AN:

I've corrected most of the misspellings of the previous chapter, and I've also adjusted a few pieces that didn't seem to flow properly.

Obviously, when I talk about ceramic plates in Sasuke's armor, I'm referring to the material that makes up Madara's armor in the manga. I have no idea how to describe it otherwise, as it clearly isn't steel.

New Direction I

The terrain of Sunagakure no Sato had long turned from sandy desert to solid, if lifeless, overcooked dirt, which slowly started to sport green shades in the areas where some humidity managed to coalesce, before being harshly cut by a sequence of rivers that disappeared deep into the underground reserves that kept going south, giving birth to the oasis necessary to cross the desert.

The small but heavily patrolled stretch of the land of Rivers was only one of the Minor Villages that acted as a pillow states between the Great Five, and the multitude of water stretched itself west, where it gave birth to the marshes and the grass plains that hosted Kusagakure no Sato.

From Suna to the edge of the Land of Rivers, the group of shinobi that went outside their borders for the Chunin Exams had run through the desert during the freezing night and half of the following day, stopping at one oasis for a few hours of rest under the watchful gaze of Suna nin before they resumed the travel, spending another whole night and day on the move to completely leave the punishing environment of the desert.

At some point, the shinobi from Takigakure and Kusagakure that had managed to reach the final stage of the exams had split off from the Konoha group and cut for the north-west, where they were quickly intercepted by Kusa shinobi, who welcomed their fellow countrymen and escorted the strangers to the border with their country.

In truth, remaining with the Konoha group and turn west after they crossed in Hi no Kuni would have been faster and arguably safer for the Taki shinobi, but there was something to be said about how much a Kage could hold back while strolling across the Elemental Nations, and while the recently minted chunin freaks managed to keep up under a careful consumption of chakra-pills, the shinobi from the minor village were subtly shown that there were obvious reasons why they weren't counted among the Great Hidden Villages.

After the stretch of the rather plain Land of Rivers which took another full day to cross, Hi no Kuni appeared in all of its green glory.

The land of Rivers was characterized by the presence of countless courses of water, which seemed to cut the lush if low greenery that managed to grow between a Season of the Rains and the next, completing its life cycle before the autumn's floods could turn the land into a muddy hell.

The Land of Fire was announced by the first outcroppings of trees that quickly grew into a forest, a forest so vast and unbelievably old that the group of shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato unconsciously slowed down their pace, the Hokage instinctively taking a few minutes of quiet contemplation as they kept moving in order to admire his own home after the different environment of the desert.

With a couple of ANBU opening the way of the Konoha group, as if they'd be more effective at spotting an ambush than the Sandaime Hokage himself, the Monkey Summoner shaped his chakra with expert ease, generating a Kage Bunshin that disappeared from the surroundings faster than almost anyone could detect.

The jonin and the three ANBU shinobi that turned towards the Sandaime however, remained quiet as they saw him signal -QUIET- with his left land.

The clone traveled quickly through the forest, his movements as precise and unerringly perfect as the original, who had been a shinobi longer than some Villages had existed for.

Soon enough, he turned west, carefully edging within the borders of Hi no Kuni, his senses peeled to avoid being spotted.

After a while, the Kage Bunshin landed on a rather large branch, where he sat with his back to the trunk, his eyes turned towards Kusagakure, and his thoughts awhirl with the necessary words he'd have to use to enact yet another plan for the welfare of Konoha.

Roughly ten minutes after he had settled down, another shinobi appeared out of nowhere, sitting astride the branch that stood at 15 meters from the ground as if it was something he did every day.

The newcomer had a wild mane of shaggy white hair that reached the middle of his back, a red, sleeveless haori over a dull green vest that covered a mesh shirt that didn't manage to hide his bulky build. Vambraces that covered the backs of his hands, geta sandals, and a forehead protector with 'Oil' written on it completed his ensemble, while the small wart on his nose and the red painting on the side of his eyes qualified him as Jiraya of the Sannin.

