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Chapter Text

Prologue

Kusagakure battlefront

She desperately suppressed her chakra as the Iwagakure forces dwindled rapidly all around her. The Yellow Flash was proving exactly why he received his moniker. They had stupidly thought victory was assured. Iwa outnumbered Konoha three to one, of course there was no way those losers would ever win! Hah! What a load of shit! Namikaze had carved a bloody path through her team and every other team around her even before she finished gathering her chakra to heal them! Her squad captain lay dead in a pool of his own blood, his throat slit in a perfect slash. Her squad mates had been cut down even before they could draw their damn kunai. Each kill fast, clean and methodical. She would have applauded the ruthless efficiency if it wasn't her comrades lying dead at her feet, their wounds too fatal for any healing jutsu. Shame at her own cowardice gnawed at her even as she had done the only thing she could then, hide herself among the dead bodies of her team to escape the man's notice. Tears came to her eyes, unbidden, as the carnage unfolded in front of her. She had only just gotten her chunin promotion. Damn it, for once in her life she had been so proud! And for what? To die in a foreign village at the hands of this Konoha devil, another dead among many? How the hell did she end up here? Where had it all gone wrong? 'Why is this happening? Please! I don't want to die like this. Help me! Please!'

She didn't know how long she was hiding when a voice jolted her out of her morbid thoughts. "You can stop hiding now. It's over." 'What?' She slowly looked up, horrified, as her worst nightmare had come true. She hadn't even sensed him! 'No...No way. No. No. No. No. No!' The Yellow Flash. The Yellow Flash was staring at her. "Y-Y-You are the Yellow Flash. Oh shit! Please don't kill me. Please. Please!" He didn't seem to hear her as he continued to look at her like she was a particularly interesting specimen but otherwise made no move. She had no doubt that she was at his mercy. She stayed still with baited breath as another thought assaulted her mind right then. 'Why isn't he killing me? Is it to capture me? Will I be tortured for information?' She hoped not. It would be a fate worse than death. She was a proud Iwa kunoichi but she knew her village would never negotiate for her release. She would be at the complete mercy of Konoha. There was no way she would let that happen. She would kill herself if that was the only way. She would!

"You are free to go."

"What?"

"I said you are free to go. I have no interest in killing you and capturing you would not be beneficial right now." He abruptly stood up from where he was crouching and dusted his clothes without a care in the world. He didn't even deign to draw a weapon. Was she that harmless? Surely not? Not that she was stupid enough to find out. She would be lucky if she survived this encounter with the man. She kept her guard up even at his casual bearing. It could be his ploy to catch her unaware. But he didn't even glance at her before walking away. Though midway in his stride he paused, rummaged in his pouch and then threw something at her. She frantically drew a kunai and braced for an oncoming attack but they were just field rations. "For the journey back home. It will be risky to hunt and forage alone. And I would suggest that you don't talk of our meeting to your higher ups. Your village might take offense to our little chat. Goodbye then, hopefully we never meet again."

She watched him flash away with his signature jutsu and sagged in relief. She took the rations without giving it much thought. Besides, she was severely outclassed here and he could have killed her anytime he wanted. Poisoning his own rations to kill an Iwa upstart didn't seem to be his style anyway. He might have just acted out of some misguided kindness. She chuckled humorlessly at that. Kind! Suuure! She was really calling the man who killed so many of them, kind. After this stunt, he has probably made himself Iwa's number one enemy. She stood up and tiredly trudged on towards the closest Iwa outpost as she bit into a ration bar.

The implications of their defeat in this battle was immense. Iwa had lost some of its most promising shinobi because of the Yellow Flash. He had managed to deal a decisive blow to the Tsuchikage all by himself. How many children did he orphan? How many partners did he murder? How many sons and daughters did he kill? But she couldn't deny that he spared her life when he didn't need to, gave her rations and also cautioned her about revealing the details of their decidedly impromptu encounter. Why spare her? Why help her? What did he gain from this? He didn't mark her with his blasted technique. She was sure. He didn't even touch her. Not once. She had also checked the rations for his mark but found none. Then why? She stopped to a halt as the notion hit her like a ton of bricks. Huh! A bloody messenger! She was the thrice damned messenger of his spoils in this….this battl-no-not battle, a bloodbath. A lone survivor, and she was because she had checked, of the destruction that happened here. A cautionary tale of his battle prowess to all the villages who dare go against Konoha. But what did he want with this? Who was he? A devoted but ruthless soldier of Konoha or an ambitious man trying to gain power using the war as his chance? This stunt would most certainly earn him praise in Konoha, maybe even make him a Kage. The reverence of his village and the notoriety of Konoha's rivals, in one stroke he has achieved both. She felt a chill go down her spine at her sudden unwilling involvement in his devious schemes. Yeah. She had enough adventure to last a lifetime. She would register at the hospital in her village and serve there safely within the village gates. Fuck being a field medic! She would not have another run in with the man if she could help it.

Minato blinked a few times to assimilate the clone's memories as he leaped towards another tree. An encounter with an Iwa kunoichi. Interesting. She didn't look to be older than fourteen. Just like Rin, his mind supplied. Iwa was really desperate to win if they are deploying young shinobi like her to the frontlines. Though she looked relatively unharmed and was pretty good at suppressing her chakra. Possibly a medic then. A good one at that. He had missed her in the heat of the battle. His clone had only found her by accident. Though his clone couldn't bring itself to finish the job, her desperate plea and following that her complete resignation to her fate had stayed its hand. It would have definitely been barbaric to kill her anyway after the battle was over. Konoha has won this skirmish. What could a green kunoichi from Iwa like her do at that point? Though he knew if the situation was reversed, no Iwa shinobi would hesitate to kill one of Konoha's. Such was the brutal truth of their lives. But none of that mattered anymore. He had secured a crucial victory for Konoha against overwhelming odds. This could end the war earlier than otherwise possible and would also gain him serious consideration for the Hokage position. More importantly, Iwa would learn of the utter annihilation of their forces here by a single jonin from that kunoichi, further worsening the morale of their shinobi. 'Hmm. Perhaps letting her go had been for the best.' Once he safely secured team seven and the Kannabi bridge mission, he would consider this entire venture a success and they could finally go home. He was tired of living in this wilderness.

Any other thoughts bled away from his mind as he sensed his hiraishin mark activate from the kunai he had given Kakashi. He paused long enough to let his squad know he was going to his team before he found himself face to face with a group of Iwa shinobi. They became cautious on his arrival but otherwise did not make any move. It would be ideal if they did not fight. He was not at his best right now. But judging by their stance that doesn't seem to be a possibility. He quickly took stock of the situation while readying his kunai. Kakashi was injured. Rin looked exhausted. No sign of Obito. But there was no more time to think as he parried the first strike dangerously close to his throat and stabbed his kunai into the man's eye. His eyes grew focused as he swiftly engaged in another deadly battle of that day.

Kakashi was on his last legs. The implanted sharingan was depleting his chakra reserves at an alarming rate and he was slowly losing consciousness. 'Sensei, I'm sorry. I don't deserve to be a jonin.' The last thing he saw before he collapsed was a flailing Iwa shinobi, sensei's kunai embedded in his right eye.

Chapter Text

Classroom 3, Konoha Academy

Minato tuned out the useless revision lecture as he reflected on his spar with Hizashi Hyuga. He had lost the bout even after devoting countless hours to perfect his katas. How could he ever get promoted, let alone become Hokage if he could not even win a spar? This reminded of his first day, when, during introductions, the chunin instructor had immediately lost interest in him after hearing his name. The man had probably deduced that he was a clan less orphan and therefore concluded that he would not amount to much. The instructor had then smiled at him like he was indulging a particularly naive child but Minato had seen the clear apathy in his eyes. It had stung his pride to be thought of as mediocre even before he had begun his shinobi training and as such was a bit touchy about his treatment but the truth was that he did not receive any formal training before joining the academy. Nor did he have any family jutsu to rely on. In fact, the main reason why he never advanced in taijutsu beyond a certain level was because he kept getting beaten by clan kids with better taijutsu. As if he could ever beat a Hyuga with academy katas no matter how many times he practiced it. The idea itself was laughable.

He grew more dejected as the class day progressed. The academy has already served its purpose in his life and at the moment, it is turning out to be a complete waste of time. He could graduate this year if he wanted to. But in his heart he knew he was not good enough yet. One unlucky run in with an enemy shinobi and he would die. He needed to become faster, needed some ninjutsu and some taijutsu beyond the academy basics. "-nato, Minato, Mi-na-to." His instructor had an irritated look on his face. "Yes, sensei?" "Well, what's the answer?" Minato cocked his head in confusion. This seemed to annoy the man even more. "Have you listened to a single word this entire lecture? Name the five great shinobi villages." Minato nodded and answered, "They are Konoha, Suna, Kiri, Iwa and Kumo." "Yes, well, pay attention in class." 'What a waste!' He mentally rolled his eyes but quickly apologized for his inattentiveness. It wouldn't do to ruin his image of a polite and hardworking student before graduation. No need to hurt his chances with team placements. The man seemed to be placated and resumed his lecture.

Konoha Orphanage

Minato hated the dreary look of the orphanage with its plain walls and cramped spaces. Dinner as usual was a hectic affair with all the kids eating and then doing their nightly routine. Every kid at the orphanage were to mandatorily contribute to its upkeep in the form of chores. He had gotten around this pointless rule by having another boy do his part in exchange for regular sweet treats. He knew it was underhanded but he had learnt early on in life that only fools work for free. While he gave some finishing touches to his homework, his thoughts turned to the graduation exam. An early graduation would be his ticket out of this place as he would be issued a subsidized rented apartment that the village provided for orphaned shinobi but he didn't want to make a hasty decision.

The exam was still months away. He knew he would do well in the theory test and target hitting. He beat out all the students in his class in taijutsu except Hizashi Hyuga, Hiashi Hyuga, Gaku Inuzuka and Chouza Akimichi. It was a small mercy that there was no Uchiha in his class to worsen his ranking. His genjutsu detection and release was decent along with the three academy jutsu. The endurance training obstacle course would also be doable. He could learn some ninjutsu besides the Henge, Transformation and the Clone jutsu for extra credit. As he was now, he could graduate though graduating and being field ready was not the same. If he was especially unlucky, he might end up with a jonin sensei who had no qualms about sacrificing an orphan on the field in a dire situation. But before all that he needed to know about the ins and outs of graduation and the registration process. He would consult Satoshi tomorrow. Being a genin, his friend would no doubt have some information on the exam and team placements.

The next day-Forest clearing behind Konoha Orphanage

Minato went through his taijutsu katas as he waited for Satoshi to begin their training session. "Hiya, Minato. You ready?" Minato saw his friend enter the clearing with some dango. "Morning, Satoshi-san, you didn't have to bring dango."

"It's fine. I just got paid for the D-rank missions we've been doing. So help yourself."

Minato grabbed a dango stick and began to eat. "So, what do you do in D-rank missions?" Satoshi gave him a mischievous smile and said, "Well, you know, weeding gardens, walking dogs, babysitting kids, painting the fence and so on."

He laughed at Minato's horrified expression. "What? But that's no better than the stupid chores at the orphanage! Why are genins doing them? Aren't they shinobi?"
"Well, you do get paid if you complete them and my sensei said that they train you for future infiltration missions. 'Sides, you gotta start somewhere."

Minato thought over this new information as he finished his food. "What about training? How does your jonin sensei train your team?"

Satoshi shrugged as he answered, "I haven't really learned any new technique but we've been practicin' advanced chakra control like tree walkin'. I don't have 'nough chakra reserves for ninjutsu. So I'm leanin' towards genjutsu and a weapon like a katana or a tanto. But it'll be very difficult to find a teacher for that."

Minato understood what Satoshi was implying. It would indeed be difficult to find a teacher who would be willing to teach an outsider their techniques. Special techniques were closely guarded secrets in ninja villages. Without proper backing, it was impossible to even get access to them let alone learn and practice them.

"What if your jonin sensei recommends you? Or if he taught you his techniques?"

Satoshi sighed, "Believe me, I thought of that. But I've got a feeling that he wasn't all that interested in a genin team. And he can't teach me his techniques 'cause he's an Akimichi. Both of my teammates are from clans, one's a Hyuga and the other's a Yamanaka. So they have their own jutsus. Honestly, I'm the only one on my team without any special techniques."

Minato saw the morose look on his friend and proposed a spar to cheer him up. They got into positions and started exchanging blows and soon he lost himself in the steady rhythm of a taijutsu spar. After a while, both of them sat down for a quick breather.

"So, Minato, gettin' bored of the academy yet?" Minato scoffed. "Oh yes. I was thinking of graduating early. I know enough to pass the exam but I am not too sure."
"Yeah. It'd be better if you could learn some new jutsus besides the academy ones before you graduate."

"Hmmm. It's tough. My orphan stipend for shinobi expenses barely covers the kunai and shuriken for training. It was so hard to buy a decent jacket for school to looklesspoor. I could use the money even if I would hate doing D-ranks."

Satoshi seemed to think over his answer before he finally said, "In case you graduate early, you wouldn't know your teammates. And since they'd be older than you they might not treat you well. If you can become the rookie of the year, you'll be on a team with the second best student in your class and the dead last. So your jonin sensei might focus on you more as you'd be the best on the team, atleast on paper. But it's ideal if you get a jonin who's an expert in ninjutsu and someone you could apprentice yourself to like Sakumo Hatake or the Sannin."

Minato couldn't help but snort at that. "Aren't they a bit too elite for green genin? Why would they want to be stuck with some brats?"

"Nah. Jiraiya of the Sannin even took up a team from our class. But they failed his exam and went back to the academy."

"Jonins give exam to the genins?" This was news to Minato. That means not all students who pass actually become genin. He had seen some older students but had assumed they had failed the academy graduation exam.

Satoshi laughed, "Whoops! You weren't s'pposed to know. But yeah, you've to pass your jonin sensei's test to become genin. That's the actual graduation test. No one tells academy graduates 'bout the second test though."

Interesting. Today's training session had been really productive. They decided to spar some more and call it a day.

Minato lay awake that night mulling over the possibilities. So, Jiraiya of the Sannin was interested in taking a genin team. Would he try again this year? If he could get himself on the Sannin's team, he could learn under the man and maybe even become his apprentice. He would have to find out more but early graduation was out now. He would graduate with his class and try to get selected by a strong jonin. With that thought, he finally succumbed to sleep.

Chapter Text

Konoha Library

Kushina saw the blond kid Minato from her class writing furiously on his notebook at the corner most desk of the library. To be honest she didn't really understand why all the teachers liked him. He was just a wimpy kid who would sometimes watch her fight it out but who never actually helped her when the other kids teased her. Not that she needed help. She can take care of herself.

