If there was one thing Hiruzen had told him constantly over the years he’d spent living in the Hokage Residence, it was that there was a certain protocol when it came to how he was supposed to conduct himself around clan heads, let alone their kids. Of course, being the brash young upstart that he was, the young Kashin rarely listened. After all, his own grandmother had been the Shimura clan head, so in a way, he was like one himself, right? Not that he’d ever be that stuffy, and his papa had basically been disowned from their inheritance, but Jiraiya didn’t let it get to him. Living in the Hokage’s household had turned him into a voracious reader, and one of those books had been one on etiquette he’d read while hiding from Tsuna’s wrath.
So, he knew it, he just chose not to employ what he’d learned, was all.
That day was different, though. Meeting Sakumo on the training grounds, Jiraiya perked eagerly when their third teammate finally came, a boy that had to be the prettiest one in their class--even among the girls, which was hilarious to him.
“Hey, Mada!” Jiraiya greeted exuberantly as he hooked his arm over the younger boy’s shoulders. “You’re gonna take us to your place, right? Because, I was thinking, I could ask for your father’s blessing--” Yet, Jiraiya was interrupted with a strangled cry when Sakumo wrestled him off and kept him in a headlock while the Hatake rolled his eyes.
“Sakumo! Dammit, lemme go!”
