"Of course, I am willing!"
There are ripples in Minato's azure eyes. For some reason, he is incredibly happy at this moment. Although he has never met Jiraiya, he feels a special connection with him.
Minato can't describe that feeling before, but now he understands it. It feels like a teacher, like a father!
Minato immediately kneels down and performs the ceremony of apprenticeship.
Jiraiya shows a gratified smile. From today on, he becomes someone's teacher. And more than ten years ago, it was here that he became the disciple of the Third Hokage. This is the so-called inheritance.
Jiraiya stretches out his hand to help Minato up, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes, and says, "From today on, I will guide your training, and you don't have to go to the back mountain to train anymore. I have already informed the people, and you can come and go here at will."
Minato now has the qualities of a real ninja and is fully qualified to practice in the seventh training ground.
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei!"
Minato's voice is filled with joy, unable to contain his delight, so his tone is slightly higher.
Looking at Minato's expectant face, Jiraiya slightly raises his eyes, looks at the sky that has completely darkened, and says, "It's already night, and you've been tired all day at the Ninja School. Let's talk about training tomorrow."
A lewd smile flashes across Jiraiya's face, but Minato doesn't notice it at all and just nods in obedience.
"Then now, your teacher will take you to do something more important than training."
Jiraiya's expression and tone suddenly become serious, and Minato, who doesn't know what he is referring to, also becomes serious. But there is a trace of doubt in his mind. What is more important than training? Then, the two quickly leave the seventh training ground.
The two quickly cross many streets, and Jiraiya's pace becomes very fast, but this speed is still within Minato's tolerance.
When they arrive at their destination, Minato is stunned in front of the door.
Because the place Jiraiya brings him to is actually the hot springs in Konoha.
"Jiraiya-sensei, this..." Minato is puzzled. Is this what the teacher says is more important than training?
Jiraiya pats Minato on the shoulder and smiles, "Ninjas also need to combine work and rest. Nothing can make people feel more relaxed than taking a warm bath after a busy day!"
As he says that, Jiraiya pulls Minato in.
Although Minato can't understand the teacher's thoughts at this time, he absolutely obeys Jiraiya's words.
After folding his clothes and putting them in the clothes basket, Minato finds that Jiraiya-sensei is missing, and his clothes are placed in the basket in a mess, with some even scattered on the ground. Minato walks up, puts Jiraiya's clothes in place, and walks slowly into the hot spring.
Because it is a holiday today, there are quite a few people in the hot spring, and there are some children who are about the same age as Minato, but they are not his classmates.
"Minato, why are you so slow?"
At this time, an impatient voice comes over. Jiraiya leans on the edge of the hot spring. There is a wooden tray next to his right hand, on which is a wine pot and a cup.
"I'm so sorry." Hearing this, Minato trots over and apologizes.
Jiraiya's face is slightly red, and he holds a cup in his hand. There is a pungent smell in it that Minato can detect a little.
"It's okay, you're too polite." Jiraiya waves his hand and drinks the liquid in the cup.
After a while, Jiraiya stands up a little unsteadily and says to Minato, "I'll go out for a while."
"Jiraiya-sensei, are you okay?"
Seeing Jiraiya staggering, Minato asks with concern. Jiraiya waves his hand and says, "No problem at all!"
After he finishes speaking, he seems to get rid of the previous state of being slightly drunk and leaves very quickly.
Minato doesn't know what he is going to do, but it is also very pleasant to take a hot spring bath occasionally. He closes his eyes slightly and enjoys this feeling.
But after a while, Jiraiya still doesn't come back, and Minato becomes a little worried. After putting on his bathrobe, he looks for Jiraiya everywhere.
He searches the bathhouse but can't find Jiraiya. When he returns to the place where he changes his clothes, the clothes in Jiraiya's basket are gone.
Minato thinks that Jiraiya has left first because of something important, and he doesn't feel strange about it.
"Maybe Jiraiya-sensei has something urgent?" Minato thinks, and after changing his clothes, he walks out of the bathhouse.
"Not bad, not bad."
Just when Minato is about to leave, he hears a murmur. Because of long-term training, his hearing is much more developed than ordinary people.
He immediately raises his eyes and sees the figure lying on the roof of the hot spring hidden under the night. It is Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei?"
Minato calls him twice, but Jiraiya is so focused that he has no time to pay attention to Minato and doesn't even hear his call.
At this moment, there are few people in front of the hot spring, so no one notices this abnormality.
Out of doubt, Minato finds a place where no one would notice, jumps onto the roof, and quickly comes to Jiraiya's side.
"Jirai..." Just as Minato is about to call Jiraiya, his mouth is covered at a high speed.
"Shh, don't talk."
Jiraiya points his index finger in front of his mouth, and his smiling eyes return to their previous position.
But that kind of sight seems a little strange to Minato. So he follows Jiraiya's gaze and looks over.
"Jiraiya-sensei, is this what you said is more important than practice?"
Minato's face is shocked, and it turns red, and then he turns his face away quickly. Because the place that Jiraiya is watching is the women's bathhouse.
In a panic, Minato speaks a little louder, and his movements are a little messy, causing some noise.
Someone in the women's bathhouse notices this abnormality and then sees the obscene gaze projected from the roof.
"Ah!" A very sharp cry suddenly sounds, even startling the pedestrians on the street outside.
"Not good, hurry up!"
Jiraiya mutters that it's not good, then pulls Minato, and with high speed, he and Minato disappear from the roof of the hot spring in the blink of an eye.
=========================
[More Chapter available at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================