She paid him no mind and busied herself with her mission. Mito-sama has instructed her to find historical records of Uzumaki fuinjutsu available in the library. She was promised a special sealing lesson with Mito-sama today for doing this- the only way someone could make her read through so many boring history books. But after several hours of looking, she found very little information which surprised her. She had thought that Konoha and Uzushio were allies. Her clansmen had even told her before she left that it was an honor to be chosen as Mito-sama's successor for her burden. Then why does the Konoha Library have so little knowledge about Uzumaki fuinjutsu? She was slowly realizing that it was another of those cryptic tests the woman gave Kushina to make her realize something. Not for the first time, she wondered about Konoha's action or rather inaction during the destruction of Uzushio. She had been devastated by the news and later when her anger had run its course and only grief remained, a small treacherous part of her wondered whether Konoha had just allowed foreign shinobi to ravage her home. But she was a Konoha citizen now and asking such questions was akin to treason. Her good mood now thoroughly ruined, she hastily put back the books to go home.

Training ground 13

Minato started his stretches to warm up before another grueling training session. Out of all the exercises, tree walking would be his best bet to try at his current level. According to the chakra theory scroll he has been reading, good chakra control lent to good foundation for future techniques.

But today he would be attempting something else.

The Body Flicker.

He had seen a jonin perform the technique and had asked his academy instructor for an explanation.

A simple tiger seal to gather chakra throughout his body and then move in any direction he could see clearly, longer the distance, more of his chakra needed. Seems simple enough.

Minato concentrated hard on making his chakra circulate throughout his body and then moved forward...only to crash face first into the ground. 'Ugh. My face!' He quickly got up and looked around to make sure no one saw his embarrassing fall. "Right, uneven chakra circulation. Too little chakra to my legs." He concentrated again. This time he fell flat on his back. "Ugh, too much chakra to my legs." Looks like this won't be as easy as he had thought. He was just happy that this training ground was an empty field and somewhat secluded. The last thing he needed was to crash into a tree. He got up and started gathering chakra. It was going to be a long day.

A few paces away, Kushina giggled quietly when the blond fell face first into the dirt. She had been curious and had followed him to this training ground instead of going home from the library when she saw him leave. He seemed to be practicing some technique and failing but she was enjoying this. It might be even better than the silly pranks she liked to play.

She quickly hid herself when he was looking around and continued watching. She almost laughed out loud when he was flung into a bush and was struggling to get his leg free. 'Heh! What a pansy boy!'

Kushina stayed there watching for a long time as the boy kept trying to master the jutsu. 'Gotta give it to him, he doesn't give up.' Finally, he collapsed on the ground, heaving tiredly and Kushina took the cue to leave the clearing for her own training session.

Uzumaki Residence

Toshiro couldn't believe the Uzumaki girl. She had kept Lady Mito waiting in the dojo and had the sheer gall to just sheepishly apologize as if it wasn't a big deal. She was the wife of the Shodaime Hokage for Kami's sake! And Mito-Sama always humored her. Ugh. She was such a brat, pranking the guards and causing mayhem. Whatever. It wasn't his job to teach the girl her manners. He was even more irritated when the girl smirked at him over her shoulders and was thankful to finally leave the dojo at Mito-sama's silent command to stand vigil outside.

Kushina mentally gave herself a pat for irritating Mito-sama's guard. He was so uptight and often got on her nerves. She was perfectly capable of acting like a lady when the situation called for it but she wasn't some damsel in distress, thank you very much.

"So, did you finish the assignment I gave you?"

"Yes, Mito-sama, but I have to say there wasn't much in the library about Uzumaki fuinjutsu."

"Hmmm. I expected as much."

Kushina didn't understand how Mito-sama knew that. "But shouldn't there be some records of fuinjutsu? Uzumaki variety or not. I found nothing! We were Konoha's allies! They should have honoured Uzushio, instead they have wiped all records of the Uzumaki clan and fuinjutsu. It's as if the art itself doesn't exist. You have told me that all villages use fuinjutsu to create a jinchuriki. Then how is it possible that there are not even basic scrolls on this subject?"

Mito looked at the bright and curious child in front of her. She didn't deserve her adoration. In a few short months, she was going to burden the poor girl with the Kyuubi and forever seal her fate. The least she could do was prepare her for the harsh life ahead. "Kushina, you have done well. And yes, information about Uzumaki fuinjutsu, rather any fuinjutsu has been suppressed from the public, possibly to protect critical details from being leaked out. Fuinjutsu is more dangerous than all the other shinobi arts. One mistake can have catastrophic results."

"But still! That is unfair. At this rate, people will forget our clan, ya know!"

Mito smiled at the verbal tic but soon grew sombre. "Become a strong kunoichi to honour our clan and people will never forget them. However, I must address a reckless mistake in your words. You said that we were Konoha's allies. That kind of talk will not be accepted in Konoha, child. You are soon to become a kunoichi of this village. Referring to yourself as an Uzushiogakure citizen will possibly invite scorn and mistrust. It pains me to say this but the Uzumaki clan is gone. Our home is gone. If you want to find happiness, make Konoha your home and find someone to fall in love with. Once you become a jinchuriki, love is the only way to keep the Kyuubi's hatred at bay."

Kushina grew sad at hearing those words. She found it hard to believe that the time for the sealing was so near. Maybe it was all the more reason to finally voice her misgivings? She hesitated but asked the dreaded question that had been bothering her for a long time.

"Mito-sama, do you think Konoha let it happen? That they didn't help because they were afraid of our sealing prowess like the other villages that attacked Uzushio?"

Mito kept silent at the query. She had her doubts of course and had heard rumors that the clan was dabbling in Fuinjutsu of questionable nature which was apparently reason enough to drive a clan to the brink of extinction. So there was some truth to Kushina's suspicion. Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a shrewd man and it was entirely possible that he simply chose inaction to protect his own shinobi and prevent Uzushio from ever becoming a threat to Konoha. After all, the vessel for the Kyuubi had already been secured and once Kushina became a Konoha kunoichi, she would be fully bound to this village, her sealing knowledge and by extension Uzushio sealing knowledge would be at Konoha's disposal. Her offspring would supply the village with another vessel if or rather when the need arose.

It really was a travesty, the way they were straying further and further from Hashirama's ideals. Her husband would have never condoned tearing away a little girl from her home to be made into a weapon.

"Mito-sama?"

"There is no way to know child. Shinobi affairs rarely play out in the open and I doubt anyone would ever find evidence to prove or disprove it. So it's best to try and lead a fulfilling life. Now, let us begin. I did promise you an interesting lesson." Kushina nodded her head and picked up her brush with a steady hand to focus on the Fuinjutsu array in front of her.

Chapter Text

A month later

First floor, Konoha Academy

Minato quietly tiptoed towards the filing room making sure to turn off his flashlight in the dark corridor. He quickly unlocked the door with the key he snagged from the staff room and sighed in relief as the door slid open. He hadn't wanted to pick the lock to this room. It was too risky and would have left unnecessary evidence. But step one was a success. Now moving on to step two. He switched on the flashlight and started looking for the graduation files of the previous years.

"Ugh. So much dust! Does no one clean this mess?"

He sorted through the shelves before he finally found it. "Hmm, should be around here somewhere. Ah! There it is." He sat down with the file and his flashlight at a corner away from the door and started reading. "Let's see. Team 4. Yuichi Kagari, Kenma and Shimizu Hanami. Under Jonin Jiraiya. Fail. No display of teamwork by members in the test and sent back to the academy."

'Hmm. So you have to work as a team to pass his test. Satoshi-san's information was right after all. What about the other jonins? What kind of test did they give?' Minato spent some time reading the other reports and came to the conclusion that all tests were centred on the idea of teamwork. It was not really his strength to be honest as he preferred to work alone. But he would have to cooperate with his teammates if he wanted to become a genin. Konoha was all about grand displays of teamwork and all that.

'Hmmm. Now, what else should I check? Can't let this chance go to waste! Oh! Yes, that should do!' He quickly stood up and retrieved the file for his own year. Barely containing his excitement, he rushed through the pages to his own report. "Minato Namikaze. Instructor report. A student of prodigious talent, he is a kind and helpful boy with outstanding test scores all through the years. He desires to become Hokage…blablabla…excellent in target practice and genjutsu detection with high endurance and stamina. Above average taijutsu. Perfect control of academy ninjutsu." He wouldn't say his academy ninjutsu was perfect. He wasn't able to do them without hand seals yet. "The student maintains cordial relations with all his classmates but lacks any close friends from his class." An aloof prodigy. That's what his teachers thought of him. Oh well. At least he interacted regularly with some of the clan heirs in his class even though it was due to his own self-interest. Doesn't hurt to have friends in high places.

'Now let's take a look at some other reports.' He quickly read through the reports of the clan children. The instructor reports mostly matched what he had gathered about his classmates and in some cases were even lacking in crucial details, specifically that of Shikaku and Inoichi. He was of the opinion that they were far more capable than the instructors gave them credit for.

'Whose files should I look through next?' It was still night and he had a few more hours to gather useful intel. 'The Sannin? Yeah, that should be interesting.' He walked towards the back shelves and carefully picked out some older files. After a little bit of searching, he found the necessary records. 'These pages are about to fall off any moment.' He'll have to be very careful to not damage them in any way while reading.

"Tsunade Senju. Extraordinary chakra control. Above average in ninjutsu and taijutsu. Hot tempered and impulsive, prone to physically violent outbursts, especially against classmate Jiraiya. Orochimaru. Excellent in ninjutsu and taijutsu, highly ambitious. He desires to be Hokage. Has antisocial tendencies, prideful and somewhat conceited. Jiraiya. Average in taijutsu. Below average in ninjutsu and genjutsu. Unserious about training, he lacks proper work ethic and fools around during lessons. He also makes brash comments towards people which could cause trouble with clients in future missions." Whoa! He couldn't believe it. Jiraiya. The Jiraiya. Of the Sannin. War hero, shinobi extraordinaire, he was actually a really weak student and a brat to boot. And Tsunade was overly violent and grumpy. Right. He definitely lost some respect for them after learning these details. At least Orochimaru seems normal. He was also a contender for the Hokage position just like Minato. He hoped he would never find out about any weird inclinations of the only sane member of the Sannin.

It was almost dawn when his self-assigned mission was finally nearing its end. Minato quietly placed all the files back on the shelves and locked the filing room. For the third step of his mission, he silently made his way to the academy staff room and placed the filing room key in the designated drawer after thoroughly cleaning it of any dirt or fingerprints. He quickly shut the room and proceeded to the student bathrooms to crawl out of the window keeping a close eye on any suspicious movement around. The staff room was unlocked as he only knew how to pick a lock but not how to lock it again. But nothing could be done about that now. He just hoped no one looked too closely tomorrow. He finally walked along the wall and reached the ground before taking off in a mad dash away from the academy.

He kept running towards the orphanage, never stopping, and collapsed in a tired heap in the clearing where he usually trains, his breath coming out in pants and blond hair sticking to his sweaty face. "I did it! Yatta, I did it! Learning tree walking really came in handy!" He finally sat up and breathed in the crisp morning air and took off his jacket to cool down. He had to get ready for the academy but he really wanted to bask in his victory for a bit longer. The information he found was extremely valuable. Granted, any real psychological analysis would never be kept in the academy of all places but he was sure what he learned today would help him greatly in future.

Classroom 3, Konoha Academy

"Alright. Dismissed. As you already know, there are no more classes today to celebrate the lantern festival in Konoha. You can leave now. Please enjoy yourself in the evening festivities." Minato walked out of the classroom in a leisurely pace towards the academy gates. Thankfully, his adventure at night has remained undiscovered by everyone. He had intentionally set up his plans today to take advantage of the half school day and right now, he really needed some sleep after staying awake for more than twenty four hours. He couldn't wait to get some shut eye after a gruelling day. And night.

Konoha Shopping District

Minato looked around for Shikaku near a food stall to find him at a tanabata handicrafts stall on the opposite end. He bought some yakitori and started walking to meet up with them.

"Oye, Minato! Come on. Let's look at some game shops."

"Shikaku, Inoichi! Here, have some yakitori."

Inoichi didn't need to be told twice as he quickly grabbed a stick and started eating. "Mmmm. So good. Where'd you buy them, Minato?"

"That shop up there, they are delicious!"

Shikaku shook his head at Inoichi, "Seriously, you just ate those rice crackers we bought earlier. Quit stuffing your face!" Inoichi stuck his tongue out at the Nara before taking another bite.

"What a drag. Let's go Minato. I did invite you to go to the festival with us. Guess it's my responsibility to make sure we have fun. Someone here as you see," he glared at Inoichi, "can't be bothered."

The three of them made their way towards the game shops. "Guys, let's try the ring toss." They made their way to the shop and tried their hand at the game but only Minato managed to win a keychain. Inoichi huffed at that, "Okay, seriously, how are we so bad at this? Shikaku, you didn't even try!" Shikaku just rolled his eyes at them.

"Ooooyeee! Guuuuyys!" They turned around to see Choza walking towards them.

"Choza, where were you?"

"Me? Where were the two of you? I've been looking forever! Oh! Hey Minato. At least you managed to find them. Guys, guess what I bought! Mochi, for all of us!"

Shikaku rolled his eyes, "Great, even more food. As if we didn't eat enough."

"Shut it lazy ass. Don't eat any if you don't want to. More for us." They grabbed a stick each, even Shikaku, and strolled together looking at the shops. "Oh look! There! I want to go for goldfish scooping. Choza, Shikaku, Minato, you guys in?"

Minato raised his hands in defeat, "I am no good at that one. But let's go."

Shikaku rolled his shoulders then, "Pfft. You guys are amateurs. Watch and learn from the expert." The three of them looked on in bafflement as Shikaku expertly scooped up half a dozen goldfishes in the bowl without missing a beat.

"Hmmm. Very impressive. But I can do better."

"Shibi! Better than me huh. Go on then. If you can catch more than six goldfishes, I'll give you my share."

Shibi Aburame adjusted his glasses and proceeded to decimate Shikaku's record with a staggering ten goldfishes.

Choza was impressed, "Wow! You are pretty good."

Shikaku sighed in exasperation and was about to hand his prize to the Aburame when a new voice interrupted, "Stop cheating Shibi. I saw you use your kikaichu bugs to bite those fishes."

Shibi looked at the newcomer who happened to be Hiashi Hyuga for a tense moment and then...unexpectedly threw his fish bowl at Hiashi's face and bolted from the scene before anyone could gather their wits.