Obviously, the identity of the newcomer wasn't confirmed only by his appearances, the Sandaime and Jiraya had known each other since the latter first completed the Academy, and there was no obfuscating the feeling of well-meaning and yet powerful chakra that the S-rank shinobi could feel.

This close one to another, the Sannin could feel the swathes of flame barely contained, the earthquakes held back under a calm born of self-control, which had been refined through the Monkey Summoner's whole existence. In the same way, Sarutobi's clone was granted a glimpse behind the cheery disposition of his old student, an unmovable boulder standing amidst a violent stream, and that, more than anything else in the past few days, beìrought a smile to the aged shinobi's features.

"Hello, Saru-sensei!" Jiraya joyfully greeted his old teacher while he fished out a small scroll from his side, unsealing a small tea set that he immediately got started with water poured from a small bottle and a careful application of fire chakra to heat it up, "How is it hanging?"

"A little to the right." the clone of the Sandaime replied wittingly, stealing a bout of laughter from his old student while he fished out a pipe from his robes, which was quickly lit.

As the white-haired shinobi stopped laughing, he chose to peer at his old teacher: "Hey, what do you feel as you smoke? Because that's not actual smoke, you know? It's not even tobacco, you're likely burning through your chakra faster this way."

"If I didn't smoke," the clone of the aged shinobi answered calmly, "I'd dispel out of exasperation, chatting with you is hardly relaxing."

"You wound me, Saru-sensei!" the laughter of Jiraya didn't echo among the trees, instead it remained contained, very much like his own chakra, in order to preserve the secrecy of the meeting.

"You could have just come to Hokage Tower to make your report." Sarutobi started as the first puff of smoke left his lips.

Jiraya shrugged, not showing any of the discomforts he felt at the topic while he dropped some herbs in the hot water, relishing instead in the earthy and intense smell they let off: "You know me, sensei, I'm not made for cities, nor for remaining in one place for too long."

The Sandaime simply looked at his old student with a flat expression, and Jiraya had the audacity to grin as an answer: "C'mon, sensei, don't be like that..." after a couple of seconds of stony silence, the Toad Summoner sighed heavily: "Okay, okay, report."

The white-haired shinobi straightened minutely while he sat astride the branch they were having that conversation on: "Kumo keeps building up their forces, but that's more because A doesn't know what else to do, a Kage without a War? For him, it is new territory. The Nibi Jinchuriki was confirmed as a jonin, and she carries out some of their S-rank with the support of an ANBU team."

Jiraya peered at the leaves giving flavor to his tea before judging that not enough time had passed to allow him to drink, and he resumed his report: "Onoki isn't doing anything of worth, but his granddaughter has talent, as well as the Yoton bloodline, the Iwa Jinchuriki live mostly on their own, but I couldn't get too close, their canyons are very well guarded."

At the silence of the Hokage, the white-haired Sannin tilted his head a bit, his eyes traveling over the surroundings out of habit before he returned his attention to his old teacher: "Kiri is a mess, their Mizukage is going all out with the purge, the border with Kusa is closed off, and Zabuza is rallying support to challenge their Jinchuriki-Kage, who by the way, is a scary kid."

"Taki's Jinchuriki seems to be an alright kid, cheerful, if not particularly strong for the time being." Jiraya shrugged, "In four years, they'll start parading her around to keep Iwa and Konoha from getting handsy with their borders.

The white-haired Sannin finally deemed his tea to be adequate for his tastes, and poured himself a cup: "Suna... well, they're hanging on, Rasa's bloodline isn't useful only in battle, they have enough gold to stick through their politics even if the Wind Lord is a stupid brat."

Sarutobi frowned openly at that tidbit of news: "I cannot refuse missions only because they come from the Wind Court, but perhaps an agreement should be reached between me and Rasa... if only he wasn't s prideful, he would have broached the topic during the third stage..." the aged Kage shook himself out of his reverie then, returning his attention to the Sealmaster, "What of their Jinchuriki?"

