[3rd Person POV]
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the edge of the training field, arms folded, watching the three students he had chosen himself: Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. Simple children, arguing over a half-painted fence, which amused him greatly.
Tsunade threw down her brush, hands on her hips. "We're ninja, not handymen," she complained. "Why do we have to do this?"
Hiruzen stepped up behind her, his expression calm but firm. He placed a hand on her back, gentle yet grounding. "If you can't focus on something simple like painting, how will you focus during training?"
She groaned, shoulders slumping. "Okay, sensei…"
He smiled faintly. Even in her frustration, she listened.
Orochimaru, as always, said nothing. His strokes were precise, each brush movement made with care. It was almost as if he were being paid for it.
Then there was Jiraiya.
"Sensei, look at this!" he said proudly, pointing at his side of the fence. "I painted way more than Orochimaru."
Hiruzen's eyes softened. "You did well, Jiraiya, but being faster isn't necessarily better," he said, then paused. "Let's finish up here, you three."
Jiraiya straightened instantly. "Yes, sensei!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Keep yapping about being better than Orochimaru. You'll never be better than him."
"Idiot," came a simple murmur from Orochimaru. Hiruzen, who heard this, saw Jiraiya narrow his eyes at the boy and intervened, swiftly using the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind the "enraged" boy and hold him back.
"Haha! Even Orochimaru agrees that you're an idiot," Tsunade added, trying to stir the pot.
Unfortunately for her, Jiraiya didn't actually want to fight.
Hiruzen hid his amusement behind a thoughtful expression. He had noticed that Jiraiya's energy surged whenever Orochimaru's name was mentioned. Perhaps he could use that to push him forward. A teacher's duty was not just to instruct, but to understand. Every student learned differently.
By the time the fence gleamed white, Jiraiya was sweating, Tsunade was sighing, and Orochimaru looked as if he hadn't broken a sweat at all.
The next mission was no more glamorous. It was clearing weeds from an abandoned field. War had left many places untended, and the land was only beginning to recover. Yet to Hiruzen, these small tasks were valuable. Patience, endurance, and teamwork were lessons worth teaching.
"I greet Lord Third, thank you for coming," a middle-aged man said, bowing deeply. His admiration for the Hokage was clear as day, like any normal civilian's.
"It's alright. My genin squad is taking up the weed-cutting mission," Hiruzen replied softly. The man enthusiastically nodded.
Walking back to his squad, Hiruzen started to talk with a mischievous look. "Listen up. If we do a good job, I'll treat us to some expensive food." A glimmer in his eyes. As the Hokage, he did have plenty of money, so splurging on his students was more about his own hunger than anything else.
The three who heard this were immediately invigorated.
Jiraiya made it a competition again, pulling weeds with exaggerated determination, glancing at Orochimaru every few seconds. Orochimaru ignored him entirely, moving with unhurried precision. Tsunade complained about dirt ruining her gloves, but she still worked faster than both of them.
Hiruzen watched them from under the shade of a tree, arms crossed loosely, the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips. There was noise, bickering, laughter. It was chaotic, but it was life. After years of war, this was what peace sounded like: three young ninja arguing over weeds.
He felt a quiet gratitude for moments like this. Training them was far better than standing on a battlefield watching comrades fall. These children reminded him why the Will of Fire mattered.
As the sun began to sink, Hiruzen called them together. "Good work today," he said. "There's still plenty of time to train later, so we'll go eat first."
"Food!" both Jiraiya and Tsunade were estatic.
"Hey, don't copy me!" Tsunade shouted after hearing Jiraiya.
"Who's trying to copy who, huh? Let's see who eats the most!" The two immediately started to bicker as the other two members just watched as if it were a TV show. This type of entertainment was better than shogi.
Of course, as the Hokage, Hiruzen didn't need to fear for his wallet like other sensei.
...
[POV – Jiraiya]
The smell of grilled meat still clung to my clothes by the time we got back to the training field. That place was something else. Juicy, smoky, just the right amount of fat. Heaven on a plate.
"Man," I said, stretching with a grin. "I could eat like that every day."
"Maybe if you weren't so weak," Tsunade said, flicking her ponytail. "Sensei only said he'd treat us when we do a good job. From what I know, the only one holding us back is you."
Hearing the jab, my eyes narrowed.
There's a limit to how much you can insult a person before it gets annoying. Especially when it's uncalled for. And a girl like Tsunade? You can't let her talk like that or she'll never stop. You never let someone like her have the high ground.
'As bad as the comparison is, it's like Sakura. Why let her talk all that smack?'
