"Hiruzen Sarutobi's squad is now officially formed."
"Starting tomorrow, you may begin undertaking missions. However, I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to accompany you on all of them."
Hiruzen scratched his head awkwardly. He was now the Third Hokage of Konohagakure and had numerous responsibilities to manage every day. Unlike other jonin instructors, he couldn't personally oversee every mission.
Moreover, as the Hokage, he could not leave the village without good reason.
"It's okay! We can handle it."
Tsunade responded energetically. Just like how she rarely mentioned her prestigious lineage, she even wanted to do without a jonin instructor altogether.
After all, with Hiruzen's strength, unless the mission was extremely difficult, there would be no opportunity for the three of them to truly grow.
Orochimaru had a similar mindset. Though still young, he firmly believed that a ninja must rely on their strength.
True strength could never be forged in a greenhouse.
And so, the teacher and his three students left the 7th Training Ground together.
On the way, Hiruzen suggested they celebrate the occasion, with the gathering to be held at the Sarutobi Clan's compound, his home.
After all, it was the first time he was officially taking on students. This was a good excuse to return home for a rare family dinner.
Jiraiya, however, had wanted to excuse himself. He knew that Biwako, Hiruzen's wife-to-be, lived within the Sarutobi clan compound.
If they went to the Sarutobi household, they'd run into her.
And even with his thick skin, Jiraiya didn't want to face Biwako so soon after everything that happened.
But fate has a way of being inconvenient.
They had barely stepped out of the training ground and onto the village street when they ran into a graceful young woman dressed in a loose robe.
She had long black hair and a tall, elegant figure. Even through the flowing clothes, the belt cinched at her waist revealed her slender curves.
In her hand was a bamboo basket full of fresh ingredients.
"Hiruzen, you're finished already?"
Biwako approached with mild surprise. Her voice was pleasant and gentle.
As she got closer, Jiraiya instinctively shifted to hide behind Orochimaru—he knew if he moved toward Tsunade, she'd just push him away.
His face was full of awkwardness. Hiruzen also looked somewhat uncomfortable as he met Biwako's gaze.
"What's wrong?" Biwako asked softly again.
Hiruzen forced himself to push away the disturbing images in his head and replied, "These three children exceeded expectations, so the test ended early."
"Really? Congratulations!"
Biwako offered sincere congratulations with a warm smile. She stepped closer, knelt, and gently ruffled Tsunade's hair.
"That's our Tsunade. Well done."
Normally, Tsunade didn't like people touching her head. Only a very select few were allowed, and Biwako was one of them.
"Th-thank you."
Tsunade's expression was slightly evasive. Then, she remembered the one responsible for the situation that embarrassed her earlier.
She turned to glare fiercely at Jiraiya, who was currently looking up at the sky, pretending not to notice anything.
Biwako then looked over Orochimaru and Jiraiya—this was her first time seeing both of them.
But if they were chosen as Hiruzen's students, that was proof enough of their excellence.
"You're all heading to Hiruzen's house, right?" Biwako asked kindly. "We must celebrate properly today. After all, this is a very important day for both you and him."
She had been asked by Hiruzen in advance to shop for ingredients that morning.
Orochimaru and Tsunade finally realized—Hiruzen had already known they'd pass the test.
At that moment, Jiraiya also came to a realization:
"No wonder Sarutobi-sensei modified the test rules at the last moment. He was probably observing me and Orochimaru from the shadows all along..."
That would make sense, given Sarutobi's personality.
With their current level, even if it had just been Hiruzen's shadow clone watching, neither he nor Orochimaru would've noticed.
With Biwako's warm insistence, Jiraiya—no matter how awkward he felt—couldn't refuse. So the five of them headed toward the Sarutobi Clan compound, located in the prosperous center of the village.
The Sarutobi clan's standing in Konoha was second only to the Senju and Uchiha clans. Now that Hiruzen had become the Third Hokage, the clan's influence had risen to match those two.
The three great clans were located near one another, and as they passed by the Senju compound, its once-glorious gates now stood quiet and desolate.
The deaths of the First and Second Hokage had dealt a heavy blow to the Senju Clan.
Jiraiya noticed the look in Hiruzen's eyes when he glanced at the Senju estate—it was deeply complicated.
And no wonder. Jiraiya knew just how heavy the burden was that rested on his teacher's shoulders.
This burden would not lighten until the day the entire Senju Clan chose to leave Konoha years later.
Jiraiya hadn't paid much attention to those events when he was younger and still just a genin. But thinking back now, with the perspective of a Sannin, he had a better sense of what had happened.
Many within the Senju Clan believed that Konoha was solely founded by the First and Second Hokage. This wasn't incorrect, but it disregarded the contributions of other clans, especially the Uchiha.
During the recently ended First Great Ninja War, the Second Hokage had died at the hands of rogue ninja from the Hidden Cloud.
Even though he had killed the elite squad led by the Kinkaku Force, resentment still naturally fell on the Cloud Village—after all, those rogues had come from their ranks.
Given how revered the Second Hokage was by the Senju, many wanted revenge.
So when Hiruzen took office and proposed signing a new peace treaty with the Cloud to end the war, many Senju members opposed him.
They didn't just oppose peace—they opposed Hiruzen's very appointment as Hokage.
In such a situation, and given the Senju Clan's eventual withdrawal from the village, Jiraiya could now clearly sense the internal tensions within the clan.
But even knowing all this—even knowing the history—Jiraiya couldn't change people's hearts.
Even if he regained his full strength as one of the Three Legendary Sannin, there was little he could do.
Only Hiruzen, as the Third Hokage, could attempt to reconcile such divisions.
There was nothing Jiraiya could do to help.
But there was someone—something lurking in the shadows, plotting something enormous—that he had to stop.
"Uchiha Madara…"
At that very moment, high above Konoha, atop the stone faces of the Hokage Monument—where the Third Hokage's visage was still under construction—none of the laborers noticed a mysterious figure.
This figure, draped in a wide black cloak that concealed all features, sat casually atop the First Hokage's stone head, gazing coldly down at the village.
His eyes were fixed on the Senju Clan's compound.
"Hashirama… by now, you must've reunited with Tobirama, yes?"
"Don't worry. I'll be sending more of your old friends to join you very soon."
"The Senju Clan, so weak and pitiful now… no longer has any reason to exist."
(End of Chapter)