Jiraya grimaced a bit at the topic: "He's around 8 years old, and whoever designed the seal, clearly made a mess, the only thing that keeps him from rampaging freely is the weakness of the child's body, and from what I heard, Rasa's golden sand is useful to contain him, I couldn't get too close however, we'll need our on-site spies keep an ear to the ground."

Following a routine that had been developed through the years, Sarutobi pushed aside his questions, knowing that a complete report would make its way to his desk in the Hokage Tower sooner or later, courtesy of a Toad Summon, and asked: "What about our other enemies?"

"I lost him somewhere south of Iwa, six months ago," Jiraya spoke with a faint grimace appearing on his features, "Apparently, the mercenary group known as the Akatsuki recruits missing-nin for various things, and their services are available to those with enough cash.

"Orochimaru has the backing of a group? That's worring."

Jiraya shook his head: "Had. Guess who else was on board? I met him a couple of months ago."

At the arched eyebrow of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraya sagged a bit, taking a sip from his cup of tea, "C'mon," he whined, "don't you want to guess? It's easy! Our fellow countrymen seem to be attracted to the same dangerous people after all."

"Itachi." Sarutobi breathed out, the memories of the Massacre being pushed aside along with the deep regret of having failed the prodigy that had breezed through both the Academy and the ANBU training.

"Indeed." Jiraya tried to mock his old teacher, receiving a small cloud of smoke for his trouble, "He cut me off a trail, almost literally, and when I asked after Orochimaru, knowing that they had until recently worked together, he let slip that my snakey teammate tried to take over his body, or only to pluck his eyes out."

"That's almost even more worrying." Sarutobi frowned heavily, puffing deeply from his pipe. This makes it easier. He thought, his mind carefully analyzing the possibilities laid before it.

"You think he found a way?" Jiraya asked, the tea perfectly still in the cup he was holding almost to his lips: "I haven't seen him in a while, but 'taking over' is a dangerous thing when referred to Orochi-teme."

"Given that Itachi went out of his way to warn you, I don't doubt it." Sarutobi commented, his eyes narrowing minutely as he observed his student, trying to see if he picked up something from his choice of words, and he saw hit, the unpredictable mind of his most difficult student connecting dots so far apart that it almost looked like magic, and just like that, Sarutobi witnessed the awareness that Jiraya had of the situation being pushed aside.

He doesn't care. He realized once more. He doesn't care at all.

This was the last confirmation he needed. Of his three students, Orochimaru was lost to his own genius, thinking too deeply to be able to think clearly at the same time, Tsunade was broken beyond repair, believing herself entitled to her endless grieving. Finally, Jiraya, the most unpredictable of the three, the only one to remain unbroken after the ruinous descent of his two teammates, able to keep going after the sudden death of his last student, who had risen to power faster than one would have believed possible outside of the Warring Clan Era.

Jiraya, who used the excuse of wanderlust and actual lust to keep seeking, searching for an answer that wouldn't come, with his strikingly simple philosophy maintaining him sane enough to help Konoha along, if only because of what love he still bore to his old teacher, and the grieving of the student that he never wished to let go.

A talent in Fuinjutsu that translated in brilliant unpredictability, something that had been refined through both war and peace, a mind capable of picking up the chinks in any armor, the weak point of a technique, only after a few seconds of having seen it. A mind shaped by Jiraya's own determination, something that kept him going even as he felt everything he held close being torn away.

Sarutobi saw the white-haired Sannin, who had once been his least promising student, smell that something stank to high heaven with Itachi's 'going out of his way to inform Jiraya'.

The Sandaime Hokage saw, in the unnervingly sharp gaze of his student, that he had brought that tidbit of information right at the side of the disaster that was Itachi Uchiha. A kid who had been an ANBU captain at 14, a kid who apparently murdered his whole clan in a single night, with Konohagakure being none the wiser.

