Chapter 7
In the height of summer, Senju Nawaki, Namikaze Minato, and Uchiha Fugaku graduated from the Ninja Academy a year early thanks to their exceptional talent and outstanding grades. On the day of the graduation ceremony, Uchiha Mikoto and Yuki waited early at the Ninja Academy gate. With a touch of emotion in her eyes, Mikoto softly said to Yuki, "I still have to wait another year to graduate from the Ninja Academy."
A moment later, Mikoto frowned slightly, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "I heard from the teachers that Namikaze and Senju will be assigned to Jiraiya and Orochimaru's classes respectively. Both of them are formidable ninjas in the village. The three of them have always been at the top of their class, and now they've graduated early, fortunate to have such powerful mentors. When I graduate and become a genin, I'm afraid the gap in strength between me and them will be enormous."
Upon hearing the name "Orochimaru," Xue was slightly taken aback, thinking to herself: Isn't this the infamous villain who would later become a notorious figure in the Chunin Exams? Little did she know that at this moment, he was still a highly respected pillar of the village.
Xue snapped out of her reverie, took Mikoto's hand, and gently tickled her palm with her fingertips. A warm and reassuring smile appeared on her face as she whispered, "In my heart, Mikoto-neechan will always be the best, unmatched by anyone!"
Mikoto was amused by Yuki's words and actions, and she gently patted Yuki's head, her eyes full of affection.
Just then, Yuki suddenly remembered something important, looked up at Mikoto, and asked with concern, "Mikoto-neechan, will Nawaki-nii go to the battlefield on a mission?"
Mikoto paused slightly, then gently shook her head, her expression becoming somewhat grave: "Although recently, other countries have been constantly provoking incidents under the pretext of expanding their territories by force, making the situation increasingly tense, according to the village's rules, genin are not qualified to participate in war-level missions. To participate in such missions, one must at least reach the chunin level... Of course, unless the village is truly short-handed, or the enemy country has already reached the village's borders, and the situation is extremely critical. In that case..." Mikoto hesitated for a moment, glancing at Yuki with a hint of worry in her eyes. Even without her saying it, Yuki understood her implication.
Yuki listened quietly to Mikoto's words, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She had always known the cruelty and ruthlessness of this world; the brutality and mercilessness of war were shocking. And under the shadow of war, the most suffering were undoubtedly the unarmed ordinary people. Sometimes, Yuki would secretly feel fortunate that she was at least a ninja.
However, she also clearly understood that in the eyes of various countries, ninjas, despite their immense power, did not directly participate in production activities and needed to exist in dependence on the state, much like the state's military force. Of course, there were also some small countries caught in the middle whose leaders were not only highly skilled ninjas but also shouldered decision-making responsibilities similar to those of a president, controlling the fate of the nation.
What are you two talking about?
Xiaoxue snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see a handsome face very close to hers. Instinctively, she reached out and pushed him away. Fugaku straightened up, a friendly smile on his face, and gently ruffled Xiaoxue's hair.
Xiaoxue frowned slightly, feeling somewhat helpless towards her older Uchiha clan brother. He was always like this, constantly ruffling her slightly wavy hair, which she had painstakingly styled to look somewhat straight. Aside from Mikoto, she didn't like anyone else touching her hair like that!
Fugaku seemed oblivious to Yuki's little mood. He took out the headbands that the teacher had just given out from his pocket and handed them to the two of them, showing them off with great interest.
Xiaoxue took the headband and examined it carefully. This Konoha headband appeared rectangular overall, but was actually slightly oval, made of a single piece of metal. She reached out and gently touched it, finding the edges perfectly smooth, without any burrs. At the very center of the headband was engraved the iconic Konoha Village symbol—a leaf resembling a swirling vortex. A blue bandage was attached to the back of the headband for secure fastening.
At that moment, Fugaku crouched down to make it easier for Yuki to put the headband on him. Yuki hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and fastened the headband tightly around Fugaku's forehead. In that instant, Yuki suddenly had a hallucination of Uchiha Itachi... perhaps it was because Fugaku-nii, despite his young age, already had shallow tear troughs at the corners of his eyes.
“In a few days, the clan will be holding a gathering… Fugaku, you’ll be attending, won’t you?” Mikoto said from the side, her voice tinged with worry.
