Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 66: Student Of Hokage
Jiraiya had been waiting on the roof of the academy building, his arms crossed as he stared out over the village. When he heard the footsteps approaching, he turned with a grin.
"You came faster than I thought," commented Jiraiya.
"We could've come even faster if you hadn't left us first, " replied Kushina with a smirk.
"Yeah," added Maruku, crossing her arms proudly.
Minato only smiled quietly, amused by the fiery energy of his new teammates.
"Alright, alright, sit down first," said Jiraiya, clapping his hands together as he scanned the area for a good spot. "Some of you might know me, but let me tell you something, you're lucky. Out of thousands of ninja, I'm the one who'll be your teacher."
"Huh? Why's that?" asked Maruku.
"Why? Because I'm a highly skilled shinobi of Konoha! I was chosen as a personal student of the Third Hokage himself right after I graduated," Jiraiya declared proudly, touching his nose in satisfaction.
Minato smiled faintly, but Kushina and Maruku burst into laughter.
"Really? I think Orochimaru way stronger. He's teaching the Hokage's grandchild, after all, dattebane," said Kushina teasingly.
"What?!" Jiraiya's face turned red. "Let me tell you something, the only reason Orochimaru got that job is because of Tsunade! I told her to stop gambling, and she got angry. Gambling is the worst habit a person can have!"
"So what's the connection between gambling and teaching?" asked Maruku innocently.
Jiraiya froze for a moment, then quickly tried to cover his lie. "Well, you see… I was supposed to be Nawaki teacher, but Tsunade didn't listen and gave him to Orochimaru instead."
Kushina made a face that clearly showed she didn't believe a word of it.
Seeing that, Jiraiya cleared his throat and quickly changed the topic. "Alright, enough about that. Let's introduce ourselves."
"Introduce?" asked Kushina.
"Yes. I'll go first," said Jiraiya. "My name is Jiraiya, and I'm a student of the Third Hokage. My hobby is researching, I like writing novels, I hate snakes, and my ambition is to bring peace to the world."
Maruku stood next. "My name is Uzumaki Maruku. My hobby is training, I like playing with Kushina, and I hate hypocrites." He gave Minato a side glance, making it very clear who he meant. "My ambition is for my clan to prosper."
Kushina grinned and followed. "I'm Uzumaki Kushina! My hobby is eating ramen and playing with Maruku. I like spicy food and winning, and I hate people who make fun of my hair. My dream is to become someone strong enough to protect everyone I care about!"
Minato eyes lit up because before this Kushina told the people in the class that her dream is to become the first female Hokage.
When it was Minato turn, he stood up calmly, his smile soft but confident. "My name is Namikaze Minato. My hobby is studying seals and reading scrolls. I like peace and good food, and I dislike unnecessary conflict. My ambition…" He paused, his eyes turning toward the sky. "…is to become the most respectable Hokage"
For a moment, even Kushina went silent.
Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "Not bad. Seems like I got myself a promising team."
"So for the first lesson, let's go the training ground we will do an exam," said Jiraiya before his figure vanished.
The 3 of them was surprised because they are many training ground and Jiraiya just left them without telling which training ground.
Suddenly Jiraiya returned, "Go to training ground 8," and he vanished once more.
---The Bell Test---
The sun hung lazily in the afternoon sky when Jiraiya finally arrived. He was waiting Minato, Kushina and Maruku to arrive at this place. Luckily they are no people here so they can go wild in fighting.
After 5 minutes they finally arived at Training Ground 8.
Kushina stretched her arms, yawning lightly. "I thought we're done for today after the introductions, sensei. Why are we here again?"
Jiraiya chuckled, resting his hands on his hips. "Oh, did you think becoming a ninja ends with an introduction? No, no, my dear students. That was just the prologue."
Maruku sighed, already sensing trouble. "Here we go again. What kind of 'training' do you have in mind, sensei?"
Instead of answering, Jiraiya reached into his pouch and pulled out two small silver bells tied together with a string. The bells jingled softly in the hands of Jiraiya.
"Your task," he said with a teasing grin, "is to take these bells from me before sunset. Anyone who fails… will be sent back to the academy."
Kushina eyes widened. "Eh? But there are only two bells!"
"Exactly," said Jiraiya. "That means one of you will fail no matter what. You'll have to fight seriously if you want to stay."
Maruku folded her arms, suspicious. "This test sounds unfair."
"Life's unfair, my cute student," Jiraiya replied with a grin. "Now, let's begin."
Minato didn't speak. His sharp blue eyes were already studying Jiraiya posture, analyzing his movement, and predicting his reactions. Meanwhile, Kushina fiery personality flared up instantly.
"Fine! I'll show you what an Uzumaki can do!" she shouted, rushing forward without hesitation.
Jiraiya barely moved, dodging her attack effortlessly before flicking her forehead. "Too slow," he teased.
Maruku quickly followed with a set of kunai wrapped in chakra, attempting to restrict Jiraiya's movement. But the man body twisted fluidly, and he vanished into the trees.
"Not bad," his voice echoed from somewhere unseen. "But you'll need teamwork if you want to stand a chance."
Minato crouched beside the two girls, his tone calm. "We can't win separately. He's testing us I believe he mentioned two so we will fight each other but the real exam is team work."
Kushina frowned, then looking at Jiraiya. "Alright, blondie, I will trust you but promise me if what you said is false, both of bell would be on our hands"
Maruku smirked. "Yes blondie, can you promise us?."
Minato was shocked, before nodded. "You can take my bell if I am wrong."
Kushina was surprised hearing his answer.
Hidden among the trees, Jiraiya smiled faintly looking they just started to discuss with each other.
The real test had begun.
Author Notes: To read advanced chapter you can go to my patreon.
Chapter 94: Awaken Sharingan
Chapter 95: Teaching
Chapter 96: 18 Years Old
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