The Monkey Summoner waited for the white-haired Sannin to ask, no, to demand the truth, to exert what power he had in order to take over the conversation, to take a stand, to make a decision that would unavoidably shape his and Konoha's future.

Sarutobi Hiruzen waited for long seconds, until the moment passed, Jiraya looking away, pushing aside his intuition while he refused to question his Kage on it, revealing just how much the Sandaime had failed even the last of his students.

Besides all of the hope and security a shinobi had to be able to inspire in his fellow countrymen, despite the undeniable power that came with the fabled S-rank title, despite the mental capacity necessary to see the bigger picture, a Kage needed the sheer guts to steer his own country in the direction he deemed was the best.

A Kage needed to be indomitable, and to be able to break through whatever personal relationship he had in order to do what he deemed best for his home. A Kage needed to not ignore something simply because it made their life easier.

In short, a Kage needed to be more than Human, to take in his own hands the future of thousands, to be able to not take 'no' as an answer, both from friends and enemies.

With the last, short exchange, Sarutobi Hiruzen, God of Shinobi, saw his last hope that Jiraya could finally come around and become Godaime Hokage wither and die.

With Jiraya's instinct screaming so loudly at him that there was something up with Itachi and by extension the Uchiha Massacre, a Kage would have demanded answers, and would have acted on them, deeming Sarutobi unfit to lead Konohagakure no Sato. After all, trust in Danzo or not, a leader unable of keeping the reins on his subordinates wasn't worthy of being the one who dictated the future of the Leaf, and that mistake had cost Konoha his most powerful Clan.

Sarutobi had hoped that Jiraya would challenge him then, proving that under all of that simplistic philosophy there was enough spine for him to act to the benefit of the Village, at cost of his personal freedom. The God of Shinobi had hoped that the white-haired Sannin would reveal himself to be still burning underneath his vagrant ways, still willing to take responsibility.

Out of his own choice, of his own free will, Jiraya should have risen to the challenge, and asked.

Even something as simple as 'What do you mean?'.

Instead, Sarutobi's hope that the Toad Summoner would prove himself worthy of being Hokage, worthy of the burden that the Hat symbolized, fell apart, never to be picked up again.

And with the death of that hope, Jiraya was added with no hesitation to the list composed of Orochimaru and Tsunade. Students that he failed, that he didn't manage to shape to be strong enough to keep dreaming as they faced reality, to remain with their feet solidly planted on the ground while they gazed at the stars.

Orochimaru, too weak-willed to resist the lust of power for no 'purpose'.

Tsunade, too self-centered to understand that she didn't have a monopoly over 'hurt'.

Jiraya, dreaming too brightly to take a stand in the land defined by shades of grey called 'reality'.

And with that awareness, the inhuman God of Shinobi made his own decision, and planned the next piece of conversation so that the white-haired Sannin would delude himself into thinking that he had 'chosen' freely what instead was an order of the Sandaime.

I cannot ruin them too. Sarutobi admitted to himself freely, accepting his inability to teach as another piece of the equation that he had to solve for the welfare of Konoha.

Sarutobi was a great Kage, and an extraordinary shinobi. It was clear now, that he wasn't a great teacher too. No, with three out of three disasters, failures, it was blatant that no matter the raw diamonds that he tried to shape, he would only ruin them, sharpening them enough to cut, but they would remain unable to turn that strength inwards.

After a brief pause, during which Jiraya perceived and cast aside the monumental change that had just happened in his old teacher, who, for a single instant, had looked at him with a glint of pity, Sarutobi asked: "What do you think about the last iteration of Team 7?"

"That's a mockery of a team if I ever saw one." the white-haired shinobi grasped the new topic eagerly, relieved to steer away from that moment's weight, and from that feeling of having failed to answer correctly to his teacher's question. With his head dipped a bit, as if physically struck by a light slap, he tried to complete his answer: "It's like... bah, what need is there of talking about it?"

