The Third Hokage appointing his three disciples as their rotating Jonin leaders was a move Kyuushin hadn't expected. According to his estimations, it would have been acceptable for any of the three, given their status and strength, to have an experienced Jonin from the village as their team leader. Konoha had many, such as Sakumo Hatake, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and Dan Kato.
However, there was one problem with these Jonin: they were not part of the Hokage's direct lineage. While they could serve as team leaders, they couldn't guarantee the maximum level of safety for the three of them. This safety didn't mean they would be coddled; no matter how much the Third Hokage valued them, he still viewed them as ninja with high potential. But in a critical scenario, where one of them might have to be sacrificed for the mission, another Jonin might choose to abandon one for their own considerations. If it were one of his own three disciples, however, they might make a different choice, protecting all three if the mission wasn't critically important. This was the crucial difference.
The team leader was also called 'sensei,' but in most cases, the relationship was that of a superior and subordinate. It was normal for a superior to sacrifice subordinates during a mission. To avoid such a situation, the Third Hokage simply decided not to let other ninja lead them. And since his three disciples were already important combat assets for the village, they couldn't constantly follow the genin on low-level missions. Thus, the best solution was for whoever was available to lead them. At this stage, Jiraiya was the only choice.
Jiraiya led them across half the village before stopping on top of a building. He turned to look at the three genin, who showed no signs of strain, and smiled. "Not bad. You can still keep up with my speed."
Upon hearing this, Nawaki snorted dismissively. "Who are you looking down on? Even if you doubled your speed, it would still be easy, alright?"
"You brat, you need to remember to call me 'sensei' now, understand?" Jiraiya said, exasperated.
Jiraiya leaned against a nearby wall. "Although I have some understanding of you, we still need to go through the proper procedures. Let's do some self-introductions. I'll go first. My name is Jiraiya, a Konoha Jonin, twenty-three years old. I'm proficient in various elemental ninjutsu and summoning jutsu. My hobbies are gathering inspiration and writing novels. As for what I dislike, for now, it's war. My dream is to change the ninja world. Now it's your turn."
The three looked at each other, and Minato started. "My name is Minato Namikaze, a Konoha genin, nine years old. I'm skilled in shurikenjutsu and taijutsu. My hobbies are training and reading. I don't have anything I dislike for now. My dream is to become a ninja everyone can rely on, and to become Hokage."
Next was Nawaki. "My name is Nawaki, a Konoha genin, eleven years old. I'm skilled in taijutsu and currently learning Water Release. My hobby is being with my family. I dislike my sister's nagging. My dream, like Minato's, is also to become Hokage."
"So you all want to become Hokage? That's quite a common dream," Jiraiya murmured.
Finally, it was Kyuushin's turn. "My name is Kyuushin Uzumaki, a Konoha genin, nine years old. I'm skilled in taijutsu, sealing jutsu, and some general ninjutsu. My hobbies are studying and training. I don't have anything I dislike for now. My dream, like yours, Sensei, is also to change the ninja world."
Jiraiya looked at Kyuushin with a hint of surprise, not expecting his dream to be the same as his own, but he didn't say anything.
Instead, he said to them, "From now on, call me Jiraiya-sensei. Although I may not lead you for long, as long as I do, I will teach you everything I can. For now, the most important thing for you is to learn techniques and accumulate mission experience. Do you all know your chakra natures?"
"I have Water and Earth," Nawaki said.
"I have Wind and Water," Kyuushin added.
"Um... I don't know yet," Minato said, a little embarrassed.
"It's okay, I've already prepared some. Take it and try," Jiraiya said, pulling out a piece of chakra paper for Minato. The paper split in two.
"It's Wind Release, which is also very good. Terrifyingly destructive at close to medium range," Jiraiya said, then added, "What a pity, none of you have my most proficient Fire Release. But it doesn't matter, I know all of your elements. Your elements are concentrated in Wind, Water, and Earth. Fortunately, I was prepared. I'll give each of you a ninjutsu as a welcoming gift."
Saying this, he took out three scrolls from his pouch and handed them over. "For Minato, it's Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm. For Nawaki, it's Earth Release: Earth Rock Split. For Kyuushin, it's Water Release: Water Bullet. They are all C-rank ninjutsu, the highest level you can learn before mastering nature transformation."
"Thank you, Sensei," the three said as they took the scrolls.
"However, although you are now my disciples, I don't yet know your true strength. So, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, at Training Ground Three, we will have a survival exercise. Remember to eat a hearty breakfast." He looked at the sky. "It's getting late, so let's call it a day. To celebrate forming our team, I'll treat you to barbecue."
"Yay!" Nawaki cheered.
After returning home that night, Kyuushin took out all the ninjutsu scrolls he had acquired. Mito had given him three, plus the one from Jiraiya, making a total of four Water Release ninjutsu. He had already looked at the three from Mito; they were C-rank jutsu that also contained notes by Tobirama Senju. For Kyuushin, these notes were incredibly valuable, ensuring that a beginner like him wouldn't be clueless when learning. Tonight, he planned to officially try them out, preparing for tomorrow's survival exercise.