"Pfft. Hehe. Hahahaha. Nii-san, just look at your face!"

"Shut. Up. Hizashi! That Shibi! I will close all his tenketsus and make him eat raw goldfish!"

Minato was the first one to react, "Guys! The goldfish! Fast! Scoop them up or they will die."

Hearing his words, the rest of them quickly tried to gather the fishes from the ground. Hiashi removed the fish sticking to his hair in the bowl Choza got from the irate shop owner. Minato was quickly gathering the fish before someone stepped on them.

"Hizashi! What! Stop using gentle fist on the fish."

"They just don't stop moving! What I am supposed to do?"

When Inoichi rubbed his eyes at the stupid response, Hiashi berated the Yamanaka, "Inoichi, stop pretending to be an adult and help out."

Just when Minato noticed that a fish was missing, he heard Choza shout, "Shikaku! Shadow! Now!"

Shikaku's shadow moved to intercept the woman about to step on the last goldfish. Minato swiftly picked up the fish just a few inches from the woman's heel and placed it in the bowl. Shikaku let go of the woman but not before getting a half-eaten rice cracker thrown at his face.

He huffed, "What a drag. It wasn't even my fault. I hate you guys."

"You brats! Quit making a ruckus here!" the shop owner bellowed, "And what the hell are you doing with those fishes?" Choza calmed the man down as they paid and scurried out of there to watch the fireworks.

Choza found a perfect spot for them to sit, "Come on guys! Let's sit here. The fireworks are going to start any moment." But Hiashi had other thoughts in mind. He fumed in anger and activated his Byakugan to keep looking for Shibi.

"That no good jerk!" He stalked up to Shibi who was coming towards them to watch the fireworks with Shikaku and the others demanding an explanation for his behavior.

"Hello, Hiashi. I apologize for my earlier actions. It was unbecoming of me. In my defence, your brother dared me to prank you tonight and I simply utilised the first opportunity that came my way, so as you see I had no choice. Here. Have some candied fruit." Hiashi turned his nose up at the pitiful apology but sat down and accepted the treat.

"Hizashi, you are so dead!" His brother just shrugged in response.

Shikaku got miffed at hearing the Aburame, "Hey, where's my apology? A woman threw food at my face because of you!"

"I didn't take your fish, did I? Do not whine. It is beneath the scion of the Nara clan."

Shikaku rolled his eyes at the boy's words but let it go. It was too much effort and he did bring them snacks after all.

"Whoa. Look it's starting! The fireworks!"

"Thanks for inviting me, Shikaku." It was generous of Shikaku to invite him along, Minato wouldn't have come to the festival otherwise. Though he had a sneaking suspicion that the Nara already knew. He was observant like that.

"Anytime, Minato."

Minato laid down on the ground beside Shikaku to watch the dazzling colours in the sky, for once enjoying the present moment. He felt a little bad about befriending these people only to advance his own goals but perhaps, one day, they could truly become close friends and comrades. He could at least give them that chance.

Chapter Text

Hokage Monument

It was a bright and sunny day. They were sitting on the Nidaime Hokage's head, looking at the people of Konoha bustling about on their daily errands. It was one of his rare days off and he was set on enjoying it fully. Beside him Minato was humming some unknown tune as he balanced a kunai on his fingertips using chakra, probably some weird control exercise. Wouldn't be the first time the boy came up with a shinobi technique just because he could. He sighed and stretched comfortably in his position as a slight wind started blowing.

"Say, Minato, why did you join the ninja academy?"

Minato abruptly stopped humming and looked him square in the eye. "What's with this question, Satoshi-San? You know why."

Satoshi scoffed, "No I don't. Not really. An' don' give me that crap 'bout being orphans with no s'pport an' no other way to make a livin'. With tha' pretty face of yours, you could run a nice con for the yakuza or scam the guests for those whorehouse madams."

Minato rolled his eyes at the boy, "I maybe poor but I am not a lowlife. If I hadn't been any good at the academy then perhaps I would have had to settle for something like that. But I am good. So shinobi it is."

"You really better than those clan snobs? I mean you spar good with me. An' I hav' been a genin for a year. But I am nowher' near those kids."

"Yes! I am better than them. Well, except taijutsu. But I am definitely better at the other shinobi disciplines in the academy." Minato scrunched his eyebrows at that unpleasant fact but he would get better. He had to. It was unacceptable to him to lose to anyone at the most basic of all shinobi arts.

"Huh. Good for you man. I….well….I…" Satoshi trailed off awkwardly at Minato's unexpected boldness. He sat up from his place and sighed. Again. He was sighing a lot lately.

"I think I am going to retire, Minato."

There was a pause and then, "Why? You are doing alright. At least I think you are. Why quit now? You are already a genin."

"I'm not quitting. I'm retiring." Satoshi huffed at him. He wasn't no quitter damn it.

"There is no difference Satoshi-San."

"Then tell me. Why do you want to become a shinobi, Minato?"

"This again! Fine! I am an orphan. I have no money. Or land. Or a business to make money. So shinobi it is. There. Happy now!"

"What 'bout that Will of Fire stuff?"

"What about it?" Minato was getting irritated now. He was trying to relax a bit before his graduation exam. Not answer all these strange questions.

"The Will of Fire, Minato. That Konoha is our home an' as shinobi we must do our duty to protect it. To protect the innocent. I mean….not that the hokage's wrong or anythin'. Just….it's a bit forceful, don't ya think. I don' wan' to hav' to follow a real bad mission order. Sensei's been up on our case 'bout first kill an' all. I feel tha' I….uhhh…...I don't wan' to….to do that? To kill? People that is. Uh. Yeah. So….so…retiring. Yeah."

An uncomfortable silence settled between them at Satoshi's admission as Minato contemplated the best way to respond. As far as he was concerned, the Will of Fire was nothing but a deception. A way to keep the shinobi in line and make sure they do not question their orders, no matter how awful. Why do we need to kill a bunch of people even if they did nothing to us? Well, they might do something ugly later. Will of Fire of course. Every village probably had their own version of 'Kill, don't ask why'. This seemed to be Konoha's. Konoha may be the most lenient hidden village but it was still the military stronghold of Fire Country. Though he very well couldn't voice such a thought if he didn't want to be seen as treasonous.

"I think the Will of Fire is….," 'is a big lie',"…..is a way to guide Konoha shinobi in difficult times. Nothing more." He added after a pause, "And I will become a shinobi because ninjas are powerful people and I happen to be good at it."

Satoshi nodded his head at the response but kept quiet.

"Chakra may help create some dramatic spectacles but shinobi don't do spectacles. They kill. Forehead, eyes, Jugular vein, lungs, heart and kidneys. A strong hit in either of those places can cause death immediately. First practical lesson in the academy. How did you miss that part Satoshi-San? It was obvious what they wanted from the beginning. Anyways, it is your choice if you want to retire. I wish you luck."

Satoshi opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a loud cry.

"Heeeeyyy! Satoshiiii! I have been looking for you everywhere! Pack for a week and meet up at the front gates. Sensei's orders. We are going on a C-rank!"

Was it too much to ask for a relaxing day? Yes. Yes it was. Satoshi rose from his position to leave.

"Looks like I'll be away for a while. Good luck on your graduation exam, Minato. We'll celebrate after I'm back."

Minato nodded at the genin before leaping off. "Good luck on your mission, Satoshi-San. See you later.''

Three days later

Konoha Burial Ground

It was a bright and sunny day. Perhaps too damn bright. His black mourning clothes were ill-fitting and scraping his skin. There were five of them. The jonin. Useless lump of flesh that one! The two other genins. Minato himself and one of the caretakers from the orphanage. Five people to mourn Satoshi. To mourn a genin who made the ultimate sacrifice for his village. Just. Five. Too few. Too few! Hot tears slid down his face as he sat before his friend's grave. The jonin was speaking in a soft tone but he paid the man no mind. His friend was dead! DEAD! Gone forever! Never to return! He would never learn new jutsus! He would never eat dango again! They would never train together again! Minato would never see him again! No amount of empty words can ever undo that.

Satoshi had wanted to retire. He hadn't wanted any part of the shinobi life! He didn't deserve this! Minato wiped his face and glared at the jonin. "What happened? How did he die?"

The jonin answered, "We were attacked. Bandits. One of them got in a lucky hit. I was too far away to intercept it. We came back to the village as fast as possible but he lost a lot of blood. I am really sorry, kid."

Minato fumed, "What kind of a jonin sensei is too far away to intercept an attack? That too from an untrained bandit?"

The jonin's face darkened at Minato's caustic words, "Careful kid. I know you are grieving. But careful. I am grieving too. He was under my protection and I failed him. I understand your anger. But accidents happen in the field."

'Accident huh? Lying trash! Why are the other genins unharmed? Did you choose to save them first for fear of payback from their clans? Did you let him die because no one would fight on his behalf? No one would care?' But Minato said none of that out loud. He was a mere academy student. And the man was a jonin. Running his mouth will only get him in trouble so close to graduation.

He should apologise to smooth this over. That was the sensible choice here. And he was sensible. But he couldn't bring himself to utter the words. So he remained silent.

He stayed unmoving by the grave even as Satoshi's things were handed over by the jonin to the orphanage caretaker. The man informed him that Satoshi's name would be carved on the memorial stone the next morning. They would be there and he was welcome to join them. He only nodded.

It was mid-day by the time they had finished paying their respects. The jonin and whatever remained of his team along with the caretaker had already left.

Minato stayed by the grave, motionless, long into the night and arose only when he saw the sun rise at the horizon. His tears had dried hours ago. 'I am weak Satoshi-San. What use is all my talent if I cannot even stand up to a jonin for you?'

He didn't go to the academy that day.

He didn't go to the Memorial Stone either. If only because he could not bear to see the essence of his friend reduced to barely visible lines on an ancient rock. Satoshi had been more than a name on a rock. He had been human. With thoughts and feelings and dreams. And now he was dead with flesh and bones in the dirt.

The caretaker had given him Satoshi's things. One set of kunai. One set of shuriken. A pool of ninja wire. And a waist pouch to carry them. Almost the entirety of an orphan genin's worldly belongings. It was ironic really that a person with so little to his name had given up his most precious possession. His life itself. He would use them because he was sensible. But he would remember who they came from. And he would honour him.

Day of Graduation Exam

Classroom 3, Konoha Academy

Shikaku Nara was lounging at the back of the class, waiting for the written exam to start when he caught sight of Minato from the corner of his eyes. He was pretty sure something had happened with the boy. He was quiter than usual and has been quickly leaving the academy the past few days. Probably nervous about their graduation exam. He mentally smacked himself and discarded the idea even before it fully formed in his head. Minato didn't do nervous. He had been comfortably competing with the clan heirs since their first year even though he had no training from anywhere else. This was a walk in the park for the boy. Then what was the matter? He was curious okay. He didn't like an unsolved mystery. Inoichi would know. The Yamanaka was an even bigger gossip than the girls in their class. He would surely know or find out.

"Okay class. Good luck to you all. Begin!"

Minato breezed through the written exam and the obstacle course with relative ease. He was now waiting for his turn at the targets in the academy yard for weapon throwing.

"Minato Namikaze."

"Here. Sensei."

He pictured Satoshi's jonin sensei at the target he was hitting and let his kunai loose one by one. 'Forehead. Eyes. Jugular vein. Lungs. Heart. Kidneys. Perfect.' He did the same with the shuriken. 'Good. A perfect score.'

"Minato Namikaze. Pass. Move to the taijutsu area and wait your turn."

Taijutsu would be the average score of three bouts, their opponents selected by a luck of the draw. They were graded on their form, balance, offence and defence. His first two bouts had been easy wins. He hoped his luck held and he could round up the third match without too much trouble.

"Gaku Inuzuka. Minato Namikaze."

'Of course. Just my luck.' But he had a backup plan for the Inuzuka just in case. Looks like that would be handy today. He would win today. He had to.

They both made the Seal of Confrontation. Gaku took the opening stance of the Inuzuka taijutsu style. Minato slipped into the Academy Style and waited for the Inuzuka to attack. They circled each other for some time but Gaku grew impatient and charged at Minato with a loud cry. Minato side stepped Gaku and lashed out with his own foot to trip the boy. But the Inuzuka was nimble and easily back flipped to a safe distance. This kept up for more than fifteen minutes as Minato continued to evade Gaku. He could see Gaku progressively getting more annoyed and hurrying to finish the spar. 'Now.' Minato jumped back and pretended to stumble. Gaku wasted no time to capitalise on this opportunity and rushed at him. At the last moment, Minato entered the opening stance of the Hyuga gentle fist.

A hush fell on the crowd at Minato's actions. Gaku was surprised at the unexpected manoeuvre for a few seconds. That was all the time Minato needed to get in the boy's guard and land a vicious blow to his temple. The Inuzuka collapsed, unconscious from the blow. 'Let it not be said that I am not fast.'

"Winner. Minato Namikaze."

The crowd cheered at him as he came down the platform. Any other time, he would have revelled in this victory but today he was only reminded that there would be no one to celebrate it with.

Hiashi approached him then. "That was bold. The Gentle Fist, Minato?"

Minato rolled his eyes at the Hyuga, "Don't worry Hiashi. I didn't secretly learn it. I only know the opening stance after seeing your and Hizashi's taijutsu spars."

"I see. A distraction then. Nicely done. Congratulations, Minato. For making Rookie of the Year."

"The exam isn't over yet, Hiashi. We'll see."

"Well, no one can beat you in ninjutsu. So yes. Your ranking is all but settled." With that, Hiashi left for his own taijutsu match.

Ninjutsu portion was laughably easy. He performed the academy ninjutsus perfectly and also showcased the Body Flicker and tree walking exercise for extra credit. It was satisfying to see his chunin instructor gobsmacked. In the end, he walked out with the Konoha headband on his forehead, ready to finally begin his shinobi career.

Chapter Text

Classroom 3, Konoha Academy

The classroom was unnaturally quiet and subdued as every single graduate waited for the announcement of their team placements and designated jonin sensei. Minato was mentally analyzing the most likely genin team formations of their graduating class and quietly dreading his own assignment. He had done everything in his power and was past the point of any control. He just hoped his ranking as the rookie of the year will place him at least a little favorably.

The Ino-Shika-Cho team formation was a foregone conclusion. He and Shikaku had already discussed this during one of their shogi matches last week. Apparently, Konoha hadn't had another Ino-Shika-Cho team in a long while and would definitely form one now that there was a nice opportunity, with clan heirs to boot. The Nara had reasoned that Hiashi Hyuga, Gaku Inuzuka and Shibi Aburame would form another genin squad, specializing in tracking. This was another tradition in Konoha and unlikely to be broken anytime soon. That left Hizashi Hyuga and Kushina Uzumaki as the remaining clan kids.

