter a monster like you in the same exam?"
Obito and the others nodded in deep agreement, 'It was too unfair. Senpai should be promoted directly.'
Setsuna smiled slightly without explaining. He just thought inwardly, 'The one-year cooldown period is about to end. I wonder if the new world will have a way to help me resist Genjutsu or enhance my poison resistance?'