Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Fooling border guards was easy once you knew what they were looking for, coming back from the land of mist though always got a little tricky when you were navigating between the islands, the natural dangers were bad enough, with the heavy mist that lay over the sea and land here having a knowledgeable guide was a necessity. This was why I had come to the docks on the rougher end of a seaport village. Kirikaku it used to be called. It was the closest port to Uzushiogakure from Kiri but since the village was destroyed the business had died with it. For the most part those that had made their craft the navigating of the sea had left with the exception of a man I had been told practically lived in the only bar in this village. A place I was rapidly realising I wouldn't need any directions to find because it was the only thing near the docks that didn't smell of salt and fish.

"Good evening!" I called cheerfully entering the hut that barely passed as any kind of drinking establishment, the only responses I got from the patrons were looks of distrust, no one new came to these parts anymore and they had grown wary of strangers, especially ones cloaked and hooded.

I walked up to the bar and ordered a sake, throwing down the paltry 15 ryo that the barman demanded and furtively looked around the bar for the man I needed.

He made me before I made him though, he finished his drink and started to leave the bar. I didn't move to stop him but once I heard his footsteps echoing away on the dock I swallowed the rest of my drink and left after him.

It wasn't hard to keep myself out of sight since it was just one, probably drunk, man but the mist helped. Halfway along the dock he made a turn along a quay and climbed into one of the only boats docked at the port. It didn't even seem to be equipped with a gangway so the old sailor climbed along a rope that had been tied to the moorings and threw himself over the taffrail. I left him after that, he wouldn't be leaving this evening, the tide was only just starting to come in and slack water wouldn't be until tomorrow morning. I knew where he would be, I headed back to my own lodgings.

Early that same morning I found out someone else had marked me during my wanderings, it was the glow of candlelight between the floorboards I saw from my room upstairs that gave them away. I knew the proprietor of this establishment had already closed up shop and I could hear his snoring from across the hall.

Listening to their footsteps I heard two but a furtive look outside revealed a third presumably keeping lookout. I dropped from my window and attached myself to the outside of the building, gliding down to the outlook I noted he was not wearing any identifying marks of a ninja, he might not be the ringleader of this circus but he would probably have enough information about why this rabble were after me, I swiftly knocked him out his body making a sticky slapping noise as it dropped into the mud.

Swinging in through the open front door I saw the other two intruders had not even made it as far as the stairs, I threw two kunai at their necks, aimed to sever their spinal cord, the satisfying sound of one of them meeting their mark came just before the ring of steel on steel and the third turned around to reveal he was wearing a hitai-ate marking him as a nuke nin. I didn't recognise him from any bingo books so he must have been a new one.

"Jiraiya" he practically hissed "one of the so called sannin. There's a large price for your head in these parts"

That was enough information for me to know these guys were only after me for a bounty. Definitely good news, if this was a band brought together and sent after me with information I would be travelling to this area I would have known I did a lousy job covering my tracks, not to mention there could be others out there with the same information.

In the time it took to register that I had already started to perform hand signs for my Lions mane jutsu, the nuke-nin though threw the lamp he was holding before expelling some kind of gas, it acted as some kind of fuel for the fire in the lamp and I was quickly covered in flames, luckily my hair shielded me from most of it and my damp clothes the rest so I came out with the added bonus of mostly dry clothes.

I finished my jutsu and the man became bound in my hair which I used to compel him towards me at which point I made quick work of him.

I looked at the pooling blood of the first man I had taken out and I decided my welcome was probably worn out and, grabbing the other man outside, I made my way back towards the dock.

The old sailor woke with the sun in spite of how much he might have drunk the night before, as he rolled out of his bunk I slid a tankard of water across the table towards him.

Looking up at the sound a look of immense frustration crossed his face before he made his way over and took a seat across from me, he took a few long gulps from the water before asking "What is it you be wanting?"

"Passage to the land of fire."

"I don't go there. Used to go to Uzushiogakure before that was wiped out now I rarely go out at all 'cept to fish."

