A week later, in the Land of Fire, just outside the famous hot spring town, Jiraiya sat beside a small river, his eyes sparkling as he flipped through the latest idol photo album in his hands.
In front of him, Minato Namikaze was practicing ninjutsu.
Before leaving the village with Jiraiya, Minato had already learned the Rasengan under Kizaru's guidance.
And now, the technique Minato was training was an advanced form of the Rasengan—
Wind Release: Rasengan.
The principle was simple in theory. By adding Wind Release chakra nature transformation into the Rasengan, the sphere gained an extraordinary cutting effect upon impact.
Although both were classified as A-rank ninjutsu, the difficulty of learning Wind Release: Rasengan and its destructive power far exceeded the ordinary Rasengan.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the massive boulder in front of Minato was sliced apart by the Wind Release: Rasengan, scattering into countless fragments of uneven size.
The noise, along with the flying gravel, forced Jiraiya to reluctantly close the idol photo album in his hand.
Looking at Minato, who was panting heavily in front of the pile of broken stone, Jiraiya showed a satisfied smile.
This kid's talent really was terrifying.
Not only were his reflexes outstanding, but his sense for ninjutsu was also exceptional.
At less than ten years old, he had already fully grasped Wind Release chakra nature transformation, mastered several Wind Release ninjutsu, and now even completed the Wind Release: Rasengan.
During the time they had spent together, Jiraiya had deeply realized just how outstanding Minato was, both in talent and character.
Perhaps this disciple of his really was, just as Kizaru said, the Child of Prophecy.
"Hahaha! Not bad, Minato!"
Jiraiya jumped down from the stone he had been sitting on and walked over with a laugh.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I did it!"
Minato looked up at Jiraiya with a bright smile.
"I finally mastered the Wind Release: Super Spiraling Flash Crushing Rasengan!"
"Uh… hahaha." A drop of cold sweat slipped down Jiraiya's forehead. "Minato, that's the Wind Release: Rasengan created by Kizaru."
This disciple of his was excellent in every way.
Except for his naming sense.
That part was truly hard to compliment.
"Kizaru-san's name is too plain," Minato said seriously. "Wind Release: Rasengan doesn't have enough impact. I still think Wind Release: Super Spiraling Flash Crushing Rasengan sounds better."
"Hahaha…"
Seeing Minato insist so earnestly on that name, Jiraiya could only laugh dryly.
After the laughter faded, Jiraiya raised his head and looked toward the sky. His expression slowly became serious.
"It's about time we returned to the village. The old man is taking this Chunin Exam very seriously."
"Yes!"
At the thought of seeing Kizaru and Kushina again, Minato smiled and nodded.
At another training ground—
"Sensei! I'm burning with youth!"
Might Duy directly opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates. His entire body was wrapped in chakra and steam as he used Shave to move at extreme speed.
In an instant, Duy appeared in front of Kizaru and thrust out his right index finger.
Finger Pistol.
Kizaru did not dodge.
In order to feel Duy's progress directly, he covered his body with Armament Haki, Iron Body, and chakra protection before taking the attack head-on.
The shockwave from the Finger Pistol pushed Kizaru's body back by half a step.
A hole the size of a tennis ball was torn open in the right side of Kizaru's suit.
At the center of the hole, a small dent had been driven into Kizaru's hardened chest muscle by Duy's Finger Pistol.
Duy immediately jumped back and withdrew his finger.
A moment later, Kizaru's right pectoral muscle recovered from the impact.
Looking down at the purple bruise forming around the torn part of his suit, Kizaru smiled and nodded.
"Ooh~ how scary. I almost got stabbed through."
"As expected of Kizaru-sensei!"
Seeing that his full-power strike still failed to pierce Kizaru's skin, Duy was filled with admiration for his teacher's monstrous body, while also feeling that his own effort was still far from enough.
"I must continue burning my youth even harder!"
"Ooh~ not bad, Duy. You're the first person so far who made me bleed a little."
