Chapter 8:

Meet Sukina Senju: This Is My Ninja Way

Kushina, Nagato, and Minato all passed the exams with flying colours due to their outstanding matches. Konan managed to have a hard-fought match as well, not as flashy as the boys' but strategic, and she picked up the victory. However, Pinako had been unable to control her Sharingan properly, and lost due to the depletion of chakra caused by inefficient use. As such, her skills were deemed not honed enough to justify her promotion to chuunin. Also, Minato had beaten Yahiko seemingly so easily that Yahiko had seemed weak, and also failed. Yahiko, however, had taken it in stride, accepting his loss at the hands of the genius Minato (now already a B-rank chuunin), resolving to work harder and pass the exams easily the next year. Determined as he was, he began to withdraw, spending more and more time on the training field, and less and less time with his friends and siblings. However, everytime anybody did see Yahiko, he was cheerful and friendly, happy with his progress. He would alternate his time between Jiraiya and Tsunade, as Tsunade's body was still recovering from her pregnancy and she now had a beautiful baby daughter to take care of, named Sukina. Yahiko didn't complain; two Sannin were better than one, after all, weren't they?

On his off days, Yahiko would practice his kenjutsu with Sakumo. Sakumo was a strict teacher, unforgiving of mistakes and very meticulous and thorough in his approach, however, he shared a lot of the same ideas and world views as Yahiko. He truly believed the life of a comrade was more important than fulfilling a mission, though such thought was considered taboo among Shinobi. Yahiko, who had grown up with only his friends to support him, and would die to protect them or any of his other new-found friends, agreed wholeheartedly.

Times were changing. There was a threat of war between the Village Hidden in the Mist and the Village Hidden in the Stone. This had begun when a serious battle had erupted between Shinobi from either village. This battle begun to snowball into major heat, leading the two Kage, Mizukage and Tsuchikage, to step into the fray themselves. In a vicious and hot clash, both Kage were killed. The Third Hokage, wise and pacifistic as ever, having lived through a Great Ninja War did not ever want to see such war break out again, and desperately sought to resolve the conflict. However, the elders in both villages rebuked him and rejected his advice, leaving him helpless to intervene without dragging the Leaf into the war.

Yahiko had learned a new jutsu from Jiraiya, a Fire-Style technique, as well as better chakra control from Tsunade. All three of his Senseis had affirmed that he was now chuunin level, D-rank at least, but for Yahiko that wasn't good enough. He wanted to be the best Shinobi he could be.

Konan, Nagato, Minato, Kushina and Pinako would often check in with Jiraiya to see how Yahiko was doing, as he barely even spoke to them anymore.

Jiraiya now sat on the roof of a tall building, facing the Hokage Monument. His brush was in his hand, as he wrote. This was his first non-ecchi novel. He wanted the hero to be strong, wise and noble. He had begun to be inspired a lot by Nagato and Yahiko in particular, whom he spent a lot of time in close quarters with. A lot of his main protagonist's lines were borrowed from one of them. Including his dream, which was shared by Jiraiya, Nagato and Yahiko: to end the world's cycle of hatred and to achieve peace and stability.

This was Jiraiya's favourite spot. The slanting roof of the hose shaded him when need be, though it was overcast today. There was always a cool breeze blowing, due to its height, and he was truly away from the noise and commotion. He also liked to gaze at the Monument, bearing the likenesses of the men who had built and shaped the Village: The First Hokage, who had physically created it; The Second Hokage, who had established its administration, infrastructure and set the foundations for pretty much all the establishments that ensured the safety and well-being of the citizens, including the hospital, police force, Hokage Mansion, as well as several systems in place in addition to organising the military force. Then there was the Third Hokage, who had carried them through the Second Great Ninja War with minimum casualties, and whose wisdom and compassion had helped provide several other conflicts. A man who had mastered or had knowledge of every jutsu in the Hidden Leaf, revered as The Professor due to his vast knowledge. Jiraiya smiled as he recalled the verbal fights and arguments he had gotten into with the old man.

