DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to be the creator of the Naruto manga or anime series. I had absolutely no part in any creation of the series, and I'm just a dedicated fan of this series who has taken my time to create this fanfiction.
Author Notes: Author Notes: This is a semi-self-insert fiction of what I think would happen if Minato had two teammates who would not only challenge him to do better but could keep up. I hope you enjoy it. This is rated M, because of possible language, and violence. At no time will there be a pairing between any of the three teammates. Not that there won't be pairings outside their team, just not inside it.
I am trying to pull most of my resources on timeline from the manga, but I am only human so if any of my readers have any insight that I have missed on the timeline do drop me a message.
"Speech"
"Technique Casting"
"YELLING"
"Inner thoughts and speech"
"INNER YELLING"
I will add more if/when they become needed
Chapter 7 - Flashy Entrance
The summer between my third year and fourth had one colossal surprise. Mom and Dad sat me down on the couch. Mom sat across from me while Dad sat next to me with one arm hugging me from the side. This must be something big. "Kamiko, sweetie, you know we love you dearly." Yup. You don't ease somebody into pleasant news. "We wanted to let you know before anybody else, so you wouldn't be surprised: I am pregnant. This means you will have either a little sister or little brother in a little over half a year from now. The new baby is going to take a lot of our attention while they're very young, because they have so much growing and learning to do. This doesn't mean we love you any less though, ok? You are both our precious and irreplaceable children."
Why are they so worried? It's not like I'm an only child... I mentally smacked my forehead with the heel of my palm as my brain got fully into gear. Oh, duh, I am an only child, this time around. It has been a long time, but it would be nice to have a little brother again. I considered for a moment. For that matter, a sister wouldn't be bad either; I've never had one of those. All this internal monologue meant I was silent for quite a while; Mom and Dad started giving each other concerned glances. I only barely noticed, though. As soon as I came out of my trance, I startled them with a barrage of questions, "Awesome, how long have you two known? When is she or he due? Will I have to share a room? Is there anything you need to me to do around the home to help out?"
They were a little startled at the sudden stream of questions, but pleased nonetheless. The answers came slowly at first, as they got out of comfort-the-distraught-child mode. "We have known for only for a few weeks, but the doctors say she is about two months along. That means the baby should be due in late winter or early spring. No, you will not have to share a room, but yes there will be a lot of things that will need to change around here. For starters, your room will need to be kept cleaner," my father said. There must have been a sour look on my face, because he quickly added, "It's for the health of your mother while she is pregnant, and the baby when it comes, and to be honest your health as well. Have you seen your room lately? It looks like a warzone in there." He chuckled at that last part.
True to their word, I spent the remainder of summer break either cleaning the house or training in the backyard. During the last weeks of break, I wanted to get some distance to train so that I wouldn't get interrupted with a "Honey, can you help us with...?" every five minutes or so. With that in mind, I went to one of the clan's training fields. When I got there I saw a young boy wearing a Konoha headband doing some impressive taijutsu kata in the otherwise empty field. Huh. He's actually really good. Like, not just civilian-good, but ninja-good. He was so intensely focused that I wasn't sure if he noticed me at first, but once he finished he walked over to me.
"Hello, I haven't seen you here before. You look a little young to be on the field unaccompanied." I must have had a defensive look on my face, because he immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, that's fine, I'm not your sensei or anything. You're welcome to train here as long as you don't get in my way." He studied me for a moment. "Academy student, right?" At my nod, he continued, "I am a genin, for now, and a true ninja of the village," he said, puffing out his chest and thumbing his forehead protector in an unconscious display of pride, "but as a fellow Uchiha I am willing to help you out with some of your academy stuff if you want." he said, his tone just a tad bit pompous.
"I am good on academy stuff, it is easy enough. They haven't taught us anything 'major' see?" I said and then whispered, "Henge no Jutsu." Without hand seals, I transformed into a near perfect copy of him, but I cheekily included a Chuunin vest. Show off to establish my cred, and stroke his ego a bit so it doesn't come off as aggressive. Easy. He took a single step back in surprise.
