"You mean to say… you want me to arrange a sparring match for your students to help them prepare for their upcoming exams?"
Fuma looked at Jiraiya, who had come knocking on his door, his expression subtle as he asked slowly, "Are you sure you have a good relationship with your students?"
Behind Jiraiya stood five children, around ten years old. In addition to the three students previously assigned to him by the Third Hokage—Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai.
There were two more: Nohara Rin and Raidō Namiashi, forming a five-man squad that exceeded the usual team structure.
"What are you talking about? These kids are all geniuses of Konoha! They're going to surprise you!" Jiraiya said confidently, looking at his five students, particularly Rin and Raidō—two members he had personally selected.
After observing them at the Academy for some time, Jiraiya was surprised to discover that Rin had an exceptional talent for medical ninjutsu, potentially rivaling Tsunade at the same age.
As for Raidō, he displayed a keen sensitivity to space-time ninjutsu.
Upon realizing this, Jiraiya was overjoyed.
'This is perfect! If I couldn't recruit Minato and Tsunade stands on Fuma's side, then I'll just train my own versions!'
That was Jiraiya's thought process.
Fuma nodded, scanning the group of young students before him, and let out a meaningful "Oh," followed by a slow clap. "Quite an impressive lineup."
These kids weren't just any ordinary Academy students. Each of them had either a prestigious background or extraordinary talent. They were names that would one day hold weight in Konoha's history.
Kakashi Hatake—son of the White Fang, already exhibiting Chūnin-level skills at the age of five, inheriting both his father's blade techniques and keen intellect. A bona fide genius.
Sarutobi Asuma—son of the Third Hokage, possessing exceptional Wind Release chakra control and promising taijutsu skills. A future elite Jōnin in the making.
Namiashi Raidō might not have a notable background, but in the original timeline, he at least reached the level of an elite bodyguard (Shadow Guard) and managed to grasp the fundamentals of the Flying Thunder God technique. His talent was undeniable.
As for Nohara Rin, Fuma wasn't too familiar with her abilities, but given that she had once been chosen by Minato, she must have had some remarkable qualities.
And then there was Yūhi Kurenai…
Fuma briefly thought of Uchiha Itachi, who was still drinking from a milk bottle at this age, and chuckled to himself.
"You're laughing? What's so funny? We're really strong!"
Asuma puffed out his chest—still somewhat thin—and declared fiercely, "Call your students out! Let's have a real match!"
Asuma had been paying attention to Fuma for a long time.
Ever since he was four or five years old, his father would often mention Fuma's name with a troubled expression whenever he spoke with his mother, Biwako.
Whenever Fuma was involved, Hiruzen always seemed to have a headache.
And three years ago, Asuma's older brother—his once-admired hero and the former ANBU captain, Shinnosuke—had a falling-out with their father over Fuma and ended up leaving Konoha to join the Fire Daimyō's twelve Guardians. He had yet to return.
For these reasons, Asuma felt deeply conflicted about Fuma. He truly wanted to know: What kind of man is this, that he could turn my family upside down?
Jiraiya observed Fuma's reaction closely before adding fuel to the fire. "Don't worry, Fuma. My students will definitely surprise you!"
Bringing his students here today was a strategic move by Jiraiya.
Under the guise of "student exchanges," he hoped to provoke a direct confrontation between himself and Fuma—making it seem more like a casual spar than an outright challenge.
At the same time, it would send a message to the major clans of Konoha: The Hokage faction is not without successors. There are still shinobi who can stand against Fuma.
Moreover, by having their younger generation compete, Jiraiya hoped to prove that while Fuma's reforms were effective, the Hokage faction was just as capable of nurturing talented ninjas.
This would counteract some of the unfavorable sentiments growing in the village.
All in all, today's move was, in Jiraiya's eyes, a masterstroke.
"Not bad," Fuma acknowledged, nodding. "Alright, I accept."
"So, who do you want to challenge?" He turned to Asuma, tapping the Sarutobi clan emblem on the boy's vest. "Do you want to fight Minato, Kushina, or Nawaki?"
"But Nawaki is technically Orochimaru's student too, and he's not in the village right now. That leaves only Minato and Kushina for you to choose from."
Asuma blinked, thinking carefully. 'Kushina… sounds like a girl's name. Guess I'll go with Minato, then.'
"I choose Minat—"
"Stop!!"
Jiraiya's voice cracked as he hastily interrupted, "Fuma?! You seriously don't have any newer students after all these years? You're actually considering making my Academy students fight Minato? Why don't you just step in yourself?!"
Fuma studied Asuma's determined face for a moment, then turned to Jiraiya and said with complete seriousness, "I mean… I could step in myself."
"You know, I've always been eager to help train Konoha's younger generation."
Jiraiya coughed awkwardly, swiftly brushing past the topic.
"I meant students from the Academy—kids around the same age as Kakashi and the others. Not your first-generation disciples from fifteen years ago…"
"Don't try to deny it—I heard from Kakashi that you even gave Uchiha Obito one of the Seven Swordsmen's blades, the 'Explosive Blade: Shibuki.' That kind of gift—he's definitely your new student, right?"
At the mention of Obito, Kakashi's gaze sharpened.
As a child who had become disillusioned with the Academy at just four years old and reached Chūnin-level strength at five, Kakashi had only agreed to stay in school because his father convinced him that he had yet to surpass Obito and Konan.
And if even stronger kids were still in the Academy, skipping grades would make no sense.
"A mere sword…" Fuma chuckled. "The Uchiha clan is wealthy—if a child likes a Mist-made toy, they can have it. Besides, Obito is Minato's student. Oh, and by the way—so is Konan."
At that moment, a golden flash appeared behind Jiraiya. Minato arrived with Obito, Konan, and Might Guy, smiling warmly.
"There's no need to worry, Jiraiya-sensei. Since our students were already close friends in the Academy, why not let my team take on this challenge? We'll treat it as an extra training session."
The moment Obito appeared, Kakashi immediately drew his White Fang, his sharp gaze filled with battle intent.
Asuma turned to Guy, but Guy ignored him completely, dropping to the ground and counting push-ups aloud. "Still 975… 971…"
Konan, on the other hand, greeted Rin and Kurenai with a small smile and a raised hand.
Meanwhile, Raidō was staring at Minato with wide, admiring eyes, as if he had just met his hero.
Minato let out a small laugh, glancing around at the young ninja. "See? They've already picked their opponents themselves."