Understanding

As Jiraiya was occupied looking for Jun, two shurikens came out of a nearby tree, aimed directly at him. Noticing them, Jiraiya raised his hand and easily caught them in between his fingers.

'Tch… As expected from a Jōnin… Attacks like this one won't have any effect.'

Since he had given away his location, Minato immediately ran away, quickly hiding.

Calmly analyzing the situation, he weighed all possibilities. Even though Jun was strong, Minato just couldn't see him taking down Jiraiya by himself.

'There's only one way then…'

No matter what, he just couldn't see a clear path to victory unless they worked together… But what about Nozomi?

"...!"

As if he had finally understood something very important, Minato held his chin, falling in deep thought.

'So that's the meaning of this exam… They want to test our ability to recognize our opponent's strength, and work in conjunction to survive!'

Reaching this conclusion, Minato immediately got to planning. Taking into account Jun's abilities and Nozomi's heritage, he quickly came up with a plan.

'Alright… Now I just have to reach them before sensei does...!'

Thinking quickly, he remembered the path Nozomi took in her escape. Although it happened in a split-second, he had a basic idea of where to go.

After a while of searching, he finally found her, lying underneath some bushes. Seeing Minato creep behind her, Nozomi turned around and held up her palms in self-defense.

"Relax…! I'm not here to fight…"

In a hushed voice, Minato raised his hands in peace. Seeing his actions, Nozomi calmed down.

"What do you want? I shouldn't have to remind you that we're enemies right now."

"That's what he wants you to think..."

"What...?"

Smiling, Minato explained the premise of the exam to her. Hearing his words, she felt like it made a lot of sense.

"If your theory is right… We have to work together in order to win!"

"Sounds about right."

"Wha-!"

Both Nozomi and Minato jumped in fright as Jun's head emerged from the ground. Looking at them with a smile, he got out and sat in front of them.

"So, what's the plan?"

"You…"

Nozomi didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. How long had Jun been there, listening in?

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"There he is."

Finally, Jiraiya sensed Jun's presence. Looking in his direction, he couldn't help but smile, noticing that he was accompanied by both of his teammates.

"Did they decide to work together? If that's so, they have potential!"

Feeling positive, Jiraiya acted like he was still looking for them, but was actually giving them time to plan ahead. If he went over now, it just wouldn't be any fun.

Hiding the bells back inside his clothes, Jiraiya patiently waited.

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After a while, Jiraiya felt them move. Minato and Nozomi were circling around him, whilst Jun's signal had completely disappeared. Furrowing his brows, he still couldn't understand how he possessed such an ability.

"Is it a bloodline-limit? No… He's an Uchiha, so it wouldn't make any sense."

Suddenly, both Minato and Nozomi jumped out of the nearby shrubbery, attacking him from two sides at once. Smiling, Jiraiya kept them company as he kept an eye out for Jun.

'Thank god they're not complete freaks like him…'

Jiraiya rejoiced as he toyed with both Minato and Nozomi.

Just as he was getting comfortable, something happened that was completely out of his expectations. In the middle of their fight, Minato and Nozomi disappeared into the ground, leaving without a trace.

"What!?"