The location specified in the letter turned out to be a small grove on the outskirts of the Forest of Death. The Forest of Death itself had been created by the power of the First Hokage and was rightfully considered one of Konoha's most prominent landmarks.
"What is the meaning of this? Why isn't Jiraiya here yet?" Kushina grumbled in displeasure, scanning the dense thicket of trees.
Her indignation was entirely justified: a whole hour had passed since the designated meeting time. Shiki had long since settled down on the grass nearby and was sleeping peacefully. Minato, meanwhile, was doing his best to calm the raging Kushina.
"He was probably held up by some important business. After all, Jiraiya-san is a very busy man."
"Busy? With what? Peeping into women's bathhouses?" Kushina retorted acidly, instantly rendering Minato speechless.
"Ahem, ahem!" a loud, deliberate cough rang out.
Jiraiya, the man with long, silvery-white hair, emerged from behind the trees. His face was burning with embarrassment—and rightly so, for who would enjoy hearing such gossip about themselves in the very first minute of meeting their students? Especially since he had, in fact, just returned from the bathhouses.
"Uh, well, I happened to pass by a bathhouse on my way here... I mean, no! I ran into a very complicated problem that held me up. I apologize," Jiraiya laughed awkwardly, trying to smooth over the situation. He then pulled out the photographs and looked closely at the teenagers. "You must be Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato?" He glanced around. "And where is Hanao Shiki?"
"Zzz..." A rolling snore caught Jiraiya's attention.
Shiki was dead to the world, snoring so loudly that the leaves on the trees trembled. Kushina's face darkened with anger, and without a second thought, she delivered a resounding smack to the back of his head.
"Huh? What happened?" Shiki rubbed his sleep-filled eyes and finally focused his gaze on the white-haired man. "Jiraiya?"
Now it was Jiraiya's turn to look gloomy. What kind of students had he been saddled with? One was spreading dirty rumors about him right out of the gate, and the other addressed him by his first name without a shred of respect! Compared to them, Minato seemed like an absolute angel in the flesh.
However, considering his own tardiness, Jiraiya decided not to dwell on it and simply waved his hand.
"Alright, let's start with some introductions."
Introducing oneself and sharing one's dreams was a traditional ritual in Konoha, so Shiki wasn't the least bit surprised.
"My name is Uzumaki Kushina! What I love most in the world is ramen, and I hate tomatoes and peppers. My dream..." Kushina hesitated for a second, and then, throwing her fist triumphantly into the air, shouted, "I'm going to be the first female Hokage in Konoha!"
Shiki merely chuckled to himself. The future Seventh Hokage might inherit his blond hair from Minato, but that explosive temper was one hundred percent Kushina! Mother and son were truly two peas in a pod.
Unlike many adults, Jiraiya didn't laugh at Kushina's dream. On the contrary, he looked at her with clear approval and even clapped his hands lightly.
"You don't think it's funny, Jiraiya-sensei?" the girl asked suspiciously.
Jiraiya replied with absolute seriousness, "Any dream, no matter how ridiculous it might seem at first glance, deserves respect."
"Wow, turns out this pervert actually has a good side," Kushina muttered quietly. Her opinion of their instructor improved slightly.
Jiraiya pretended not to hear that.
Next, Minato took the floor.
"My name is Namikaze Minato. My hobby is studying ninjutsu, and my dream is to become a great shinobi like the First Hokage."
Jiraiya nodded approvingly. It was impossible to deny: despite his young age, Minato possessed a calm and rational demeanor—the ideal qualities for a shinobi.
It was Shiki's turn. He casually flicked away a booger and drawled with a martyred expression:
"A dream, you say... Well, if I absolutely have to name something, I'd like to get paid for doing absolutely nothing."
The faces of everyone present elongated in sheer astonishment. Well then. The others had dreams that were grander than the last: to become Hokage, to protect the village, to go down in history... And this guy just wanted to get free money? What hopeless laziness!
Shiki innocently scratched the back of his head.
"What's wrong? Sensei, you yourself just said that one shouldn't dismiss other people's dreams."
Jiraiya rubbed his temples and forced out, "A wonderful dream." Then a faint smirk touched his lips. "Since we've gotten to know each other, let's move on to the test."
"Test?" Minato and Kushina instantly tensed up. A team test was the best way for an instructor to evaluate the combat potential and cohesion of their charges.
Just as Shiki expected, Jiraiya pulled a bell out of his pocket. The classic testing method, passed down from generation to generation, starting with the Third. The Third Hokage himself probably couldn't have imagined that his spontaneous idea would take root in Konoha for decades to come.
Jiraiya held up the bell so everyone could see it.
"Your task for today: take this bell from me by any means necessary before the sun sets. Remember: by any means necessary."