The trio arrived at training ground three right on time. Entering in lockstep with Minato in the middle they moved into the center of the area and stopped by the poles placed into the ground. Each of them leaned against a different pole and did their best to look around for their sensei. Jiraiya peeked out of his hiding place hidden in the nearby trees, raising an eyebrow at their behavior. After rushing here from the academy he expected them to be hot on his heels, not taking almost the entire allotted time to get here. They didn't look nervous either, instead, each of the three was perfectly calm and collected. Mhmm I wonder what's going on here? I expected them to at least start talking a bit.

Deciding not to waste time Jiraiya made a hand sign and appeared in front of the kids with a quick use of the body flicker. Smiling as he greeted them, he spread his arms wide. "Well well well! Look who decided to show up! What took you so long? I expected you three to chase after me right away."

Minato smiled and was the first to step forward, clearly excited. Jiraiya couldn't blame him, he remembered being all spit and vinegar when he was about to take his test. Seeing the blond hair when he snuck into the classroom under Transparent Escape Jutsu was a hell of a shock to the system. He almost tripped right into a desk for god's sake! He got the same feeling from the kid that he got when he met Nagato like they had a grand destiny in front of them. I wonder if I found him, this so-called kid of destiny? Gonna have to keep a close eye on this one.

"My apologies Sensei, but that would be telling. So what exactly is this test?" Minato said with a polite smile.

"Yeah, we are ready to get this show on the road!" Daichi smirked as he cracked his knuckles and even started to slip into his fighting stance. Mikoto was quick to stop him with a firm tap to the side.

"Relax, we don't even know what this is going to be. It might not even involve something physical for all we know." Mikoto rolled her eyes playfully as she started to roll a kunai between her fingers, putting on a good show of nonchalance.

And it was certainly just a show. Each of the three was ready to move at a moment's notice. As much as rookies could be anyway. Inwardly Jiraiya grinned, even more intrigued to see what these kids were going to pull off. Reaching into one of his pockets he pulled out the two silver bells he had received the night before and held them up for all to see. "Alright, Your mission is to each get one of these bells from me. The entire field and the trees are the grounds, up to a decent way into the woods. You know how far is too far. All weapons, Jutsu, and skills are on the table here. Come at me with everything you have or you will fail. Any questions?"

Mikoto was the first to raise her hand, and at Jiraiya's nod, she pointed at the bells. "Shouldn't there be three bells if we are all supposed to get one Sensei?" Jiraiya had been surprised to find the clan heir for the Uchiha to be one of his potential students. Even more so considering the clan had asked for him personally to be her sensei. In hindsight it made sense. Of the high-ranking Jonin in the village who are not tied down to specific duties, he was the strongest fire user. There were a couple of the higher-ranked Uchiha who came close, but even that clan knew putting their heir under one of their own wouldn't look good.

So far she had impressed him, her pride not yet dipping into the typical Uchiha arrogance that so often got them into trouble. In the field or otherwise. I can see why Sensei was so insistent that I take her on. If she can keep that ability to have fun she will do wonders in easing any tension between the village and the police. If she joins the police force that is.

Jiraiya scowled softly as he looked down at the team, internally giggling as he hammed it up. He had always wondered how his Sensei felt when he was giving the bell test and now he knew. Something to laugh about with him over a drink later. "I don't have time to teach three snot-nosed rookies. I got plenty of things to occupy my time like the bathhouse and that waterfall clearing they don't know I know about yet." Minato just looks puzzled while Daichi looks away with a cough, embarrassed. It was Mikoto's reaction that he wasn't expecting. That glare on her face was pure Uchiha as she pointed her kunai at him, just out of sight for Minato. Jiraiya quickly got the message and changed gears a bit. "Besides, I get sent on high-level missions all the time. I rather like the high-level pay that comes with it. Spending the next few months watching you three do D ranks isn't something I want to do."

He held up the bells and let them make some noise as he shook them around lightly. Shifting his scowl to a full-on glare he internally smirks as all three of them tense up. "However I can take two of you and blitz them through training at a rapid pace. Sure one of you won't get any training at all. I am sure the academy will take you back but that's your problem, not mine. Anyone wanna back down right now or are you gonna compete for a spot to achieve your dreams?"