They had never got along at first. It seemed to Jiraiya that from his three students, Hiruzen cared the least for Jiraiya. He constantly praised Orochimaru, and he was extremely fond of Tsunade, who also looked up to him as a fatherly figure. Determined to shame the old man for his lack of faith in him, Jiraiya used every trick in the book to try and outsmart, outfight or atleast impress Hiruzen. He began to lose heart as he watched them all fail. He then began to try to copy Orochimaru and Tsunade, but he was met with constant criticism. No matter how far he came, signing his Summoning contract, training under the Toads of Mt. Myoboku, his skills were never good enough to impress Hiruzen. Finally, having had enough, he exploded. He verbally assaulted his Sensei, tearing into him as he never had before. Hiruzen listened solemnly, without speaking a word. When Jiraiya's tirade finally subsided, Hiruzen had placed his arms around Jiraiya and embraced him. He smiled down upon his student, and told him the truth. He was not inferior to his teammates. Infact, Hiruzen identified most with Jiraiya, he thought he had the most potential, and so he had been hardest on him. He apolohised for being too harsh, admitting that he did not know when enough was enough or when he had crossed a line. Jiraiya's heart full, he had forgiven the old man. Since then Jiraiya had opened his eyes to his Sensei's full capabilities and wisdom, often seeking his advice on matters or discussing politics. Jiraiya slowly grew to admire the Third more than anyone he had ever met before. The icing on the cake came when Hiruzen was appointed the Third Hokage by Lord Second. Hiruzen had handpicked Jiraiya as his general, and invited him to lead the ANBU Black Ops directly under his control. Flattered and touched by the great amount of faith the Third had in him, he nonetheless declined in order to pursue other interests. Jiraiya always liked to enjoy his life to the fullest, spending a lot of his time and money on wine and women.

Sometime in the morning, somewhere below, a beautiful blonde-haired new mom slept. Her white-haired husband entered the room, dressed in full Shinobi gear. He kissed her on the forehead to wake her up, and sat down next to her. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she adjusted to the light. The first thing she saw was her husband's blue eyes, his face smiling down at her. She smiled and raised her head to kiss him good morning.

"Is Sukina alright? What's happened?" Tsunade's heart began to race as she remembered her baby was sleeping in her cot in the next room. She wasn't crying or anything, but why would Dan wake her unless she was in trouble?

Dan laughed. "It's alright sweetie, she's fine."

Tsunade immediately turned from frantic to grumpy. "Then why did you wake me?"

"Yahiko's here to see you. I think you should tell him now."

Tsunade blinked, her eyes wide. Now? She was uncertain. However, Dan's smile as he left for his mission reassured her. Oh well, now was as good a time as any.

Being very aware of his Sensei's temper in the mornings (he still smarted where he had been super-punched for irritating her recently), Yahiko had immediately begun to brew a pot of coffee. He had spent a lot of time at Tsunade's apartment, and was very comfortable and familiar with the place.

Jiraiya lay passed out on the couch. Or at least, he was supposed to be on the couch, but he had rolled over and fallen onto the floor. He had woken up long enough to register a dull pain in his backside, before dropping off to sleep again. He would often crash on Tsunade's couch after a night of heavy drinking. Sure enough, when Yahiko had helped him back to the couch, he gave off a distinct odour of alcohol and cheap perfume.

Tsunade ambled in, wearing a robe and bedroom slippers. She made a beeline for the pot of coffee, only acknowledging Yahiko's presence with a small nod. She quickly poured herself a mug and added milk, drinking it like someone finding an oasis in the desrt.

CRASH! Jiraiya had knocked over a vase lying on the table beside the couch. The crash was not loud enough to rouse him completely out of his slumber; however, his ninja senses picked up that it was morning time and a certain blonde demon stood in the kitchen. If she had not had her coffee, he was not safe. In a flash he was awake, on his knees, apologising to Tsunade. Yahiko sweatdropped and only laughed at his Sensei's clumsiness as Tsunade wordlessly handed Jiraiya a broom and pan.

