Chapter 5 - Proving Ground
"Naruto, Hinata, and Shino must learn to work together if they hope to impress their legendary sensei... and stay alive!"
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. "Naruto" and all related characters, settings, and concepts are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and respective companies. This story is written by a fan, for fans, with no financial gain.
Summary: Minato seals the entire Kyuubi into Naruto, resulting in a Naruto who from the moment of his conception is infused with Kyuubi Chakra, and the day of hs birth the beast is sealed within him using a seal that allows Kyuubi to keep feeding the boy his chakra, changing him, making him part bijuu from birth. Naruto possesses immense power, including a chakra skeleton and natural shape-shifting abilities, but struggles with control and acceptance. Trained by Kakashi, Yamato, and Danzo from a young age, Naruto enters the Academy hoping to prove he's more than just a living weapon.
The air in the classroom was thick with a heady mix of anticipation and anxiety, the scents of fresh linen, polished metal, and adolescent sweat mingling in the morning light that streamed through the windows. The newly minted genin of Konoha chattered and fidgeted, their voices pitching from hushed whispers to raucous laughter as they speculated on their fates.
Uzumaki Naruto sat sandwiched between his two closest companions, his usual boisterous energy subdued by a churning maelstrom of emotions. To his left, Aburame Shino was a bastion of calm, his high collar and dark glasses concealing any hint of sentiment. But Naruto could feel the subtle buzz of his kikaichū, betraying a flicker of eagerness beneath the stoic exterior.
And to his right... Hyūga Hinata, her presence as startling as it was comforting. They'd spent countless nights training under the stars, Naruto guiding her through strike after strike, urging her to unleash her full potential. But here, in the light of day, with mere inches separating them... it felt different. Intimate. Her lavender eyes kept darting to his, a delicate flush staining her cheeks, before skittering away.
"Oi, Shikamaru!" Inuzuka Kiba's brash voice cut through the din, drawing Naruto's attention. The feral boy was leaning over the desk of the young Nara, a sharp-toothed grin splitting his face. "Bet you're hoping for an easy team, eh? More time for cloud watching!"
Shikamaru merely sighed, not bothering to lift his head from where it rested on his crossed arms. "Troublesome. I just hope I don't get stuck with anyone too bossy."
"Hah!" Yamanaka Ino scoffed, tossing her platinum ponytail. "With your lazy ass, you need someone to keep you in line! I pity the poor saps stuck with you."
Akimichi Chōji paused in his crisp munching to pat his best friend's shoulder consolingly.
Uchiha Sasuke, as ever, remained aloof, his dark eyes fixed on some distant point. But even he couldn't fully mask the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers kept twitching towards his kunai pouch.
A sudden bang jolted the room to attention as Umino Iruka strode in, his scarred face stern. The chatter died instantly, each genin snapping upright under their sensei's hawkish gaze.
"As of today," Iruka began, his voice a solemn drum, "you are all shinobi of Konohagakure. But the path of a ninja is fraught with peril and hardship. The teams you are placed in will be your lifeline, your family. You must learn to trust and support each other, in times of peace and in times of strife."
He lifted a sheaf of papers, the rustle of parchment unnaturally loud in the taut silence. "Team 1, under Yūhi Kurenai..."
Naruto tuned out the names, his pulse thundering in his ears. His mind kept replaying the conversation with Iruka-sensei, the weight of the vial around his neck suddenly stifling. A special case. A tailor-made team. It was everything he'd dreamed of, but now, faced with the reality...
"What if I'm not ready? What if I can't control it, and I end up hurting them? Shino, Hinata... they believe in me. But maybe Iruka-sensei was wrong. Maybe I'm just a monster after all..."
A touch on his arm, feather-light but grounding. Hinata, her eyes shimmering with concern and something fiercer, surer. "N-Naruto-kun," she whispered, her voice a gentle stream over pebbles. "You've got this. I know it."
Shino inclined his head, a minute gesture that spoke volumes. "We are with you, Naruto. Always."
Naruto swallowed hard, a shaky smile tugging at his lips. Their faith, their friendship... it bolstered him, steadied the quake in his bones. He touched the vial, felt the thrum of kikaichū within, and straightened his spine. "They've got my back. And I'll have theirs. No matter what."
"Team 7," Iruka called out, a strange note in his voice, "under Jiraiya of the Sannin—"
His words were cut off by a sudden explosion of smoke and leaves, a massive figure bursting through the classroom window in a rain of shattered glass. Students screamed and dived for cover as an enormous toad, mottled red and easily the size of a desk, landed with a wet splat in the center of the room.
And there, perched atop its head in a kabuki pose, was a figure of legend. Shock white hair, a wild mane that trailed down his back. Weathered skin, twin streaks of red painting his cheeks like bloody tears. And eyes, dark and glinting with a manic edge.
"Behold!" the man bellowed, his voice a thundercrack in the stunned silence. "The great and gallant Gama Sennin, the wise and virile sage of Mount Myōboku, the one and only Jiraiya!"