The trio is silent for a long moment, each of them looking back and forth at each other uneasily. After a beat, Daichi steps forward. Initially, Minato and Mikoto look conflicted before he speaks. "Or we can open door number three." Both of his teammates dropped the act and relaxed, smirking up at their Sensei, though Minato's was more strained than Mikoto's. "We take the bells and make you teach all of us."

Jiraiya froze for a split second, his mind reeling as he realized that now he was gonna have to teach these kids. Interesting or not, somebody is gonna have to pay for my lost research time! "Is that so? Then you better get started."

Daichi and Minato simultaneously reached into their pouches and tossed a kunai at him. Of course, he was already in motion, jumping back into the air away from the attack. He blinked as he saw another kunai diving right at him, looking past the toss he saw Mikoto grinning up at him. Those brats! They set this up from the start. On impact, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, a substitution Jutsu log taking the blow. Leaning on a tree across the clearing he waved over at the students. "You are gonna have to do better than that! What else have you got?"

"Oh yeah! Show me your moves Sensei!" Daichi ran in like a missile, running in low. Mikoto and Minato both fan out to the sides, hoping to catch their Sensei in a pincer. Jiraiya inwardly smiled as instead of trying to lead with a punch he dived in with a kick, with another of Mikoto's kunai going high to match Daichi's low blow. Jiraiya blocked the kick with his own, ducking under the kunai. Hmm, their go-to play seems to be a dual distraction while the third goes for the real blow. Not bad for rookies.

Just as he expected, Minato's kunai flew in behind him, from somewhere in the trees. Twisting to avoid it he noted Daichi was the next one in rotation, so the uppercut at his jaw Daichi launched up at him wasn't a surprise. Catching the blow he looked down at his student with a raised eyebrow. "You know if you don't change up the pacing, it's pretty easy for an opponent to figure out who's attacking next right?"

Daichi smiled and was about to retort when Mikoto's voice reached their ears, causing both ninjas to turn in her direction. She had just finished going through her hand signs and took a deep breath. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Jiraiya was the first to react, grabbing Daichi by the shoulder and jumping with him over the fireball, landing outside the blast zone when it went off, shaking the clearing. Unfortunately for Daichi, he didn't have time to react before Jiraiya tossed him to the side.

Daichi rolled to his feet and glared at his teammate. "What the heck was that? Were you trying to roast me or something!?" Turning his attention back to their Sensei he ducked under the punch Jiraiya tossed at his head. Doing his best to weave through the assault he nonetheless was too slow on the last blow, taking a kick to the side that sent him flying across the clearing.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't get in the way then! Come on Sensei, let's keep this dance going!" Despite seeing her rival have trouble dealing with their Sensei in a melee fight Mikoto had little concern doing it herself. As she dived in, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. Something's off, going off of their previous pattern the next should have been- The thought was broken off as he blocked a punch to his gut from Mikoto, noticing that she had a smile on her face despite the situation. Instead of trying to follow up she actually jumped into a backflip, making distance away from him.

"Air Bullets Jutsu!" Jiraiya turned in surprise as he saw Minato perched in one of the trees at the edge of the clearing, using the added height to make the three spiraling blasts of air fly down on him at an angle. With a quick use of his hand signs, he slammed a palm into the ground, a large wall of earth rising up in front of him to take the blasts for him. The earth shook a little but held firm, a good indication of Minato's skill with his Jutsu. Sure I didn't put as much chakra into the Jutsu as I could, but that's still good stuff.

Jumping up in the middle of the wall, Jiraiya smirked as he noticed Daichi jump up on one side and Mikoto on the other. From the matching grins on both of their faces, neither could stop themselves from such a classic setup, even if the better play would be to try and get him away from the high ground. Looking at one and turning briefly at the other Jiraiya let himself get caught up in the moment. "Oh, you guys just don't know when to quit, do you?"

On cue, both of the young ninjas rushed toward him, Daichi going for a high blow to his chest while Mikoto aimed a dive kick toward his knee. Naturally, for a man who spends his free time with toads, Jiraiya timed his jump perfectly. Mikoto and Daichi barreled into each other in a tangle of limbs and fell off the wall. Landing in a heap the pair let out some light groans as they untangled themselves. Dropping and leaning against the wall the Saninn put on his most shit-eating grin. "Now you two, there will be a time for cuddling when you are older. But if you wanna take a minute I suppose I could indulge you."

