"Minato-chan? Out exercising so early again? Truly worthy of being a genius destined for the Ninja Academy!"
On the streets of Konoha, an elderly woman buying vegetables smiled at the blond child emerging from an alley, still stretching as he walked.
The child, Minato, nodded. The last trace of sleepiness vanished from his face, replaced seamlessly by a bright, radiant smile. The small gap where his baby tooth had fallen made him look both innocent and pure.
"Yes, Granny Matsui, but you're still not here this early. I just heard you set up your stall."
Hearing this, Granny Matsui feigned shock and said, "Would I disturb the future ninja's sleep? Oh, what a crime that would be."
Minato knew she was joking and just shook his head with a smile. "Granny Matsui, I'll come back later and buy some vegetables from you. Make sure you save some for me."
"Of course, of course! I'll pick out the tender leaves for you," she replied, smiling and waving her hand. Her chipped teeth revealed themselves as she thought wistfully, Why isn't my own grandson as charming as Minato?
Beyond Granny Matsui, Minato greeted a few other stall owners, pre-ordering ingredients for the day. The neighborhood vendors were happy to accommodate the adorable child.
Once he left the street where he lived, Minato's smile faded, replaced by a look of serious focus. He had recently received his acceptance letter to the Ninja Academy—tomorrow, he would officially start.
In other words, he was already a candidate for the academy. Since receiving the notice, Minato had begun consciously training his body.
He knew he was just a commoner, without the background or resources of a ninja clan. To keep up at the academy, he had to work hard on his own.
Lately, the ninja world hadn't been peaceful. Even within the Hidden Leaf Village, Minato's keen perception had noticed changes.
The elder ninjas rarely strolled through the streets anymore; they hurried past, clearly on missions.
Vendors and shop owners talked about rising freight costs, hinting that some large caravans had been reassigned to transport other goods.
Minato had never experienced war, but what he saw and heard made him anxious. Standing at a street corner, he gazed toward the distant Hokage Rock and whispered, "I hope it's just my imagination."
Pulling his gaze away, he checked his body. His ankles and knees were flexible, joints loose and ready. He adjusted his breathing, preparing for exercise.
Minato didn't know what kind of training the ninja children underwent before entering the academy, nor which exercises would help him grow, but speed, strength, and endurance were essential for any ninja.
As he prepared, Minato glanced at the opposite street corner, murmuring to himself, "You're training this hard too… are you seeing the same future as I am?"
Just as he spoke, a small figure suddenly appeared at the corner—a boy with curly blue-white hair, wearing a bright, sunny smile.
Tap, tap, tap!
Seeing him, Minato smiled again and clenched his fists. For some reason, seeing a boy his own age always filled him with motivation.
"Yo~ Minato-san, out training so early? As expected of you, amazing as always! Let's see who can reach the Ninja Academy gate first!"
The boy sprinted past like a gust of wind, his words trailing behind. Minato watched his back, nodded, and ran in the opposite direction.
The boy's route was closer to the academy, but Minato had his own training route, practiced for the past month. He didn't change it just because of repeated invitations.
Minato didn't know how the boy knew his name or who he was, so at first he ignored him. Even if he wanted to respond, the boy never slowed down to talk.
Over time, however, Minato grew increasingly interested in the boy. From him, he felt a bond that could only be called friendship.
Shamefully, he still didn't know the boy's name. Thinking of this, Minato, who had just started running, suddenly stopped and looked back.
"You must be a student at the Ninja Academy too. I'll know your name tomorrow, but I want to be friends sooner rather than later!"
With determination, Minato turned and ran toward the boy. Fortunately, the boy wasn't running at top speed; it wasn't a sprint, just a long-distance run.
After a short while, Minato caught up. The boy seemed to notice him, and when he turned around, he froze for a moment before smiling broadly, showing two rows of small white teeth with a missing tooth.
He even gave Minato a thumbs-up—but then tripped on an empty can while turning and nearly fell.
His speed dropped, and Minato caught up just in time to help him. They exchanged a glance but said nothing. Instead, with an unspoken understanding, both focused on the massive "忍" character above the academy gate.
Tap, tap, tap…Tap, tap, tap…
As Minato let go, they both accelerated, eyes fixed on the gate. Their smiles vanished, replaced by a serious expression.
Two hundred meters, one hundred fifty, one hundred, fifty…
In the final sprint, untrained as they were, both struggled to maintain balance at high speed, moving like hungry dogs pouncing on prey, edging closer to the academy.
Tap!
Almost simultaneously, they stepped onto the weathered wooden plank in front of the Konoha Ninja School. They exchanged a glance, then slammed their hands against the gate.
Clap!Clap!
"As expected of you, Minato-san! You're really fast, but this time… I won!"
The boy pulled back his hand, clutching his ribs, and laughed. Minato didn't care much about winning; he pressed his own ribs, regulating his breathing.
After catching his breath, Minato extended his hand. "I'm Minato Namikaze. May I know your name?"
The boy looked at his hand but instead gave a high-five, which slightly confused Minato.
Before he could react, the boy smiled and said, "I'm Tatsuma, Sakamoto Tatsuma."
As Tatsuma finished, a prompt rang in his head:
Ding~"Praise and defeat your opponent to acquire talents [Speed +3] and [Physique +2]. Do you want to pick them up?"
"Yes!"