"Well, I see you are more than proficient on that one," he said trying to regain some sense of superiority. "But there are a total of three major jutsu you will need to learn to graduate: Henge, Bunshin, and Kawarimi. If you ask me, I think Nawanuke should be on the list as well. That one allows you to escape hand bindings. I would be willing to teach you the basics of these jutsu IF you will follow my instructions perfectly."
I scratched my head thinking then said, "I have no problem following instructions." then slyly added, "As long as the instructions make sense; I am not going to mindlessly follow. I am not a lemming, after all," I said, smiling up at this young boy. "So, my name is Kamiko, what is yours?"
"What is a lemming?" He looked at me, puzzlement written on his face for a moment, then shook it off. "Never mind that, you say don't recognize me?" he asked, shocked and a little disbelieving. I shook my head, and his expression shifted to exasperation. I could tell by the set of his shoulders that he wasn't exactly displeased to get a chance to talk about himself, though. "Well then, I am Uchiha Fugaku, son of the clan head." He emphasized the last two words with more than a little pride. He then turned to regard me more fully, as if he was only now really paying attention to my presence. "I have heard of you; from what I heard you not only have your Sharingan unlocked—unusual for a girl—but you also did it at a younger age than almost anyone in the clan records." His gaze took on a slightly critical cast. "I've also heard that you had a major detention with the Hokage last summer and nearly recieved another again this summer."
"Well, Fugaku-son-of-the-clan-head, is there something I can call you that is shorter than that? Or do I need to use the full title each time?" I asked with a little humor in my voice.
"Just Fugaku will do." he said trying to hide his smile.
"Okay, Just Fugaku, where do you want to start?" I asked trying to stifle a giggle and hide a slight blush. At that his resolve broke and he laughed. I joined in, and with the ice now thoroughly broken, we settled in to work.
Over the following week and a half, he spent a few hours going over the basics of the academy jutsu, hand signs, the drawbacks, etc. He was surprised at how quick of a study I was in most subjects. The Nawanuke technique, though, turned out to be a stumbling block. I worked on that one clear through to the end of summer break, with no success.
"I guess I got a technique to work on this year," I said, trying not to grumble too much. "Thanks for the guidance, 'Just Fugaku', I hope to see you around."
He chuckled and replied, "Come back anytime this year; if I am here I will help you."
I think I got him to loosen up a bit during all those training sessions but he still has that 'Uchiha superiority' thing going on. Hopefully I'll get a chance to hang out with him more this year and get to see him do more of those kata — no, No, NO I...was...not...just thinking that! He...is...a...guy, I am — was a guy. GAAAAH! Okay Kamiko, calm down. He is going to be the next clan head, so getting to know him and to like you AS A NINJA is a good thing. About that time I got home, which was just the distraction I needed. "I am home, sorry for being out so long. Do you need help in the kitchen?"
Mom answered back, "Yes, sweetie, come in here and wash up, and then help me slice up the vegetables for dinner."
I entered the kitchen, tying my hair up into a hasty ponytail, and immediately went for the sink to wash my hands. In my old life I was...not horrible in the kitchen, but I was not usually allowed to make things unattended. Thankfully, my Mom really spent the time to teach me everything she knew about cooking. At the time, I just thought she was making up for the lack of daughters in the family, but She knew that I would have to know later on. Though maybe not for this exact reason.
Tonight was a special night; it wasn't just the start of the new year at the academy but also—and more importantly—it was my Dad's birthday. I wanted to get him something nice for a change, so I had been saving up some of my spending money to buy him a new set of calligraphy brushes and a nice bottle of ink. I knew he used it for work, and I hoped he would like it. I had it all wrapped up and hidden in my dresser, one of the few places I thought he wouldn't look. Though with ninja parents, you never know...
Dinner prep went smoothly. I had become very adept at dicing things up; good knife work and steady hands helped a ton. Thank you academy for teaching me more than I thought I ever wanted to know about a knife.
I heard Dad enter the house and yelled out to him before he could say anything, "Welcome home, Daddy." I rushed out of the kitchen and gave him a big tackle hug.
"So what have my two most favorite women been doing today?" He asked with a huge smile as he hugged me back. He then went over to mom and kissed her.
