A Gesture of Goodwill

The cicadas are chirping.

The person isn't broken yet!

The blazing sun was releasing its light and heat with all its might.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Katsuki's forehead, but her stick-up hair stubbornly refused to fall down, and its crimson color made people feel even hotter.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, standing as straight as a javelin, his eyes scanning his surroundings out of the corner of his eye.

"Come out, who are you? What business do you have with me?"

······

An ice pop wrapper, left lying on the ground in the alley, rolled and slid in the wind before being suddenly stepped on by a straw sandal.

"Who are you? If you're from the Anbu, did the Third Hokage have any further instructions? Or perhaps..."

Katsuki frowned, looking at the person approaching. He was dressed in Anbu attire, wearing a tanuki mask, and exuded an imposing aura. The word 'Root' lingered on his lips, but he swallowed it back. He didn't know if Danzo had already formed the infamous organization that would later become so notorious.

Unaware of the word Katsuki swallowed back, the tanuki mask's Anbu kept its sharp gaze fixed on Katsuki through the holes in the mask, and it nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"I apologize for disturbing you at this time, but there are some things I'd like to discuss with you. Please forgive me..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry. Just tell me what's wrong!"

Katsuki impatiently interrupted the pointless small talk. He was more eager to go home and examine the scroll in his sleeve than to sit here in the sweltering heat chatting with an Anbu.

I choked a little.

The masked Anbu coughed lightly, obscuring the expression on the face beneath the mask. The voice remained flat and monotonous, devoid of any emotion.

"Since that's the case, I'll be frank. I'm a member of the 'Root' organization, and I've come on a mission to convey some messages to a certain person."

"Root?"

Katsuki narrowed her eyes and raised her voice slightly.

His heart sank. It really was Root. Could Danzo be planning to attack him? Before he knew it, his thoughts started to wander again. But thankfully, he quickly came to his senses this time, and the other party spoke again.

"That's right, it's the Root. You may not have heard of us, which is normal. We didn't come together for fame or glory. Our organization's long-cherished wish is to restore the dignity of the First Hokage when he swept across the world, and to pacify this chaotic Shinobi World by force... Now, it's precisely because of that weak policy of appeasement..."

Like water flowing eastward, it flows endlessly.

In this sweltering heat, don't you feel thirsty and parched?

My mind started wandering aimlessly.

Katsuki's temples throbbed with veins, and the incessant chirping of cicadas, sometimes near, sometimes far, lingered in his ears, making his noisy heartbeat erratic. The scorching, blinding sunlight shone on the walls and the road, and the air seemed to be distorted by the intense heat.

He could pretty much guess what would happen next from the very beginning of that militant-style rhetoric, and he had no desire to listen any further.

However, he did not interrupt the other party's speech. As for 'Root', strictly Danzo, Danzo, that guy with a terrible reputation, he had no desire to deal with him at all. It would be best to say goodbye amicably. If possible, he did not want to cause any trouble with 'Root' at the moment.

Therefore, he patiently listened to the other party's incessant ramblings about the spiritual ideals of the militant faction, the ideals of the Root, and so on.

At the same time.

Hokage Building.

After seeing off Katsuki and Dan Katō's group of guests, Minato, led by the Anbu, stepped into the smoke-filled room.

The Third Hokage was a heavy smoker.

In the short time that Katsuki and the others left, the Third Hokage Generation closed the window and started smoking, puffing out clouds of smoke, filling the room with wisps of smoke, like a fairyland... It would have been perfect if the smoke weren't so unpleasant for non-smokers.

Cigarettes and voyeurism were his two great hobbies.

Perhaps it's true that like teacher, like student; he taught three disciples: prostitution, gambling, and drugs... Fate is indeed an interesting thing.

"Lord Hokage"

Minato stood tall and straight, like a sturdy pine tree growing in the courtyard, defying frost and snow.

That kind of spirit is truly admirable.

The Third Hokage waved Anbu the ANBU who were leading the way, and looked at Minato with admiration. In the blond boy, he vaguely saw his past self. Both had ordinary backgrounds, and strictly speaking, Minato's background was even more ordinary than his. The Sarutobi Clan was at least a force to be reckoned with, while the Namikaze surname meant that they were definitely commoners. Both also had extraordinary talent, like an awl in a bag, its sharpness shining out on its own.

"Don't be so tense, relax. I didn't call you here to scold you," the Third Hokage said with a smile.

"Yes."

With a concise and to-the-point answer, Minato maintained his cautious nature, his rock-solid body remaining motionless, only a perfectly sized curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, a humble yet confident smile floating on his handsome face.

The Third Hokage shook his head and smiled, saying there was no point in discussing it further.

"You did a great job in rescuing Kushina."

"You flatter me. I only did my best." Minato's smile turned into a bitter one, and a cloud of gloom settled between his brows. "I didn't accomplish anything at all. Compared to Katsuki and Otoha, I'm still far behind."

"Don't underestimate yourself. You did very well. Let's not talk about that. I called you here today to reward you. The reward you were supposed to receive will naturally be given to you by someone else. However, my foolish apprentice thinks highly of you and wrote me a letter saying he wants to take you as his disciple..."

The Third Hokage paused, glanced at Minato's excited Minato, a smile flashing in his eyes, and continued.

He asked me to ask you on his behalf: Would you like to become his disciple?

"This disciple is willing."

Answered instantly.

Minato bowed deeply, even though Jiraiya there.

Neither of them mentioned Jiraiya's name from beginning to end, but that didn't stop the Third Hokage Jiraiya from taking Minato under his wing.

"Very good. In view of your merits this time, your past experience, and that idiot who fought for you, I grant you permission to choose your reward." The Third Hokage smiled and placed his pipe on the ashtray, then took out a huge scroll from under the table.

"This is the Scroll of Seals left behind by the Second Hokage. It contains many powerful Ninjutsu and Forbidden Jutsu. You cannot learn the Forbidden Jutsu, but you can choose one of the Ninjutsu from among them."

After giving Minato a few instructions, the Third Hokage handed him the Scroll of Seals Minato.

The Scroll of Seals does not contain only forbidden techniques. There are not many Forbidden Jutsu that are too evil, such as the Impure World Reincarnation. The vast majority of them are powerful Ninjutsu of A-rank or S-rank.

The reason these Ninjutsu were recorded in the Scroll of Seals was simply because training them was too difficult and there were considerable risks involved in using them, such as the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Moreover, the Ninjutsu recorded in the Scroll of Seals could also serve as rewards to ninjas who made great contributions.

For example, the current Minato is a case in point.