The middle-aged man stretched himself and lay down for a good night's sleep. Although in fine shape still despite the many battles he had fought and the sorrows he had endured, he just wasn't able to stand fatigue as much as when he'd been young. It was thus with some hidden pleasure that he prepared to sleep.
'After all', he thought seriously, 'soon I'll have to face an old teammate. And possibly face another former teammate. I'm not looking forward to either, really. Damn.' And then an image of the Third's lifeless body surged in his mind, and a swell of grief briefly flared. 'But I'll do it. If only for you, old man'...'
"Hey, Perverted Hermit!" a raucous shout intruded upon Jiraiya's sleepy musings.
Jiraiya had never been a particularly patient man, or so he thought. What others thought tended to be worse, but he'd never cared much about that. Certainly, age, experience and his traveling habits had helped develop more than a bit of tolerance to most things. However, there were some things, people and noises that still got to the old man, despite his patience.
Uzumaki Naruto, unfortunately, managed to be all three at once. This made him... somewhat of a challenge to handle. The aging legend counted to ten and raised his head from his bedroll, his eyes already darkened in annoyance.
"'Frog' Hermit. And don't shout! I'm trying to sleep here." The aged, white-haired man said. His voice had an edge to it, but the old man didn't give a damn. The little brat deserved his annoyance for disturbing him at this hour. His frustration quite obviously hadn't been conveyed clearly enough. At least, not clearly enough to Naruto, because the young blonde seemed to materialize next to him, frowning.
"Old man, old man!" Naruto started, searching for the right way to say what he had in mind. "Its still early!! Can't we train a bit more?"
Jiraiya wondered wearily when Naruto considered training to have been 'enough'. He pushed himself to a sitting position, fixed the smiling boy with a glare and made a gesture, which managed encompass the entire campsite
"Its not early! Its night! Its late, and I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep! You should too! There's no way in hell I'm teaching an half-dead kid tomorrow!" Jiraiya growled. Even as he did, he knew it wouldn't work. Lord only knew little did when that kid wanted something. Sure enough, Naruto huffed, stood up and kicked the ground in annoyance. The white-haired ninja sighed heavily.
Suddenly, Naruto snapped at the old man, saying, "You're no fun! How did you get that strong by being that lazy?"
"Why you...who's lazy?" the red-clad man snapped right back. "Sheesh, you're just like..." he stopped, realizing what he'd been about to say. There was no way that he was going to give the kind this kind of ammunition. On the other hand...yes, why not...it certainly fitted his mood... "Okay kid. Training's over tonight. In exchange, how about I tell you some old stuff about my Genin days?" The blond-haired boy stopped pacing around the campfire and gave him a look of obviously piqued interest.
"Your Genin days? You 'were' a Genin?" Naruto asked incredulously Jiraiya didn't know if that part was a joke, an insult or simply a dumb question, and so let it go.
"Yeah...I sure was. My teacher was the Third himself! Well, he wasn't the Third back then, and my teammates..." the white haired man trailed off as old, unpleasant memories washing over him "Well, it's a long story. Let's see..."
"Don't tell me you're getting senile, Perverted Hermit." Naruto scoffed, but sat down nearby with an eagerness that belied his belligerence. Jiraiya simply glared at the boy as they both crossed their arms.
"Shut up! If I'm gonna tell that story, I want to begin somewhere important," Jiraiya snapped, and Naruto actually seemed to back down a bit. "I guess I'll start at the beginning. It's as good a place as any, I guess. The genin exam... Damn, that was a long time ago. I had no idea what was in store for me then."
Future Legends
by Stormfang88
Chapter One
**********
Konoha, 38 years earlier...
**********
The first rays of the sun had barely breached the blackness of the night that Jiraiya was wide awake. Normally a late sleeper, he'd found himself unable to do anything but some light slumber and lots of tossing and turning on his futon. He wanted to run, to kick the energy out of his system, but he knew that his mother would chew him out if he did. As such, it was with a large measure of relief that he watched the sun come up from the window of his bedroom.
He couldn't wait. This was his big day. The day of the Genin Exam!
He'd worked so hard for it, too. A gruelling year of boring classes, of stiff-necked discipline and far too much physical exercise for his taste. He'd disliked most of it, with only the ninjutsu classes as a saving grace. He'd put up with it, however. He had done the chores, done the work, and finally had managed to pass the written test. And now, today, was the final part!
He wanted to rush right from his home and right to the academy, but was waylaid when his mother had put her foot down. The tall, brown-haired woman had dragooned him unto his seat before giving him his breakfast. Jiraiya had given his father a pleading look that had been answered by a grin and a slight shake of his head. His father was already dressed in his green ninja attire, with Konoha's headband fastened around his head.
"So, the Genin Exam, eh?" his father asked with an amused grin. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah!" 'Course I did!" was Jiraiya's quick answer. He crossed his arms and grinned. "This is gonna be a breeze dad! I'm sure I'm gonna pass!"
"Not on an empty stomach, you won't!" his mother scolded. "Now eat up before it gets cold."
"Mom!" he whined. "The exam's soon! I gotta hurry!"
"Then stop talking and start eating, son." she answered, her tone far too reasonable to Jiraiya's excited mind. With his father chuckling and being no help, he wolfed down his breakfast without knowing or caring what it was. With quick byes to his parents, the young hopeful ran outside and down the streets of Konoha.
It was early in the morning, so he had no problem with having to squeeze through a throng. A few people were up and about. Here a shop was opening. There, two ninjas were lounging on a bench, deep in conversation. A few early passerbies walked around the village's streets on that fair, sunny day of late spring.
"Ji-san! Hey, wait up Ji-san!" a voice called, and Jiraiya slowed his run to see who it could be. That was his mistake. As fate would have it, someone rounded the corner just as he ran there blindly, and the two collided. He bounced back another body, falling on his rear. He saw stars for a moment, and glared up at a brown-haired man with a goatee.
"You okay kid?" the man asked.
Jiraiya knew he should simply have said yes. He should simply have apologized, gotten up and gone on his way. But he didn't. Once again, his mouth worked ahead of his brain.
"No, I'm not! Can't you watch where you're going, old man!"
"Well, 'you' were the one who ran into 'me'. 'I' had nothing to do with it." The man frowned, but his voice only showed amusement.
