"Who do you think you are, acting so high and mighty!"
Watching Yan Uchiha walk away, Kushina finally snapped out of her daze and muttered under her breath.
Last time when she insisted on challenging Yan Uchiha directly, she truly realized the gap between herself and both him and Minato...
It wasn't that she lacked talent; compared to these two, Kushina had simply spent far less time at the Ninja Academy.
Her recent growth rate had even surpassed Mikoto's in the past, which even startled Minato.
"Good morning, Kushina!" As she entered the classroom, Minato greeted her with his warm smile.
Her originally disgruntled expression immediately turned red. However, after gradually becoming familiar with Minato and Mikoto lately, Kushina was no longer as shy as she once had been.
"Yeah, good morning," Kushina responded softly.
Minato smiled again and asked, "You came really early today."
With nearly a year of school passed, Minato had long gotten used to being the first to arrive each day. Second was always Mikoto.
However, since today's training schedule started earlier than usual, Yan Uchiha might have come early just to meet him—but Kushina actually arriving this early surprised him too.
He realized this because he noticed an unusual gleam of joy deep in her eyes.
Beneath that excitement, though, he could see loneliness.
He had planned to ask how Kushina's vacation went, but thinking about the Anbu tailing her constantly, he figured it out—she wasn't really free at all, because she was being followed by the Anbu.
That explained why Kushina had rushed back to the Ninja Academy so quickly after the break—because she wanted to escape being alone.
"Hehe," Kushina replied with what she thought was a perfect smile.
But what she didn't know was that the boy standing before her had already seen through her hidden loneliness.
And she definitely couldn't have known that he had silently resolved to help her escape this surveillance.
Regardless of Kushina's background, Minato only knew one thing: her happiness was his own.
Minato did not pursue the topic further. Kushina returned to her seat, occasionally glancing sideways at Minato from the corner of her eye, a charming blush spreading across her young face.
The atmosphere was broken by a familiar voice.
"You two sure came early."
Mikoto was the third to enter the classroom. Seeing them both already seated, she smiled as she spoke.
Both girls greeted her, and then Mikoto returned to her seat next to Kushina, starting up some casual chatter.
Girls chatting just flows naturally.
...
After a day's classes finished, Minato saw Mikoto and Kushina off, then returned home to drop off his backpack before continuing with the rest of his daily training routine.
Under the dimming sky, he dashed through the quiet streets near Konoha's edge, keeping watchful eyes around him all the while—Jiraiya-sensei had warned him that unannounced challenges would come up during his training.
When he finished his twentieth lap around Konoha, the sky had gone dark.
After a brief rest, Minato returned home and prepared a simple dinner himself as instructed by Jiraiya.
Living alone, he naturally picked up some cooking skills, though they weren't particularly impressive.
After finishing his meal, since it was still early, Minato had no intention of going to bed yet.
After tidying up the dishes, he returned to his room to begin practicing hand seals.
...
In the days that followed, Minato continued this training that seemed simple but was actually grueling.
True to his promise that day, Master Jiraiya kept throwing obstacles in his way now and then. It wasn't limited to shuriken or stones anymore—sometimes, he even summoned larger creatures to block Minato's path.
These summoned beasts possessed considerable strength, though their physical agility was slightly lacking. This was exactly Jiraiya's intention—creating challenges for Minato while still giving him a chance to complete his training.
Amidst all these hindrances, Minato's training became increasingly smooth. His incredible adaptation speed often amazed Jiraiya, especially his improved reaction time.
And so, an entire year passed...
Swish!
Along the edge of Konoha's streets, Minato's figure flashed through swiftly. To anyone watching, he left behind nothing but blurs.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Minato turned into the next street, several dark afterimages shot toward him, aiming for his vital points.
Such attacks were impossible for ordinary people to react to, let alone dodge. Yet on the face that had grown more handsome and radiant over the past year, a faint smile appeared.
He somehow produced several shuriken—not the practice tools used at the ninja academy, but real ones.
These were "taken" from Master Jiraiya.
Dang! Dang!
Minato flung the shuriken, precisely knocking down all the incoming ones. Without missing a beat, he continued rushing forward.
"What a kid."
Jiraiya secretly praised from the shadows. He hadn't taught Minato any Shuriken Jutsu. What Minato used now was a technique he'd learned during his fight with Yan Uchiha, belonging to the Uchiha clan.
Although it wasn't the full Uchiha Shuriken Jutsu, Jiraiya never expected Minato to make such tremendous progress in shuriken throwing within just one year.
As for his speed, he already surpassed ordinary chunin. Even Jiraiya found it harder to tail him unnoticed these days...
That kid's progress was just mind-blowing!
All through that year, he'd only let Minato work on basic physical training. Except for the Summoning Technique, he hadn't taught him a single ninjutsu.
Yet Minato, just as Jiraiya had anticipated, had pushed his signature speed to the extreme.
Despite every attempt to stop him, Minato always evaded skillfully—and even counterattacked.
Minato's current strength had already surpassed the teachers at the ninja academy, though he had never shown it outwardly.
One wonders what Moto Kouda and others would think if they knew they'd been surpassed by an eight-year-old child?
Konoha's Training Ground Seven.
It's a rest day today. After completing his daily training, Minato then made his way here.
Jiraiya was already waiting for him at the training field.
However, Minato knew that it was still just a Shadow Clone, not his master's real body.
"Master, today I'm going to beat your Shadow Clone!"
Minato bowed respectfully. As he lifted his gaze, a fierce fighting spirit burned in his blue eyes — a sharp contrast to his usual calm demeanor.
Swoosh!
In an instant, Minato burst forward like a golden flash, launching his attack!
...
...
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>