"You will be going there this time, I've checked your stores you have the maps and the instruments needed"

He eyed me warily before finally giving in, "It'll cost you."

"How much?"

"80,000 ryo."

I almost choked at the ludicrous price "Are you looking to buy another schooner old man? There's no way I'm paying that."

He stayed silent looking at me. He knew he held the cards here, I grimaced and started to haggle eventually getting him down to 50,000 ryo and in return I'd provide the food for the three day journey. I only had enough for four days for myself so I was going to have to go the last two days hungry.

It was just as the old captain was making preparations to set sail that my little stowaway started to wake up, I had bound him to a chair on one side of the deck and the captain knew enough of his own business to not ask any questions.

"Hey," I said, slapping his face gently "Wake up."

He came around groggily but the sight of my face seemed to scare him all the way back to full alertness.

"Weh-wh-where am I?" he stuttered

"On a ship, whether that remains the case depends on the answer to my questions."

He nodded.

"Who do you work for?" I started

"No one. A friend introduced me to this ninja guy who was out looking for bounties, said he'd done it before, that it was easy money. I was..." he started to tear up, "I was only supposed to be the lookout. I needed the money that's all"

"Shhhh now. Do you know Kirigakure?"

Again he nodded

"There's a small village just a half hours walk away, has a blacksmith there with no name on the shop, you know the place?"

There was a moment of hesitation before he said "The village with the inn that has a well inside?"

I nodded "You find that blacksmith, give him this," I pressed a silver coin into his hand "He'll see to it you find proper, well paying work."

He looked at me in confusion and I cut him away from his chair, he stuffed the coin into a pocket, his confusion turned to fear as I hoisted him up by his arms and brought his face close to mine "Just remember, you work for me now." I said before I threw him overboard. It was only a hundred yards or so to shore, easy enough to swim.

With the capricious nature that Kiri had adopted over the years it seemed I was always needing more information out of that city, he would become another string to that bow.

We made good time back to the land of fire, the sailor who's name I learned was Yasu told me the winds in this area could be unpredictable partly due to the whirlpools that protect the nearby Uzushiogakure.

After making land at a reasonably large port town I bid the captain goodbye and found, as my first order of business, an inn with a bird that could deliver a message to Konoha. I would encrypt the message using my usual cipher of course, too often these days birds were intercepted, usually by petty bandits but you could never be to careful in the information business.

The message sent and my first meal in days - my first hot one for weeks - consumed I started making my way back to Konoha. I'd still be giving the same information to the Hokage when I got there but in a position like the Hokage's the earlier you had information the better you could respond. It would take me perhaps two days from the port I'd disembarked from but they would swiftly pass. I found myself quite looking forward to speaking to Keiko again.

I made it to the gates of Konoha by mid afternoon the next day, record time even for me, I checked in with the guards at the gate and shot onward towards hokage's tower meaning to make my report but before I got there I spotted Keiko and Kakashi leaving the Academy and decided to make a detour.

"How about I take you to a training field and teach you a thing or two?" I had asked, no one had told me how advanced these brats were, I was going to teach them tree climbing but they already had that covered so I found them a training ground with a pond and got them to try water walking.

I showed them how to do it first of course, made it look easy for them. It was all the funnier when they fell in soaking themselves, made me wish I had a camera to capture the look on their faces.

"You kids know a lot for proto genin." I said to them, trying to distract them so they fell in again.

"We take the genin exams in a few days" Keiko called indignantly

"You do huh? Given any thought to who you'd like to be your Sensei?" I inquired.

That got them! They came up spluttering for air.

"We hadn't actually" Keiko said frowning, I wasn't sure whether it was at me or the question, he'd probably worked out I purposely distracting him he was a bright lad, after a few seconds his face lit up and he looked at me "What about you?"

"What about me kid?"

"Why don't you become my sensei?"

It was a decent question. Usually the genin were split into teams but I understood this year's batch was out of proportion anyway. I'd have to see the hokage about it though. I barked a laugh "Who says you'll pass anyway, buncha brats like you? No way."

