Minato's Little Secret

His face flushed upon hearing this, Katsuki felt a bit embarrassed that his older sister's "antics" had been witnessed by someone else!

"Ring ring!"

Fortunately, the bell signaling the end of lunch break sounded quickly, saving Katsuki from his predicament.

"Let's hurry to the training grounds; afternoon P.E. class is held there," Minato called out to Katsuki, not mentioning Kushina at all.

At the training grounds, all twenty-four students were present, including the six bruised and battered individuals standing tall in the formation.

P.E. class, of course, wasn't just about running laps or playing ball; this was the Ninja Academy.

The P.E. curriculum was concise: physical conditioning, striking practice, and shurikenjutsu training. Finally, students could challenge each other to spar. Compared to the mental exertion of sitting in a classroom, most people preferred to solve problems with their muscles.

P.E. class was still supervised by Teacher Takashima. This was a characteristic of the Ninja Academy: one teacher was responsible for an entire class, covering all subjects. After all, to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy, one had to pass a written exam to test their cultural knowledge. Not only did they need to meet the academic standards, but their combat strength had to be at least Chunin level, more than enough to teach a bunch of brats.

Takashima was a veteran Chunin. During a past battle, he had accidentally taken an arrow to the knee. Fortunately, he didn't lose his life, but due to a lack of timely treatment, his leg was permanently disabled, forcing him to sadly leave the combat unit.

However, Takashima was sharp-minded and successfully passed the Ninja Academy's teacher examination, becoming an honorable ninja teacher. Despite his limp, he could easily beat up the kids without any pressure.

"Minato, find a few people to help move the shuriken from the equipment room. We'll be practicing shurikenjutsu today," Teacher Takashima instructed his most valued student. He had already graduated several batches of students, and Minato was the most perfect student he had ever seen.

Perfect, not just excellent.

He was handsome, eloquent, gentle, and polite, acting decisively and knowing when to advance or retreat. His talent was outstanding; whether it was academics, taijutsu, or shuriken throwing, he excelled. Yet, almost no one felt any jealousy towards him, only admiration...

Admiring a seven-year-old boy; no one would believe it if you told them, but Takashima was convinced that as long as Minato didn't meet an untimely end, he would definitely become a great figure in the future.

Minato respectfully acknowledged the order and selected a few people to head to the equipment room. As he passed Katsuki, he didn't look directly at him, acting as if he didn't know Katsuki at all. This was because Kushina's man-eating glare was fixed on Minato. The closer he got to Katsuki, the fiercer her gaze became, clearly still bothered by the "sissy."

Watching Minato's retreating back, Katsuki's pupils contracted sharply. No wonder he had felt something was off in the small grove earlier. Minato had said he was practicing shuriken in the grove during his lunch break, but the school explicitly prohibited students from bringing shuriken, kunai, and other weapons into the school to prevent private fights that could lead to fatalities.

Now it seemed Minato must have had the key to the equipment room, otherwise, where would he have gotten shuriken to practice with? Moreover, Teacher Takashima had likely tacitly approved.

No wonder Minato had hesitated when answering him back then. If this matter were exposed, not only would Minato be punished, but Teacher Takashima would also face consequences.

However, Katsuki wasn't particularly interested. Whether Minato told him this because he trusted him or for some other reason, Katsuki had no intention of exposing it. Not to mention that he and Minato were getting along fairly well now. While they weren't close friends, they could be considered acquaintances. Even if they were strangers, he wouldn't do something so pointless.

Three large baskets of shuriken were brought over. All the shuriken here were standard four-pointed ones, their edges glinting with a cold light. They were all sharpened, not the blunt practice toys.

"Alright, spread out and stand properly. Everyone take a set of shuriken and prepare to begin practicing."

Teacher Takashima eyed everyone. Each person took a set of twenty shuriken from the basket and then chose a wooden stake, standing ten meters away to practice throwing. After throwing, they picked them up and continued practicing.

Teacher Takashima, with his limp, walked among the students, correcting those with improper form. He was soon drawn to two individuals.

Kushina and Katsuki's shurikenjutsu was impressive, at least among this group of rookies. Only a few people like Minato could compare to the siblings.

Teacher Takashima watched the siblings throw shuriken with satisfaction. Not a single one of the twenty shuriken missed the target; all of them hit the bullseye marked on the wooden stake. Only Minato and another black-haired boy could achieve this level.

"Minato, Otoha, Kushina, Katsuki, you four come here," Teacher Takashima called the four over, in a good mood. As a teacher, his bonus was tied to his students' performance. The more excellent students he taught, the more generous his bonus would be.

Also, as a fervent admirer of the village and the Will of Fire, seeing these excellent youngsters grow was a deeply moving experience.

Unfortunately, the conditions in the lower-level classes were insufficient. This single-stake training was already of little benefit to Minato and the others. In the past, Minato and Otoha would spar during these times. Now, with Kushina and Katsuki added, they finally had new sparring partners.

"Minato, Otoha, Kushina, Katsuki, your shurikenjutsu is all excellent. You don't need to continue with the following training. You can practice taijutsu on your own, or spar with each other." Teacher Takashima led the four to another side of the training grounds, asking for their opinions.

"I'll spar with this sissy."

"I'll spar with the red-haired kid."

Instantly, Kushina pointed at Minato, and the black-haired boy pointed at Katsuki, as if they had rehearsed it.

Teacher Takashima was taken aback by this scene. However, student enthusiasm was a good thing. He glanced at Minato and Katsuki. "How about you two? Any problems?"

Sparring required the consent of the other party; otherwise, it would become a one-sided provocation.

"No."

Minato shook his head with a wry smile. Katsuki didn't refuse either, though he was curious as the black-haired boy looked somewhat familiar.

"Kushina and Katsuki, this is your first time participating in sparring like this at school. Remember, no weapons, no intentional harm to your opponent, and... defeat your opponent with all your might." Teacher Takashima pulled the Uzumaki siblings aside and gave them instructions.

Half of the training ground was filled with wooden stakes for shuriken practice, while the other half was an open space for taijutsu combat.