That statement was so true that Jiraiya found he could do little but steam silently for a moment.
"Bah! I'll have you know I'm going to be a Genin today! So I don't have time for you!"
"Genin? You? Well, that's interesting. Good luck, for what its worth kid." with that and a wave of his hand, the man walked away down the street. Jiraiya stared after him and stuck his tongue. 'That old man, who does he think he is?' he griped silently. Just a boy his age ran to him. He was a small boy, with small eyes, a small nose and a mouth like some china doll. The boy stopped short of Jiraiya, panting, his dusky blonde hair damp.
"H...hello...Ji-san." the boy gasped. "How are ya?"
"Hehehe! I'm all fired up, Mizoshi! Bring the test on!" Jiraiya forgot about the incident, which had occurred, grinning at his best friend.
The other boy nodded. "Ditto, ditto. Well, might as well hurry the rest of the way. The exam won't wait for us, you know."
"Then come on! The last one there's a rotten potato!" The white-haired youth laughed in response and took off running. Behind him, he heard a frustrated gasp and the sounds of running feet.
"No fair, Ji-san! You started too early!"
Running through the streets of Konoha, Jiraiya only laughed carelessly.
*****
Usually, the classroom was packed with students, filling the levels neatly. Usually the same classroom rang with easy conversation, interrupted by laughs and jibes, or else was silent. This was the way it had always been with Kou-sensei's class. But this class was different. In a class of over seventy students, only twenty-one remained, those who had passed the written test. Instead of easy conversations, the small clumps talked with nervousness. It continued until Kou-Sensei and another chuunin entered the classroom.
Kou-sensei was, as far as students were concerned, a stiff martinet who had no hint of a sense of humour. Jiraiya happened to be a strong believer of the latter point, having tested the man intensively himself. Being caught by the man while he was trying out a perfected jutsu in the girl's locker room had convinced him the man didn't know the meaning of 'fun'. His blockish, marble-faced looks marred by red marks - the results of a mission - only heightened the sense of harsh discipline the man demanded from his students.
Yet, for all that, Jiraiya considered him a good teacher. He was easy to follow, never raised his voice - although he never needed to - and always was on hand if one had to talk to him. The younger chuuning next to him was unknown to Jiraiya. Not that it mattered to him, or the other students. Jiraiya turned and exchanged a thumbs-up with Mizoshi before their teacher began to talk.
"Well, kids." Kou-sensei began, "You know I'm not big on words, so I'll make this brief. Each of you has passed the written tests to my satisfaction. Congratulations." murmurs began, but ended as soon as their teacher continued. "Today's the decisive part. You pass here, and you'll have completed the necessary training here. Don't and, well... but let's not dwell on that. Today's your last test. I will be chairing it with Nara Shizunaku here. The test will be on shuriken throws and Henge no Jutsu. Any questions?"
A single, slender pale hand rose. Jiraiya knew who it was at once, and glared. Of all the students, Orochimaru Minado had been the most gifted, breezing through lessons and tests. He also happened to be quite unpopular, given an ability for arrogance Jiraiya had been the target of more than once, and a strange, serpentine appearance. Being an average student except in ninjutsu, Jiraiya had always disliked and envied Orochimaru's natural learning abilities.
"Yes, Orochimaru?" Kou-sensei asked."
"Will the test be conducted here or at another locale?" The pale student asked mildly.
"We will conduct the test in the room adjacent to this one. You will all go one by one, in alphabetical order." Kou explained.
"Thank you, Kou-sensei." Orochimaru replied dutifully. Jiraiya nearly stuck his tongue at him. 'There he goes, always bootlicking the teacher. Doesn't the guy have any pride?' His attention was quickly capted by Kou again before he could dwell on that too long.
"Well, then, let's begin, shall we. Shizunaku here will call your name. The test is quick, and simple. Be ready...and good luck to you all." Kou-sensei then nodded and exited the classroom by a door to the side - a door leading to what had been, until today, an unused storage room.
Shizunaku called the first name, and entered the room with that student. It was then that Jiraiya broke into a cold sweat. No amount of bravado, of smug assurance could prepare him for the sheer dread the exam suddenly caused in him. And it wasn't the exam itself. He knew that much. He'd been prepared for it, had worked as hard as he could to be ready for it.
No, it was the thought of 'failing' the test which terrified him. He was good with ninjutsu. He knew that much. But taijutsu and genjutsu...he'd never been the best at it. Average, sometimes slightly below that. And the test was based on these two thirds of the ninja. 'No wonder there were so darn many ninjutsu questions in the written test.' his mind pondered worriedly, 'They knew it wasn't gonna be physically tested.'
What if he failed? If he did, that smug Orochimaru'd always look down at him worse than ever. And his father...how would he face his father. How would he face himself? If he failed.
"Futema Jiraiya!" he heard Shizunaku's voice drone out. By his tone, it wasn't the first time. He raised his head and stared across the classroom to the sleepy-looking chuunin.
"Yeah?" Jiraiya said vaguely, and found to his shame that his voice squeaked. Worse was that Orochimaru noticed, and smirked. Shizunaku, however, seemed to find his answer less than amusing.
"Wake up, Futema!" the chuunin said with more heat. "You're up."
So that was it. Today he'd see if how he'd trained really paid off. If he succeeded, he'd be a genin. If not...he didn't know 'what' he'd do.
"Try not to wet your pants, Jiraiya-kun." Orochimaru sneered, and Jiraiya gave him an angry look. Nearby, Mizoshi stirred.
"Show'em your stuff, Ji-san!"
That did it. That was enough to shake Jiraiya out of this. If he failed, then he failed. He couldn't help that. But he'd kill himself before he gave Orochimaru the pleasure of seeing him quail. He had a reputation, and he was going to stick by it.
And so, although his stomach wanted to flee from his body, although his heart jumped like crazy, Jiraiya grinned a cheeky grin, and with, deliberate swagger, strode down the classroom stairs and followed Nara Shizunaku to the last academy exam.
***
Jiraiya entered the room, where five targets formed of three painted circles each - white inside blue inside red - had been hung against the far wall, all of them already marked with shuriken strikes. On the other side was a table at which Kou-sensei was already seated, and on which headbands with the Konoha symbol were neatly folded. This direct remainder excited him, and it took a moment for him to think straight. 'So close. Damn it, I can't fail here. So close!'
