It was another sunny day, with a clear blue sky, white clouds drifting lazily, and a light breeze that would normally make anyone feel at ease.
But for Sarutobi Hiruzen, it was far from that.
He sat alone on a bench at the training grounds, staring absentmindedly at his three students in the distance.
Orochimaru was focused on practicing his ninjutsu, and the ground in front of him occasionally softened into a swamp.
This sight filled Sarutobi with pride.
Orochimaru was a genius, the kind that appeared once in a hundred years, and to Sarutobi, he was... the second-greatest genius he'd ever seen.
Yes, the first would be that little monster, Hui, whom Tobirama-sensei had been training.
Orochimaru had incredible talent. Orochimaru would quickly grasp everything Sarutobi taught him.
And not only was he talented, but Orochimaru also had ambition, ideals, and an unyielding determination. His future accomplishments were bound to be significant.
When Sarutobi thought of Orochimaru, his heart was filled with satisfaction, with no worries whatsoever.
With a content smile on his face, Sarutobi then turned his gaze toward his second disciple, Tsunade, who was deeply focused on chakra control exercises.
Tsunade, being the granddaughter of the First Hokage, was naturally gifted. Her talent was anything but mediocre; in fact, it was outstanding.
She mastered ninjutsu quickly, and she would grasp anything she was taught with ease.
Moreover, Tsunade's mental strength and sense of responsibility were simply remarkable. Although she was currently absorbed in her feelings for someone, she was far from being a lovesick fool. She could restrain herself and focus on what needed to be done.
Sarutobi had no worries about Tsunade either. In his eyes, she, too, was destined for great things.
This disciple made him equally proud.
And then…
Sarutobi's eyes landed on his third disciple—Jiraiya, who was lying on the ground, looking bored. Occasionally, Jiraiya would have a sly grin, likely thinking about something inappropriate.
Sarutobi's expression darkened, though it was also tinged with helplessness.
This disciple... wasn't lacking in talent.
But his attitude was the problem.
Jiraiya was careless, lazy, and extremely stubborn.
He didn't act like a shinobi at all, and it was clear he lacked the resolve and discipline expected of one.
To make matters worse, Jiraiya's ultimate dream as a ninja was to win the hearts of all the pretty girls!
This gave Sarutobi constant headaches.
Yet, despite all of Jiraiya's shortcomings, Sarutobi couldn't bring himself to just let his disciple continue down this idle path. After all, Jiraiya was his student, and they shared... rather similar interests. (Peeking at pretty girls in the bath?)
Ahem.
Regardless of Jiraiya's flaws, Sarutobi couldn't bear to watch his disciple waste his talent and end up as an average, unremarkable ninja.
So, Sarutobi had a special fondness for Jiraiya, hoping to guide him.
He had observed that Jiraiya seemed to lack a clear goal to motivate him.
With that in mind, Sarutobi decided to give Jiraiya something to strive for.
He summoned his contract beast, the Monkey King Enma, and introduced Jiraiya to the world of summoning—explaining that it was a space-time ninjutsu.
This unusual and incredibly mysterious technique immediately caught Jiraiya's interest.
Seizing the opportunity, Sarutobi carefully taught Jiraiya.
And Jiraiya did not disappoint. He quickly memorized the hand signs for the summoning jutsu, showing great potential.
For a while, Jiraiya became dedicated to his training, driven by this new goal.
However, it was short-lived. Jiraiya's true aspiration—winning over the hearts of beautiful women—remained his primary focus. The monotony of long training sessions, combined with the lack of immediate results, gradually drained his enthusiasm, and he soon returned to his lazy habits.
This caused Sarutobi's already recovering headache to flare up once more.
Sigh.
He let out a deep sigh, racking his brain over how to give Jiraiya a lasting goal—something that would push him to stay focused and train diligently over the long term.
"Sensei, why the long sigh? That doesn't seem like the confident, optimistic Sarutobi-sensei I know."
A pleasant voice interrupted his thoughts, causing Sarutobi's body to tense briefly before quickly relaxing again.
There was no need to turn around—he already knew who it was.
"Ah, it's Hui. You come here every day on your breaks to accompany Tsunade. You're quite the dedicated boyfriend," Sarutobi remarked, looking at Mochizuki Hui sitting beside him. His tone was light, but internally, he was full of admiration.
Not surprising at all.
Mochizuki Hui, the most talented youth Sarutobi had ever seen, seemed to have grown even stronger in the past month. It was getting to the point where Hui was close to matching him in power.
And Hui was only eleven years old. His brilliance was enough to leave others in despair.
Moreover, Hui's excellence wasn't limited to his combat strength—he excelled in every aspect. Other than his limited chakra capacity, Hui had no weaknesses.
Sarutobi couldn't help but think, If Hui were my student... no, I don't even deserve to be his teacher anymore. In some areas, like creating jutsu and understanding their nature, Hui surpasses me.
"Well, Tsunade is the most adorable girl, so I can't help but spend time with her," Mochizuki Hui said playfully before his expression shifted to one of curiosity. "But, Sarutobi-sensei, what's troubling you so much? I can't imagine something that would cause you to sigh like that."
Sarutobi, being a student of the Second Hokage, was known for his skills and widely respected judgment. People often said he was the most likely candidate for the Third Hokage position, so it was hard to imagine anything troubling him.
"It's because of Jiraiya," Sarutobi explained. He then shared Jiraiya's current situation, hoping Hui, with his brilliant mind, might offer a solution.
After listening, Mochizuki Hui glanced at Jiraiya lying on the grass, occasionally grinning mischievously, and he began to ponder.
If his memory served correctly, in the original story, Jiraiya had always been like this in his early years.
The turning point in Jiraiya's life came when he tried to win Tsunade's heart. After overhearing her say she'd rather choose Orochimaru than him, Jiraiya was determined to win her over. In his desperation, he attempted a summoning technique without having made any contracts, which led him being reverse-summoned to Mount Myoboku.
Mount Myoboku was the place that changed Jiraiya's destiny.
But now, due to Tsunade's relationship with Mochizuki Hui—and the dynamic between Hui and Jiraiya—Jiraiya had no romantic aspirations for Tsunade, which left him without a goal.
This was why, even at eleven years old, Jiraiya remained aimless and unmotivated.
"I think I can help with that. I have an idea we could try," Mochizuki Hui said, his eyes lighting up with a plan.
Since Jiraiya had lost his motivation because of Hui's influence, it was only fair that Hui be the one to help awaken Jiraiya's drive.
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