The sky was dark and heavy, with large raindrops sliding down the chakra shield.
Haruki had never liked the Land of Rain.
The constant downpour always reminded him of the long, dreary rainy seasons from his past.
"Sensei, aren't we going to deal with the bandits?" Minato asked, glancing at the run-down buildings with a confused look.
"We'll get to that later. First, I want you to meet someone." Haruki gave him a small smile and ruffled his hair. "Didn't you say Jiraiya was your favorite among the Three Legendary Sannin?"
"M-Master Jiraiya is here?" Minato's eyes lit up with excitement.
Haruki sighed, still struggling to understand what was so great about that pervy guy who spent more time peeping into bathhouses and writing dirty books than anything else.
"Yeah," he replied, knowing that after fighting Hanzo, Jiraiya had decided to stay and train Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
---
After walking for a while, they arrived at the place where Jiraiya was staying with the children.
"Who are you?!" A sharp voice rang out as a paper kunai shot toward them.
Haruki caught it mid-air and immediately noticed the burning fuse of an explosive tag. Before it could detonate, the kunai vanished from his hand.
"Konan, your technique's getting better," he said, shifting his gaze to the girl stepping out from behind a tree. Her light blue-purple hair stood out against the gloomy, rain-soaked surroundings.
"Haruki-sensei? Why are you here?" Konan asked, eyeing him curiously.
"Where's Jiraiya?" he responded with a question of his own.
"Sensei said he went out to gather materials," Konan answered.
'What does he even mean by gathering materials?' Haruki sighed, already knowing the answer. 'Only he would find a way to do his so-called "research" even in a war-torn place like this.'
Shaking his head, he changed the subject. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked with a smile.
Konan hesitated slightly, her expression turning awkward.
"So, that's a no" Haruki rolled up his sleeves. "It's been months since you guys last had my cooking. I'll make you all a proper meal."
Konan's face immediately brightened, and drooled at the thought of his food.
Quickly wiping her mouth, she spoke shyly.
"Haruki-sensei, I want....grilled fish."
"Haha, as many as you want," Haruki chuckled, agreeing without hesitation. He knew how much Konan loved grilled fish.
Turning to Minato, he patted his shoulder and introduced him. "This is Minato, my student. He's a little older than you, so feel free to call him big brother or whatever you like."
Konan straightened up with a proud look. "I'm Konan, Jiraiya sensei's one and only female student,"
Noticing the hint of envy in Minato's eyes, she grinned before forming a delicate paper flower with her technique. "Here, take this."
"Thank you, Konan," Minato said warmly, carefully tucking the paper flower into his bag.
Haruki watched them interact with a satisfied smile.
The course of their lives was slowly changing because of him.
_____
As Haruki busied himself preparing lunch, Nagato and Yahiko returned home. After a quick greeting, they became excited about Minato, their so-called big brother who had suddenly shown up.
With Minato's warm and easygoing nature, it didn't take long for them to start chatting like old friends reuniting after years apart.
Jiraiya finally returned, and the moment he caught a whiff of the delicious aroma from the kitchen, he immediately knew who was responsible.
"Haruki! When did you get here?!" Jiraiya burst into the kitchen, shouting.
"Keep it down, or you won't get any food," Haruki shot him a glare, his ears ringing from the sudden noise.
Jiraiya grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Are you working on a new book?" Haruki asked casually while chopping vegetables.
Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you know?"
"Well, Konan said you were out gathering materials," Haruki replied without even looking up.
"Oh, that's...." Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before laughing awkwardly. "Hahaha, yeah! Research!"
Haruki didn't bother calling him out on it. Instead, he reached into his bag, pulled out a stack of papers, and stuffed them into Jiraiya's pocket.
"Let me know when you finish your book, and I'll get it published for you," Haruki said with a grin.
Jiraiya took one out and immediately perked up.
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Grinning, he quickly tucked it away and patted his chest. "No problem, of course I'll let you publish my book! We're comrades who've been to the hot springs together!"