'Hmmm. A team with me, Hizashi and Kushina would probably be formed. That seems to be reasonable. They were both strong and dependable. And Kushina was from the prestigious Uzumaki clan famous for the sealing arts.' They would be a well-rounded team even though all of them were somewhat close range fighters.

'I could maybe ask her to teach me some fuinjutsu?' He immediately sweat dropped at that idea. She was the only girl in their class who wasn't the least bit impressed by him. They respected each other and she would occasionally nod at him after a good showing in their practical lessons but she always frowned in disapproval at his obligingly polite behavior. Where the other silly girls in his class called him cool and cute and hung onto his every honeyed word, she would sniff at him and call him a pansy boy. Though he didn't necessarily want to be called pansy, he liked that she made up her own mind about things and wasn't affected by looks and empty flattery. He disliked people who couldn't think for themselves. 'Yes, indeed. We will definitely make a good team.'

"All right class. I am truly very proud of all of you for graduating successfully! From today onwards you are a proud shinobi of Konoha and I expect you to conduct yourselves with dignity and decorum befitting your station. You are the next generation of Konoha's future and it now falls to you to keep the Will of Fire burning brightly. For the Hokage! For Konoha!"

"For Konoha!" A loud chorus erupted from the entire class as all the newly minted genins pledged their life and allegiance to their beloved village.

Minato clenched his fists hard but managed to sound genuine enough to not draw any unnecessary attention. All this useless posturing and a seasoned jonin couldn't even protect Satoshi from a worthless bandit! His friend had been used by Konoha and then discarded thoughtlessly at the first opportunity. He refused to end up like that! He wouldn't be some fanatical devotee to Konoha's cause. In this world, money meant nothing if you could walk on water and throw giant balls of fire from your mouth. It was the shinobi who held all the real power here. So that's who he would be. He would use this system just as it uses him and he would succeed. He would become Hokage and make the world remember his name!

"Team One. Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka under jonin Shinku Yuhi." The three genin in question simply shrugged. They had already known who they would end up with.

"Team Two and Three are in rotation already. Team Four. Hiashi Hyuga, Gaku Inuzuka and Shibi Aburame under jonin Kunugi Mokume." Hiashi nodded, satisfied, as Gaku gave him a confident smirk. Shibi simply adjusted his glasses and gave his new teammates a polite nod.

Minato's trepidation increased tenfold as the teams were being announced one by one. He hoped he would end up with Hizashi and Kushina. That would increase his chances of passing the jonin's test. No jonin would dare fail an Uzumaki and a Hyuga. Some of the graduates were dissatisfied with their team placements and were starting to voice their outrage. But the instructor paid no heed to them and kept calling names one at a time. Minato knew that no amount of yelling would ever lead to changes in teams, they were only making themselves look unprofessional. There was no way the hokage did not already approve these genin teams prior to the announcement.

"Team Five. Hizashi Hyuga, Kushina Uzumaki and Hayama Shirakumo under jonin Uchiha Naori."

'What? But…but I…I…then who am I being paired up with?' Minato bit his lips hard to choke back the protest on his lips and did his best to contain his disappointment. 'Shit! What is going on? I wouldn't get to be on a team with any of the clan kids! But…but….nothing to do now. Keep it down Minato. Just accept it! It was already finalized.' Besides Hayama was a good fit for their team. He knew as he had taken a cursory look at the boy's files during his little escapade. Shirakumo was a kenjutsu specialist and had good chakra reserves. He wasn't from any clan but his parents are active Konoha shinobi. 'But I would have been an even better fit! Why not me?'

"Team Six. Minato Namikaze, Dekai and Nariaki Maeda under Jiraiya of the Sannin."

The entire class stilled at the name of Jiraiya and all the graduates started muttering to each other. Minato himself was stunned at this turn of events. He had all but given up hope of a good team after Team Five's assignment.

"Team Seven. Hamaki Mimura, Yuki Minazuki and Ikkaku Umino under jonin Hiruko. Team Eight…."

Minato tuned out his instructor and focused his thoughts on his genin team. 'Okay. Okay. Alright. Calm down and think. This was good. In fact, this was great!' Jiraiya of the Sannin. He could work with this. His team mates were nothing special. Average at best. Even so, getting Jiraiya as his jonin sensei would make up for that. But first they have to pass the man's test. He didn't doubt for a second that the test would be hard and every bit legitimate. Moreover, Jiraiya had enough political clout to fail a team like theirs without too much ruckus. He was Sandaime-sama's student after all. If they slipped up, the Sannin would waste no time in sending them back to the academy. He couldn't let that happen. Not after coming all this way.

'Hmmm, what to do?' He hadn't even looked at his teammates' files that day. He didn't think he needed to. So he had only the basic idea about their skill level. 'Not repeating that mistake ever again. Well, I will have to try to figure out the man's thought process somehow. And then get my teammates to work with me. It would of course be a teamwork based test, no doubt about that.' He was jolted out of his thoughts by the instructor's unexpectedly loud cheer.

"ALRIGHT! Team placements are over. There would be no change in the teams and no request for change will be entertained. All of you are to wait for your jonin sensei in this classroom after lunch is over."

In the end, Minato waited with his teammates for their sensei as all the other graduates slowly started to file out with their own teams. He nodded when Shikaku caught his eye, the Nara's eyes sharp and perceptive. The boy was probably puzzling out Jiraiya's involvement with a genin team comprising of two-thirds of ordinary graduates. Minato himself was trying to figure that out.

That morning - Hokage's Office

"What do you think, Jiraiya? You will agree that the boy does have immense potential." Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed sharply at his student and waited for a response.

Jiraiya turned the pages of the file as he said, "What is it you are asking of me sensei? Any jonin can train him to a suitable standard. He seems to be eager to learn and easy to teach. The best kind of student."

"Any jonin can train him but they cannot mould him. A prodigous orphan without a strong tie to his village is most unwelcome, Jiraiya." Hiruzen puffed out rings of smoke from his pipe as he stared at Jiraiya's contemplative expression.

"I don't play with the emotions of little brats, sensei."

"I am not asking you to. I am simply requesting you to give the boy a fair chance. His genin friend, his only serious connection to Konoha, has died a rather tragic and untimely death on a C-rank. So you see why I might be concerned. If he passes your test, become a mentor to him and teach him. If he fails, that's that."

"What about the other two?"

"Dekai is a civilian boy from a recently relocated blacksmith family. They came to Konoha from the outskirts of Lightning Country after their village was destroyed in the Second Shinobi War. And Nariaki Maeda is from the disgraced Maeda clan who were banished from the previous Daimyo's court. Neither of them are particularly talented, going by their academy files. But they were incompatible on other teams, so I assigned them to you. Teach them what you want but I doubt they would ever go beyond chunin level."

Jiraiya perused the files some more and stashed them carelessly on the hokage's desk. "If academy files actually meant anything then I would still be a genin, old man. Fine. I will test them. But if I find them unfit, they will go back to the academy, even Minato Namikaze. No challenging my decision."

"Very well. You will meet your team at the academy after lunch hour is over. Dismissed. And please leave through the door this time. My ANBU can only suffer so much of your antics."

Jiraiya grinned sardonically and leapt out of the window, badly startling the ANBU on the rooftop. Hiruzen sighed at his student's childish behavior and hoped that becoming a jonin sensei tempered some of his rather unhealthy habits.

His eyes fell on Minato Namikaze's file again. The boy was truly brilliant. And not the kind which tapered off after a few years as a shinobi. He had read through the file before team assignments and was pleasantly surprised by the child's forethought.

Minato becoming the rookie of the year wasn't a fluke by any means. The defeat of the Inuzuka boy was carried out masterfully, as was the show of Body Flicker and tree walking exercise for extra credit. He had identified the parameters suited to him for becoming rookie of the year, obtained the necessary knowledge and accomplished the task flawlessly on exam day. Analysis, investigation and execution. The three stages of any mission, big or small. Anybody can master jutsus but it took years to proficiently fulfil these stages to ensure consistent mission success and the boy had perfectly utilized this same concept for something as mundane as an academy exam. He was practically ready for a leadership role. And Hiruzen had every intention of utilizing the boy's full potential for Konoha's benefit. The only thing the boy lacked was stronger ties to the village. If Jiraiya managed to mentor the blonde as he expected, that would be fulfilled and he would be all the more loyal to the village.

Classroom 3, Konoha Academy

Jiraiya suppressed his chakra and hid outside the window of the classroom. He was late by an hour to pick them up, caught up in his research as he was. The Maeda boy was fidgeting in his seat, constantly glancing at the door. Namikaze was reading from a scroll and scribbling notes in a small notebook, uncaring of the world around him. The third kid was sleeping soundly at the back of the class. They were the only kids in the classroom, the others having left long ago with their teams. 'Weird bunch, these kids. Guess I should make myself known now.'

As soon as Jiraiya stopped suppressing his chakra, Namikaze turned to look at the window he was hiding near. 'What? How did he react like that? Did the boy have sensory abilities?' Because it was impossible to find Jiraiya of all people when he didn't want to be found. If he did have any sensory talent, the boy himself was probably unaware of it. These things were instinctual at young age. 'Damn you sensei! Now I have to really take this seriously!'

He leapt inside the classroom from the window and introduced himself in the most extravagant way possible. "Hello there little ducklings! I am the Great Toad Sage, Jiraiya! The Legendary Pervert! The Most Powerful Sannin! Behold! My Handsome Face!" He jumped down from the bench he was standing on and stared at the slack jawed kids.

'Most handsome face? What kind of a lunatic even says that?' Minato looked behind him to see Dekai sprawled out on the floor. The boy had probably fallen off his chair in his sleepy state at all the commotion. Minato himself couldn't make heads or tails of their jonin sensei and Maeda was still gaping like a fish at the large man. 'This guy is unhinged! Is he really that qualified?' None of them spoke a word, too flabbergasted at the unusual introduction.

Jiraiya made a face at the lackluster response to his marvelous entry. "Eh! You kids need to lighten up. Seriously! What are you? A bunch of pansy boys?"

Minato furrowed his brows at the nickname. 'I am not a pansy, damn it!'

"Ah fine! Take a seat, all three of you. Oh and introduce yourselves! Make it quick, I have research to do."

Minato recovered first. 'Research? Is he inventing jutsus or what? Whatever!' "A pleasure to meet you sensei. My name is Minato Namikaze. I like training and learning new things. Thank you for working with me."

"Huh. That's it? What about your favorite food? Your dreams?" Jiraiya cleaned his ear with his left pinky as he listened on.

Minato was a little appalled at the man's lack of basic manners but soldiered on. "Err…well. I like ramen and barbeque. My dream is to be a strong shinobi and become hokage one day."

"Hmm. A tall order, brat, but not impossible. Ponytail, you next!"

Maeda frowned at the name but continued, "My name is Nariaki Maeda. I like calligraphy and swimming. My dream is to….to restore my clan's prestige. Uh. Favorite food is beef curry rice."

Dekai immediately started speaking to escape a horrendous nickname like Maeda. "My name is Dekai. I like fishing and cooking. My dream is to work in Konoha's investigation wing. My favorite food is sushi and dumplings. Uh. Yeah. Done."

Jiraiya studied them for a moment and got ready to drop the bomb. 'Ah. My favorite part!' "Right! So, brats, you are actually not genin yet!" He waited for the indignant shouts from the kids and wasn't disappointed.

"What?" The three of them had stood up from their seats and were anxiously looking at him.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at Minato. The Namikaze brat looked like he was faking. He knows about the test already. 'Well, sensei did say he had a genin friend.' Still, if they passed he would make the boy work extra hard for ruining his fun.

"That's right, ducklings! You have to pass my test to actually become a genin. Isn't that so much fun?"

But Minato kept his cool and started asking about the details of the test. "Sensei, please tell us about the test. When will it happen? How long do we have? How do we pass it?"

"Slow down kid. I'm getting to it. So, the test will happen right now. I will be giving you three keys, one for each of you. The lock is on a box in training ground 5. The first one to reach the box and unlock it will pass and become a genin. The last two will go back to the academy. You have twenty minutes."

After handing out the keys, Jiraiya yawned loudly and settled cozily in his chair. "Alright begin!"

The three genin burst into action immediately and started running out of the room. Jiraiya tried to relax further in his chair. 'These academy chairs are horrible for my back.'

'Twenty minutes? That was barely enough time to reach the training ground! On top of that, we also have to open the box. It wouldn't be straight forward, so that will take even more time! How the hell are we going to pass?' Minato was running faster than he had ever run, his teammates already tiring behind him.

Dekai suddenly held up a hand as he stopped running and panted. "Guys, wait! Where is training ground 5?" Maeda clicked his tongue at the ignorance but didn't stop running. Minato cursed out loud and almost left the boy to figure it out on his own but halted. 'Teamwork! We have to show teamwork!' He quickly explained the training ground position to the boy. 'The keys! I should take a look at Dekai's key. Maybe there's a hidden clue.'

"Dekai, show me your key!" The boy was reluctant but handed his key to Minato. Minato was surprised to see that it was different to his own. 'But how will one of us open the box if we all have different keys? Think, Minato, think!'

Dekai noticed it too. "Minato, I think the box opens with multiple keys. My family used to craft puzzle boxes with multiple keys back in Lightning country sometimes. It could be a box like that."

Minato nodded at the boy. He never saw anything like that but he also knew very little about the world outside the academy and orphanage. "That means all three of us need to use our keys to open it."

They had wasted quite a few minutes here and started darting through the streets again. Minato feared Maeda already had a head start over them and hoped to catch up quickly.

Nariaki Maeda had not in fact had a head start over them. They found the boy hanging by his foot from a pole in a spool of ninja wire near an empty training ground on the way. A sprung trap. Their sensei's doing no doubt. Minato and Dekai managed to untangle the boy and shared their working theory about the keys.

Maeda hesitated but squared his shoulders. "We don't have much time. Come! I know a shortcut near the shopping district."

Minato didn't want to put this much trust in Maeda but without a better alternative in sight, he acquiesced. They rushed across the narrow streets in the Konoha shopping district through the cacophony of merchants and buyers bargaining loudly, weaving through the crowd deftly. They reached the training ground to find Jiraiya sitting in the shade of a large tree, no box anywhere in sight. Maeda scowled at the man for his previous embarrassment but kept looking for any sign of a box.

