The two moved with incredible speed, launching a coordinated attack on Jiraiya one after the other.
Satori Hyūga raised his palm, fingers extended, aiming precise strikes at Jiraiya's pressure points.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several bursts of chakra-infused energy shot forward, immediately immobilizing Jiraiya's body and rendering most of him paralyzed.
At the same time, Minato Namikaze took the chance to snatch the bell.
Just as victory seemed assured, Jiraiya suddenly jerked his body free from the restraint and contorted at an impossible angle, narrowly escaping their combined assault.
"Nice move, brats. You almost turned the tables on me."
He had been careless before, but he hadn't expected to nearly lose control.
A moment of inattention was all it took for the Hyūga kid to ambush him.
That chakra-laced strike hit his pressure points swiftly and sharply, instantly numbing his body.
If not for Sage Mode boosting his physical abilities, he probably wouldn't have reacted in time.
"Kid, you must be the one Orochimaru asked me to train, right? Just like him—cunning as ever," Jiraiya said, staring at Satori.
His tactics were unexpectedly similar indeed.
Though slightly more refined than snake-based techniques, they still took underhanded tactics to the limit.
Who would've thought a mere flick of the finger could unleash such numbing shocks through someone's body, freezing them completely?
In a normal fight, anyone caught off guard would likely lose their combat effectiveness outright.
"Professor Jiraiya, isn't it every ninja's duty to complete missions by any means?" Satori replied.
Only the result matters. No need to dwell on how it happened."
"If we fail this exam, that would truly be embarrassing."
As he spoke, his eyes subconsciously glanced elsewhere.
Noticing the movement, Jiraiya assumed someone was sneaking up behind him and immediately spun around, alert and ready.
The instant he turned, a powerful burst of wind tore through the air toward him.
At the same time, Satori rushed in rapidly, fists clenched tight, unleashing a barrage of brutal punches at close range.
The blows came fast and fierce, unrelenting and forceful.
A seasoned fighter like Jiraiya quickly realized he'd been tricked and reacted instantly, dodging sideways.
Seeing the incoming strikes, he remained completely calm and fired off a counterattack of his own.
Due to the sheer force of his movement, the bell in his hand let out a sharp, ringing clang.
Despite Satori's skill, Jiraiya's combat experience far surpassed his. With a quick dodge and a fierce elbow strike, Satori was sent hurtling backward.
Yet even though he had driven Satori away, Jiraiya didn't look pleased. Instead, he grabbed his hand.
"Ouch, damn that hurt!"
He blew on his hand, stunned as he stared at Satori.
"What the hell is that punch?! Felt like I hit iron!"
Satori lifted his palm, removed his glove, and revealed a concealed reinforced wrist guard beneath.
Each of his five fingers had gleaming metal rings which could deploy hidden metal spikes when activated.
Custom-crafted to withstand heavy force, these ninja tools could also be detached and used as projectiles in a pinch.
Jiraiya's eyelid twitched as he looked on.
"You, with those thick eyebrows and earnest eyes, actually had metal plates hidden in your gloves? No wonder you were wearing them."
He stared at Satori Hyūga, his gaze instinctively wandering toward the parts of his body covered by clothing, worried they might also conceal some bizarre ninja tools. His eyes shifted toward the ground, where a sizable pit lay.
It was a mark left when Satori had landed just now.
Recalling the previous incident, Jiraiya quickly began deducing. Based on Satori's current height and weight, there was no way he should have made such a deep hole. In other words, there must be something else hidden under his clothes.
At this thought, Jiraiya's mouth twitched involuntarily. He regretted agreeing to spar with him earlier just to test his taijutsu skills. This kid's tactics were just too underhanded.
The Hyūga clan, known for their training in hand-to-hand combat, was supposed to be rigid and conventional, full of stiff and serious people—so how did someone like this come along?
He'd even heard that this guy was from the Hyūga Main House. How strange.
Just as he was thinking this, Kushina's chakra chains silently arrived, wrapping around him tightly.
"Hahahaha, I got you!" Kushina stood with her hands on her hips, laughing triumphantly at Jiraiya.
"You perverted stalker ain't so tough after all, huh? You've been defeated by me, Kushina!"
She strode forward toward him, about to reach out and grab the bell.
But just as she touched it, the bound Jiraiya vanished into thin air.
From the top of a large tree behind her, Jiraiya stood proudly atop a branch, laughing arrogantly.
"A mere sealing technique can't possibly hold me, Master Jiraiya!"
As he laughed loudly, he caught movement from the corner of his eye — another blond-haired youth wasn't anywhere nearby.
That instantly sent alarm through him, his body reacting instinctively by dodging aside.
Sure enough, right where he had stood, Minato Namikaze burst forth with lightning speed, rushing past in a flash.
His hand reached toward the bell, barely missing it by an inch.
The sheer speed startled Jiraiya.
Are the younger generation really this strong nowadays?
No wonder the old man wanted me to train them.
Their teamwork wasn't perfect, but it was solid. Add their raw talent into the mix, and even experienced chunin — maybe even jonin — could fall to them if careless.
Thankfully, Jiraiya himself was quite powerful, or else he would've lost face badly.
"Huh? Who dropped this book *Chronicles of Grit and Perseverance*?" Satori Hyūga shouted while holding up the book.
When Jiraiya saw it, he immediately rushed over.
"That's mine! My very first manuscript — based on my apprentice Nagato!"
Since he had only just finished writing it, it hadn't been published yet. If anything happened to it, the consequences would be terrible.
Seeing Jiraiya's panic, Satori grinned mischievously. "Professor Jiraiya, I'm sure you wouldn't want your book damaged either, right?"
His eyes flickered meaningfully toward Jiraiya's hand, the meaning obvious.
Jiraiya hesitated, conflicted, but finally yelled, "That's cheating!"
"Who gives a damn?" Satori Hyūga said. "If you don't give me the bell, I'll use your book to wipe my backside."
Jiraiya's heart sank the moment he heard that.
Gritting his teeth, he hurled the bell straight at him.
Satori Hyūga's eyes lit up instantly when he saw the bell. He reached out and grabbed it.
"Alright then, hand back my precious manuscript now!" Jiraiya yelled, hands on his hips, glaring at Satori Hyūga.
Satori Hyūga waved the book in his hand—and in the blink of an eye, vanished in a puff of white smoke.
At that very moment, Jiraiya froze in shock.
"Fake?!"
He instinctively reached into his robe and found the manuscript still there—untouched.
"You little punk! You tricked me!"
Jiraiya clenched his teeth, then burst into a grin.
"Whatever. My bad for not paying attention. You pass."
...
...
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