Daichi's initial reaction was to blush awkwardly and gently roll off of Mikoto. On the other hand, Mikoto jumped to her feet and glared something fierce at her Sensei, despite having a red face to match Daichi's. "That's so- That's so inappropriate Sensei!" Leaning back to elbow Daichi to get him to focus, she reached into her pouch and tossed a handful of kunai at him. Daichi quickly matched her as he dived into a roll before coming up with a kunai of his own to add to the toss. Matching each one thrown with some of his own Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as Mikoto had used the distraction to disappear leaving Daichi to take him on his own.

"So what's the plan here kid? Are you valiantly buying time for your comrades to set up some final gambit for the bells? I noticed you two have been working very hard to keep me off of Minato. I take it you need him for whatever you cooked up." Despite the casual tone in his voice Jiraiya kept his guard up. While on paper Daichi was the weakest of his new charges, that wasn't the full story. Sure right now he had to get close to do some damage but considering he was mostly self-taught that was to be expected.

No, it was the fact that between the three of them, he still had the most fuel in the fire. I really need to push them through some tree climbing and water walking so I can get him into elemental Jutsu for range. Mikoto has likely already started tree climbing with her clan and Minato is such an achiever that I bet he has tried water walking somewhere. Still from the hours Daichi puts in just on his taijutsu I don't expect him to be behind for long.

"Something like that." Daichi smiled from ear to ear as he settled into his fighting stance once more. Jiraiya made a brief mental note to see if he could find a more specialized style for the boy. He couldn't pass on Toad-kata to someone who wasn't a summoner and it was far too early to decide if any of these kids were a good fit for the toads.

Daichi rushed in once more, his grin shifting into a serious expression. Jiraya quickly fell into blocking the oncoming strikes, wanting to get a taste of Daichi's skills firsthand. The blows came quick and clean, mixing up patterns often to avoid being predictable. Jumping back from a kick to the ribs, Jiraiya blinked as he noticed Daichi effortlessly spun out of the missed attack and used the momentum to throw a heavy punch that was blocked by his gauntlets. Jumping back to make some distance, Jiraiya felt himself honestly smiling at his young opponent.

"Damn, kid, you seriously put the hours in, didn't you? I am impressed." Jiraiya said as he began to roll his shoulders, getting into the fight despite himself. "How about we see how you handle being on defense?"

"If that's the way you wanna play it then sure, bring it on." Dropping into his stance, Daichi motions for his sensei to come at him and Jiraiya obliges. Leading with a feint Jiraya instead uses the wall beside the pair, jumping halfway up and using the surface to push himself above Daichi. Coming down on top of him with a hammer blow his student only had time to block before the hit pushed him backwards. Jiraiya follows through with a high kick that Daichi barely managed to dodge under. The missed blow is all the time Daichi needed to regain his footing and the clash of taijutsu was back on.

Slowly yet surely Daichi was driven back, his natural talent and hard-earned skill meaning nothing in the face of a ninja who had been fighting for almost as long as he had been alive. Jiraiya didn't relent, punishing the younger ninja under a flurry of blows. Keeping on the pressure so his student couldn't counterattack, the pair soon pushed to the edge of the wall. Missing a block at the last second Daichi takes a heavy blow to the jaw, sending him reeling head over heels.

Breathing heavily for the first time all test Daichi lets out a pained groan as he slowly gets to his feet. Taking a second to spit some blood to the side, Daichi smiled. "You know- Damn that's gonna leave a mark! You know that's the hardest I have ever been hit and you gotta be holding back. You're terrifying behind all the ham aren't you Sensei?"

Jiraiya couldn't help himself but laugh and smile at the praise, even rubbing the back of his head to complete the picture. "But of course! I wouldn't have survived this long if I couldn't back it up. Here's a free tip, the higher you get into the ninja ranks the more oddballs you find. You would be surprised how many big names have some strange quirks." Letting the moment pass he turns serious, dropping the smile for a fierce glare as he crosses his arms. "Now am I gonna have to put you down? I don't have all day you know!"