A pregnant pause, the class gaping in mute disbelief. Then...
"I'm here for Team 7! Uzumaki Naruto, Hyūga Hinata, Aburame Shino! Your destiny awaits!"
Pandemonium. Iruka spluttering, papers flying. Ino and Sakura clutching each other and shrieking. Kiba guffawing, Akamaru howling in distress. Even Sasuke looked pole-axed, his usually impassive face slack with shock.
Naruto could only stare, his jaw hanging open. The legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage... his sensei? It was beyond his wildest dreams, beyond his most fevered imaginings.
But before he could fully process, before he could start to question what this meant, Jiraiya was moving. The sage leaped from his toad, bounding over desks and gawking students to alight on the windowsill, his wild hair whipping in the breeze.
"Well?" he barked, his eyes locking onto Naruto's, dark and brilliant and burning. "Are you coming or not, kid?"
And then he was gone, vanishing in a swirl of leaves and a resonant croak.
Naruto blinked, once, twice. Then he was scrambling, vaulting over the desk, his heart in his throat and his blood singing in his veins. Behind him, he could hear Shino and Hinata, matching his pace, their footsteps a drumbeat syncopating his own.
They burst out into the sunlight, onto the bustling streets of Konoha. Civilians gawked and genin gaped, but Naruto paid them no heed. His eyes were fixed ahead, on the distant figure bounding over the rooftops, a crimson haori flapping like a banner in the wind.
"This is it. This is our beginning. Team 7... we're gonna take the world by storm."
And with a whoop of pure, unbridled joy, Naruto raced after his new sensei, his team—his future—keeping pace at his side.
The newly minted Team 7 raced through the bustling streets of Konoha, their eyes straining for a glimpse of their elusive sensei. But the Toad Sage seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving only a trail of bewildered civilians and overturned fruit carts in his wake.
"There!" Hinata cried out, her Byakugan blazing. "I see his toad, at the edge of the market district!"
Naruto and Shino pivoted as one, following her lead as they vaulted over rooftops and wove through alleyways. But each time they arrived at the spot Hinata indicated, they were met with nothing but a puff of smoke and a fading croak.
"Again, by the Hokage Tower!" Hinata called, her voice tinged with frustration.
And so the chase continued, the toad leading them on a merry dance through the heart of the village. They dashed past the aromatic stalls of the Amaguriama, where the sweet scent of roasting chestnuts mingled with the savory sizzle of yakitori. They leaped over the tranquil streams of the Naka River, their reflections fracturing in the dappled sunlight. They wove through the towering shelves of the Konoha Library, scrolls and tomes fluttering in their wake.
But always, just as they drew close, the toad would vanish, only to reappear at the very limit of Hinata's enhanced sight.
"I-I don't understand," Hinata panted, her brow furrowed as they paused atop the great stone face of the Nidaime Hokage. "It's like he's taunting us, always staying just out of reach."
Shino adjusted his glasses, his kikaichū buzzing in agitation beneath his skin. "It does seem to be a deliberate pattern," he mused, his voice flat but tight with annoyance. "But to what end?"
Naruto growled, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. The thrill of the chase was starting to sour, frustration and self-doubt creeping in like the dusk on a failing day. "Is this a test? Or is he just messing with us?"
Suddenly, Hinata spoke up, her voice soft but surprisingly determined. "N-Naruto-kun... if you went on ahead, without us... I bet you could catch him." Her lavender eyes met his, gleaming with a fierceness he'd never seen before. "You're so fast, so strong... you could do it, I know you could."
Naruto stilled, his breath catching in his throat. An image flashed through his mind - him, racing ahead, his power unleashed, leaving his team behind in a cloud of dust and chakra. It would be so easy, so simple...
"No."
The word rang through his mind like a temple bell, clear and resounding. He shook his head, a strange calm settling over him. "No, Hinata-chan," he said, his voice steady and sure. "We're not doing that. In fact... I think we're missing the point here."
Shino cocked his head, intrigued. "What do you mean, Naruto?"
Naruto began to pace, his mind whirring as he thought back to his lessons with Kakashi, with Danzō, with Tenzō. "Look underneath the underneath," he muttered, more to himself than his teammates. "That's what they always told me. Don't just react, don't just chase. Control the situation. Control the battlefield."
He stopped, turning to face his team. "Jiraiya-sensei... he's playing with us. The toads, the chase... it's all a diversion. A test, maybe. Or just a waste of our time. But either way, we're doing exactly what he wants us to do."
Shino nodded slowly, comprehension dawning. "The toads do seem to appear at the very edge of Hinata's range," he mused. "And I haven't been able to get a single kikaichū on Jiraiya-sensei. He's deliberately staying out of our sensory abilities."
Hinata flushed, her earlier bravado fading into chagrin. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes downcast. "I should have realized... I was just so focused on not being a burden, on keeping up..."
Naruto was at her side in an instant, his hand on her shoulder, warm and reassuring. "Hey, none of that," he said gently, ducking his head to catch her gaze. "You're not a burden, Hinata-chan. Never. We're a team, remember? We figure this out together."
