On the way home.
"Gin, you look really angry?" Minato asked.
After all, slamming the table in class didn't seem like something someone in a good mood would do.
Even Satoru was startled.
"Not really, just surprised they're making us graduate early," Gin replied.
He smiled, but inside he was cursing.
"Really?" Minato didn't believe him. Gin's smile had a hint of sarcasm, or so it seemed.
Seeing Gin had no intention of elaborating, Minato didn't press further.
"I wonder if we'll be in the same team," Kushina interjected.
"Hope so," Gin shrugged.
He didn't hold much hope, though. After all, he was an Uchiha, and even though he wasn't well-liked within his own clan, he couldn't change his surname for now.
Theoretically, being on the same team as Kushina would be the safest bet. If possible, he'd prefer it.
Early on, the village wouldn't let the jinchūriki face danger. As her teammate, he'd naturally be much safer.
Later on, they'd surely be separated... but by then, he'd have grown stronger.
"By the way, have you heard about the recent disappearances of many ninjas?" Minato brought up.
His neighbors included some of the missing ninjas, and he could hear crying from their homes.
"That has nothing to do with us," Gin interrupted Minato's thoughts.
He remembered an important event that took place around this time.
The experiment on Hashirama's cells aimed at enhancing Konoha's strength.
The missing ninjas during this period.
He understood this must be the research on Hashirama's cells, the only black mark on Hiruzen's record.
This also explained why the academy had ended so early.
The Hashirama cells research involved many sacrifices.
Naturally, it affected the front lines.
To supplement the lack of manpower, the academy students were a good source of recruits.
"That old geezer," Gin muttered angrily under his breath.
He'd deal with him sooner or later.
"What?" Minato asked, hearing Gin mutter something.
"Nothing," Gin shook his head, finding no need to elaborate.
"Look over there," Kushina suddenly pointed to a man standing on a distant tree, peeking at something.
Next to him was... a women's bathhouse.
Gin's face darkened. He didn't need to think to know it was Jiraiya. Only he in the whole village would do something like this.
"Peeping tom!!" Kushina roared, her figure disappearing from sight.
Jiraiya, who was peeping, felt a gust of wind behind him before he was kicked in the back, flying straight into the women's bathhouse.
"Ah!!" "Ah!!" "Ah!!"
Screams echoed.
"Pervert!!"
"It's you, Jiraiya, you scoundrel!!"
"Katon! Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Flames flared up in the women's bathhouse, and Jiraiya was blasted out again, landing in front of Minato and Gin.
The two exchanged glances.
"Looks like he's dead."
"Let's find a place to bury him."
They were about to move.
"Wait!!" Jiraiya stretched out his hand: "I can still be saved."
Half of his hair burned, Jiraiya struggled to sit up, his clothes in tatters, looking pitiful.
But Kushina hadn't vented her anger yet, and she wouldn't let Jiraiya off the hook.
"You perverted, disgusting peeping tom!!"
Her red hair flailed like octopus tentacles, making Kushina look like a witch. A faint golden glow emanated from her body.
Kushina jumped up, raising her fist high, and brought it down on Jiraiya with force.
"Boom!!"
A lump formed on Jiraiya's head, and he fainted.
...
When Jiraiya woke up, he was tied to a tree, bound hand and foot.
Looking at the three people in front of him, who were cracking their knuckles.
"Wait! I'm not a peeping tom!! It's for research!! Do you kids understand research?!"
Why did he have to suffer like this?
"I don't know what kind of research involves peeping in a women's bathhouse," Kushina raised an eyebrow.
Such things couldn't be forgiven.
"I'm an aspiring famous novelist!!" Jiraiya said proudly.
Though he hadn't written a single word yet.
"Die a thousand times before saying that!" Kushina wanted to punish this shameless man. What kind of dirty novel involved researching in a women's bathhouse?
Minato quickly stopped Kushina.
"Kushina, he's still Jiraiya-sama."
Jiraiya's expression changed, but he still acted deep and mysterious.
"Kids, knowing my identity, shouldn't you untie me?"
Gin walked up to Jiraiya and clicked his tongue in wonder.
"Jiraiya-sama, since we know your identity, why do you think we haven't let you go yet?"
"You wouldn't want your peeping to be exposed, right?"
