Above the Hokage Rock, at the edge of the cliff, wind swirled up from the village below, fluttering Hiruzen Sarutobi's casual clothes and the smoke curling from his pipe.
He looked down, overlooking all of Konoha and the village gate in the distance.
Footsteps came from behind.
"So you're here, old man."
Hiruzen turned at the voice. It was Jiraiya.
Jiraiya walked to his side with a smile, his long white hair fluttering in the wind. With his hands in his pockets, he also looked down at the village.
"Today's the day Shinichi leaves. He set off this morning. By now… he should have already passed through the gates."
Hiruzeni's movements stiffened.
"Why didn't you go see him?" Jiraiya turned to look at his teacher. "That kid… actually wanted to say goodbye to you before leaving."
"But you weren't there… or rather, you didn't want to see him?"
Hearing this, the muscles on Hiruzen's face twitched slightly. He looked down at the pipe in his hand. "Jiraiya."
"Hmm?"
"As Hokage… and even as a teacher…" Hiruzen said dejectedly, "have I really been that terrible?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
Hiruzen didn't look at him and continued to himself. "It's one thing for Orochimaru to turn out like that, but Tsunade… and Shinichi..." His voice was very low. "They actually chose to keep me in the dark and teamed up to deal with Danzo."
"From beginning to end, I didn't hear a single word of it. Tell me, am I really a failure?"
Jiraiya let out a helpless, resigned laugh. "So you're brooding over this." He turned sideways to face Hiruzen directly.
"But, Old Man, the way I heard it... it wasn't like that at all."
"What?" Hiruzen looked at him, confusion in his eyes.
Jiraiya took a breath, his tone steadying. "I talked to Tsunade about this afterward. I also asked Shinichi. They never distrusted you."
Hiruzen's fingers tightened. "Then why—"
"Because he knows you," Jiraiya interrupted. "He knows you and Danzo were friends for decades. He knows you value those bonds. Even with all of Danzo's mistakes and the messes he caused, you would still think of your past friendship, hesitate, and try to find a solution that wasn't so final."
"So that kid Shinichi, never intended for you to make this decision from the start, let alone for you to be the one to do the deed. They bypassed you not to exclude you...but because they didn't want to put you in a difficult position."
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly, as if processing this information.
Seeing his expression, Jiraiya softened his tone. "Among me, Tsunade, and you, you're the one who's spent the most time with Shinichi. You should be the one who understands his character best."
"If that kid really didn't trust you or care about you…" He paused and posed a question. "Given his personality and his current strength… what do you think he would have done?"
Without hesitation, an answer instantly formed in Hiruzen's mind.
Jiraiya watched the change in his expression and smiled. "Right? If that were the case… he would have killed Danzo right in front of your face and left Konoha without looking back...becoming a second Orochimaru."
Hiruzen's mouth hung open slightly, speechless.
It was true.
"He chose to keep it from you, handle it himself, and then let Tsunade clean up in the name of the Hokage," Jiraiya said, looking away toward the village again.
"It wasn't out of disrespect. It's precisely because he still acknowledges you as his teacher. He was still willing to consider your predicament."
Jiraiya suddenly grinned and gave Hiruzen a thumbs-up. "But then again, old man...after Danzo moved against that kid, you immediately dismissed Danzo and took him in as your student without a second thought. That decision was absolutely right."
Hiruzen stared at his shining eyes and raised thumb, momentarily stunned.
Jiraiya pulled back his hand, his smile turning sentimental. "I think back then, many people thought you overreacted, that it wasn't worth it for a kid who'd just graduated."
"But looking at it now, if you hadn't pulled him to your side first, given him the title of 'student,' and provided him with the protection and guidance he deserved… given that kid's personality, it's hard to say what the situation would be like now."
"You gave him a reason to stay in Konoha and identify with Konoha." His tone was firm. "For that alone, as a teacher… you haven't been terrible at all."