Just then, Minato walked in to help serve the food and happened to see the scene.
'Master Jiraiya seems to really respect Haruki-sensei,' Minato thought, completely misunderstanding his words.
Haruki noticed his expression but didn't bother explaining. Instead, he handed him a dish and smiled. "Here, Minato."
Before long, all the food was ready and placed on the table. As they sat down, Jiraiya suddenly pulled out a bottle of sake.
"What do you think you're doing? Put that away. Can't you see there are kids here?" Haruki scolded him immediately.
Jiraiya looked reluctant, clearly not happy about it. He was just as much of a drinker as Tsunade.
"It's okay, Haruki-sensei. We don't mind," Nagato said with a smile.
"Haha! Nagato, you really are my best student!" Jiraiya laughed, ignoring the looks from Konan and Yahiko as he poured himself a drink.
He glanced at Minato and raised an eyebrow. "So, this is the kid you took in?"
"Yeah, this is Minato," Haruki confirmed. He figured he'd let Jiraiya drink if it made him feel better. After all, he did sort of steal his student.
"Not bad, he's pretty good-looking," Jiraiya commented, then added without thinking, "Just like you. A real lady-killer."
The moment he said it, he realized how that might sound and glanced at Minato and Haruki with an awkward look, as if silently apologizing.
Haruki just shook his head with a smile. He knew Jiraiya was still a little bitter about him suddenly appearing and becoming Tsunade's boyfriend, so he always took jabs at him with comments like that.
Minato was confused as these legendary figures were nothing like how he had imagined them.
As the meal began, everyone dug in, and Jiraiya took a bite of the grilled fish before speaking up.
"Haruki, how about continuing that story you told me last time? I've been dying to know! does Tanjiro's sister ever turn human again?"
"We've got plenty of time for that," Haruki said, setting down his chopsticks. "I actually came here today for something important."
Haruki glanced at Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko before speaking. "Do you remember what I told you before I left? Konoha is recruiting wandering ninjas right now. If you're interested, you can apply."
Jiraiya set down his chopsticks and sighed. "Haruki, you should know about Nagato's eyes."
That was the main reason he hadn't taken his students back to the village. The Rinnegan made things complicated.
Haruki was about to say something, but Nagato shook his head. "My parents were killed by Leaf ninjas. I won't go to Konoha."
Hearing that, Haruki could only sigh.
He had hoped that if the three of them joined the village, maybe Obito would never approach them.
---
After dinner, Haruki called the three of them aside. "Jiraiya won't stay here forever. Eventually, he'll return to the village. What will you do then?"
The three exchanged glances before Yahiko, the most confident of them, spoke up with a bright smile. "We want to start an organization and bring peace to our Village."
"What's it called?" Haruki asked, realizing things were still heading in the same direction as before.
"Haven't thought of a name yet." Yahiko scratched his head. "Haruki-sensei, got any good ideas?"
"How about Akatsuki?" Haruki said, watching their reactions.
Their eyes lit up instantly.
'That sounds so cool!' They all had the same thought.
Seeing their excitement, Haruki grinned and continued, "In that case, I'll give you a few more things to help you out."
He pulled out a scroll and handed it to Yahiko.
"This contains ninjutsus I've collected over the years, including a couple of forbidden techniques. They might help you, but don't share them with anyone else."
The three of them quickly bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Haruki-sensei!"
They understood the weight of his gift. Forbidden techniques were highly classified, and if Konoha's higher ups found out Haruki had given them away, he could be accused of treason.
They admired Haruki just as much as they did Jiraiya. He was a war orphan like them and had always treated them with kindness, cooking them warm meals and looking after them.
That was why they willingly called him Sensei.
Thinking back to how things originally played out, Haruki decided to offer more guidance. He gave them advice on structuring their organization, how to survive in a place like the Land of Rain, and strategies for handling the ongoing conflicts around them.
________________________
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