"So we won't be cleaning dog-shit...?"
It took a second for the three to take it in. Looking at Jiraiya, a mixture of relief and anger appeared on their faces... The only one still calm was Minato, who just sighed in relief.
"That was a horrible prank!"
"I'll remember that... I swear it on the Uchiha."
Hearing Nozomi's and Jun's words, Jiraiya laughed once again. He adored the feeling of messing with these three… It brought so much joy to him, yet he didn't know why.
Maybe it was because he had lost to them? Who knew.
In his head, Jun swore to remember this grudge. Sooner or later, he would allow Jiraiya to feel Madara Uchiha's wrath in its full glory… The man didn't know who he had offended.
Watching them talk, the old lady smiled warmly and walked away with her hands behind her back. One of her favorite things was to meet new Genin teams each year. It brought her great satisfaction when she heard of their future exploits.
"Woof!"
The dogs barked as they started getting impatient. Seeing this, team Jiraiya got to work immediately.
Now spared from kennel duty, they cleaned the dogs with renewed enthusiasm, as if it was their favorite pass-time. Even Jun, who had never done such a thing before, felt compelled to do it seriously, for some reason.
As a result, the dogs all gave a ten-out-of-ten rating in their reviews, which were recorded in little pamphlets, featuring their paw-prints.
Surprised by the perfect customer satisfaction-rate, the old lady called over team Jiraiya once again, congratulating them for having the best all-time score for the mission.
She then took a picture of the four of them... In it, Jiraiya was grinning from ear to ear as he held up two peace signs above Nozomi's and Jun's heads, who both came out with venomous looks aimed at their sensei.
In the middle, Minato had a calm smile, serving as a contrast for his teammates. Ironically, he looked like the only adult in the picture.
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That evening, Jun walked back to the cabin, exhausted. Not physically, but mentally.
Even his hardened will, that could resist the clan head's pressure, had cracked under the possibility of having to clean dog shit. Being honest with himself, he felt completely relieved.
Once he arrived back home, Jun noticed Aito training by the lake. He was diligently doing push-ups, showing his dedication, even when Jun wasn't present.
Waiting for him to finish, Jun sat nearby, watching him. Aito was so concentrated that he hadn't even noticed his presence.
Once he was done, he dried his sweat off with towels and realized his brother had come back.
"Aniki! Welcome back!"
Throwing the towel away, Aito ran towards Jun with a smile.
"How was it?!"
"How was what…?"
"Your first mission! How was it?"
"Let's not talk about it…"
Reminded of some things, Jun felt sick to his stomach. Evading Aito's question, he made a break for the cabin and locked himself inside.
"What happened to him...?"
Aito just stood there, disoriented. What sort of hell could've driven his brother to such a state?
Inside the cabin, Jun sat on his bed and tried to forget it all, telling himself that tomorrow, he would be back to normal. After all, he was the legendary Uchiha Madara.
Dog shit couldn't hold him.
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