"C'mon, man," Jiraiya insisted, nudging his teammate with his elbow. "Being a sensei is super fun."

Orochimaru rolled his golden eyes. While Jiraya and Tsunade had gone on to become senseis to budding genin, Orochimaru had remained alone. The Sanin accomplished so much more when his attention wasn't divided between missions and students. He had high standards, and rarely did a genin in this village meet those standards.

"Three brats to watch, how fun," he scoffed.

Jiraiya just laughed, nudging him again. Years by Orochimaru's side had made him immune to his prickly personality. "You don't have to have three. There's usually a kid or two who need one-on-one mentors."

"So you propose I take the morons who can't keep up with a standard team?"

The door to the Hokage's office opened and their former sensei, Hiruzen, opened the door. The old man smiled kindly. "On the contrary, I have picked a student for you that is advanced far beyond her peers."

Hiruzen's presence seemed to tame Orochimaru's attitude slightly. His sensei had been like a father to him since he was a boy living alone in the shell of his family's home. If there was anyone in the village he'd listen to, it was Hiruzen.