The streets of Konoha bustled with life, lined with shops and filled with constant streams of pedestrians. In this lively setting, three young ninjas leaned idly in a corner, glancing around restlessly.
These three were naturally Satori Hyūga, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina.
As expected, they had been assigned to the same team under Jiraiya's squad.
"Where is Teacher Jiraiya? He promised we'd meet here at nine!" Kushina stared up at the bright sky, growing increasingly anxious.
It was clearly well past nine—the sun hung high, nearly noon already.
Yet their instructor Jiraiya still hadn't arrived, sparking suspicion.
Minato tried to calm her down. "Maybe Professor Jiraiya was called away on an urgent mission."
"He *is* one of the Sannin after all. Something might've held him up."
Satori yawned, breaking from his meditation and opening his eyes. "Something holding him up? That's definitely possible."
He glanced around and immediately noticed a nearby mixed-gender bathhouse.
Based on what he knew of Jiraiya, there was a good chance the man was inside that very bathhouse right now.
Kushina perked up. "Satori Hyūga, do you know where Teacher Jiraiya is?"
She had waited the entire morning without even a glimpse of him—naturally, she was quite upset.
Satori tilted his chin toward the bathhouse. "I heard Jiraiya likes women. He often peeks into bathhouses for material for his novels. Maybe he's doing field research in there as we speak."
Minato chuckled awkwardly. "That can't be true—he's one of the Sannin!"
People unfamiliar with them usually held an idealized view of the Sannin.
But not Satori.
Looking at Minato, Satori grinned oddly. "You two probably don't realize this, but the Sannin aren't as noble and great as you imagine."
Seeing Satori's eerie smile, Minato suspected something disturbing was about to come—and sure enough:
"The Sannin each have their flaws: Jiraiya is a pervert, Tsunade loves gambling, and Orochimaru is obsessed with poisons."
"If you go in right now, Kushina," Satori teased provocatively, "you might catch him."
Kushina hesitated slightly but ultimately trusted Satori and started walking toward the bathhouse.
Just before entering, she heard Satori call out: "He could be hiding with a stealth jutsu. You'll need to look carefully."
"What if I use my Byakugan to check?" she suggested.
Satori remembered that Jiraiya had a Clear Body Technique that allowed him to become invisible.
If it really was that advanced, even if he was inside, Kushina likely wouldn't find him.
Unfortunately, her suggestion was quickly rejected.
Both Kushina and Minato immediately said, "No way! Once you activate your Byakugan, won't you see everything in there?"
They both understood how powerful—and invasive—the Byakugan could be.
That's why the Hyūga Clan in the village were prohibited from activating their Byakugan freely.
Kushina hurried into the women's bath area. Moments later, a roar of rage erupted from inside.
"That damn pervert! Die!"
Crash!
A huge chunk of the wooden wall exploded inward, and a figure tumbled out through the newly torn hole.
"Stop hitting me! I was just collecting material for my novels! I'm a good guy!"
A middle-aged man wearing a brown-green outfit with a red coat, wrist guards, and an oil-character forehead protector shouted loudly. His face was twisted in panic, marked by two prominent red lines running down from his eyes—Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin.
"Darn perverted stalker! I'll kill you for this, you trash! I'm taking you straight to the Konoha Police Station!" Kushina roared furiously, leaping out of the bathhouse and swinging wild punches at Jiraiya.
Behind her followed a group of furious women wrapped in towels, chasing and beating him up.
Minato Namikaze gawked at the spectacle before him, his mouth hanging open in pure disbelief.
"Is Professor Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, really this unreliable?"
They never imagined their mentor would abandon them so easily after getting caught peeping into a women's bathhouse.
Satori Hyūga couldn't help laughing aloud at the sight of a defeated and fleeing Jiraiya.
After making him wait for ages, a little payback seemed perfectly deserved.
Among the tragic characters in the Hokage series, Jiraiya's early life had indeed been quite fascinating.
Blessed with incredible luck since childhood, he was taken under the wing of the Hokage himself. He even invented the Transparent Escape technique specifically for spying and collecting "research" for his novels. Then he entered the Summoning Animal Sacred Land and learned Sage Mode.
He was both literary and martial.
Celebrated as a literary giant across nations, he was also one of Konoha's most revered Sannin.
After a short while,
Kushina angrily stormed back, clenching her fists in rage. "That perverted stalker ran too fast—I couldn't catch him."
"Professor Jiraiya is one of the Sannin; it's normal you couldn't catch him," Minato consoled.
Just as he spoke, a shadow quietly approached from nearby.
The crafty Jiraiya had slipped into a fresh outfit, squared his shoulders, and approached the three students.
"So you're the students the old man stuck me with?"
Seeing him dare come near, Kushina immediately became furious.
"You think you can trick me just by changing your clothes? You're the same perv all the same!"
Jiraiya awkwardly rubbed his nose and defended, "That guy earlier? Definitely not me—that was my identical twin brother who's obsessed with peeping. I swear I'll scold him when I get home."
"Hmph, do you think we're stupid?" Kushina clearly didn't buy it.
She'd never heard of Jiraiya—one of the Sannin—having a brother, period.
"Ahem... Forget that whole mess. If you want me as your instructor, you'll have to pass my test first."
Quickly changing the subject, Jiraiya's expression turned serious. He pulled out a small bell from his pocket, shaking it as he addressed the three teens.
"The three of you must work together and take this bell from me—that's how you'll officially pass my trial."
"Let's go into those woods over there; it's too cramped here."
The three followed Jiraiya toward the village gate.
The nearby area was thick with trees and open space—an ideal training ground for testing their limits.
Jiraiya stood in the clearing, bell in hand, looking fully prepared for their attempt to snatch it.
This was the traditional method of apprentice selection in the Hokage lineage, handed down from The Second to The Third, and now to him.
As Jiraiya lost himself in thought, the three exchanged a knowing glance and sprang into action, each with a clear role.
Kushina pressed her hands to her chest and rapidly formed hand seals. Several chakra chains shot out from behind her, streaking toward Jiraiya at high speed.
The chakra chains twisted like living things as they coiled tightly around him.
[Adamantine Sealing Chains]
A unique Sealing Technique of the Uzumaki clan.
Realizing what was happening, Jiraiya didn't dare hesitate. He leapt upward, narrowly avoiding the binding chains.
But before he could recover, Satori Hyūga and Minato Namikaze sprang into motion, rushing forward at once.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>