As soon as class ended, Minato was immediately surrounded by his female classmates.
"Hey, Minato-kun, want to eat lunch together? My mom made my bento, it's really delicious!"
"No, thanks, I brought my own..."
"Minato-kun, where do you live? Want to go home together after school?"
"Sorry, I'm going home with a friend, it's not really convenient..."
Minato's smile was forced. The girls' expressions of affection were too direct, even he found it a bit annoying.
"Could you all step aside a bit? I need to use the restroom."
"Oh, me too!"
"It's on the way, let's all go together!"
The girls chattered excitedly. With no choice, Minato braced himself and left the classroom, surrounded by a large group of girls.
Just as the group left, another Minato quietly emerged from behind the podium.
"Huh? A clone? You've even mastered the Three Body Technique, kid?" Shinnosuke exclaimed, astonished by the sight.
Before school started, Minato had won against him in Taijutsu, but he was confident he could make up for it in other areas.
Like Ninjutsu!
As the son of the Hokage, he had already mastered the Three Body Technique before school began, and he had even learned the Dragon Fire Technique.
Although the technique's power was rather weak, only enough to burn firewood, mastering a C-rank Ninjutsu at the age of five was still an impressive feat.
Minato nodded. "I've just started learning it."
"Damn it! Can't even beat you in this?" Shinnosuke said, a little frustrated. But his fighting spirit quickly reignited. "Let's have another fight sometime!"
"Definitely," Minato replied with a smile, turning back to his seat.
"Namikaze-kun is so amazing," Nonou said, looking at Minato. "I never expected you to have already mastered the Clone Technique. I'm still struggling to even extract Chakra properly."
Minato smiled modestly. "I'm just a bit more naturally gifted. With enough practice, you can do it too."
"Really?"
Nonou looked delighted. "I hope it turns out just as Namikaze-kun said."
"Just call me Minato," he said with a gentle smile. "Is it okay if I call you by your name?"
Nonou nodded, a little embarrassed.
In the Shinobi World, only close friends or family members typically addressed each other by name. Some, like those starry-eyed fan girls, might try to call someone by their name to appear closer, but this was generally done by girls. If a boy tried it, it would be seen as harassment, so he needed to get permission first.
"I've already learned some ninjutsu before starting school, so if you ever need help with anything, Nonou, feel free to ask me."
Minato wasn't sure if Nonou's appearance was a coincidence or intentional, but he decided to test the waters a little.
Nonou was a little flustered but didn't refuse. "Thank you, Minato-kun."
"Don't mention it. That's what classmates are for, right?" Minato replied with an easy smile, his sunny grin making Nonou's cheeks flush faintly.
"We just help each other out..."
Inside the Hokage Office Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, a pipe dangling from his lips. His eyes glowed with pride as he watched the scene from Minato's Team unfold within a crystal ball.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Hiruzen dispelled the long-range viewing technique, and the image in the crystal ball vanished.
"Come in."
"My apologies for the interruption."
Umino Ikkaku entered the room and knelt on one knee. "Lord Hokage."
"Oh, it's you, Ikkaku," Hiruzen said cheerfully. "How's Shinnosuke been performing?"
"Shinnosuke's performance..."
Ikkaku hesitated briefly. "He hasn't been particularly diligent. Perhaps because he studied some of the material before enrolling, he's been easily distracted during class, mostly focusing on Namikaze Minato."
"Hahaha, just as I suspected!" Hiruzen slapped his forehead in exasperation. "He's still just a child. Starting his training earlier than his peers inevitably breeds arrogance. How about Minato?"
"He's been very diligent!"
Speaking of Minato, Umino Ikkaku's voice carried a hint of admiration. "That kid has memorized everything taught in class, and his temperament is remarkably steady. He's just a bit too gentle."
"Too gentle..." Hiruzen murmured, his expression unreadable as he recalled his own disappointing disciple.
Just two days ago, Jiraiya had suddenly approached him to request training at Mount Myōboku for a period of time.
At that moment, Jiraiya had given Hiruzen an entirely different impression than usual.
His expression was dejected, his aura listless, yet his eyes held a newfound resolve and solemnity.
Hiruzen had initially assumed Jiraiya had suffered some setback, like having his confession rejected by Tsunade.
After agreeing to Jiraiya's request, Hiruzen summoned Tsunade to gather some gossip about the disciples. Instead, he learned that the boy's defenses had been shattered by Minato!
What stung most was hearing Tsunade quote Minato's dismissive, "Who cares?" Even Hiruzen felt his face burn with embarrassment.
This child isn't as gentle as he appears... In fact, he's quite aggressive.
Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle. "Ikkaku, how's your Chakra Nature Transformation training progressing?"
"I've mastered Earth Attribute Transformation, but I still need to refine it."
Caught off guard by the sudden question about his training, Umino Ikkaku felt a surge of nervousness.
"Hmm... In that case, Ikkaku, I need you to properly guide that child," Hiruzen said slowly, pipe clenched between his teeth as he pondered for a moment.
"To be frank, Minato's talent surpasses even that of my own disciple, Orochimaru. It's precisely because of this that he requires more careful guidance."
"Huh? Me?" Ikkaku exclaimed, his face lighting up with surprise. "Talent surpassing Orochimaru's? With my abilities, I'm afraid..."
"No, that child is Tsunade's disciple. She will teach him cultivation," Hiruzen said sternly. "Normally, given your experience, you should have been promoted to Special Jonin by now. But when I reviewed your mission records, I noticed that everyone who has served as your teammate gave you exceptionally high praise."
"Honesty, integrity, selflessness, diligence, and righteousness... These are precisely why I transferred you to the Ninja Academy. I want you to pass on these precious qualities to the next generation of students, especially Minato."
"This is also a bit of personal bias on my part, since Shinnosuke is in your class too..."
"And as compensation for the delay in your promotion process, I'll teach you some ninjutsu and guide you in cultivating your second Chakra Nature Transformation."
Hearing this, Umino Ikkaku's expression turned solemn. "Yes! I will never disappoint your expectations!"
"There's no need to put so much pressure on yourself," Hiruzen said with a reassuring smile. "Minato-kun's character is already quite outstanding. In comparison, it's Shinnosuke who we should be more concerned about."
"Regardless of which student it is, I want you to treat them all fairly. Don't let this mission interfere with your teaching of the other children."
"Understood!"
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