"How was it?" the Third Hokage asked.
"That kid was absolutely intimidated by my speed. And he was completely stunned by my dazzling entrance. I'm confident that the image of a powerful Sannin has now taken deep root in Konoha's younger generation…"
The Third Hokage began coughing violently upon hearing this, nearly dropping his pipe.
"Though I almost blew it," Jiraiya continued, reminiscing. "From full speed to an abrupt stop—I nearly couldn't catch my breath at the end…"
He felt his performance had been flawless. Judging from Shimizu's reaction, the boy hadn't noticed he was genuinely out of breath.
Cough, cough. "That's not what I asked about. I meant that child…"
"Relax, old man. No problem at all. He's Maruboshi Kosuke's student—you should have some confidence."
There was a convincing weight in Jiraiya's low voice.
Indeed, Maruboshi Kosuke was someone even the Second Hokage had acknowledged. If he personally guaranteed someone, it meant he recognized that person. To doubt him would be tantamount to doubting the Second Hokage's judgment.
"I know. I haven't let the ANBU Interrogation Division intervene. It's just that Danzo…"
The Third Hokage sighed.
"If we both believe in Shimizu Uzuki, then why is Danzo so insistent on taking him?" Jiraiya said. "So many of his Root members died this time—he could easily grab anyone and claim they're connected to Shimizu. Can't we assume he has other motives?"
"I've considered that," the Third Hokage replied. "Perhaps after failing to recruit him before, Danzo now intends to coerce him into joining Root by force. His desire for that young man has been obvious."
Jiraiya laughed. "Old man, you've been stuck in this office too long. Have you looked carefully at his record? His strength isn't something Danzo can easily control."
He continued, "Do you know what I heard in ANBU today? They call him 'Shunshin Shimizu.' How fast do you think he is?"
"A nickname proves nothing," the Third Hokage raised a brow. "How fast?"
"As fast as the 'Yellow Flash.'"
The Third Hokage's expression shifted in surprise.
"He's encountered the same bottleneck Minato did—his neural response and dynamic vision can't keep up with his maximum speed."
"He's already grown to that level…" the Hokage murmured.
"Those three consecutive S-rank missions he completed recently—you should reassess them carefully," Jiraiya advised.
"I will."
"Then I should be going. Hopefully I'll uncover some clues this time. I'll greet Minato before I leave."
With that, Jiraiya vanished from the Hokage's office.
"Shimizu Uzuki… He only became a jōnin a year ago. How has he improved so drastically? Have I misjudged again?" the Third Hokage muttered to himself.
...
That night, at Konoha's main gate.
"That's the situation. So you should trust the Hokage's judgment as well," Jiraiya said.
"…I understand." Minato's response carried the faintest hesitation.
"You brat, are you doubting your own teacher now?"
"Of course not!"
"Then do you still think Shimizu Uzuki has problems?"
"Of course not."
"I truly have raised an excellent student!" Jiraiya praised.
Then, suddenly, he asked, "Come to think of it, you and Shimizu are the same age. Yet I don't see much interaction between you. No personal grudges, right?"
"Of course not. He once asked me about the Rasengan, but I didn't teach it to him. He also sought Kakashi's guidance on Chidori—Kakashi trusted him and told him everything."
Minato's tone was calm, simply stating facts. There was no visible emotion.
But Jiraiya knew his student too well. He immediately sensed the implication beneath the words.
"You think he has ulterior motives?"
"I can't say for sure… It's just a feeling. Like he always has some purpose behind what he does. You know me—I don't really like people who are overly calculating."
"Minato," Jiraiya asked slowly, "is it because he was once called a genius? Became a chūnin at ten? So part of you still feels something about that?"
That had been in Konoha Year 33. Minato had only just graduated from the Academy.
Meanwhile, Shimizu had already been promoted to chūnin and was following a jōnin onto the battlefields of the Second Great Ninja War, where he began to make his mark.
His record of A-rank and S-rank missions far surpassed his peers.
That was the key—
He had stepped into this turbulent world far earlier than others his age.
The two of them hadn't even started at the same level.
Even Jiraiya himself couldn't compare—after all, he had only become a chūnin at eleven.
