"You're really leaving?"
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade nodded slowly. Her gaze swept across Konoha's streets, looking at the familiar buildings and pathways she'd walked a thousand times. But there was something hollow in her eyes, a loneliness that hadn't been there before the war.
"The war's over. If I stay here... it'll just remind me of too much."
"It's because of Nawaki and Dan, isn't it?"
Orochimaru's hoarse, deep voice broke the brief silence. He'd always had a way of stating uncomfortable truths that others danced around.
"Yeah. This village is full of memories of them. The streets we walked together, the places we ate, the training grounds we used… every step I take here feels like opening an old wound that won't heal. They protected this place with their lives, and died for dreams they never got to see fulfilled. And for what? To throw away precious life so recklessly..." She shook her head. "It's the height of stupidity."
Jiraiya looked like he wanted to argue but couldn't find the right words. Orochimaru just watched her.
Kenji had been standing slightly apart from the group, but now he stepped forward.
"Since you've already decided, I won't try to stop you," he said. Then he smiled slightly. "But how about we make a bet?"
"A bet?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
"I bet that one day you'll come back. That you'll be just like those 'fools' you're talking about. Fighting with everything you have to protect this village."
Kenji met her eyes directly.
Tsunade let out a short, mocking laugh. "My grandfather dreamed of ending the wars. He died before achieving it. My granduncle tried to build lasting peace. He died too. Nawaki wanted to be Hokage and protect everyone. Dead on a battlefield. Dan had the same dream. Also dead. Why would I ever make the same mistake they did?"
But even as she said it, she asked, "But what's the wager?"
"I haven't thought of the specifics yet," Kenji admitted with a slight grin. "Let's just say the loser has to grant the winner one reasonable request. Something within their power."
Tsunade considered this for a long moment, studying his face like she was trying to read his thoughts. Then she nodded decisively.
"Fine. I'll take that bet. You're going to lose."
Kenji smiled inwardly. He knew exactly how this would play out. It wouldn't be long before Naruto's infamous Talk no Jutsu brought her back to Konoha. And when she returned, she wouldn't just come home. She'd become the Fifth Hokage, fulfilling the dream that Dan and Nawaki had carried. The dream of being Hokage and protecting everyone.
He turned to look at Aoi, who stood beside Tsunade with a small child holding her hand.
"Aoi, please take care of Tsunade. And make sure the debt collectors don't catch her." He said it with a completely straight face. "If anything happens, write to me. Oh, and look after your apprentice too."
The child was about three years old, with dark hair and solemn eyes. She was Dan's niece, adopted by Tsunade before leaving the village.
Aoi nodded firmly. "Don't worry, sensei. I will! Please take care of yourself too!"
"Hey!" Tsunade immediately spun around to glare at Kenji. "What's that supposed to mean, 'don't let the debt collectors catch her'? Do I look like some notorious gambler running from debts?"
Kenji exchanged glances with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. None of them said a word. They just stood there in silence. All three of them thinking exactly the same thing.
Tsunade's gambling addiction and the mountain of debt she'd accumulated were practically legendary in Konoha. Everyone knew about it.
"Tch. Boring," Tsunade muttered when they refused to take the bait. She turned away with a dismissive wave. "Aoi, Shizune, let's go."
"Goodbye, Jiraiya-sama! Orochimaru-sama!" Aoi called out hurriedly, waving to everyone. She looked at her teammates. "Haruto, Kaede, I'll write you letters! I promise!"
"Stay safe, Aoi!" Haruto shouted back. "We'll see you when you visit!"
"Don't forget to write!" Kaede added.
Aoi's parents were still in Konoha, so she wouldn't be gone forever. She planned to return to the village periodically, maintaining ties with her family and teammates even while traveling with Tsunade.
The three figures grew smaller as they walked away from the village gates. Tsunade in the lead, Aoi following with little girl's hand in hers. Eventually they disappeared from view entirely, swallowed by the road leading away from Konoha.
Jiraiya stood watching the empty road for a long time after they were gone.
Kenji expected him to leave soon too. In the original timeline, Jiraiya had departed shortly after Tsunade to continue his travels, searching for the Child of the Prophecy and gathering material for his books. But apparently that wasn't happening yet.
---
Several months passed.
Kenji had fallen into a routine again. Training, research, occasional missions, and time spent with his remaining students when they weren't deployed elsewhere. Haruto and Kaede had both continued developing their skills, growing stronger with each passing week.
