Minato Namikaze's Happiness

"Why did you knock him out right away?" Seeing Kakashi collapse, Minato Namikaze instantly appeared at his side and caught him before he fell.

The speed was so fast that Hyuga Kazuya had not seen it clearly at all.

"Teacher, he needs rest right now." Hyuga Kazuya, slightly out of breath, steadied his heartbeat and spoke slowly.

Hyuga Kazuya had held the upper hand throughout the fight, but that was because he had rushed right into Kakashi's face from the start and successfully suppressed him. That was why the entire battle had seemed like Kakashi was being beaten one-sidedly.

Of course, this had been a sparring match where they could not use certain killing moves. On a real battlefield, Hyuga Kazuya was confident he could take Kakashi down instantly, because Kakashi was truly far too inexperienced right now, nowhere near the future Konoha Technician.

Minato Namikaze looked at Kakashi in his arms. The deep bags under his eyes and haggard face showed that he probably had not rested properly these past few days.

"You're right. But next time you do something like this, try to tell me first."

"Okay, Teacher Minato."

Hyuga Kazuya nodded. Knocking Kakashi unconscious had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. From his earlier observations, Kakashi had seemed perfectly normal, but once their spar began, he discovered that Kakashi's chakra was extremely unstable.

One could only imagine the state Kakashi's body was in. It had not shown during their earlier conversation, but once the sparring began and he used chakra, Kakashi's exhaustion became unmistakably apparent.

Minato Namikaze looked at Kakashi in his arms, then called over a maid from the Hatake Clan and gently placed Kakashi on the bed.

The maid beside them was somewhat dazed. The battle had been far too fast, lasting only a few seconds from beginning to end, yet her family's genius young master had already been defeated.

Having watched Kakashi grow up, they knew his strength and talent better than anyone. To them, Kakashi's swift defeat was simply too hard to accept.

But it also left them astonished by Hyuga Kazuya's strength.

However, one young-looking maid at the side muttered indignantly, "Isn't it just because you're a few years older? Give Young Master Kakashi a few more years, and he'll knock your teeth out."

Hyuga Kazuya and Minato Namikaze, both sharp-eared and keen-eyed, merely exchanged a glance and smiled without saying anything.

After all, what she said was true. Hyuga Kazuya was indeed a few years older than Kakashi and had several more years to grow. It was only natural for him to be stronger; losing would have been the surprise.

Besides, with women's overflowing maternal instincts and a maid's duty to defend her young master, did that not make her even more competent?

The Hatake Clan relatives beside them had much simpler thoughts. Kakashi's defeat was not exactly expected, but it was understandable. After all, one was about four feet four, while the other was around five feet six.

The shorter one lost.

Wasn't that perfectly normal?

But this also etched the name Hyuga Kazuya into their minds. If they had the chance in the future, they would have to get acquainted with him. As merchants, maintaining good relationships with members of great clans and powerful shinobi was a required lesson for surviving in the Shinobi World.

Originally, with Hatake Sakumo backing them, they had been able to hire Konoha shinobi at extremely favorable prices in Konoha. Combined with Hatake Sakumo's reputation, it had spared them much trouble. But now, because Hatake Sakumo had died, they needed to find another great tree to rely on for survival.

Kakashi, once he grew up, was one option, but Hyuga Kazuya, a scion of a great clan, was undoubtedly another good choice.

However, they would have to wait until Kakashi and Hyuga Kazuya had spent some time together. At the very least, they needed to learn something about Hyuga Kazuya's character from Kakashi before making a decision.

So there was no need to rush.

As for Minato Namikaze, the Hatake merchants had no idea who he was.

Minato Namikaze interrupted the dazed maid and told her to pass a message to Kakashi once he woke up. "Tell him to find me at Training Ground 6 at noon tomorrow."

After bidding farewell to the Hatake Clan, Minato Namikaze left the Hatake residence with Hyuga Kazuya.

"Teacher Minato, where are we going now?" Hyuga Kazuya asked curiously as he followed behind Minato Namikaze.

Minato Namikaze spread his hands helplessly. "Originally, I only wanted to assess the two of you today, then treat everyone to a meal so you could get to know each other."

"But Kakashi has already passed out."

After thinking for a moment, Minato Namikaze decided not to have the meal today.

"Let's wait until tomorrow."

After all, these two would be his disciples in the future. Thinking about his plans for Hyuga Kazuya and Hatake Kakashi's future development, Minato Namikaze continued.

"You're from the Hyuga Clan, and your clan has its own methods for improving strength. If Kakashi can fully master his father's swordsmanship, he'll already become a powerful shinobi capable of standing on his own."

"So I don't need to worry too much about the growth of your strength. What you both currently lack is knowledge of the Shinobi World, combat experience, and attention to certain details when carrying out missions."

"Of course, the most important thing right now is the coordination between the two of you. You'll be carrying out missions together in the future, so you need to develop a certain degree of teamwork."

Minato Namikaze thought it over again and felt that he should be right. After all, this was his first time being a Jonin instructor.

"Understood, Teacher Minato. In that case, I'll be leaving first."

After hearing Teacher Minato's plans for him and Kakashi, Hyuga Kazuya nodded, deeply agreeing with them.

For ordinary shinobi, mastering just a few advanced ninjutsu or Taijutsu techniques was enough to make them elites among shinobi. After all, no matter how many ninjutsu one learned, life and death in battle often came down to a single instant.

And simple tricks like walking on water and climbing trees, which Kakashi had taught the three members of Team Seven early in the original story, were things Hyuga Kazuya and Kakashi had long since mastered.

After all, Hyuga Kazuya had been taught from childhood by his uncle, an Elite Jonin from the Hyuga Clan's Main Family, while Kakashi had been taught by his father, a Kage-level powerhouse.

At the same time, because Kakashi had displayed such talent from a young age, his father had already laid down a solid foundation for him.

Therefore, what Minato Namikaze could teach them were only the ninjutsu, combat techniques, Shinobi World knowledge, and other things they had yet to master—the things a mature Jonin needed to know. Naturally, there were also the most important things: values and bonds.

Since Kakashi had been knocked unconscious by him today, Hyuga Kazuya could only leave first and return home to train on his own.

"Bye-bye. See you tomorrow." Minato Namikaze smiled and waved goodbye to Hyuga Kazuya.

Watching Hyuga Kazuya's figure gradually recede, then looking back at the Hatake residence, Minato Namikaze recalled how he had initially been somewhat confused when the Third Hokage suddenly asked him to take on two disciples.

But judging from their battle alone today, although Kakashi had not performed particularly well, considering his age, both of them could be called absolute geniuses of the village.

Thinking about how the Third Hokage had entrusted such talented shinobi from the village to him for instruction, Minato Namikaze could not help but feel both heavy pressure and the village's trust in him. An indescribable happiness spread through his entire body.

Without a doubt, the village he dearly loved and trusted also trusted him just as deeply. To Minato Namikaze, that was incomparably fulfilling.