Amidst the "watchful eyes of the crowd," Uchiha Xuan stepped forward and picked up several shuriken.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
With a flick of his wrist, five shuriken flew out simultaneously. After a series of crisp sounds, followed by five dull thuds as they embedded into wood, the five shuriken were firmly lodged in the wooden target.
What was most astonishing was that all five shuriken were aligned parallel to each other, with nearly equal spacing between each one.
’As expected.’
Looking at the shuriken on the wooden target, Sarutobi Ichiro nodded subtly in understanding.
"Uchiha Xuan, perfect score. Next, Aburame Shibi."
"So amazing!"
"As expected of Xuan-kun! Truly incredible!"
"Hmph, he’s just practiced in advance. I’ll be able to do that too someday."
"......"
As soon as Uchiha Xuan’s results were announced, the crowd began murmuring quietly. Uchiha Xuan simply ignored them.
............
After school, just as Uchiha Xuan stepped out of the school gate.
"Xuan-kun! Please wait!"
A gentle voice called from behind. Uchiha Xuan turned toward the sound, raising an eyebrow.
There stood a small blond boy looking somewhat shy to the side. His already somewhat effeminate face, combined with that "bashful" posture, looked utterly bizarre.
Seriously, dude? This isn’t Chengdu!!
"Do you need something?"
Although this version of Namikaze Minato seemed a bit odd, Uchiha Xuan still asked.
For certain specific people, Uchiha Xuan always had a bit more patience.
"Um... could I ask you for advice on shuriken throwing and taijutsu training? I can treat you to ramen!"
Hearing Uchiha Xuan’s question, Namikaze Minato scratched his head and spoke somewhat sheepishly.
"........"
Over ten minutes later.
Beside a river.
The shimmering river water, reflecting the glow of the evening sunset, mirrored the faces of two boys and the surrounding greenery.
The banks of the Naka River.
This river, which ran through the love, hate, and conflicts of the Uchiha and Senju clans, and even the entire history of Konohagakure, now welcomed two boys destined to leave their own mark on the village’s history.
Thwack!
"You’re using too much force in your wrist. Your aim is right, but it’s inefficient. Try again."
"Okay!"
Uchiha Xuan crouched by the riverside, watching the flowing water as he spoke softly.
Behind him, Namikaze Minato was practicing shuriken throwing against a wooden stump using Uchiha Xuan’s specially made training kunai. Between them, a campfire burned, with four fish roasting beside it.
The Naka River basin was vast, and its upstream section happened to run through the Uchiha clan’s territory. Since he had just met Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Xuan didn’t take him directly into the Uchiha grounds, choosing instead this spot near the clan’s territory.
"Is this okay, Xuan?"
After shooting the shuriken in his hand toward the wooden stump again and seeing the five shuriken lined up neatly on it, Namikaze Minato turned around excitedly and asked Uchiha Xuan, who was cultivating qi.
"Not bad."
Opening his eyes to look at the wooden stump, a flicker of surprise passed through Uchiha Xuan’s gaze.
Although he knew Namikaze Minato was a genius, it was still surprising that just a few pointers without even a demonstration could lead to such results.
"Ah, the fish!"
Receiving Uchiha Xuan’s affirmation brought a smile to Minato’s face, but just as he was about to express his thanks, a burnt smell suddenly wafted over. Minato immediately rushed to the fire.
"Phew, only the tail of one fish got too close to the flames and burned. The rest are still fine. Xuan, the fish are ready."
After carefully examining them for a moment, Minato picked up what he thought was the best-grilled fish and handed it to Uchiha Xuan with a smile.
Uchiha Xuan reached out and took it.
The taste was just passable.
"Um, Xuan, I’ve been meaning to ask since we got here—why are you willing to teach me shuriken throwing?"
Watching Uchiha Xuan seriously eating the fish, Minato suddenly spoke up, curious.
The Uchiha clan... he had heard about them too.
"No particular reason. If I had to give one, it’s because you’re one of the few opponents in this class who’s barely worth watching.
Although you’re weak now, I think you can improve quickly. The Ninja Academy is boring, and I want to find some entertainment for myself."
Putting down the grilled fish in his hand, Uchiha Xuan spoke softly.
Minato had used too little seasoning... the inside was hard to eat after finishing the outer layer.
"Oh... is that so?"
Minato scratched his head upon hearing this.
He really didn’t know how to respond to Uchiha Xuan’s words. What Xuan said was practically a blanket criticism, and agreeing would make him seem too arrogant.
"In the future, you can treat this place as a training ground. It’s close to the Uchiha clan grounds, so people rarely come here. But don’t bring anyone else."
Standing up, Uchiha Xuan glanced down at the leftover fish in his hand and then at the fire. In the end, he abandoned the idea of tossing the fish into the flames and instead walked away, holding the leftovers as he headed toward the Uchiha clan grounds.
"Huh? Oh! Thank you, Xuan."
Seeing Uchiha Xuan leave, Minato immediately stood up and called out his thanks to Xuan’s retreating figure.
"Xuan... seems different from what everyone says about the Uchiha."
Watching Uchiha Xuan’s back, Minato couldn’t help but murmur to himself.
"Hmm, indeed."
"?"
The sudden voice beside his ear startled Minato, and he quickly turned to look.
Beside him was a white-haired man with a nosebleed... an uncle? He was squatting next to Minato, eyeing the leftover grilled fish by the fire.
"See, as long as I run in the direction of the Uchiha clan grounds, Tsunade won’t chase me. I really am a genius, huh? Hey, kid, this fish... hehe~"
Just as Minato was wondering who this person was, the white-haired ninja suddenly spoke.
"Huh? Please go ahead, ninja-sama."
After noticing the forehead protector on Jiraiya’s head, Minato understood his identity and spoke respectfully.
"Then I won’t hold back! I haven’t eaten anything since I started gathering material. Ouch, hot, hot, hot! Wow, this tastes pretty good. Much better than what that idiot Orochimaru grills."
Seeing Minato’s agreement, Jiraiya immediately reached out and took the grilled fish by the fire. Without caring if it was hot, he took a big bite.
"You are... Lord Jiraiya?!"
Watching Jiraiya eat the grilled fish and hearing his words, Namikaze Minato immediately understood who the man before him was.
As a disciple of the Third Hokage, although Minato did not know what Jiraiya looked like, he was familiar with his name. Based on what Jiraiya had said, it was not difficult for Minato to deduce his identity.