The Streets of Konoha Village
Fresh off the road and still caked in travel dust, Jiraiya looked thoroughly exasperated. The moment he returned to the Hidden Leaf Village, he was summoned by his old teacher and immediately strong-armed into leading a squad of fresh ninja school graduates. He'd tried to refuse outright—but was swiftly talked into a corner with no way out.
For the past three years, Jiraiya had stayed out of the village to care for Nagato and the others. Unfortunately, this coincided with a time when the village was experiencing a manpower shortage. That single fact alone meant that, no matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to accept the mission. But if he had his way, he'd rather be out taking on field assignments than playing babysitter to a bunch of kids.
And while Jiraiya had been forced into the task, Orochimaru, to Jiraiya's complete shock, had volunteered.
When their teacher mentioned that Orochimaru would also be leading a genin squad, Jiraiya's jaw nearly hit the floor. His immediate reaction was to blurt out, "Don't tell me Tsunade's taking a squad too?"
Thankfully, the answer was no. But the next thing Hiruzen said left him dumbfounded.
Originally, Tsunade had also been slated to lead a genin team—but was later reassigned to a more critical role: training a new generation of medical ninja. So she was excused from team leadership responsibilities.
The initial plan had gone something like this:
Orochimaru would lead the squad that included Amano Ren.
Jiraiya would take the squad with Namikaze Minato.
Tsunade would have led the squad with Kushina Uzumaki, who also happened to be the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
"All right, but how the hell did that guy agree to something like this?" Jiraiya muttered to himself as he scratched his head and trudged toward the ninja academy. He simply couldn't imagine the cold, calculating Orochimaru willingly taking on such a duty.
As he passed a small izakaya, the waft of warm sake drifted through the air and tickled his nose, instantly awakening a craving. He stopped in his tracks, tilted his head up toward the still-bright sky, then turned toward the bar with a grin.
"Heh, still got some time. No harm in downing a quick drink or two first."
Inside the Classroom
Only six students remained—two full squads. One of them belonged to Minato, the other to Amano Ren. The rest had already been taken by their respective jōnin instructors.
Minato's teammates were a boy and a girl. The boy had a stout, rugged look with a dark complexion and kindly, simple features. His eyes were so narrow they were almost always squinting. The girl was graceful and composed, with bright, intelligent eyes—she gave off the impression of someone gentle by nature.
All three seemed to have calm, quiet personalities and weren't the least bit annoyed by the fact that their jōnin hadn't shown up yet.
Amano Ren, however, had known for two days now that his squad would be led by Orochimaru. After spending three years with the man, Ren understood his personality well enough. He knew Orochimaru must have a reason for not being here yet—and honestly, even if the guy didn't show up until sundown, Ren wouldn't be surprised.
As for Hokushin Yoru, with how reserved and introverted he was, there was no way he'd raise a fuss about the delay. In fact, he probably wouldn't dare.
Kushina Uzumaki, on the other hand, was a different story entirely. She'd been visibly annoyed for a while now, grumbling under her breath with growing impatience.
Yoru just gave her an awkward, helpless smile, while Ren stared blankly out the classroom window, eyes fixed on the training grounds outside.
Clack.
At long last, the door creaked open.
A pale, strikingly handsome man stepped into the room.
Orochimaru.
The moment he entered, his golden eyes immediately locked onto the trio sitting in the corner of the room. Without saying a word, he strode directly toward them.
"L-Lord Orochimaru!" Yoru's eyes widened in disbelief. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected one of the Legendary Sannin to be his jōnin instructor. In that moment, he wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or terrified.
"Come with me," Orochimaru said flatly, giving Kushina and Yoru a quick glance before turning around and walking off without waiting for a reply.
Kushina, who just moments ago was practically fuming, instantly forgot all her complaints the second she laid eyes on him. After all, being led by one of the Sannin was a rare and prestigious opportunity—worth any amount of waiting.
Yoru and Kushina followed quickly, clearly thrilled. Amano Ren, however, remained calm. He'd known this was coming.
As they walked toward the exit, Minato's teammates stared at them with barely concealed envy.
BAM!
Just as Orochimaru reached the door, it slammed open with a loud crack. The sharp smell of alcohol floated in with the gust, causing Orochimaru to frown slightly.
When he turned to see who had entered, his eyes filled with faint annoyance—and resignation.
"Jiraiya," he muttered in his raspy voice, devoid of surprise. In truth, Orochimaru hadn't known Jiraiya would return today, nor that he was also assigned to lead a squad this cycle.
"Oh? Orochimaru?" Jiraiya blinked, surprised for a split second, then chuckled. "What a coincidence."
His gaze flicked past Orochimaru and landed on the three children behind him. When he saw Amano Ren's blank, distant expression, his eyes lingered for a while.
That kid… he really does resemble Orochimaru.
Pulling his eyes away from Ren, Jiraiya asked curiously, "Why'd you even agree to this?"
Orochimaru knew exactly what Jiraiya was getting at. "I don't owe you an explanation," he said coldly, brushing past him without missing a step.
Jiraiya instinctively stepped aside to let him through. The three students followed close behind.
Now standing alone in the hallway, Jiraiya scratched his chin, his face pensive as he watched Orochimaru disappear around the corner.
"U-Um… excuse me? Are you really Lord Jiraiya?" came a soft, hesitant voice.
He turned toward it—and saw a shy girl looking up at him, eyes wide with nervous excitement.
"That's right," he nodded. His voice was humble, not boastful. At this point in his life, he was far from the brash, self-absorbed man he'd later become.
Upon hearing his response, all three remaining students lit up with joy.
They had just been envying Ren and his group for having Orochimaru as their mentor—only to now discover that their teacher was the great Jiraiya.
Minato, in particular, looked at Jiraiya with eyes full of awe and admiration.
Jiraiya noticed the gaze but pretended not to see it. Still, inside, his thoughts drifted back to something their teacher had said earlier.
Namikaze Minato… A rare genius. And Jiraiya's future student.
It was clear: the Hokage wanted him to groom Minato into one of the future pillars of Konoha—someone who could eventually stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sannin.
And what about Orochimaru's team?
Was it that cold-eyed kid—the one who looked so much like Orochimaru himself?
With that thought, Jiraiya turned back to his own team and began the standard introductory evaluation.
Meanwhile…
Orochimaru had brought Amano Ren, Kushina, and Yoru to one of Konoha's training grounds.
"Let's begin with a brief self-introduction. Name, hobbies, and your dream for the future," he said, his golden eyes sweeping over them.
Normally, Orochimaru wouldn't have cared about anything beyond their names—but with Ren, there was… interest. A curiosity he couldn't entirely explain. And so he indulged the full tradition.
Amano Ren…
What is it that you truly want?