Minato and Jiraiya had rushed through several streets at nearly body flicker speed before finally stopping.
Under the dim streetlight, the two looked slightly disheveled.
At this moment, Minato's face was flushed bright red. Although he had merely glanced once before turning away, he still caught sight of something rather embarrassing.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, surveyed his surroundings like a seasoned offender. After confirming no one else was around, he turned toward Minato and said,
"Why did you follow me?"
He immediately noticed Minato's expression—his face and neck had turned bright red.
"I... I thought you left first because there was something urgent, so..." Minato mumbled hesitantly, unsure what to say next.
"Alright, alright, I understand."
Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively. He knew Minato's speech was incoherent right now—he could relate, considering this was his first time experiencing such an "important life event."
Then, his expression changed subtly as he leaned in close and murmured,
"Hey kid, how did you feel about that scene just now?"
Minato glanced sideways again, meeting Jiraiya's lecherous look once more. He really didn't know how to respond.
"It's... not really appropriate... is it?"
After an agonizing pause, that was the only thing he could bring himself to say. Despite his sharp mind and steady temperament, when it came to topics like this, even he stammered awkwardly.
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya frowned slightly and replied, "You don't get it, do you? That's the real essence of life..."
He continued talking on his own while Minato remained motionless, seemingly having heard nothing at all.
"Heh, guess it's still too early to tell you all this. After all, you're still just a kid." Jiraiya muttered as he rubbed his chin, then added, "Be at Training Ground Seven tomorrow morning at seven o'clock—that'll be the start of your training."
Before Minato could react, Jiraiya had already vanished without a trace.
That speed was something Minato still couldn't fully perceive.
Under the streetlight, Minato stood stunned for quite some time before the flush on his face finally began to fade. Just as he was preparing to walk away, a voice suddenly echoed near his ear:
"Be careful… Sensei Jiraiya."
He stopped immediately. In his mind, the red-haired woman appeared again. Though her face was still unclear, Minato could distinctly see the helpless curve of her lips.
"Who exactly is she?" His heart pounded heavily within his chest. Supporting himself against the streetlight, he slowly bent forward, his azure pupils narrowing slightly.
Her words continued echoing inside his head.
Be careful… Sensei Jiraiya?
It wasn't really a warning tone. Although the woman said that, he could clearly tell she also deeply respected Jiraiya, otherwise she wouldn't have called him 'Sensei.'
This red-haired woman who often appeared in his thoughts definitely knew Jiraiya. Perhaps, like himself, she had also been his student once.
Minato always felt that whenever he saw her, his emotions would overwhelm him—joy mingled with a deep sense of sorrow.
Carefully recalling, all of this had started the day he first met Kushina...
Anyone whom the Third Hokage personally ordered the Anbu to protect must have an origin far from ordinary.
"Being constantly watched... Kushina must be really unhappy about it too."
Minato slowly stood up, his mood sinking as he recalled Kushina's sad expression every day when she left the Ninja Academy.
"There's a good chance Master Jiraiya knows something about Kushina!" His eyes lit up. As a disciple of the Third Hokage and a high-ranking figure in the village, his teacher surely had insight.
Furthermore, back then when Master Jiraiya came to teach at the Ninja Academy, it seemed like an observation mission targeting himself—but during that time, he had deliberately approached both Mikoto and Kushina.
There must have been a reason behind his actions.
While pondering these thoughts, Minato returned home. Facing the empty house, his heart was nevertheless filled with a warm, comforting feeling.
The sense of security Jiraiya gave him—as both a mentor and a father figure—finally made him feel no longer alone.
So, after pushing aside the lingering questions in his heart, he looked forward eagerly to tomorrow's training.
Looking out the window at the Hokage Rock, Minato realized that becoming his master's apprentice brought him one step closer to achieving his dream.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Minato had already set off toward Training Ground Seven.
Upon arriving at the field, he found that his teacher had somehow already been there.
"Sorry, Master Jiraiya. I'm la—"
Although he had arrived quite early, considering this was his very first training session with Jiraiya, showing up later than his teacher seemed impolite.
Therefore, he intended to walk over and apologize.
Just as Minato approached Jiraiya, the latter suddenly opened his closed eyes and immediately threw a punch straight at Minato.
Minato's reflexes were quick, but under Jiraiya's attack, he barely managed to dodge the blow—flipping his body sideways and crouching low on the ground.
Before he could fully recover, still frozen mid-movement, his teacher's second punch was already upon him.
Pure taijutsu techniques relentlessly drove the current Minato into a desperate situation within the short exchange.
"Puff!"
But when Jiraiya's fist struck Minato, a burst of light smoke arose, revealing a wooden log badly smashed at the spot where he once stood.
"That was close..." Minato reappeared several meters away and whispered to himself.
"Not at all like a mere Ninja Academy freshman..."
Jiraiya withdrew his punch, well aware that Minato had already begun forming the hand seal for [Substitution Jutsu] the moment he dodged the first attack, which enabled him to escape even under nearly unavoidable circumstances.
This required not only outstanding reaction speed but also the integration of combat experience and quick thinking.
Within such a short period of time, he needed to devise an effective strategy to turn the situation around and precisely implement it at the right moment.
Without doubt, Minato possessed such talent—and succeeded.
[Swish!]
After withdrawing his punch, Jiraiya quickly closed the several meters of distance between them and struck toward Minato's face with an open palm.
That speed would be impossible for even a Genin to react to, but Minato, who was prepared, wasn't included in that category. He quickly sidestepped to dodge the strike and fired back with a counterattack.
Of course, this was just the teacher testing him.
They launched into battle at that very moment. After enduring over a dozen exchanges, Minato was finally captured by Jiraiya.
No matter how you looked at it, there was still a massive gap between them right now.
With both of Minato's hands firmly pinned, Jiraiya chuckled as he spoke, "You adapted quite fast to my way of greeting, huh..."
Minato, captured, gave a bitter smile and said, "No wonder you're my teacher. Even one of your clones is already beyond my current ability."
Jiraiya's expression flickered for a moment before he smiled again. "So you've noticed already, huh?"
"Boom!"
Immediately afterward, the "Jiraiya" who had captured Minato dissolved into a puff of smoke once more, while his real body simultaneously appeared before Minato.
...
...
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