Far beyond the borders of Konoha, about two days of normal travel towards the northeast of the village, a lone figure lounged on the roof of a rural bathhouse, humming to himself. His sandals were kicked off, his feet swinging above a wooden railing, clearly in a very happy and very... stimulated mood. At the same time, he had a notebook in one hand, an ink brush in the other, mumbling to himself as he scribbled something that definitely wasn't... ready to be published, but it would be later, after a few reviews. Or multiple of them.
"Yeeees… yes, that's it…" He continued writing, "This is the perfect inspiration... 'Her kimono slid from her shoulder like mist off... hm...'"
Just then, a toad materialized in a puff of white smoke directly in his lap, not only breaking his illusion but also his thought process, ruining everything.
"GAH—!" Jiraiya lurched upright at once, his notebook flying out of his hands and off the roof, landing in the pool below, where the women finally saw the hidden man on the roof, beginning to scream and point at him, "Oi! Gerotora! I'm working!" He yelled, disappearing at once, hurriedly running away.
The toad didn't blink; of course, he was unbothered by being carried by Jiraiya. It was not his issue... As for the perverted Sannin, he was already far away from the bathhouse, easily escaping the wrath of the women and any local guards who may come and look for the strange, white-haired deviant.
"Message from the Hokage. It is urgent." Gerotora said, as matter-of-factly as possible.
"Urgent, huh?" Jiraiya's shoulders sagged at once, hearing who sent him... "Urgent urgent, or Sarutobi-sensei-just-wants-me-back-in-the-office urgent?"
As an answer, the toad burped a scroll into existence, coming out from its stomach, while Jiraiya caught it one-handed. Flipping it around, looking at it once, the seal was red, marking it as high-priority... So, something did happen.
"…Ah. That kind of urgent," he muttered, but the toad didn't wait and simply disappeared as his job was done.
Jiraiya, now left alone, stared at the scroll for a long moment, hanging from the top of a tree, looking a bit troubled. If he opened it... another mission will fall in his hands... no doubt about it. But he couldn't ignore it, could he? Since returning from Amagakure, leaving the three orphans, he didn't really know what to do. Should he teach? He asked himself that multiple times already, but... No... That was not really his forte. Should he try to find Tsunade? Once again, no... she disappeared, her heart not letting her remain in Konoha... Even if he found her, she wouldn't want to return. Too many memories, too much pain... And he understood her reasoning, not wanting to hurt her any more than she already was. Suddenly, right after everything they went through, when it was finally time for peace... everything felt like it had fallen apart, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
"Alright, old man. You win." He sighed as he threw his cloak over his shoulder, leapt from the tree, and vanished, while also opening the scroll to read what his old master wanted from him now... where will he send him now?
...
....
...
"Sensei!" The door to the Hokage's office slammed open as Jiraiya stormed in, "For the love of the Sage, can't you ever send me a pleasant summons? Like, Jiraiya, come home, we found a brewery that needs testing, or Jiraiya, we discovered a hot spring with unprecedented view angles, or..."
"Sit down," Hiruzen said, waving a hand, ignoring his tirade, already prepared for it ahead of time. No matter how many years had passed, Jiraiya was still the same, the same loud and brash little student he had once accepted. "Did you read my message?" The Hokage asked as he slid a stack of three folders across the desk, not even looking at him. Instead, he was reaching for his pipe once again.
"Yeah," His student nodded, looking at the folders with a suspicious look, while lowering himself into his chair, "And you're giving me homework? At my age?"
"You are not old at all," His master snorted, lifting his pipe to his lips, "These are their academy files, evaluations from instructors, and my ANBU reports. With a few personal observations that I made myself..."
"Hmph… ANBU? Since when do we have ANBU spying on academy brats?" Jiraiya asked, not really convinced that it should be him teaching three kids, and doing it so suddenly at that! But then again... he had just experienced the joy of it, and it wasn't a bad experience at all... but they were special. Their situation was special. Everything was... unordinary about those there... Compared to them? How impressive could these three be? How would they fare against someone who had the Rinnegan?!
"Since these three appeared," Hiruzen replied blandly while Jiraiya flipped open the first folder, "We had to pay close attention to them."
"Really...?" He muttered, beginning to take a look.
RENJIRO UCHIHA: Age 10. Taijutsu proficiency above genin level and genjutsu talents are developing abnormally fast. Sharingan: two tomoe already. Psychological evaluation shows him to be stable, highly observant, and uncommonly analytical for his age.
"Two tomoe… at nine?" Jiraiya let out a low whistle while reading it, "Fugaku must be losing his mind."
"He already intends to train him," Hiruzen nodded, "which we won't interfere with. A Sharingan's development needs a proper mentor."
"True," Jiraiya nodded, "So my main target should not be him, yes?"
"Just keep his mind focused on the whole village, not only his clan," The Hokage said between two puffs from his pipe, "And that others don't do something stupid."