Minato frantically started searching the clearing completely ignoring Jiraiya when a terribly loud alarm sounded from beside their sensei. 'No! The alarm! I haven't passed the test yet!' But the test was over. And they hadn't unlocked the box.

Minato stared at the alarm for a few moments and dropped to the ground unceremoniously, his breath coming out in short pants. Beside him his teammates did the same. Their respective keys lying uselessly on the grass. It was done. So much for becoming rookie of the year. 'Maybe I could appeal?' Who was he kidding? There was no one who would fight for him. Right then Jiraiya sensei approached them.

"Hey there brats. That was the alarm in case you didn't realize. You didn't open the box within the time limit. Looks like you guys…," he looked at their tense faces and smiled toothily, "PASS!"

Chapter Text

Day after team placements

Uzumaki Residence

Kushina clutched the Konoha head band in her hands and sat down before the mirror in her room. She looked at her tired reflection and gingerly put on the forehead protector, tying it snugly over her head. Nothing. Nothing at all. She felt no love for this village. No loyalty. Not even pride at her own graduation. And why should she give Konoha her loyalty anyway. The people of this village have never spared a chance in reminding her that she was an outsider, with her unnatural red hair, and no amount of shouting could ever silence them. She had no real friends at the academy. They didn't like her hair. Or her face. Or her behavior. They didn't like her. The clan heirs treated her formally but ignored her and most of the civilian kids were hurtful if not downright cruel to her. Only her upper classman Mikoto Uchiha had shown her any kindness.

'Why should I become the jinchuriki of a village which calls me an outsider? Why do I have to jail the Kyubi for these ungrateful people? Why?' She stood up and with a sudden movement, untied her head band and flung it away. It clattered against the table noisily and fell to the floor.

Kushina clenched her fists hard as tears fell from her eyes. The ritual was due to happen today. Mito-sama will die sealing the Kyubi in her and she would be all alone in a hostile village, her presence unwelcome and barely tolerated. 'I miss you, Kaa-san, Tou-san. I miss you all so much!'

"Kushina! Kushina! Its time." Mito entered the young Uzumaki's room to find the girl crying, her forehead protector on the floor. Mito's eyes softened at that. She gently picked it up and sat beside Kushina, tightly hugging her.

"Things will get better, my child. I know it's difficult but you are strong in mind and body. That's why you were chosen, Kushina. No ordinary person could ever shoulder this burden."

Kushina leaned into the hug, sobbing loudly, her form shaking from her shuddering breaths. Mito held her in her fragile arms, eyes moist and troubled. She didn't know if this was the right course of action, but they had no choice and no more time. She grew frailer as the days went by. Her chakra, once bright and filled with vigor, was a mere shadow of itself, weak and barely able to keep the seal in check. Any day now, the seal might give out and cause a catastrophe of unmatched proportions. Kushina's happiness must not, cannot, come at the expense of an entire village.

Underground Sealing Chamber, outside Konoha

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in a non-descript chamber, decked out in full battle armour, hokage robes nowhere in sight, as he carefully observed the preparations for the ritual. He made sure the sealing chamber was reinforced for the third time and ordered the nearby ANBU to stay vigilant. He was nervous. Who wouldn't be? He himself was quite proficient in Fuinjutsu but sealing the Kyubi in a new host after extracting it from its old host was a tall order, even for a seal master. And he may be an expert but he was no seal master. If this did not go as per plan, he would have no choice but to use the Shiki Fuin and Konoha would lose its hokage, drowning the village in unrest so soon after the Second Shinobi War. 'We must succeed today. There is no choice other than to succeed.'

Mito Uzumaki continued to paint seals on the floor with the quiet resolve of a woman ready to embrace death. She cared not for her own life anymore but Kushina's seal must be absolutely perfect. It's the least she can do for the girl she came to acknowledge as her grand-daughter. Her hands continued to thread minute tendrils of chakra through the ink as she gave the finishing touches to the massive sealing array in the middle of the room. On the four walls, several ANBU were diligently copying the connecting sub-arrays she had prepared for this specific ceremony. If they worked as intended, the Kyubi would be put in a deep slumber and transferred to Kushina with the fox being none the wiser.

Kushina looked on in wonder as the huge seal vibrated with restrained energy. She could feel Mito-sama's chakra pulsing through the spiral in the center, their clan's insignia, moving through the deliberate strokes and ancient symbols springing out from it, thrumming in every shape, every pattern, softly but firmly, never wild and always in check. 'What a beautiful piece of art! Could I ever design something so pretty?'

"Come Kushina. Step into the middle. I will draw the seals on you." Mito started painstakingly drawing the entire central array on Kushina's stomach. Her hands and body were tiring from the constant work and chakra usage but she kept herself steady through sheer willpower.

Once done, she staggered to her feet and breathed deeply. It was time to say her final goodbyes. "Kushina, I am proud to have been your teacher and mentor. You are stronger than you know and braver than you feel. Never ever forget that!"

Kushina teared up at their last moment together but this time her eyes were resolute and she promised Mito, "I will be strong, Mito-sama. I will bring honor to our clan!"

'One more step to go.' Mito steeled herself and started forming the hand seals to activate the array with the last dredges of her chakra. Before executing the last hand seal, she looked at the Sandaime Hokage, "Hiruzen, look after her. Look after the village. And do not give up on Hashirama's ideals. Farewell to you then. May we meet again in the afterlife!"

Hiruzen nodded, steadfast and unwavering.

"Very well. Hashirama, we will finally see each other again now. I have missed you so very much! FUIN!" With her parting words, Mito Uzumaki, the legendary seal master and the first jinchuriki of the Kyubi, finished the ritual and her body slumped forward, falling limply on the now glowing sealing arrays. The array continued to burn brightly, greedily sucking away the remaining chakra from Mito's body and causing the room to tremble.

Hiruzen held Kushina firmly as her body begin to convulse and black symbols spread across her form. The chamber shook violently and Kushina cried out loudly in pain as red corrosive chakra began to envelop her, its stifling pressure suffocating the inhabitants of the room. 'Is the Kyubi escaping? Was the seal not enough?' Hiruzen bit his lips in apprehension. He felt his hands burning from the Kyubi's chakra but paid them no heed. The ANBU were already in motion, their hands seconds away from forming hand seals, the whisper of a jutsu on their lips. But the chakra disappeared as soon as it had emerged and Kushina collapsed in his hands, unconscious.

Hiruzen heaved a sigh of relief as the red chakra in the chamber receded and faint wisps of smoke drifted from the ink lines of the central array. A miniature seal became visible on Kushina's stomach, the only indication of the Kyubi being sealed away yet again. He handed Kushina to the ANBU and gently picked up Mito's body even as a bone-deep weariness settled within him. 'Hashirama sensei. Tobirama sensei. And now Mito-sama. All the people from my childhood are now dead. Only Danzo remained.' But that man was so different from the boy he had once been that Hiruzen looked at him now and saw only a stranger.

Two Days Later

The Memorial Stone

Minato had graduated as Rookie of the Year. He had passed his jonin sensei's test and now he would train under Jiraiya of the Sannin. It was a far better start to his shinobi career than he could have ever hoped for. But none of that brought him any joy. 'Satoshi-san would have been thrilled to meet Jiraiya sensei.' He hadn't celebrated his graduation, their last conversation still fresh in Minato's mind. Choza had invited him to a party in the Akimichi compound but he had politely declined. What would be the point? They only see him as a rival, as a colleague against whom they competed, nothing more. Only one person would have been truly happy for his achievements. But he was now simply a name on a revered monument.

He laid down the flowers on Satoshi's grave, the familiar ache of loss ever present, and went to stand in front of the Memorial Stone. His eyes found four more names added to the stone after Satoshi's name. He dimly registered that another four people died in Konoha's service in the span of just a few days, though the last name did raise his brows. 'Mito Uzumaki. She died?' His thoughts drifted to Kushina Uzumaki then. 'She must be grieving now.' He hoped she was okay and had people she could rely on but his rational side reasoned that she was just as alone as he was now.

He continued to gaze at Satoshi's name, thinking back to all the times they had spent together, when his peace was disturbed by a rustling sound behind him. He turned to check who it was and found himself staring at Kushina Uzumaki, her deep violet eyes and brilliant red hair taking his breath away. He quickly looked away, the tip of his ears reddening. He grew even more uncomfortable as she came to stand beside him and moved away a few paces to hide the embarrassing blush he knew he sported.

Kushina frowned at the Namikaze boy when he moved away. "Do I disgust you that much, Namikaze? Even standing beside me is uncool, is it?"

Minato opened and closed his mouth but no sound came out. 'Disgust? Who in their right mind would ever be disgusted by her beauty and her strength? Only a fool would think her ugly.'

"Err…..Sorry, Uzumaki-san. I….ummm….simply meant to give you some privacy. I am assuming you are here to pay your respects to Mito-sama?" Minato quickly stammered out an apology to prevent an untoward situation. He knew how most people had treated her in the academy. It was no wonder that she was so weary of people.

"Yes, I…I came to visit her. Are…are you here for someone as well?" Kushina asked shyly and immediately regretted it. 'Idiot Kushina! Of course he is here for someone! Who comes to the Memorial Stone just because?'

Minato scratched his head and answered, "My…My friend. His name was Satoshi. He was a genin. He…he…..died on a C-rank mission a few days ago." Come to think of it, this was the first time he talked about his friend with another person. He hadn't broached the topic with his academy friends, it felt unnatural to talk about loss and death with them. And the orphanage caretakers were only concerned with feeding and clothing them, not offering sympathy and comfort. Satoshi's genin team had moved on a bit too easily, a third genin added post haste so they could continue going on missions. He had seen them out and about in the village and no one who didn't know would ever suspect of a change in members, Satoshi being a long forgotten memory. It had angered him more than he cared to admit.

Kushina nodded but did not offer condolences. She knew words rarely matter in the face of loss, they only made it worse. Perhaps, with time, the wounds would dull and it would be easier to remember the fond memories. She stood there looking at Mito-sama's name, reminiscing about her times with the lady. She had been Kushina's guardian in Konoha and then her only known family after their clan's demise. She had been Kushina's teacher and her only true friend in this village. 'I am all alone now. Everyone is gone.'

Belatedly, Kushina realized she was crying when she felt tears freely running down her face and discreetly tried to wipe them away without Minato noticing. 'How embarassing! Who cries in public like this?' But Minato caught her motion from the corner of his eyes. She knew how pitiful she looked with her wet face and wobbling lips and braced herself for ridicule. But the mocking words never came. Instead, she found him holding out a pale blue handkerchief at her as he purposefully kept looking forward at the stone. She warily accepted the cloth and wiped her face with it. "Thank you. Namikaze-san."

Minato finally looked at her, "Minato. Please call me Minato. All my friends do."

Kushina was surprised at his declaration. 'A friend?' She waited to see if he was joking at her expense but when he kept looking at her expectantly, she quirked her eye brows at him, "Am I a friend now, Minato?"

Of all things, Minato hadn't expected her to doubt his intentions. 'Guess she doesn't trust that easily.' He grinned at her, "If you want to be, Uzumaki-san."

Kushina's heart skipped a bit at his radiant smile but she quickly buried the weird emotion deep within her and nodded, finally smiling, "Call me Kushina then, if we are friends, Minato."

"Alright, Kushina. Let's be friends."

Maybe things were looking up and she wouldn't be alone anymore. Maybe it really would get better as Mito-sama used to say. She hoped it did. Because no matter how much Mito-sama had insisted she was a strong person, she knew she would break if she had to spend the rest of her life all alone.

Chapter Text

Undisclosed Location

It was the night of the new moon. A chilly breeze was blowing, its bite cold and freezing, announcing the nearing onset of winter.  A shadowy figure stood in the midst of the dense clearing, unaffected by the weather and unfazed by the dark, their silhouette barely visible in the pitch black wilderness.

Another figure crept into the forest, this one much smaller than the first, and knelt down on one knee before the silhouette.

“Report.”

“Our team is going on a C-rank mission to the capital. We leave tomorrow morning. Expected duration of stay is ten days.”

“Hmmm. As I had expected. And Namikaze?”

“He continues to improve at a break neck speed. Sensei has spoken about starting him on Fuinjutsu.”

 “What about the two of you?”

“He has offered to teach us, but I suspect it was simply a token gesture.”

“Learn from the man if you can. Most people do not have access to a ready source of Fuinjutsu knowledge. You may pick up your payment from the Masamune weapons shop in the capital.”

“What about our agreement? The Hideyoshi clan continues to hold considerable influence in the court.”

“That is why I arranged for you to go on this mission. It will be done, you will know when it happens. Do make sure to always have company. This will not have the desired effect if you lack an alibi.”

“Thank you.”

“Hmm. Our next meeting will be the day after your return, in Tanaka bakery. Be prepared to give a detailed report. Dismissed.”

The smaller figure saluted and disappeared.

A few moments later, the larger form left and the clearing was empty again, undisturbed by intruding humans.

The Next Day, Early Morning

Outside Konoha Gates

Jiraiya rubbed his hands together and greeted his genin team. “Alright brats! Are you ready for your first trip to the capital?”

The three genin in question nodded their heads excitedly. Minato couldn’t contain his enthusiasm but did his best to appear serious. ‘My first time outside the village! That too to the Fire Country capital! Oh yes!’

Jiraiya held out a golden scroll with red trimmings in front of them. “Alright. Mission briefing. We have been tasked with delivering this scroll to the Hideyoshi clan in the Fire Country capital city, Hiyoku. If we maintain a decent pace, we should reach Hiyoku in two days. We will of course not see the clan head, he is a very important member at the Daimyo’s court, but the custodian Daichi Hideyoshi will be meeting us. He is an old friend of mine, so behave yourselves. Now, I will hold on to the scroll for safekeeping. We will move in diamond formation with me at the front and Minato at the back. Dekai, take the left and Nariaki, you take the right. Let’s go!”

Team Six moved out in a tight formation from Konoha towards their first big adventure.

Evening

Arima Onsen Town

Minato took a deep breath and relaxed his body in the hot water of the communal bath. It was his first time in an onsen but he forcefully kept his ogling discreet and quietly enjoyed the luxuries of their ryokan. Jiraiya-sensei was generous enough to pay for their stay here and he was really grateful to the man. ‘This must have cost sensei quite a bit.’ He opened his eyes when he sensed movement at his side and found Nariaki and Dekai joining him at the bath.

Dekai sighed as he felt his sore muscles relax, “This sure feels good, eh, Minato, Nariaki! I went to the bathhouse in Konoha a few times but this is infinitely better.”