"Yeah about that. How about we turn up the heat instead?" Daichi said as he dipped back into his fighter's stance with a nasty smirk on his face, looking past him.

On cue, Jiraiya turned to see Mikoto jump out of a tree near the edge of the clearing and start making hand signs. Putting her all into it she breathes out another Great Fireball Jutsu. Raising an eyebrow at the repeated tactic, Jiraiya switches with a substitution to land on the top of the wall behind him. That didn't work last time, why do it again?

Before he could even land properly he got his answer. Minato was waiting for him on top of the wall, hands already making signs. "Wind Style: Breakthrough!" A large gust of wind pushes out of his student's mouth in a small cyclone, hitting him directly in the back. Pushing him through the air into the oncoming fireball Jiraiya couldn't help but smile. These cheeky brats! They played me from the start! As the two Jutsu collided all the oxygen caused the fireball to shake the clearing when it exploded with Jiraiya right in the middle. As soon as the explosion hit the Toad sage he vanished in a puff of smoke, like he was never there.

—-

Breathing heavily, Daichi slowly slipped out from the tree he had ducked behind before the blast. Mikoto and Minato do the same and move to stand beside him as they look out into the field. Minato was the first to speak as the smoke began to clear. "Do you think we got him? That's the best combo we have."

Mikoto scoffed lightly as she moved onto the field. "You mean do you think we reached the point he was holding back till? One doesn't become a legendary ninja for no reason."

Daichi sighed softly and took half a second to crack his neck. "Come on, the fight isn't over yet. Did you see that puff of smoke right before the blast? I am betting we were fighting a shadow clone this whole time." Moving out into the field with his teammates on his heels he starts scanning around for their Sensei, at least before Mikoto grabs his arm.

"What do you mean shadow clone? I haven't heard of that Jutsu." Mikoto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh! I know what Jutsu Daichi is talking about! It was made by Lord Second and is said to be the pinnacle of clone techniques!" The youngest member of the trio momentarily lowers his guard as he turns to face the rest of the team. "Unlike regular clones, they are said to be able to perform tasks and are used in espionage. Unlike the other solid clones, they can be made on the fly as well, without a traditional catalyst!"

By the end of the speech Daichi and Mikoto both turned to their younger member with raised eyebrows, that being the fastest and most animated they had ever seen him be. Both go to speak when they hear a voice call out above them. "Summoning Jutsu! Food Cart Destroyer!"

Daichi was the first to realize what was happening, reaching forward to grab his teammates to toss them out of the line of fire. Unfortunately, it was a futile effort as a large blob of pale green skin came crashing down on top of them. Struggling under the weight, some small part of Daichi's mind reminded him that despite the sound of laughter from both toad and summoner he could hear, this likely took a lot of skill to pull off without causing them too much harm.

Soon the summon above them disappeared in a puff of smoke and Daichi rolled onto his back breathing heavily. Glancing around he noticed Minato doing the same while Mikoto was doing her best not to gag. Jiraiya's shadow blocked out the sun as he looked down onto the trio, smirking as he clapped for them. "So did you guys enjoy the surprise? I normally use much larger toads for that little trick, but for baby ninjas like you three, this felt appropriate."

Daichi and Mikoto both gave their teacher some glares while Minato looked a little dazed, muttering to himself. Both of his teammates look at him in concern as the mumbling gets louder. "-could be used to widen options, and fight as a team even when alone. The toads likely have Jutsu that others don't, as despite being low in number their summoners have all been legends. Something to do with earth and potentially water? Would complement my own focus on wind style Jutsu-"

Mikoto raised an eyebrow as the mumbling continued, along with their Sensei. Daichi slowly reached over and gave Minato a light push, causing the younger boy to let out a yelp of surprise before blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, my mind ran away from me."

Jiriaya cleared his throat as he did his best to hide a grin. "Moving on, that was some fight you three put up, especially for snot-nosed rookies that never worked together before! I am impressed! So how did you figure out the true purpose of the exam? I haven't heard of many teams who have pulled that off, outside of the occasional Ino-Shika-Cho anyway."