Yeah, Tsunade could back it up, but still. I couldn't take that disrespect. Not even for the sake of our future friendship.
"Just because you're cute doesn't mean you get to say whatever you want. Fight me, Tsunade, or are you a chicken?" I shot back, trying for the best insult that wouldn't make me sound completely psychotic.
She sputtered, caught off guard by the "cute" part, then glared. "F-Fine then! I've wanted to beat you up for a while now." She cracked her knuckles, smirking.
"Calm down now. We can do some sparring later," Hiruzen interrupted, stepping in before things could escalate. He slung both arms around our shoulders, keeping us in place. "For now, we have other things to do."
Orochimaru didn't even look up from the stick he was twirling between his fingers. "You two are noisy."
"Thanks for noticing," I said.
He ignored me. Again.
After a few minutes, we arrived back at the grassy fields.
"Alright," Hiruzen said finally, folding his arms. "You've worked hard today. Let's see how much you know about ninjutsu."
I straightened instantly, excitement bubbling. "Are you gonna teach us a new jutsu, sensei?"
Tsunade groaned. "Sensei, we just ate."
"Then this will help your digestion," he said smoothly, completely ignoring my question.
Hiruzen gestured to the open field. "Orochimaru, you start. Show me your clone technique."
Orochimaru stepped forward, silent as ever. He formed a single hand seal, and with a puff of smoke, two perfect copies appeared beside him, identical down to the smallest detail. Even his clones had that same calm look.
Taking the time, I opened up my panel.
---
[Body]
Strength: Genin
Speed/Agility: Low Genin
Stamina: High Genin
Chakra Reserves: High Genin
Chakra Control: High Academy Level → Genin
---
'Sweet! A jump from high academy level straight to genin. Completely skipping low genin. It seems sensei's words did help me a bit.' I thought in glee. His help was actually making such rapid progress.
Hiruzen smiled faintly. "Excellent control, Orochimaru."
Then his eyes turned to me. "Jiraiya. You're next."
Finally.
I cracked my knuckles and formed my seals, drawing on the chakra just like I practiced last night. Focus, balance, control. I imagined three clones in front of me. A rush of warmth spread through my arms as I shaped the energy.
Poof.
With a puff of smoke, three clones appeared. They looked decent. Okay, maybe their hair was a little uneven, but still.
"Did you see that, sensei? One more than Orochimaru!"
"That was acceptable. Don't let one clone get to your head, Jiraiya," Hiruzen said, shutting me up immediately.
I caught Orochimaru glance at me briefly with a small smirk. Seeing that, I glared right back.
'He isn't so emotionless after all, feeling a bit smug now are we?'
Tsunade went last. Her clone appeared perfectly on her first try. Then she stuck her tongue out at me.
Next was the Transformation Jutsu. Orochimaru turned into a flawless copy of Hiruzen—down to the faintest crease on his forehead. Tsunade's version looked a bit like Hiruzen if he'd just lost a fight.
Then my turn. I focused, took a breath, and made the right hand signs. Dog → Boar → Ram.
Hiruzen blinked, surprised. "Jiraiya…"
"Hehe… This is you in the future, sensei," I said proudly.
"Please don't," he replied dryly, face-palming, the corner of his mouth twitching.
When we finished, Hiruzen gathered us around. "Good work. We'll do some sparring now."
His words made Tsunade and I lock eyes immediately. Sparks.
I can't be a bottom like Naruto, alright. Even if I have to pull out my Muay Thai from my past life.
"Tsunade, you're not ready for my custom-made taijutsu!"
"Let's see if you trip over first," she quipped, cracking her knuckles.
Tsunade's hands were raised, her stance sharp but still a bit stiff. Textbook Academy form. My own arms were up too, elbows close, hands loose.
Hiruzen stood a few meters away, arms crossed, watching with a patient expression that somehow made the air feel heavier.
"Begin," he said simply.
Tsunade waited but after a while realized I wasn't on the offense and went in first. A quick straight jab aimed at my chest. Slight backing off, I redirected the hit downwards.
Her eyes narrowed, another swing. I ducked and shot out a kick from the left. She surprisingly blocked with her right arm, the sound of the impact echoing faintly.
"Damn," she muttered as I focused up.
This time I went in first, feinting a kick to lower her guard, then a quick jab right to her chest that perfectly hit. Tsunade, who felt the hit, was now annoyed and bulldozed forward. One punch I blocked, then a second one broke my guard. Her power got through and hit my upper chest.
I grinned. "You're stronger than you look."
