At that moment, a big imaginary "DANGER" sign practically popped up over Minato's head.
He instantly realized the situation had turned south.
Seeing Kushina about to pounce, Minato reflexively dodged to the side while hurriedly explaining:
"You've got it all wrong! I'm not trying to take anything from you—I just really admire Hoshiyomi-sama and was hoping he might be willing to teach me a little someday."
But Kushina wasn't listening.
All she could think about was how this annoying boy had humiliated her in class, and now he was trying to steal her beloved Hoshiyomi-nii too. Her anger bar maxed out instantly.
She bared her teeth and lunged at Minato again, but he dodged with nimble, cat-like agility.
From the sidelines, Hoshiyomi's eyes suddenly lit up.
An outsider might've thought it was just a silly squabble between kids, but an expert could see the difference.
When it came to swordsmanship and taijutsu, Hoshiyomi was second to none in the current Konoha. Not even the head of the Hyūga clan could claim to surpass him.
And right now, with just one glance, Hoshiyomi could tell Minato was special.
It wasn't about physical strength—Minato didn't have the brawny frame of young Jiraiya. What stood out was his incredible athletic reflexes and coordination.
No exaggeration: at just six years old, Minato's reaction speed was barely a step behind Hoshiyomi's own.
Before Kushina could even complete a movement, Minato had already predicted her trajectory and adjusted his position with minimal effort, conserving energy while staying light on his feet.
Watching them was like watching an ordinary person try to catch a cat—no matter how fast you grab, the cat always slips away first.
Minato could preemptively read Kushina's attacks and dodge with the smallest necessary movements, minimizing exertion.
That kind of reaction time was nothing short of genius.
If you combined it with his future proficiency in space-time ninjutsu, it wasn't hard to see how he'd eventually master the Flying Thunder God Technique to such a terrifying degree.
In fact, even without Flying Thunder God, if Minato chose to walk the same high-speed taijutsu path as Hoshiyomi, he'd still become a renowned ninja.
And this was him before anyone had seriously trained him.
If Hoshiyomi could help cultivate his talents early on, just how far could Minato go?
For the first time, Hoshiyomi truly understood why Orochimaru's eyes had gleamed when he met Sasuke.
Because right now, he was looking at Minato the exact same way—with eyes shining bright.
Hoshiyomi reached out and gently stopped both kids.
Kushina was still fuming.
"Hoshiyomi-nii! Let me go! I'm definitely going to catch that annoying guy today!"
She kept trying to kick Minato, but her little legs weren't quite long enough to reach him. Her face flushed red with frustration.
Minato, meanwhile, was stunned. That was fast.
He hadn't even seen Hoshiyomi's movement—he only realized he'd been grabbed after it happened.
Even if his attention had been 100% on Hoshiyomi, he still wouldn't have been able to dodge that.
So this is the strength of Hoshiyomi-sama… I was right to look up to him.
Minato had been watching Hoshiyomi for a long time.
First of all, because Hoshiyomi, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were civilian-born ninja. Every civilian kid in the village dreamed of being taken on as a disciple by one of them.
That way, they wouldn't have to worry about clan favoritism or unfair resource allocation.
But there was another reason, perhaps the most important one:
Minato knew that, stylistically, he and Hoshiyomi were the most alike.
Like Itachi in the next generation, Minato was a frighteningly precocious genius.
Even at just six years old, he had already drafted a rough plan for his future.
Since he didn't yet know about space-time ninjutsu, Hoshiyomi was his ideal role model.
Minato had set his path as a high-speed, taijutsu-focused ninja—he might learn ninjutsu here and there, but he wouldn't waste time on complex techniques with long hand seals. That would only slow him down.
Speed and precision, like Hoshiyomi's Shunshin + sword style, was his true calling.
Hoshiyomi ruffled Kushina's bright red hair.
"Alright, settle down. Minato didn't mean it like that."
Under his touch, Kushina slowly calmed, pouting like a grumpy kitten.
But she still glared daggers at Minato, as if to say:
"You better hope I don't catch you alone, punk."
Minato scratched his head awkwardly and chimed in:
"Yeah, I'm not trying to take Hoshiyomi-sama away from you. I just… really want to learn from him."
Kushina, still sulking, knew she might've gone too far—but her pride wouldn't let her admit it. She just huffed and turned her head away.
Once things had settled, Hoshiyomi looked over at Minato.
"As for you, Minato…"
Minato immediately straightened up, eyes full of hope, watching Hoshiyomi's face for any sign of an answer.
Hoshiyomi didn't tease him. He got straight to the point.
"I can give you occasional guidance. But that'll depend on whether I have time."
Kushina instantly exploded again.
"Why?! Hoshiyomi-nii, why would you take him as a student? He's so cowardly—he didn't even fight back just now!"
She looked up at him with watery eyes, as if to say:
"If you really do this, I'm gonna cry!"
Hoshiyomi felt his HP bar drop to critical levels under the assault of her puppy-dog eyes.
He almost wanted to cry out "awsl" on the spot, but he held it together and patiently explained:
"Don't underestimate Minato, Kushina. He was holding back. You saw how fast and sharp his reactions were, right?"
"If he'd wanted to counterattack, there were at least seven moments where you wouldn't have been able to dodge."
Kushina, being the half-princess of the Uzumaki Clan, knew this deep down.
She just didn't want to admit it.
In her heart, Minato had always seemed weak and kind of girly, and it was hard to adjust that image overnight.
So she snorted and stayed quiet.
Hoshiyomi smiled, gently smoothing out her red hair.
"Besides, taking Minato as a student won't make me stop caring about you.
I'll keep an eye on him, too.
And if he ever bullies you, I'll make sure his training gets very intense. Sound good?"
Kushina's eyes lit up.
"Really? Promise? Pinky swear—you better not lie!"
Hoshiyomi laughed.
"Don't worry. I promise."
He glanced at Minato, who immediately understood.
This was Hoshiyomi's way of helping him.
Minato gave Hoshiyomi a grateful look, then turned to Kushina.
"I just want to be friends with you, Kushina. I promise I'll never bully you.
And if I ever do, I'll let Hoshiyomi-sama punish me however he wants."