"Of course I would!"
Minato's sapphire pupils shimmered with ripples. For some reason, he felt really happy right then.
Although he hadn't known Master Jiraiya for long, he already felt a deep connection to him.
He couldn't quite describe this feeling before.
But now he understood.
It was like... a teacher... like a father!
Immediately afterward, Minato knelt down to perform the [bai shi ceremony] (a traditional apprentice ritual of paying homage to the master).
A gratified smile appeared on Master Jiraiya's face. From today onward, he had officially become someone's teacher.
More than ten years ago, right here, he himself had become the Third Hokage's disciple.
That's what they call passing down the legacy.
Jiraiya reached out and helped Minato rise after he had performed the bai shi ceremony. His eyes carried a gentle look as he said, "From today on, I will guide your training. You also no longer need to sneak into the Back Mountains to practice. I've already spoken to people; you may come and go freely in Training Ground Seven."
Minato already possessed the qualities of a true ninja and fully deserved to train in Training Ground Seven.
"Yes, Master Jiraiya!"
Minato's voice was full of joy—his excitement made him sound a bit louder than usual.
Looking at Minato, whose face radiated expectation, Jiraiya slightly raised his gaze toward the completely darkened sky and said, "It's already night now. You must be tired from the Ninja Academy today. We'll talk about training tomorrow."
A lecherous grin flashed across Master Jiraiya's face, but Minato didn't notice it at all. He simply nodded obediently.
"Then now, let your teacher take you to do something else—something even more important than training."
Jiraiya suddenly became very serious in expression and tone. Unaware of what this 'more important thing' could be, Minato also grew serious.
Yet inside his mind lingered one question—what could possibly be more important than training?
Soon after, the two quickly left Training Ground Seven.
They dashed through many streets, Jiraiya quickening his pace slightly—but not beyond Minato's endurance.
When they finally arrived at their destination, Minato froze in front of the entrance.
The place where Jiraiya had brought him was none other than Konoha Hot Springs.
"Master Jiraiya, this..." Minato looked puzzled. Was this the so-called important matter his teacher had mentioned?
Jiraiya patted Minato's shoulder and chuckled, "Ninjas need to balance work and rest too, you know. Nothing beats soaking in warm water after a long day's hard work!"
With that, Jiraiya pulled Minato inside.
Though somewhat perplexed by his master's sudden idea, Minato still obeyed every word Jiraiya said without question.
After neatly folding his clothes and placing them into the laundry basket, Minato realized his teacher had already disappeared. His clothes were tossed haphazardly into the basket, some even scattered on the floor.
Minato approached and tidied up Jiraiya's clothes first, then walked slowly into the hot spring.
Since it was a holiday, the hot spring wasn't empty—it was bustling with quite a few people, including some kids around Minato's age, although none of them were his classmates.
"Minato, why are you so slow?"
At that moment, an impatient voice rang out. Jiraiya was leaning against the edge of the hot spring, and beside his right hand sat a wooden tray holding a wine pot and a cup.
"Sorry about that," Minato replied as he jogged over and offered his apology.
Jiraiya's face was slightly flushed red. He held the cup in his hand, from which rose a strong aroma—one that smelled rather sharp to Minato.
"It's fine, you're too polite," Jiraiya waved him off before chugging down the entire cup's contents.
After a while, Jiraiya wobbled unsteadily to his feet and said to Minato, "I'm going out for a bit."
"Teacher Jiraiya, are you okay?" Minato asked with concern after seeing him stagger slightly.
Jiraiya waved again. "Totally fine!" he declared before rapidly leaving the area, seemingly shaking off his earlier tipsy state.
Minato didn't know what he was up to, but occasionally soaking in a hot spring was quite pleasant. He lightly shut his eyes, savoring the soothing moment.
However, after some time passed, Jiraiya still hadn't returned. Minato started to feel slightly worried, so he dressed himself properly and began searching around for Jiraiya.
He searched every corner of the bathhouse but found no sign of Teacher Jiraiya. And when he returned to where they changed clothes, he saw that all Jiraiya's belongings had already vanished from the basket.
Minato assumed he must've left early due to some urgent matter, which seemed perfectly reasonable.
"Maybe Teacher Jiraiya had something important come up?" Thinking this, Minato finished changing and exited the bathhouse.
"Hm, nice… really nice…"
Just as Minato was preparing to leave, he heard a low murmur. Years of training had given him hearing far sharper than average.
He immediately raised his eyes and noticed someone hiding beneath the night sky—crouched atop the roof of the hot spring building.
It was clearly Jiraiya.
"Teacher Jiraiya!" Minato called out again, but Jiraiya was too absorbed to notice him at all—he hadn't even heard his voice.
The entrance was quiet, so no one noticed this strange scene.
Out of curiosity, Minato slipped away unnoticed and leapt onto the rooftop, quickly reaching Jiraiya's side.
"T—Tea..." As Minato prepared to call out to Jiraiya, the older man suddenly lunged and clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shhh! Don't talk!"
Jiraiya placed a finger in front of his lips before turning his smiling gaze back toward where he'd been looking earlier.
But in Minato's eyes, there was definitely something strange about that look.
Intrigued, Minato followed Jiraiya's gaze...
"Teacher Jiraiya, is *this* the important thing you said was more crucial than training?"
Minato's face flushed bright red in an instant, and he quickly looked away.
The reason was what could be seen from where Jiraiya stood — the women's bathhouse...
Panicking, Minato blurted out his words louder than he meant to, and his flustered movements made noise.
Someone inside the women's bath noticed the commotion and looked up just in time to spot that lecherous gaze peering through the roof.
"Ahh!" A piercing scream rang out, startling people on the street outside.
"Not good, let's go!"
Jiraiya silently cursed, then immediately grabbed Minato. Moving at a speed resembling a body flicker technique, they instantly vanished from the rooftop of the bathhouse...
...
...
He slept right through until five o'clock...
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