One afternoon, he found himself craving ramen and decided to visit Ramen Ichiraku. The small shop was one of his favorite spots in the village, tucked away in a quiet corner but always serving excellent food.
He'd just sat down and ordered when a familiar voice called out.
"Kenji! What a coincidence. You're here for ramen too?"
He looked up to see Jiraiya pushing through the entrance curtain. Three young boys followed behind him, all wearing Academy-fresh forehead protectors.
One of them immediately caught his attention.
Blonde hair that stuck up in all directions. Bright blue eyes that looked at everything with intense curiosity. A smile that radiated optimism despite the hardships the kid had probably already seen. There was no mistaking him.
Namikaze Minato, the future Fourth Hokage.
"Jiraiya-sama?" Kenji blinked in surprise. "You're still in Konoha? I figured you'd have left months ago to keep traveling and writing your books."
He knew that before the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya had wandered extensively throughout the ninja world. Traveling to gather material, writing his novels, only returning to the village when war broke out and he was needed.
"Don't remind me," Jiraiya said with an exaggerated sigh. He dropped onto the stool next to Kenji and gestured for the three boys to sit as well. "I'd already packed my bags, and had my route planned out. Then sensei cornered me and said I had to lead a new genin team. I couldn't say no to the Hokage."
He turned to introduce his students. "This is Minato, Dekai, and Kazama."
Kenji studied the other two briefly. Dekai was built like a tank, dark-skinned with a gentle face that contrasted with his intimidating size. Kazama was lean and sharp-featured, with a distinctive braid tied on top of his head. Both of them had only appeared briefly in the original series. Background characters who'd never become significant.
"Nice to meet you," Kenji said, nodding to all three.
"Hello!" they responded politely in unison.
Kenji couldn't help his curiosity. "Minato, you should have already graduated from the Academy, right? Why are you on a new team?"
Jiraiya answered before Minato could. "His previous teammates were killed during the war. So he's been assigned to a new squad with this year's graduates, Dekai and Kazama."
There was a brief silence at that.
He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Actually, Kenji, you've had experience as a team instructor, right? Could you give me some advice? I'm not really sure what I'm doing here."
Minato glanced at Kenji. The guy looked only a few years older than him, but he'd already served as a jonin instructor? That was impressive.
Kenji considered the question thoughtfully while his ramen arrived. He took a bite, letting the flavor settle before answering.
"Honestly, I got thrown into the role without much preparation either. I didn't really know what I was doing at first." He set down his chopsticks. "But if I had to give advice, I'd say figure out what each student is naturally good at. Then help them develop those abilities into something that makes them competent ninjas."
He paused, then frowned slightly. "Wait, didn't Tsunade mention that you spent years teaching three war orphans in the Land of Rain? How can you say you don't have experience?"
"That was different!" Jiraiya protested, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Back then I just wanted to help them survive, and make sure they could defend themselves and not get killed. I wasn't trying to systematically train them to be top-tier ninjas. But this time..." He glanced at his three students. "This time I want to actually teach them properly, and turn them into skilled shinobi."
Seeing how serious he was being, Kenji spoke earnestly.
"Don't worry. You'll be a great teacher. Just follow your instincts."
He meant every word. From his memories of the original series, Jiraiya was one of the greatest mentors in the entire shinobi world. The students he'd taught had all become extraordinary.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan from the Land of Rain. Yahiko had become the original leader of Akatsuki, and even though he died young, you didn't get to lead an organization like that by being weak. Nagato had reached the absolute peak of ninja strength, becoming powerful enough to challenge entire villages single-handedly. Konan had developed her unique style into something formidable.
Then there was Minato, sitting right here, who would eventually become the Fourth Hokage and die protecting Konoha.
And finally, though Jiraiya didn't know it yet, his last student would be Naruto. The Child of the Prophecy who would save the entire shinobi world.
Yeah, he knew how to teach.
"Haha! You think so too?" Jiraiya puffed up immediately, thumping his chest with pride. "I knew it! I'll definitely do great! And when these kids become top-tier ninjas, I'll write the whole experience into a novel! It'll be a bestseller!"
The three boys all laughed at their sensei's boundless confidence.
The warm, steamy air of the ramen shop was filled with their laughter. There was something hopeful about it, something that felt like the future might be better than the past.
Kenji ate his ramen and listened to them talk.