"Well we have been slaving in the kitchen forever, or at least mom has, and I have been training with Fugaku." I answered trying to not blush, "He has been showing me some of the academy jutsu and I think I got the basics of them."
"Love, go get changed and relax; dinner will be ready soon." Mom replied shooing Dad away before he could respond. She then grabbed my hand and dragged me back into the kitchen. "You go set the table, and while you're doing that, what is this about training with Fugaku-sama? You do know he is going to be the next clan head, right?" she asked with a look on her face that practically shouted 'spill the beans!'.
"Well, about two weeks ago, after the sleepover, I went to one of the clan training fields to get some more space to run. I saw someone training, so I waited until he was done. Well one thing led to another, and he offered to instruct me in the academy basics." I said. Realizing how that sounded, I quickly added, "It was nothing too major."
Mom grinned at this and hugged me. "Someone has their first cru~sh," she said in a teasing sing-song voice.
"Mommm…" I groaned, "Seriously, I am too young to be thinking about...boys." Sorry Mom, but that's just not going to happen, like, ever. A treacherous part of my mind started replaying all the times I had caught myself staring at his butt. He is in pretty good shape… NO NO NO, stop that, stop that right now! Stupid brain.
With impeccable timing, Dad came in just in time to see me lit up like a paper lantern. He glanced at Mom, then sighed nodding knowingly, "Well this dinner looks lovely, but not as lovely as the two most special people in my life." As he watched Mom sit down gingerly, he added, "Soon to be three."
"Da~d…" I groaned again and my face glowed brighter, "Just eat already and stop embarrassing us!" To keep my foot out of my mouth, I decided to stuff it with food instead.
Dinner went well, we laughed and had some idle chat about Dad's work at the police department. Thankfully, he spared my poor flaming face by not bringing up the subject of Fugaku. After dinner we all went to the living room, and Dad sat down in his favorite chair.
"This is for you, Love." Mom said handing Dad a rather large long rectangular box. He quickly unwrapped it. He paused as he slowly opened the box and pulled out a rather beautiful looking wakizashi with a black and crimson scabbard. It had a small Uchiha clan symbol engraved into both the the scabbard and on the butt of the pommel. I was so entranced by the blade that I completely missed Mom trying to get my attention. She pulled me out of my daze by poking me in the side.
"Oh, sorry, what a beautiful sword." I apologized then continued as I handed him my small present and he handed me the sword to hold, "Here is my present Daddy, I hope you will enjoy it." Wow, my present pales in comparison to this, but at least I know he will get a lot of use out of it.
He opened my present a little slower but his smile was no smaller once he finished unwrapping it. "Thank you, you two. I will enjoy both of these immensely."
That next year was rather uneventful, with the small exception of my new baby brother crawling all around the house and almost always getting underfoot. Little Obito, you're excellent for dodge training, I thought wryly. It's incredible how something that is so small can be so...so chaotic and frustrating. Damn it, why do you have to be so damn adorably cute doing that cute baby coo? I think he started crawling earlier than I did.
Thankfully, the academy kept me busy. It was informative, but not too exciting. Eventually, the time came for our graduation exam I couldn't speak for the others, but I was far from nervous. Nara-sensei and two other sensei were presiding over our tests.
First up was the written test. A cake-walk in my opinion, they didn't teach us anything bookwise that would be too hard to memorize. About 40 minutes later, we were all ushered out to the training field. They called out each of our names in turn, and had us do basic shuriken and kunai throwing. Easy as breathing, we will all ace this test, I thought, cockily. I was sure I'd be top of the class, but that odd kid with a haircut like a yellow puff-ball beat my score by a solid margin. Did he seriously just stack kunai on the bull's eye?
Next was Taijutsu matches; unfortunately for me I was pitted against Kushina.
"You may use any and all Taijutsu moves, no Ninjutsu." Nara-sensei said pointedly.
"So it's just you and me in here Kushina; let's have some fun!" I said with a huge smirk on my face as I settled into a combative stance.
"It is so on, dattebane!" Kushina replied as she also got prepared. Then she charged me head on with a straight punch; I brushed it aside, and she followed up with a leg sweep which I deftly jumped over.
