"Minato, if you're reading this letter, it means I'm still in the Land of Rain."
"Do you remember what I told you about the Child of Prophecy?"
"You might be that child. Your talent is something I've rarely seen in this world."
Namikaze Minato unfurled the massive scroll, and what first caught his eye was this handwritten letter from Jiraiya. Along with it were a few other envelopes and several scrolls containing various jutsu.
Uzumaki Kushina leaned over curiously to read with him.
Teenagers in the bloom of youth often grow close without even realizing it.
Ever since Minato had saved Kushina two weeks ago, she had been sticking to him like glue. When she noticed him searching for information on sealing techniques, she generously shared the collection passed down to her from Uzumaki Mito.
The scent of milk lingered faintly around the girl at his side. Inch by inch, she edged closer to the blond boy until their shoulders touched.
A gentle breeze blew by. Minato always wore that soft, reassuring smile. Every so often, Kushina would sneak a glance at him as he pored over the jutsu scrolls, then quickly turn away with a small squeak, as if caught in some amusing thought.
Minato noticed, but simply smiled and let it be. Sometimes doing nothing was the best response.
Even when Kushina pressed up against him now, he didn't react much—his attention stayed on Jiraiya's letter.
Kushina, on the other hand, was clearly flustered. Her face turned bright red, like the fiery glow of a setting sun.
So innocent... but honestly, that shy expression was kind of adorable.
Minato found it all quite amusing. Girls like her—pure, earnest—were just endearing by nature. He glanced at her and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Let's read it together, Kushina."
"R-Really?"
"Of course."
It was just a letter from Jiraiya-sensei—hardly a personal secret. And besides, Minato didn't really have any secrets to begin with.
After enduring all of Kaien's ridiculous "tests," Minato had developed a strong sense of composure. He wasn't the type to get flustered easily. With his naturally sunny disposition, it was easy for people to warm up to him.
That's what the Will of Fire was all about—positivity and strength of spirit. Minato just happened to embody that ideal perfectly.
The letter continued, and Minato kept reading.
As for the praise about his rare talent, he didn't take it too seriously. With people like Kaien around, Minato had long since stopped seeing himself as especially gifted.
"I also found another possible Child of Prophecy in the Land of Rain. I plan to guide them toward the right path. So... you now have three younger disciples."
"I'll be staying here in the Land of Rain to teach them, until they're strong enough to survive this chaotic world without getting swept away."
Minato had expected this much. Jiraiya-sensei had always taken the Child of Prophecy seriously—and Minato respected that.
He never thought of himself as someone special. He was just another ordinary shinobi of Konoha.
"The war is mostly over now. I regret not being able to return and train you properly, but I trust that Sakumo-senpai has time to spare."
"Sakumo-senpai is an even better shinobi than I am. I've written another letter and prepared a special package. Give them to him, and I'm sure he'll agree to teach you again."
Jiraiya had written those lines with a great deal of confidence, and Minato couldn't help but feel curious about that "special package."
"One more thing: all of my war merit points are yours to use. If you want to learn more jutsu, don't hold back—go to the old man and exchange them freely. No need to save anything for your teacher.
—Jiraiya"
With that, the first letter came to an end.
...
"This white-haired sensei is way out of line!" Kushina puffed up angrily. "He just left you behind to go chase after some other students! When he comes back, I'm definitely reporting him to Tsunade-san!"
She seemed more worked up than Minato himself.
"He's always been like this! Remember how he dumped you on Sakumo-san before?"
She recalled the time the three of them had trained under Hatake Sakumo. That time had been due to special circumstances—but this time, he was doing it again on purpose!
"It's okay, Kushina. Jiraiya-sensei must have his reasons. The Child of Prophecy means a lot to him."
"Still... I feel bad for troubling Sakumo-san again."
Minato scratched his cheek a little awkwardly. Every time Jiraiya disappeared, it was either Hatake Sakumo or Uchiha Kagami who ended up leading them on missions and training exercises.
Not to mention... there was that one jutsu he had handed over to Jiraiya-sensei.
The thought made Minato grimace slightly.
Still, he didn't feel abandoned. There were so many jutsu and secret techniques he still needed to master—no time to sit around feeling sorry for himself.
Kaien was still waiting for him to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring him back to Konoha!
If Kaien learned the Flying Thunder God before him and came back first... Minato could already imagine the endless teasing.
What a nightmare that would be.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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