She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with gratitude and something deeper, warmer. Naruto felt his heart stutter in his chest, a flush creeping up his neck.
He cleared his throat, stepping back and clapping his hands together. "Right! So, new plan. If Jiraiya-sensei wants to play hide-and-seek, we'll play. But we'll play smart."
He turned to Shino, his eyes bright with determination. "Shino, I need you to fan out your kikaichū, as wide as you can. See if you can pick up any trace of Jiraiya-sensei's chakra, any hint of where he might be hiding. Think your ladies are up for a little hunting?"
Shino's lips twitched, a hint of a smirk beneath his high collar. "They do enjoy a good chase," he said dryly, his fingers already flickering through handsigns. A low buzzing filled the air as a cloud of insects rose from beneath his sleeves, dispersing into the village like a living mist.
Naruto nodded, satisfied. Then he turned to Hinata, his expression softening. "Hinata-chan, I have a special mission for you. Out of all of us, you've got the best chance of getting information from the civilians. People trust you, respect you. See if you can find anyone who's seen or heard anything about Jiraiya-sensei. Shopkeepers, restaurant owners, anyone who might have caught a glimpse of him."
Hinata straightened, her earlier embarrassment fading into resolve. "H-hai, Naruto-kun," she said, her voice soft but steady. "I'll do my best."
Finally, Naruto turned his gaze inward, a plan forming in his mind. "As for me... I've got some contacts in the shinobi barracks. Tenzō-nii's apartment building is full of jōnin and chūnin who might know something. They're less likely to... well, to judge me. I'll see what I can dig up there."
He looked at his teammates, at these two brilliant, brave souls who had chosen to stand by him, to believe in him. A fierce, protective warmth bloomed in his chest, a fire that he knew would never fade.
"We'll meet back here in one hour," he said, his voice ringing with conviction. "With our findings, our intel. And then... then we'll show Jiraiya-sensei what Team 7 can really do."
He thrust his fist out, a grin splitting his face. "Team 7 on three?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with a mischief and a joy he'd never known before.
Hinata and Shino looked at each other, a moment of surprise passing between them. Then, slowly, surely, they brought their fists to meet his, a united front against all odds.
"One," Naruto began, his voice trembling with barely restrained excitement.
"Two," Hinata and Shino joined in, their voices blending into a harmony that sang of new beginnings and unbreakable bonds.
"Three... Team 7!"
Their voices rose into a chorus, a battle cry, a promise. And as they leapt apart, each to their assigned task, Naruto felt a swell of pride, of hope, of something he couldn't quite name but knew he would cherish forever.
The village square was a riot of color and noise, the afternoon sun beating down on the bustling crowds. Merchants hawked their wares, their voices rising above the clamor of haggling customers and laughing children. The air was thick with the scents of sizzling yakitori, sweet dango, and the earthy smell of sun-warmed earth.
Amidst this lively scene, three young shinobi emerged from different directions, converging on a spot near the central fountain. They moved with purpose, their stances alert and their eyes sharp, a stark contrast to the carefree civilians around them.
Uzumaki Naruto arrived first, his bright hair and bold clothing drawing the eye like a flame. But for every curious glance, there was a darker look, a narrowing of eyes and a tightening of lips. Whispers followed in his wake, hushed and hostile.
"There goes that boy again..."
"I heard he's not even human, just a thing made of chakra..."
"They say he nearly killed a chūnin once, ripped his arm clean off..."
But Naruto paid them no heed, his gaze fixed on the approaching forms of his teammates. Hyūga Hinata and Aburame Shino melted out of the crowd, falling into step beside him with a naturalness that belied the newness of their team.
They shared a look, a moment of silent communication amidst the noise and scrutiny. Then Naruto grinned, a fierce, determined thing. "I found out a lot about Jiraiya-sensei," he announced without preamble. "Some of it might not be helpful, but it's a start."
Hinata pressed her fingers together, a delicate flush rising to her cheeks. "I-I also heard some things," she admitted, her voice soft but steady. "Some troubling things. But I might have a lead..."
Shino remained stoic, but there was a slump to his shoulders, a faint buzz of agitation from beneath his high collar. "I am afraid I have nothing to report," he said, his tone flat and clipped. "My kikaichū combed the village, but to no avail. I apologize for my failure."
Naruto clapped a hand on Shino's shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. "Hey, none of that," he chided gently. "That's just the nature of shinobi work. We have to come at things from lots of angles, 'cause they won't all pan out. We're a team, remember? We succeed or fail together."
Shino inclined his head, a fraction of the tension easing from his frame. Naruto took that as his cue to continue.
"Right, so here's what I got from Tenzō-nii and the ANBU," he said, his voice lowering conspiratorially. "Jiraiya-sensei isn't just strong, he's like, the strongest shinobi in the village. And sneaky, too. Apparently he's one of the best teachers Konoha's ever seen, and our only seal master."
