Back home.
Shinku had already returned from his mission.
After hearing Seiryū's words, he froze for a moment. Then his tone became excited, his speech quickening.
"You mean Jiraiya-sama, one of the Sannin, wants to take you as his disciple?"
One of the Sannin. The Hokage's disciple.
Both his strength and status in Konoha were top-tier.
And he actually wanted to take Seiryū as his disciple?
How could something this good fall upon their family?
That's right, their family.
Even though Seiryū did not carry the Yūhi surname, he was already a part of the Yūhi family.
'I really underestimated the reputation of the Sannin…' Seeing Shinku's uncontrollable excitement, Seiryū complained silently in his heart.
Normally, Shinku was extremely serious, yet he showed such obvious excitement over this?
The Sannin truly held a special status in Konoha.
Seiryū nodded. "Jiraiya-sama told me so himself."
"Father, are the Sannin really as powerful as the rumors say?" Kurenai spoke up. After seeing Jiraiya in person, the image of the Sannin in her heart had already cracked somewhat.
She pursed her lips and said, "Why do I feel like Jiraiya-sama seems a little… unreliable?"
She genuinely felt he was unreliable.
A peeping pervert was actually one of Konoha's Sannin.
If someone had told her before, she would never have believed it.
But she had seen it with her own eyes. It was far too unreliable.
"Hm?" Shinku glanced at his daughter, not understanding where this impression came from.
He deeply revered the Sannin, so he replied, "The Sannin are disciples of the Hokage-sama, renowned powerhouses of the shinobi world. How could they be unreliable?"
Kurenai did not argue, only muttered softly, "Their strength might be real, but their character is another matter…"
Only Seiryū did not hear her muttering. Otherwise, he would definitely have complained inwardly.
Each of the Sannin had their own "unique" traits. One was lecherous, one loved gambling, one was obsessed with poisons. Shinku also did not hear it. He turned back to Seiryū and asked, "Have you confirmed his identity? Are you certain it was Jiraiya-sama?"
Although he did not believe anyone in Konoha would dare impersonate a Sannin, he still wanted to be sure.
Seiryū nodded lightly. "Jōnin Minato was also there at the time. There's no mistake."
"Minato, huh." Thinking of the genius who mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and had once carried out missions with him, Shinku nodded to himself. "If he was present, then it must be Jiraiya-sama."
Minato was Jiraiya's disciple. There was no room for doubt.
This was truly great news.
After a brief pause, Shinku asked, "What do you think yourself?"
Although he was Seiryū's guardian, he would never interfere with Seiryū's own decisions.
Putting aside his occasional unreliability, Seiryū was always clear-minded when it truly mattered.
Seiryū thought for a moment. "He is Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. His strength, status, and identity are all top-tier in Konoha. Becoming his disciple will only benefit my future, not harm it."
"Leaving everything else aside, just the identity of a Sannin's disciple is something countless shinobi can only dream of. And he himself is a disciple of the Hokage's disciple."
This was the truth.
Becoming Jiraiya's disciple inherently came with a powerful identity.
The Hokage lineage.
From Senju Hashirama to the future Uzumaki Naruto, every Hokage was connected by blood or close ties.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was the disciple of Senju Tobirama.
Namikaze Minato was the disciple of Hiruzen's disciple.
Senju Tsunade was the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage and the disciple of the Third.
As for the Sixth and Seventh, the Hokage lineage's tendency toward internal succession was no joke. Without the right connections, rising to that position was nearly impossible.
The Uchiha clan had competed for the Hokage seat for generations, yet it was never as effective as having a Hokage lineage background.
Of course, Seiryū had no interest in becoming Hokage. That was a dream for hot-blooded youths.
He had many "dreams," but becoming Hokage was definitely not one of them.
Instead, with the identity of Jiraiya's disciple, he might not be able to run rampant in Konoha, but he could certainly avoid many hidden troubles.
"You see things very clearly," Shinku said with admiration. "The identity of a Sannin's disciple is indeed something many people can only dream of. With this status, you even have the qualifications to become Hokage in the future."
Once again, Shinku marveled at Seiryū's insight.
The Yūhi family had truly struck gold this time.
With Seiryū's talent and intelligence, there was a real chance he could become Hokage one day. If that happened, the family would benefit immensely.
Hearing her father's words, Kurenai immediately complained, "Seiryū won't become Hokage. His dream is to open a barbecue restaurant next to a ramen shop, be an astronaut, hope for peace in the shinobi world, and now he's added another dream of contracting out the Forest of Death and selling admission tickets."
Hokage?
What was that?
Seiryū would never become Hokage.
She was not sure about other things, but on this point, she was absolutely certain. Seiryū was completely serious about it.
Shinku fell silent. "…"
He did not understand, but he was deeply shaken. He almost wanted to take back what he had just said.
"Cough, cough." Shinku cleared his throat lightly, glanced at Seiryū, opened his mouth, and could only manage, "Ahem, that's… a good dream. You should… work hard."
Seiryū: "…"
Why did it feel like he was being comforted for no reason?
Shinku did not continue the topic of dreams. Those were indeed the kinds of things Seiryū would say. He continued, "As for this matter, you can decide for yourself. I will not interfere with your choice."
Seiryū smiled. "This is good for me and for our family. I have no reason to refuse. And having a renowned teacher guide me will also help me grow stronger."
There really was no reason to refuse.
Seiryū could not think of a single downside to becoming Jiraiya's disciple.
Of course, if he had the choice, he would actually prefer to become Tsunade's disciple, for no reason other than she was big, fair, and beautiful.
Shinku's mouth twitched. "Do you still think your progress is too slow? Ordinary Genin are no longer your match. Once you learn the three basic jutsu, you can apply for graduation."
The Ninja Academy's graduation requirement was the ability to use one of the three basic jutsu. That standard was far too low for Seiryū.
If someone taught him today, he would probably master it by tomorrow.
Seiryū waved his hand. "Why apply for graduation? It's too early. I'm not short on money right now, so there's no rush to become a shinobi…"
However—
[New Quest Received.]
[As a well-known genius within the Shinō Academy, you should act like one.]
[Quest Objective: Apply for graduation from the Shinō Academy within one year.]
[Quest Reward: Hadō #63, Raikōhō.]
Seiryū's tone immediately changed. "Well… let me think about it again."
(To be continued.)