"Jiraiya. Do you see the five targets? Look at them well." Shizunaku asked him. Obediently Jiraiya turned and stared. Pretty ordinary practice targets as far as he was concerned. He failed to see the assistant form hand seals, and only realized when the man grabbed the back of his head. "Tooku Kage no Jutsu!" And the world went dark.
"Hey! Hey! What did you do to me?" he cried, his voice more than slightly panicked. Everything was a black void.
"Temporarily blinded you." came Shizunaku's deadpan reply. "Now, hit the five targets with a shuriken each."
"What? But that's just..." he strangled the rest of the sentence before it went out of his mouth, but the meaning was obvious. He heard Kou-sensei clear his throat.
"There are times when you might find yourself having to relay solely on instinct to hit a target. We wish to see if you have the necessary physical and mental balance needed for such a task." Kou-sensei's voice became slightly harder. "Now, Jiraiya, use your instinct and hit the targets."
Jiraiya wanted to scream out that he couldn't do it, but restrained himself. 'This is just blind fighting. Right. Blind fighting. My eyes are closed, and I have to hit. No problem.' A panicked part of his mind tries to argue, but he forced it down. 'I'll do it. I've worked too hard to come here.' His hand reached inside the equipment sack and pulled five shuriken out. 'Now, just hit them. They were each distanced about...'
"Strike, Jiraiya. Don't think. Strike." Kou's voice interjected, scattering his calculations.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth. 'Easy for you to say, you old geezer!' he thought. Still, he tried to concentrate. Not on the target themselves, but rather on the fact that he wanted - that he had to - hit each of these targets. As his father had taught him, he pictured himself in the midst of a fight. Each moment of hesitation was an eternity, and each misstep could end one's life. Five enemies were before him, beyond his sight. 'But I know they're here! I know where they are! Don't think. It'll hit. It'll hit. It'll hit!'
By themselves, his shuriken flew, and he heard the thumping noise of them striking wood. Beyond his blind eyes, Shizunaku grunted.
"Kai!" The assistance growled, and sight returned to Jiraiya in a matter of moments. Despite his normal bravado, Jiraiya couldn't retain a sigh of relief. It was then that he saw his shuriken.
One had hit right centre, exactly in the white, while three had struck in the larger blue circle. But what made him wince was that the last had barely been struck. The last was stuck at the very fringe of the red paint. Jiraiya's mind panicked. 'Is that enough? Or are they just going to tell me 'tough luck, kid'? Please, please oh please, I can't fail here!' But he wouldn't tell them that. He wouldn't show his fear, and grinned at Shizunaku.
"Well, not too shabby, eh?" The genin-hopeful smirked with confidence, even though he felt little of it right then. Shizunaku only gave a small, bored grunt before striding to the table and sitting next to Kou-sensei. Both chuunin looked at him neutrally for a moment before his teacher spoke.
"Alright, Jiraiya. Last test, and then we'll talk." he seemed to consider a moment. "Jiraiya, use Henge no Jutsu and change into Hokage-sama.
Consternation returned. "T-the Hokage. B-but I don't know the Second..." he quickly recovered and assumed fake affront "Come on! I've never met the old guy. I don't know him at all!"
Kou-sensei seemed to be less than impressed by the outburst. "You've seen him a few times. People you're going to take the appearance of won't always give you the full look, you know. You need to transform based on what little you have. Now go."
'Stiff-necked old bastard! You don't care if I pass or not, do you? But I'll show you!' Desperately, Jiraiya brought up the Second Hokage to his mind. All he had seen had been a tall, wrinkled old man. He had been dressed in a sort of robe and a worn a thoughtful, calm expression. That was it. Any detail beyond that was lost to the mists of his memory. 'It'll be enough. It has to.' he reflected. His hands formed the simple seals of the Henge no Jutsu, and he called upon his chakkra, molding it around him, his mind fixed on that calm old man, seen from afar at the last festival.
His chakkra fused with his body, and he felt a tingly feeling even as his new form took shape. He looked down at his hands. Old hands, worn by time and battles. He lifted his head - he was quite a bit taller for the moment - and saw Kou-sensei and Shizunaku exchange glances.
"Okay, Jiraiya. You can stop the Henge no Jutsu."
Jiraiya dispelled the chakkra around him, and within a moment he was back, he knew, to his old self. Desperately hiding his ever-growing apprehension, he faced his teacher with cheeky confidence. Whatever happened, he wouldn't break. It was a promise he'd made with himself, and one he had no intention of ever breaking.
"So, wasn't my Henge just perfect?" the young genin-hopeful asked proudly.
Kou-sensei sighed. "Hokage-sama isn't nearly as wrinkled as the man I saw. The cut of the Hokage clothes was slightly wrong, and you created a man who was far too tall to be him. Any shinobi from Konoha would recognize the fake within an instant."
"But-" Jiraiya began, but his teacher rode over his protest.
"As for the throws, you only hit one target dead centre, and nearly missed one. Not nearly what I'd call perfect. You still have much to learn, Jiraiya." The red-marked chuunin said.
Jiraiya's world began to crumble as he bowed his head. He tried desperately to tell himself that it didn't mean he had failed, but he knew the words weren't used to encourage the idea that he'd passed. 'Oh. Oh, no.' was all his mind managed to tell itself. 'What do I do now?' He nearly missed Kou-Sensei's next words. Without warning, he felt tears mounting to the surface.
"I guess your jounin teacher'll have his work cut out for him." the man said. As Jiraiya raised his head in surprise and sudden hope, he gave a slight grin. "You almost missed, but you didn't. As for Hokage-sama...well, any ninja from Konoha would know the difference. But any enemy would probably hesitate for a moment or more. That's all you'd need to do something." He nodded to Shizunaku, who took one of the headbands and handed it to the teacher. Kou-sensei rose and walked to him. He gently put the headband in Jiraiya's clutching hand.
And said those few words that the white-haired boy was certain he would remember until he was an old man.
"Congratulations, Jiraiya. You pass the final test."