His brow furrowed, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "He also writes these books that everyone seems to know about. Whenever I asked for more details, they just giggled and wouldn't say anything else. And this one lady with purple hair, she called him the 'Biggest Pervert of all Time'."
Hinata sighed, her shoulders drooping. "That... fits with what I heard," she admitted, her cheeks now a flaming red. "The villagers either praised Jiraiya-sama as a wonderful, boisterous shinobi, or cursed his name for his... his perverted ways."
She seemed to steel herself, a glint of determination in her pale eyes. "B-but I did find a lead. Today is 50% off day at the biggest onsen in Konoha. If Jiraiya-sama is really such a... a pervert..." She trailed off, the implication clear.
Naruto and Shino exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them. Naruto's jaw tightened, his eyes flickering to the hostile faces around them. "I'm not exactly welcome in places like that," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "I wouldn't be denied entry, but..."
"And the Aburame do not remove our coats and glasses in public," Shino added, a hint of discomfort in his usually stoic tone. "My body is... unique. Unpleasant for some to look upon."
Hinata frowned, a fierce protectiveness flashing across her face. "Then we'll find another way," she said firmly, her stutter forgotten in her conviction. "We at least have to look. We'll figure out the rest when we get there."
Naruto looked at her, at this girl who had always seemed so timid, so unsure. But now, with her eyes blazing and her chin lifted, she seemed like a different person. Like a true kunoichi, ready to face any challenge for her team.
"My team. My friends."
A slow, wide grin spread across his face, a warmth blooming in his chest that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun. "Alright then," he said, a laugh in his voice and a light in his eyes. "Let's go catch ourselves a pervy sage!"
And with that, Team 7 set off, weaving through the crowded streets with a new purpose, a new fire in their steps. The onsen awaited, and with it, the answers they sought.
The Konoha Great Onsen loomed before Team 7, a sprawling complex of gleaming tile and polished wood. Steam curled from the high, peaked roofs, carrying with it the scent of mineral-rich waters and fragrant oils. The chatter of patrons and the soft slosh of water echoed from within, a soothing melody that seemed to beckon weary muscles and troubled minds.
But for the three young shinobi standing at the entrance, there was no thought of relaxation. They huddled together, their eyes fixed on the imposing facade, their minds whirring with strategies and possibilities.
"I can see him," Hinata murmured, her Byakugan pulsing at her temples. "Jiraiya-sama is on the men's side, sitting atop a large toad. He seems to be... looking through a hole in the dividing wall. And taking notes."
Her face flushed a delicate pink, her eyes widening as they took in the details of the onsen's interior. "The baths are huge," she breathed, a hint of awe in her voice. "There are multiple pools, each with different temperatures and mineral contents. The walls are lined with murals depicting famous shinobi battles. And the changing rooms... they're so ornate, with lockers carved from rich mahogany and benches cushioned with silk."
Naruto and Shino exchanged a glance, a silent acknowledgment of their shared discomfort. Neither had set foot in such an establishment before, for very different reasons.
Shino cleared his throat, a soft buzz emanating from beneath his high collar. "We must approach this as shinobi," he said, his voice a low drone. "We have ways around our... limitations."
With a quick hand sign, his form shimmered and shifted, resolving into the familiar visage of Umino Iruka. "A simple henge," he explained, his voice still a monotone despite Iruka's face. "It should suffice for the front desk."
Hinata nodded, her hands flowing through the signs with a fluid grace. In a puff of chakra smoke, she transformed into Kō, her faithful minder from the branch house.
Naruto grinned, a fierce, foxy thing. He raised a half-ram sign, conjuring a cloud of smoke around himself. But when it cleared, it wasn't a henge that emerged, but a perfect replica of Tenzō, happuri and all. His clothes, his posture, even the slight crinkles around his eyes - all were flawlessly mimicked.
"Heh, perks of being unique," Naruto said, his voice a perfect imitation of Tenzō's calm tenor. "No need for illusions when you can shapeshift for real."
Hinata and Shino merely nodded, long accustomed to their teammate's extraordinary abilities. With a shared look of determination, they strode into the onsen, their disguises firmly in place.
The front desk attendant barely glanced at them as they paid their entry fee, too engrossed in a trashy romance novel to spare more than a cursory once-over. They made their way to the changing rooms, the rich scent of cedar and steam enveloping them like a warm embrace.
And then they were through, stepping out onto the slick tiles that surrounded the baths. The humid air clung to their skin, the distant murmur of conversation and the soft lap of water against stone a soothing white noise.
But there, perched atop a massive toad at the far end of the men's bath, was their quarry. Jiraiya sat cross-legged, a notebook balanced on his knee and a lecherous grin on his face as he peeked through a small hole in the bamboo wall that separated the men's and women's sides.
Team 7 approached cautiously, their footsteps near silent on the damp floor. But as they drew close, Hinata faltered, her fingers coming up to press together in a nervous tic that shattered her henge.
Naruto, still wearing Tenzō's face, let out a pointed cough.