"Come on," I taunted as I threw a quick jab at her side and it landed, "Is that the best you can do?"
She smirked, then came at me. Our match lasted for a good three minutes before time was called and we were given passes on the Taijutsu portion.
Iroha's turn was up next, and she was matched up with Brownie's sister. Totally unfair, sensei, she is going to destroy that brat. Sure enough, forty seconds later Iroha was smoothly straightening up out of Jyūken stance; the other girl was lying almost prone, shaking with the effort of keeping her head up out of the dirt.
"That...is...unfair, she...was using...jutsu," the girl complained, gasping for breath every few words. "She...paralyzed...my arms!" the girl whined to Nara-sensei.
"She used nothing except her clan's taijutsu style. Perhaps you should have spent more time this year figuring out how to counter it, and less time trying to get her in trouble with me." Nara-sensei said, shaking his head in disbelief. He sighed, then looked down at the clipboard in his off hand. "Inuzuka, Aburame, you're up next!"
After fifty minutes or so, we had finished all the matches and were being ushered back to the classrooms in various states of dishevelment. "When I've finished speaking, go line up in the hallway. You'll be called in one at a time for the ninjutsu test."
When they called my name, I found my hands shaking slightly. I took a few deep breaths, and managed to steady them. This is easy, you've got this. Internal pep-talk over, I stepped inside.
"Okay, Uchiha Kamiko, I want you to perform Bunshin no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu and one jutsu of your choice that can be safely performed inside." Nara-sensei instructed.
Yeah, yeah, I get the message: no Grand Fireball Jutsu indoors. I may be hot headed sometimes, but that doesn't mean I have a death wish. "Yes, sensei," I responded then went through the hand signs for Bunshin—Ram, Snake, Tiger—and with a poof four clones appeared; two to each side of me.
"Very well done, now Henge no Jutsu."
"Yes Sensei," I said as I dispelled my clones after having all of my clones mimic what I said then I mentally went through the hand signs for Henge but didn't perform them physically— Dog, Boar, Ram—and I transformed into a perfect copy of Nara-sensei. "How is this, Sensei?"
The other two sensei raised their eyebrows at this but Nara-sensei, who was well used to my shenanigans, didn't show any sign of surprise. "Well performed. Seal-less too, well done. Now Kawarimi no Jutsu with one of the logs here in the room."
Just one of the logs? Bah, I can do better than that. Iro-chan, Kushina-chan, Jetti-kun and I didn't play Replacement tag every day during lunch breaks for nothing. We can even swap with each other, though that takes a willing target and a lot more juice. I went through the hand signs quickly—Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake—and with another poof I swapped places with one of the logs near the back of the room. Not done yet, I then went through the hand signs again even faster and swapped with the same log again, reappearing back in my original spot in front of the sensei. "Will that be sufficient, Sensei?" I asked, trying to hold back the smirk I knew was trying to cross my face.
Nara-sensei and the other two looked very impressed, though they tried to hide it. "Okay, now one jutsu of your choice, if you want. This is not a requirement, but it is considered extra credit."
Hmm, what should I do? I want to really impress them, but I can't do an elemental jutsu here—it's not safe. I could try that jutsu Fugaku-kun showed me; he said the basics are simple and the Sharingan partially counters the tunnel vision that the jutsu inflicts. Might as well try. I put up the hand sign for Tiger while activating my Sharingan, and with a poof I disappeared. In the blink of an eye, I "teleported" across the room.
"YATTA, I finally got it right!" I yelled out as I turn to face the sensei and was greeted by stunned looks on their faces.
Nara-sensei was the first to recover, "Hmm, I think you are the first academy student to perform that technique. Well done, you pass."
In a fit of excitement I tried the technique again. I was happy to see it worked again as I "teleported" right in front of the desk.
"You will receive your headband at the graduation ceremony this weekend," Nara-sensei continued as he handed me a card, a smile crossed his face. "Normally we would need to tally up the points from all three portions of the exam, but your score on that practical was enough to put you over the line by itself."