Nariaki nodded, “We used to come here often, when my family was still in the capital. Arima is one of the biggest onsen towns this side of the Fire Country. There is a shrine here too, Tosen shrine, surrounded by the Rinkeji forest. It is said that the shrine was set up by a patriarch of the Maeda clan long before the shinobi clans were formed, in worship of some divine rabbit goddess. But it was destroyed during the warring clans era before the First Shinobi war. My great grandfather rebuilt it from the ruins and dedicated the new shrine to Okami-sama, goddess of prosperity and fertility. The Maeda clan used to host a tea ceremony here in spring every year when the cherry blossoms would be in full bloom.”

Minato eyed the boy from his position and debated about asking the question on his lips. His curiosity won out in the end. “What happened to your clan, Nariaki?”

Nariaki’s face darkened, “Well, if you must know, the Hideyoshi clan wrongfully accused us of treason in the Daimyo’s court and caused the humiliation of our clan head, Ishigami Maeda. They killed him the same day and made it look like suicide. Then my father was poisoned by their current clan head, Junichi Hideyoshi, to prevent him from taking the reins of the clan. They usurped our power in the court and my mother and I fled the capital in the cover of night to take refuge in Konoha. Our innocence was proven later on when the Sandaime Hokage provided evidence to the Daimyo but the Maeda clan was already in ruins with no hope of gaining their position back at the capital.”

Dekai scrunched his eyebrows at him, “If you have all this information, then why not go to the Daimyo and report their crimes?”

Nariaki replied, “It isn’t that easy. My mother told me all this when I was growing up. We have no proof of their wrongdoing and any evidence that could have been used is now long lost. So I was hoping to make a name and gain some leverage as a Konoha shinobi and present our case again to the Daimyo. But that…. …..well….that doesn’t look like it will happen, someone can’t be both-”

“Nariaki!” Dekai looked sharply at the boy and the two seemed to have a silent conversation between them. They held each other’s gaze briefly but Nariaki lowered his head and snorted. Minato glanced away from the scene, a slight pang at being excluded but he had an inkling about the reason of Dekai’s strong reaction.

Minato had sometimes felt guilty about labeling his teammates as mediocre in his mind. They have their own struggles and sufferings and deserved some respect at the least. But he had followed his academy instructor and then Jiraiya-sensei’s lead and treated them as non-entities at best and hindrances at worst.

He often wondered if they were resentful of the extra attention he received form Jiraiya-sensei and his easy camaraderie with the man. But Konoha’s always been like that. The village repeatedly preached about teamwork but under the thin veil of solidarity, favoritism was abound. The clan shinobi wielded unfair advantages and political influence while shinobi from normal backgrounds struggled relentlessly. Even now, his teammates are not benefitting from being under the tutelage of Jiraiya. They were almost always overlooked by the man in favor of Minato. Minato had expected some bias but it was truly baffling how little their sensei actually taught Dekai and Nariaki beyond the academy basics. In fact, Minato was positive this team would be disbanded when he made chunin in the near future, hanging his teammates out to dry, since genins without teams had negligible hope of a promotion. A terrible position to be in, especially with no one available to put in a good word for them. He hoped they had contingencies for such a situation because he may feel bad for them but he will fight tooth and nail to keep Jiraiya as his mentor. The man was his only chance at a decent shot at his dream.

“Let’s get out of the water. I already feel roasted.” Minato climbed out of the water feeling refreshed and wrapped his towel around the waist.

Dekai gave him a thumbs up. “You go on ahead, Minato. I will soak for a bit more.”

Nariaki waved from his position and settled further into the water.

Minato left his teammates and wandered towards the changing rooms. After putting on a soft maroon yukata provided by the onsen, he walked through the tastefully decorated hallway towards their rooms. The rooms they were staying in were a far cry from his humble shinobi apartment in Konoha. The floor is always heated, the finely woven tatami mats are perfect for lounging in the room and the low table was exquisitely embroidered in wood. Even the futon is soft and cozy unlike his mattress at his apartment which had lumps in multiple places. He felt slightly uncomfortable at the casual display of wealth here but resolved to one day enjoy these things on his own money.

He settled down at the table with the basic Fuinjutsu theory scroll Jiraiya-sensei gave him and waited for the rest of his team. Inntrigued by the mathematical nature of the sealing formulas, he could already imagine the sheer variety of Fuinjutsu applications. Maybe this could be his trump card, his signature style. If he became proficient in Fuinjutsu, he could easily gain an advantage over his colleagues and be on an even footing with the clan kids.

He was drawn out of his deep thoughts when the shoji door of their room opened, revealing an intoxicated Jiraiya-sensei, heavily leaning on his teammates. Nariaki was frowning slightly and Dekai looked at Minato in resigned despair. He heaved a sigh and helped them seat their sensei at the table.

“Oi brats, sto’ actin, like ‘m drunk. ‘m not. ‘m Ji’ai’a, the to’ sag’. Ugh.” Jiraiya fell face down on the table, abruptly snoring.

Dekai raised an eyebrow at their sensei and shook his head. “Jiraiya, the toe sag he is. How un-Sannin like!”

Both Minato and Nariaki chuckled at the name. Nariaki unceremoniously shifted the man to the side of the table. “Let’s just order and eat. Hiyoku city is atleast a day’s travel from here. We should get all the rest we can now. And wake up early tomorrow, I will take you guys to the Rinkeji forest. It’s not as pretty now as in spring but it is still a beautiful sight.”

They had a feast of a meal that night, with finely prepared dishes that included perfectly seasoned stew, thinly cut sashimi, some deep fried tempura and his favorite of the night, a beautiful beef curry. He thought he could get used to living like this.

 One day later   

Hiyoku City Gates

“Who goes there?” A samurai with the red and gold crest of the Daimyo halted Minato and his team at the entrance. Jiraiya showed the man the scroll they were supposed to deliver and started explaining their mission. Minato tuned him out and took in the large black stone gates of Hiyoku city stretching out far in both directions. There were garrisons stationed at strategic points, mostly samurai but some Konoha shinobi too, easily spotted by their green flak jackets. A few archers were keeping watch from a tall tower, bow and arrow at the ready.

When they finally entered the city, the enormous crowd along with the loud hustle and bustle of the city took Minato by surprise. There were shops everywhere. Large establishments with customers in silk finery, perusing expensive ceramic pots and lacquered jewellery boxes, and small corner shops from which delicious smells wafted, of ramen, yakitori, fish cakes and other treats, watering his mouth. And far away, he could see the Daimyo’s palace, red and golden, a behemoth structure standing tall above all others.

Minato dazedly followed behind his sensei and looking sideways, found that his teammates weren’t faring any better, even Nariaki, who was born here.

“Wow, I….wow…the city has really changed.” Nariaki was swiveling his head around, looking at everything all at once.

“Mind blown brats? This is the capital of Fire Country and the seat of the Fire Daimyo. It’s bound to be spectacular. Now, business first. Then pleasure.” With that said, Jiraiya walked towards the western district of Hiyoku city, the seat of the Hideyoshi clan.

Chapter Text

Hideyoshi Clan Compound, Nakano Street

Dekai looked around as their team leisurely walked towards the Hideyoshi clan compound, silently marveling at the ornate architecture. 'Looks like we are in the rich part of town.' He spotted Jiraiya from the corner of his eyes and found the man discreetly ogling the sizeable assets of a woman walking by. His own face heated up when he accidentally noticed those assets in question and quickly averted his eyes, a voice in his head sounding suspiciously like that of his mother scolding him for his disgraceful behavior. She would definitely have a coronary if she ever found out about Jiraiys's research. When the three of them discovered their sensei's research-debauchery-really, they had been flabbergasted that a man so respected could also be so scandalous, especially Minato who regarded Jiraiya highly.

They continued walking along the wide street, taking in the sight and sounds of Hiyoku. In some ways, it was familiar, yet not, to Konoha. No one on the streets batted an eye at them, their shinobi attire and headbands not drawing the attention that he had come to expect since their journey through the small villages on their way to the capital. Even people in Arima gave them a cursory glance, respect and awe in their expressions once they realized they were Konoha shinobi. He could admit that he loved the feeling but he was also relieved that these people weren't cruel in the way people in Konoha were when they discriminated against his family. 'Why didn't we settle here instead of Konoha?'

Dekai and his parents rarely mingled with the rest of the neighborhood, his father working in his weapon forge most of the time and his mother busy with house work. They had tried to be on good terms with their neighbors but stopped altogether after being called derogatory names behind their backs one too many times. Even the Uchiha police force always had one of their shinobi hovering around their house, undoubtedly keeping an eye on the 'foreigner vermin'. The civilian lady living opposite their house had even had the gall to call his mother "wretched Kumo wench", her dark skin color too easily giving her away as an obvious Kumo native. Their poor behavior boiled his blood seeing that they were only forced to move to Konoha when Kumo had declined them entry after their small village had been mercilessly destroyed by Iwa in the Second Shinobi War. At any rate, this unfair treatment had come to an end when he became a genin and his parents were invited to dinner by their neighbor, Indo-san, for the first time since they settled in Konoha. That had been the moment he was truly proud to become a genin, even though it was somewhat tarnished when he realized that Konoha was a cesspool of insincere people without an ounce of sympathy.

After sometime, they finally came to a stop in front of a huge gate carved from black stone with a large yellow circle and a vibrant green peacock in the center. 'Stone gates huh. Looks similar to that of Hiyoku city gates. Can't be cheap.' Dekai noticed Nariaki tensing beside him and belatedly realized that they were about to enter the home of his friend's sworn enemy. 'Shit. Did Jiraiya even know about the bad blood between the Maeda and Hideyoshi?' He doubted Nariaki has told Jiraiya about their family feud, probably not wanting to come off as some entitled genin. But now it was too late as he spotted an old man in expensive green kimono approach them along with two guards. He had a lethal grace to his posture but was a picture of serenity as he came to stand in front of his team, his samurai topknot swaying slightly in the light breeze. Dekai saw the same sigil as that of the gates on the man's kimono. 'This must be Daichi Hideyoshi.' The man bowed formally to them and so did Jiraiya surprisingly. They both then enveloped each other in a tight hug.

The man then addressed them, "I am Daichi Hideyoshi, custodian of the Hideyoshi clan. A warm welcome to you to the humble abode of the Hideyoshi clan. Come, you all must be tired from your travels. I have arranged for tea inside."

"Alright brats, look sharp. We are on a mission here. Lead the way Daichi-san."

They entered the compound and walked along the gravel path through the beautifully decorated and well maintained garden. The shinobi were led to a guest chamber where a table was set for tea along with various delicious sweet treats-sweetened chestnuts, konpeito sugar candies, mochi, seasonal wagashi red bean sweets and other rare ones the like of which they have never tasted. The three genin sat down carefully on the soft cushions, the casual opulence taking them off guard. Dekai was extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious in the room and suddenly felt really home-sick. He missed his mother's soft singing and the constant thrumming noise from their family forge at home. It almost felt like an eternity has passed since he left Konoha on this mission. He swallowed thickly to banish away those thoughts and turned his focus to Nariaki who was so rigid, he was practically a statue. He wracked his brain to find a way to warn their sensei but came up with nothing.

'Oh well. Nothing to do now.' He hoped Jiraiya was capable of handling the fallout if any trouble occurs. The man was their jonin sensei after all.

Jiraiya sipped his tea and spoke casually, "Thank you for your hospitality as always, Daichi-san. Meet my team- the blonde haired one is Minato, the white haired one is Dekai and brown ponytail is Nariaki."

Dekai was pleasantly surprised by Jiraiya's tactful omission of family names, not expecting his sensei to be so shrewd, but in hindsight it made sense. The man may be casual and laidback but he was a jonin. Nariaki relaxed slightly, managing to bow formally and chorused together with the rest of his team, "A pleasure to meet you."

Daichi smiled genially at them, "Hmm, yes, yes. Indeed. Nice to meet you too. I am happy to finally see Jiraiya passing on his talents to Konoha's next generation. The right sort of talents of course, hmm, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya choked on his tea and wheezed, thumping his chest, "And what would be the wrong sort of talent, eh, Daichi-san?"

Daichi pretended to ponder on it and then replied, "Why, your fascination with the female population of course. Not filling their mind with ideas I presume? They are impressionable young boys still."

Jiraiya guffawed loudly at that. "Old man, that's the right sort of education if they ever hope to get laid with a pretty girl. They wouldn't be my students if they didn't learn to use their kunai the right way, would they?"

The three boys in question were blushing terribly from the decidedly embarrassing topic of discussion. Daichi was amused at their varying degrees of mortification but decided to cut them some slack.

"I think we have embarrassed them enough for today, Jiraiya. Now, I am led to believe that you have a message for me?"

Jiraiya nodded and unsealed the scroll they have been safekeeping and handed it over to Daichi-san. The man accepted the scroll and read through it in a few minutes.

"Hmm. All seems to be in order." Daichi beckoned a guard to come and take the scroll away.

"Now that that's been taken care of, let us proceed with the rest of our meal. And Jiraiya, I implore you to stay at the compound for a few more days. Your students are also most welcome. I will arrange for them to be showed around the streets of Hiyoku if they so wish."

Jiraiya shook his head, "I thank you for the offer Daichi-san but I have some business to take care of in the city and we have already made arrangements for our stay."

Daichi sighed, "Very well. Then tomorrow evening you must come to the autumn ceremony at the Meiji shrine, the Hideyoshi's family shrine. I will not accept a no from you."

Jiraiya nodded, "Alright, alright, we will be there, Daichi-san. My students haven't really seen a shrine ceremony before. This will be a good opportunity for them."

It was already evening by the time they concluded their business in the Hideyoshi compound and settled down in the inn they would be staying at after a long day of travel.

Takehaya Inn, Hanami Street

Nariaki gazed at the busy city from the rooftop of their inn, thoughts swirling around in his head about his mother, his clan's unforeseen fall from grace, his duties and his desire to see the Maeda clan rise again. It was all too much for him sometimes. Their noble clan had been one of the oldest to ever form, even before the era of shinobi. They could trace back their lineage to more than a hundred years. And now, he was the only one in a position to carry their legacy forward.

He had barely known his father, only being four years old when he died and they left the capital. His mother, a bold and fearless lady, had taught him all she had known about their clan and their way of life. She wished to see their clan restored to their previous heights. And he wished to make her wishes come true at any cost. So he had hoped that being assigned to Jiraiya's team would aid him in his goal. But that hope had died a cruel death very early on at Jiraiya's complete lack of interest in his development and the Sannin's bothersome fixation on Minato. Nariaki had tried to kill his pride and accept his role as a mere second fiddle to Minato on their team but he couldn't, not when his mother's wish might never come true. It frustrated him to no end and he had finally snapped and done something extremely risky.