"How could that be…" Minato instinctively retorted.
But under Jiraiya's probing gaze, he faltered and explained:
"Alright… Back then, he was praised as a once-in-twenty-years genius. I was just a kid. Isn't it normal to feel a little jealous?"
After a pause, Minato added,
"And it wasn't just me, okay? Everyone was envious!"
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"When I was young, I was jealous of Orochimaru too. He had talent and was deeply favored by our teacher. It couldn't be helped—some people are simply the darlings of the world. We ordinary folks can't compare…"
He shamelessly referred to himself as "ordinary," then continued cheerfully,
"But after all these years, I've long since let it go. So why can't you? Why?"
"…It's not that I envy his talent. Really." Minato's voice grew steadier. "For a long time, I thought that was what I was jealous of. But even when he was stuck as a chūnin for years, I never once doubted his talent."
"Like what you just told me—that Shimizu has now hit the same bottleneck I once did. I wasn't surprised at all. In fact, it felt… natural. As if that's exactly how it should be."
"You have quite a bit of confidence in him," Jiraiya said, slightly surprised.
"Jiraiya-sensei… do you think someone who falls from the pedestal of 'genius' can rise again?"
"It's very difficult," Jiraiya answered frankly.
"I didn't understand before. I didn't grow up under the halo of genius. My strength only surged forward after I matured. You were the same, Sensei."
Minato paused.
"But Shimizu wasn't like that. When I was still ignorant, he was already enjoying the halo and treatment of a prodigy. Later, when the crowds dispersed and the village stopped paying attention to him… he endured it. And now, he's revealing his brilliance once more."
"When I was five, studying at the Academy, and watched him graduate at seven—he was that Shimizu Uzuki."
"When I was ten and first stepped onto the battlefield, and he was already a chūnin at ten—he was still that same Shimizu."
"When I became a jōnin, and he was still only a chūnin—he was still that Shimizu."
"And recently, when I went to see him again… he still felt like that same Shimizu."
Jiraiya listened quietly. This was a side of his prized student he had never heard before.
"And then I finally understood," Minato said softly. "What I envy isn't his talent. It's his maturity. His mindset."
"Maybe I can surpass him in strength…"
"But that calmness he shows no matter what happens—that heart that doesn't ripple in the slightest—I can't learn it. I can't replicate it. That's something I'll never surpass."
"In my mind, the image of a true shinobi… looks like him. Calm in every situation."
"Since I first met him at five years old, he was already like that. Fifteen years have passed, and he's still the same. No matter how the outside world judges him, he continues to walk his own ninja path."
"I see," Jiraiya said seriously. "So you believe you'll never surpass him in that regard?"
"Yes. I—"
"Minato! You're wrong!" Jiraiya interrupted firmly. "Let me teach you something else. Your paths ahead are long. It's far too early to declare an ending."
"Decades from now, he may not be able to hold onto his original heart. And you may not always maintain your lead in strength."
"Who would have imagined that the Hokage's once-gifted student, one of the Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru—would now throw himself into Root's embrace?"
"Until life reaches its end, you must never speak of failure. And you must never give up!"
"Yes! I understand!"
"I'm afraid you might not fully grasp your teacher's profound life philosophy…" Jiraiya suddenly said, pulling a white-covered book with a yellow flame emblem from his robe and stuffing it against Minato's chest. "You should read this masterpiece carefully."
With that, he strode toward Konoha's gate. Without turning back, he waved a hand.
"Minato, a man's heart should be as vast as the ocean. Get along well!"
"…Alright."
Minato lowered his head.
The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.
The four bold characters stood out strikingly.
So this was the "masterpiece" Jiraiya-sensei meant?
Then he noticed something tucked inside the book—a bookmark.
Probably something Jiraiya-sensei dropped again. He was always careless.
Minato looked closer.
It wasn't a bookmark.
It was a contract.
"The Jiraiya Heroic Saga – Lifetime VIP Subscription Agreement?!"
At the bottom—
There was Namikaze Minato's signature.
And his handprint.
That's my signature and handprint?!
When did I ever agree to this?!