"The clan leader already told me about it a few days ago," Fugaku replied with a smile, his eyes sparkling. "Mikoto, you should also work hard and try to catch up with everyone as soon as possible. Yuki is the same. I heard from Ritsu that you have been training hard recently and have made great progress."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoxue felt a pang of embarrassment. Brother Fugaku was truly kind-hearted.
Why are you meddling so much? He's not the clan leader, he acts like an old woman, always asking about her grades every time he sees her.
"Xiaoxue and Mikoto are here too."
As soon as he finished speaking, Minato Namikaze appeared before everyone's eyes. His dazzling blond hair shimmered in the sunlight, almost blinding them.
Seeing this, Fugaku put his arm around Minato Namikaze's shoulder and said with a hint of sourness, "Hey, I heard you became Jiraiya's apprentice, the Third Hokage's disciple. You're really lucky."
Minato Namikaze, a little embarrassed by the comments, scratched his head and gave a shy smile. Yuki had heard Mikoto mention before that Minato-senpai was very famous in Konoha. At the Ninja Academy, he received straight A's in all his courses, consistently ranking first overall. Moreover, in group activities, he was always calm and composed under pressure, displaying extraordinary talent and leadership at a young age. He also frequently helped villagers outside of school, truly a pillar of the village. Mikoto had once remarked that if Minato-senpai had been born into a prestigious family, he might have even had a chance to run for Hokage someday.
However, Mikoto sighed at the time and added, "Unfortunately, he doesn't have any family support behind him. If he wants to become Hokage, he will have to put in a lot more effort."
Xue was stunned when she heard this, but she thought to herself: But in the end, he still became the most perfect Fourth Hokage in history.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze turned to Yuki with a smile and said, "Hey, by the way, Yuki, I heard from Nawaki that you're worried about your grades. Since you just finished picking up your graduation documents today and don't have anything else to do, how about we go to the training ground outside the village for some extra practice? I can give you some pointers."
Xue thought to herself, she had only mentioned it to Brother Shengshu once.
Fugaku and Mikoto frowned simultaneously, thinking to themselves: This guy... could he be trying to kidnap Yuki?
However, before they could even refuse, Yuki had already caught up with Minato Namikaze. Seeing this, Mikoto and Fugaku exchanged a helpless glance and could only sigh in resignation.
-
The training ground outside Konoha Village is surrounded by green trees, and occasionally a gentle breeze rustles the leaves.
As a junior student, Yuki doesn't possess a wide range of ninjutsu. Aside from her proficiency in Fire Release techniques, her increasingly refined taijutsu is the only skill she can hold her own among her peers.
At this moment, on the training field, Xue's gaze was focused and resolute. She moved swiftly, rushing towards Minato Namikaze's location, the kunai in her hand gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Her kunai throws were fast, ruthless, and accurate, cleverly utilizing blind spots to make the kunai's trajectory unpredictable.
Minato Namikaze was watching Yuki's attack with great interest when, before he could fully react, the girl suddenly appeared where the second kunai had been thrown, and the spot where Yuki had been standing had become a dead tree trunk.
When did the Substitute Technique begin?
A kunai grazed his cheek, leaving a tiny gash and a trickle of blood. At the same time, Yuki was now firmly kneeling on Minato's back, slightly out of breath. Minato's lips curved into a gentle, encouraging smile as he softly said, "Yuki, you've become stronger."
Xiaoxue paused for a moment, then her ears turned slightly red. She said in a slightly embarrassed voice, "It's just a trivial skill... It's nowhere near as good as Minato-senpai. Minato-senpai went easy on me."
“No.” Minato Namikaze gently shook his head, his gaze slowly sliding down to the girl’s rosy earlobes, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “If this were a real battlefield, I might already be dead. If Yuki had aimed at my forehead, or even my heart…”
Yuki stood up and extended her hand to Minato Namikaze. Minato smiled slightly, took her hand, and the two walked together to a nearby tree stump to rest. Once seated, Yuki thought of Kushina, who hadn't yet graduated, and a sense of curiosity welled up within her. She asked, "..."
What were Minato-senpai's feelings for Uzumaki-senpai?