Jiraiya's writing hand stilled, his shoulders tensing almost imperceptibly. But he didn't turn, didn't acknowledge their presence. Instead, he began to speak, his voice a low, disappointed rumble.
"You spent far too long chasing toads," he said, his pen still scratching across the page. "And even when you started gathering intel, you were painfully obvious about it. Had I been a real target, I would have been long gone before you even got close."
He shook his head, a sigh gusting from his lips. "And then, to approach me here, in the onsen? With disguises a child could see through? If this had been a real mission, you would have compromised everything. Your target, your objective, and most importantly, each other."
Shino tilted his head, a faint buzz of agitation emanating from his false form. Hinata's blush deepened, visible even through her henge.
And Naruto, still wearing Tenzō's face, scrunched up his nose, a mulish set to his jaw. "Guess we need to look even further underneath the underneath," he muttered, his borrowed voice tight with frustration.
But then Jiraiya turned, a considering gleam in his dark eyes as he looked over each of them in turn. He cocked his head, tapping his chin with the end of his pen as if deep in thought.
"Still," he mused, "you did find me. And you played to each other's strengths to do it. Hinata's eyes, Shino's logic, Naruto's connections... for a freshly minted team, that's not half bad. Unrefined, certainly, but promising."
His gaze settled on Naruto, a knowing glint sparking in their depths. "And you, brat. You stuck with your team, even when you could have easily outpaced them. I half expected you to come barreling in here alone, consequences be damned. Seems like Kakashi's lessons stuck better than Danzō's, eh?"
Naruto puffed up his chest, Tenzō's happuri rising with the motion. "Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash," he declared, his voice ringing with conviction despite the borrowed timbre.
Jiraiya's lips quirked, a hint of approval softening his craggy features. "So they are," he agreed, something like pride warming his tone.
He snapped his notebook shut, tucking it away into the folds of his haori. "Alright then, my cute little genin," he said, a grin splitting his face. "Meet me tomorrow at training ground 13. We'll see what you're really made of, individually and as a team."
Shino straightened, Iruka's scarred nose wrinkling in confusion. "But we already passed our genin test," he pointed out, his monotone laced with a hint of uncertainty.
Jiraiya laughed, a great, booming thing that echoed off the tiled walls. "Oh, that? That was just to weed out the hopeless cases. The real test is up to the jōnin-sensei. And I'm telling you now, you've got potential. So don't screw it up!"
He made a shooing motion with his hands, already turning back to the dividing wall with a leer. "Now scram, all of you! I've got research to get back to!"
Team 7 shared a look, equal parts exasperation, trepidation, and excitement. But there was a new light in their eyes, a fire kindled by the challenge laid before them.
They left as they had come, slipping out of the onsen and back into the bustling streets of Konoha. But something had shifted, an understanding reached and a bond cemented.
They were Team 7. Jiraiya's team.
And come hell or high water, they would prove themselves worthy of that title.
The morning sun crested the tops of the trees surrounding Training Ground 13, its golden rays piercing through the lush canopy to dapple the clearing with light and shadow. The air was crisp and cool, laden with the earthy scent of dew-kissed grass and the fresh, invigorating aroma of the nearby waterfall.
The clearing itself was a picture of tranquility, a lush carpet of emerald grass stretching out to meet the treeline. A shallow river wound its way through the heart of the grounds, its crystal waters dancing and sparkling in the morning light. The gentle babble of the stream mingled with the distant roar of the waterfall, a soothing symphony of nature in perfect harmony.
But amidst this peaceful tableau, a most unusual sight greeted the eyes. There, sprawled in the center of the clearing, was a figure of legend and myth. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, sat cross-legged on the grass, surrounded by a sea of scattered papers.
He was a mountain of a man, tall and broad, with a wild mane of white hair that cascaded down his back like an untamed waterfall. His face was craggy and weathered, marked by the trails of a lifetime of laughter and hardship in equal measure. Two crimson lines, like streaks of blood, ran from his eyes to his jawline, a stark contrast against his tanned skin.
He wore a garish ensemble of green and red, his haori emblazoned with the kanji for 'oil' and 'sage'. A horned hitai-ate, denoting his allegiance to Mount Myōboku, rested on his forehead, glinting in the morning sun.
But for all his imposing presence, there was a lightness to him in this moment, a carefree joy that seemed at odds with his legendary status. He sat amidst his papers, a notebook balanced on one knee, scribbling furiously as he giggled to himself. Every so often, he would pause, snatching up a page and studying it intently before either nodding in satisfaction or crumpling it up and tossing it over his shoulder.
It was to this scene that Team 7 arrived, stepping out from the treeline and into the sunlit clearing. Shino led the way, his high collar and dark glasses glinting in the light. Naruto and Hinata flanked him, their faces a mix of anticipation and trepidation.
If Jiraiya noticed their approach, he gave no sign. He remained engrossed in his work, his pen flying across the pages as he muttered and chuckled to himself. It wasn't until a lone kikaichū alighted on his notebook that he looked up, his dark eyes sparkling with mirth.
