"So that's how it is!
"You've studied the Will of Fire so deeply! Good! Very good! Excellent!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi used "good" three times in a row to show his approval.
He knew that Toneri trained hard every day, but he hadn't expected him to find the time to learn about the books Hiruzen himself had written on the Will of Fire.
For some reason, Hiruzen felt as if he'd found a kindred spirit—a friend who understood him despite their age difference.
He wanted to say just one thing to Toneri.
You get me!
Toneri nodded firmly.
Even without reading the books Hiruzen had written about the Will of Fire, Toneri could have delivered a long lecture on the subject. And he'd even taken the time to memorize the key points.
Hiruzen had seriously underestimated Toneri's education—and his ability to memorize things.
Though Hiruzen's books really were long and full of filler. He'd clearly inherited his talent for padding things out from someone!
But I'm going to swallow this "Will of Fire poison" no matter what! No one can stop me!
Hiruzen patted Toneri's shoulder with a pleased smile. "Once you start at the Ninja Academy, study hard and get along with your classmates!"
Then he sat back down and continued, "You can go for now. I'll have someone take you to the academy when the time comes."
"Okay. Thank you, Third." Toneri obediently left the Hokage Office.
Every time Hiruzen heard "old man," he felt as though he'd been silently mocked.
He slowly shook his head, pushing the ridiculous thought from his mind. The smile on his face gradually faded. "Keep watching him. Tell me in detail what he does each day and who he meets. But we don't need so many people anymore. Pull one squad back for now. One squad will be enough."
Two masked Anbu Ninjas appeared in the shadow of the corner and knelt on one knee before Hiruzen.
Neither of them said a word.
No matter how difficult a mission was, once they received their orders, they would never refuse. They would see it through to the end—or die trying.
"And why haven't Orochimaru and the others returned yet?"
When it came to his three students—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—Hiruzen was filled with pride, even if he didn't show it.
"Information from Lord Orochimaru has been received by the Communications Department and placed on your desk, Third."
One of the Anbu Captains spoke in a toneless voice.
Only then did Hiruzen notice the scroll on his desk.
He'd gotten so caught up watching the crystal ball that he hadn't seen it.
"Ahem. All right, you can go."
The two Anbu Captains nodded and vanished from the office.
Hiruzen opened the scroll and read Orochimaru's brief report on their situation. He couldn't help frowning.
The three of them had barely survived their battle against Hanzo of the Salamander, the demigod, and had even earned the title of the Three Sannin, shaking the entire Shinobi World.
But the battle had been brutal, especially because of the salamander's poison. Even with Tsunade there, they'd needed a long time to recover fully.
That wasn't the main problem, though. The main problem was that Jiraiya had taken pity on some orphans and decided to stay in the Land of Rain for a while to teach them. That was why their return had been delayed again and again.
"Jiraiya..." Hiruzen rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Orochimaru was the dependable one...
As his own strength began to decline, Hiruzen had started thinking about who would succeed him.
And passing one's mantle on to a student had always been the tradition among the Hokage.
After "winning over" Hiruzen by fifty percent, Toneri happily returned to the small forest where he usually trained.
The place had changed a lot since he'd first arrived.
Most noticeably, a clearing had been made in the center for his basic Taijutsu training. It had wooden posts for practicing punches, targets for practicing throws, and so on...
Toneri couldn't claim that his weapons throwing was super accurate yet, but at least he'd gotten pretty good at it.
On top of that, he could now perform Hand Seals with nearly perfect accuracy. He wasn't especially fast yet, but at least he no longer risked failing a jutsu because his Hand Seals were incorrect.
The next step was to gradually increase his speed.
When he entered the small forest, he discovered that someone else had joined him in what had once been his private training ground!
A ninja wearing a white hoodie, with a headband and a head full of golden-blond hair.
When Toneri noticed him, the man noticed Toneri too.
His large blue eyes held a trace of surprise, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a sunny smile.
The moment Toneri saw his face, his heart jolted.
My restless, damnable youth—it seems to be waving at me.
Minato Namikaze!
Konoha's Little Sun!
The Yellow Flash who would one day make the entire Shinobi World tremble! (This word would definitely turn into stars, so we're using "golden" here instead. It means pretty much the same thing, so don't get hung up on it.)
And the future Fourth Hokage of Konoha.
Naruto's father.
So many titles and descriptions could be bestowed upon him, but no matter how you put it, they all spoke to Minato's excellence!
"Hello, I'm Minato Namikaze. Is this your training ground?" Minato asked politely.
Judging from Shikaku and the others' ages, Toneri knew Minato had already graduated from the Ninja Academy ahead of schedule.
He hadn't expected to run into him here.
At this point, Minato's talent was beginning to show, but he had no powerful connections and hadn't yet become one of Jiraiya's students. Though he was known as a genius in Konoha, he wasn't famous enough for everyone to know who he was.
Toneri nodded, jumped down from the tree, and stood in front of Minato, unable to contain his excitement.
Of everyone in the Naruto world, the two Toneri remembered most vividly were Minato, who faced death with a smile, and Itachi, who died with a smile while saying, "My foolish little brother."
Seeing Minato in person today stirred up all kinds of feelings...
Minato was seriously damn handsome!
At least, he was just a little less handsome than me...
Still, this was the first time Toneri had met someone whose looks could rival his own.
Handsome people were supposed to be friends with other handsome people. Shikaku... was better suited to being a coworker.
Minato wasn't sure what to make of the little stars practically appearing in Toneri's eyes.
Fortunately, Toneri came to his senses in time, before he started drooling...
Slurp—
"Hello, I'm Toneri. This is my training ground, yes. What brings you here?" Toneri asked with a smile, regaining his composure.
At that, Minato grinned, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.
"I see. I used to train here too, but I've been busy with missions lately. I didn't realize...
"Since this is your training ground now, I'll find somewhere else."
Even as Minato scratched his head, his golden hair stayed perfectly in place.
Toneri was a little jealous.
But that clearly wasn't the point right now.
He waved his hands. "You were here first. I'm the newcomer. If you don't mind, why don't we share the place?
"Training alone can get a little dull, but having two people here would definitely give us more motivation."
He'd finally found a new tool—and one at this level, no less. How could he let him go so easily?
The future Fourth Hokage as his tool... Just thinking about it made him a little excited...
Minato looked at Toneri's clothes, then at his forehead. He confirmed that Toneri wasn't a ninja and was probably a kid who hadn't yet graduated from the Ninja Academy.
He hesitated briefly, but in the end, he smiled and agreed. "Sure."
Thanks to the two benefactors, Shénqí Méngméngdā and Kángzhe Wōniú Qí Wūguī, for crowning me as alliance leaders!
Thank you all for your support! I'm grateful to every benefactor who supports Jin Mu. I have no way to repay you except with "Ying ying ying." My damnable, restless charm...
I'll make up for the extra chapter I owe you for the recommendation votes when I get a chance.
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