"I didn't do that," Minato stopped and turned around to say.
Hearing this, the boy showed a trace of displeasure on his face. "You're still pretending now? Leaving everything else aside, Yu Akasaka ranked third in your class, just behind Mikoto and you. Yet you sent him flying without giving him time to react and even cracked the wall. This doesn't quite match your usual performance."
Freshmen who had enrolled for less than a year were divided into two classes. The boy standing in front of him belonged to the other class—he was the top student there: Yan Uchiha.
In Minato's class, Mikoto always stood first, Minato second, while Yu Akasaka, whom Minato had angrily sent flying earlier, was third.
This really showed the strength behind the Uchiha name. In every aspect, individuals from the Uchiha clan represented strength and excellence.
Minato hadn't expected Yan Uchiha, who wasn't present at the scene, to understand so clearly what he had done today. Obviously, before meeting him, En had already gathered information about him from his own class.
Yan Uchiha's academic performance wasn't only the best in the grade; his appearance was also extremely handsome. Nine times out of ten, someone from his class who looked up to Uchiha must've been the one feeding him info.
"What do you want?" Minato frowned. That Yan Uchiha knew so much about him naturally meant more than mere idle curiosity.
At this moment, a slight air of arrogance flickered across En's expression, though fleeting, Minato still caught it.
"I want you to fight me!" said Yan Uchiha. With that, he walked toward the training field outside by himself.
Minato shook his head and replied, "Sorry, but I'm not into pointless fights. Excuse me."
So saying, Minato turned around and left. To him, power existed to protect cherished things, not as a tool to show off or fight recklessly.
"Minato Namikaze, you coward! Are you afraid of me?" Yan's expression turned cold with a hint of mockery.
Those insulting words had no effect on Minato at all. He simply kept walking forward, replying,
"Think what you want. Goodbye."
Yan Uchiha remained rooted to the spot, his fists clenched tightly. He wasn't stupid. He naturally wouldn't think Minato was just afraid of him. Rather, as Minato himself had said, he believed fighting with him held absolutely no meaning.
Crash!
Then he slammed his fist against the adjacent wall, watching Minato Namikaze enter the classroom.
"Minato Namikaze, just you wait. One day I'll defeat you honorably, and that day won't be far away..."
Minato walked into his classroom. Students who had been chatting fell silent instinctively, avoiding him. A flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Yet some students watched him with burning curiosity. In the world of ninja, strength commanded respect. If Akasaka Yu—who they considered already quite powerful—had been instantly defeated, how overwhelmingly strong must Minato Namikaze be?
"Minato, over here."
Mikoto was already sitting with Kushina, pulling her into a seat and waving toward him.
Kushina slightly avoided his gaze when their eyes met, her face blushing cutely.
Seeing this, warmth stirred in Minato's chest. For some reason, seeing Kushina like this always made him feel calm and at peace. He quickly approached and sat across from the two girls.
Mikoto pulled out a rice ball from her bag and handed it to Minato. That was their little deal. Judging by Mikoto's smiling face, she had already distributed rice balls to everyone and received praise for them.
The lunch break passed quickly. The afternoon classes focused on chakra refinement.
Chakra formed the basis of ninjutsu. One reason why shinobi were called "ninja" was because of their ability to use various techniques.
For first-year students at the Ninja Academy, learning actual jutsu remained beyond reach. All they could do was practice basic chakra refinement and physical training.
Most students in the class could already produce small amounts of chakra, though pitifully little.
Previously, aside from Minato—who was deliberately concealing his chakra—the student capable of drawing the most chakra had been Mikoto. As a member of the prestigious Uchiha clan in Konoha, she naturally had an innate advantage over ordinary people.
But starting today, Mikoto's position as number one would likely change.
This was Kushina's first lesson at the Ninja Academy, her first attempt at chakra refinement. And yet, even with only one try, her chakra reserves surpassed Mikoto's.
In fact, Minato believed even if he didn't hide his power, his own chakra supply might still be inferior to Kushina's.
The result left Kouda speechless, while waves of envy rippled through the rest of the class.
"It seems Kushina has found something she excels at," said Mikoto. Instead of feeling upset about being overtaken, she smiled warmly and sincerely congratulated her friend.
Kushina noticed that the strange looks around the classroom had started to fade, and she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm yellow glow across the sky, the day's learning came to an end.
It was time to go home, and the school gate was already crowded with parents picking up their children.
Minato walked out of the school with Mikoto and Kushina. Just before leaving the gate, he paused briefly, his sapphire-blue eyes betraying a hint of sadness.
He wished someone would be waiting for him after class at the Ninja Academy, ready to take his hand and walk home together.
"Sorry, I have to go now." At this moment, Kushina's expression suddenly changed. She noticed a woman waiting among the crowd. The woman looked to be around thirty years old, but she didn't resemble Kushina in the least.
Moreover, Minato could detect no joy in Kushina's expression—only clear reluctance—but eventually, she bid farewell to the two of them and left with that woman.
As for Mikoto, just like Minato, since starting at the Ninja Academy, no one had ever picked her up. This was the Uchiha clan's tradition; to cultivate excellent ninjas, they must learn independence from childhood. Relying on others was something only the weak did.
Even if Mikoto was a girl, it was no exception.
Yu Akasaka had already been picked up by his mom. Minato didn't even get a chance to apologize. Looks like he'd have to find another opportunity.
Originally planning to walk home with Mikoto, Minato gazed toward the direction Kushina and the woman had gone, his eyes narrowing.
"Mikoto, you go ahead first. I still have something I need to deal with."
With those words, Minato quickly disappeared from Mikoto's sight under her confused gaze.
Mikoto cocked her head. Ever since meeting Kushina today, Minato had acted... off.
...
Meanwhile, in an office of the Ninja Academy, Moto Kouda was kneeling on one knee, respectfully looking at the person before him—a man about thirty or forty years old, in his prime.
The man watched Minato Namikaze disappear into the crowd through the second-floor window. A look of surprise crossed his face as he said, "Teacher Kouda, your student really is extraordinary. He actually noticed the Anbu I deployed."
...
...
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