Disclaimer:I do not own anything in the Narutoverse

Chapter 1

Selection

The best way to describe Konohagakure, if one had never been there before, would be tranquil. The Third Great Shinobi war had ended decades ago, and, while the city itself still hadn't fully recovered, the hustle and bustle of its citizenry along with the buzz of goods and commodities being sold in the streets exemplified a thriving community of peaceful, good natured citizens. The model example of a happy community.

Of course that was only if one had never been there before.

Shinobi had long ago been integrated into the citizenry. To a casual observer, one would find it hard to differentiate between the two if it weren't for the flak vests many Chuunin and Jounin still chose to wear. The Genin themselves were even harder to identify, with only their hitai-ate showing proof of their class. Especially when those same Genin were generally painting fences or chasing cats or dogs around the city. Most were still kids, so they could easily be mistaken. It was the older Genin that proved a truly bizarre sight.

This sight was what greeted the Sannin Jiraiya as he stepped through the giant gates of Konoha: a middle-aged man with a mustache fighting tooth and nail with a cat on the ground. And, oddly enough, the cat seemed to be winning. For the first time in a very long time, the Toad Sage was at a complete loss for words, instead just raising an eyebrow at the only slightly younger man wrestling with a cat.

For sanity's sake, Jiraiya figured he should do something about this since off to the side, the two gate keepers, Kotetsu and Izumo (as per usual), were doing nothing but laughing their respective asses off at the strange and baffling battle taking place.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Slamming his hands to the ground, Jiraiya summoned forth a middling sized toad. "Hey, Gamayama, help the poor guy out would ya? He's making a mockery of a shinobi village at it's front door."

The black and purple toad saluted his boss, and with a quick whip of his tongue the cat was entangled in a mess of sticky oils and rough tongue. Screeching, the cat refusing to just give up, it began squirming around like a violent squall. Jiraiya immediately helped the poor middle-aged genin onto his feet, dusting him off in the process.

"Oh God...Thank you so much, er.." the Genin stood stock still as he gazed at a man nearly everyone in the city would immediately recognize. Whether that was a good or bad thing depended on the gender of the individual. Luckily the man was in awe of his savior. "Jiraiya-sama! Oh dear Lord, I'm so, so sorry you had to witness such a humiliating thing. That cat, Tora, is the Fire Daimyo's wife's prized possesion; but it escapes nearly every week. It's gradually learned how to avoid detection from us and also developed evasive tactics that make it incredibly vicious to catch. You must be careful as well, sir!"'

Jiraiya had hardly paid any attention to the ramblings of the man, instead focusing his attention on the two Chuunin who were now staring wide-eyed at the newcomer, and simply waved it off as if it were nothing. "Look, don't worry about it alright? I just couldn't stand there at the front gates and watch that kind of scene play out when this village is supposed to be considered the greatest of the five hidden villages. Isn't that right, Kotetsu, Izumo?"

Both Chuunin gulped hard at the piercing gaze of the Sannin. They knew him to be a bit of a jokester, but they also knew he had a deep pride and loyalty to his village being the only remaining Sannin to not leave Konoha permanently.

"Ah, right you are sir, Jiraiya-sama, sir!" Kotetsu fumbled his words as he hastened a sloppy salute. Mentally he cursed himself for being so lax in front of this living legend.

"Right..Well, try and at least do something on that job to prevent other people from thinking we've got a stray animal pandemic, yeah?" Rolling his eyes, Jiraiya continued on down the road at a leisurely pace deciding to take in all the sights and sounds of his home.

"Sir, yes sir!" Kotetsu and Izumo both echoed each other as they stood at attention for perhaps one of the first times in their lives doing this job. Then quickly collapsed back into their respective chairs letting out a couple breaths they hadn't realized they had been holding in.

"Man..It still never gets any easier when you see one of them." Izumo rubbed his forehead feeling a headache coming on.

"You're telling me. But what is he doing back? And why through the front gate? I know he reports directly to the Hokage, but from what I understand he usually just pops in and out like a ghost. I mean, the man's a sage for crying out loud." Kotetsu lazily scratched the top of his head, pondering this strange turn of events.

Izumo didn't really have an answer, "But whatever it is, it usually winds up changing things around a bit too much, don't you think?" He turned to his partner expecting some kind of explanation.

Except Kotetsu was already asleep. Again.


