Bab 124: Chapter 123: Opinions Vary
After Yahiko and Minato finished their discussion, Byakuya and Jiraiya had already become close friends, engaging in a relationship akin to that of old comrades.
Yahiko and Minato both recognized that Jiraiya was trying to bridge the gap between them and Byakuya, but this inadvertently lowered their status in a way they hadn't anticipated.
Fortunately, in the ninja world, status was less about age and more about strength and position. Just like in the Hyuga clan, where Neji and Hinata were peers despite their childhood friendship, once they reached a certain age, formal respect must be maintained.
The ninja world's rules might not be as strictly enforced as in the Hyuga clan, but they still existed.
After lunch, the group left the Ninja Academy and headed towards the Forest of Death.
The Forest of Death was the largest of Konoha's training grounds, spanning over a hundred square kilometers and home to many dangerous creatures like venomous snakes and fierce beasts.
The delegation was there to observe a large-scale combat drill taking place within the forest.
Upon reaching the central tower, Minato turned on the television screen, which displayed real-time footage of the drill from cameras scattered throughout the Forest of Death.
The exercise was divided into two sides: Blue Team and Red Team, each consisting of four squads with sixteen members in total, making thirty-two participants.
These thirty-two ninjas were carefully selected by Konoha to demonstrate their formidable strength and depth.
As the countdown ended, both teams disappeared from sight and engaged in fierce combat.
Observing the team compositions, Byakuya realized that this was more of a performance arranged by Konoha rather than a genuine combat drill. In a real battlefield, such evenly-matched combatants and balanced forces are rare.
Nevertheless, Byakuya remained intrigued and began using his sensory abilities to track the positions of the ninjas, testing the limits of his perception.
As the two sides first clashed, Minato started explaining the structure of Konoha's ninja teams.
A Konoha squad typically consisted of four members, including at least one medical ninja—basic knowledge that most in the ninja world were familiar with.
Minato elaborated on how Konoha differentiated its training for ninja squads, essentially cultivating scout teams, tactical teams, taijutsu teams, and comprehensive teams, with a focus on elite development.
Minato's explanation was quite detailed, but Byakuya quickly grasped the concept. It was reminiscent of the later Twelve Ninja Guardians' approach. From the results, it was clear that the Twelve Guardians' training was highly successful, with most teams, except for Asuma's scout team, possessing the capability to contend with Kage-level ninjas.
At that moment, Byakuya sensed an unusual chakra. It seemed that a wild beast had suddenly entered the Forest of Death, emitting a significant amount of chakra.
Just as Byakuya was about to alert the Fourth Hokage, one of the monitor feeds went dark, while another showed a giant, pitch-black figure attacking Konoha's ninjas.
Upon seeing the giant, pitch-black figure attacking the Konoha ninjas, Yahiko and Konan exchanged worried glances and addressed Minato. "Minato-senpai, is this also part of the exercise? To demonstrate how your village deals with large summoning beasts?"
Minato's expression darkened. He wished it were part of the plan, but it was an unforeseen event.
Despite the situation, Minato maintained a calm demeanor in front of Yahiko and Konan. "Yahiko, you're right; this is part of the exercise. However, the beast's strength is somewhat excessive. Jiraiya-sensei, could you please assist in handling the situation?"
Jiraiya understood Minato's request and nodded.
As he was about to leave the tower, Byakuya followed him and said, "Since Jiraiya-sensei is going, I'll join too. It's been a while since I had a proper fight, and I'm feeling a bit out of practice."
"Byakuya…" Jiraiya hesitated, concerned for Byakuya's safety.
But then he realized that with his protection, Byakuya was unlikely to face any real danger. So, he nodded and said, "It's good for you to see this firsthand. Just stay behind me."
After Byakuya and Jiraiya left, Yahiko seemed to sense something and asked quietly, "Minato-senpai, is there a chance that this exercise might turn into a real crisis?"
Minato reluctantly nodded, his eyes revealing his concern.
Yahiko patted Minato's shoulder and said, "Minato-senpai, you'll need to adapt. These kinds of 'accidents' within a controlled environment are not truly unexpected."
Minato was surprised by Yahiko's composed attitude, but his worry extended beyond the immediate situation. He feared that the incident might be a premeditated disruption, suggesting that someone in the village did not want him to improve relations with Amegakure.
At that moment, Konan also approached to offer comfort. "Don't worry too much, Minato-senpai. Byakuya is exceptionally strong. Yahiko becoming the leader of Amegakure is largely thanks to him."
Minato paused, realizing that the Akatsuki is not originally a subordinate of Amegakure.
On their way to confront the large beast, Jiraiya occasionally slowed his pace to let Byakuya catch up. However, he soon noticed that Byakuya's speed seemed to exceed his own.
A young kid like this couldn't possibly surpass him in speed, even at this age, not even Minato could.
After attempting to accelerate, Jiraiya noticed that Byakuya was still able to keep up steadily without showing any signs of fatigue.
This left Jiraiya puzzled, wanting to understand Byakuya's true strength. Was he really only at the level of a jōnin as Minato and Kakashi said, or had he already reached the elite jōnin level, just a step away from becoming Kage-level shinobi?
Without more time to think, Jiraiya saw a large beast ahead.
The beast was a giant snake, over twenty meters long. Just passing through the Death Forest, it left a deep trail, and a swipe of its tail could snap a tree in half.
Seeing the giant snake, Jiraiya furrowed his brow. In his memory, giant snakes were mostly associated with the Ryūchi Cave and had significant ties to his friend Orochimaru. Was this giant snake released by Orochimaru?
But why would Orochimaru send a giant snake to the Death Forest? Was he trying to sabotage the exercise?
Jiraiya shook his head. Orochimaru wasn't so petty. Even if he had lost the election for Hokage, he wouldn't resort to such disgraceful acts.
Just as Jiraiya was hesitating, Byakuya had already made his move.
After using the Instant Water Technique to disappear from his original spot, Byakuya reappeared directly on top of the giant snake. He infused his sword with chakra and struck it into the snake's body.
The giant snake convulsed, and then blood gushed out like a waterfall, as it collapsed into a pool of blood.
Seeing this, Jiraiya was stunned. The giant snake was killed with a single blow from Byakuya. Even if he had taken the shot himself, he couldn't have done it so effortlessly.
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