"This is youth! Sensei, let's continue training!"
Duy clenched both fists, pressing his arms tightly at his sides as he shouted with burning passion.
"That's the spirit," Kizaru said lazily, adjusting his glasses. "Come on, Duy. Let's try Tempest Kick this time."
"Yes, sensei!"
Duy responded loudly. He twisted his body, shifting his right leg slightly back and to the side.
"Oooh—ha!"
With a loud shout, Might Duy leaped into the air, raised his right leg, gathered every bit of strength in his body, and kicked a flying slash toward Kizaru.
The ultra-high-speed kick compressed the air instantly, forming a slash wrapped in burning flames.
Kizaru raised his right hand.
Armament Haki and chakra surged together as he blocked the flaming slash head-on.
"What a terrifying slash."
Kizaru smiled as he watched the flames scatter and fade in the air.
The current Might Duy had already reached the top level among elite jōnin.
Near the Forest of Death, at another training ground—
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Nawaki, who had already mastered Earth Release nature transformation, formed hand seals and created a massive earth dragon.
The earth dragon rose from the ground, opened its jaws, and charged toward Orochimaru not far away.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall."
Facing his disciple's attack, Orochimaru calmly crouched down and slapped both hands against the ground, raising a thick earth wall several meters wide in front of him.
The powerful earth dragon slammed directly into the wall.
Orochimaru stood again, smiling in satisfaction as he watched cracks spread across the earth wall under the dragon's impact.
Boom!
Unable to withstand the force any longer, the earth wall Orochimaru had created shattered apart.
But Orochimaru, who had already prepared for this, used the Body Replacement Technique and appeared behind Nawaki, who was still excitedly controlling the earth dragon.
Looking calmly at his disciple, Orochimaru raised his right hand.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
As Orochimaru's voice fell, several poisonous snakes shot out from his sleeve and wrapped around Nawaki from behind.
"Ah!"
Nawaki shouted, immediately realizing that he had lost again.
"As a ninja, you must never lose awareness of your surroundings during battle."
Orochimaru lectured him while controlling the snakes, lifting Nawaki into the air.
"Hehe… Orochimaru-sensei, you're the one who lost."
Nawaki, who had looked panicked a moment ago, suddenly smiled.
As he spoke, his body turned into flowing soil under Orochimaru's gaze.
An earth clone.
This child really had improved.
Just as Orochimaru felt a trace of approval, a hand suddenly burst out from the ground beneath his feet.
Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.
The sneak attack succeeded.
While Orochimaru was pulled into the earth, Nawaki jumped out from underground.
"Orochimaru-sensei, I win!"
Nawaki grinned, stretched out his right thumb, and rubbed it under his nose.
Only his head remained above the ground. Orochimaru looked at his disciple and smiled.
"Nawaki, you've forgotten my teaching again."
"Huh?"
As they spoke, Orochimaru opened his mouth.
A small snake shot out from inside, carrying the Kusanagi Sword in its mouth.
The Kusanagi Sword extended instantly, and its sharp tip stopped right against Nawaki's neck.
Nawaki's eyes widened in shock, his mouth falling open.
"You still have much to learn, Nawaki."
Orochimaru's voice sounded from behind him.
Boom!
The Orochimaru buried in the ground turned into a cloud of white smoke.
A shadow clone.
Nawaki slowly turned around and saw the real Orochimaru leaning against a tree with his arms folded.
"Orochimaru-sensei, you…"
"That was a shadow clone."
Orochimaru explained calmly, leaving the tree and walking toward Nawaki.
"When you participate in the Chunin Exam this time, one of your teammates will be Jiraiya's disciple. Don't disappoint me, Nawaki."
Meeting Orochimaru's pressuring gaze, Nawaki quickly nodded.
"I'll definitely perform well, Orochimaru-sensei!"
Looking at Nawaki in front of him, Orochimaru smiled and nodded.
Orochimaru understood his disciple very well.
