Naruto Infinite New World

Jiraiya's body trembled, his eyes losing their light as he fell backward. The silver hair binding Minato and Kushina vanished.

"Poof"

Jiraiya's body turned into a puff of smoke.

It was yet another shadow clone.

Gin sighed in frustration, feeling utterly exhausted. Fortunately, the bell didn't disappear with Jiraiya but fell to the ground.

Kushina quickly grabbed it with her chains.

Jiraiya emerged from the woods, carrying a box.

"You guys are really something," he said.

From the beginning, what appeared in front of the three was a shadow clone. But even a simple shadow clone should have been too much for an ordinary genin squad to handle. Only a chunin team could take down one of his shadow clones.

"Jiraiya-sensei, we won," Kushina exclaimed, waving the bell triumphantly.

The bell jingled with a cheerful sound.

Jiraiya smiled. This girl finally addressed him properly.

"Let's have some food first," he said, patting the box in his hands. "It's my special bento."

Kushina looked disdainful but followed Minato to Jiraiya, her stomach overriding her reservations. Gin also walked over, looking drained. The Spirit Gun technique had drained a significant amount of his chakra, leaving him exhausted.

"Come, let's eat," Jiraiya urged, opening the box to reveal a sumptuous meal with steaming bowls of rice for everyone.

The three began eating, their plates emptying at a visible speed.

Jiraiya, holding his chopsticks, watched the rapidly vanishing food in contemplation.

Seeing their expectant eyes, he awkwardly smiled before becoming serious.

"So, have you decided who will return to the academy?"

Minato and Kushina exchanged glances.

Gin lay back, unconcerned. For him, this test was meaningless.

"I volunteer to go back and spend another ten years in the academy," he said jokingly.

If he could, he would gladly become a permanent fixture there. Better than being sent to the battlefield. Fighting for the village wasn't his thing. He was the anomaly in the Will of Fire.

But this was just a wishful thought. With their current abilities, the village wouldn't let them go easily.

Minato raised his hand. "I'll withdraw. I feel like I'm not contributing much."

Though he smiled, there was a hint of bitterness. Compared to Gin's combat prowess and Kushina's Uzumaki clan's secret techniques, Minato felt insignificant.

"I should be the one to withdraw," Kushina said, her face dark. "I doubt the village would let me go on missions anyway."

As the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, she knew her position well. Unlike Gin, she wasn't in a position to argue.

Gin looked up at the sky, not caring about the outcome.

The sky was so blue, the clouds so white.

"Hahaha," Jiraiya laughed heartily, pleased with their responses.

"You all pass."

"Because from now on, you are teammates who must rely on each other. Distrust among you could be dangerous."

For Jiraiya, the true test was their bond.

Kushina blinked in confusion, then looked at the beaming Minato, finally realizing.

"So we're all ninjas now."

As for Gin, better not to look at him.

"Correct. From today, you are Team 7, under Jiraiya."

"Yay!" Kushina jumped for joy.

Jiraiya smiled warmly at his new team. They were like a new version of the old Team 7. Kushina was like Tsunade, Gin was like a more stable Orochimaru, and Minato, like himself, was handsome and kind-hearted.

"Since I'm your sensei, how about I treat you all to a big meal?"

Gin suddenly sat up, grinning mischievously like a fox.

Seeing the eager eyes of Minato and Kushina, Jiraiya patted his chest.

"Of course, no problem."

But why did he have a bad feeling about this?

And didn't they just finish eating?

At the yakiniku restaurant, Jiraiya stared at the bill that trailed to the floor, his jaw dropping.

Holding his wallet, he counted the money inside several times, still short.

Looking up at the smiling restaurant owner, he hesitated. "Can I wash dishes to pay off the debt?"

The owner, wide-eyed, couldn't believe a ninja would say such a thing. He quickly calculated on his abacus and reluctantly agreed.

Feeling dejected, Jiraiya left the restaurant, hearing Gin's enthusiastic voice.

"For guys like us who never get full, we need to find someone to treat us."

Minato looked embarrassed, while Kushina was earnest.

Jiraiya's face darkened, retracting his previous evaluation of Gin.

Gin noticed Jiraiya's expression and greeted him.

"Hey, Jiraiya-suc-sensei."

You were definitely going to say "sucker," weren't you?!

Jiraiya fumed internally. Now he realized this kid was a troublemaker!

"Alright, alright, don't be mad."

Gin approached, handing Jiraiya a small booklet, speaking as if to appease a child.

"What's this?" Jiraiya asked, looking at the booklet.

"Basic Inner Techniques."

"This is the secret to why I couldn't use ninjutsu before."

Since they were now teammates, knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses was essential.

Jiraiya's interest was piqued.

"Jiraiya," a cold voice interrupted, as Orochimaru appeared beside them.

Jiraiya's eyes lit up with surprise.

"You came just in time, lend me some money!"

Orochimaru tilted his head. "???"

He searched his pockets but found no wallet.

"I didn't bring my wallet today."

Jiraiya: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

So much for his savior.

Orochimaru noticed the booklet in Jiraiya's hand, smiling.

"That's the true path."

"Huh?" Jiraiya looked confused.

Orochimaru didn't elaborate.

"I'm taking him."

Gin waved to Minato. "See you tomorrow."

As Orochimaru and Gin left, Minato looked at Jiraiya, puzzled.

"Who was that?"

Jiraiya, lost in thought, replied, "Elite Jonin Orochimaru, my teammate."

His expression turned to a pained smile. "I have something to do. You can go home. We'll take on missions tomorrow."

With that, Jiraiya walked back into the restaurant, ready to wash a thousand dishes.

Minato and Kushina exchanged looks.

Gin followed Orochimaru to an increasingly remote area, heading towards the Forest of Death, known for its fierce beasts and forbidden to non-ninjas.

Many from the Uchiha clan had found their summoning beasts there.

Though curious, Gin remained silent.

Entering the forest through a secret passage, they arrived at a facility resembling a lab.

"This will be your training ground," Orochimaru explained. "The first floor is the training area, the second holds ninja beasts, the third is the ninjutsu library, and the fourth is my lab."

Gin asked directly, "Orochimaru-sama, you're not just doing this to train me, are you?"

Regardless of past or present differences, Gin didn't believe Orochimaru would be so selfless.

"What do you think your created techniques represent?" Orochimaru countered.

Gin frowned in thought. His techniques were just different from normal ninja thinking.

What else could they represent?

Seeing Gin deep in thought, Orochimaru continued.

"Revolution. A complete revolution of the ninja world."

Gin instantly jumped back, drawing his kunai.

Revolution wasn't something to be mentioned lightly, especially by someone else. It was dangerous.

"Hiss."

A snake hissed nearby. Gin saw a flower snake coiling around him.

He froze, not daring to move.

The difference in power was too obvious.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Relax, Gin. I won't harm you. In fact, I'll protect you. But I need you to continue developing the Basic Inner Techniques."

After studying the techniques, Orochimaru knew they were profound yet rudimentary. Understanding them would take time.

So why not have the creator develop them further?

"I don't have the knowledge to continue developing them."

Gin's techniques were often rejected by his golden finger.

"I'll provide protection and resources. You just need to deliver results."

"And in return, you participate in my experiments."

"What experiments?"

"Experiments on Hashirama cells."

(End of Chapter)