Mikoto was the first to get to her feet, looking up at their sensei as she brushed the dirt from her clothing. "Daichi figured it out. You don't see any squads running around that aren't less than three very often, and those have rumors of lost team members circling around them. The few proper one-on-one apprenticeships in the village are all for specialized positions or training."

Minato nodded as he joined her in front of their Sensei, with Daichi following not far behind. "The instructors at the academy would often tell us how important it is to 'look underneath the underneath.' The Will of Fire is so important to the village it just makes sense for the true test to be if we can work together as a team."

Jiraiya turned his attention to Daichi and gave him a long look before nodding. "You pay attention to people, don't you? Keeping an eye on small details like that is very important if you wanna live long in this business, though there is something all three of you forgot as this test went along. Care to tell me what that was?"

Daichi paled as what he thought was a sure thing was suddenly on shaky ground. Glancing over at his teammates he saw that neither of them had an idea either. Thinking it over in his head he stumbles upon the answer and looks down in shame, his teammates soon following suit. After a long moment, he let out a sigh, shaking his head as he looked up at their teacher. "We didn't go for the bells, we mostly just focused on fighting you with teamwork."

His teammates look at him in surprise while Jiriaya nods in agreement, pointing to the youngest of them first. "Minato, you had several chances to go for the bells while Daichi and Mikoto kept me occupied. You were thinking that you needed to conserve your chakra, right?" Minato nodded as he fidgeted, not enjoying the new sensation of being under the spotlight for something he did wrong. "That's not a bad thing to keep in mind, but you still could have attempted some stealth or more kunai tosses to help your teammates."

Jiraiya smiled softly as he reached over and gave Minato a pat on the head. "On the good side though? That was some very impressive Jutsu use for a kid your age, two different elemental Jutsu given you are just starting out is a good thing. We are gonna have to work on your physical stuff a bit, just because you are younger doesn't mean you can't keep up with them, as long as you work hard."

Leaving a now-beaming Minato, Jiraiya looked over to Mikoto next, who also grew a little nervous under the unusually serious Sanin's gaze. "You might want to consider Genjutsu, your clan tends to be experts at it. There were several times when having more than just one Jutsu in your pocket would have helped. People tend to expect fire from your clan though, so I would consider picking up some surprises with your eyes later on. Keeping a hidden trick or two can and will save your life."

Mikoto looked off to the side, unwilling to meet Jiraiya's eyes before he patted her shoulder. "On the other hand, I have seen Chunin from your clan with less control of that Jutsu you used. If you put the effort in with every Jutsu you use then you are going to go far indeed. It's one thing to know how to use dozens of Justu, it's another to master all of them."

As Jiraiya was turning from Mikoto to the last of them, Daichi spoke before he could. Though he wasn't looking at their sensei, instead at the sole girl on the team. "I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once, I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times.."

Mikoto looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a single moment before nodding slowly, a grin forming on her face. "I get it. Mastery is more important than a wide range!"

Jiraiya let out a laugh before smiling down at Mikoto, deciding to hell with it before giving her a pat on the head to match Minato's. Naturally, her smile turned into a glare in the blink of an eye. "Honestly I would say it's a bit of both. The real trick will be finding a balance between both ends. It's different for everyone."

Daichi flinched as his Sensei finally turned his attention to him. There was a short moment where Jiraiya seemed to look through him before smiling softly. When he spoke there was something hidden in his tone that Daichi couldn't place. "You are headstrong and rely too much on one thing. Had there been another opponent involved or I used my summons actively, you would have been of little use to your teammates except as a distraction. You are lacking options outside of close range, I would recommend you focus on picking up some elemental Jutsu to cover that. A bow or some other ranged weapon would interfere with your taijutsu too much."

Daichi looked away and he listened to Jiraiya sensei go over his faults, shame in his eyes. He wanted to open his mouth to shout how it wasn't his fault, that how could he have been expected to practice anything else with his means? That didn't matter, just that it was true. Minato had figured out how to do elemental Jutsu and he was from a civilian family. That wasn't too far off from Daichi's situation now that he thought about it. At least in terms of Ninja training guidance. Feeling a hand gently pat his head caused Daichi to turn to look back at Jiraiya, who had a reassuring smile on his face.

