After a while, Kuro and the team arrived at the training field by the Forest of Death.
Looking around, Kuro senses someone in the area. Since the presence has no hostility, Kuro guesses it has something to do with Minato's surprise.
"So, what's the surprise?" Nawaki looks around.
Mikoto nodded in response.
Kuro just smiles, seeing Nawaki and Mikoto being impatient.
"Now, now," Minato scratched his head. "I want to introduce someone to you all. I guess he is not here yet."
'From the look of it, he is probably talking about Jiraiya.' Kuro thought.
As if confirming his thought, a figure suddenly dramatically appeared beside Minato.
The figure has spiky silver hairs with marks beneath his eyes. The figure grinned widely, hands on his hips in a theatrical pose.
"Behold! The great Jiraiya has arrived!" he declared with flair, striking a ridiculous stance that made Nawaki and Mikoto blink in disbelief.
"Seriously?" Nawaki muttered.
Kuro, on the other hand, remained composed. 'So it is Jiraiya.'
Kuro gave a small nod with a smirk on his face. "It's an honor to meet the Legendary Pervy Sage."
Jiraiya froze mid-pose, blinking in surprise before breaking into a booming laugh.
"Hah! Pervy Sage, huh? Although it might sound weird, it does have a nice ring to it." Jiraiya pointed at Kuro with a grin.
"Pervy Sage?" Mikoto muttered in confusion. "Why do you call him that, Kuro?"
"Why?" Kuro stated. "It's because I saw him peeking at the woman's hot spring the other night."
"And why were you out at night around the hot spring?" Mikoto suddenly asked Kuro with a dead glare.
Kuro's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second.
"…I was on patrol," he replied smoothly, hands in his pockets. "Gotta keep the village safe from perverts."
Jiraiya coughed, clearly trying to hold back laughter.
"Real noble of you," Mikoto said flatly, her glare intensifying. "And in that specific area, at that specific time?"
Nawaki leaned over to whisper to Jiraiya. "He's totally busted, isn't he?"
"Oh yeah," Jiraiya chuckled. "Classic trap."
Kuro sighed, glancing away. "It was a coincidence, alright? I sensed someone sneaking around and went to check it out. Didn't expect to catch one of the Hokage students in the act."
Minato, meanwhile, looked like he regretted every decision that led to this moment. "Can we maybe focus on the training now?"
Jiraiya clapped his hands. "Right! Enough about steamy nights and steamy baths—we've got real work to do! Today's training will separate the shinobi from the genin!"
Mikoto crossed her arms, still eyeing Kuro suspiciously. "This conversation isn't over."
Kuro groaned. 'Great. Training with the Legendary Pervy Sage and interrogation by Mikoto. What a day.'
"So, Minato's surprise is Jiraiya?" asks Nawaki, trying to steer the conversation away.
"Yep," Minato said, thankful for the change of topic. "Jiraiya-sensei has taken me on as his student and agreed to help train me and the team for a while."
"Help train us?" Nawaki raised an eyebrow. "What, like taijutsu drills? Or summoning training for the slimy toads?"
Jiraiya let out an exaggerated gasp, clutching his chest. "Slimy? Slimy?! Watch your mouth, kid, those toads are proud warriors of Mount Myōboku!"
Nawaki held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Proud, squishy warriors."
Kuro couldn't help but smirk. "You're not helping your case, Nawaki."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes playfully. "You're lucky I like your attitude, or I'd have Gamakichi sit on you during meditation."
Minato chuckled. "Jiraiya-sensei may joke around, but his training methods are no joke."
Mikoto gave a small nod. "If he's your mentor, then we'll give it everything we've got."
"Good," Jiraiya said, suddenly shifting into a more serious tone. "Because what I've got planned isn't easy. You'll be learning how to enhance your chakra control under extreme conditions, improve coordination, and maybe…" He shot a look at Kuro, "…even start working with summoning contracts, if you're ready."
Kuro pointed at himself when Jiraiya shot him a look. "Me?"
"Ya, you. I think you don't need training." Jiraiya shot him a look. "You shouldn't even be on this team. Why do you think the Hokage put you on this team when a team usually consists of three people and a Jonin instructor?"
Mikoto and Nawaki glanced at each other, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. Even Minato seemed more alert now, silently watching the exchange.
"So the Hokage wants me to act as the instructor for them when necessary?" Kuro wasn't expecting that. He only suspected being put on the team to have Minato keep an eye on him.
Jiraiya folded his arms. "You're smart. Good. You're not like the others, Kuro, and you know it."
Kuro didn't respond right away. 'So that it. I knew something felt fishy when I got place into this team full of noob genin.'
"Well, let's not go into detail. If you want to know more, go trouble the old man, not me." Jiraiya stated before looking toward the group.
"Minato, you've got a huge chakra reserve, but your control? Not great. And that's going to be your first hurdle."
Minato nodded, his expression serious now. "Understood."
"Good," Jiraiya said, then pointed at Mikoto. "You've got precision, which makes you a natural at genjutsu and fine control techniques. But your stamina needs work. We're going to push that ceiling higher."
Mikoto stiffened slightly, but gave a quiet "Yes."
He turned to Nawaki next. "And you, grandson of the First Hokage. You've got guts, and your chakra is already stronger than most your age, but you rely too much on brute force. We'll fix that."
