Well, it makes sense that three kids under 12 couldn't defeat a jōnin at Jiraiya's level.
"Well, I have to admit you did pretty well," Jiraiya said, looking at the three of them, with Minato tied to the tree trunk. "Miyu's skill level is quite high, but you lack experience and combat skills, something that can be easily compensated for little by little. Kosuke, your chakra reserves are very low; you can barely use your Sharingan, and you get exhausted after just two or three jutsu. This is something that can also be fixed. Finally, Minato, you have good basic skills and speed, both in movement and reaction, but that's about it. You only have the academy jutsu, which leaves you short. That's why you couldn't do much against me, let alone help your teammates."
The information sank in.
"Understood, sensei," Minato and Kosuke said.
"Understood, Uncle Toad," I said.
Jiraiya decided to ignore my words, standing up and clapping.
"Well, that officially forms Team Jiraiya; tomorrow morning we'll meet at the Hokage's office for a simple mission, followed by training in the afternoon," and with that, Jiraiya vanished in a Shunshin, leaving the three of us alone.
"Well, it could have been worse, right, crazy eyes?" I said to Kosuke, who was next to me, nudging him gently with my elbow.
He just looked at me with a hint of annoyance, weariness, and little desire to do anything. And so he left, leaving us alone.
"What's wrong with him? "I'm trying to be nice," I said, irritated, knowing exactly why he was acting this way but pretending not to.
"Well, he wasn't exactly very nice," Minato replied, still tied to the log.
"Hmm, do you know what 'not being very nice' means?" I asked him.
"What things?" he asked me.
"This," I said as I left.
"Hey, wait, I can't untie myself from this rope, hey!" I heard them shout, which I ignored.
And so I returned to the residence, telling Kushina and Granny Mito about my day.
I also took the opportunity to study the copy of the forbidden scroll I made; for now, I'll concentrate on the shadow clone and the explosive clone. I don't have to rush; by the time things get complicated, it will have been quite a while, and I'll be strong enough to defend myself against anything.
...
"You know, it's like we've gone back to the age where chakra didn't exist and slavery was legal. Wait a minute, is slavery illegal these days, or can you legally acquire a slave?" I said, lifting my hands, dirty from pulling weeds on a somewhat abandoned property.
"Why do you want to know that, Miyu?" Jiraiya said, looking at me strangely.
"Wait a second, slavery is still practiced today; it's called the main branch and the branch family."
"Can you keep quiet for a moment? You know the trouble you can cause by saying all that stuff, especially with your status." Jiraiya said, pulling me up and shaking me violently.
"Status? What's that? Is it edible?" I said, feeling dizzy from the shaking.
"I think Miyu has a point; I don't know much about clans, but I've seen how the Hyuga treat each other." Minato said, clearing weeds without wasting any time, his gaze fixed on Kosuke. "Kosuke, you know more about clans; what do you think?"
"That the Hyuga think they're so great for how little they actually do," he said simply, continuing to work.
And so we continued with the D-rank mission.
...
A month had passed since I became a genin. It's been about as fun as taking care of a snail.
The only good thing is that I managed to learn the Shadow Clone and the Explosion Clone techniques. In fact, I used them against Jiraiya once; I almost gave him a heart attack because of how unexpected and unrepeatable the moment was, since we were eating and I was standing a little too close to him. He got all charred, but nothing else happened to him since I controlled the explosion and the amount of chakra it released.
Also during that month, I went back to Root Base to spend some time with the mummy. I was also looking through the documents there, since at this point Danzo sees me as a partner and a future asset. It's also worth clarifying that I had told him I would work alongside him discreetly.
Is that true now? Clearly not; I'll only be there to learn important things and obtain valuable resources from the base that I could never get ethically.
I copied the monkey's method, which is to let the mummy do bad things, and if anyone found out, they'd be considered a monster. I think I'm becoming more and more of a politician; it's just me, though.
But getting back to the main point. Danzo found out I'd obtained the forbidden scroll from him; in exchange, I'd told him the Monkey was my favorite uncle, and I'd also bought him enough of his favorite tobacco for two whole months. That was after I joined Team Jiraiya.
It's worth mentioning that Danzo was both furious and jealous, so he gave me three ninjutsu scrolls. These three were Earth Concealment Techniques, like the Mole, Water Bullet Techniques, and Body Flicker Techniques.
I was surprised he gave me the last one, but after talking with him, it was mostly so I could get to the root faster and not follow it in case someone was following it and it didn't notice. He was referring more to civilians than ninjas, but I understand what he meant.
After thinking about it for a while, I'll set aside the contents of the forbidden scroll and focus on the basics and simpler things, like the available elemental ninjutsu.
Or at least that was the idea, since something interesting happened today.
*Flashback*
"Miyu, Granny Mito is calling us," Kushina called from the hallway of the residence.
I was reading the scroll about earth concealment like a mole at that moment, but since it was something from Granny Mito, I had to put it down and follow Kushina.
When we arrived at the room, the tension was palpable. All the important people were there: Dan, Tsunade, Nakawi, Kushina, and especially Granny Mito.
"What's going on? Something must have happened if everyone's here," I said, looking at them all.
My mother could only sigh.
"Well, something like that," she said. "This is something you need to know, especially you and Nawaki, since you're part of the ninja forces."
At that moment, I already had an idea of what might be happening.
"We're not currently on good terms with the Earth and Wind Villages. I understand their desire to acquire more fertile land for their nations, but we can't allow them to obtain it if it poses such a significant threat to the Fire Nation—or at least that's what the advisors along with the Hokage said," Dan said.
