"You're not wrong."
Minato Namikaze nodded slightly and said,
"Then starting today, you and Might Guy will be my students."
Yes!
Uchiha Maí almost pumped her fist on the spot. Joining Master Minato's team was practically a guarantee of status, opportunities, and - most importantly - plenty of future style points. Being on the same squad as him? It would be strange if that didn't pay off.
On top of that, becoming Minato's direct student, carrying the Uchiha name, and officially belonging to a team basically meant being able to walk through Konoha with your head held high.
Please, call me Young Master Uchiha.
Might Guy scratched his head, grinning in disbelief. From what Maí had said earlier, that "flashy blond guy" was a jōnin. A jōnin… that had to mean he was even stronger than his father, right?
How did a fresh Academy graduate who only knew taijutsu end up becoming a jōnin's student without really doing anything?
Minato glanced around the training field. Three children were sprawled on the ground, taken down by Maí, and clearly needed to be sent to Konoha Hospital as soon as possible.
"Next, let's take Asuma and the others to the hospital," Minato said.
"After that, I'll take you out to dinner and introduce you to the last member of the team. Consider it the squad's first official meal."
As he spoke, Minato pulled out his wallet and flipped through it, relaxing once he confirmed he had enough pocket money to treat everyone.
Yuhi Kurenai had withdrawn on her own and hadn't been injured at all, so there was no need to send her for treatment.
Maí's thoughts stirred slightly as she asked,
"Sensei, your other student… is Kakashi Hatake, right?"
Just moments ago it was "Senior Minato," and now it was already "Sensei Minato," the change coming without the slightest awkwardness.
"Oh? You know that?" Minato asked, a bit surprised.
Maí smiled and casually spun a story.
"He's the most outstanding student of our class, after all. Of course people pay attention. I heard he joined an elite squad led by a jōnin with blond hair - handsome and powerful. I was wondering if that might be you."
Minato laughed and rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
"Well, if you already know each other, that's even better. Your abilities are solid. After a short period of adjustment, we should be able to take on some slightly more challenging missions."
Each of the three carried one injured kid on their back as they walked through Konoha's streets under the setting sun, heading toward the hospital.
As they walked, Minato spoke in a steady tone.
"Maí, you defeated three fairly capable genin in under a minute. That was an excellent performance. Your talent might not be inferior to Kakashi's."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But there's one thing I must warn you about. On the battlefield, or when facing enemy village squads during missions, never be careless. Never assume you can handle everything on your own."
Maí nodded.
"I understand."
In small-scale combat, coordinated groups of three to five people could perfectly fuse individual strength into a whole. That was true in the ninja world, just as it was for armies or team sports in her previous life.
What Maí had beaten earlier wasn't a true team, but three genin fighting separately - no coordination, no awareness of the battlefield. The difference between the two was enormous.
Not long after, they arrived at the hospital. The on-duty medical ninja, seeing more kids being brought in, showed no surprise at all.
During wartime, training intensity and drills in the major ninja villages were far harsher than in times of peace. Children being sent to intensive care after sparring was practically routine.
Once everything was handled, Minato led the two kids toward the Hatake residence to invite Kakashi.
The Hatake clan had once been one of the families that followed the twin legends of the ninja world in founding Konoha. Every Hatake clan member possessed remarkable talent, not necessarily inferior to the Uchiha.
Unfortunately, the clan had always been small in number and had suffered through the Warring States Era and two great ninja wars. By Kakashi's generation, only a single heir remained.
The Hatake residence was in a better location than the Uchiha compound, though its area was much smaller - less than one-twentieth the size.
Minato politely knocked on the Hatake family's door.
A knock like that, in her previous life, probably wouldn't have gotten any response at all - cicadas in the trees would've been louder than Minato's tapping.
But this was the ninja world. Both Kakashi and his father were exceptionally skilled ninja with keen senses. Unless they were asleep, they would definitely hear it.
A moment later, the door opened. A middle-aged man with silver-white, medium-length hair and the standard Konoha jōnin flak vest stepped out. It was Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake.
Maí's pupils shrank slightly. This man… even his normal footsteps made no sound at all.
Ninja were like assassins - they needed to hide their presence and suppress sound as much as possible to avoid being detected.
Maí had seen many jōnin in the clan, all excellent at concealing their presence, but none who could move so silently even in everyday walking, completely unfathomable to others.
Then a thought suddenly crossed her mind. Sakumo Hatake's death… it should be around this time, shouldn't it?
In the original timeline, Sakumo Hatake died five years before the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, when Kakashi was around thirteen.
The Third Ninja War lasted on and off for several years, with the Battle of Kannabi Bridge marking its finale. Five years earlier, Kakashi would have been about eight - roughly this exact point in time.
Seeing that it was Kakashi's team leader, Sakumo smiled and said,
"So it's Minato. Are you here to see Kakashi?"
"Yes," Minato replied.
"Today, I recruited two outstanding students from the Ninja Academy. My team is officially complete now, so I wanted to invite Kakashi to join us for a meal."
Sakumo glanced at the two kids behind Minato - an Uchiha, and Guy, who was always clinging to Kakashi. This team was interesting.
There was no need to say much about the Uchiha. Even an average Uchiha, once their Sharingan awakened, had a high chance of becoming a jōnin as an adult.
As for Guy, Sakumo knew him. Over a year ago, Guy had been bullied, and Sakumo happened to run into the scene while bringing Kakashi home.
Kakashi drove off the troublemaking ninja, and that was when he officially met Guy - and got latched onto him. Almost every time Kakashi returned from a mission, Guy would challenge him to a match.
From Kakashi's condition whenever he came home, Sakumo could tell that Guy's strength was improving at an astonishing rate.
This was a promising team - one that could help Kakashi continue to grow.
end of chapter
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