***
Jiraiya touched the headband on his forehead quickly. Once more, he felt it there, securely fastened. He grinned with renewed glee, as he had every single time before. The shining sun seemed to smile down on him. But, then again, he would have found a smile in a rainy day, the way he felt. He glanced around him, noting the faces around his were just as beaming as his probably was.
There weren't many of his class there. Mizoshi had passed, and that thrilled him. Orochimaru had too, which didn't thrill Jiraiya at all. Aside from that, only four others had the headbands. 'And if I count all the classes, there's probably less than twenty-five of us who passed. Whoa.'
The parents of those who had passed - many of them ninjas themselves - streamed in to congratulate their children and take them home. He had no problem finding his own father. Futemas had a tendency to be taller than most, as was the white hair, and his old man was no exception to that rule. He waved to his father, and within a moment father and son were face to face, both grinning broadly.
His father's mouth twitched. "You did it, son." he commented, before seizing Jiraiya and engulfing him in a bear hug. It was something that felt both comforting and mildly embarrassing to the young genin. His father laughed loudly, one amidst many in the joyful atmosphere. "I knew you would. I just knew you would. You'll be a better ninja than I am. I just know it! Way, way better!"
"Oh, come on, dad!" he said smugly "The exam was a piece o' cake!" 'Liar', his logical mind almost screamed. Jiraiya's wilder side paid no heed. His father shook his white-haired head, chuckling lightly.
"It's just like you to say that. You're proud, like your mother, bless her. 'That' is why you'll be a better shinobi. I'm fine being where I am. But you won't be." he suddenly seemed mildly saddened by that thought, as if he could see something beyond sight. Slightly unsettled by his father's unusual mood, Jiraiya cast about for something to say. But then his old man broke out of his mild reverie, and laughed again. "Bah, what does it matter right now? This is a time for celebration. Let's go eat! All three of us! That'll give your mother a richly deserved rest!" He laughed once more, and this time Jiraiya joined in.
Jiraiya's eyes twinkled with pride and pleasure. "If that's the case, then...I want to eat at Shikozu's!" He knew the pricey restaurant was usually out of his father's price range, but they made the best fried chicken stick with sauce in all of Konoha. But in this case...
His father stared a moment, then grinned a bit. "Fine. This is a big occasion, after all. Why not?"
"Yeah!" the white-haired genin jumped up and down with glee. This was just the perfect day of his life. He ran forward a few steps, then turned and beckoned to his father. "Come on, dad! Let's get mom and go!"
Only he found that his father wasn't looking in his direction at all. Instead he was looking somewhere to the side, away from the main crowd, his scratching his chin and looking thoughtful. Jiraiya turned his gaze to follow his father's and was rather displeased by what he found.
It was Orochimaru. Aside from everyone else, he sat on a bench, his gaze on the headband he had won. He stroke it, and for a moment the air of loneliness the boy seemed to exude hit Jiraiya. And then it went away. 'Serves him right. Smug, arrogant bastard. Let him be alone!' He wasn't too proud of the thought, but couldn't help but mean it. It was because of this that he gaped when his father, with a decided air, walked up to the pale-skinned boy and began to talk.
Jiraiya couldn't quite catch what was being said, but he could tell by his father's motions that the white-haired chuunin was insisting. His father pointed to Jiraiya, whereupon Orochimaru shook his head. More gestures ensued, and it seemed that the black-haired genius graduate was hesitating. Eventually, his father seemed to say something that struck home, for after a moment, Orochimaru bowed his head slightly, rose and followed the tall man.
"Hey!" his father said "Sorry to keep you waiting son. I just picked up someone else to go eat with us."
For a moment, he thought he heard that wrong. 'Is he nuts? Of all the people in the entire school, this is the last guy I'd want to party with!' Orochimaru didn't look at him, only back at the crowd. Still, he didn't seem to be going anywhere they weren't for now. He opened his mouth. He wasn't sure what he was about to say, except it probably would have included details about Orochimaru's snake anatomy.
He didn't get the chance to get a word in. His father moved beside him and gently but surely moved his face away from the skilled but disliked Genin. His expression was one of understanding, but also of firm commitment to whatever he had decided. Jiraiya knew that look, and despaired. Rarely used, when it was it meant no one could budge his old man. Not even his mother.
"Now, Jiraiya, I know you don't like Orochimaru much. I know you think it's not a good idea to take him along. I'm certain you'd prefer it if I invited Mizoshi instead, right?"
Jiraiya nodded. There was no use denying any of that. He huffed. "He's the most arrogant kid in the school! Keeps rubbing his talent into everybody's face!"
"You think so?" his father mused, "I don't see the most arrogant kid here. But I do see the loneliest. The successful end to the academy is best celebrated. Every family here will in some way. But Orochimaru here is the only one who has no one. To him, it's not the best day of his life. Its the loneliest."
He could see what his father meant. Sorta. But all the times he had been upstaged and ridiculed by Orochimaru went through his mind. "So what? He deserves it!" He hissed. He regretted saying it immediately, and felt even worse when his father looked at him in disappointment.
"If your mother heard that, she'd ground you for a week, and you'd deserve it." the chuunin stated. "Since its me, I'm just going to tell you this: If you never give people a chance to be more than what you think they are, what they probably are on the surface...you'll have missed out on a lot in life. Ninjas like that are powerful at times. Some of them are Jounin, and pretty good ones. But those ninjas are never liked by others. Never fully trusted."
"But Orochimaru's so...I can't just eat with him, dad!" the young genin blurted out. He kept his voice low, yet he felt about to explode. 'This isn't turning out into a perfect day after all, dammit!' His father's sigh told him it hadn't been the thing to say.
"Well, you're still young. You have time to learn it for yourself." he rose to his full height, and beckoned Orochimaru to join them. "Well, let's go boys! Dinner's on me tonight!"
As his father turned his back, Jiraiya gave Orochimaru a look, which was returned flatly. Yet there was something in the strange eyes, something Jiraiya couldn't grasp. It stifled what he'd been about to say. Instead he just choked out. "Congratulations."
The snake-faced genin opened his mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it. "And to you." With that said, the pale boy followed Jiraiya's father. A moment later, the white-haired boy followed suit.
'This isn't working out as planned.' he thought sourly. But then he touched his brand new headband, and most of his misgivings went away. 'But it doesn't matter. No today! Today I can take anyone's company. Even Orochimaru's.'
