The old man, naturally, was the Third Hokage, known as the "Professor" of ninja techniques. He looked grave while reading the documents in his hands. After finishing them all, he thought for a moment before asking, "Has anyone from the Uchiha clan visited the place where he lives now?"
The cat-faced ninja behind him quickly replied, "Not yet."
"It seems he's a born ninja material—but unfortunate..."
Hokage paused here, and the cat-faced ninja asked, "Lord Third, should we capture him?"
The Third shook his head. "No rush. Let's see what he'll do next."
Below, Minato and Anya, who had just viewed the Scroll of Seals, became so fascinated they couldn't help but try out one of the techniques inside. They watched as Minato formed hand seals with both hands and pressed them onto his kunai. A mark appeared on the kunai as though it had been drawn by an unseen hand. Then, casually tossing it ten meters away, Minato vanished the instant the kunai hadn't yet landed, reappearing right beside it to grab it firmly.
Minato successfully used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Meanwhile, Anya also formed hand seals and launched a technique straight ahead. Immediately, pure darkness unlike night itself spread outward—complete blackness without any light or visibility.
"How could this be? In such a short time... these two children?" The Third Hokage was shocked; even the cat-faced ninja behind him trembled slightly, clearly not calm either.
Anya narrowed his eyes, releasing the technique with a hand seal. Just that brief usage drained much of his mental energy. It seemed he still needed more time to fully master this genjutsu. However, he had predicted Minato's success. That was actually a good thing—it meant someone else would share the blame.
Anya closed the Scroll of Seals and looked at Minato in silence, his gaze a mix of amusement and calculation.
Minato blushed slightly, seeming somewhat embarrassed, yet he still asked, "Are you planning to take this with you?"
"Of course not," Anya shook his head. "I've already gotten what I wanted. Actually, I'm quietly preparing to return it. Since you're here, you can help me keep watch and make sure no one notices me."
"Huh!" Minato exclaimed in surprise, feeling things were strange—he originally came to stop him, yet somehow ended up becoming an accomplice. Thinking about how he'd stolen one of the forbidden techniques too, he nodded reluctantly, saying, "Fine."
"Hehe."
Kids were just too easy to trick into taking the fall. If Minato were older, today wouldn't have been this simple. Smiling inwardly, Anya led Minato back to the Third's house. Naturally, Minato nervously hid in a corner, secretly watching whether anyone approached.
Anya entered the room carefully, returning the Scroll of Seals exactly where it had been. After finishing, he exhaled in relief. Actually, he had initially intended to copy everything from the scroll before returning it. However, the moment the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique] succeeded, he faintly sensed being spied on, prompting him to immediately return it.
The old fox The Third was probably watching me from the sidelines just now. Better not take any risks. Getting this one ninjutsu is more than enough for me to process for a long time.
Seeing Anya come out, Minato—who for the first time felt like he'd done something wrong—let out a sigh of relief and quickly signaled him to leave.
Anya was just as quick to catch on. Nodding, the two swiftly left the scene. As they parted ways, Anya gave Minato a smile and waved, saying, "Thanks today. See you at school tomorrow."
"Sure." Minato replied politely with a wave. He couldn't help but feel that they had grown a little closer somehow.
Anya naturally understood exactly what was going on. Sharing good deeds together versus sharing secrets—they were completely different experiences. The latter always left a much deeper impression, creating a sense of closeness, like they shared an unspoken bond.
The next day at school, Anya greeted Minato naturally, then plopped down right beside him. Come on, this was the future Fourth Hokage—getting on good terms early could only be beneficial.
When Minato saw Anya, he simply nodded, completely unaware of the schemes running through his friend's mind.
After a while, the instructor still hadn't shown up. Bored, Anya closed his eyes and started thinking about the genjutsu he'd acquired the previous day.
Objectively speaking, genjutsu didn't show up often in Naruto, but when it did, it was always significant—almost weaving through the entire series. Especially the ultimate Infinite Tsukuyomi, basically world-ending. That's why Anya found genjutsu so fascinating.
Suddenly, deep in his meditation, he sensed Minato standing up beside him. He heard Minato say, "I want everyone in the village to recognize me too. I will become a great Hokage."
Typical middle-school drama right there, Anya thought, glancing over—and spotting a red-haired girl standing at the podium.
Huh? Did someone new transfer into our class?
At that moment, the red-haired girl—Kushina Uzumaki—glared at him like he was an idiot, making his smile freeze awkwardly on his face.
Watching from the side, Anya found this rather amusing. Once Minato sat back down, he asked curiously, "Why'd you suddenly stand up and talk like that? Got a crush on her or something?"
Minato hesitated slightly, then nodded. "She's cute, and we share the same dream."
Guess these kids grow up fast. Crushes already? Come on. Wait—aren't you already paired off officially?
Anya turned his gaze toward Kushina again, giving her the once-over.
Maybe his stare was too obvious, because she suddenly flew into a rage. "You short-haired brat, what are you looking at?"
Caught off guard, Anya retracted his gaze and turned to ask Minato, "What's her name again?"
Minato looked puzzled. "Didn't you hear earlier? Her name is Kushina Uzumaki."
Oh, so it's really her. No wonder she caught your eye. Isn't she destined to be your future wife? Feisty as hell.
The girl took a seat in the front row. After the teacher left, everyone started gossiping behind her back, thinking it was arrogant for a freshman to boldly announce she wanted to become Hokage. Some even mocked her appearance and red hair, nicknaming her "Tomato." The classroom erupted in laughter.
The loud commotion distracted Anya from her studying, so she quietly nudged Minato.
Minato gazed at her confusedly.
Anya pointed at Kushina and said, "Aren't you going to help her?"
Minato shook his head and replied, "No need. Her goal is to become Hokage, so she must be strong inside. She doesn't need my help."
Anya rolled her eyes and sighed, "Classic clueless guy."
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