Konoha was basically how Jiraiya remembered it. Not too loud, but not too lazy (he silently exempted the Nara district). The streets veritably hummed with activity. The sage himself had been practically everywhere on the Elemental Continent, and then some, but Konohagakure still had something special about it. Perhaps it was the forest the Shodai Hokage had made to give his gift of life to the village. Those trees were certainly special in their own right, and all the foliage gave a certain grace and beauty to the village despite all the pipes and electrical poles that had been erected over the years. The clash of nature and the modern gave Konoha a certain aesthetic that you really couldn't find anywhere else. Hell, people had even begun to build houses into the trees themselves Jiraiya noticed. That spiral, encased walkway was certainly new to him. He'd have to check it out later.

For now, he was a bit preoccupied with his meeting with the Sandaime. He knew what he wanted to get, he knew who he wanted (mostly), and he knew how to get it, but the main problem was going to come after his meeting with the Hokage; that he was certain of.

"Well, I'll just take it as it comes. Maybe it won't be as hard as I'm imagining," Jiraiya mused to himself as he looked up at the Hokage monument for the first time. The sight still impressed him: that monolithic stone sculpture still standing tall above the village. It's ever watchful protectors. The Shodai's stern, but soft gaze. The Nidaime's graceful expression. The Sandaime's wisdom. The Yondaime's beard and monocle.

"Wait, what th-" Jiraiya was interrupted suddenly when a loud voice echoed throughout the entirety of the village.

"NAAAAARUUUUUTOOOOOOO!" Jiraiya flinched. From even so far away that had hurt his eardrums. Something that hadn't happened since he and Tsunade had been teammates.

Jiraiya blinked for a second. "Naruto? No way. That can't possibly be-" again he was interrupted as a furiously speeding ball of orange and blond smacked into his stomach, doubling him over from surprise.

"OW! Hey, watch it jii-san!" The right half of his whiskered face was being rubbed by his hand, his left blue eye distinct among his other features. "Oh crap, I gotta go, y'know?!" The kid sprung up and sprinted off somewhere unknown shouting back "OH! AND I GUESS I'M SORRY, Y'KNOW!" Then the kid was gone.

Jiraiya was still flat on his butt staring at the vanishing kid that was supposedly his godson. The physical resemblance to his father and the personality of his mother were both readily apparent and anyone who had known the two would have had to have been an idiot not to know who's kid that was. A loud panting shook Jiraiya out of his brief reverie, and the sage turned to see a clearly overly exerted young man with a scar across his face trying to catch his breath.

"I'm...so..sorry, sir." Iruka panted out, his face towards the ground, "Naruto's...a bit of a...prankster..and...he doesn't exactly...have...manners..So...as his teacher...I must apologize...for his rudeness." Iruka still almost gotten his wind back, and without a second look back started chasing the blond boy again, still yelling his name.

That name.

Jiraiya gave him that name. He had almost forgotten about it until his.."experience"..the previous week. Surprising all around him who actually did know who he was and what that thing was, the great Sannin erupted into a fit of deep laughter. Choosing not to question the man, the citizenry decided to go ahead on their way, figuring if Jiraiya didn't care, they shouldn't either.

Jiraiya's laughter lasted for quite some time, and the man was practically in tears from laughing so hard at that kid. While he wasn't on his short list, Naruto still had made quite the impression on the old man. He'd have to check up on him as he grew up, just to make sure he was making out all right for himself.

He had no idea just how wrong he was at that time, and he would forever regret and curse himself and his own stupidity as well as barely containing his own personal rage against Konoha and its supposed perfect citizens.


Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk, puffing idly on his pipe glancing over some documents. Apparently there was a conflict between a bakery and a smithy. The baker himself had written a drawn out request that the smith be placed somewhere far, far away from his place of business, claiming the goods he was producing now had a slight taste of steel and iron. The smith didn't seem so much as to care, claiming the baker should just market his goods predominately to shinobi. They didn't seem to care that much about the taste of metal, or blood for that matter, according to the smith. This had caused the baker to petition the Hokage for intervention; there was no way the smith was taking this seriously.

The Sandaime sat the papers down, sighing and rubbing his forehead at the same time. "Why on earth did I ever let Minato convince me to take this god-forsaken job again?" He, of course, knew the answer to that, but the thought was so depressing he disregarded it in favor of simply complaining to complain. Sometimes it did wonders for the stress.