"About time you showed up!" he bellowed, a wide grin splitting his face. "I was starting to think you'd gotten lost on the road of life!"
Hinata frowned slightly, her brows knitting together. "We've been here for a few minutes, Sensei," she murmured, her soft voice carrying a hint of reproach.
But Jiraiya's good humor was infectious, and even Naruto couldn't resist a small smile as he stepped forward, his head cocked to the side. "Ne, Sensei," he asked, curiosity coloring his tone, "what exactly are you doing?"
Jiraiya leapt to his feet, his papers flying up around him in a flurry of white. "Why, I'm working on my next literary masterpiece, of course!" he declared, striking a dramatic pose. "The next volume of Icha Icha, guaranteed to set hearts aflutter and blood boiling!"
Hinata's eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line. "So that's what your 'research' is for," she said, her tone less a question and more a resigned statement.
Jiraiya merely nodded, his grin turning sly. "Indeed it is, my dear! And what research it is!"
He laughed boisterously, even as Hinata sighed, her shoulders slumping with the weight of realization. "Of course we'd get stuck with a perverted sensei," she muttered, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink.
But Jiraiya was already moving on, his hands a blur as he swept up his papers and sealed them away in a scroll. He stretched dramatically, his joints popping like firecrackers, before clapping his hands together with a resounding crack.
"Alright, my cute little genin!" he announced, his voice ringing across the clearing. "Time for your assessment! I've seen how you handle a basic mission, but now I need to see how you fight together."
He held up two fingers, his eyes glinting with challenge. "You've got two minutes to strategize. Then, I'm coming at you with everything I've got. Your objective is simple: don't get captured, incapacitated, or incinerated."
His grin turned feral, a hint of danger lurking in the curve of his lips. "If one of you goes down, the others have to try and save them. Hold out for ten minutes, and we'll call it a day. Got it?"
Team 7 exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them in the space of a heartbeat. Then, as one, they huddled together, their heads bent close as they began to strategize in hushed, urgent tones.
Jiraiya watched them, his eyes sharp and assessing beneath the jovial mask. He stepped back, giving them space, but never letting his guard down. His stance was loose and relaxed, but there was a coiled tension to him, a readiness that spoke of a lifetime of battle and survival.
The minutes ticked by, the only sound the whisper of the wind through the trees and the distant roar of the waterfall. And then, just as the second minute drew to a close, Team 7 broke apart, squaring off to face their sensei.
There was a beat of stillness, a moment of perfect, crystalline tension. And then, with a speed that defied belief, Jiraiya moved, blurring into action as he hurtled towards his students.
The assessment had begun, and the fate of Team 7 hung in the balance.
The clearing exploded into motion, a blur of green and red as Jiraiya launched himself at Shino with blinding speed. But before he could reach the Aburame, a flash of yellow intercepted him, and the Sannin found his fist caught in an iron grip.
Naruto stood before him, his arm extended far beyond human limits, his fingers wrapped around Jiraiya's wrist. The impact of their collision sent a shockwave rippling through the clearing, flattening the grass and sending leaves swirling in the sudden gust.
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he took in Naruto's form. The boy seemed to ripple, his skin undulating like the surface of a pond disturbed by a stone. His eyes, usually a bright, mischievous blue, now glowed a deep, pulsing red, the same shade as his mesh bodysuit. The suit itself seemed to come alive, the material straining and bulging as it coursed with energy, hugging Naruto's frame like a second skin.
This was not the work of the Kyūbi, Jiraiya realized with a start. This was Naruto's own unique state of being, his chakra flexing and flowing through his adaptable body, reinforcing it, making him stronger, faster, more resilient than any ordinary shinobi.
Behind Naruto, Shino took advantage of the momentary standoff. His hands blurred through seals, and then a massive wave of kikaichū burst from beneath his sleeves, a living tide of chitinous bodies that surged towards the Sannin.
But Jiraiya was not a legend for nothing. His hair, previously flowing free, suddenly whipped forward, wrapping around Naruto's extended arm. With a surge of chakra and a touch of wind, sharpened to a razor's edge by a lifetime of mastery, he sliced clean through the boy's wrist, severing the hand that held him.
Naruto cried out, more in surprise than pain, as his severed hand fell to the grass. But Jiraiya was already moving, his hands flying through seals as he leapt back from the swarm of insects. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" he roared, and a massive fireball erupted from his mouth, engulfing the kikaichū and searing the air with its heat. The flames licked at Naruto, scorching his skin and setting his clothes smoldering.
But even as Naruto reeled, Hinata was there, sliding between Jiraiya's legs in a display of agility and flexibility that would have been breathtaking under any other circumstances. Her hands glowed with the pale blue light of the Jūken, and she struck out at the Sannin's legs, aiming for the tenketsu points that would hobble his speed and mobility.
Her fingers brushed against Jiraiya's pants... and then he was gone, replaced by a splintered log. Hinata's Byakugan flared, scanning the clearing, and then she gasped. "Shino, behind you!"
