On the way home, Minato asked, "Jin, you seem upset." Jin had slammed his fist on the desk in class; he didn't seem happy. Even Inoue had been startled.
"No, I was just surprised they're letting us graduate early," Jin replied, a smile plastered on his face while inwardly cursing.
"Really?" Minato didn't believe him. Jin's smile seemed sarcastic, though he might have been mistaken. Seeing Jin wouldn't elaborate, Minato dropped the topic. "I wonder if we'll be in the same squad."
Kushina chimed in, "I hope so."
Jin shrugged. He wasn't optimistic. He was the most hated Uchiha, unpopular even within his own clan, and he couldn't change his name yet. Ideally, he'd be in a squad with Kushina. It would be the safest option. In the early stages, Konoha wouldn't put the jinchuriki in danger; being her teammate would provide substantial protection. Later… he'd be strong enough to protect himself.
Minato brought up another matter. "Have you heard about the missing ninjas?"
He'd heard stories from his neighbors—ninjas disappearing without a trace, cries echoing through the night.
"That's none of our business," Jin interrupted Minato's question. He knew what was happening: the Hashirama Cell experiment, designed to enhance Konoha's power. The missing ninjas were victims. It was Hiruzen's only acknowledged black mark. This explained the early graduation; the experiment was causing significant casualties, affecting the front lines. Konoha needed to replenish its ranks; the Academy students were an easy source of replacement.
"That old bastard," Jin muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth. He'd get even someday.
"What was that?" Minato asked, puzzled by Jin's mutterings.
"Nothing," Jin replied, seeing no need to discuss it.
Kushina pointed to a figure hidden in a tree. "Look." A man was peeking at something… the women's bathhouse.
Jin facepalmed. It had to be Jiraiya. Only he would do something like that.
"Peeping Tom!" Kushina roared, vanishing instantly.
Jiraiya, caught in the act, felt a gust of wind behind him and was sent flying into the bathhouse.
"Aah!" Screams erupted.
"Pervert!"
"It's you, Jiraiya!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" A fireball erupted from the bathhouse, striking Jiraiya and sending him flying out, landing before Minato and Jin.
The two exchanged glances. "He's probably dead."
"Let's bury him," Jin suggested.
"Wait!" Jiraiya struggled, reaching out. "I'm still alive!"
A singed Jiraiya, his clothes torn and hair half-burnt, sat up, looking miserable. But Kushina was far from finished.
"You disgusting, perverted peeping tom!" Her red hair lashed out like an octopus's tentacles. A faint golden glow emanated from her body.
She jumped, her fist raised high above Jiraiya's head. "Boom!" Jiraiya's head swelled, and he collapsed, unconscious.
…
When Jiraiya awoke, he was tied to a tree, the trio standing before him, ready to unleash their fury.
"Wait! I wasn't peeping! Research! It was research! Do you kids understand?!" Why was he suffering like this?
"I don't know what kind of research involves peeping into the women's bathhouse," Kushina said, unimpressed. This was unforgivable.
"I'm an aspiring novelist!" Jiraiya declared proudly, despite having written nothing.
"You'll die a thousand deaths for that!" Kushina prepared to mete out justice. What kind of novel required research in a women's bathhouse?!
Minato quickly intervened. "Kushina, he's a Jonin, after all."
Jiraiya's face changed. He changed to a serious demeanor. "You brats know who I am. Release me."
Jin approached, a smirk playing on his lips. "Jiraiya-sama, we know who you are. Why do you think we haven't let you go? You wouldn't want your peeping habits exposed, would you?"
Jiraiya's face hardened, realizing Jin was the most dangerous of the three.
"What do you want?" Jiraiya asked cautiously.
"Not much," Jin said, stroking his chin. Besides his contract with Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya didn't seem to possess anything particularly desirable. And the Mount Myōboku toads, aside from that one big religious fanatic, were all pretty powerful, yet not the kind of summoning animals he wanted.
Jin looked at Jiraiya with disgust. This guy was completely useless.
"What's with that look?!" Jiraiya was furious at being treated like trash. He led an elite Jonin team, after all.
Ignoring Jiraiya, Jin turned to Minato. "Let's hand him over to the Military Police."
Jiraiya panicked. He could go anywhere but the Military Police! A puff of smoke and a log appeared; Jiraiya had vanished. He had to escape.
"He's quick," Jin commented.
Kushina gritted her teeth. "I hate filthy adults."
Minato scratched his head. Had Jiraiya actually done anything wrong?
…
Hokage's office. Hiruzen smoked his pipe, reviewing reports. The Land of Wind and Land of Earth ninjas were openly invading the Land of Fire. Though no large-scale invasion had occurred, numerous skirmishes had depleted Konoha's forces, allowing other villages to encroach on Fire Country territory, causing significant losses to the nobles. Even the daimyo had complained.
A puff of smoke appeared, revealing Jiraiya.
"Any progress?" Hiruzen asked without looking up.
Jiraiya winced, his singed appearance evident. "Sort of."
Hiruzen looked up at his burnt student. "You were attacked?"
"No," Jiraiya muttered, looking at the ceiling. That was a confession.
Hiruzen sighed. Jiraiya was his most rebellious student, yet his rebelliousness was annoying. He changed the subject.
"How are they?"
"Those brats…" Jiraiya's face darkened. "They're not easy to deal with." Especially that Uchiha Jin.
"A versatile genius, a taijutsu prodigy, and a jinchuriki," Jiraiya continued. Jin's exceptional taijutsu was already known, but few were aware of his ability to use ninjutsu. Even Hiruzen didn't know.
Hiruzen sighed. Those three were Konoha's most promising talents, each representing a different aspect of strength: Minato, the commoner; Jin, the Uchiha; Kushina, the jinchuriki.
Konoha's commoners weren't weak. They had many descendants of the Senju clan—a deliberate move by the Second Hokage, to eliminate the Senju name and absorb the clan into Konoha. This led to the rise of exceptional commoner ninjas. But while talent was plentiful, resources were not.
"Are you sure about sending the jinchuriki on missions?" Jiraiya asked, concerned. The Nine-Tails jinchuriki was a strategic weapon. And she was still a child. A mission could easily trigger a rampage.
"Kushina has shown no signs of instability lately," Hiruzen explained. Unlike before, Kushina hadn't leaked any Nine-Tails chakra.
"Observe for six months. If she remains stable, she can take on some missions." A powerful jinchuriki would be a valuable asset. Konoha desperately needed manpower to counter the attacks.
"Oh, Sensei," Jiraiya said, his usual flippancy gone. "Many ninjas have recently disappeared. You must know what's happening."
Hiruzen sighed, shaking his head silently, a response that spoke volumes. Jiraiya's face hardened.
"Sensei, ninjas are not expendable."