The wind rushed past them.
Hiruzen held his pipe in silence for a long time, but the disappointment on his face seemed to have scattered slightly.
He slowly turned his head and looked toward the village gate again, his gaze deep, as if piercing through the forest to see the figure that had long since departed.
Jiraiya saw his expression soften and knew he had taken the words to heart. He grinned and deliberately bumped his shoulder against Hiruzen.
"At your age, to still get a student who considers your feelings like this…" He drawled, an exaggerated look of envy on his face. "What more could you want?"
Hiruzen was nearly knocked off the cliff by that sudden bump. His face darkened, and he shot Jiraiya an annoyed glare...
"What, are you trying to kill me too, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya was taken aback for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed. "Hahaha! Kill you, old man? I wouldn't dare take your old bones!"
His laughter faded as a sudden thought struck him. The smile vanished, replaced by an exaggerated pout of regret.
"But seriously," Jiraiya grumbled sourly, "if I had known a genius like Shinichi was hiding in the village, I would have rushed back immediately to snatch him up and make him my student!"
The more he spoke, the more frustrated he seemed, waving his fist at the empty air. "Not like now... Sigh! I'm stuck with that brat Naruto! Training him is more exhausting than fighting Orochimaru!"
He shook his head and sighed repeatedly, looking as if he had suffered a great loss.
Seeing Jiraiya's undisguised frustration and 'jealousy', the last bit of disappointment on Hiruzen's face finally vanished. The corners of his mouth turned up, his wrinkles smoothed out, as he squinted at the sighing student beside him.
"When it comes to teaching a student… Jiraiya, you're still a long way off."
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, then his eyebrows shot up in defiance. "Ha? I'm a long way off?" He pointed his thumb at himself. "Old man, don't forget...the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was a student I personally taught."
He got more excited as he spoke, stepping closer and glaring at Hiruzen. "Besides, Shinichi's success today is due to his own monster-like talent. How much it has to do with you as a teacher is debatable."
Listening to Jiraiya's rapid-fire rebuttal, Hiruzen wasn't annoyed. Instead, the smile on his face deepened. He leisurely crossed his arms, calmly watching his student jump in agitation.
"Oh? Not convinced?" he drawled.
Jiraiya stiffened his neck. "Of course I'm not." He could accept others questioning his strength, but he would never allow anyone to question his ability to teach a student.
"Then…" Hiruzen's eyes rolled as he suddenly spoke. "How about a contest?"
"A contest?" Jiraiya's eyes lit up, immediately interested. "A contest of what?"
"Let's see…" Hiruzen paused and said word for word, "Since I have plenty of free time now, I'll take on another student here in the village. Let's see whose teachings are superior... yours, or mine."
"Oho?" Jiraiya's eyes widened. He never expected the retired Hokage to have such an idea. He looked his teacher up and down, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"Interesting." He rubbed his chin. "Then… do you already have someone in mind?"
"No." Hiruzen shook his head, but his tone was full of confidence. "But with my eye and skill, if I find a suitable prospect and train them carefully, they certainly won't be bad."
"Heh!" Those words completely ignited Jiraiya's competitive spirit.
Even though he complained endlessly about how difficult Naruto was to train, he knew the boy's true potential and resilience. While he might not compare to an anomaly like Shinichi, Naruto's potential was still extraordinary.
Hearing Hiruzen speak so boldly made him feel instantly underestimated.
"You're on, old man. You'd better find a decent candidate. Otherwise… when you're thrashed by my student, you'll lose all your dignity."
With his own competitive fire stoked, Hiruzen had long since cast his previous gloom aside. He laughed heartily...
"Then let's wait and see, Jiraiya."
As he spoke, he quickly scanned his mind for young shinobi in the village who possessed the potential worth nurturing. Suddenly, Hiruzen's eyes flickered, locking onto an interesting possibility.
"As a matter of fact... I think I already have a candidate."
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