Jiraiya

"Minato, Nagi, you should both understand the current situation. Graduating early isn't a good choice."

"It's precisely because of the situation that we should graduate now." Namikaze Minato's expression was resolute.

Uchiha Nagi didn't answer or disagree. If it were up to him...

He actually wanted Namikaze Minato to wait a little longer before graduating. Then he wouldn't have to graduate early just to latch onto someone powerful.

But Inoue-sensei took Uchiha Nagi's silence as agreement.

"He really is different from most Uchiha." Inoue-sensei sighed inwardly. Ordinary Uchiha might graduate early, but they would never do it for this reason.

Inoue-sensei looked pleased, then straightened his expression and spoke.

"Even so, I won't lower my standards for you. That wouldn't be helping you; it would be sending you to your deaths!"

"We know." Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Nagi exchanged a glance.

Soon, Uchiha Nagi and Namikaze Minato received authorization to take the exam and left the office, leaving Inoue-sensei staring after them in a daze.

He had expected the two students to be quite capable, but he hadn't expected...

Namikaze Minato's Clone Technique to be far superior to that of Uchiha Enichi, who was publicly regarded as the best.

Uchiha Nagi's Clone Technique was merely average, but Inoue-sensei had a feeling that the boy must still be holding something back. After all, he was friends with Namikaze Minato.

Perhaps he simply felt that this level was enough to pass the exam, so he had only shown this much.

"Honestly... the young really do surpass their elders!"

Inoue-sensei sighed, then smiled.

As a teacher, he naturally wanted his students to excel as much as possible.

As the final days of the term came to an end, several grades began their final exams.

Of course, for the sixth-years and the younger students who had applied to graduate, it was also time for the graduation exams.

Jiraiya watched the students taking the exam below with a bored expression and yawned.

He was there because his teacher wanted him to settle down, so he'd ordered Jiraiya to become a jonin instructor and lead a team.

Unable to refuse, Jiraiya had come to see if any of the newly graduated students caught his eye.

But from the start until now, he'd only taken a liking to one person.

And that person was Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki.

Unfortunately, he'd already been claimed by Orochimaru.

That's right. Jiraiya wasn't the only one being told to become a jonin instructor. Orochimaru had been given the same order.

At last, some decent students came out—and three of them at once...

But after looking at their names, Jiraiya leaned back again, with no intention of moving.

Their surnames were Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara.

Jiraiya knew about Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho. They had their own traditions, and there was little he could teach them.

More importantly, he didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the higher-ups. If he became those three's teacher, the old man might later decide he wanted Jiraiya to become Hokage.

And that was something Jiraiya couldn't accept.

He wasn't suited to it, and he had his own mission to carry out—a mission that might even determine the fate of the Shinobi World!

Much later, another examinee caught his attention.

"An Uchiha...?" Jiraiya felt a headache coming on. That was even less likely.

It wasn't that he had anything against the Uchiha. It was just that their clan was involved in far more, which made things more complicated.

Jiraiya, lost in thought, suddenly paused and looked at the golden figure in the exam area.

It was the most impressive ninjutsu he'd seen all day!

And it hadn't come from one of the sixth-years, but from a fourth-year student taking the exam early.

Jiraiya picked up the student's application form and grinned.

"Namikaze Minato, huh? You're the one."

His background was simple. Taking him on as a student wouldn't affect Jiraiya in the slightest.

Of course, a team couldn't have just one person. But since Jiraiya had no other choices, he'd leave it to his teacher to assign the rest.

The next few students seemed pretty average to him, including another boy with the Uchiha surname.

"So it really is Jiraiya."

Uchiha Nagi had naturally spotted the lazy-looking young man with long white hair.

"Jiraiya must have taken a liking to Namikaze Minato around this time, then started serving as their jonin instructor. But..."

Uchiha Nagi's mouth twitched. Jiraiya probably never took his duties as a jonin instructor seriously.

At most, after a year or two, he'd stay in the Land of Rain and become the teacher of Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.

In the original story, Namikaze Minato's teammates probably died on the battlefield around this time.

By the time Jiraiya returned, Namikaze Minato would likely be the only one left.

After that, Namikaze Minato would probably get the Flying Thunder God Technique and take off.

Jiraiya might have been a good teacher, but as a jonin instructor, he was utterly inadequate.

Lost in thought, Uchiha Nagi arrived at the hospital.

He'd worked out the timing already. Today was the day for their monthly checkup.

His problem could be considered solved by now, but neither of them brought it up. They'd kept up the routine of these checkups all the same.

"Tsunade-sis, I'm here."

Uchiha Nagi pushed open the office door without knocking.

"You're getting more and more brazen, you brat." Tsunade shot Uchiha Nagi a reproachful look.

"Yeah. You've touched me all over, Tsunade-sis. You have to take responsibility."

As he spoke, Uchiha Nagi glanced at Tsunade. Her figure seemed to have gotten even more impressive. Terrifying!

"That was a doctor examining a patient. To a doctor, patients have no gender..." Tsunade replied, exasperated.

"Besides, that was when you were six. How do you still remember it?"

Uchiha Nagi nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course I remember. It's solid proof."

"What a little rascal." Tsunade laughed. She didn't take it to heart—or perhaps she was already used to it.

Uchiha Nagi had "made advances" on her more than once.

"I heard you graduated?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah. I just came from the exam grounds."

"Kid, what do you think about being teamed up with my younger brother?"

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Nagi. If he were teamed up with Nawaki, Nawaki could keep an eye on him, and she wouldn't have to worry as much.

Uchiha Nagi was taken aback. He remembered... wasn't Nawaki Orochimaru's student?