Before long, Konan and Yahiko had already become well-acquainted with their classmates.
Konan, of course, was naturally beautiful and well-behaved.
Ever since she had mastered paper ninjutsu, her strength was unmatched in class except for Nawaki and the naturally gifted Yahiko, she could easily defeat any training partner with just a few effortless moves.
The key was that her fighting style was graceful, and she always showed restraint. After winning, she never boasted, but instead showed concern for her opponent's well-being.
In just a few days, she had become extremely popular.
As for Yahiko, so long as it didn't involve Konan, he was like an older brother figure who knew how to take care of others.
Lively, straightforward, and carefree, he quickly got along with a whole group of boys.
He especially loved standing up for others, always protecting classmates who were bullied, and helping out in other ways too. He also quickly won the favor of many.
It could be said that his leadership qualities were already showing at this time. His words, actions, and personality made it easy for people to trust him.
Now, the whole class was starting to center around them.
"Um..." A slightly flushed student couldn't help but speak to Konan, "Konan, could you ask Minato to come teach us? Even if it's just once!"
Right now, there was no one in the Ninja Academy who didn't admire Minato.
Thanks to Tsunade's tireless promotion of him, his fame and influence were immeasurable.
Especially since at just ten years old he had already galloped across the battlefield, striking fear into the hearts of enemies, and every mission he took on, he completed flawlessly. He was someone people dreamed about becoming.
Children didn't understand much, but they loved hearing stories, especially about legendary figures.
The other famous people in the village were either too high in status or too old, making kids feel awed but also distant from them.
Minato, however, was only a few years older than them, actually younger than some upperclassmen, and had graduated from the Ninja Academy only a little over a year ago.
Even now, the school was still full of stories about Minato, exaggerated more and more over time, as if every single word and action he took back then had deep meaning.
A living example right before their eyes was the most inspiring thing.
Many felt that Minato's present could be their future, and so they pushed themselves as hard as possible, using him as a role model.
Seeing everyone's hopeful eyes, Yahiko was about to agree, but Konan quickly grabbed him.
After shooting Yahiko a glare, Konan explained, "Minato-nii is busy every day, he probably doesn't have the time."
She didn't want to cause trouble for Minato just because of her own whims, so she politely declined.
"Who's busy? Who's busy, huh?" At that moment, a loud voice came from outside the crowd. "Did I just hear my name?"
Everyone recognized the voice and quickly made way, letting a boy through.
"I just went to the bathroom for a moment, how come you're all gathered again? What are you talking about?" Though he seemed to be asking everyone, his eyes went straight to Konan.
Yahiko immediately got annoyed, stepping in front of Konan and saying angrily, "Nawaki, if you want to talk, talk, don't get so close."
Nawaki was clearly displeased. "I'm talking to Konan, not to you."
"I don't care, stay away from her."
"What, you want to fight again?" Nawaki rolled up his sleeves, ready to go.
"Fine, let's fight, who's afraid of you?" Yahiko rolled up his sleeves too, facing him head-on.
The watching kids all got excited and started cheering.
"Enough!" Konan couldn't take it anymore. She stepped between them, pushing them apart, glaring at each in turn until they quieted down.
Still, the two kept glaring at each other, neither willing to back down.
A particularly quick-witted classmate finally caught on and said timidly, "Weren't we talking about Minato?"
"Oh, right!"
"Yeah, we were just saying, could we get Minato to give us a lesson?"
"What's so hard about that?" Nawaki asked. "Leave it to me and Konan. After school, we'll go find him. With the two of us involved, he'll definitely agree."
He deliberately ignored Yahiko, dragging Konan into the plan instead. This was his way of undercutting Yahiko from the source, how would Yahiko respond to that?
"No way, I'm going too!" Yahiko instantly objected, unwilling to let Nawaki and Konan spend time alone.
Just as the tension between the two was about to boil over again, Konan made the final call: after school, the three of them would go together to find Minato. That temporarily settled the matter.
That evening, Nawaki brought Konan and Yahiko back to his home.
The whole way, Yahiko watched Nawaki like a hawk guarding.
As a result, Konan walked alone in front, while the two boys trailed behind, occasionally shoving or tugging at each other. Feeling exhausted, she couldn't even be bothered to intervene, she felt she was dealing with troubles no one her age should have to face.
---
Whenever Minato was in the village, at this hour he would be sparring with Kushina. Today was no exception.
Feeling Kushina's progress in strength, he was delighted. It wouldn't be long before they could go on missions together.
But as soon as the thought came, his joy turned heavy.
Tsunade had promised him that once Kushina became the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, she wouldn't be confined to the village. But everyone knew that once Kushina took on the role of Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, it meant Mito's life was coming to an end.
In recent years, Mito had lived happily, but her health had grown steadily worse.
Suppressing the Nine-Tails by force came at a cost.
In her youth, her power had been overwhelming, and her chakra reserves vast, so it didn't trouble her much. But as she aged, the Nine-Tails grew more restless, accelerating her physical decline in a vicious cycle.
For the past six months, she had been comforting everyone, saying she could finally go see Hashirama.
Yet the more she said that, the heavier everyone's hearts became.
Kushina had once looked forward to teaming up with Minato and going on missions outside the village.
Now, however, she would rather lose her freedom forever than see Mito die because the Nine-Tails was extracted from her. But some things simply couldn't be changed.
Danzō had suggested they forget about having a Nine-Tails jinchūriki altogether and just seal the beast away permanently. He claimed he had a way to extend Mito's life.
But Mito refused.
First, she said that whether it was a few years sooner or later made no difference. Since the day would come eventually, she might as well face it calmly.
Second, she emphasized repeatedly that keeping the Nine-Tails in Konoha, and her becoming its jinchūriki, had been a decision she made together with Hashirama. After her death, others could do as they wished, but as long as she lived, she would stand firmly by that choice.
Third, Tsunade was now Hokage, and the village was thriving, Mito had no regrets left.
With her insistence, the matter was settled.
And to keep Kushina from following in her footsteps, she had been advising her constantly: never blame the Nine-Tails. Instead, try to befriend it.
After all, the Nine-Tails was a living being with thoughts of its own. Being sealed away for so long, who wouldn't have a temper?