And Jiraiya stepped out of the academy grounds with a joyful grin returned to his lips. He couldn't wait to see his mom's expression when she saw him!
***
'After all', he thought seriously, 'soon I'll have to face an old teammate. And possibly face another former teammate. I'm not looking forward to either, really. Damn.' And then an image of the Third's lifeless body surged in his mind, and a swell of grief briefly flared. 'But I'll do it. If only for you, old man'...'
"Hey, Perverted Hermit!" a raucous shout intruded upon Jiraiya's sleepy musings.
Jiraiya had never been a particularly patient man, or so he thought. What others thought tended to be worse, but he'd never cared much about that. Certainly, age, experience and his traveling habits had helped develop more than a bit of tolerance to most things. However, there were some things, people and noises that still got to the old man, despite his patience.
Uzumaki Naruto, unfortunately, managed to be all three at once. This made him... somewhat of a challenge to handle. The aging legend counted to ten and raised his head from his bedroll, his eyes already darkened in annoyance.
"'Frog' Hermit. And don't shout! I'm trying to sleep here." The aged, white-haired man said. His voice had an edge to it, but the old man didn't give a damn. The little brat deserved his annoyance for disturbing him at this hour. His frustration quite obviously hadn't been conveyed clearly enough. At least, not clearly enough to Naruto, because the young blonde seemed to materialize next to him, frowning.
"Old man, old man!" Naruto started, searching for the right way to say what he had in mind. "Its still early!! Can't we train a bit more?"
Jiraiya wondered wearily when Naruto considered training to have been 'enough'. He pushed himself to a sitting position, fixed the smiling boy with a glare and made a gesture, which managed encompass the entire campsite
"Its not early! Its night! Its late, and I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep! You should too! There's no way in hell I'm teaching an half-dead kid tomorrow!" Jiraiya growled. Even as he did, he knew it wouldn't work. Lord only knew little did when that kid wanted something. Sure enough, Naruto huffed, stood up and kicked the ground in annoyance. The white-haired ninja sighed heavily.
Suddenly, Naruto snapped at the old man, saying, "You're no fun! How did you get that strong by being that lazy?"
"Why you...who's lazy?" the red-clad man snapped right back. "Sheesh, you're just like..." he stopped, realizing what he'd been about to say. There was no way that he was going to give the kind this kind of ammunition. On the other hand...yes, why not...it certainly fitted his mood... "Okay kid. Training's over tonight. In exchange, how about I tell you some old stuff about my Genin days?" The blond-haired boy stopped pacing around the campfire and gave him a look of obviously piqued interest.
"Your Genin days? You 'were' a Genin?" Naruto asked incredulously Jiraiya didn't know if that part was a joke, an insult or simply a dumb question, and so let it go.
"Yeah...I sure was. My teacher was the Third himself! Well, he wasn't the Third back then, and my teammates..." the white haired man trailed off as old, unpleasant memories washing over him "Well, it's a long story. Let's see..."
"Don't tell me you're getting senile, Perverted Hermit." Naruto scoffed, but sat down nearby with an eagerness that belied his belligerence. Jiraiya simply glared at the boy as they both crossed their arms.
"Shut up! If I'm gonna tell that story, I want to begin somewhere important," Jiraiya snapped, and Naruto actually seemed to back down a bit. "I guess I'll start at the beginning. It's as good a place as any, I guess. The genin exam... Damn, that was a long time ago. I had no idea what was in store for me then."
Future Legends
by Stormfang88
Chapter One
**********
Konoha, 38 years earlier...
**********
The first rays of the sun had barely breached the blackness of the night that Jiraiya was wide awake. Normally a late sleeper, he'd found himself unable to do anything but some light slumber and lots of tossing and turning on his futon. He wanted to run, to kick the energy out of his system, but he knew that his mother would chew him out if he did. As such, it was with a large measure of relief that he watched the sun come up from the window of his bedroom.
He couldn't wait. This was his big day. The day of the Genin Exam!
He'd worked so hard for it, too. A gruelling year of boring classes, of stiff-necked discipline and far too much physical exercise for his taste. He'd disliked most of it, with only the ninjutsu classes as a saving grace. He'd put up with it, however. He had done the chores, done the work, and finally had managed to pass the written test. And now, today, was the final part!
He wanted to rush right from his home and right to the academy, but was waylaid when his mother had put her foot down. The tall, brown-haired woman had dragooned him unto his seat before giving him his breakfast. Jiraiya had given his father a pleading look that had been answered by a grin and a slight shake of his head. His father was already dressed in his green ninja attire, with Konoha's headband fastened around his head.
"So, the Genin Exam, eh?" his father asked with an amused grin. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah!" 'Course I did!" was Jiraiya's quick answer. He crossed his arms and grinned. "This is gonna be a breeze dad! I'm sure I'm gonna pass!"
"Not on an empty stomach, you won't!" his mother scolded. "Now eat up before it gets cold."
"Mom!" he whined. "The exam's soon! I gotta hurry!"
"Then stop talking and start eating, son." she answered, her tone far too reasonable to Jiraiya's excited mind. With his father chuckling and being no help, he wolfed down his breakfast without knowing or caring what it was. With quick byes to his parents, the young hopeful ran outside and down the streets of Konoha.
It was early in the morning, so he had no problem with having to squeeze through a throng. A few people were up and about. Here a shop was opening. There, two ninjas were lounging on a bench, deep in conversation. A few early passerbies walked around the village's streets on that fair, sunny day of late spring.
"Ji-san! Hey, wait up Ji-san!" a voice called, and Jiraiya slowed his run to see who it could be. That was his mistake. As fate would have it, someone rounded the corner just as he ran there blindly, and the two collided. He bounced back another body, falling on his rear. He saw stars for a moment, and glared up at a brown-haired man with a goatee.
"You okay kid?" the man asked.
Jiraiya knew he should simply have said yes. He should simply have apologized, gotten up and gone on his way. But he didn't. Once again, his mouth worked ahead of his brain.
"No, I'm not! Can't you watch where you're going, old man!"
"Well, 'you' were the one who ran into 'me'. 'I' had nothing to do with it." The man frowned, but his voice only showed amusement.
That statement was so true that Jiraiya found he could do little but steam silently for a moment.