They caught on quick with the water walking though, by the time I left almost an hour later Kakashi was only falling in when he was distracted and Keiko was oscillating between being ankle deep and actually standing on the water, the kid just needed to apply a little more chakra and he'd have it down.

Arriving at the hokage tower I opted for the window entrance rather than climbing the stairs, sensei didn't have anyone visiting so I wasn't interrupting anything, I slid in before greeting him.

"Dammit Jiraiya!" He exclaimed, twisting in his seat, "Why can you never use the door."

I ignored the question grinning, he knew it was just laziness and I just happened to be too lazy to think of an excuse. "Coming in to give my report sensei."

I gave my report, there was nothing too earth shaking going on apart from some troubles closer to home - it appeared some orphans were going missing - but with the exception of that my briefing was very… brief.

"These kidnapping need to be stopped before the civilians hear about it" Sensei muttered taking a drag of his pipe, "Is there anything particular about any of the victims?"

"Not that I've noticed, the only thing they seem to have in common is that they are all orphans."

"Hmmm, well if there's nothing else..." He left the sentence hanging.

"Well there is something sensei." I said, he looked up inviting me to continue "Have you considered who you're assigning this years genin to?"

"Yes" the Hokage confirmed, "This close to the exams they're pretty much all allocated to one Jounin or another."

"I was wondering if you might be willing to swap out one particular student." I started.

Sensei though was too sharp as usual "You want Keiko." It wasn't a question.

I nodded.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible Jiraiya, you now how important your role as spymaster is and Keiko is advanced but he isn't equipped enough to travel the world with you, besides that do you really want to start up another team so soon after what happened to your old one."

With each word sensei said my stomach sank, he was right, it was a nice idea but the reality was Keiko probably wasn't prepared, and what would Minato think if I started a new team so soon after his teammates were killed in front of him so close to the end of the last war. I shook my head.

Sensei though seemed to see my turmoil and spoke up "There is something we could do. Keiko is, at the moment, assigned to become Saku's apprentice and enter into anbu with him. However. What if we were to take Keiko and add him to this team." He pushed an already open folder towards my and I smiled. That could work. That wasn't bad at all.

All too soon, and strangely not soon enough, the day of the exam arrived. Kakashi came by to pick me up as usual, he didn't seem excited but that he had come to pick me up 15 minutes earlier than usual gave lie to that. I took the opportunity to get a drink of water before leaving whilst Kakashi stood leaning by my door the entire time anxiously crossing, uncrossing and then recrossing his arms.

When we arrived at the Academy it seemed like Kakashi wasn't the only one anxious about the exam, practically everyone was there early and taking my seat and looking around the faces of everyone around me spoke loudly of their anticipation. Eventually Saku arrived, walking to the front of the class he cleared his throat though, for once, he didn't need to try and gain the class' attention because we were all ears.

"I just wanted to say, regardless of what happens in the exam it has been an honour to teach this year, those of you that fail," Here he cracked a rare smile, "Though I don't anticipate that will be many of you, will not be taught by me next year I have taken another assignment. With that being said, let us start the exams."

He began handing out a sheaf of paper he collected from a drawer in his desk to each student in the class and then walked back to the front. "You have 3 hours. Begin."

The exam was certainly thorough, it tested us on almost every aspect of what we had learned that year and many things that I assume would have been taught in previous years, luckily there was rarely a question that I was unsure of the answer to be that because of my frequent visits to the library or just information I had picked up over time.

By the time two hours had passed I was coming to some of the last questions and I risked a look around and saw that some people were visibly perspiring due to the stress, one student had almost gnawed all the way through their pencil. When I was finishing off some of my last questions I heard a rustle of papers next to me and saw that Kakashi had finished exam, I however finished the last question and double checked I hadn't missed any questions before double checking the answers I had given. There was no point not using the time we had allotted, it wasn't like we could leave early.

When Saku finally called for time there was a great exhaling of air like a balloon that had been left to empty. From there Saku Directed us outside.