"As you leave, please have the next person come in," one of the other sensei said as I headed to the door. Once out, I hugged Iroha who was next in line, "Iroha, you're up next. Good luck; I'll be rooting for you!"
My face was stuck in a manic grin as I rushed through the academy towards the exit. In my haste I bumped into someone who was as solid as a brick wall. Looking up I saw a broad man with long, spiky white hair that came down just below his shoulders. He kept it out of his face with a large forehead protector with the 油 (oil) character on it. The rest of his outfit was just as odd; he wore an olive green gi with ninja mesh armor poking out at the sleeves and collar, a red haori, and red geta on his feet. A huge scroll was poking out behind his back; he wore it slung at his waist like a hip pouch. As I looked up into his face I thought I recognized him from somewhere, though I couldn't put my finger on where. "Sorry, didn't see you there." I said taking a small bow.
"No problem, young one." He said as he eyed me up and down like he was judging me somehow. Then whispered almost under his breath. "You will make one fine kunoichi when your growth spurt hits."
Wow, that leer is way more disturbing when I'm the target. I wasn't eager to start something here, but this was too much. "Really? You think so? Well, who are you so I can tell my parents that you said I would make a Fine Kunoichi?" I asked, a mask of false sincerity on my face. Two can play at this game.
"You don't recognize me?" the man said, clearly shocked. He seemed to recover, then went into this utterly silly pose that looked like something straight of a Kabuki play. "I am the Great Jiraiya, the Sannin of the Second Shinobi War."
Did he just come up with that dumbass pose? It looks like it's supposed to be Kabuki, but he's so sloppy I can hardly tell. Also, what is it with this village and ninja egomaniacs? There are hundreds of Jōnin in Konoha, no way am I going to be able to remember them all. Well, if that title's for real then he's no schmuck. "Well, Great-Jiraiya-the-Sannin-of-the-Second-Shinobi-War, it was nice to meet you but I am on my way home. Good day!" I said, giving him a polite but perfunctory bow. Title plus eccentric equals dangerous. Don't piss him off, but don't give him a reason to linger either. Before he could do more than open his mouth, I had zipped around the corner and out the front door.
After a few minutes all my friends had made it outside, heads held high with smiles on their faces. As they came into view, I let out a breath that I didn't notice I was holding in.
"I can assume you all passed?" I asked tentatively.
"Of course I passed, I'm the future Hokage, dattebane!" Kushina shouted and caused a slight echo. A few bypassers turned and shook their heads as they passed outside the courtyard.
"So~, I've got an idea for our last prank on Nara-sensei." I whispered as we walked back to my home, "I will give you the details after we get home."
When the day of the graduation ceremony came, it felt like the whole village was buzzing. Huh, wasn't expecting the ceremony to be this big, I reflected as I sat in my assigned seat. Guess the graduating class was extra large this year.The ceremony was held in the front courtyard, with rows of seats facing towards a temporary stage erected for the event. A big banner reading "Konoha Academy Graduation Ceremony" was held up behind the stage, raised up so that everyone could see it over the heads of the people standing on stage.
The students were seated in the first few rows, with the parents behind them and whoever else wanted to show up in the back rows. I was sitting with Jetti to my right and Kushina and Iroha to my left. Okay Kamiko, stop smiling too broadly or it will ruin all the planning we've done these last two days.
Nara-sensei walked up onto the podium and surprisingly so did the Hokage. Once there, the Hokage started to give a speech about how while this might mark the end of our time in the academy, we should remember that learning is a lifelong pursuit, and that a true shinobi always strives to improve themselves, and blah blah blah.. It wasn't a bad speech, honestly, but I was too preoccupied to do more than let an idle corner of my brain memorize it for later, as I had with most of Nara-sensei's lectures in class. Crap, we didn't expect him to be here. Oh well, I guess this is going to be our final prank on him too.
They efficiently called us up one at a time to receive our headbands as well as a card with our team assignments with little time between each of us. The Hokage was handing us the headbands and Nara-sensei and the two others that proctored the test were handing out the cards with our team assignments on them. God I am nervous, I hope I get put on a team with people I can get along with. I doubt that the Hokage would allow any of our little group to be put on the same team. Not only would that mean more than one kunoichi on a team, unless I got put on a team with Jetti, we would be mayhem for our sensei. Darn it, when will they call our names? I am getting a bit tired here.