"Bah! I'll have you know I'm going to be a Genin today! So I don't have time for you!"
"Genin? You? Well, that's interesting. Good luck, for what its worth kid." with that and a wave of his hand, the man walked away down the street. Jiraiya stared after him and stuck his tongue. 'That old man, who does he think he is?' he griped silently. Just a boy his age ran to him. He was a small boy, with small eyes, a small nose and a mouth like some china doll. The boy stopped short of Jiraiya, panting, his dusky blonde hair damp.
"H...hello...Ji-san." the boy gasped. "How are ya?"
"Hehehe! I'm all fired up, Mizoshi! Bring the test on!" Jiraiya forgot about the incident, which had occurred, grinning at his best friend.
The other boy nodded. "Ditto, ditto. Well, might as well hurry the rest of the way. The exam won't wait for us, you know."
"Then come on! The last one there's a rotten potato!" The white-haired youth laughed in response and took off running. Behind him, he heard a frustrated gasp and the sounds of running feet.
"No fair, Ji-san! You started too early!"
Running through the streets of Konoha, Jiraiya only laughed carelessly.
*****
Usually, the classroom was packed with students, filling the levels neatly. Usually the same classroom rang with easy conversation, interrupted by laughs and jibes, or else was silent. This was the way it had always been with Kou-sensei's class. But this class was different. In a class of over seventy students, only twenty-one remained, those who had passed the written test. Instead of easy conversations, the small clumps talked with nervousness. It continued until Kou-Sensei and another chuunin entered the classroom.
Kou-sensei was, as far as students were concerned, a stiff martinet who had no hint of a sense of humour. Jiraiya happened to be a strong believer of the latter point, having tested the man intensively himself. Being caught by the man while he was trying out a perfected jutsu in the girl's locker room had convinced him the man didn't know the meaning of 'fun'. His blockish, marble-faced looks marred by red marks - the results of a mission - only heightened the sense of harsh discipline the man demanded from his students.
Yet, for all that, Jiraiya considered him a good teacher. He was easy to follow, never raised his voice - although he never needed to - and always was on hand if one had to talk to him. The younger chuuning next to him was unknown to Jiraiya. Not that it mattered to him, or the other students. Jiraiya turned and exchanged a thumbs-up with Mizoshi before their teacher began to talk.
"Well, kids." Kou-sensei began, "You know I'm not big on words, so I'll make this brief. Each of you has passed the written tests to my satisfaction. Congratulations." murmurs began, but ended as soon as their teacher continued. "Today's the decisive part. You pass here, and you'll have completed the necessary training here. Don't and, well... but let's not dwell on that. Today's your last test. I will be chairing it with Nara Shizunaku here. The test will be on shuriken throws and Henge no Jutsu. Any questions?"
A single, slender pale hand rose. Jiraiya knew who it was at once, and glared. Of all the students, Orochimaru Minado had been the most gifted, breezing through lessons and tests. He also happened to be quite unpopular, given an ability for arrogance Jiraiya had been the target of more than once, and a strange, serpentine appearance. Being an average student except in ninjutsu, Jiraiya had always disliked and envied Orochimaru's natural learning abilities.
"Yes, Orochimaru?" Kou-sensei asked."
"Will the test be conducted here or at another locale?" The pale student asked mildly.
"We will conduct the test in the room adjacent to this one. You will all go one by one, in alphabetical order." Kou explained.
"Thank you, Kou-sensei." Orochimaru replied dutifully. Jiraiya nearly stuck his tongue at him. 'There he goes, always bootlicking the teacher. Doesn't the guy have any pride?' His attention was quickly capted by Kou again before he could dwell on that too long.
"Well, then, let's begin, shall we. Shizunaku here will call your name. The test is quick, and simple. Be ready...and good luck to you all." Kou-sensei then nodded and exited the classroom by a door to the side - a door leading to what had been, until today, an unused storage room.
Shizunaku called the first name, and entered the room with that student. It was then that Jiraiya broke into a cold sweat. No amount of bravado, of smug assurance could prepare him for the sheer dread the exam suddenly caused in him. And it wasn't the exam itself. He knew that much. He'd been prepared for it, had worked as hard as he could to be ready for it.
No, it was the thought of 'failing' the test which terrified him. He was good with ninjutsu. He knew that much. But taijutsu and genjutsu...he'd never been the best at it. Average, sometimes slightly below that. And the test was based on these two thirds of the ninja. 'No wonder there were so darn many ninjutsu questions in the written test.' his mind pondered worriedly, 'They knew it wasn't gonna be physically tested.'
What if he failed? If he did, that smug Orochimaru'd always look down at him worse than ever. And his father...how would he face his father. How would he face himself? If he failed.
"Futema Jiraiya!" he heard Shizunaku's voice drone out. By his tone, it wasn't the first time. He raised his head and stared across the classroom to the sleepy-looking chuunin.
"Yeah?" Jiraiya said vaguely, and found to his shame that his voice squeaked. Worse was that Orochimaru noticed, and smirked. Shizunaku, however, seemed to find his answer less than amusing.
"Wake up, Futema!" the chuunin said with more heat. "You're up."
So that was it. Today he'd see if how he'd trained really paid off. If he succeeded, he'd be a genin. If not...he didn't know 'what' he'd do.
"Try not to wet your pants, Jiraiya-kun." Orochimaru sneered, and Jiraiya gave him an angry look. Nearby, Mizoshi stirred.
"Show'em your stuff, Ji-san!"
That did it. That was enough to shake Jiraiya out of this. If he failed, then he failed. He couldn't help that. But he'd kill himself before he gave Orochimaru the pleasure of seeing him quail. He had a reputation, and he was going to stick by it.
And so, although his stomach wanted to flee from his body, although his heart jumped like crazy, Jiraiya grinned a cheeky grin, and with, deliberate swagger, strode down the classroom stairs and followed Nara Shizunaku to the last academy exam.
***
Jiraiya entered the room, where five targets formed of three painted circles each - white inside blue inside red - had been hung against the far wall, all of them already marked with shuriken strikes. On the other side was a table at which Kou-sensei was already seated, and on which headbands with the Konoha symbol were neatly folded. This direct remainder excited him, and it took a moment for him to think straight. 'So close. Damn it, I can't fail here. So close!'