"None." the Hokage agreed, "I'd rather talk about the Hyuga and the Uchiha, your opinions?"

"Ah, so now we finally touch on what you actually wanted to talk about, don't we?" Jiraya's eyes narrowed minutely towards his old teacher, his voice oozing fake cheer as he drank another sip of his rather excellent tea, "Why did you let me make my report if you didn't actually care about it?"

"If you had truly urgent information, this conversation would have been much different." the Hokage shamelessly admitted, "Besides, can't an old man relish a relaxed chat with his old student?"

"Bah." the Toad Summoner drank his tea as he directed his focus to the new direction the shinobis' chat had taken, his head cocked to one side as he thought about the last topic the Hokage had introduced, "The Hyuga and the Uchiha..."

"It is clear that they both are talented beyond measure, with a maturity that transcends their years." Sarutobi spoke lightly, the smoke from his pipe trailing quietly over the two shinobi, "I had Hatake, Minato's student, teach them some, but what Kakashi has and they lack he cannot give them. They're both S-rank material, that's easy to see, the only thing left is to manage them so that they avoid burnout or a psychotic break."

"You don't mean..." Jiraya's instinct made him narrow his eyes at where the conversation was going, but he trailed into silence under the heavy gaze of his teacher.

"I'll retire from the Seat of Hokage and take them over as apprentices." the Monkey Summoner dropped the bomb, and Jiraya paled, for there was only one reason why the Hokage would reveal his plans to the white-haired Sannin.

"No." the Toad Summoner replied, forcing himself to control his reactions and to not spill his tea, making use of every ounce of will he had in order to not freak out.

"You'll take over as Godaime Hokage." Sarutobi spoke, masterfully following the plan he made for the conversation, "Freed from my other duties, I'll be able to train the kids into the best they can be in less than 6 years, after that, it will be a matter of experience until they rise to our level, and you'll be able to return to your wanderings while one of them become Rokudaime, the other taking the role of ANBU Commander."

"What...?" Jiraya exhaled, his hand twitching and almost breaking his cup of tea, "No, Saru-sensei, this is a wonderful joke," the white-haired Sannin forced a laugh out of himself, "but I almost believed you, no. No, no way, I'm not becoming Hokage, the Hat wouldn't suit me at all, and I have to manage our spies outside the Land of Fire, and Orochimaru is still a problem, and something stinks about the Akatsuki."

Sarutobi took a deep breath from his pipe, letting the silence and the perspective of years with the responsibility of being Hokage mellow out his student, the Kage Bunshin of the Monkey Summoner tasted the smoke of his pipe, for the first time actually wondering how being a clone allowed him to taste the exact mixture of his tobacco even while said tobacco was made of chakra.

After a minute, during which Jiraya completed his freakout going from scared, to amused, to threatening, to being simply in complete denial, Sarutobi once more took over the reins of the conversation: "Are you sure you cannot be Hokage? It would be for a few years only..."

"No!" Jiraya shook his head almost violently, putting all of his strength in that two letters, he would not be Hokage, he couldn't, understanding among people, which was the base for the peace he had been looking forward to since he had realized what his own dream actually was, could not be engineered from the top, it couldn't be imposed, only obtained from the lower classes up to the Daimyo and the Kage of all the Elemental Nations.

And becoming Hokage would mean to impose himself on a nationwide scale. That couldn't... no, Jiraya would not do it.

"Both the Hyuga and the Uchiha must be trained, and trained well." Sarutobi argued, "Who else but me? Konoha is short on teachers that have proved themselves able to shape S-rank shinobi."

"You were planning this the whole time weren't you?" Jiraya deadpanned, his mind running ahead of the conversation as he realized that the momentary panic had given the Hokage leverage that he wasn't above using.

