“Chiba! Are you home?”
Just as it finished organizing all its gains, Minato’s light and somewhat excited voice called out from outside the house.
“I’m here!”
Chiba answered and stood up, walking quickly out of the house.
In the courtyard, Minato Namikaze stood tall, his eyes bright, a irrepressible, radiant smile on his face, radiating a sense of lightness.
Seeing this, Chiba raised an eyebrow slightly and teased with a smile: “Looking at how pleased you are, I assume Lord Jiraiya has officially taken you as his apprentice?”
“Hehe, that’s right!”
Minato scratched the back of his head, smiling even more purely and sincerely: “Master Jiraiya was very satisfied with my performance during the assessment and has officially accepted me!”
“Chiba, now we both have top-tier masters guiding us. With a structured approach and clear direction for our future cultivation, our strength will definitely improve faster!”
During this time, under Chiba’s guidance, Minato had long since seen through the surging undercurrents beneath the glamorous facade of Konoha.
It had been harboring a sense of crisis in its heart and had been training desperately, wanting to possess the power to protect itself as soon as possible.
Now that it had become an apprentice under one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, the stone hanging in its heart finally settled a little, and its tense mindset eased significantly.
But this relaxation did not mean slackness; it only allowed it to move forward more steadily and firmly.
“That goes without saying.”
Chiba nodded with a smile and sincerely encouraged: “Let’s work hard together from now on. Only by accumulating enough strength for self-preservation can we be qualified to control our own destiny and do what we want to do.”
“Are you hungry? It’s just about lunchtime, I’ll go cook.”
“Okay! Now that you mention it, I really am quite hungry!”
Minato agreed readily, his eyes curving into crescents, filled with warmth.
…
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Office.
“Yo, old man!”
Accompanied by a frivolous shout, Jiraiya’s figure flickered as he flipped directly through the window into the office, his posture relaxed and casual, with no regard for rules whatsoever.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes twitched violently, and he let out a helpless sigh while pinching his pipe.
“Sigh… do none of the three of you ever use the front door? When did I ever teach you such bizarre ways of making an entrance?”
He truly had a headache.
The Sannin were all peerlessly talented, yet they all had eccentric personalities and refused to be bound, making them Konoha’s three biggest problem children, which left him constantly amused and exasperated.
Jiraiya waved his hand indifferently, looking carefree: “Ninjas are supposed to be free-spirited; holding onto so many rules and regulations is just suffocating.”
The Third Hokage rolled his eyes helplessly: “A Ninja must first follow the rules. Forget it, I don’t feel like arguing with you.”
“Tell me, why did you come here at this hour? Usually, at this time, aren’t you always soaking in the hot spring district looking for inspiration?”
As he spoke, his gaze subconsciously glanced at the crystal ball on the desk, his fingers moved slightly, and he felt a faint stirring in his heart, but in the end, he suppressed it.
“Hehe, this time it’s serious business!”
Jiraiya reined in his grinning, his expression becoming slightly more serious.
“I came to report to you that I have taken on a new apprentice.”
“Hm?”
The Third Hokage was stunned upon hearing this, his face full of surprise: “What day is it today? Tsunade just came by to report taking an apprentice, and you’re taking one too?”
“Haha, what a coincidence!”
Jiraiya laughed heartily and explained: “Tsunade took the lead today and specifically dragged me and Orochimaru to the Ninja Academy to examine new recruits.”
“She took a fancy to two kids with top-tier talent and even instigated me and Orochimaru to take apprentices.”
“Orochimaru has a cold temperament and had no interest in this, so he declined directly. In the end, Tsunade and I each took one, both of whom I personally assessed and whose temperament and talent passed the test.”
“The child I took is named Minato Namikaze.”
Speaking of Minato, Jiraiya’s eyes were full of praise and approval, his tone exceptionally firm.
“In terms of talent, he is indeed not as monstrous as that little brat Chiba, but he is definitely a top-tier genius rarely seen in a decade.”
“His temperament is steady, his will is tenacious, and he treats people with the warmth of a little sun. Most importantly, he possesses the Will of Fire.”
“In my opinion, this child absolutely has the potential to be Hokage.”
Although the talent Chiba displayed was shockingly monstrous, for some reason, Jiraiya felt more partial to Minato in his heart.
It wasn’t just because Minato’s personality was gentle and pure, and his smile clean and healing, but also because Minato’s growth trajectory was sufficiently “normal.”
A genius who is too heaven-defying and too comprehensive is not necessarily a good thing for a teacher.
Chiba’s terrifying talent—mastering Ninjutsu in a few days, casually improving techniques, and playing with basic Ninjutsu in fancy ways—completely crushed the vast majority of strong figures in the Ninja World, including him, Jiraiya.
Teaching such a student, not only does one not feel any sense of accomplishment as a teacher, but instead, one is constantly being crushed and discouraged.
“I can tell that you are really very satisfied with this child, Minato.”
The Third Hokage nodded in understanding, thinking to himself, and took the opportunity to ask: “Since it was recommended by Tsunade, then this child should also be a descendant of the Senju?”
Jiraiya nodded seriously and said truthfully: “I have heard Tsunade say so. Moreover, like Chiba, Minato is an orphan with no one to rely on. The two have grown up together since childhood and practiced together; their relationship is excellent, and both their temperament and character are top-notch.”
“I understand.”
The Third Hokage nodded slowly, his expression peaceful: “It is a good thing that you are willing to take an apprentice. With this, all three of my disciples have opened their doors to take apprentices. My Sarutobi lineage can be considered to have truly branched out.”
He pondered for a moment, then instructed: “Tomorrow morning, take Minato with you to Lady Mito’s residence.”
“Lady Mito wants to see me and Chiba early tomorrow morning, so we might as well arrange it all together to save a lot of trouble.”
In fact, he was not without concerns at first.
He originally did not want the highly potential Minato to come into contact with Uzumaki Mito too early and be completely bound to the Senju lineage, so as to avoid slipping out of his control.
But he knew well that Jiraiya had unique insight; Minato, who could be chosen by Jiraiya, was destined to be extraordinary in the future.
Combined with Mito’s emphasis on Chiba and the fact that Minato and Chiba were as close as brothers, it was clear that Minato would sooner or later be drawn into the Senju resource system.
If he were to forcefully obstruct it, it would only create estrangement and do more harm than good, so he simply let it be.
“So that’s how it is. Lady Mito actually values that little brat Chiba so much.”
A flash of surprise crossed Jiraiya’s eyes, and he readily agreed: “Alright, I understand! It’s settled then! I’ll be going now!”
As his voice fell, Jiraiya turned and walked toward the window, familiar with the route.
Under the Third Hokage’s helpless and accustomed gaze, he flipped out of the window and left, carefree and casual.
…
The next morning, at dawn.
Chiba and Minato were sitting in the room quietly eating breakfast when a crisp and somewhat casual shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
“Little brat Chiba! Are you awake? Give a shout!”
The two looked at each other, and Chiba immediately stood up to respond: “I’m here!”
It walked quickly to the courtyard gate, and upon looking up, it was stunned.
Outside the door, it wasn’t just Tsunade; Jiraiya was also standing side-by-side next to her.
“Master Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya?
Why are you here together?” Chiba greeted with a smile, “Have you eaten breakfast?
Why don’t you come in and have some?”
“Oh? You’re up quite early.”
Tsunade raised her eyebrows and looked at it, waving her hand: “No need, we’ve eaten… *cough cough*, we’ve had something to drink! Don’t dawdle, hurry up and come with us, we’re taking you to see someone.”.