"Jiraiya. Do you see the five targets? Look at them well." Shizunaku asked him. Obediently Jiraiya turned and stared. Pretty ordinary practice targets as far as he was concerned. He failed to see the assistant form hand seals, and only realized when the man grabbed the back of his head. "Tooku Kage no Jutsu!" And the world went dark.
"Hey! Hey! What did you do to me?" he cried, his voice more than slightly panicked. Everything was a black void.
"Temporarily blinded you." came Shizunaku's deadpan reply. "Now, hit the five targets with a shuriken each."
"What? But that's just..." he strangled the rest of the sentence before it went out of his mouth, but the meaning was obvious. He heard Kou-sensei clear his throat.
"There are times when you might find yourself having to relay solely on instinct to hit a target. We wish to see if you have the necessary physical and mental balance needed for such a task." Kou-sensei's voice became slightly harder. "Now, Jiraiya, use your instinct and hit the targets."
Jiraiya wanted to scream out that he couldn't do it, but restrained himself. 'This is just blind fighting. Right. Blind fighting. My eyes are closed, and I have to hit. No problem.' A panicked part of his mind tries to argue, but he forced it down. 'I'll do it. I've worked too hard to come here.' His hand reached inside the equipment sack and pulled five shuriken out. 'Now, just hit them. They were each distanced about...'
"Strike, Jiraiya. Don't think. Strike." Kou's voice interjected, scattering his calculations.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth. 'Easy for you to say, you old geezer!' he thought. Still, he tried to concentrate. Not on the target themselves, but rather on the fact that he wanted - that he had to - hit each of these targets. As his father had taught him, he pictured himself in the midst of a fight. Each moment of hesitation was an eternity, and each misstep could end one's life. Five enemies were before him, beyond his sight. 'But I know they're here! I know where they are! Don't think. It'll hit. It'll hit. It'll hit!'
By themselves, his shuriken flew, and he heard the thumping noise of them striking wood. Beyond his blind eyes, Shizunaku grunted.
"Kai!" The assistance growled, and sight returned to Jiraiya in a matter of moments. Despite his normal bravado, Jiraiya couldn't retain a sigh of relief. It was then that he saw his shuriken.
One had hit right centre, exactly in the white, while three had struck in the larger blue circle. But what made him wince was that the last had barely been struck. The last was stuck at the very fringe of the red paint. Jiraiya's mind panicked. 'Is that enough? Or are they just going to tell me 'tough luck, kid'? Please, please oh please, I can't fail here!' But he wouldn't tell them that. He wouldn't show his fear, and grinned at Shizunaku.
"Well, not too shabby, eh?" The genin-hopeful smirked with confidence, even though he felt little of it right then. Shizunaku only gave a small, bored grunt before striding to the table and sitting next to Kou-sensei. Both chuunin looked at him neutrally for a moment before his teacher spoke.
"Alright, Jiraiya. Last test, and then we'll talk." he seemed to consider a moment. "Jiraiya, use Henge no Jutsu and change into Hokage-sama.
Consternation returned. "T-the Hokage. B-but I don't know the Second..." he quickly recovered and assumed fake affront "Come on! I've never met the old guy. I don't know him at all!"
Kou-sensei seemed to be less than impressed by the outburst. "You've seen him a few times. People you're going to take the appearance of won't always give you the full look, you know. You need to transform based on what little you have. Now go."
'Stiff-necked old bastard! You don't care if I pass or not, do you? But I'll show you!' Desperately, Jiraiya brought up the Second Hokage to his mind. All he had seen had been a tall, wrinkled old man. He had been dressed in a sort of robe and a worn a thoughtful, calm expression. That was it. Any detail beyond that was lost to the mists of his memory. 'It'll be enough. It has to.' he reflected. His hands formed the simple seals of the Henge no Jutsu, and he called upon his chakkra, molding it around him, his mind fixed on that calm old man, seen from afar at the last festival.
His chakkra fused with his body, and he felt a tingly feeling even as his new form took shape. He looked down at his hands. Old hands, worn by time and battles. He lifted his head - he was quite a bit taller for the moment - and saw Kou-sensei and Shizunaku exchange glances.
"Okay, Jiraiya. You can stop the Henge no Jutsu."
Jiraiya dispelled the chakkra around him, and within a moment he was back, he knew, to his old self. Desperately hiding his ever-growing apprehension, he faced his teacher with cheeky confidence. Whatever happened, he wouldn't break. It was a promise he'd made with himself, and one he had no intention of ever breaking.
"So, wasn't my Henge just perfect?" the young genin-hopeful asked proudly.
Kou-sensei sighed. "Hokage-sama isn't nearly as wrinkled as the man I saw. The cut of the Hokage clothes was slightly wrong, and you created a man who was far too tall to be him. Any shinobi from Konoha would recognize the fake within an instant."
"But-" Jiraiya began, but his teacher rode over his protest.
"As for the throws, you only hit one target dead centre, and nearly missed one. Not nearly what I'd call perfect. You still have much to learn, Jiraiya." The red-marked chuunin said.
Jiraiya's world began to crumble as he bowed his head. He tried desperately to tell himself that it didn't mean he had failed, but he knew the words weren't used to encourage the idea that he'd passed. 'Oh. Oh, no.' was all his mind managed to tell itself. 'What do I do now?' He nearly missed Kou-Sensei's next words. Without warning, he felt tears mounting to the surface.
"I guess your jounin teacher'll have his work cut out for him." the man said. As Jiraiya raised his head in surprise and sudden hope, he gave a slight grin. "You almost missed, but you didn't. As for Hokage-sama...well, any ninja from Konoha would know the difference. But any enemy would probably hesitate for a moment or more. That's all you'd need to do something." He nodded to Shizunaku, who took one of the headbands and handed it to the teacher. Kou-sensei rose and walked to him. He gently put the headband in Jiraiya's clutching hand.
And said those few words that the white-haired boy was certain he would remember until he was an old man.
"Congratulations, Jiraiya. You pass the final test."
***
Jiraiya touched the headband on his forehead quickly. Once more, he felt it there, securely fastened. He grinned with renewed glee, as he had every single time before. The shining sun seemed to smile down on him. But, then again, he would have found a smile in a rainy day, the way he felt. He glanced around him, noting the faces around his were just as beaming as his probably was.