It was at the moment that Hiruzen dropped his hand that he stared face-to-face with a tall man dressed mostly in red with a long shock of white hair. He'd know that man anywhere, and a slight smile escaped onto his face.

"Well, well! If it isn't Konoha's prodigal son come home! Jiraiya, son, please sit! I'm sure there is much to discuss, what with this rare visitation." The Sandaime's subtle phrasing wasn't lost on Jiraiya. He expected bad news. Jiraiya usually came with it after all.

This time, however, the Toad Sage simply grinned as he grabbed a seat, "Thanks for the invitation, sensei." This slightly shocked the Sandaime. Jiraiya never sat down. He usually refused the invitation in favor of getting his information across as quickly as possible before popping out the window like some random gust of wind that just happened to blow by.

"Hmm..Seems like you've got something on your mind, Jiraiya my boy. Go ahead and let me know the bad news first, despite the grave seriousness of the matter I'm sure it's much more important than bread that tastes like copper."

Jiraiya quirked his eyebrow, but decided not to press the matter. "No, no! God no! There's nothing bad to report on my end," mentally adding 'That you need to know about', "I'm here, actually, because I think it's time for me to start seriously considering the future security of Konoha."

Hiruzen nearly fell out of his seat, but his pipe did hit the ground. Jiraiya? Taking responsibility? This had to be a joke. The man had refused the position of Hokage saying he preferred his own freedom and didn't want to be tied down to anyone or anything that he didn't like. "What are you talking about, son? I've never known you to..well..act like this."

"What? Like an old man?" Jiraiya laughed at that. It certainly didn't make much sense to him either. "Well, let's just say I had a bit of a mid-life crisis while on the road." Immediately Jiraiya became serious. "Neither of us are going to be around forever, Sarutobi-sensei."

The old Hokage sagely nodded his head. "Yes, that is certainly true. We're not getting any younger. But that's what the future generations we're raising are for, aren't they? The Will of Fire is strong in Konohagakure, that much is certain. I've seen it myself in the academy. Umino Iruka is a fine instructor, and he understands the importance of this next generation of shinobi far better than any actual shinobi in the field."

Jiraiya scratched his chin in thought, "Iruka, huh? So that's what his name was.."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya's musings out loud, "You met Iruka? How long have you been in town? Usually you come straight here."

Jiraiya laughed slightly at that, "Yeah, well, I ran into some middle-aged Genin wrestling with a cat at the front gates so I decided to take a stroll through the town, seeing if everything was going well."

The Sandaime slapped his face with his right hand, "That damned Tora..If only that woman would realize just why it runs away from her." He sighed, rubbing his forehead again, "So? What else did you see?"

"Not a whole lot, actually. Though you might want to check out the Hokage monument sometime soon. Minato might find it funny, but I seriously doubt most of the citizens would appreciate that kind of..'art'." Jiraiya started chuckling again. "That's how I met Iruka actually. After a blond haired kid with whiskers barreled into my gut." Jiraiya subconsciously rubbed his stomach at the brat's charge.

At a loss for words at what Jiraiya had just said, Hiruzen hummed slightly to himself. "So. You met Naruto as well I see." He knew the relationship between Jiraiya and the boy, and didn't want to bring back anything unpleasant for his former student.

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head idly. "Yeah, I suppose you could say I did in a way. He really does resemble his parents. You'd have to be blind not to see it." Jiraiya's eyes seemed to be drifting to a far off place. Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to stop it before it went any further.

"So, Jiraiya, what've you come to me for? You mentioned the future of Konoha, but haven't exactly explained what you have in mind." He hoped that would snap Jiraiya back to reality. He was lucky.

"Oh! Right, that! Well, see, I came here to request a team."

Hiruzen literally stumbled as he tried to stand up from his chair. This was completely unexpected.

"A team? Jiraiya..you haven't had a team since Minato was a child. What's gotten into you?" Hiruzen was suddenly seriously questioning if Jiraiya had hit his head a bit too hard or something very serious had happened to him.

"Yeah, well..Like I told you, I kind of sort of had a mid-life crisis." Jiraiya mumbled the last sentence a bit, but it was still audible. "I came to the conclusion that if no one picks up for me when I'm gone, our spy network will crumble into shambles. I, we, can't let that happen. I've worked too hard to set it up for too long. If my network crumbles so does Konoha's outside protection. If anything, I need to train some replacements."