"Some manipulations don't need to be covered in order to be effective." Sarutobi shook his head slowly, "The truth of the matter is that, as I have said, the Uchiha and the Hyuga must be trained, and I can't do so while I am Hokage, I have too many duties to take them as apprentices, and ruining them would be an unforgivable waste, of their generation, they're undoubtedly the brightest."

"You're threatening me with the position of Hokage in order to have me take them under my wing." Jiraya's flat gaze met the unapologetic one of Sarutobi's Kage Bunshin.

"They're both too serious, but while the Hyuga is under control, and in ANBU he'd be naturally developing stable bonds with his assigned squad once the traditional hazing is done, nobody would accept the Uchiha in the Black Ops, the memory of Itachi is too close." Sarutobi spoke calmly, the smoke entering the chakra construct and being exhaled.

"And your solution is to dump him on me?" Jiraya asked, almost believable outrage seeping into his voice.

"Yes."

"Saru-sensei, the kid might be a chunin, but he can't last running for a week straight, not at his age, bringing him with me would mean throwing him to the wolves." the white-haired Sannin rolled his eyes at the idea of taking either of the two newly promoted chunin under his wing.

"The wolves are already circling him in Konoha, he rose too fast and his few friendships are with children still in the Academy, on paper, there is nothing wrong about it, but he casually tutors them, which is problematic, if not a problem outright." Sarutobi shook his head, "Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga aren't the first to breeze through the Academy, even if they're the first to do so at the same time, but the Uchiha is the first to maintain contact with the Academy students."

"Isn't it a good thing?" Jiraya gulped down what was left of his tea, pouring himself another cup.

"For a while, it was." Sarutobi tilted his head as he inhaled deeply with his pipe, "His continued association with a couple of students lit a fire under the asses of many others, who put more effort in their training, but now... resentment is starting to brew, and while the Academy Students cannot touch the Uchiha, the parents of some of them have started issuing C-rank missions to chunin in order to have them train the children, who in any case are both envious and fearful of the peers that have the Uchiha's backing."

"Training-Missions that the Hokage Tower forbid." Jiraya completed the obvious sequence of events, "Having people becoming genin in any way that isn't under the direct control of Konoha is obviously a disaster in the making."

"Indeed." Sarutobi inhaled deeply, the smoke from his pipe settling deeply into the chakra-construct's lungs, "That's a little part of it, in any case, children have always been encouraged to deal with the students' hierarchy on their own, it was part of their training, as well as to reveal us sides of their psych profiles that we wouldn't have known otherwise."

"But with the Uchiha being their same age, and already a shinobi, that part of their training got shot to oblivion, and it will remain there as long as the Uchiha has contacts with his friends still at the academy." Jiraya ignored the grimace that the memory of the Academy summoned in himself, choosing with practiced ease to address the problem at hand: "However, it doesn't sound as dramatic as you make it."

"I can deal with some overzealous civilian parents with too much money and too little brains," Sarutobi agreed, "despite it being a headache I don't need over my usual duties. As I have said, the Uchiha casually trains the Academy Students he associates with, which is 'unfair'." a mocking smile appeared on the Hokage's face as 'unfair' was uttered, his mind naturally going over how little 'being fair' counted in the Elemental Nations.

"As if the clan children don't enjoy the same privilege back in their compounds." Jiraya objected as he drunk his tea.

"Ah, but his two friends aren't clan children, are they?" a puff of smoke followed the rhetorical question, "Voices of favoritism are already running, and while the clan heads are more or less uncaring about it, they have to deal with their whole clans, clans with people that are annoyed with their children for not having magically become friends with the Last Uchiha, and that's not to speak of the fact that Sasuke made 'donations' to the Orphanage of one of his friends so that they could hang out after curfew, or that he snobs the best blacksmiths to purchase from an average one, only because he's the father of his other friend."

"It really doesn't sound like an actual problem, sensei." the Toad Summoner pointed out, looking at his aged teacher like he was trying to convince him that the sky was orange.