"On the other hand? Your taijutsu is the best I have seen for a Ninja your age. I can only think of one Ninja your rank that is better and he has been training for over a decade! So what if you don't have any fancy elemental Jutsu or anything like that right now? Who cares! You have time to train so you can fix that. If you put in that drive that lets your taijutsu progress like it has into other things? You are going to be one scary Ninja one day, I can promise you that." After Jiraiya finished speaking Daichi couldn't stop smiling, especially when he felt Minato hesitatingly clap him on the back and Mikoto lightly punched him in the shoulder, all grinning.

Stepping back from the team's comradery, Jiraiya grinned as he took the three of them in, briefly seeing a very different but similar trio in his mind's eye. Shaking off the melancholy he clapped his hands to get their attention. "In case you didn't guess by now, I am going to be taking all three of you on as my students. Congratulations, you are officially ninjas."

All three let out a cheer at his words, with Daichi even jumping up into the air a little bit. Minato and Mikoto were quick to try and brush it off by looking away, both embarrassed for different reasons. Rolling his eyes a little at the display Daichi smirked. I was wrong before, this is the real starting point!

Jiraiya chuckled softly at their antics before clearing his throat to get their attention. "Alright, just a couple more things to do before we finish up for the day. For some reason, I have to fill out paperwork, I couldn't imagine why."

Shaking his head as Daichi laughed, he did his best to hide a smile that they noticed anyway. "Meet here with breakfast in your belly bright and early tomorrow morning, at seven. Don't bother warming up, we are gonna do that together. I am fairly certain I have a lock on all your abilities so we might even do a mission or two if you work hard enough."

Glancing over at Daichi he snickered softly before making a hand sign. "That's everything. Sleep well, you are gonna need it." The sage vanished in a puff of smoke, forcing the trio to cough and sputter. Once the smoke cleared they all turned to each other, now a little unsure of what to say. It had been easy when they had an objective to fill. Daichi opened his mouth to say something, anything when Minato beat him to the punch.

"Y-you two did great out there! I don't think I could have lasted nearly as long fighting up close with Jiraiya sensei as you two did." The blond blushed a little as he fidgeted, making Daichi smile softly. Sure the kid was good with his Jutsu but they were gonna have to work on speaking.

Mikoto shook her head as she crossed her arms, though the smile on her face showed her true feelings. "We would have had a lot more trouble without your support Minato. I don't think any of us on our own could have lasted a third of the time, and Sensei was holding back a lot."

Daichi nodded before he crossed his arms behind his head and stretched back, looking up at the sky. "Yeah, he only used a couple of Jutsu and didn't summon a Toad to help him out. If he were serious we would have been dusted." A slightly vicious smirk formed on his face. "You know it's kinda sad, I feel like I learned more in that one fight than I did in the last three months at the academy! Jiraiya sensei is either one hell of a teacher or the ones we had at the academy were worthless!" He paused for a moment before shrugging as he brought his arms down. "Or it could be both."

Mikoto frowned softly at his words but it was actually Minato who spoke up, looking more serious than Daichi expected. "I have a question for you Daichi." He paused for a moment as his hand formed into a fist, giving it a firm squeeze before meeting Daichi's eyes. "Why do you dislike the academy instructors so much? They started us on the road to become Ninja and I learned a lot from them."

Daichi stayed silent for a second before answering, a little surprised Minato was asking him for an honest answer. Mikoto turns from looking at Minato in surprise to watching her other teammate, curious. "I barely got by in all subjects until this year. Not once did any of them offer any support. Everything I know that makes me worth something I learned on my own. So why should I care about people who didn't care about me?"

Mikoto grimaced as she glanced between the two boys, looking like she tasted something foul. "He has a point. Sure I picked up some things and sharpened other skills here or there, but most of my instruction came from the clan. I guess that just goes to show how skilled my clan's teachings are."

Minato looked between the two for a long moment before he breathed in and stood defiantly. "This village was founded on the principle of 'The Will of Fire.' We are stronger together than we ever could be apart! Once we start treating others as lesser just because they don't help us in some way, where does it stop? We all must strive to help each other succeed. Without the 'Will of Fire', we are nothing, easy picking for the enemies at our door." The intense glare he had faded away into a look of pure confidence.