Hiruzen slowly nodded. He saw the wisdom in Jiraiya's thoughts. They certainly weren't getting any younger, and if Jiraiya's network collapsed Konoha would be placed in extreme jeopardy from any number of outside sources. "Well, despite our still repairing forces, I'm sure I could lend you a couple of Jounin or Chuunin to go with you. I can't risk having any ANBU leave the village; you know why."

Jiraiya thought of Danzo immediately. That was certainly a problem, but with what he had in mind what his old sensei offered him simply wouldn't work. "No, sensei. That's not what I'm asking for."

"What on earth could you possibly be referring to then? You can't seriously be considering Genin, Jiraiya!"

"No, not necessarily..I'm thinking more before they become Genin."

"What?!" Hiruzen was suddenly flabbergasted, "You're not serious! They're nothing but children! There's no way they could handle what you do!"

Jiraiya suddenly stood up as well, in defiance. "And that's exactly why it has to be them! Trained shinobi have no concept of what it takes to operate this kind of network! I had to create it from the ground up, and it took a hell of a lot of trial and error before even I got it working properly! No, I need fresh minds, good minds, and skills necessary to be excellent spies! I need a Nara, a Hyuuga, and any other kid that excels at stealth and deception!"

Hiruzen was stunned speechless at the declaration. He honestly didn't know what to say to that. A Nara and a Hyuuga? The only ones available were Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata, both of which would be almost impossible to pry from their homes. How did Jiraiya think this was ever going to work?

"Jiraiya.." Hiruzen was halted from his statement as Jiraiya raised his hand to stop him.

"Look, sensei, I know what I'm asking for and I'm well aware of the danger involved. I plan on training these kids, like I trained Minato. They're not going to find a better teacher than me, and you know that. In fact, I highly doubt they'd even be in any danger unless I choose to place them in a compromising situation. You know how I can't be found if I don't want to be."

Hiruzen had to admit that Jiraiya did have a point. He had an impeccable track record of mission success and there certainly weren't any better Jounin sensei he could think of that would provide the children the amount of protection and guidance Jiraiya could offer. But still..

"Jiraiya, the only Nara and Hyuuga available are Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata, both of which are expected to graduate from the academy in a day or so. With that in mind, I can't allow you to take them without first allowing them to prove they are capable of at least being Genin. Not only that, but you'll have to receive permission from their parents."

This was what Jiraiya was afraid of. He knew the Hyuuga and their overprotective nature regarding the Byakugan. The Nara probably wouldn't be much of a problem unless..

"Nara Shikamaru is also set to graduate with Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji. You know what that means."

'Shit'. Jiraiya placed a fake grin on his face, "Yeah, I hear you. I didn't expect it to be easy, but that certainly does put a new spin on things for me. I wouldn't worry too much about the Nara, though. I've got some ideas to convince Shikaku to help out despite his obvious desire to reinvent the Ino-Shika-Cho group."

Hiruzen sighed yet again, "And what of the Hyuuga? Hinata is the perceived heiress of the clan. I highly doubt Hiashi will just let you waltz in and take the future leader of his clan away from him."

Jiraiya frowned, "Hm..That could be a problem. But you know me, I'll just take it as it comes. If it all falls apart I've got some other ideas, but the main issue I've got now is the third kid. I was thinking an Aburame, but honestly that's not quite what I'm looking for. I need a back-up powerhouse that excels in stealth, but none of the existing clans have those sorts of traits. The last clan that had anythig like that was..the..Namikaze.." As he spoke Jiraiya felt realization sweep over him and a sudden dread creep up his spine. There was only one of those left. One very specific kid with those qualities, but there was no way..He couldn't possibly take that kid.

Hiruzen seemed to read Jiraiya's mind, "That's right. The only one that fits what you're looking for is Uzumaki Naruto."


The swing was his safe-haven. Naruto didn't know why, but whenever he sat on the swing it felt like he was able to cut off all the pain and anguish he felt. All he had to do was shut his eyes and ears to the happy cries of the graduating students. A third time. He failed again, for the third time. He didn't understand. He practiced daily, much more than anyone he knew. He knew exactly what he had to do, but he still couldn't pull off that damned jutsu. Hell, he'd been practicing it since he was eight! That's four years of nothing but failure! Maybe all those parents were right to keep their kids away from him..