The first test we had outside was projectile throwing, senbon had been added this year and it was something I had spent many mornings brushing up on since I was unfamiliar with their use. Luckily the exam did not judge you on time taken to throw just for accuracy, I still felt like my throwing movement wasn't as deft or smooth as it could have been but because I could take my time all of my projectiles hit the bullseye. Kakashi finished way before, me throwing projectiles to him came as easy as breathing apparently.

When we finally came to parring we were in for a surprise, instead of sparring against each other or even against Saku we had been matched up against one of the other teachers, it took a moment to bring up his name from the back of my mind, Kon, I did not think I had spoken to him before, the only thing I knew about him was that he taught the first years and he was a chunin.

In another twist in events I was the one called to spar first, I grimaced, it wasn't ideal I had never seen this Kon fight and would have liked to have seen a few people go first so that I could formulate a plan. Resigned I walked up to the sparring area.

Observing Kon as we initiated our seals of confrontation I noted what I could about him, he appeared to be in his early 20s, that seemed to indicate that he would progress no further in his ninja career than chunin since you would expect to have at least made special Jonin by that age. The next thing I noted was his build. He was a tank. He wasn't much taller than me, perhaps 5 foot 6 inches but his muscles rippled with each movement, as he formed his stance his fists remained clenched and held them up towards his abdomen, ready to be drawn back. At least it was easy enough to identify his style based off of that, I could expect plenty of strong punches and quick feints.

All too he quickly we started and Kon immediately started to advance his gait like a wave he rose and fell alternately standing and then almost crouching as he came towards me, he made a tough target to hit so I decided to allow him to make the first move, a vicious uppercut, I leaned backwards, barely avoiding it and sent a punch to follow his hitting his elbow, this immediately threw him off balance and he staggered backwards with his arm following it's trajectory behind him it had practically dragged him away.

I followed into the space I created and launched a punch at his shoulder which hit but it was like punching iron so thick were his muscles, it had almost no effect and all too quickly his guard was up again and instead of approaching me like he did before he feinted left and right before throwing a wide hooked fist to my leg, extending his entire arm. I flipped, literally, catching his arm at its full extension, the look of surprise on his face quickly turned to worry as he realised what this meant, as he tried to draw his arm back with me hanging on I shifted myself and brought both my legs down against his chest with all the force I could muster in my precarious situation, it knocked the wind from his chest and the force, combined with the inertia of him bringing his arm back knocked him from his feet and onto the floor where Saku called it, from my armlock position I could have easily broken his arm or dislocated his shoulder, not to mention the kicks I could land to his face.

I let go and stood up feeling very pleased with myself, Kon though looked very frustrated, I suspected he would be more careful with the rest of the class. Kakashi gave me a thumbs up with both his eyes closed in a way that seemed to imply he was smiling broadly.

My prediction panned out, none of the other students came close to winning against Kon though Kakashi came close to extracting a draw. When we had finished we were sent back inside for the final part of the exam, the ninjutsu test, I passed without even worrying, Kakashi and I had both practiced these 'Academy 3' ad nauseum and after I produced a bunshin Saku gave me my hitai-ate with a broad smile on his face, congratulating me with a hand on my shoulder.

Finally once everyone took their exam we were dismissed. My heart rose in my chest then, I didn't have to worry about exams anymore or even the academy, Kakashi took up step beside me as I very happily made my way to the exit of the academy and saw Sakumo, Jiraiya, Minato and Kushina all waiting.

"How's it going kid, that's a nice knickknack you got there." Jiraiya joked as we reached them.

Kushina crushed both me and Kakashi into a bone breaking hug as she congratulated the both of us on passing the exam.

"We were going to head somewhere to eat to celebrate, you guys have any preference?" Minato asked

"As long as it isn't ramen." Kakashi choked from his hug

"You aren't too young to die you know Kakashi" Kushina threatened but then Kakashi replaced himself with a stone nearby in a wise Kawarami.

Jiraiya laughed and said, "No need to fight I know a great Akimichi restaurant and I think they serve ramen as well"

Kushina seemed to have given in though she still sulked muttering "But ichiraku..." I don't think Jiraiya even heard.

