"What an unusual gathering. To think all of you would..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his eyes and spotted the tall, white-haired figure behind them.
"Jiraiya?"
"I'm back, old man."
"Hahahahaha! You're all back! It's good to have you all back!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's joy was written all over his face. His three finest students, a boy who was both his student and his grandstudent, and a talented young man of the New Era of Konoha all stood before him.
This went beyond ordinary happiness. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt himself standing a little straighter.
"Old man, if you're not busy today, let's go out for drinks tonight!"
"No problem!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed at once.
"By the way, Jiraiya, how long are you planning to stay this time?"
"I'm not leaving for now. Xuanhui told me someone wants to become my student.
I thought I'd meet the kid."
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Xuanhui and received confirmation from his eyes.
"You mean Minato Namikaze?"
"That's right, him!"
"That makes things easy!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sorted through the files and pulled out a few.
"I'm putting these three kids in your care. You'll be their Jonin team leader for now."
Jiraiya took them and looked: Fugaku Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki.
"I heard Orochimaru and Xuanhui found the Uzumaki Clan's Complete Sealing Jutsu Compendium, so I wanted him to take Kushina.
But he refused, so you'll have to take her for now."
Orochimaru shook his head.
"One student is enough for me at the moment. I don't need any others.
Jiraiya, if you want to read the Complete Sealing Jutsu Compendium, you can borrow it from me."
"All right, I'll take them on for now."
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Orochimaru again.
"Orochimaru, since you've got so much free time now, did you finish that experiment you were