He quickly wiped away the gradually forming tears on his face. He wouldn't fall to that. He wouldn't let them take him down, not without fighting with everything he had in him. He will be the best shinobi in the village, y'know?! Screw the hitai-ate! If he couldn't get one of those he'd just have to become Hokage through sheer will! He knew it was stupid, foolish, and ignorant, but he couldn't help it. His grief was starting to overwhelm him, and if it was one thing Naruto couldn't accept it was despair. It was his mortal enemy, an enemy that reared its ugly head with every passing look he received, with every stone thrown his way, every "accidental" garbage disposal, every store that kicked him out or overcharged him by at least 500%. He just didn't understand why, y'know?!

It was at that moment of his deepest grief that Mizuki-sensei approached him and gave him an offer that he couldn't possibly believe. Or refuse.


Jiraiya cracked his neck as he made his way to the Nara district. He always liked the place; because of the Nara's very nature it was a very lush neighborhood. The Naras liked their shadows, it seemed, as trees sprouted from everywhere and everything. Some houses were intentionally made in respect of this nature, allowing the trees to grow at odd angles while the buildings were constructed to allow the maximum amount of growth for the plants. It was also quiet. A testament to the Nara's lazy nature.

The Nara men's laziness was legendary, as was their taste in wives. For every lazy, shogi playing Nara male there was an equally stern and aggressive female at their side forcing them into doing something productive. It was probably genetic. Hell, it had to be as it was the only thing preventing the Naras from wasting away into extinction. Jiraiya chuckled lightly, thanking all that was he was never born a Nara. He had gotten enough of that sort of punishment from Tsunade alone and he still had the deep scars to prove it.

Whistling at the classy Nara Shikaku estate, Jiraiya casually knocked on the shoji entrance. He was impressed with the whole zen nature of the grounds. It was relaxing just looking at it. As the shoji opened to reveal Shikaku, surprisingly enough, Shikaku's lazy eyes suddenly widened at his vistor.

"J-Jiraiya-sama! What a..well, what an interesting surprise. Please, come in," Shikaku was very good at maintaining a calm demeanor at all times, and this was certainly one of those times where he felt grateful for all the practice he had had in his life time, "I'll have my wife prepare some tea."

Jiraiya gracefully accepted Shikaku's invitation and found himself in the Nara's living room. A relatively simply tatami matted room with a square lacquered table in the center and some stone artifacts scattered tastefully around the edges of the room itself. Jiraiya settled down on one of the leg cushions as Shikaku's wife hastily brought out some tea for Jiraiya-sama and her husband before leaving the room just as quickly. Whatever Jiraiya came for, she certainly was not the person he needed to speak with. No matter how curious or stubborn she was, she wasn't going to intrude on the legendary Sannin so rudely.

"Shikaku, I have to say I'm pretty impressed with your place," Jiraiya attempted some small talk as he took a sip of his tea, "But I think you already know I'm not here to talk about aesthetics in architecture." He set his cup down as he waited for Shikaku to relax a bit.

"No, I guessed as much from the moment I saw you outside," Shikaku started, "One rarely receives a house call from a Sannin and when it does happen it usually doesn't bode too well for those involved."

'Ah..So that's why he's on edge. Why don't I ever hear these things? Is that why people always freak out when I'm around? Oh well, I can try and fix that reputation later.' Jiraiya neither smiled nor frowned at the statement, but kept a neutral face on.

"Well, to be honest I'm not exactly here for anything other than a small chat and a proposition for you." Jiraiya did smile a little at Shikaku's awkward expression; as if he didn't know what to make of Jiraiya's statement. It seems the Great Toad Sage had stumped a Nara, no small feat indeed.

"Hmm..I see.." Shikaku said slowly take a drink of his tea, "And what sort of proposition did you intend to offer?"

"Well, as it's fairly obvious no one gets any younger, I'm here to ask your permission to take your son and train him for the future foundation of Konoha's spy network as well as it's internal protection."

Shikaku nearly choked on his tea. "Y-you mean Shikamaru? But he just graduated the academy today! A Jounin instructor has already been set aside for him as well as his teammates!"