"It's part of something bigger, admittedly." Sarutobi nodded, smoke being exhaled through his nose fast enough that it maintained its shape until it reached the teapot that Jiraya was reaching towards.

With a grimace, the Toad Summoner retracted his hand, leaving alone the tea in order to focus on what the Sandaime was about to say.

"While not a problem, Sasuke Uchiha is problematic." Sarutobi spoke, "He's not a flight risk, but given his age and skills, he has a single peer that somewhat counts as both an equal and a friend."

"The Hyuga."

Sarutobi nodded: "A Hyuga not from the Main Branch. Politically, the Hyuga have been happy to let things play out, when the Uchiha proves himself superior to Neji, they claim that's because he's not the Heir of the Hyuga, while when their kin proves himself better than Sasuke, they preen and the stick up their asses gets all the more difficult to bend."

"Again, that's posturing." Jiraya started to object, "And not a problem that you'd need my help with."

"How long before the Hyuga leverages the friendship with Neji to have the Uchiha follow their directives?" Sarutobi asked sardonically, "Politically, it is a disaster waiting to happen, the sheer amount that Sasuke inherited, between businesses, lands, and other things, is enough to make him a dangerous tool in the wrong hands."

Before the Toad Summoner could comment on the paranoia of the old Kage, his teacher spoke, and something in his voice froze the white-haired shinobi: "How long, before Sasuke decides that he doesn't want his friend to be kept enslaved with the Caged Bird Seal? How long, before the Hyuga use Sasuke's dislike for their practices to stoke fear in the Clan Council? After all, if Itachi exterminated his clan only because he snapped, imagine what could his brother do, now that he's proved himself just as talented, for a friend that he feels is ill-treated?"

Jiraya pinched the bridge of his nose as he slowly let out a heavy sigh: "Fucking politics."

"And your solution to keep the kid from snapping is to take him away from his friendships? That doesn't sound particularly brilliant.

"It would be for a short time, until they become genin, then I can get their jonin-sensei on board with joint training, for all of his faults, Sasuke is quite competent when it comes to the basics, and he hasn't shared anything about chakra with the Students, even if one of them starts to use a shurikenjutsu that I would have thought impossible without a Sharingan."

"So the kid as an eye for talent, eh?" Jiraya scoffed, "But that matters little, the point is that I don't need someone to slow me down, and training him..."

"It's more about offering him opportunities to learn than to actual training him." Sarutobi shook his head, "He figured out his primary affinity on his own, and the results are clear to see."

"Yeah, the half-seal for the fireball was cool enough." Jiraya seemed to look into nothingness as his memory replayed the final against the Hyuga.

"By staying, he'll also get a big head." Sarutobi spoke again, "While he soaks up new things with the speed enabled by his Sharingan, he is creative, and he spends his free time sharpening each of his skills."

"Bigger head than now?" Jiraya took a sip of his tea, "You've seen the same kid I did, right?"

The Hokage openly shrugged: "He knew the purpose of the chunin exams, he simply weaponized the show to grant Konoha more contracts and to get a good Bingo Book page."

"Wouldn't it be better to keep him in the village instead?" the white-haired sannin argued, "Besides the emotional homicide of cutting off his admittedly few ties with people his age, teaching him in the village would be safer."

"Kakashi disagrees with the kid, and I don't want to have him passed around among ANBU," the Sandaime shook his head, "that's bound to have bad repercussions, and it won't solve the political clusterfuck that's waiting to happen. Lastly, there is Orochimaru's interest that you've just informed me of. Besides, sooner or later the friendship he has with the kids still in the Academy will either be abandoned or turn into resentment, because they cannot keep up and thusly they slow Sasuke down."

"Those Yamanaka are hopeless, aren't they?" Jiraya tried to inject some measure of levity in the conversation, but he was met with failure.

