Fugaku collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air, a deep sense of lingering fear reflected in his eyes.
“I really thought…
I was going to die.
I almost died.” His face still burned.
The sheer pressure of that punch, combined with the fact that it had stopped just centimeters from his forehead, was an experience he wouldn’t soon forget.
Fanma smiled, hauled him to his feet, and brushed the dirt off his clothes.
“I actually thought you might awaken your eyes,” Fanma remarked.
“If you can’t quite grasp the question of what a ninja is, then think about your grandfather, and think about your village.” “Konoha is composed of various ninja clans and wandering ninja—now commonly called civilian ninja.
It was founded because everyone grew tired of the endless slaughter of the Warring States period.
Its purpose was to unify strength and protect everyone.” “Therefore, the original intent of Konoha was to let everyone enjoy peace and live a good life.” “So, Nawaki, remember this: as long as you make sure you have a good life first, and then help other villagers find their happiness, you are a ninja!” Fanma’s string of theory shocked both Tsunade and Nawaki.
Only Minato nodded along, deeply agreeing.
Nawaki looked dazed.
“Is…
is just having a good life what makes me a ninja?” Minato, rarely stepping into a conversation this decisively, replied: “Nawaki, we are all part of Konoha.
If everyone lives a good life, Konoha will become better and better.
Isn’t that the best possible outcome?” Fanma’s expression then tightened.
He looked at Nawaki and asked a cruel, piercing question: “There is one more thing, Nawaki.
Have you ever wondered why, even though you come from the Senju line, you are so far behind Fugaku?” Fugaku stared blankly at Fanma.
Awaken my eyes?
What does he mean?
I’m already at two-tomoe…
Fanma waved a hand, ignoring Fugaku, whose brain was currently melting, and walked over to the three students and Tsunade to check on Minato’s progress.
“Minato, how is the Flying Raijin coming along?
Do you need me to find someone to help you study it?” “It’s going well.
It’s not as hard as I imagined.
I’ve almost mastered the carving of the basic seals,” Minato replied with a confident smile.
In this timeline, thanks to Fanma’s guidance since childhood, Minato’s personality was more resolute and bold, yet he remained the same warm, heart-warming “little sun” he always was.
Tsunade was startled—he was already on the verge of mastering the Flying Raijin?
Jiraiya really had missed out on a fantastic disciple.
No, wait, she corrected herself, this little genius is my husband’s student; Jiraiya never deserved to teach him anyway.
Tsunade did a quick mental calculation—it seemed her side had won.
A woman in love was already planning her own family.
As for her childhood friend Jiraiya?
Who is that?
Really, I don’t know him.
Fanma walked out of the training grounds holding Tsunade’s left hand and Nawaki’s right, with Minato and Kushina following behind, hand-in-hand.
It was a heartwarming scene; a stranger might have mistaken them for a family of five heading out for a picnic.
Nawaki felt the strength being transmitted through his hand, watching Fanma and Tsunade talking and laughing.
A sense of happiness and safety welled up in his heart.
In his mind, this “brother-in-law” was like a Hokage—the highest-ranking term of praise in his limited vocabulary.
This brother-in-law taught him many things, vividly and clearly, while carefully protecting his pride.
And his combat power was enigmatically high; Fugaku, who had beaten him to a pulp just moments ago, looked like a dead fish in front of him.
Nawaki was filled with warmth, watching the scene happily.
He had never had the company of clan members growing up, living only with Tsunade, and he had been lonely.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Outside the ramen shop sat a large circular table laden with dozens of bowls of various ramens, tempura, and sashimi.
Fanma sat with imposing posture, a tall stack of empty bowls piling up beside him.
Fanma had originally planned to take them to Yakiniku Q or a seafood restaurant for a feast, but Nawaki had his heart set on Ichiraku.
Fanma internally scoffed—don’t tell me Nawaki is also an Asura reincarnate?
Why are all these hot-blooded, chunibyo teenagers in the Naruto world so obsessed with ramen?
Nawaki held a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen, his entire face buried in the bowl, his chopsticks moving like a whirlwind.
Fanma, meanwhile, was dumping bowls of ramen into his mouth one after another; for him, the energy density of ramen was too low.
Eating it felt like a normal person drinking congee—it didn’t make him feel full.
Seeing Nawaki’s belly starting to bulge, Tsunade glanced at him, shaking her head with a mixture of doting and helplessness.
Fanma cleared his throat and asked Nawaki: “Nawaki, I have a question I need you to answer.
I’m not going to ask what you learned from today’s battle.
I only want to ask: what is a ninja?” Nawaki hurriedly swallowed his noodles and looked at his brother-in-law respectfully.
He was about to answer but stopped dead.
Yeah…
what is a ninja?
Nawaki was struck dumb.
He looked searchingly at Minato and Kushina, looking pathetically for help.
Minato offered a polite smile, Kushina frowned in thought, and even Tsunade watched Fanma with intense interest.
Fanma raised an eyebrow at the expectant gazes and replied: “I don’t know either.” Ignoring their speechless expressions, Fanma added: “The First Hokage once said that a ninja is someone who can endure everything.” “But in reality, what a ninja needs to endure, and why they must endure it, are things you need to figure out for yourself.” “Every person has the right to pursue their own happiness and freedom.
Becoming a ninja doesn’t mean you are required to sacrifice everything.” “Suffering is not worth glorifying.
In this ninja world, if you are suffering, it only means your strength and your understanding are lacking.” Nawaki stared blankly at Fanma; these words were a bit too profound for him.
Tsunade also wore a contemplative expression, lost in her own thoughts.
Only Minato listened with his usual expression.
After seven years of Fanma’s influence, Minato’s values had undergone a major transformation.
Especially when he first developed a crush on Kushina, Fanma told him a ghost story he would never forget: that he would become the Fourth Hokage, Kushina would die in childbirth, and the Nine-Tails would be unleashed.
To protect the village’s “important asset”—the Nine-Tails—he would sacrifice his life to seal it, resulting in both him and his wife dying.
His child would then inherit the hatred and stigma of the Nine-Tails, never treated like a hero’s son, but as a controlled, outcast Jinchuriki.
To better control the Nine-Tails, his child would be stripped of his identity as the Fourth Hokage’s legacy and sent to the Foundation for “reconditioning” in the name of: Everything for the sake of Konoha.
Minato grew up that night.
I, Namikaze Minato, have a life-long wish: to clock in on time, clock out on time, and have my wife, my children, and a warm hearth.
He remembered that when Fanma heard this wish, he laughed until he couldn’t stand straight.
He gave him a nickname on the spot: “Borsalino.” Minato didn’t understand the reference, but he thought the name sounded terrible, so he gave himself a new alias: The Flash, the Golden Emperor of Heaven…
Earn Them Together!