One of the streets of Konoha.
Jiraiya, whose face was still covered in road dust, looked extremely displeased. As soon as he returned to Konoha, his teacher called him and, without giving him time to come to his senses, ordered him to take a team of freshly minted Academy graduates under his wing. A categorical refusal had no effect - the teacher's arguments were irrefutable.
Jiraiya had spent the last three years away from the village, caring for Nagato and his friends. This time coincided with a period when Konoha was in dire need of manpower. This fact alone forced Jiraiya, no matter how much he resisted, to take on the duties of a mentor. Although, to be honest, he would have preferred to take on a few missions than to be bothered with children.
If Jiraiya was forced, then Orochimaru agreed to it voluntarily. Hearing from the teacher that his old friend would also be mentoring a team of genin, Jiraiya almost dislocated his jaw in surprise. He even assumed that Tsunade had suffered the same fate. But fortunately, Hiruzen answered in the negative.
At first, Tsunade was indeed planned to be assigned a team of students, but it was decided that her skills were more important in training medical ninja.
The original plan was for Orochimaru to lead Team Kano. Jiraiya would lead Team Minato. Tsunade would lead Team Kushina. All three students had remarkable abilities, and Kushina was also the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
"And how did Orochimaru agree to this?" Jiraiya wondered, scratching his head and heading towards the Academy. He couldn't imagine that this stone-cold man would willingly take on such a burden.
As he passed the bar, he caught the scent of sake wafting from it, instantly making him thirsty. He stopped and inhaled the heady scent, looked up at the still-bright sky, then at the bar, and grinned, "There's still time, why not have a few drinks?"
....
There were only six students left in the class: Team Minato and Team Kano. The rest had already been taken away by their jonin mentors.
Minato's partners were a boy and a girl. The boy was strong, dark-skinned, with a good-natured face and narrow, almost squinting eyes. The girl was pretty, with a penetrating gaze, and gave the impression of being calm and balanced. All three seemed to have a quiet disposition and were not irritated by their sensei's delay.
Kano had learned two days ago that Orochimaru would be their mentor. Over the three years of communication, he had studied Orochimaru well enough to understand that if he was late, there was a reason for it. And even if Orochimaru had only shown up in the evening, Kano would not have been surprised. Haru, with his shyness, would also hardly have been indignant, and most likely, he simply would not have dared. However, unlike them, Kushina had already begun to show impatience, grumbling something under her breath.
Poof! - the door finally swung open.
A pale, handsome man entered the classroom. As soon as he stepped through the door, Orochimaru immediately spotted Kano and his team in the corner of the classroom, heading straight towards them.
"O-Orochimaru-sama!" Haru's eyes widened. He had never expected that their sensei would be one of the legendary Sannin. After that, fear and awe fought in his soul.
"Follow me," Orochimaru said, coldly glancing at Kushina and Haru, and turned towards the exit.
Upon seeing him, Kushina's initial displeasure instantly evaporated. Orochimaru himself as a mentor was an incredible stroke of luck, worth the wait. Excited, Kushina and Haru immediately followed Orochimaru, and Kano, knowing in advance who their sensei would be, reacted much more calmly and followed without further ado.
Watching them leave the classroom, Minato's teammates couldn't hide their envy.
Bam! - but the moment Orochimaru approached the door, it swung open again with a bang.
The door was thrown open, and a slight smell of alcohol entered the classroom, causing Orochimaru to frown slightly. His gaze grew even colder upon seeing the newcomer, though without much surprise.
"Jiraiya," he said, not at all surprised by his former comrade's appearance. Although, in fact, he didn't know that Jiraiya would return and mentor the graduates as well.
"Oh? Orochimaru." Jiraiya chuckled, "What a meeting."
His gaze slid over the three children behind Orochimaru and lingered on Kano's impassive face, after which he even paused, examining the boy.
This kid... looks a bit like Orochimaru.
Looking away from Kano, Jiraiya asked curiously, "What prompted you to do this?"
Orochimaru understood what Jiraiya was asking and coldly replied, "I don't have to report to you."
With these words he walked out into the corridor. Jiraiya instinctively stepped aside, letting Orochimaru and his team pass, and then remained standing in the corridor, thoughtfully rubbing his chin and watching them leave.
"Excuse me… Are you Jiraiya-sama?" A clear childish voice rang out, interrupting his thoughts. Looking in the direction the voice came from, Jiraiya saw a timid girl.
"That's right," Jiraiya nodded, not emphasizing his name. He was far from the frivolousness that would later appear in him.
Hearing the confirmation, all three students beamed. Just now they envied Kano, whose mentor was Orochimaru himself, and now it turned out that their sensei was the no less legendary Jiraiya.
Minato's eyes lit up with admiration. Noticing his gaze, Jiraiya pretended not to notice, but in his mind he was replaying the words his teacher had said before his return to Konoha.
Minato Namikaze... a rare genius, and his future student.
Jiraiya knew perfectly well that his teacher wanted him to raise Minato to be a reliable pillar of Konoha, a ninja of the same caliber as himself. And what about Orochimaru… Could that quiet child, with manners so similar to Orochimaru in childhood, really be his student?
With this question in his mind, Jiraiya began the standard procedure of assessing the abilities of his new students.
.....
Meanwhile, Orochimaru brought Kano and his team to one of Konoha's training grounds.
"Introduce yourself. Name, hobbies, goals for the future," Orochimaru addressed the three children. It would have been enough for him to simply know their names, but he was interested in Kano's future goals, so he decided not to deviate from tradition.
Kano, what do you want to achieve...