Maintaining peak condition to deal with any potential upcoming battles—this was a core tenet of the ninja code.
"Alright."
Shimizu gave a slight nod, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He took out a soldier pill and popped it into his mouth to replenish his stamina.
Kakashi remained silent but also took out a soldier pill.
Beside them, Rin Nohara looked immensely relieved and immediately crouched down to rest.
She was the weakest among the group.
The others had all deliberately slowed their pace—otherwise, they would've covered an extra ten kilometers by now.
"We're not far from the destination," Jiraiya said, glancing at Rin's somewhat pale face in a gentle reminder.
Rin was a woman and a medical ninja; it was normal for her to fall behind in stamina.
But this Uchiha Shimizu… he was odd.
Jiraiya cast a side glance at Shimizu.
The kid seemed tireless, effortlessly keeping pace with him from start to finish.
What kind of endurance did it take to maintain that level of stamina?
Next to them, the White Fang's son looked expressionless, but his mask was soaked through with sweat.
There was no way to compare—Shimizu didn't even look like he'd broken a sweat.
Jiraiya even began to wonder if Shimizu ran a hundred laps around the Uchiha compound every day to build that kind of stamina.
"Uchiha... huh."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue inwardly at Shimizu's natural talent. He had no weaknesses in taijutsu or genjutsu, and his ninjutsu was already on par with most Jonin. Jiraiya was beginning to understand why Hiruzen Sarutobi had arranged for Minato Namikaze to personally mentor him.
Jiraiya's intelligence-gathering abilities were excellent—he had a decent grasp of the tensions between the Uchiha and the village.
The fact that Hiruzen was taking special care to cultivate Shimizu… that was certainly thought-provoking.
"Forget it."
Jiraiya didn't dwell on it any further.
There was light and darkness within the village. Certain people and matters left even him feeling troubled.
If he had the chance, he hoped to travel outside the village in the future—to search for and train the Child of Prophecy.
He suddenly recalled the three disciples he had once trained in the Land of Rain. He wondered how they were doing now, and if they had managed to change their war-torn country for the better.
BOOM!
A distant explosion echoed through the forest.
The mountains trembled, and the birds perched in the trees scattered in alarm.
"That chakra... it's the Eight-Tails."
Jiraiya's eyes sharpened. This was sensitive intel—why were they encountering someone from Kumogakure?
"No, wait… is Minato here too?"
He sensed another familiar chakra signature.
Come to think of it, they weren't far from the area Minato was tasked with covering.
If Minato was the one fighting the Eight-Tails, then that would make sense.
"We're heading over to check it out."
Jiraiya called out to the others and quickly led the way toward the commotion.
"The Yellow Flash, huh? Let's see how I take you down this time."
Killer Bee gripped the slim, sharp blade tightly in his hand.
Zzzzt!
Electric arcs surged across the blade, crackling with blue light.
This was his second time facing Minato Namikaze. The first time, he had come with his brother, the Raikage. The two of them had seamless coordination and were known as the AB Duo.
But in that fight, due to his own performance, it had ended in something close to a draw.
This time, though, Killer Bee wasn't holding back.
The Third Raikage had fallen, worn down by ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi. And Konoha bore some of that blame.
If the other Hidden Villages hadn't delayed Kumogakure's reinforcements, how could it be that no backup arrived even after his comrades had broken through?
It had been three full days—and by a ninja's pace, that was more than enough to cross an entire small country.
"Bee, I understand the grief over the Third Raikage's death… but I have my own burden to carry," Minato said, hurling a kunai and vanishing in a flicker.
At the same time, Killer Bee unleashed the jutsu he had been charging.
Lightning flared, the air splitting with a sonic boom.
Super Vibrating Lightning Release Blade!
By channeling Lightning Release into the blade, he generated high-frequency vibrations, giving the weapon penetration even greater than Wind Release.
Infused with chakra-conductive metal, the sword's destructive power was significantly enhanced.
In the next instant—
Minato reappeared behind Killer Bee, extending his right hand as a Rasengan formed in his palm.
"Sorry, Killer Bee."
The Rasengan struck Killer Bee, who was in Tailed Beast Chakra Mode, tearing through the red chakra cloak.
"Mouse Fire Ball!"
Just as Minato was about to land another hit, a sphere of blue flame in the shape of a black mouse hurtled toward him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Minato saw the incoming jutsu, and his heart sank slightly.
The Two-Tails' jinchuriki!
Both the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails were here—this just got a whole lot more complicated.
In a flash, Minato made a decision. His body vanished and reappeared atop a tree branch.
"Even after getting taught a lesson, you let yourself get toyed with again. What a disgrace, Killer Bee."
Yugito Nii stood with arms crossed, a cat tail rising behind her waist.
Blue flames blazed from her body, streaked with flowing black markings.
Behind her stood a squad of Kumogakure shinobi.
One blonde woman stepped forward and said coldly, "Not cool at all—letting the Yellow Flash get that close."
"Yo yo, it's all part of the plan, my battle plan," Killer Bee said, waving his arms in rhythm before leaping back toward his comrades.
"Kumogakure's reinforcements…"
Inuzuka Gaku and Akimichi Dōtō looked grim.
They had just fought alongside Minato to take down ten enemy shinobi, and now a new squad had arrived. Their chakra reserves might not last through another round.
The two sides stared each other down, the atmosphere taut and dangerous.
Minato's brows furrowed slightly. He could teleport away with his two teammates using Flying Raijin, but doing so would mean abandoning the mission.
Their objective was to intercept and block this elite Kumogakure assault unit right here.
Just as the tension reached a peak, a sudden rustling caught everyone's attention.
Rustle.
The bushes parted.
Four figures stepped out, all wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
"Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato said in surprise.
He hadn't expected to run into Jiraiya here of all places.
Wasn't he the one who had been asked to escort Shimizu?
"We're on a mission and heard the commotion," Jiraiya said, striding toward Minato.
The situation was quickly turning chaotic—but Minato's luck was good today. If Jiraiya hadn't shown up, this mission might've ended in failure.
"Minato-sensei."
Members of Minato's team stepped forward to greet him one by one.
"Mm."
Minato nodded in response.
The only real threats from Kumogakure were the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails jinchuriki. With Jiraiya here, the odds had shifted in their favor.
Inuzuka Gaku and Akimichi Dōtō could take on the stronger enemy shinobi. The remaining opponents—Kakashi and Shimizu should be able to handle them.
"T-That's one of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya of the Sannin!"
A Kumogakure shinobi finally recognized Jiraiya.
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