He had made a deal with Danzo Shimura, the legendary Shinobi of Darkness. The man wasn't pleasant by any means but he pays Nariaki for the information the genin provides and is capable of delivering on his promises. In return for support towards his goals, Danzo had simply asked him to report on Minato's progress and Jiraiya's whereabouts. He didn't really want to involve Minato in his affairs since the boy was actually not a total prick despite being a prodigy and treated him and Dekai cordially. But it is what it is and he didn't regret it. At least not yet.

"Oye, brats! I am off. I don't know when I'll be back. You guys don't cause trouble and be good!" Jiraiya hollered from their room. Nariaki watched the man leap out of the balcony and land on the street below, startling some of the civilians and then vanish in a body flicker.

Nariaki took off his headband, storing it in his back pouch and took out a folded map of Hiyoku city to find the Masamune Weapon Shop. He waited for a few minutes before jumping down from the roof, walking leisurely towards his destination.

Masamune Weapon Shop

Nariaki quietly entered the shop and started perusing the katana section on display, waiting for the other customers to leave. Half an hour later, when the shop was empty, he approached the weapon smith and repeated the words he was instructed to speak. "Hello there. Can I have a black katana?"

The man asked him calmly, "Would you like a scabbard too?"

Nariaki uttered the answer, "No."

The man nodded and directed him towards the back of the shop. When they reached behind the display of some samurai helmets, the man handed him an envelope with a wad of cash. He counted the money-worth two D-ranks-and secured the envelope in his kunai pouch. "Do you have any information to relay?"

"Yes, but only to you. Tomorrow evening, at the Hideyoshi ceremony, aid a desert viper in escape if required. That is all."

Nariaki scrunched his eyebrows at the cryptic message. How did Danzo Shimura know they were invited to the Hideyoshi autumn shrine ceremony? Was something happening there tomorrow? And desert viper? Was it a moniker? A Suna shinobi perhaps? So many questions! He would have to take a look at the Bingo book tonight to check for that moniker. He wasn't too worried though. He knew the man enough to know that he would not engineer a scenario that would blow Nariaki's cover this early in the game.

He left the shop discreetly and walked away towards the shops in Nakano Street instead of leaping through the rooftops. He had to act like a civilian, he had come here without his headband after all. 'Might as well buy some nice souvenirs for Kaa-san. Maybe those ceramic tea pots she really likes?'

Chapter Text

The next evening

Autumn ceremony, Meiji Shrine

Minato and his team were gathered at one side, a few paces away from the chief altar, waiting for the ceremony to begin. He observed Daichi Hideyoshi speaking in hushed tones to an obese man in exquisite purple ceremonial robes. The din of the crowd was making it impossible to make out their conversation but judging by the pursed lips of Daichi-san, Minato figured they were having a disagreement, a major one too, if Daichi-san's angry stare was any indication. Soon the duo went further inside the shrine and out of his sight and he turned his attention to the priests making final preparations for the ritual.

Security was very tight in the shrine premises with at least thirty samurai adorning their katanas and standing guard. Minato also spotted Konoha shinobi in the mix, keeping watch from the rooftop and other areas of the shrine. Jiraiya-sensei already disappeared to who knows where after making sure they found a spot and like all the times before, he wondered what the man was getting up to right now. He chanced a look at his teammates and narrowed his eyes at Nariaki. The boy had been acting really weird since the moment they have stepped foot in the shrine. 'Maybe because Junichi Hideyoshi will be in attendance today.' They had been informed just a while ago that the man would be here to partake in the ceremony and also make an important announcement. He doubted Nariaki would agree to come if they had known earlier.

A loud drumbeat caught his attention as the crowd around them quieted, waiting for the head priest to begin the ceremony. A man in a stark white tunic and wearing a tall and elaborately designed cap, the head priest, raised his hands above his head in a signal. On his cue, the drumbeats started again in earnest.

"THUD. THUD. THUD. BOOM. THUD. THUD. THUD. BOOM. THUD. THUD. BOOM. THUD. BOOM….."

Minato felt his own heart thump along with the beats and smiled in elation. This was unlike anything he had ever seen. The drums kept going on and on as the priests chanted prayers in perfect harmony with the beats. The sound eventually reached a crescendo and stopped with a final bang.

The priests began offering salt and water at the altar and followed it with other dishes cooked with the autumn harvest. After chanting several new sutras, the head priest offered a small cup of sake and bowed down in respect. A few seconds later, the people in the crowd bowed as well. After another short prayer, two men closed the door to the altar and the drum beats started up again.

"THUD. THUD. THUD. BOOM. THUD. THUD. THUD. BOOM. THUD. THUD. BOOM. THUD. BOOM….."

Slowly the drum beats came to a close and three musicians carrying a shamisen entered the empty space in the shrine specially prepared for tonight's performance. They started playing a bright and vigorous tone and was accompanied by another performer who lent his flute to the ancient music. A pair of taiko drums kept pace with the shamisen and flute.

A troop of dancers stepped on the stage wearing kabuki masks and Minato watched, mesmerized, as they moved in tandem to the music without missing a beat. He noticed the design on the masks and knew right away they would be enacting the legendary folklore of the Sage of Six Paths. The rhythm accelerated and soon they were performing spectacular acrobatics enhanced with minor tricks using chakra and despite it being a story everyone already knew, the performance managed to captivate their entire audience. The crowd burst into thunderous applause after it ended and Minato and his team were no exception.

After much fanfare, the onlookers quieted down at the head priest's signal. The man came to stand on the center stage and cleared his throat. "May Inari-sama bless us with a bountiful harvest in the coming year and grant us peace and prosperity. I thank Junichi Hideyoshi-sama for his generous patronage to our shrine and pray for his and the Hideyoshi clan's continued good fortune. Now, I would request Junichi Hideyoshi-sama to convey his thanks to Inari-sama and make an announcement before the ceremonial feast." The man cleared the stage for the Hideyoshi clan head.

Minato saw the obese man, who was arguing with Daichi-san earlier, rise from his seat as the crowd waited intently for his speech. 'So that's Junichi Hideyoshi.'

The man took the stage in front of them and opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He stood there heaving loudly as the restless crowd started muttering impatiently. Minato eyed the man quizzically and made an aborted move towards the stage to get a better look but he found a hand clasping his shoulder tightly. He glanced back and immediately narrowed his eyes at Nariaki who kept a firm grip on him and shook his head minutely. Minato turned towards the stage again only to find Junichi Hideyoshi barely supporting himself on his knees, choking and grasping at his throat helplessly. His personal guards quickly approached him in alarm and a medic was called urgently but the man was already lying on the floor, his chest seizing up involuntarily. A Konoha shinobi swiftly approached the man, green medical chakra already enveloping his hands but it was too late. The man's body went through a few more spasms before he stilled completely, eyes wide open in fear and a clear white foam leaking from the corner of his mouth, evidence of poisoning obvious to all.

Complete silence.

And then…

Pandemonium.

"HE IS DEAD!"

"HE DIED!"

"What! How!"

"POISONED! He was poisoned!"

"Inari-sama cursed him! He was cursed! Cursed!"

People started rushing out, pushing and shoving each other in blind panic. Men and women shouted hysterically and children started crying at the sudden commotion. The samurai on guard jumped into the fray to regain some semblance of control and the Konoha shinobi were already herding the crowd towards the exit systematically to prevent a stampede. Daichi Hideyoshi was nowhere to be seen.

Minato kept an eye peeled out for Jiraiya even as he and his team ran towards a nearby chunin for orders. They didn't have to go much further before Jiraiya intercepted them.

The sannin looked like the devil reincarnate with his jaw clenched tight and his eyes a blaze of fury as he dropped down in front of them. The killing intent almost caused their knees to buckle and they took an unconscious step back from the man. Jiraiya seemed to notice and clamped down hard on his chakra.

"The three of you move to the rear gate of the shrine and help in evacuation. Here, Minato, take this kunai. Channel some chakra and throw it into the air if you notice anyone suspicious or if you are in trouble. The fuinjutsu seal tag on it will detonate and inform me of your location. Under no circumstances, you are to engage in battle! Is it clear? Under no circumstances! Alright, get going. I will find you when all this is over."

The three of them saluted, "YES SENSEI!"

As they moved towards the rear gate of the shrine, Minato eyed Nariaki with suspicion. 'Was it him? But how? He was standing right beside me the whole time. Is he an accomplice then?' His teammate did hate the man and would no doubt take the opportunity to kill him. He even stopped Minato from getting closer to the stage when the man was dying. But Minato didn't want to doubt his teammate without any proof or explanation. So he kept quiet.

When they reached the rear gate, the chunin there already had a handle on the situation and tasked their team with making sure the civilians moved out in an orderly manner. Minato took this opportunity to question his teammate.

"Nariaki, what was that?"

The boy in question simply shrugged at him, "I was helping you. Would you have preferred to be so close to the scene of the killing? Fielding questions from every person you come across about what you saw? Maybe even have the Hideyoshi clan use you as a scapegoat in this stinking mess? Or would you prefer to go home without a controversy so early in your shinobi career?"

Beside him Dekai nodded. "He is right, Minato. This is none of our business. Our mission was already done yesterday. We are just at the wrong place at the wrong time. And who knows how they spin this story so as not to come off as weak. I mean it can't be a good look for a clan to have their head be murdered in public like this."

Minato scowled at his teammates. "I am not that stupid! I was only going to take a closer look. I didn't think he would die all of a sudden!" Minato rounded on Nariaki, "And how were you so sure he was dying?"

Dekai looked at Nariaki then. "Minato has a point. How did you know he would die?"

Nariaki, to his credit, held steady under the gaze of his teammates. "I mean it was obvious, right? There's no way he would live after struggling like that! Anyway, I just thought it better to not meddle in these things."

Minato didn't buy the excuse for a moment but let it go without too much probing. Besides, Dekai was right. No need to get involved in something which didn't concern them in any way.

Nariaki sighed in relief as Minato bought his reason without too many questions. Sometimes he hated how smart his teammate was. He was keeping a very close eye on Junichi Hideyoshi the whole time and had noticed how much the man was sweating even in this cool weather. Nariaki already realized the man was poisoned when he walked onto the stage and had moved to stand even closer to his teammates, in full view of everyone. The last thing he needed was to be considered a suspect here. Danzo did say he needed a strong alibi and who better than his teammates to vouch for him.

'Now who is this desert viper?' He hoped whoever they were, they didn't need his assistance because Minato was already suspicious of him and would no doubt report to Jiraiya at once if he so much has breathed the wrong way.

Aaaand of course his meagre hopes were dashed spectacularly.

The three of them were standing a few yards from each other to better usher out the civilians when a scuffle broke out between two people in the line. Nariaki spotted the disturbance and moved to stop them. A heavyset man was vehemently shouting at a brown haired woman for cutting in the line and moved to attack her. The woman evaded him easily which enraged the man further. He flew into a blind rage, drew a katana from an unsuspecting young samurai monitoring the evacuation and charged her. She reacted instantly, grabbing the larger man by his hands, almost crushing his fingers and loosening his grip on the sword. The man didn't let up and tried to grab her by the throat. But the woman kicked him hard in the shins to halt his approach. There was an audible crack of a bone breaking and the man was howling in pain on the ground, holding his injured leg.

Nariaki's eyes widened at the scene. 'Chakra enhanced kick. Shinobi! She has to be the desert viper! Shit!' After receiving the message yesterday, he had checked the Bingo book and found a kunoichi from Suna with that moniker. She is probably using a henge right now but he was reasonably sure that it's her.

If he saw the fight then Minato must have seen it too. Dekai was further ahead and out of sight right now. He turned to Minato apprehensively and saw the blond already fishing out Jiraiya's kunai. 'I have to stop him!'

Minato had seen the woman and immediately concluded that she was a ninja. Only someone trained in the shinobi arts can have such brutal efficiency and impeccable timing. Every single action of her was suspicious enough to warrant an investigation. 'Jiraiya-sensei did tell us to alert him.' He took out the kunai Jiraiya-sensei gave him in one swift motion and readied himself to channel chakra into it. But his instincts screamed at him at that moment and he dodged a kunai flying straight towards him from his right.

By the time he recovered, the woman had already slipped away. Some Konoha shinobi gave chase but Minato knew she had a head start and they would never catch up. Minato growled out in irritation, "Nariaki. What. Are. You. Doing?!"

Nariaki came to a halt beside him, "Calm down, Minato." He swept a glance around to see if anyone noticed them. Satisfied that no one did, he looked at Minato and pondered how to salvage this situation. 'A half-truth would have to do.'

Nariaki took a deep breath and started, "Minato, please. Just hear me out. I'm sorry for throwing a kunai at you. In my defense, I knew you would dodge. I…that woman….look I knew something was up. Alright? I knew. I can't tell you right now but I had a good reason, okay? Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't have been close enough to catch her anyway! She is jonin rank for sure and would have gotten away! Besides this is not even a Konoha matter! Not yet! I…I'm loyal, really."

Nariaki anxiously waited for an answer but Minato was silently looking at the ground. When he looked up, his eyes were frosty and the absolute menace in those blue orbs put Nariaki's teeth on edge. When he spoke, it was in a whisper. "Let's stop talking like little children. Do you need me to keep quiet about this?"

Nariaki bit his lips and nodded. "Yes! This has nothing to do with you Minato. I…I am not at a liberty to say anymore."

Minato took a step in his direction, coming face to face with him. "Very well. I need to know a few details from you but rest assured I will not interfere anymore. Understand that if I keep quiet about this, you owe me a favor and I will cash it in. So then, do you agree? Yes?"

Nariaki closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he had steel in his gaze. He may be a mediocre shinobi but there was no way a son of the Maeda clan would lose to an upstart orphan in a negotiation of all things. "Ask your questions. But I can't agree to this if you don't tell me what you want in return. Fair?"

Minato smiled, all teeth, and nodded. "Fair. Now, my first question. Are you directly related to this assassination? My second question. Is this beneficial to the Maeda clan? And finally, my third and last question. Do you plan on establishing your clan in the capital again?"

Nariaki answered, "No, I am not directly related to the killing. Yes, his death would be beneficial to my clan. And….yes, I do wish to return to our old seat in Hiyoku one day and establish our presence again in the Fire Daimyo's court. Now your turn."

Minato smirked at him. "Hmmm. Fine. I want information. The way you have been acting today, you knew something would happen. And if you did, you must have a source who warned you. You don't have to rat them out to me but I want any intel you receive. And, down the road if you manage to gain enough influence in the capital, I want you to put in a good word for me when I take a shot at the hokage spot. Deal?"