"Are you sure we don't need to book a table Jiraiya, this is pretty late in the day." Sakumo asked

"Just leave it to me."

Apparently Jiraiya was famous enough to get his own table without reservation even though the restaurant was packed. Nobody talked much past offering congratulations for passing the exam - the food was just too good.

When we eventually left, Jiraiya and Sakumo splitting the bill, we were brought to a training ground.

"Well Jiraiya and myself have been talking today about what to get you boys for graduating and we think we have just the thing." Sakumo began, he brought a scroll out from behind him and passed it to Kakashi who looked at him questioningly but opened it when Sakumo indicated he should.

"Dad… this. Thank you." Kakashi said in reverance

"What is it Kakashi?" I asked

He turned to me, "Its the Sakumo dog summoning contract."

I wasn't sure what that was but Kakashi seemed over the moon with it, Jiraiya though saw my confusion and decided to explain.

"Summoning contracts are contracts between shinobi and an animal or creature, with them we can summon the creature bound to the contract to aid us in a task, Sakumo has the dog contract and his family have held it for generations making them one of the best clans at tracking with the help of their summons, up there with the Inuzuka clan. As for me I have the toad contract," he pulled an enormous scroll out from somewhere beneath his hair, "Minato signed it as my student and I'd like you to as well."

I didn't entirely understand but decided this was another one of those chakra things. Either way it seemed to be a huge honour judging by everyone's reaction. Jiraiya rolled out the scroll in front of me whilst Sakumo brought Kakashi over to the other side of the training field.

"You'll need to sign your name in blood here," he indicated a blank spot on the scroll, looking back through the scroll there only seemed to be Minato, and Jiraiya's name on it. I deftly cut my thumb and neatly signed my name.

"OK kid, here's the signs you need to summon, along with a drop of blood to complete the technique," He went through a string of hand seals "Need me to show it to you again?" He asked.

I shook my head, I memorised them the first time.

"OK then kid, let her rip!" He exclaimed giving me a thumbs up.

"Er, Keiko," Minato spoke up looking a little nervous, "Don't put too much chakra into it, that wouldn't be the best idea, at least for now." He looked at me calculatingly for a minute "Try for 20%"

Jiraiya was sulking about something but I ignored it, I assumed I just avoided some kind of practical joke, flashing through the handsigns I pressed my hand to the ground and a seal shot out around me, there was an explosion of smoke and a small red toad with blue markings appeared after it had cleared.

"Hey, what's this, who're you?" It exclaimed, I don't know what I was expecting but a talking toad wasn't it, I stood looking at it in shock for a few moments before Minato stepped in.

"Kosuke, this is Keiko the new Toad summoner." He explained.

"Ah, Pa mentioned something about a new summoner now that you mention it. So thats you huh?" He looked at me calculatingly before he relaxed again "OK, I'll head back and pass on the message you signed the scroll." so saying he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I still hadn't even begun to come around to forming words.

I looked off towards Kakashi who was being mobbed, good-naturedly by dogs before I turned back to Jiraiya "Thank you." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

He grinned back at me "No problem kid, I'll introduce you to the more senior frogs another time, Ma and Pa will love to meet you and you'll need to see old man Gamamura too at some point."

I nodded, not recognising any of those names but I committed them to memory anyway, I looked down at my hands 'I can...summon toads?' I thought to myself

Kakashi and I arrived at the academy the next day somewhat nervous, we had all been told to come in later than usual so we could be assigned our senseis so when we walked in at a few minutes before 10 the class was almost full.

We had been a little bit on edge for the last few days anticipating this. We hadn't even considered the possibility of being split up but when Jiraiya asked us who we thought our sensei's would be suddenly it was all we could think of.

Once we had taken our seats Saku stood up from where he had been sitting behind his desk and started speaking.

"I will now be announcing your Jounin senseis," he announced "Please come to the front when I call your name."

AN: A cliffhanger! I know I know so mean, but I couldn't help it. I really enjoyed writing Jiraiya's segment of this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed reading it. See you in the next chapter.