About that time Iroha's name was called and she walked proudly to the stage. She slowly, almost serenely, strode across it to the Hokage, and as she put her hand out to receive the headband, poof, she disappeared.
At the same time, the real Iroha jumped off the top of the academy building and floated down to the stage, using a noisy and flashy wind ninjutsu to slow her descent. She landed right in front of the Hokage on one knee and put her hand out to receive the headband smiling brightly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
He cocked a small smile and handed the headband to her. She then walked over to Nara-sensei and received the card.
"At least I won't have to deal with their antics after this." Nara-sensei muttered to himself as she took the card from his hand and was walking back to her seat.
When the rest of our group was called up we each did something to stand out slightly, Jetti was the most subdued, contenting himself with doing a "Yatta" as he was exiting the stage. I took it upon myself to do a disappearing act, both to the stage and back to my seat. Most of them will probably think I just did a near sealless Replacement Jutsu. Hehe, next I've got to figure out how to truly move faster. I wish I could actually teleport like wizards do in fantasy novels, but I've never heard of a jutsu that good.
The rest of the ceremony was rather simple after our little stunts, so much so that I got bored and actually got a chance to look at the card Nara-sensei handed me. It read:
Team 4: Iroha Hyūga, Minato Namikaze, and Kamiko Uchiha
Jonin sensei: Jiraiya of the Sannin
First meeting is at Third Training Grounds at 9 am Monday
Come with full mission equipment
I read it over twice, each time getting hung up on my new sensei. Oh God, why did we get stuck with the perverted kabuki dork? I wanted to sigh in frustration, but somebody would have noticed, and I really didn't want to have to explain this to anyone.
Looking for something to distract me from my impending doom, I leaned over and saw that Jetti was reading his card too. I glanced at who he got as a sensei and raised an eyebrow. Hmmm, Orochimaru of the Sannin. Hell, I would have taken him over Jiraiya. He's not exactly friendly, but at least he knows his stuff.
"Wow, you got Orochimaru of the Sannin! Congratulations; wanna switch?" I whispered to Jetti, half jokingly and half serious. He laughed, and I continued. "It looks like both of us are going to be taught by Sannin, I hope they are as knowledgeable and powerful as everyone thinks they are."
Jetti looking pale nodded, "I don't know what I did to deserve one of the Sannin, you three were always the brains behind everything we did, prank or study wise."
"You are plenty smart Jetti, you got second on the class ranks for the boys." He didn't look terribly reassured. "Oh come on, you will do great; would I lie to my favorite cousin?" I reassured him.
"Favorite, huh? Is that why you fed me those bon-bons laced with medical-grade laxatives?" he asked with a wry expression on his face.
I grimaced faintly at that. "Those were meant for Choza; I just got the labels mixed up. Come on, haven't I always had your back when it counts?"
He smiled faintly. "Yeah, you have." He frowned slightly in thought. "Well, someone as powerful as Orochimaru can get whoever he wants; I guess that means I've got something worthwhile, huh?"
"That's the spirit!" I cheered, clapping him on the back.
Afterwards I met up with my Mom and Dad. As we walked home I asked, "Dad, how strong is Jiraiya?"
He paused for a half second, "He is a very strong ninja; he was one of the greatest war heroes in the last Shinobi War—but he is a bit eccentric."
"Well, I am on a team with Iroha and a boy named Minato Namikaze; he got top ranking for the boys in the class. Our sensei is going to be Jiraiya." I said both happy and a bit wary. I really hope that he is not a complete perv, and that he is serious when it counts.
"Well, I am happy you got on a team with one of your friends." Mom said, "Jiraiya-sama will be a good sensei, you can learn a lot from one of the Sannin."
"Jetti got Orochimaru," I stated, "I have heard more about him, what made Jiraiya so special?"
"Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were all taught by the Third Hokage, and some say one of them will probably be the next Hokage if the Third steps down." Dad casually said, "He also is the holder of the Toad summon contract, and he along with the other Sannin fought Hanzō of the Salamander. You must have read about them in your history books."