But it was too late. Jiraiya appeared behind the Aburame, his hands coming together in a thunderous clap on either side of Shino's head. The boy staggered, his glasses flying off his face, his eyes unfocused. Jiraiya followed up with a spinning kick, his foot connecting with Shino's chest with a sickening crunch. The genin flew back, slamming into a tree with enough force to crack the bark, before sliding to the ground in a crumpled heap.
Jiraiya's hands were already moving, preparing to summon a toad to secure the fallen Aburame. But before he could complete the jutsu, Naruto was on him, a whirlwind of fists and feet and raw, unadulterated power.
The boy's taijutsu was like nothing Jiraiya had ever seen. He attacked from impossible angles, his body bending and twisting in ways that defied anatomy. His blows landed with staggering force, each one backed by the full weight of his chakra-enhanced strength. He lashed out with knees and elbows, with headbutts and shoulder charges, with moves that bordered on suicidal in their recklessness.
More than once, Jiraiya felt bones shatter under his blocks, saw limbs bend in ways they were never meant to. But always, always, they snapped back into place, regenerating in a matter of seconds, leaving Naruto whole and ready to continue his relentless assault.
It was a style that could only be born of a lifetime of pain, of pushing the body beyond all limits and learning to rely on an impossible resilience. A style that Jiraiya knew, with a sinking certainty, could only have been honed under the tutelage of men like Danzō, like Kakashi, like Tenzō. Men who understood the value of a living weapon.
And yet, even with all his strength, all his speed, all his regenerative power... Naruto was still just a genin. And Jiraiya was a Sannin, a shinobi who had stood at the pinnacle of power for longer than the boy had been alive.
He met Naruto's charge head-on, his hair lashing out in a web of grasping strands. They wrapped around the boy's limbs, around his torso, even around his neck, seeking to immobilize, to strangle, to crush. Naruto fought back with a ferocity that bordered on madness, ripping free of the bindings, tearing through them with his bare hands, even as they cut into his flesh and drew streams of blood that healed almost as fast as they flowed.
They danced across the clearing, a whirlwind of fists and feet and hair, the ground cratering under the force of their blows. Naruto was a force of nature, relentless and unyielding... but Jiraiya was an immovable object, rooted in the earth with all the implacable solidity of the mountain he was named for.
And all the while, at the edge of the clearing, Hinata worked frantically over Shino's prone form. She waved smelling salts under his nose, splashed cool water from the river over his face, channeled soothing pulses of healing chakra into his temples.
Slowly, gradually, Shino began to stir, his eyelids fluttering, his fingers twitching. Hinata redoubled her efforts, her Byakugan flaring as she monitored his chakra pathways, coaxing him back to consciousness with every tool at her disposal.
In the center of the clearing, Naruto and Jiraiya continued their furious duel. Naruto had abandoned all pretense of defense, throwing himself into the fight with a reckless abandon that was as awe-inspiring as it was terrifying. He sacrificed limbs, allowed blows to land that would have killed a lesser shinobi, all for the sake of landing a single, perfect strike.
But Jiraiya was a mountain, unyielding and unassailable. His hair formed a living shield, deflecting blows and absorbing impacts that would have shattered stone. He countered Naruto's berserker offense with a defense that was as fluid as it was unbreakable, a tapestry of blocks and parries and subtle redirection that left the boy striking at empty air more often than not.
And then, just as it seemed the stalemate would stretch on forever... the ground beneath Jiraiya's feet gave way.
It was a subtle thing, a barely perceptible shift in the earth. But for a shinobi of Jiraiya's caliber, it might as well have been a neon sign. His eyes widened in realization, even as his body began to sink, the soil liquefying into a clinging mire that dragged at his legs.
It was too small to be a doton jutsu, too localized to be a natural occurrence. Which meant...
Jiraiya's head snapped around, his gaze locking onto Shino's prone form. The boy's hand, previously limp at his side, was now pressed flat against the ground, his fingers splayed wide.
And crawling up that arm, barely visible against the dark fabric of his coat, was a single, solitary kikaichū.
"Well I'll be damned..."
As Jiraiya sank into the ground, his legs engulfed by the suddenly fluid earth, Hinata appeared behind him, her palm glowing with the concentrated chakra of the Jūken. She struck, her hand slamming into the Sannin's back with enough force to shatter stone, aiming for the precise point that would disrupt the flow of chakra through his spine.
But instead of the solid impact she expected, her hand passed through empty air as Jiraiya burst into a cloud of smoke.
Team 7 froze, their eyes widening in shock and disbelief. They spun around, their stances tense and ready, searching for any sign of their sensei. But the clearing was empty, the only sound the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze.
And then, from the edge of the treeline, came the sound of clapping. Slow, deliberate, almost mocking in its casualness. Team 7 whirled to face the source, only to see Jiraiya shimmer into view, the veil of his invisibility jutsu falling away like a discarded cloak. He leaned against a tree, his arms crossed, a wry grin on his face.