As someone who inherited the bloodline and talent of the Senju Clan, Nawaki's physical ability was excellent, and his chakra reserves were extremely abundant. In fact, they even surpassed Orochimaru's own.
Unfortunately, while his natural foundation was exceptional, Nawaki's talent in other areas was only average.
His learning speed for ninjutsu was average. His combat intelligence was average. His vigilance was still lacking.
Regarding Nawaki's future growth, Orochimaru's plan was clear.
Train his body properly.
Specialize in Earth Release ninjutsu.
If Nawaki made full use of his strong physique and abundant chakra, there was still hope that he could reach the level of a Kage-class ninja in the future.
While Konoha was forming an elite genin team for the Chunin Exam, the other three great ninja villages participating in the joint exam were also making their own preparations.
In Kumogakure, Blue B had been chosen by the Third Raikage to become the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.
In order to recover the reputation lost after Kumogakure's defeat in the Second Shinobi World War, the Third Raikage shamelessly arranged for his own son, who already possessed jōnin-level strength, to team up with Blue B, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, who had also stabilized and reached jōnin-level combat power.
One was fifteen, the other eighteen.
Both already possessed the strength of jōnin.
Together with a talented genin who had graduated the previous year and showed impressive skill in Lightning Release, they formed Kumogakure's strongest elite genin team.
Iwagakure made a similar choice.
In order to better display the strength of Iwagakure's younger generation, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, sent his son Kitsuchi, who already possessed jōnin-level strength, to lead a team and participate in the joint Chunin Exam.
Sunagakure, currently the weakest among them, also sent out Rasa, the only remaining disciple of the Third Kazekage and a young ninja who had just mastered the Magnet Release kekkei genkai.
Alongside him was Karura, who excelled in sand-based ninjutsu. Together, they led Sunagakure's team into the Chunin Exam.
It could be said that in order to tear prestige away from Konoha and restore the reputation they had lost through defeat, the three great ninja villages had all sent out elite young ninjas who were regarded as geniuses in their respective villages.
Perhaps because Kizaru had shone too brightly during the Second Shinobi World War, the genin from around his generation in Konoha had all been overshadowed, giving the other villages a false impression.
Aside from Kizaru, Konoha's younger generation did not seem to have many outstanding talents.
After confirming that Kizaru would only participate in the joint Chunin Exam as an examiner, they could not help feeling confident.
As long as Kizaru himself did not compete, Konoha might not necessarily dominate this joint Chunin Exam.
The young ninjas from their own villages were also excellent.
Put Kizaru aside, and Konoha's young ninjas might not be able to match the geniuses they had prepared.
With that confidence and self-reassurance, the Kage and guards from the three great ninja villages, along with the assigned jōnin leaders and elite genin teams, left their villages around the same time and set off toward Konoha.
At the entrance of Konoha Hospital—
Tsunade was still working.
She wore the pure white coat exclusive to medical staff, her hands tucked into the outer pockets as she stood near the hospital entrance.
When Kizaru reached out and handed her a paper document, Tsunade raised her eyes and looked at him.
"What's this?"
"The Hashirama cell transplantation technology research and development project. Your investment share."
Hearing Kizaru's words, Tsunade instinctively frowned.
But she did not frown because the village was researching her grandfather's cells.
Tsunade had long stopped being angry about that.
After all, the first person in the village to begin researching Hashirama's cells had been none other than her second grandfather, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Moreover, as a medical ninja, Tsunade had the heart of a doctor.
If research into her grandfather's cells could save more patients, then she believed it would be a good thing.
She even believed that if her grandfather were still alive and knew that studying his cells could save lives, he would laugh loudly and give his full support.
What truly disgusted Tsunade was something else.
Some people, in their desire to obtain her grandfather's power, had used Hashirama's cells for inhumane human experiments.
That was something she could never accept.
Because of that, Tsunade supported Kizaru's proposal to develop medicine capable of curing illness and saving lives through the study of Hashirama's cells.
"I don't have money."