"It is better to have him treasure the memory and the idea of friendship Sasuke has now, instead of straining it by having him confront the Academy Students he associates with." the Hokage casually quoted a suggestion present on the Uchiha's file, "If you become Hokage, I'll be free to corral the relationship of both the Uchiha and the Hyuga, even if the latter is under control because of the Caged Bird Seal."

"Saru-sensei..." the white-haired Sannin tried to object once more.

"I see no other solution." Sarutobi shook his head slightly: "There are two options. First: you become Hokage and I take over the children's development. Second: you take either the Uchiha or both him and the Hyuga as your apprentices and train them while you keep attending to your duties outside Konoha."

The whole conversation had been engineered exactly with this ending in mind, and Sarutobi once more let the silence work for him, Jiraya lowering his empty cup onto the branch they were sitting on, his eyes narrowed almost as he was physically pained, the many interconnected points that Sarutobi had made during their informal chat leaving him with no escape.

"I'll..." the white-haired Sannin sighed, "Fine. You win, but I win too because I won't be Hokage!"

Jiraya sealed back the supplies necessary to produce the tea he was so fond of before standing on the branch the two shinobi had been chatting on: "I have a couple of trails around Kusa, I'll pop in Konoha for my report and... I'll think about taking only the Uchiha or the Hyuga too."

"Don't take too long, Jiraya." and when he spoke, this time the white-haired Sannin didn't hear his old teacher, he didn't hear the Professor who had instructed him in his first steps on the road of Fuinjutsu, he heard the Sandaime Hokage, and the Toad Summoner could only nod firmly as the Kage-bunshin dispelled, the memory of the conversation rushing back to its owner on a wave of chakra.

AN:

I'm really not sure about the pacing of this story, I mean, I've recently read 'The Art of Self Fashioning' which is an outstanding HP-fic, and in there each chapter is a build-up, reading that fic feels like running towards the conclusion, it keeps you tied to the pc. Maybe it's only because I'm the author of this story, but I don't know how much this fic manages to keep you willing to read.

Maybe I put a little too much exposure in the chakra theory? But I've restrained myself a lot, and I enjoy exploring the lore, as you might know by now.

So, I've received good reviews about the characterization and the action scenes, which were the two main things I was keeping an eye out for.

About the mystery of not letting known the thought of the Hokage until now, there is a mixed bag: on one side, I'm too obfuscating, on the other, some people have enjoyed trying to guess what the hell is going on.

Has someone a fic that is a good example of a mystery being kept from the reader without making it the center of the plot?

Did I manage to portray Jiraya accurately? He's more or less a joyful fellow, but he can be serious from time to time.

Did I succeed in giving away the mentality of Sarutobi? It does sound realistic to me.

In canon, he's strong enough to go to town against Shodaime, Nidaime and Orochimaru, but everyone keeps saying that he's far from his prime, and a Kage as dedicated and smart as him is obviously honest enough with himself to plan for a successor.

For all of Orochimaru's skill, Konoha likely picked up on something wrong, and is it by chance that Jiraya came around just in time to look after Naruto? In the manga, they use the excuse of Akatsuki to motivate the training trip-timeskip.

But realistically, and taking the manga with a pinch of salt since it's written more from Naruto's perspective than anything else (a not too smart kid) it is far more likely that Sarutobi planned to have Jiraya around just in case he died and Konoha needed a new Kage.

That Jiraya went and managed to retrieve Tsunade is more an indication of the Toad Sage refusal to step up instead of the accomplishment of some great plan.

And since Jiraya managed to turn Minato into a Hokage (or at least to nudge him in the correct direction), throwing at him an Uzumaki Jinchuriki seemed like a good idea, he is S-rank material, especially with his pedigree.

Di the chat between Jiraya and the Sandaime-clone seem realistic? I focused more on the Sandaime's perspective than Jiraya, so he might be a little opinionated, but I found it adequate.

We're finally seeing some of the Butterfly effects spreading because of the MC, ideas?

Should Jiraya take only Sasuke, or Neji too?