- Shinobi of the Leaf -
Three students – three children so unlike, so different and just so massively opposite to one another that Sarutobi was truly surprised when they passed his bell test with flying colours.
They' were a little clumsy when came to teamwork, but the basics were there, and the blonde and raven-haired kids were especially good. The third of the three had been particularly stupid, falling for most traps and executing the most obvious attacks before the snake-like boy had suggested teamwork.
What confused Sarutobi however was why the blundering, loudmouth, arrogant snowy-haired kid had been the one to sacrifice himself for the sake of the other two.
Once they had successfully incapacitated him he'd expected the scruffy brat to be one of the first to snatch a bell from his belt, but no. He had stood back, allowing the other two to receive their guaranteed promotion to the Genin rank.
After keeping his promise and tying the loudmouth kid to a post, he allowed the other two, or rather, the girl, to taunt him for a few moments.
Surprised once more by the way the child took the teasing without a word; Sarutobi dismissed the pair, waiting until they were well on their way home before leaning against the post with a sigh.
"Why'd you do that, kid?" he asked, arching an eyebrow and glancing down at the white-haired boy.
Jiraiya blinked up at him, eyes shining with the innocence that only a young, inexperienced ninja could retain. It pained Sarutobi to realize he was going to be watching that innocence fade from the youngsters eyes sooner or later.
The answer he received was almost as innocent as the look. "I figured that was part of the whole teamwork thing; having to sacrifice yourself for your comrade's sake."
Sarutobi stared for a moment, shocked that what he had first assumed to be the stupidest kid had thought so far into this. They weren't even supposed to have passed properly, let alone picked up such things as this. "And you're not worried about going back to the academy? You didn't get a bell after all."
Jiraiya smirked cockily up at him, "Yeah, but if I'm right – which I am - then I don't need a bell to pass."
"You've got some guts kids," he chuckled, dropping to crouch so that he was on eye-level with Jiraiya, "And it's a damn good job you are right, brat," he smiled, ruffling Jiraiya's hair, "Well done, you did the best out of the three of you today."
After that Sarutobi carried out the bell test every other week, which gave his students two weeks to come up with various attack plans. Jiraiya wasn't very good at the strategies, but he could pull off the sacrificial parts of the parts easily, to ensure the bells were captured.
He never did get a bell himself.
Orochimaru and Tsunade always taunted him and claimed he was stupid over the matter, but it didn't change the fact that Sarutobi was the proudest of him for never doing so.
Because the scruffy, blundering, loudmouth, arrogant snowy-haired kid was the first to figure out what it meant to be a true Shinobi of the leaf.