Creak.

The door opened.

Inside the classroom, the three held their breath, all staring at the doorway.

However.

After a long moment, the person outside did not enter.

Who is this person?

That's just cruelly amusing.

Jingyan couldn't help but grumble to himself.

The next moment—

A figure stepped in.

"Have you three been waiting long?"

With white hair and a character for "oil" on his forehead, he looked especially eye-catching.

His attire…

Was all too familiar.

Yuhong's eyes widened.

Kakashi was stunned, unable to believe it for a moment.

Jingyan was also shocked.

How could it be Jiraiya?

This man is one of the Legendary Three Ninjas. There had been no prior news of Kakashi being led by Jiraiya.

However.

He quickly came to realize.

The world is unpredictable.

Though it might be a bit self-important, perhaps it was just his butterfly effect, his little wings stirring up everything.

He took a deep breath, his tone betraying his excitement.

"Are you, are you Lord Jiraiya?"

Jingyan knew he couldn't appear too indifferent—

The person in front of him was indeed Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Three Ninjas; many ninjas in Konoha idolized them. As an ordinary civilian ninja, he should show shock and excitement upon meeting him.

Jiraiya laughed, "Hahaha, for now, you are my subordinates. Let's go to a spacious place to chat."

"Yes!"

...

On the rooftop of the teaching building.

Jiraiya sat on the edge, while the three stood obediently in front of him.

His gaze swept over the three.

"You should all know who I am, so I won't introduce myself. Why don't you introduce yourselves? What do you like and dislike?"

"Kakashi Hatake, Chunin, proficient in swordsmanship and lightning techniques, like nothing, dislike rule-breakers."

Kakashi was cold and direct.

Yuhong was very nervous, gripping the hem of her clothes, and stammered, "Lord Jiraiya, my name is Yuhong. I excel in illusion techniques, I like wasabi octopus, and I dislike cake."

"Jingyan Liangfeng, currently more skilled in taijutsu. I like training, getting stronger, and dislike... war."

Jingyan said.

This was a well-considered response.

Liking training and disliking war.

These answers fit his background, revealing no more personal preferences that might lead to inconsistencies or suspicions.

For over a year, he had preferred to train alone and had concerns in this regard.

Jiraiya paused slightly.

"Alright, I understand."

His smile faded, and his expression became serious: "Now that you know each other, I need to clarify a few things. Lord Hokage believes you have great potential, which is why I was asked to take you under my wing, but..."

Jiraiya scanned the room.

"I don't believe you have the potential to be my subordinates. Tomorrow morning, you will go to the No. 7 training ground, where I will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your abilities. If you fail to pass..."

He said coldly, "You will be sent back to the ninja academy. As for you, being a Chunin, you can join other teams. Of course, if you think they just graduated and aren't capable enough to be on the same team as you, you can withdraw now."

Kakashi glanced at the other two.

Jingyan and Yuhong fell silent.

However.

Their reasons were not the same.

Jingyan vaguely guessed that this question was part of the assessment and that Jiraiya's team might primarily be aimed at Kakashi, but why the sudden change...

He was unsure.

Yuhong, on the other hand, was worried.

After all, Kakashi was a Chunin...

Kakashi Hatake did not answer immediately; he looked carefully for a long while and said, "I don't think they have the ability to complete the assessment task."

Jiraiya remained unperturbed.

"Are you going to withdraw?"

"No, I want to give it a try."

Kakashi replied.

Jiraiya nodded, "Alright, what about you? If you withdraw, the village will assign you another teacher. My assessment will definitely be more difficult, and you may not pass with others."

"I want to participate."

Jingyan said without hesitation.

Being a student of one of the Legendary Three is not an ordinary opportunity.

Yuhong had no reason to back down either.

"Good, then you have this afternoon to prepare. Oh, and remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow morning; otherwise, hehehe!"

Jiraiya's figure suddenly disappeared.

Only the three remained on the rooftop.

Jingyan took the initiative to speak: "Let's go check out the No. 7 training ground and train together to familiarize ourselves with each other's abilities."

"The assessment is a mission. If your abilities aren't enough, I will discard you without mercy."

Kakashi snorted coldly.

Then he vanished in an instant.

Yuhong complained, "Why is he like this..."

"His direction is the training ground; let's follow him," Jingyan said, vanishing as well.

Yuhong hurriedly followed.

Ahead, Kakashi glanced back and saw the two catching up; he observed them discreetly.

Jingyan Liangfeng...

His speed is quite fast; his Body Flicker Technique seems well-practiced; his strength might be acceptable.

But the other one seemed to struggle.

However, she excels in illusion techniques, which is somewhat useful.

Kakashi continued to run forward.

He didn't notice—

In the shadows, Jiraiya had been following behind.

"This silver-haired brat really doesn't consider his teammates at all, but that kid, clearly capable of faster speeds, maintains a distance to match Yuhong's pace."

The more Jiraiya observed Jingyan, the more he found him pleasing.

This kid is not only smart but also attentive to detail, capable of taking care of his teammates.

If guided properly, he might become another Minato.

But if not guided well...

His heart sank, and another teammate's image flashed through his mind.

Sigh!

He didn't know what Orochimaru had been up to lately.

Ever since Shinjuro died and Tsunade left, Orochimaru had also become increasingly strange.

"However, this situation requires more than just taking care of teammates."

...

"Yuhong, the area around the training ground is very dangerous. I'll go intercept him; later we’ll all enter together."

"Intercept?"

Yuhong was stunned.

Then she saw Jingyan disappear in an instant.

When she focused again, Jingyan was already chasing after Kakashi, and in just a few blinks, he was not far behind Kakashi.

Kakashi was even more surprised.

He was confident that his speed was the fastest among his peers; the only one who could compare was Might Guy, who also trained hard.

As for Jingyan Liangfeng.

Though they were classmates, having been in the same grade for a year, he didn't have a deep impression of him.

However.

The speed just now...

His Body Flicker Technique is that strong?

Kakashi intended to compete, fully utilizing the Body Flicker Technique, going slightly faster than before.

But.

The next moment, Jingyan was already in front of him, hand resting on his shoulder.

Impressive!

Kakashi's pupils constricted.

Even using all his strength, he still couldn't match the other—

Unless he used lightning chakra to stimulate his body's activity, but he still couldn't master that technique well; improper use would injure himself instead.

"Kakashi, the Forest of Death is quite dangerous; let's all go in together."

He said, pausing slightly.

"Although you are a Chunin, Lord Hokage has said that team combat is never a one-person battle; you need to consider the rest of the team."

Kakashi fell silent.

Was the reason he was upset earlier just to take care of Yuhong?

He paused, carefully scrutinizing the person before him.

Jingyan Liangfeng.

In school, there actually existed a classmate with such strength...

"Sorry!"

Yuhong finally caught up, her forehead covered in fine sweat, with beads of sweat pooling at her temples and dripping down.

Jingyan said, "It's alright; we're a team, so we should stick together."

Kakashi did not express his thoughts but jumped down.

"Let's go; if we wait any longer, it will get dark in the forest, and it will be hard to spot traps."