"Eh?" Minato Namikaze paused slightly, seemingly surprised that Yuki would suddenly mention Kushina Uzumaki. He pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "She's a very strong girl, isn't she?"
As if he had thought of something amusing, he joked about it, saying, "When Uzumaki-san introduced herself at the beginning of the semester, she even said she wanted to be the first female Hokage!"
"The Hokage?" Xiaoxue blinked. "It seems that Nawaki-san and Minato-senpai also dreamed of this."
Minato, like a senior, asked, "What about Yuki's dream?"
Xue paused for a moment, she... wasn't sure either. She had never seriously thought about this question before, and after a while, she stammered, "I want to... protect Mikoto-nee, and Obito, Minato-senpai, Aki... it seems like there are quite a few people I want to protect."
Minato Namikaze chuckled: "This isn't a dream, is it? It's something we want to achieve."
Xue looked troubled, her thoughts seemingly wandering elsewhere.
Minato Namikaze gazed at Yuki, sighed softly, and said, "Yuki... is a very happy child."
"Huh? Why did Minato-senpai say that?" Yuki tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion.
Minato Namikaze lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in some memory. After a moment, he slowly raised his head, and the fleeting gloom in his eyes startled Yuki. Minato, who thought he had concealed it well, reached out and gently tapped Yuki's forehead with his index finger.
"Ugh... Minato-senpai, what are you doing!" Yuki covered her forehead, pouting angrily, even though it didn't hurt.
Seeing this, Minato Namikaze smiled, a smile that made Yuki think he looked somewhat like a fox. He said, "Little Yuki is really carefree."
"No, that's not it," Xue frowned. She had far more to consider than Minato-senpai had imagined, such as how to save Nawaki-nii and how to avoid the annihilation of her clan by her future nephew, Uchiha Itachi...
Xue's gaze inadvertently fell on Minato, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind: Since Minato could become the Fourth Hokage, his strength must be extraordinary, and he might be able to save Senju Nawaki!
Before Minato could speak, Yuki interjected, "Minato-senpai, can you grant me three requests?"
As for why there are three things, don't worry about that for now!
"Huh? Three things? Why..." Minato Namikaze paused slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Similarly, I also promised Minato-senpai three things, as long as it's within my power," Yuki quickly added.
Minato Namikaze's expression was gentle, but he remained silent for a long time. Yuki nervously swallowed, secretly wondering if… Minato Namikaze had discovered that she wasn't the soul of this world…
After a long while, I heard his reply.
"Okay, but Xiaoxue, you have to tell me everything that happens in the future."
"Also, I want to be Xiaoxue's closest older brother, is that okay? Even closer than Fugaku's older brother." Although it was a question, it revealed an undeniable pressure.
"Of course! It would be wonderful to have someone as outstanding as Minato-senpai as my brother!" Xiaoxue nodded quickly in agreement, but a strange sense of panic welled up inside her.
“By the way, now that we’re in such a close relationship, there’s something I’d like to ask of you, Xiaoxue.” Minato Namikaze said, leaning closer to her. The sunlight was suddenly blocked, and golden hair fell in front of Xiaoxue’s eyes. His azure eyes were full of smiles, and the headband on his forehead reflected dazzling spots of light in the sunlight. He took out a three-pronged kunai, the handle of which was engraved with the words “Sword of Endurance and Love.”
"I've recently been trying to practice the space-time ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage. Is it okay for Yuki to carry this kunai with her?"
Uchiha Yuki was secretly delighted. Wasn't this the protection from the protagonist's father?! She was startled and was about to take it when a voice in her mind reminded her that something was wrong.
"What's wrong? Yuki, do you not want to be my..." Before Minato Namikaze could finish speaking, Yuki quickly put the kunai in his hand into her ninja tool pouch.
No!
"However, please do not enter or leave the Uchiha territory at will... The clan has very strict controls, and non-Uchiha clan members need to report to the clan head before entering..." Xiaoxue quickly added.
Minato Namikaze blinked and chuckled, "Xiaoxue's parents are often not home, right?"
"As long as no one notices, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"What do you think, Xue?" The gentle voice, coupled with the elation in his deep blue eyes, made Xue subconsciously feel that Minato Namikaze seemed a little scary, but she didn't know if it was just her imagination.
Xue looked away, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
"I...I don't know...senpai."
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