"I know full well about the circumstances, Shikaku," Jiraiya was gravely serious, "But for the sake of the future of Konoha the reincarnation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team is going to have to be put on hold for a little bit. I know your families are close and have been looking forward to this day for a long time, but sometimes the greater good needs to be considered."

Shikaku just sat there, stunned. This had been completely out of his range of ideas as to why Jiraiya had shown up. True, Jiraiya was right about one thing, the greater good always needs to be considered despite personal reservations and desires. "You said 'on hold'. Why?"

"Knowing how the Naras think, Shikamaru is only necessary for the first part of my plan. His position is to be one of inside protection, not outside. For the time being, he would be placed under my care and watchful eye as I instruct him on the intricacies of politics and what it means for Konoha. As I'm sure you're well aware, Konoha does not solely have enemies on the outside of its great walls. There is a shadow war going on in the upper echelons of the Hokage's tower, and I believe Shikamaru will have to be the one who is to be relied on in those halls. Shikaku, you're too preoccupied with your clan. It can't be you. Furthermore, your time spent as a shinobi is actually a hindrance in this case."

Before Shikaku could retort, Jiraiya continued, "Shikamaru will also be trained as a shinobi, but with a very specific bent towards looking beneath the underneath. As a Nara he has the intelligence to do so where others do not. That is why I am asking for your acceptance of my proposal." At this, Jiraiya bowed deep, placing his hands on his knees to show his deference to Shikaku.

He was at a loss. Shikaku understood perfectly what Jiraiya was aiming to accomplish, but children? It then dawned on him that children were innocent. They were basically unmodified clay ready to be shaped into whatever form was available. Shikaku set down his tea and closed his eyes for a time, taking his own thinking pose.

Jiraiya had leaned back up into his sitting position, waiting on a response. He knew Shikaku to be a reasonable man, so he wasn't too worried about the answer.

"Alright then," Shikaku opened his eyes, "I accept your proposition. So long as when he returns he can integrate into the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, I see no downsides to this."

Jiraiya grinned. One down, two to go.


Hyuuga Hiashi was widely criticized as a man with unyielding vision but vision that solely focused on his clan and its well-being. Not to his face of course. That would more than likely end in a very nasty way. He was, of course, also known for his seeming cruelty. Hiashi knew the rumors, but declined to combat them. What did he care what those from outside his clan had to say about him? They didn't deserve the attention.

Hiashi was in his study, a modest room with a low, very expensive looking table, several bookcases against the walls containing scrolls and parchments containing jutsu techniques, clan resources, and other similar documents, and two seating cushions. He never allowed more than one guest at a time into his personal study for various security reasons. The guest's cushion was also positioned in such a way that allowed Hiashi to quickly strike the offender, if that is what they were, down in an instant if it was called for.

However, on this particular day the Toad Sannin Jiraiya sat across from him, casually drinking the tea that had been brought in by one of his branch members. Hiashi's face was impassive, as it normally was, but he was still prone to emotions. Overwhelming curiosity being chief among them at the moment.

"Jiraiya-sama, I am indeed pleased and even feel grace for having you come to call on me, but I must confess I have no idea why you would come all the way out to the Hyuuga estate."

Hiashi's statement was not without some level of apprehension; The Hyuuga compound was indeed very far out of the way from most everything else in the village. It was its location that provided the Hyuuga the safety and defense they desired, ever since the Kumo Incident of nine years ago. Hiashi had made a strong point of defense afterward, and as such the compound was never without at least fifteen branch members prowling the grounds on alert status. It was a heavy task for them, but they truly didn't have much choice in the matter.

Jiraiya calmly set his cup down and looked deep into Hiashi's pale eyes. Those calculating, cold eyes that Jiraiya never really liked. "Well, Hiashi-dono," Hiashi's imperceptible eye twitch at any other honorific from 'sama' didn't go unnoticed, "I've come to you with a proposition."

"And what sort of proposition would that be, Jiraiya-sama?" Hiashi did not like where this was going. A proposition? Jiraiya was practically asking a favor from the head of the Hyuuga, not a small task to be sure.

"Well, to be short, I've come to ask that you allow me to train your daughter."

Hiashi's now very obviously narrowed eyes expressed his instant dislike of the proposition.

"Certainly, training underneath the guidance of a Sannin is a great honor, but I believe Hanabi would be best served training underneath the guidance of myself in the style of Jyuuken. The intricacies of such a style can only be honed by those of the Hyuuga clan."