There weren't many of his class there. Mizoshi had passed, and that thrilled him. Orochimaru had too, which didn't thrill Jiraiya at all. Aside from that, only four others had the headbands. 'And if I count all the classes, there's probably less than twenty-five of us who passed. Whoa.'
The parents of those who had passed - many of them ninjas themselves - streamed in to congratulate their children and take them home. He had no problem finding his own father. Futemas had a tendency to be taller than most, as was the white hair, and his old man was no exception to that rule. He waved to his father, and within a moment father and son were face to face, both grinning broadly.
His father's mouth twitched. "You did it, son." he commented, before seizing Jiraiya and engulfing him in a bear hug. It was something that felt both comforting and mildly embarrassing to the young genin. His father laughed loudly, one amidst many in the joyful atmosphere. "I knew you would. I just knew you would. You'll be a better ninja than I am. I just know it! Way, way better!"
"Oh, come on, dad!" he said smugly "The exam was a piece o' cake!" 'Liar', his logical mind almost screamed. Jiraiya's wilder side paid no heed. His father shook his white-haired head, chuckling lightly.
"It's just like you to say that. You're proud, like your mother, bless her. 'That' is why you'll be a better shinobi. I'm fine being where I am. But you won't be." he suddenly seemed mildly saddened by that thought, as if he could see something beyond sight. Slightly unsettled by his father's unusual mood, Jiraiya cast about for something to say. But then his old man broke out of his mild reverie, and laughed again. "Bah, what does it matter right now? This is a time for celebration. Let's go eat! All three of us! That'll give your mother a richly deserved rest!" He laughed once more, and this time Jiraiya joined in.
Jiraiya's eyes twinkled with pride and pleasure. "If that's the case, then...I want to eat at Shikozu's!" He knew the pricey restaurant was usually out of his father's price range, but they made the best fried chicken stick with sauce in all of Konoha. But in this case...
His father stared a moment, then grinned a bit. "Fine. This is a big occasion, after all. Why not?"
"Yeah!" the white-haired genin jumped up and down with glee. This was just the perfect day of his life. He ran forward a few steps, then turned and beckoned to his father. "Come on, dad! Let's get mom and go!"
Only he found that his father wasn't looking in his direction at all. Instead he was looking somewhere to the side, away from the main crowd, his scratching his chin and looking thoughtful. Jiraiya turned his gaze to follow his father's and was rather displeased by what he found.
It was Orochimaru. Aside from everyone else, he sat on a bench, his gaze on the headband he had won. He stroke it, and for a moment the air of loneliness the boy seemed to exude hit Jiraiya. And then it went away. 'Serves him right. Smug, arrogant bastard. Let him be alone!' He wasn't too proud of the thought, but couldn't help but mean it. It was because of this that he gaped when his father, with a decided air, walked up to the pale-skinned boy and began to talk.
Jiraiya couldn't quite catch what was being said, but he could tell by his father's motions that the white-haired chuunin was insisting. His father pointed to Jiraiya, whereupon Orochimaru shook his head. More gestures ensued, and it seemed that the black-haired genius graduate was hesitating. Eventually, his father seemed to say something that struck home, for after a moment, Orochimaru bowed his head slightly, rose and followed the tall man.
"Hey!" his father said "Sorry to keep you waiting son. I just picked up someone else to go eat with us."
For a moment, he thought he heard that wrong. 'Is he nuts? Of all the people in the entire school, this is the last guy I'd want to party with!' Orochimaru didn't look at him, only back at the crowd. Still, he didn't seem to be going anywhere they weren't for now. He opened his mouth. He wasn't sure what he was about to say, except it probably would have included details about Orochimaru's snake anatomy.
He didn't get the chance to get a word in. His father moved beside him and gently but surely moved his face away from the skilled but disliked Genin. His expression was one of understanding, but also of firm commitment to whatever he had decided. Jiraiya knew that look, and despaired. Rarely used, when it was it meant no one could budge his old man. Not even his mother.
"Now, Jiraiya, I know you don't like Orochimaru much. I know you think it's not a good idea to take him along. I'm certain you'd prefer it if I invited Mizoshi instead, right?"
Jiraiya nodded. There was no use denying any of that. He huffed. "He's the most arrogant kid in the school! Keeps rubbing his talent into everybody's face!"
"You think so?" his father mused, "I don't see the most arrogant kid here. But I do see the loneliest. The successful end to the academy is best celebrated. Every family here will in some way. But Orochimaru here is the only one who has no one. To him, it's not the best day of his life. Its the loneliest."
He could see what his father meant. Sorta. But all the times he had been upstaged and ridiculed by Orochimaru went through his mind. "So what? He deserves it!" He hissed. He regretted saying it immediately, and felt even worse when his father looked at him in disappointment.
"If your mother heard that, she'd ground you for a week, and you'd deserve it." the chuunin stated. "Since its me, I'm just going to tell you this: If you never give people a chance to be more than what you think they are, what they probably are on the surface...you'll have missed out on a lot in life. Ninjas like that are powerful at times. Some of them are Jounin, and pretty good ones. But those ninjas are never liked by others. Never fully trusted."
"But Orochimaru's so...I can't just eat with him, dad!" the young genin blurted out. He kept his voice low, yet he felt about to explode. 'This isn't turning out into a perfect day after all, dammit!' His father's sigh told him it hadn't been the thing to say.
"Well, you're still young. You have time to learn it for yourself." he rose to his full height, and beckoned Orochimaru to join them. "Well, let's go boys! Dinner's on me tonight!"
As his father turned his back, Jiraiya gave Orochimaru a look, which was returned flatly. Yet there was something in the strange eyes, something Jiraiya couldn't grasp. It stifled what he'd been about to say. Instead he just choked out. "Congratulations."
The snake-faced genin opened his mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it. "And to you." With that said, the pale boy followed Jiraiya's father. A moment later, the white-haired boy followed suit.
'This isn't working out as planned.' he thought sourly. But then he touched his brand new headband, and most of his misgivings went away. 'But it doesn't matter. No today! Today I can take anyone's company. Even Orochimaru's.'
And Jiraiya stepped out of the academy grounds with a joyful grin returned to his lips. He couldn't wait to see his mom's expression when she saw him!
***