Nariaki scoffed at that, "No deal. It's one sided. You gain intel and future favor for becoming hokage. What do I get? If we are doing this, we keep your part of the deal and you teach me enough of whatever Jiraiya teaches you so that I can quickly become chunin, and later on, jonin. And of course Konoha's cooperation with the Maeda clan if you manage to become hokage. Deal?"

Minato smiled maliciously, "Here I am giving you an easy out by going against my superior's direct orders and look at you laying down terms like you have the upper hand. What if I refuse and tell sensei?"

Nariaki tensed at Minato's threat but didn't back down. "You don't actually want to do that. I know because if you did we wouldn't be having this conversation. So? Deal or no deal?"

Minato thought on it for a few moments and inclined his head in agreement. "Okay. We have a deal. Don't even think about betraying me."

Nariaki looked affronted. "Don't insult me, Minato. A Maeda doesn't break faith that easily. Now, what do we tell sensei?"

Minato replied easily, "The truth. At least some of it. By the time we realized she was a shinobi, she got away and we had no idea about her location, so there was no point in using the kunai. There was no Konoha shinobi in our vicinity that time. Only civilians. I checked. The story should hold."

Nariaki nodded and they returned to their designated position. Once his back was turned, Minato smiled slowly at his unexpected good fortune. He cared nothing for the dead man but it did make him wonder exactly who his teammate took his orders from. Assassinating a clan head who was in the Daimyo's good graces was no small matter. It required real guts and connections along with having a litany of contingencies meticulously put in place. This also bodes the question about what his teammate is doing in return to curry such expensive favors. 'Maybe this is an ongoing partnership? Is he sharing intel about Jiraiya?' It was plausible. The man would be far less guarded in front of three green genins than he would be anywhere else. Minato had to tread carefully from now on. In fact, it is safer to assume that Nariaki was supplying intel about their whole team, not just Jiraiya, and work his way around that. He is still figuring out the best way to leverage this opportunity but rest assured he will put his teammate to good use. His smile widened even more at this new challenge. 'Finally something exciting to look forward to.'

Chapter Text

The same night

Hideyoshi Clan Compound

"Daichi-sama, preparations for the funeral are complete."

"Hmm. Is the body cleansed and brought to the compound?"

The manservant hesitated for a beat but replied, "Not yet. The medic is still extracting the poison. But we have been assured it will be done shortly and they will send the body on its way."

Even though it irritated him, Daichi accepted it. Predictably, there would be a very thorough and detailed investigation of Junichi Hideyoshi's death. "And where is Soichi? Has he been informed of his father's passing?"

This time the young attendant was visibly nervous. He mumbled something inaudible and fell silent.

Daichi looked questionably at the man, "I asked you whether Soichi Hideyoshi has been informed of his father's passing?"

The servant finally spoke up. "Daichi-sama, h-he is still at Madam Yuji's br-brothel. I have sent two guards to inform him but they are not back yet. I…I will send more men right away!"

He chanced a look at Daichi-sama and visibly relaxed to see the man merely contemplative and not furious like he had expected.

"Yes, you do that. And keep me informed of any new development. Dismissed."

After the servant left, Daichi rose and retrieved an aged bottle of fine sake from a hidden drawer in his desk. He poured the sake in two saucers and held one to his lips, savouring the strong flavour. He looked upwards and uttered seemingly to nothing, "Finest sake in my stock. Wish to taste?"

A shadow dropped down from the ceiling right in front of Daichi but he was unfazed and calmly sipped his sake. This was an old hide and seek game of theirs, very childish, but amusing none the less.

The shadowed silhouette picked up the second saucer and gulped down the drink in one go. "For someone retired and with only a sliver of chakra, you sure are vigilant. Might even give Konoha's best sensors a run for their money, old man."

Daichi smiled at the backhanded compliment and poured more sake in their cups. "Why are you here, Orochimaru?"

The Sannin smirked and slouched comfortably on the cushions. "Was the spectacle I devised to your liking? Really, wasn't it poetic, the way that lard kept grasping his throat and took his last breath in front of such a large gathering? Even the day is special, the auspicious autumn ceremony! Sometimes, I impress even myself, you know."

Daichi said nothing as he poured himself another cup of sake. He grabbed a scroll from his kimono sleeve and handed it to Orochimaru. "Your payment, which you were obviously too impatient to receive on our agreed upon date. The safe house will only open when you draw the correct counter seal. It is in the scroll I just gave you."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Didn't peg you as a Fuinjutsu expert. Did you have an Uzumaki ancestor by any chance, Daichi-san?"

Daichi ignored the probe and asked straight to the point. "Why are you here?"

Orochimaru set down his saucer and sat up straight. "Just to make some enquiries. The Desert Viper, Sakyu Hoki, was hired by you? As insurance? Not very efficient if even genin could spot her. Two of Jiraiya's figured her out in moments."

Daichi shook his head at that. "She revealed herself on purpose. Danzo Shimura facilitated her participation. He intercepted Junichi's letter to the Daimyo of Wind Country and passed it on to the Hoki family in Suna."

"Ku-ku-ku-ku. What business did the Hideyoshi family have with Wind Country, Daichi-san? Is that why you offed your dearest brother, hmmm?"

Daichi nodded solemnly. "Junichi was intending to trade with the Wind Country. He wished to trade our wheat in return for their iron from the famed mines of Shizuku. This would of course-"

Orochimaru interrupted, "This would significantly reduce the sales of millet that the Hoki family trades with the Wind Daimyo and also allow the Hideyoshi clan to fit more of their men with arms who would then inevitably be added to the Fire Daimyo's army. But it would also tickle the Fire Daimyo the wrong way to see one of his vassals gain undue strength. Hmmm. Interesting."

Daichi bristled at the interruption but let it slide. "Yes, you are correct of course. Danzo sent me an intimation through Jiraiya's team few days ago that Sakyu Hoki was in the city. But I had already planned for you to deal with this little problem and diverted his resources. So Danzo offered to let her draw the blame towards the Wind Country, to camouflage your involvement."

Orochimaru hissed in irritation, "And you trusted him! Just like that! This is not some Hokage-sanctioned mission, Daichi-san. If Danzo smells out that a Konoha shinobi was involved, I could land in some serious hot waters! That damned cripple is too feisty for his own good! Not to mention the trouble we would have on our hands if sensei ever found out!"

Daichi replied coolly, "For someone so meticulous, you are easily frazzled, Orochimaru. Danzo does not know who I hired. He and I have had a mutually beneficial relationship for a long while now. Backstabbing each other at this point will not serve either of our purpose. And this time our goal was aligned as well. So stop fretting. No one would know of your hand in this. The poison you used was a Suna variety, yes? That's taken care of. And I also made sure they chased down the wrong lead. Once the funeral is over, we can rest easy and put this behind us."

The sannin asked curiously, "What of the son? Wouldn't he carry on with the deal? If you want him gone, I would like to once again offer my services but this time a single safe house location won't cut it."

Daichi sneered at the mention of Soichi Hideyoshi, "That drinking whoring fool can't tell his hide from his mouth. Even now, he languishes in Yuji's brothel when the clan is in need of him. He can kill himself just fine without any outside help and he will most certainly not be smearing this clan's good name in some misguided sense of inherited authority. Besides, the Wind Daimyo has been strongly dissuaded from following through with this deal. So it will not materialise."

"Ku-ku-ku. Ahh, threatened with death, I see."

"Something like that. Now, leave. I have a funeral to prepare and a brother to mourn. And do take down those privacy seals you have no doubt put up on your way out."

Orochimaru cancelled the privacy seals with a wave of his hand and vanished in a body flicker without a single sound.

Nakano Street

Orochimaru reappeared on the roof of Madam Yuji's brothel and created a shadow clone. "Check up on Soichi Hideyoshi and dispel yourself."

With his little errand done, Orochimaru hastily hopped towards the forests surrounding Hiyoku. Coming here tonight had been a calculated risk on his part but he had to after what he had seen even though his foolish teammate could sniff him out at any moment. He had no interest in Danzo's meaningless schemes but when he spotted Jiraiya's two baby genin whispering to each other at the shrine, he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

And lo and behold, Jiraiya's little minions were not as innocent as they looked! They were actively helping a foreign shinobi escape and even scheming about the best way to lie to their sensei! It was hilarious. And that blond kid! Seriously, that kid has perfected the "kind eyes and sunny smile" look down to an art. It was glorious to see the way he dropped the pretense and intimidated his teammate into a lasting partnership.

And the other boy was no slouch either! At first glance, he had thought blondie to be the one with an agenda but it turns out to be brown ponytail who is on Danzo's payroll- and really who else would it be other than Danzo-the only one beside him who could have the balls to plan an assassination in the capital! It has only been a few months in his shinobi career and he is already a Danzo spy! Now that's a new record! Ugh. Jiraiya, that halfwit. He would never nurture these qualities in his genin. He would no doubt only teach the traditional shinobi arts and leave them to flounder through life learning diplomacy by trial and error. The teacher in him lamented at the lost opportunity. But now Orochimaru's interest was piqued. He would carefully gauge their abilities and see if they could be useful to him in future, in Jiraiya's absence of course.

He blinked once, to absorb his clone's memories and sniggered to himself. Soichi Hideyoshi was hopelessly passed out after drinking through the night and would most definitely be absent from his own father's funeral. "What an absolute disgrace."

Next Morning

Takehaya Inn

Minato and his teammates are sitting with their sensei having breakfast. It also doubled as a team meeting and Dekai is giving his own report to Jiraiya-sensei about last night's happenings right now. He and Nariaki had already decided that he would speak on behalf of the both of them if only because Nariaki has been a nervous wreck since yesterday.

"Well, that was nicely done, Dekai. Good job on your first proper report. Nariaki, you next."

Nariaki looked panicked and before he could speak, Minato butted in. "Actually, sensei, we were in the same place. So is it okay if I speak for both of us?"

Nariaki nodded, "Yes sensei. I'm really bad with details."

Jiraiya nodded, "Alright, but Nariaki, you have to get used to giving reports. Minato, go ahead."

Minato made sure to look uncertain and launched into the false explanation. "Sensei, we….uh…we were helping out with the civilian lines when…when a fight broke out between a man and a woman. We were t-trying to maintain order and didn't pay much attention to the fight. B-but we should have! And then the woman injured the man's leg and…and fled from there. I…I am really sorry sensei. It's all my fault. I should have noticed that she was a shinobi! Then I could have alerted you! I am sorry, sensei. I am really….really sorry. I will do better from now on. I promise, sensei."

As he said that, Minato bowed deeply, almost touching his head to the tatami mats. Seeing that, Nariaki also bowed deeply and started apologising profusely. Jiraiya was looking extremely uncomfortable having two kids bow to him like that and Dekai shifted in his seat awkwardly.

Jiraiya laughed nervously, "Er….er….hehe….it's okay. It's okay. Really, kids. This is your first C-rank. These things happen. And you are still only genin. But from next time, keep an eye out on your surroundings, alright?"

After receiving vigorous nods from the wide-eyed kids, Jiraiya sighed moodily. This mission was turning out to be a real pain for him. Not to mention the jonin sensei business which was sapping out all his creativity. He hasn't been able to write a single good chapter since he took up this team. Even sake and a good whore did nothing to give him any comfort. He was desperately hoping that his genin became chunin as soon as possible and he could finally be rid of these responsibilities. Handling three kids round the clock is getting exhausting for him. He seriously needed some down time to restore his energy and passion for life.

Sensing a familiar presence outside the inn, Jiraiya was struck with a wild idea and grinned slyly. He just found the perfect person to pawn off his genins for a few days. He flared his chakra once as an invitation and waited patiently at their table.

Once the familiar face of his teammate came into view, he greeted the man enthusiastically, "Orochimaru! Wherever have you been? Here, meet the ducklings. Minato, Nariaki and Dekai. The three of you- this is my teammate, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in a silent question at the unnecessarily eager greeting. Jiraiya looked perturbed, "Oh, come on. Can't I greet my own teammate now?"

Orochimaru took a seat at the table and pinned Jiraiya with his most vicious stare, leaking some bloodlust, "I only came here to say my farewell to you before I leave, since you are in Hiyoku. So don't even think about it, Jiraiya. I am not doing it."

The stare slid off of Jiraiya like water off a duck's body and he laughed loudly, "Don't be like that! You don't even know what I'm talking about!"

Orochimaru scoffed, "I know exactly what you are trying to do! Don't you dare foist these genin on me. They are your students, not mine, and I am not a bloody babysitter."

"Please man! I'm only asking you to take them back to Konoha with you! I'll be stuck here for a few more days and I'll have my hands full even without looking after them. Please!" Jiraiya threw in a convincingly pleading look at the snake sannin.

But Orochimaru didn't budge. "How do you even know I am going to Konoha? I could be going anywhere. And even if I was, it is still a no."

Since this wasn't working, Jiraiya decided to change tactics. "Hmmm. Hadn't you been trying to get your hands on those super rare seasonal daifuku sweets they make in Tanzaku Gai this time of the year. I found a guy who could buy me some. Guess you don't want any. Fine. Whatever. Your loss." Jiraiya stretched his arms and started to rise from his seat.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Wait."

"Hmm? You said something, Oro-chan?"

The snake sannin gritted his teeth at the old nickname. "Wait. Fine. Plum and chestnut flavours for me. And don't you dare bring the ones with raisins in them." Jiraiya shrugged and left to pay the innkeeper.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes at the retreating back of his teammate but wasn't too bothered by his predicament. He was already planning on sizing up these kids and Jiraiya unknowingly handed him the opportunity on a platter. He hid a smirk at the bewildered expression on the kids and waved them away. "You three. We leave at midday. Go pack." The three genin looked at each other and walked off to their rooms in a daze.

Once inside, Dekai sat down on his futon, perplexed. "He….he really dumped us. He dumped us on this guy we barely know and didn't look back once! What kind of an irresponsible man does that? How was this man considered to be fit for being jonin sensei? How?"

Nariaki started pacing the length of their room briskly. "Seriously, who pulls a stunt like this? Does Jiraiya hate us that much? We aren't that annoying, are we, guys?"

Minato was also quite disturbed. He never expected their sensei to just haul them off to another person out of the blue like that. Didn't genin teams return with their own sensei from C-ranks? What about the report they have to give to the hokage? He sighed, "Orochimaru-san is also a sannin. So security-wise, we should be okay. And we can simply drag Orochimaru-san for our briefing to the hokage after we reach Konoha. So let's just pack and be ready. At least, we are finally going home, right?"

His teammates nodded and the three of them started packing their bags in companionable silence.