Hinata gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Her Byakugan had been active the entire time, scanning the area for any hint of their sensei's presence. And yet, she had seen nothing. It was as if he had been a ghost, a phantom that slipped through the all-seeing gaze of her dōjutsu like smoke through grasping fingers.
Naruto, his face still pale and drawn from the exertion of his battle, took a shaky step forward. "W-when did you switch with the clone?" he asked, his voice hoarse and disbelieving.
Jiraiya shrugged, his grin widening. "Who said I ever switched?" he replied, his tone nonchalant, as if discussing the weather rather than revealing the truth of their entire battle.
Shino, Hinata, and Naruto all stared at him, their expressions a mix of shock, awe, and a dawning realization. All that time, all that effort, all that pain and struggle... and they had been fighting a clone? A mere shadow of their sensei's true power?
In that moment, it truly sank in just who they were dealing with. Jiraiya of the Sannin, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, the man rumored to be the strongest shinobi in all of Konoha. And they, a handful of fresh genin, had thought to challenge him.
Jiraiya, perhaps sensing their thoughts, gestured for them to sit. "Take a load off, kids," he said, his voice losing some of its mocking edge. "You've earned a break."
With a puff of smoke and a few quick hand seals, he unsealed a large spread of food from a scroll at his waist. Rice balls, dumplings, skewers of grilled meat and vegetables, even a few sticks of dango, all arranged on a checkered cloth that he spread out on the grass.
Team 7 sank to the ground, their exhaustion hitting them all at once as the adrenaline of the battle faded. They reached for the food, suddenly ravenous, and for a few minutes there was no sound but the contented munching and slurping of a hard-earned meal.
As they ate, Jiraiya began to speak, his voice taking on a more serious, lecturing tone. "Your team," he said, "is going to have a few main purposes. But above all, you're going to learn to operate independently, like I do. Information gathering, subterfuge, capture and retrieval... and most importantly, being able to go toe-to-toe with any threat that walks this earth."
He pointed at Shino, who paused mid-bite, a dumpling halfway to his mouth. "You," Jiraiya said, "are actually the biggest threat to someone like me. Maybe not today, but in principle. Your kikaichū can control the environment, force my movements. Even one or two of them on me would drain my chakra to unacceptable levels, make it impossible for me to hide or evade. That's why I targeted you first."
Shino blinked, a slow, considering sort of blink. Then he nodded, as if filing that information away for future reference.
Jiraiya's gaze shifted to Hinata, who straightened under his scrutiny. "You, Hinata... I'm impressed. Your file doesn't do you justice. You acted decisively, struck hard, stayed on mission. Got Shino back in the fight quickly and effectively. In most situations, that's going to be your role. While Shino controls the battlefield and Naruto dominates it, you'll be the one ensuring the mission gets done. You'll be in the right place to support your team, you'll be pivotal in any capture scenario. And with those eyes of yours, you'll be able to maneuver through any battle to be exactly where you're needed."
Hinata flushed at the praise, a small, proud smile tugging at her lips. She ducked her head, but not before Naruto caught the gleam of determination in her eyes.
Finally, Jiraiya turned to Naruto. He locked gazes with the blond, his dark eyes boring into Naruto's blue ones with an intensity that made the genin want to squirm. But he held his ground, meeting his sensei's stare with a defiant tilt of his chin.
"Naruto," Jiraiya said, his voice low and serious. "Why did you hold back?"
Naruto blinked, then scowled. "I fought hard," he protested. "Tenzō-nii can barely keep up with me when I go all out like that."
Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head. "I know the full extent of your abilities, kid. I spoke with Kakashi. Where were the chakra claws? The extra limbs? That pure chakra skeleton of yours?"
Naruto looked away, his jaw clenching. "It's too dangerous," he muttered. "My chakra, it's... it's corrosive. Poisonous. And when I use it like that, it's like lighting a beacon for every sensor within a kilometer. I could blind Hinata, kill Shino's kikaichū en masse. And you... Sannin or not, I didn't know I was fighting a clone. As far as I knew, you could die of chakra poisoning just as easily as anyone else."
There was a long, heavy pause. Then Jiraiya reached out, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Those are valid concerns," he said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "But you're going to have to learn to be mindful of your allies while still fighting at full capacity. And while revealing yourself to sensors isn't ideal, a drawn-out battle can be just as bad. If you find yourself up against a powerful opponent, you need to go all out, right from the start. End the fight quickly. You can always hide and regroup later - all three of you excel at fieldcraft and sensory abilities."
Naruto looked thoughtful, even as he continued to devour the food in front of him, his body demanding massive amounts of energy to sustain his unique physiology and regenerate from the damage of the battle.
Jiraiya leaned back, surveying his students with a critical eye. "All in all," he said, "I'm pleased with how you performed as a team. You played off each other's strengths, adapted to the situation, and most importantly, you never gave up on each other. With that in mind..."
He clapped his hands together, a wide, fierce grin spreading across his face. "I hereby declare you officially Team 7! Congratulations, brats. You've got a long, hard road ahead of you... but I think you just might have what it takes to walk it."