"They're currently in talks, but I don't think it will end well, since neither side wants to back down," Tsunade added.
"This will most likely escalate into a war, and frankly, I'm too old for that."
"Gran Mito, does that mean…?" I couldn't finish my sentence because she confirmed it herself.
"In a month, we'll make preparations for the Nine-Tails' transfer to Kushina. Honestly, my body can't take any more, but I also want to do a few things before I go," he said, leaving the room in silence.
I saw Kushina tense up at the mention of becoming a jinchuriki. I simply took her hand, letting her know she wasn't alone. That calmed her down enough for the moment.
"Let's start with the most important thing," Granny Mito began. "Dan and Tsunade have made it clear that they don't want to take over the leadership of the Senju clan. One is focusing his career on becoming Hokage, and the other supports him."
At that moment, Nawaki was about to speak, but Granny silenced him.
"I know perfectly well that you also want to be Hokage, but it's still too soon. You can inherit Dan's position after you're strong enough and have earned the necessary merit," obviously meaning that Dan would obtain the title.
"I understand, Grandma Mito," he said with a broad smile, one that Naruto Uzumaki would later trademark. The grandmother simply smiled warmly at Nawaki.
"That's why I'm leaving Nawaki as the next heir to the Senju clan, with Miyu following in the line should anything happen to Nawaki that prevents him from assuming the position," Grandma Mito said, surprising everyone.
"Now, next," she continued, "the Senju clan's great library will be accessible only to those present here, unless the current clan head says otherwise. Furthermore, Miyu and Kushina have shown interest in fuinjutsu, so I'll leave them the scrolls I obtained from the Uzumaki clan, along with the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's notes on the subject."
Goodness, maybe that will finally help me get out of this bottleneck I'm having with the special seal I'm working on. Furthermore, I imagine these were the scrolls Kushina gave Minato in the future, the ones he used to obtain the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. Because, to be honest, looking at that specific jutsu, it's almost impossible to learn it from the forbidden scroll; it makes no sense. Now I understand why no one else has managed to learn it; you not only need talent but also the correct information.
"One last thing for the three of you: there's a weapon that belonged to Tobirama; this is the Thunder God Sword." I don't know what's up with Tobirama; he names everything with "god" or "thunder." At that moment, Granny Mito looked at me. "Miyu, I remember that on your last birthday you said you wanted a weapon to help you in combat; in that case, I'm giving you the sword, since it will help you be more lethal along with your Water Style."
I don't have much faith in the weapon. First, the anime didn't show much of them, and second, we never saw them used by the Second Hokage. So, knowing they were in the hands of an incompetent, it's normal not to have high expectations for the weapon. But you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm not like that useless piece of trash. I'm much better than him; in fact, I'm much better than 90% of this village. So, in my hands, it must be a powerful weapon.
"Thank you very much, Granny Mito. I'm honored to receive Grandpa Tobirama's weapon." She just nodded calmly.
"You three can go. I have something to discuss with Dan and Tsunade," she said.
And with that, we left the room.
*End of flashback.*
After that, I received the Thunder God's sword and Tobirama's notes. Kushina received the Uzumaki scrolls. Finally, we met and put everything together. Let me tell you, it's like trying to read hieroglyphics.
(A/N: I had to read hieroglyphics in my History and Epistemology of Mathematics class; if it's complicated to read Egyptian numerals, I can only imagine the words, since there were two different writing systems.)
During this time, our progress has been only 1% of what we'd hoped for. Quite an achievement. But with that single percentage, I've been able to make some progress on my own personal project.
Now, about the sword. It's not bad; it's not like one of the Seven Swords of Mist, and I'm not talking about power, but how it's used.
This sword isn't made, at least not entirely, for a head-on confrontation, but rather for rapid cutting and supporting attacks with its lightning, hence the combination with Water Release ninjutsu.
That guy no one knows is a fool for using that sword as if it were a Kusanagi, knowing full well it wasn't.
So far, it cuts through everything except chakra concentrations, its own element, since it neutralizes them, and its elemental counterpart, wind. It's not that it doesn't cut, but it's not very effective; its usefulness diminishes; it's still useful, but not completely.
Right now, I can't really complain about all this. Since the Second Shinobi World War is about to begin, I'll have to go to the battlefield. If Nawaki went there, why shouldn't we?
Not to mention that I can't use my full power. I can't show my Wood Release abilities unless I'm about to die or I graduate to Chunin.
I don't think there will be any Chunin Exams anytime soon, because I'll have to advance based on merit; I'll probably be promoted by the middle of this conflict, if I survive first and foremost.
There are only a few days left before Kushina is sealed with the Nine-Tails and becomes a jinchuriki, something important for the plot and the beginning of the family's loss.
So far, I've done what I can, especially with Nawaki; I joined him hoping he'd become stronger and survive the first year of the war. I just hope it doesn't happen. As for Dan, there's almost nothing I can do; I don't really have any way to intervene without saying, "You're going to die in the war, believe me; Miami confirmed it."
Honestly, I don't like the idea of them dying, so I can only pray that fate intervenes and they survive.
Right now, I don't have the strength to interfere with the canonical storyline and make crazy changes. But I'll be able to do it very soon. I just need more time and more power.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I'd like to clarify that Miyu's character currently has a lawful chaotic affinity, but later on I want to guide her more towards a neutral chaotic one; this side will likely become more apparent after the Third Shinobi World War ends. Until then, during the war, this transition from one side to the other will be the focus.
I'm writing this so you know where I'm taking the story, and also so I don't forget anything. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Regards.