"Ikkaku, you're here too?"
"Sakumo?"
Outside Yakiniku Q, Hatake Sakumo called out to a black-haired shinobi. This was Ikkaku Umino, a Konoha Jonin. While his own name wasn't particularly legendary in the grand scheme of things, mentioning his son would make him instantly recognizable.
Ikkaku's son was none other than Iruka Umino—one of the many "father figures" to the future savior of the world, Naruto Uzumaki. However, Ikkaku was currently adhering to a strict "late marriage and late childbirth" policy; he was still very much a bachelor.
He was a few years older than the Sannin trio—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—and had been in the same graduation year as Hatake Sakumo. As their senior, it was only natural for him to be on Jiraiya's guest list.
The two were laughing and chatting as they approached the entrance, only to find two other men standing there, heads tilted back, blocking the way.
Sakumo took a look and asked, "Shinko, Kunugi? What are you two doing standing out here instead of going in?"
Shinko Yuhi and Kunugi Mokume looked bewildered. At the sound of Sakumo's voice, Shinko lowered his gaze and pointed upward.
"I could have sworn the invitation said this was for Jiraiya's apprenticeship ceremony."
"It did. Why?"
Sakumo and Ikkaku tilted their heads back as well. Then, they both froze. "Jiraiya's Apprenticeship Ceremony" was there, all right, but someone had squeezed "Tsunade" and "&" right in front of it.
"I only prepared one gift. This is going to be a problem," Ikkaku said, slapping his forehead. "Did you all only bring one as well?"
Shinko and Kunugi nodded in unison. Sakumo pulled out his invitation to double-check; it definitely only mentioned Jiraiya. He looked back up at the banner.
"It was definitely supposed to be just Jiraiya's. Tsunade's name was added later—look, the handwriting and the layout are completely off. Honestly, those two... if there was a change of plans, they should have sent word."
"Should we go buy a second gift now?" Kunugi asked.
Shinko and Ikkaku nodded. "We have to," Ikkaku said. "The Hokage and the Elders might even show up. If we don't have both gifts ready, it'll give people a reason to talk. It'd look like we don't know how to handle social graces."
He looked at Sakumo, but Sakumo shook his head. "I'll pass. I just ordered a new chakra blade and it should be ready in a few days, so I'm just going to gift my old one. It's used, but... it has sentimental value, doesn't it?"
Sakumo flashed a meaningful smile. Shinko curled his lip. "You mean you're broke after buying that custom blade, right? I told you years ago: you need to start a savings account."
Called out so bluntly, Sakumo's face flushed slightly. He cleared his throat and said with mock dignity, "This blade is forged from high-grade chakra metal! It's worth far more than whatever trinkets you three are going to buy!"
Ikkaku waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. We're going to go grab gifts. Sakumo, stay here and warn anyone else who shows up so they don't get caught empty-handed."
"Will do. Make it quick."
Sakumo nodded and took up a post at the entrance of Yakiniku Q. Having served as a guard to the Hokage for several years, he looked remarkably natural standing there—looking for all the world like a highly-paid head of security.
Inside Yakiniku Q, in a massive private VIP room, Jiraiya and Minato sat in the primary and secondary seats of honor. Both wore expressions of deep confusion.
Jiraiya, in particular, kept glancing at the clock on the wall. There were only about ten minutes left until the time specified in his invitations.
Usually, guests arrived thirty minutes early—if not sooner. While not everyone was always early, it was unheard of for everyone to be this late.
Is my reputation really so bad that no one wants to come to my ceremony? No, that's impossible... even if the others flake, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and the Old Man wouldn't just not show up, right?
Jiraiya was starting to panic. This was his first time taking a disciple, and he had no idea how to handle a total no-show.
He hadn't organized this ceremony for the sake of receiving gifts; he had done it to introduce Minato to the village's upper echelon. He wanted to help Minato build a network.
Minato came from a civilian background. Meeting the elites and high-ranking Jonin of the village now would pave the way for his future development. Most importantly, Jiraiya knew he couldn't be by Minato's side 24/7, and there were areas of shinobi arts he didn't excel in. If Minato had the right connections, he could seek guidance from other specialists.
But if no guests showed up, this "networking event" would turn into a village-wide joke.
In his anxiety, Jiraiya almost stood up to check outside several times. However, seeing Minato sitting there so calmly and composed, he felt he couldn't act more restless than his own student. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay put.
Outside the door, Tsunade and Tatsuma were being "sneaky and suspicious." One had an ear pressed to the door while the other kept watch on the street. After a moment, Tatsuma slipped over to Tsunade and whispered.
"Sensei, Lord Orochimaru is back with Nawaki. Based on the time, the others should be arriving within the next ten minutes."
Tsunade nodded, pointing at the door with a suppressed giggle. "That idiot Jiraiya probably hasn't even realized something is wrong yet!"
"Should we head in now?" Tatsuma asked.
Tsunade nodded, straightened her back, and took a deep breath to stifle her laughter before pushing the door open.
"Tsunade! You're finally here!"
At the sight of her, Jiraiya nearly burst into tears of relief. "I thought no one was coming! I didn't expect you to be the first guest to arrive."
"Guest? What guest? I'm the co-star of this show!"
Tsunade spoke with overbearing confidence as she shoved Jiraiya aside, claiming half of his seat for herself. Tatsuma sat down in the seat directly across from Minato.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Jiraiya was utterly baffled. Before he could press for an answer, Orochimaru walked in with Nawaki. Orochimaru looked at them with a hint of annoyance. "Next time there's a change in plans, give us some warning."
He tossed two scrolls onto the table. "These are some of my personal notes on jutsu development. I hope they're of some use to the both of you."
Minato caught the scrolls, looking stunned. He was just as lost as Jiraiya. Then, another figure entered the room: the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As the group moved to stand, Hiruzen gestured for them to stay seated. He cast a peculiar look at Tsunade and Tatsuma before pulling out two scrolls of his own.
"These are my research notes on composite ninjutsu. They are well-suited for beginners; I hope you both put them to good use. Honestly, though... Tsunade, Jiraiya, you're both teachers now, and you're still this unreliable. If you're going to hold a joint ceremony, you need to state that clearly from the start. You've inconvenienced all your guests."
With just a few words, Hiruzen officially "characterized" the event as a joint ceremony. Jiraiya sat there in a daze. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like he had been labeled a co-conspirator... even though he was the victim!
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