"You still hadn't got rid of him yet...?" Jiraiya asked with a snort, having a guess who he meant... Yes... both of them knew who he meant, but Hiruzen refused to answer his blatant question. "Hmph... Let's see..." He reached for the second folder, opening it with a tinge of curiosity.
MINATO NAMIKAZE: Age 10. His speed is already chūnin level, and his tactical instinct is approaching a caliber above that. Chakra control is close to flawless, with remarkable potential and growth, along with his abnormal apprehension skills.
"You're underselling this one," Jiraiya muttered as he kept reading.
"Exactly why I want him under you," Hiruzen said simply, "Whatever is put on paper doesn't sound as grand as the Uchiha boy's Sharingan. Until you see it in action. You'll see..."
"I bet." Jiraiya nodded with a snort, reaching for the last document, "And who is this?"
KUSHINA UZUMAKI: Age 9.
The moment Jiraiya opened the folder, his hands stopped, while his mood shifted at once.
"Is this… a joke?"
"No," Hiruzen said quietly. "And yes, the transfer from Uzushiogakure is complete. She will be the next host... In a few years or so..."
"I see..." Jiraiya muttered as he stared at Kushina's file longer than the others, and while watching the image, she was smiling in the photo, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. At all... "…She looks lonely."
"She was... But now she is making friends," His master explained, a small smile appearing on his old face. "Two of the children in the other files have become close to her, solving that issue. That is why I don't want to break them up."
"And you want me to… what? Train them? Watch them? Babysit them?"
"Yes," The Hokage stated, sounding much more authoritative, just like when he was teaching Jiraiya all those years ago, "All of the above."
"And the real reason? Come on, old man. Don't dodge my questions."
"Protection..." He answered after a long pause, standing up from his chair, walking to the window, and looking out at the village. "Issues are brewing..."
"Again?" Jiraiya asked, his ears perking upwards, still skimming over the three documents. He was traveling a lot in the past years, and he couldn't really see that on the land or the people.... Or he just wasn't paying much attention to the little details, he couldn't really say.
"The Second Shinobi World War may have ended, but it didn't solve any of the grudges and issues. Those are still there, under the surface, swept under a rug that is slowly being dragged back, revealing them again." Hiruzen answered, shaking his head, "The war ended because it became unsustainable... Both financially and, simply, by losing too many people. It didn't end because there was a resolution, Jiraiya."
"I know..." He murmured, sinking into his chair, putting the documents down, and crossing his arms. As they just sat there, silent, he couldn't help but close his eyes, his face turning sour, the multiple battles, the deaths, all of that pain flashing through his mind's eye. "I was there."
"Some of the others are already making moves behind their borders." The Hokage said in a concerned tone, "I am afraid we simply paused the war, and there will be a moment when everything resurges once again."
"For what?" Jiraiya snorted, knowing that there was no good answer for his question. "Just to see who has the bigger sword?"
"For now, we are doing our best to keep the peace!" The Hokage sighed, shaking his head, dodging his student's question, "But that doesn't mean we won't be prodded, poked, and people won't be trying to start something. Mito-sama is getting old, and everyone knows it. Everyone knows that if something goes awry, Konoha could be destroyed by a rampaging Kyūbi." He explained, turning towards Jiraiya, "She is safe in the village, but the same can't be said of her heir."
"The girl..." Jiraiya muttered, looking at Kushina's folder.
"I had talks with Mito-sama, and although Danzō disagrees, I am the Hokage and not him."
"When is that bastard not in disagreement with you?" Jiraiya asked, snorting, making Hiruzen ignore his comment once again.
"Mito-sama told us that to be the Jinchūriki of that evil fox, you must have something that can fight back against that hate... or it will eat you from the inside. She didn't tell us exactly what Kushina needs; she said that when she is ready, she will talk with her personally. But she did tell us that the girl needs to make memories, friends, and experience life before hers will be changed forever. Those memories she will make will be one of the crutches she can lean on in the future."
"I now see what you want from me..." Jiraiya muttered, watching his old teacher, "I should babysit them, teach the Namikaze boy, and also guard the girl. Haaah... You know how to make someone work overtime!"
"You can do it, and if I send them with you to do some simple mission, not even the elders will have much to fuss about." Hiruzen explained, snorting to himself, "I agree with Mito-sama, and they need experience... Live a little. They deserve that."
"And with this, you also make sure Danzō can't interfere." Jiraiya smiled, but his master, once again, remained silent. "Sure, sure... I'll do it. You know I can't say no to you!"
"They will get their letters that we are advancing them through the Academy and giving them the rank of genin." Hiruzen nodded, "It should be done in a few days; until then, you get into your role of teacher and prepare for the meeting, and then guide the trio."
"So..." Jiraiya leaned back in his chair, tapping on the armrest, "Should I go buy two bells...?"
"It is up to you," Hiruzen answered, also sitting back down, "It will be your decision if you pass down the same test that I made you three to take or if you have something better in mind."