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this. "Ah..No, Hiashi-dono. I meant Hinata."

Hiashi's eyes returned to their neutral position. "Hinata? In all due deference to your status Jiraiya-sama, you must be joking."

Jiraiya sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"Hinata is not worth training. She is weak and unwilling to perform as a proper shinobi, let alone a Hyuuga. The fact she even graduated from the academy was merely a stroke of sheer luck on her part." Hiashi was confident of this. Hinata had no future as a shinobi nor as an heiress. Her weakness harmed the very balance he had set in place for the Hyuuga over decades.

Jiraiya himself was taken aback. That's what he's concerned with?

"I assure you, Hiashi-dono, no harm would come to her. The Byakugan would remain safe under my watch and the chances of her being noticed are slim to none outside these walls." Jiraiya quickly rattled off what he considered to be the more important aspects that he had expected to combat, but Hiashi merely sighed.

"If you feel you need that useless daughter of mine, you are free to use her as you see fit. Though I do not believe you have made a wise decision."

Jiraiya was about ready to clock the man. He was referring to his daughter, his daughter as garbage! He hadn't missed the subtle inference when Hiashi said 'daughter' when he really thought 'trash' in his own mind. Gritting his teeth to calm himself down, Jiraiya placed the best fake smile he could as he shut his eyes in order for his rage to not become too obvious.

"I greatly appreciate your willingness on your part to aid in the future protection of our village and clans."

With what he considered to be a quick end, Jiraiya hastily made his exit from the Hyuuga compound before his plans fell to ruin due to his unbridled anger. Back outside, Jiraiya got as far away as possible before snapping a tree in half to release his pent up frustration with that man. Oh, Hiashi was going to regret those words, those feelings. He would see to it that Hinata, before any of those other brats, was going to get the training she deserved and needed to make that bastard Hiashi eat a crow.

Back on the main streets of Konoha, it was getting late. Jiraiya still hadn't decided on what to do about the recommendation of Naruto. On the one hand, the old man had given his utmost praise to the kid and his ability to slip in and out of the most dangerous and guarded of locations without being spotted by ANBU. That was certainly impressive, if true, but the kid clearly didn't have any chakra control. Jiraiya had found out earlier he had failed the examination for a third time. Sure it was probably the damn Kyuubi's fault for his wild chakra control, but Jiraiya still didn't think the kid had half the ability the Sandaime said he had.

He'd have to think about this some more in the morning, but for now it was time to get a drink to forget what Hiashi had just done.


Naruto lay panting on the ground, the Forbidden Scroll splayed out before him. Grinning to himself, he could hardly wait to show Iruka what he could do! Screw those regular bunshin, y'know! It had taken a lot out of him, he still didn't quite understand some of the basic concepts of chakra control, but he had actually done it! He'd created a real clone! A clone you can touch and use to attack! Those other bunshin were completely useless compared to what he now was able to do!

It was as he was thinking these thoughts that Iruka landed in front of the exhausted child. And he was not happy.

"Naruto! Where have you been?! Do you realize what you've done?!"

"Haa..haaa...of course I do, y'know! I did it, Iruka-sensei! Mizuki-sensei said if I got this scroll out from the Hokage's tower I'd be able to be a Genin! I did it, y'know!" Naruto was genuinely grinning from ear to ear, and Iruka felt crestfallen. Something stunk about this, he was sure.

"Mizuki-sensei? Naruto, that's not true. You have to pass the examination like all the other children in order to become a Genin."

Naruto sat up slowly, confused, "But..then.." Before he could get any further Iruka had thrown himself at Naruto.

"Naruto, get down!"

Before he knew what had happened, Iruka had been riddled with shuriken and kunai. And Mizuki was standing over it all with a wicked grin on his face and dressed to kill. Naruto hadn't known what was happening, but something was weird. He would soon find out why. Why everything. And it was not something he expected nor ever wanted to know.

In the treetops a little bit a ways away, a red-clad man stood watching the entire scene unfold, he'd been there from the beginning and he was still baffled as to how Naruto had managed to get that scroll in the first place let alone master the Kage Bunshin no jutsu in such a short amount of time. As he watched the interaction between Naruto, Iruka, and Mizuki Jiraiya could feel a smile forming on his face.

That settled it. He had his team.


Shoji: A shoji is a classical Japanese sliding door.