Punishment

"You actually got into a fight with Iwa-nin inside Iwagakure. Do you know what the consequences of that could be?"

Jiraiya criticized Uchiha Matsuri and the other two without holding back, then sighed.

Three days later, Jiraiya led Team 5 back to Konoha.

The fatigue and tension that had built up over the past few days peaked the moment they returned to the village. Uchiha Matsuri, Minato Namikaze, and Kiba Inuzuka just wanted to hurry home, collapse into their beds, and get some proper sleep.

However, just as Jiraiya was about to dismiss the team and report the mission to the Third Hokage, a ninja wearing a tanuki mask suddenly appeared in front of Team 5.

After a brief exchange of greetings, the masked ninja said, "Lord Jiraiya, Lord Hokage wants you and your subordinates to come with me to the Hokage Office."

"Me and my subordinates?" Jiraiya repeated.

Normally, after a team completed a mission, only the squad leader needed to report to the Hokage Office. But this time, the Third Hokage had sent Anbu to summon the entire team. It was probably related to Uchiha Matsuri and the others causing a scene in Iwagakure a few days earlier.

At the thought, Jiraiya sighed to himself. What's coming is coming.

He glanced at the waiting Anbu Ninja and said calmly, "Lead the way."

Beside him, Uchiha Matsuri, Minato Namikaze, and Kiba Inuzuka exchanged looks but said nothing.

Hokage Office.

The Third Hokage sat in his chair with his fingers interlaced, silently watching Jiraiya and the other three without saying a word.

Seeing that the Third Hokage had not spoken, Uchiha Matsuri and the others were puzzled, but none of them dared to speak.

They all knew that the Naruto world took rank and seniority seriously. The three of them were only Genin, and unless the Third Hokage addressed them first, they had no right to speak to him directly.

Of course, the Third Hokage often didn't mind when people spoke up, as it helped him appear kind and approachable.

Seeing that the Third Hokage still had not spoken, Jiraiya was the first to apologize. "Sensei, I..."

"Jiraiya, did you successfully escort the merchant caravan to its destination?" the Third Hokage suddenly asked with a smile.

Jiraiya was a little surprised that the Third Hokage hadn't reprimanded him first, but he still replied, "Sensei, we completed the mission successfully, but..."

"You four worked hard on this mission. The daimyo's people just sent word praising your perseverance in the face of difficulties..." The Third Hokage interrupted Jiraiya again.

As the Third Hokage and Jiraiya exchanged pleasantries, Uchiha Matsuri looked up at the kindly-faced Hokage.

As cunning as ever. He's drawn a clear line between praise and criticism, expressing his displeasure while making the people he criticizes feel ashamed. Uchiha Matsuri thought.

Sure enough, after a brief chat, the Third Hokage finally got to the point. "Jiraiya, two envoys from Iwagakure arrived half a day ago. They claimed that your team secretly infiltrated Iwagakure to gather intelligence and then attacked the village. Is that true?"

Without hesitation, Jiraiya admitted guiltily, "It is."

"Why did you do that?" the Third Hokage asked in a low voice. His tone made his anger and displeasure clear.

When the Third Hokage asked what had led to the incident, Jiraiya recounted everything without leaving anything out.

After he finished, Jiraiya added, "I'm to blame for this. I failed to teach my subordinates properly. Please punish me, Sensei."

After hearing Jiraiya's account, the Third Hokage nodded.

He naturally believed everything his student had told him. But to the increasingly aggressive Iwagakure, the explanation might sound rather "far-fetched."

Seeing his beloved student Jiraiya take full responsibility for the punishment, the Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction.

Just as the Third Hokage was about to speak, Kiba Inuzuka, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

"Lord Hokage, please forgive me for speaking out of turn. This whole incident was my fault, so if anyone should be punished, please punish me." Seeing Jiraiya take all the blame, Kiba Inuzuka hurried to explain.

"E, don't be disrespectful," Jiraiya scolded quietly. "As the squad leader and the one in charge, I'm responsible for anything my subordinates do. I know that, and I have no objections."

"But..."

"That's enough." The Third Hokage waved a hand. "Iwagakure had demanded an explanation, but since you didn't do it intentionally, I'll go and explain the situation to them."

"However, you caused a serious incident that nearly put Konoha and Iwagakure on opposing sides. Some form of punishment is necessary."

"How about I confiscate the reward money from this mission?"

Hearing that the Third Hokage hadn't given him or his subordinates any serious punishment, Jiraiya gladly accepted the order.

The Third Hokage looked kindly at his student Jiraiya, Uchiha Matsuri, and Minato Namikaze, then smiled. "Jiraiya, stay behind. The rest of you can go get some rest."

"Yes, sir."

After leaving the Hokage Office, Kiba Inuzuka couldn't help beating his chest and complaining. "Nine hundred and fifty thousand ryō! Just like that, it's gone."

Seeing Kiba Inuzuka's regretful expression, Uchiha Matsuri chided him on purpose. "Well, it's because you acted on impulse. Now we've wasted half a month's work."

"Compared to the other punishments we could have received, this one was pretty mild," Minato Namikaze said with a smile.

As they walked and talked, Uchiha Matsuri and the others suddenly noticed four familiar figures up ahead on the street.

"Senior Yoshihiko!"

The three of them ran over together to greet him.

"So it's the three little brats from Team Jiraiya." Sarutobi Yoshihiko gave Uchiha Matsuri and the others a rare smile.

Compared to his own three subordinates, who lacked teamwork, Sarutobi Yoshihiko preferred the three youngsters from Team Jiraiya. The fact that Team Jiraiya had two of the most talented students in their year was enough to make every other squad leader—including Sarutobi Yoshihiko—envious.

"That's the third time Teacher Yoshihiko has smiled," Yamanaka Inoichi whispered to Shikaku Nara and Akimichi Chōza with a pout.

As far as the three of them could remember, Sarutobi Yoshihiko always wore a stern expression and hardly ever smiled. The few times he had smiled, he had been smiling at members of other teams.

"Where's your teacher, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi Yoshihiko's smile faded, and his expression returned to normal.