"Huh, guess he is more powerful than I thought," I said absentmindedly. "Toad summon contract?"
"Yes, Toad summons," Dad said. "Any kind of summoning contract is rare, but the toads are especially well known for their strength and perseverance."
"You have already met Jiraiya-sama?" Mom exclaimed distracting me. "Well, what do you want for your celebratory dinner?
"I would love noodles and vegetables with beef." I said as we got home. "Dad, while Mom is working on dinner, can you help me figure out what I need to pack for my first squad meeting?"
"Sure, my little Firecracker," Dad said chuckling.
"Daaaad, don't call me that." I whined, "You haven't called me that since I was little."
Dinner was great and the next day Mom and I went out to get some new gear for becoming a Genin. If nothing else I will be well prepared for Monday. I just hope it all goes well.
Omake: To Catch a Toad
"Geez, why would they chose now to call me, of all times? I'm missing out on some prime observation time here!" thought Jiraiya as he walked casually down the streets of Konoha towards the center of town. "After all, those onsen aren't going to watch themselves. I suppose I'll just have to make up for it with a late-night session at the Peony Pavilion!" Passersby shied away from the white-haired man as he giggled to himself in a disturbing way, flexing his fingers in little groping motions. "Oh, the sacrifices I make for my art!"
As he rounded the corner and came in sight of the Hokage monument towering over the village, he got his perverted impulses under control and approached the admin building with something resembling dignified calm. The door guards waved him through into the Hokage's office, where the old man stood flanked by a pair of sour-faced civilians from the village's council of elders.
"Yo Sensei, what's happenin?" Jiraiya asked with a faux-casual grin. "Here's hoping they're just going to lecture me about my choice of research venues again."
Taking a long draw on his pipe, the Hokage smiled ominously. "Now that you have had a long time to settle into your role as a Jōnin of Konoha, we feel it's time for you to take on a Genin team." The sour-faced man to his right held out a slim folder as the wizened shinobi continued. "On that note, here are the files for this year's graduating class, take your pick."
A bit stunned, Jiraiya looked at his sensei for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the folder. After a brief glance he saw a page that caught his eye. "Him, Namikaze Minato." he responded, snapping the folder shut with a false air of unconcern. Please just go with it, please just go with it...
The woman to the left scowled at the white-haired sage. "And the other two?"
"Can't I just train him?" Jiraiya asked, a note of pleading entering his voice.
"No!" all three shot back at once, glaring at him in creepy unison.
"Even your old teammate has taken three students this year." Utatane Koharu stated blandly.
Damn. Rubbing the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger, he sighed theatrically. "Ok, ok, just give me a minute then." He reopened the folder and flipped through it quickly, scrunching up his nose a bit as if at a bad smell. As he neared the end of the list, his eyes lighted on two names in particular, and his face took on a deceptively placid grin. "Well then how about...Uchiha Kamiko and Hyūga Iroha?" He allowed the grin to widen a bit as he snapped the folder shut again. "Yes, those two will be perfect, I won't take anyone else!" No way are those stubborn old farts going to let me have a team with two kunoichi in it, especially these two little princesses, he thought, mentally patting himself on the back. They'll be too afraid of me "corrupting" daughters of the two biggest clans in Konoha, troublemakers or no. With any luck, they'll just give up and leave me to train the boy in peace.
"Very well," the Hokage replied, in a tone so mild butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. "The team assignments are announced tomorrow morning; be sure to inform Nara-san before then of where and when you want to meet them. That is all."
Both elders choked a bit as they turned to stare at Sarutobi, who just smiled pleasantly and lowered his head so the hat concealed his eyes. Neither one said a word, though their glares spoke volumes. Jiraiya made his escape while they were still trying to stare holes through the Hokage hat, though he couldn't completely suppress a shell-shocked look as he walked down the hallway towards the academy section. What did I just get myself into?
Hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sorry for the delay, hurricane prep and recovery massively slowed getting this out. We will try to get the next out one quicker. I also wish to continue to give thanks to Halbyrd on co-writing without them this story wouldn't be as good.