Daichi and Mikoto both flinch back from the sheer charisma radiating off the younger ninja. After a long moment, Daichi smiles softly. "I will give you this much, I hadn't thought of it that way. You wanna be Hokage one day, right? When you do, would you help out other clanless orphans like me? I don't know how to fix the system the Leaf has now, I just know it didn't do much in helping me become a ninja. If you are willing to put that big brain of yours into making it better for the next guy, I am going to have to help you with that and I know how." Smashing his fist into his chest Daichi grinned, flashing his teeth. "I was always going to push myself to be as strong as I can. I bet having a legendary ninja backing you up will help you become Hokage much easier!"

Mikoto raised an eyebrow as she looked between the two, her hair whipping back and forth before letting out a sigh. "I don't know about Minato becoming Hokage one day, there are lots of people in the village with that dream. But chasing it is gonna make him stronger, and I don't want to be left behind. I am going to be the strongest Uchiha ever! Nobody in my clan has surpassed Madara, but I am going to do it!"

Daichi and Minato both freeze at that claim, eyes going wide as they turn to look at their teammate. Minato was the first to speak, as Daichi had flashes of the most dangerous villain he had seen from the future dancing in his mind, dropping meteors from the sky with a mad laugh on his lips. "Isn't he the first traitor the Leaf ever had? I don't think your clan would be too happy with you admiring him."

Mikoto scoffed as she shook her head, even crossing her arms to complete the Uchiha pose most of the village joked about. Well, that and joked about how the Hyuga clan was just as arrogant. Dojutsu tended to have that effect on people it seems. "Please, I admire him for his power and strength. Before the founding he repeatedly clashed with Lord First, fighting him to a standstill every time! His fire Jutsu was said to have been able to set entire forests alight! His mere appearance on the battlefield would send lesser ninjas running in droves!"

Daichi and Minato both raised eyebrows at her, though only Daichi's was accompanied by a smirk. "They say similar things about his favorite rival, Lord First. You know, Madara had to go bind the Nine-Tails and the two of them still could beat the first Hokage at the end."

"That just means being Lord First's rival in their youth was even more impressive! Besides I don't admire him for his judgment, just his battle skills." Mikoto huffed as she looked away, a slight red tint to her cheeks that she would forever deny. "My clan likes to pretend we are the strongest, but does that mean anything when nobody ever seems to want to surpass our legends? So many of us are mediocre at best, hiding away in the police force. You don't get stronger there, since outside of a war they don't get sent on missions very often."

Daichi paused for a moment while he took that in before a wide smile formed on his face, looking over at each of his teammates with a wide grin. Before he got the memories from his other self he would never consider what he was about to do. "So what you are saying is all three of us have big dreams? So how about we promise here and now to support each other through thick and thin?"

He held his hand out between the three of them, making a fist. Looking them both in the eye he dropped the grin for the moment and his normally more jovial or snarky tone, switching to something serious. "Look, I never really connected to anyone at the orphanage, I just always did my own thing. At the academy, I had a chip on my shoulder for the longest time and once I started to do something about it I never had time for others."

Daichi blushed in embarrassment but kept his gaze steady as he looked over the group. "I have never had friends before, and a team are people you are supposed to rely on. So how about it? Not just teammates but friends?"

After a long moment, Mikoto leaned forward and pressed her first against Daichi's, leaving enough room for Minato to complete the triangle between them. A bright smile flashed on her face as she looked between the boys. "I can live with that. Somebody is gonna have to keep you two fools alive. Might as well be me. If Sensei can go from a clanless orphan to one of the Sannin, so can you Daichi. Besides, if Minato wants to be Hokage he is gonna need good advisors. Right Minato?"

Minato had been locked in shock for several moments before shaking lightly. Reaching forward he completed the triangle with his own fist, unshed tears forming at the edges of his eyes. "Yes! I never had close connections back at the academy, too many people disliked being shown up by a younger kid who just had civilian parents. So yes we can be friends!"

Daichi smiled softly as he glanced between the other two. He felt some tension leave his shoulders that he never noticed he had. "Hell yes! Team Six on three then? Three!"