Tsunade had left the village a few days earlier, gambled once, and lost most of the rent she had received that year.
So she directly gave the reason for her frown.
"Ooh~?"
Kizaru laughed lazily as he looked at Tsunade's poor mood. He could already guess that she must have lost badly again.
"Tsunade-nee, you look terrible. Did you lose money again?"
Tsunade's eyes widened as she glared at Kizaru.
"Don't accuse people out of nowhere!"
"Nawaki came to me yesterday and complained that you wouldn't give him pocket money."
The smile on Kizaru's face became even more annoying as he spoke in a teasing tone.
"What does me not giving him pocket money have to do with losing money?" Tsunade snapped. "I didn't give him pocket money because…"
She suddenly stopped.
For a moment, she could not think of a good excuse.
After cursing that stupid little brother of hers fiercely in her heart, Tsunade finally forced out an explanation.
"Because Nawaki has been acting up recently. He keeps making noise about wanting to take missions outside the village."
Kizaru touched his chin and nodded slowly.
"So Nawaki wants to leave the village? Then next time, I'll take him around to visit the other ninja villages."
Tsunade glared at him.
"Are you taking him out on a mission, or are your hands getting itchy again and you want to pick fights outside?"
"Ooh~ isn't that basically the same thing?"
"Tch."
Tsunade snorted coldly, folded her arms in front of her chest, and emphasized again.
"I don't have money for that investment. Don't count me in."
"You don't need to pay."
A trace of doubt flashed across Tsunade's face.
She looked at Kizaru seriously.
"Kizaru, don't you dare pay for my share. Give it to other ninjas instead."
After saying that, Tsunade suddenly thought of something and added,
"And don't hand it over to the clans either."
Tsunade strongly supported the policy her second grandfather had left behind—restraining the power of the ninja clans while supporting civilian ninja.
When Senju Tobirama disbanded the Senju Clan, the young Tsunade had not been able to fully understand his decision.
But now, after growing up and witnessing many political struggles within the village's upper ranks, she had begun to understand what her second grandfather had been trying to do.
Ninja who came from clans would always instinctively favor the families behind them once they reached positions of power.
Even her own teacher, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sometimes leaned toward the Sarutobi Clan.
For Tsunade, whose clan had already been dissolved and who now regarded all of Konoha as her home, that kind of behavior was difficult to accept.
"Hashirama's cells came from the First Hokage," Kizaru said slowly. "And the current research foundation was left behind by the Second Hokage."
He looked at Tsunade.
"What they left behind counts as your investment in this project."
"So you don't need to pay anything."
After hearing Kizaru's explanation, Tsunade froze for a moment.
A nostalgic look appeared in her eyes.
She remembered the time she had spent with her two grandfathers when she was young, and before she realized it, a faint smile appeared on her face.
Reaching out, Tsunade took the document from Kizaru's hand.
"Then I'll accept it."
"Tsunade-nee, don't gamble it all away."
Kizaru gave her a kind reminder.
The smile on Tsunade's face vanished instantly.
She glared at Kizaru with wide eyes.
"Don't curse me, you bastard!"
"So you really are planning to gamble with it?"
Noticing the loophole in Tsunade's words, Kizaru immediately asked back.
"Do you think I'm some kind of hopeless gambler?"
Tsunade held the document tightly and spoke with rare seriousness.
"I'm leaving this for Nawaki. It'll be capital for his future marriage."
She said it very seriously.
And in her heart, she truly planned to do exactly that.
At this point in time, Tsunade did like gambling, but she had not yet fallen into the state she would later reach after the consecutive deaths of her loved ones in the original future.
"I believe you."
Kizaru nodded and gave an equally serious affirmation.
Being trusted by someone was a pleasant thing.
Especially when that person was close to you.
Tsunade's smile returned. She looked at Kizaru with satisfaction and said,
"I'll treat you to a drink tonight."
"I'm only ten years old, Tsunade-nee."
"Don't bring up your age, bastard!"
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