Chapter 19 - 19: Jiraiya's Test For Minato

On the Ninja Academy's training ground, Minato finished his training for the day, panting from exhaustion. He was about to pick up his backpack and go home when he noticed a white-haired, burly man sitting cross-legged next to his bag, arms crossed, looking at him with amusement. Surprise flashed in Minato's eyes. Soon, he remembered what Kushina had mentioned that morning. Could it be that he had been chosen? Thinking this, he approached with trepidation and asked, "Are you waiting for me, Ninja-sama?" A flicker of surprise crossed Jiraiya's eyes. "How are you sure I'm waiting for you?" "I heard the teacher mention it before. I suppose my performance has earned your approval, Ninja-sama." Jiraiya's expression suddenly changed, his face turning grim as he looked at Minato, and he said coldly, "Then you're mistaken. Your talent, young man, is too exceptional, so I must eliminate you, lest you become an enemy of Sunagakure in the future." As he spoke, Jiraiya pulled out a kunai, ready to slice across Minato's throat. However, faced with Jiraiya's sudden attack, Minato remained completely still, quietly watching Jiraiya. Just as the kunai was about to touch Minato's neck, Jiraiya stopped his movement, then looked at Minato with dissatisfaction. "What, kid? Are you scared stiff? Can't move your legs?" "No, if you wanted to kill me, Ninja-sama, you could have done so long ago. I probably wouldn't even have had time to react. Why wait until after my training?" Minato looked at Jiraiya with a calm expression. He admitted there was an element of gamble involved, but he was willing to trust his judgment. Moreover, the opponent's strength was far superior to his own. Even if he tried to escape, he would be instantly killed. Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. "Hahahahaha, you're good, kid, really good. This Jiraiya-sama approves of you." "How about it? Interested in becoming my disciple? I'm the Hokage's disciple, you know." Jiraiya realized he had truly struck gold. Not only was the other party exceptionally talented and a quick learner, but his observation and analytical skills were comparable to Orochimaru's. This was practically a combination of himself and Orochimaru. If he could teach a disciple even better than Orochimaru, wouldn't that mean he was better than Orochimaru? "Jiraiya-sama?" Minato was stunned for a moment, then bowed with pleasant surprise. "Jiraiya-sensei." "Hmm, you're a good kid. Come on, Jiraiya-sensei will treat you to a meal. I'll start teaching you how to train tomorrow afternoon." Jiraiya's large hand pressed down on Minato's blonde hair. And honestly, it felt quite nice. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei." Minato's eyes were filled with joy. He hadn't seen Jiraiya truly fight, but he believed the other party was a strong individual, and also the Hokage-sama's disciple. So, he should be able to quickly grow stronger under his guidance. As for the other party deceiving him? Minato didn't think there was any need for that. Lies always get exposed eventually. Besides, Kushina seemed to have mentioned the name Jiraiya before. It should be correct. Days flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Kazuki had not received any guidance from so-called experts. His strength continued to progress at a steady pace. Through the combat arena, Kazuki realized his shortcomings. He needed a powerful Ninjutsu. Currently, within the Uchiha clan, there was no inheritance for Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction or Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation, not even the Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique. Kazuki had once subtly probed Tatsuya and learned that some Ninjutsu were only accessible to the clan head and others of their status. These were not recorded in Ninjutsu scrolls but passed down orally. When Madara left Konoha, he did not leave those Ninjutsu behind. This left Kazuki quite regretful. Ordinary Fire Release was clearly inferior to Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction. He wondered if these Ninjutsu would drop when he encountered Madara in the combat arena in the future. Of course, if Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction really did drop, Kazuki would probably cry himself to death. Wouldn't Madara's ocular power and dōjutsu be better than these Ninjutsu? Kazuki set his sights on Chidori. He could naturally research Rasengan as well, but he had never seen a Tailed Beast Bomb, making it inconvenient to research Rasengan. But Chidori was different. However, researching Chidori was not an easy task. It might seem like Kakashi developed a Ninjutsu like Chidori at just 12 years old, but in reality, Sakumo himself was an excellent Lightning Release Ninja. Kakashi had probably already mastered Sakumo's Lightning Release insights and then used them to develop Chidori. Kazuki needed to work harder to achieve this, but fortunately, he still had plenty of time. However, Minato's changes did not escape Kazuki's notice. His strength was progressing very quickly. It was clear without even thinking that Minato had met Jiraiya. This was already within Kazuki's expectations. Minato was just such a person. He possessed excellent talent, and as long as someone could provide him with the right platform, Minato would grow rapidly at a visible pace. On this day, Kazuki and Mikoto were meeting up, intending to go home and continue researching Lightning Release nature transformation, when Kushina called out to them, "Kazuki, Mikoto, my grandma wants to invite you two for dinner. Are you free today?" "Your grandma? Is it grandma Mito?" Kazuki hadn't expected this. Kagami himself had only met Mito a few times. Of course, this could also be due to the Mangekyo Sharingan. "Yes, grandma Mito wants to see you two. After all, you're my friends, and she cares about me quite a bit." Kushina felt a bit strange about them meeting her family, but she also hoped Kazuki and Mikoto would go meet her family. Kazuki and Mikoto exchanged glances, then nodded. Kazuki said to Kushina, "Then we'll trouble you." Kazuki felt it would be better not to tell his family about meeting Mito. It was hard to guarantee that those in his family wouldn't get some unnecessary ideas. It would be better to talk about it after meeting Mito. To be honest, Kazuki felt a bit nervous about meeting Mito. He wondered if she would be able to sense the Indra Chakra within him.