"I didn't do that."
Minato Namikaze stopped in his tracks, turned around, and replied calmly.
The boy facing him showed a trace of irritation.
"You're still pretending even now? Let's forget everything else for a moment. In your class, Akasaka U's grades are second only to Mikoto Uchiha and you. Yet someone managed to send him flying before he could even react, cracking the wall when he hit it. That doesn't match the ability you usually show in class."
The new students had only been at the academy for less than a year, and the grade had been divided into two classes.
The boy standing in front of Minato Namikaze belonged to the other class.
He was also the top student in that class.
His name was Uchiha En.
In Minato Namikaze's class, Mikoto Uchiha consistently ranked first in academic performance. Minato Namikaze ranked second, and Akasaka U—who had been kicked away in anger earlier—ranked third.
This also reflected the strength associated with the Uchiha name.
Wherever they appeared, members of the Uchiha Clan were often regarded as symbols of power and excellence.
Minato Namikaze hadn't expected that Uchiha En—who hadn't even been present during the incident—would understand what had happened so clearly.
It was obvious that before approaching him, Uchiha En had already gathered information from Minato Namikaze's classmates.
Uchiha En was not only the top student in his class but also quite handsome.
It was highly likely that some of Minato Namikaze's classmates who admired him had revealed the information.
"What do you want?" Minato Namikaze asked, frowning slightly.
If Uchiha En had gone through so much trouble to investigate him, he surely wasn't doing it out of boredom.
At that moment, a trace of arrogance flickered across Uchiha En's expression.
Although it vanished quickly, Minato Namikaze still noticed it.
"I want you to fight me," Uchiha En said.
After speaking, he turned and began walking toward the training field outside.
However, Minato Namikaze shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I won't fight in a battle that has no meaning."
"Please excuse me."
With that, Minato Namikaze turned and walked away.
In his eyes, strength was meant to protect what one cherished—not a tool for showing off or competing for pride.
"Minato Namikaze, you coward!"
Uchiha En's expression darkened instantly.
"Are you afraid of me?"
Despite the insult, Minato Namikaze remained completely unaffected.
He simply continued walking forward.
"You can think whatever you want."
"Goodbye."
Uchiha En stood frozen in place, his fists clenched tightly.
Although he had heard rumors, he hadn't expected Minato Namikaze's temper to be this calm.
Words that would normally be unbearable insults seemed to mean nothing to him.
Uchiha En wasn't foolish.
He didn't believe Minato Namikaze was afraid of him.
Rather, just as Minato Namikaze had said—he simply thought fighting him would be meaningless.
Bang!
Frustrated, Uchiha En punched the nearby wall while watching Minato Namikaze walk back into the classroom.
"Minato Namikaze… just you wait."
"One day I'll defeat you in a fair fight."
"And that day won't be far away."
…
Minato Namikaze stepped into his classroom.
The students who had been chatting suddenly avoided him instinctively.
Seeing this, a trace of loneliness passed through Minato Namikaze's eyes.
However, there were also some students looking at him with excitement.
In the world of shinobi, strength commanded respect.
Akasaka U had already been considered quite strong among the students.
If Minato Namikaze could defeat him instantly…
just how powerful must he be?
"Minato, over here."
Mikoto Uchiha was sitting at her desk with Kushina Uzumaki, waving at him.
When Kushina Uzumaki met Minato Namikaze's gaze, she quickly looked away.
A faint blush appeared on her small face, making her look incredibly adorable.
Seeing this, warmth spread through Minato Namikaze's heart.
For some reason, whenever he saw Kushina Uzumaki like this, he felt an indescribable sense of peace.
He walked over quickly and sat down across from the two girls.
Mikoto Uchiha took a rice ball from her bag and handed it to him.
After all, they had agreed earlier that he would try the rice balls she made.
Judging by her cheerful expression, she had probably already shared them with the rest of the class and received plenty of compliments.
Lunch break passed quickly.
In the afternoon, the class began practicing chakra refinement.
Chakra was the foundation of all ninjutsu.
One of the reasons shinobi were called ninja was because they could perform a wide variety of ninjutsu techniques.
However, first-year students at the Ninja Academy were not yet capable of learning real ninjutsu.
For now, they could only practice basic chakra refinement and physical conditioning.
Most of the students in the class were already capable of producing a small amount of chakra.
However, the quantity they could generate was extremely small.
Before today, the student with the most chakra—aside from Minato Namikaze, who was hiding his true strength—had been Mikoto Uchiha.
As a member of the prestigious Uchiha Clan, she naturally possessed advantages over ordinary people.
But starting today, that first-place position might change.
Today was Kushina Uzumaki's first day receiving lessons at the Ninja Academy.
It was also her first time practicing chakra refinement.
Yet in just that single attempt—
the amount of chakra she produced was greater than Mikoto Uchiha's.
Even Minato Namikaze suspected that if he stopped hiding his strength, his chakra reserves might still be smaller than Kushina Uzumaki's.
This result left Shirota Hon completely stunned.
It also sparked envy among the students in the classroom.
"It looks like Kushina Uzumaki has found something she's good at," Mikoto Uchiha said sincerely.
Even though she had been surpassed, she showed no signs of jealousy.
Instead, she offered her congratulations with a smile.
Kushina Uzumaki could feel that the strange looks she had received earlier from the class had decreased slightly.
She couldn't help feeling secretly pleased.
Soon, the day's lessons came to an end.
The sun had begun to set, and the sky was dyed in shades of orange and gold.
School was over.
Students walked out through the academy gates, where many parents were waiting to pick up their children.
Minato Namikaze walked out together with Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki.
However, he paused slightly at the school gate.
A faint loneliness appeared in his deep blue eyes.
How he wished that when school ended, someone would also be waiting there for him—
someone who would take his hand and walk home together.
"Sorry, I have to go now."
At that moment, Kushina Uzumaki suddenly spotted someone waiting among the crowd.
It was a woman who looked to be in her thirties.
However, she didn't resemble Kushina Uzumaki at all.
Moreover, there was no happiness on Kushina Uzumaki's face when she saw the woman.
Instead, there seemed to be a trace of avoidance.
Nevertheless, she said goodbye to the two of them and walked away with the woman.
As for Mikoto Uchiha, she was the same as Minato Namikaze.
Since she started attending the Ninja Academy, no one had ever come to pick her up.
That was simply the tradition of the Uchiha Clan.
If they wanted to raise strong shinobi, their children had to learn independence from an early age.
Relying on others was considered something only the weak would do.
Even though Mikoto Uchiha was a girl, the rule still applied.
As for Akasaka U, it seemed his mother had already taken him home earlier.
Minato Namikaze didn't even get the chance to apologize.
It seemed he would have to find another opportunity later.
Minato Namikaze had originally planned to walk home with Mikoto Uchiha.
But as he watched Kushina Uzumaki and the woman walk away, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Mikoto, you go ahead."
"I still have something to take care of."
Under Mikoto Uchiha's puzzled gaze, Minato Namikaze said those words and quickly disappeared from her sight.
Tilting her head, Mikoto Uchiha thought to herself.
Ever since Kushina Uzumaki appeared…
Minato Namikaze had started acting a little strange.
…
At the same time, inside an office at the Ninja Academy—
Shirota Hon was kneeling on one knee respectfully before a man in his thirties or forties.
The man stood by the second-floor window, looking down at Minato Namikaze disappearing into the crowd.
A look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Shirota-sensei…"
"Your student is quite extraordinary."
"He actually noticed the presence of the ANBU I deployed."