Gin smiled wickedly, making a threat.
Jiraiya's face stiffened, looking at Gin's expression. Even though he kept a straight face, the smirk at the corners of his mouth showed that this kid was dangerous.
"What do you want?" Jiraiya asked warily.
"Not much," Gin rubbed his chin in thought. Apart from the Myoboku contract, Jiraiya didn't seem to have anything he particularly desired.
And the toads from Myoboku, aside from the biggest fraud, were strong, but not the summoning creatures he wanted.
Thinking this, he looked at Jiraiya with disdain.
This guy was worthless.
"Hey!! What's with that look!" Jiraiya was annoyed by Gin's expression.
No matter what, he was a renowned Jonin leading an elite team.
Gin didn't bother with Jiraiya, turning to Minato instead: "Let's throw him to the police force."
Jiraiya panicked. Anywhere but the police force!
"Wait, let's talk this over! I can teach you ninjutsu!!"
The Uchiha police were notoriously strict. If he got sent there, he'd be fined at best or even locked up!
Minato seemed interested, but his current ninjutsu skills were sufficient, so he wasn't as eager as before.
He continued to hold Kushina back, just in case Jiraiya got beaten.
"Wait, let's talk this over!"
But the three weren't listening.
"I'll contact the police force. Minato, keep an eye on him," Gin told the other two.
Jiraiya panicked, turning into a puff of smoke, replaced by a log, as his real body disappeared.
If he didn't leave now, it'd be too late.
These kids weren't easy to deal with.
"He ran fast," Gin muttered.
Kushina clenched her fists, gritting her teeth: "I hate filthy adults like that."
Minato scratched his head, wondering if Jiraiya had done anything that bad.
...
Hokage's office.
Hiruzen smoked his pipe, looking at the reports, feeling like the ninja world was out to get him.
Sand and Iwa ninjas were openly trying to invade the Land of Fire.
While there weren't any large troop movements, they'd fought many skirmishes with Konoha ninjas. The numerical disadvantage allowed many other villages' ninjas to raid and plunder.
The Fire Daimyo had even come to question him.
"Boom" smoke billowed, and Jiraiya appeared in the office.
"Made contact?" Hiruzen asked without looking up.
Jiraiya's face twitched, looking at his burned body.
"Barely."
Hiruzen looked up at the scorched Jiraiya.
"You were attacked?"
"No." Jiraiya's eyes darted to the ceiling.
That was a confession without words.
Hiruzen felt a headache coming on. Jiraiya was his most similar disciple, but this was too much.
He could only change the subject.
"What do you think?"
"Those kids." Jiraiya's face darkened at the thought of the three kids.
"Not easy to deal with at all."
Especially that Gin, very tricky.
"After all, a well-rounded genius, a taijutsu prodigy, and a jinchūriki."
Gin's taijutsu prowess was already exposed, but his ability with ninjutsu was still a secret known by few.
Even Hiruzen wasn't aware.
Hiruzen sighed. These three were all intended for special training, representing different strengths of the village.
Minato represented the civilians, Gin the ninja clans, and Kushina the jinchūriki.
The civilians of Konoha were not a simple force to be trifled with.
Who knew how many Senju members were mixed among them, making Senju a hidden backbone of Konoha's civilian rise.
Although many civilians were hidden talents, their resources didn't match their potential.
"However, old man, are you really planning to let the jinchūriki go on missions?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled.
The Nine-Tails jinchūriki was critically important, a strategic weapon, and still a young girl.
Sending her on missions, if she went berserk, would be disastrous.
"Kushina has been stable for a long time."
Hiruzen explained.
In the past, Kushina often leaked Nine-Tails chakra, but in the past three months, she'd been extraordinarily stable.
Not a trace of Nine-Tails chakra had been seen.
"Observe for half a year. If she remains stable, she can start with some missions."
If the jinchūriki could mature, it'd be a significant strength.
Konoha urgently needed battle power to deal with the attacks from the two villages.
"By the way, sensei." Jiraiya's face turned serious, losing his usual levity.
"A lot of ninjas have gone missing recently. You must know what's happening."
Hiruzen sighed, shaking his head, but that said a lot.
Jiraiya's face darkened.
"Sensei, ninjas are not disposable."
(End of Chapter)