Lately, both Tsunade and Jiraiya had begun to tell Yahiko of the "nindo" or "ninja way". Their own Sensei had encouraged them to find one, however, Sakumo had said many ninja went their whole lives without establishing a nindo. It was a creed a Shinobi created for himself, and adhered to throughout his life. The Third, and thus Jiraiya and Tsunade, were big believers in the sanctity of the Ninja Way, and believed once a shinobi had chosen his Way there was no changing it. Yahiko began to see the importance of one, however he had not created one as of yet, for fear of choosing the wrong one. He was not pressured, because both Sannin knew that when he found his Ninja Way, he would have no doubt, and it was something you had to discover on your own. It was this ninja way that the three Leaf Shinobi sat discussing around the kitchen table.

In all the morning's ruckus, little Sukina had been awakened and now began to cry in her cot. Tsunade got up to comfort her, leaving the half-asleep Jiraiya randomly dozing, his head on the table. Yahiko was about to dig into his breakfast, a couple of fried eggs and a stack of pancakes, as well as a mug of coffee, lay in front of him. Just as he finished eating and was saying his thanks, Tsunade walked in carrying Sukina.

"She's well-fed and wide awake. Wanna hold her? Now would be your best chance."

Yahiko had always found her adorable, and he doted on his Sensei's daughter. He loved her big blue eyes and mess of blonde hair, her soft, smooth cheeks, her tinkly voice as she babbled, he even loved the way she gurgled in laughter when he made funny faces at her. But he had never held her before. Nervously, tentatively, he took her into his arms, holding on tightly, scared to death that he might drop her. Sukina merely stared in curiousity, raising her hand to touch his nose, oblivious to his discomfort. Tsunade, however, was very aware, and laughed at his fumblings. "Haha, aww, she likes you!"

Jiraiya was also awake enough to enjoy the heartwarming scene in front of him. Tsunade watched as Yahiko looked down at her, as Sukina's Uncle Jiraiya tickled her and made funny faces. Any doubts she had about her choice were erased.

"Yahiko," she said softly. Yahiko looked up. "Yeah?"

She looked him dead in the eye, and he was disconcerted by her stare.

"You've played with Sukina a lot, you've helped me a lot during this pregnancy and you've taken care of Sukina a lot when I've asked you to. There's nobody that cares as much for her, besides me and Dan, than you. So I wanted to ask you." She paused. Yahiko waited anxiously.

"Will you… be Sukina's godfather?"

Jiraiya choked on the water he was drinking. Tears streaming down his face as he choked and coughed, he stared wild-eyed at the starstruck Yahiko. Dumbfounded, Yahiko looked down at baby Sukina Senju, and suddenly she seemed so much more precious and fragile. His heart grew tender. There was nobody who cared for this baby than him, he knew that was true. "…Alright. It would be an honour for me."

Delighted, Tsunade swooped up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Yahiko! Now, I gotta give this little critter a bath. Just lock the door before you leave, alright?"

Yahiko looked at his new goddaughter as Tsunade walked away. Sukina looked at him with her big blue eyes, innocent and darling. It was then that it hit him. Yahiko knew what he had to do. To protect the ones I love, my friends, my family, no matter what happens to me, to keep them safe. That is my Ninja Way.

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Well, another chapter for the book! This one came pretty quick, to be honest, even I didn't expect I'd be hitting the keyboard this soon. It just kinda happened. It's a pretty slow chapter compared to the more action-packed previous chapters, but hey, a story's gotta be told, right?

As always, thank you all for reading, and please leave reviews if you enjoy it. It really makes my day. For the record, "Sukina" means "Fond" in Japanese. Don't know why I picked it, but it seemed like a cute girl's name and sounded good, so here it is. :P

Hope you all liked the chapter. Look forward to the next one!