"And you're slower than I thought," she said, breath a little uneven.
I moved next, a feint with my right hand followed by a left hook. She blocked, but I felt it shift her weight slightly. I went low, sweeping her legs, and she barely hopped back in time. My foot grazed her ankle, and she almost lost balance. Her eyes flickered, a spark of surprise there.
She exhaled, readjusting her stance. The next exchange came faster. My jab hit her guard, her counterpunch brushed my jaw. I returned with a kick to her thigh, she answered with one to my ribs.
When we broke apart again, both of us were breathing harder. Sweat beaded down my temples. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Enough," Hiruzen said finally, stepping forward. His voice cut through the quiet. "That was a good spar, especially you, Jiraiya. That form of taijutsu you made seems to suit you well. Tsunade, good recoveries there."
Walking up to each other, she seemed a bit reluctant, but we did the seal of reconciliation. She muttered something under her breath that I didn't quite catch.
"…You're not as hopeless as I thought," she said quietly.
I blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? What was that?"
"Nothing." She looked away quickly, face scrunched.
A grin crept across my face anyway despite the small pain on the left side of my belly. I didn't say anything, but inside, I couldn't help but feel that small warmth of victory.
"It seems like we got a taijutsu genius here," Hiruzen said, laughing as I felt a little giddy. Orochimaru, who was next to him, surprisingly nodded as he too watched closely. It was completely different from the bell test.
The sun dipped lower, streaks of orange fading into the quiet blue of dusk. Orochimaru and Tsunade had already left now. That just left me and sensei standing in the open field, the air still heavy with the smell of grass and dust.
"Time for your extra training!" Hiruzen said, putting a hand on my shoulder with an evil look on his face.
"Uhh, will I regret this?" I asked.
His brows lifted, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You seem eager. Good. Then let's not waste the mood," he said, completely ignoring my question for the second time today.
'This bastard.'
He stepped onto the field again and motioned for me to follow. "Ninjutsu can wait. For now, we'll work on your foundation. Speed, stamina, control of movement. A shinobi must have balance between body and mind."
I grinned. "So, physical training, huh? I can handle that."
One of my guaranteed locks of ninja techniques is the Eight Gates. The reason being how easily it is to access plus it's not chakra-locked to train. So it's one of the best, launching a genin-level fighter to beat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Especially seeing how Might Guy was in the anime.
'I wonder if Might Duy is a genin. Perhaps when I become a chunin, I should recruit him.' My thoughts wandered a bit.
He pointed toward the far end of the field. "You'll start with a run. Back and forth, ten laps."
"Ten?" I repeated, already regretting this decision.
"Unless you want to make it twenty."
"Ten's perfect!" I said quickly, taking off before he could change his mind. My pace was the same as doing suicides in basketball practice.
The grass brushed against my ankles as I ran. The first five laps felt fine. By the seventh, my lungs were starting to burn. Every inhale was sharp, heavy. Sweat rolled down my face and stung my eyes.
"Keep your pace steady!" Hiruzen called out. "Endurance matters more than speed!"
I didn't answer, too focused on not dying halfway through the last lap. When I finally stopped, bent over and gasping, Hiruzen handed me a canteen of water. I drank like I hadn't seen water in years.
"Good," he said simply. "Now push-ups. Fifty."
"Can I rest?"
"Fifty," he repeated, his tone calm but unmoving.
Groaning, I dropped down and started. My arms trembled around thirty. Around forty, my vision started to blur. But I kept going. When I hit fifty, I collapsed onto the grass, staring up at the darkening sky.
"Done," I wheezed.
Hiruzen crouched beside me, expression unreadable. "Squats now, Jiraiya. Hey, do you hear me!"
I turned my head toward him. "Yes, sensei!"
He chuckled.
After a short break, he had me do sit-ups, squats, and pull-ups using one of the wooden posts by the training field. It was grueling, but he stayed nearby, not saying much. Just watching, occasionally giving small corrections or encouragement. His presence made it harder to slack off.
I didn't want to disappoint him.
When the last exercise ended, I lay back again, arms spread out. The stars had started to appear. The pain in my muscles was sharp, but it wasn't bad pain.
Hiruzen shook his head, smiling as he looked toward the stars. "Get some rest, Jiraiya. Tomorrow, we'll continue."
As he walked off, I stayed lying there for a bit longer, the night breeze cooling the sweat on my skin. My arms ached, my legs burned, but something inside me buzzed with satisfaction.
Only the grind matter!
I was ready to do it all again tomorrow.