Chapter 51: The Legend's Appraisal
At Training Ground 33, Tsunade stood with her hands on her hips, her expression one of pure indignation. "What is this? We were told to assemble here this morning, and it's just the three of us! The old man is unreliable, but is our new captain just as bad?"
Jiraiya nodded vigorously, puffing out his chest. "Yeah! We agreed on morning! It's almost noon, and there's still no sign of him. Does he not know that the great Jiraiya's time is precious?"
"The captain said 'morning'," Orochimaru interjected calmly, his voice a soft contrast to his teammates' bluster. "There are still ten minutes until noon."
Tsunade shot him an exasperated look. Is that really how you define 'morning'?
Right on cue, Akatsurugi strolled into the clearing, looking utterly relaxed. "Good morning," he said with a faint smile.
"'Good morning'? It's your fault we've been waiting!" Tsunade retorted, not giving an inch.
Akatsurugi didn't seem bothered. "Orochimaru is correct. I'm not late. I never specified a time. You all simply arrived early."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed into a glare. She was convinced he had done this on purpose.
"I assume you're all aware that you'll be participating in the Chunin Exams, held this year in the Land of Iron," Akatsurugi began, his tone shifting to one of business. "This is a joint event by the Five Great Villages, intended to showcase our strength in this new era of peace. Before we depart, I need to assess your current abilities."
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya immediately stepped forward, striking a pose. "The great Jiraiya is the strongest genin there is! What's there to assess?"
Akatsurugi gave him a flat look. "Is that so? Because I heard you consistently ranked at the very bottom of your academy class."
Jiraiya's face flushed bright red. "WHAT? Who told you that? I, Jiraiya, am the pinnacle of genin prowess!"
Akatsurugi simply chuckled, the sound laden with clear disbelief.
It was true that Jiraiya had been a perennial underachiever in the academy, but his potential was immense—a rare civilian-born shinobi with an affinity for four chakra natures. It was precisely this latent power that had caught the Third Hokage's eye. Orochimaru, of course, had been a prodigy from the start. And Tsunade? With the Senju name, even the Hokage had to handle her with care.
His dismissive laughter only fueled Jiraiya's anger. Yes, he'd been last in the past, but he had trained relentlessly for two years! He'd even communed with the toads of Mount Myōboku and signed a contract! In his own mind, he was now invincible.
Akatsurugi ignored Jiraiya's fuming and continued. "Simply attack me with your ninjutsu. I want to see your coordination and power."
He stood perfectly still, waiting.
Jiraiya, seizing the initiative, was the first to move. His hands flew through seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust of wind shot toward Akatsurugi, who merely raised a hand. A familiar blue sphere of chakra—the Rasengan—materialized in his palm, effortlessly dispersing the wind attack.
Jiraiya stared, shocked. What kind of jutsu is that?
In that moment of distraction, his eyes met Akatsurugi's. He hadn't even noticed the Sharingan activate. The world swam, and Jiraiya was trapped in a genjutsu before he could even blink.
"Idiot!" Tsunade cursed. Charging headfirst against a Jonin, and a famed one at that? Foolish.
But he was their idiot. She shot a glance at Orochimaru, who was already moving from his concealed position. His hands formed seals and slapped the ground. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" A barrier of earth erupted in front of Akatsurugi.
Simultaneously, Tsunade formed a single seal, condensing a small, cool ball of water above Jiraiya's head and letting it drop.
Splash.
The sudden chill jolted Jiraiya back to reality. He looked around, dazed.
"Run!" Tsunade yelled.
Jiraiya scrambled back, his hands already forming another set of seals. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Projectile!" A miniature dragon of flame shot from his mouth, growing in size as it flew.
Orochimaru, perfectly synchronized, added his own power. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" The wind fanned the flames, transforming the small projectile into a roaring, colossal fire dragon that descended upon Akatsurugi with fangs and claws of pure heat.
Not bad, Akatsurugi thought. They understand combo-jutsu. But fire was useless against him.
As the dragon reached him, he simply reached out and grabbed its head. The massive construct of flame shuddered, then rapidly shrank and dissipated into nothingness, absorbed and neutralized by his control over the fire element.
"Impossible!" Jiraiya gasped.
Even the normally unflappable Orochimaru and the proud Tsunade stared wide-eyed. They knew Akatsurugi was a Fire Style master, but to dismantle their combined technique so effortlessly...
"He is the village's hero for a reason," Orochimaru analyzed coolly. "They call him the 'Blaze God' outside the village. It was foolish of us to challenge him with fire."
"Then we'll use Water Style!" Jiraiya declared.
All three possessed Water Nature—Jiraiya with his four affinities, Tsunade with her own four (Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water), and Orochimaru, the prodigy, with all five basic natures.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" Tsunade, possessing the largest chakra reserves, took the lead, spewing a powerful torrent of water.
Akatsurugi easily evaded the main force of the wave, landing lightly on the resulting water's surface. The moment his feet touched, Orochimaru emerged from behind him. "Water Release: Water Prison Technique!" A sphere of water enveloped Akatsurugi.
At the same time, Jiraiya hurled a massive Fuma Shuriken straight at the trapped figure.
The shuriken struck its target, but the Akatsurugi inside the water prison dissolved into a puff of white smoke. A shadow clone.
"When?!" Orochimaru hissed, genuinely shocked. He had been watching carefully since the fire dragon was dispersed.
In truth, the substitution had happened much earlier, the moment Orochimaru had raised the earth wall. Akatsurugi had already created the clone. These kids are truly impressive, he acknowledged. Worthy of being the Hokage's disciples. Worthy of becoming the Legendary Sannin.
He walked out from the treeline at the edge of the clearing. "Very good. Impressive coordination. If you maintain that, Konoha has a real chance at taking the top spot this time."
Seeing his approval, Jiraiya puffed out his chest again. "See? New Captain! I told you I'm not last place anymore!"
Akatsurugi chuckled, ignoring the boast. "Get your affairs in order. We assemble at the main gate tomorrow morning."
Tsunade snorted. "You mean around noon?"
Akatsurugi reached out and ruffled her blonde hair, a gesture that made her swat at his hand. "Eight o'clock sharp. There will be another team. Don't be late."