Mikoto rolled her eyes as she giggled. She seemed more at ease than Daichi had ever seen her and despite the scolding he knew was coming, he smiled from ear to ear. "Hey, watch your language! Two!"

Minato looked between his teammates and chuckled softly. The slight look of longing Daichi had seen on his face at the academy (at least not the one he had when he looked at Kushina) was gone. "I think you could let that one slide. One!"

Together as one, they tossed their arms into the sky. "TEAM SIX!"

—-

Jogging through the village about half an hour after the team split up Daichi couldn't help the smile that was tossed onto his face. The trio had spent a couple of hours just hanging out and talking, even going for a late lunch together at one of the ramen stands in the market section of the village. First day as a Ninja, I bonded with my new friends/teammates. Today has been perfect! As he neared the orphanage he let his mind wander a bit. I wonder if Jiraiya sensei will be more on the ball than Kakashi will be for his team seven? Heck maybe if I am lucky we can start on the tree-climbing exercise!

Turning the corner to get onto the street the orphanage was on, Daichi blinked in surprise. In front of the orphanage, there was a large chest just sitting out by the door that seemed very familiar. That's odd, I didn't hear anything about someone getting kicked out today. Finishing his run up to the building he slides to a stop and takes a second to stretch out his shoulders. Glancing at the chest again as he walks by he freezes and looks back at it. Wait a freaking second that's my chest!

Moving over to it he pops it open to see everything in the world that was his in the chest. That's so strange, I thought I had a year or two before I was out on my own. People who were not going to the academy were expected to start working by my age so they could afford to get their own place when they got kicked out.

A lady cleared her throat nearby and Daichi shot up in shock, coming face to face with the lady in charge of the orphanage. He never had any good memories of her as she mostly focused on the younger kids and once she labeled you as "one of the bad ones" all she wanted from you was to not make her trouble. Even his occasional helping out in the kitchen this past year hadn't gotten him off that list. "Hey Miss Fuyuko! What's going on here?"

The elderly Matron sighed as she looked down at the orphan without even bothering to hide her disdain. "Daichi, I heard you have become a Ninja now. Congratulations. Since you are now a Genin you are an adult in the eyes of the village. That means you can't stay here any longer. Your Sensei was supposed to let you know."

Seeing Daichi's horrified look she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Mhmm considering that fool boy is your sensei I am not surprised he forgot. I lost track of how many times we had to punish him for acting like a hoodlum when he stayed here. Regardless, you are your own child. Good day, and congratulations again."

Before he could even open his mouth the old lady marched back inside and slammed the door in his face. Blinking in surprise, Daichi looked around for a minute as he gritted his teeth in rage. This had to be Sesnei's idea of a prank! That rat bastard! "DAMN YOU SENSEI, I AM GONNA GET YOU BACK FOR THIS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

Hey how you guys doing, Steel here! Thank you so much for all the attention, I was expecting maybe a fraction of what the first chapter got. There won't be an author's note at the end of every chapter don't you worry, at most only at the ends of each arc. I just wanted to let you guys in on three things.

1. The schedule for CoF will be every two weeks going forward on Mondays. I am hoping that once I have enough of a backlog built on my Pokemon story I will be able to switch back and forth between them week to week. No set time of day sadly, as I am not sure what my schedule will be like in the future.

2. Shout out to Supersematic and Amoracchius, without whom I would have never gotten this off the ground. There have never been two finer Yankees for a Canuck like myself to bounce ideas off of in late-night discord calls. Hopefully, soon I will be writing an Author note to tell you guys about their own stories coming to life.

3. I am a proud member of a little writing group called the Fanfiction Treehouse! If you read Fire Emblem or Pokemon fanfiction it's likely (more with the former than the latter.) that you might have heard of us before, as that is what the majority of the fics coming out of here have been focused on. People of all kinds are welcome here, no matter the fandom. It's a safe place for everyone, no matter your race, gender or creed. Want some writing advice from people much smarter than I am? Here is where you get it. Or just want to be a part of a community that does its best to make everyone comfortable? We do that here too.

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Thank you for your time and please leave reviews, even if it's just telling me my work is dog water. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated, especially since this is my first fic. Have a good day and remember, be excellent to each other.