Nawaki grinned. "Heh, bring it on! I can take whatever you throw at me."
Jiraiya smirked, then turned his eyes back to Kuro. "As for you, why not try summoning jutsu?"
Kuro's brow furrowed. "Summoning?"
"Yeah," Jiraiya said, walking a few steps closer, arms folded. "You've got enough chakra to handle the technique, and your affinity's… let's say, unusual. You might be compatible with a contract. Or maybe not. Either way, it'll tell us something. To be honest, I don't think I can teach you anything."
He pulled a small summoning scroll from his belt pouch and tossed it toward Kuro.
"Here. It's blank. If something responds, it'll appear. If not, no harm done. But you won't know unless you try."
Kuro caught the scroll, studying the faded ink spirals etched into the outer layer.
"…All right," he said finally. "I'll try."
Jiraiya gave a satisfied nod. "Good."
As Kuro prepares for the summoning, the rest of the team goes to train according to Jiraiya's recommendation.
The wind rustled through the trees of the training field, the distant chirp of birds barely audible over the tension in the air.
Kuro stood in the center of the dirt patch, holding the blank summoning scroll in his hands. The others had scattered for their training, leaving him alone for the moment.
His gaze flicked to Jiraiya, who stood with his arms crossed, watching him carefully.
Kuro glanced at the blank scroll again, his fingers tracing the faded ink spirals.
He closed his eyes briefly, letting the chakra flow into his hands.
With a sharp breath, Kuro slammed his palm down on the scroll, pressing his chakra into it with a sudden burst. The air crackled around him.
The ground trembled, and for a moment, Kuro felt like he had made a mistake—like something was about to go horribly wrong. A burst of white smoke filled the air, thick and choking. Kuro squinted through it, trying to make sense of the swirling haze.
When the smoke finally cleared, Kuro's eyes widened.
A small, fox-like creature stood before him, no taller than his waist. Its fur shimmered in shades of silver and white, and nine fluffy tails flicked with irritation.
The fox sat on its haunches, its tiny chest puffed out in a display of defiance.
"...A fox?" Kuro muttered.
The fox tilted its head, clearly unimpressed with its summoner. It flicked its tails lazily, causing a small gust of wind to ruffle Kuro's hair.
"You called, human?" it asked, its voice low and melodious, like a whisper of wind through autumn leaves.
Kuro blinked. "Wait, you can talk?"
"Of course," the fox replied. "I am the almighty nine-tailed fox after all."
Jiraiya, who was watching from the side, stared with wide eyes as his jaw hit the ground. Minato, Mikoto, and Nawaki stopped their training, too.
Kuro's eyes darted to Jiraiya, who was now staring at the tiny fox with disbelief. The older ninja's mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to form words but failing.
Kuro, still stunned, hesitated before speaking again. "Wait... the almighty nine-tailed fox? Shouldn't there be only one in existence?"
The fox's expression shifted from playful to slightly offended, its tail flicking in annoyance. "Hmph. As if I know. Go ask that smelly Six Paths why he slept with Kaguya without using protection."
Kuro's jaw dropped. "Wait… what?" he stammered, completely caught off guard. The fox's words hung in the air like a heavy weight, leaving him to process the absurdity of it all.
Jiraiya, who had been struggling to regain his composure, suddenly choked on his breath, his face turning a shade of red.
The fox's nine tails flicked again, this time with a little more emphasis, as if the mention of the Six Paths and Kaguya was a casual annoyance. "Don't look at me like that. The history of the world is far messier than you realize. You humans think you know everything, but you don't even know half of it. Now, if you want to keep asking about 'the almighty Nine-Tails,' you'll have to get in line."
Kuro blinked, still trying to wrap his mind around the casual reference to two of the most legendary figures in history. "Are… are you saying the Six Paths and Kaguya were involved with—?"
"I'm not here for your history lessons," the fox interrupted, its voice sharp and cutting. "But, if you must know, things didn't go as smoothly as everyone likes to pretend. And well, the result was… me."
Kuro's mind was spinning, but he decided to focus on the immediate issue at hand. "So, you're telling me that there's more to the Nine-Tails?"
The fox huffed, sitting up straighter. "That's enough asking, human. If you want to know more, go ask my big brother Kurama."
Kuro started to feel annoyed by the little fox's demeanor. He released some of his strength, targeting only the fox.
The fox, however, merely flicked its tail, unbothered by Kuro's sudden surge of chakra. "You think your little chakra flare is going to intimidate me?" it asked with a bemused smirk. "How cute."
"Oh?" Kuro was amused. "How about 2%?"
Suddenly, the pressure on the fox increased.
"2%?" The fox's expression shifted, the playful smirk faltering for just a fraction of a second as it felt the spike in pressure. Its nine tails flicked, and for the first time, its posture stiffened slightly.
"Still not enough? How about 5%?"
Suddenly, the pressure on the fox increased to the point that it was staring at Kuro like it was looking at a monster.
"5%," the fox whispered, its voice almost a growl.
"Very well," the fox said, its tone now softer. "You have proven yourself."
Without saying anything anymore, Kuro felt a connection with the little fox.
"The contract has been completed. See you." With that, the little nine-tailed fox disappears.
Jiraiya and the other were unable to process what was happening in front of them. Especially Jiraiya, hearing the scandal involving the Six Paths and Kaguya.