"Haah... haah..."
Accompanied by rhythmic breathing and footsteps, Minato ran along the streets of Konoha.
The sun had just risen, and the first warm rays of autumn were shining over Konoha.
Minato had left the shabby little hut on the edge of the village early that morning and hurried to the Police Department.
Inabi, who was on guard at the entrance, saw Minato jogging toward him, sweat already running down his jaw. He stepped forward and asked, "Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened. I'm here to see Senior Qingguang," Minato explained.
"Looking for Squad Leader Qingguang?" Inabi remembered Qingguang telling him yesterday afternoon that a blond-haired child would come to the Police Department to see him today.
"You're Minato, right? The squad leader told me you'd be coming. His office is on the third floor, right in the middle."
"Thank you, Senior Inabi. And thank you for your hard work." Minato bowed slightly in gratitude, his manners impeccable.
He headed toward the Police Department's office building.
Inabi watched Minato's retreating figure, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face.
"What a good kid. Just like Captain Qingguang."
Qingguang had always been his peer, and Inabi had known him only as a reliable, likable friend.
But now, after meeting a junior who was almost exactly the same, he finally understood why the elders and clan head had taken such a liking to Qingguang at the clan gathering.
Who wouldn't like a junior with such a nearly perfect personality?
"Knock, knock, knock..."
"Come in. Just leave the paperwork on the left side of the desk." Qingguang kept his head down as he reviewed the day's documents.
He didn't notice at all that the person who entered wasn't an office worker bringing paperwork.
"Senior Qingguang, it's me."
"Hm? Minato, you're here already?"
"Have a seat over there for a while. If there isn't any more paperwork today, I'll be done in half an hour."
"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? The cafeteria will be opening soon. I'll take you to get something to eat before we train."
Qingguang spoke to Minato while carefully reviewing the documents.
Seeing how diligent he was, Minato felt all the more that Qingguang was an exceptionally responsible senior worthy of emulation.
Half an hour later, Qingguang and Minato sat together in the cafeteria.
Minato stared at the steamed buns in the bamboo basket, inhaling the fragrant smell of dough. His stomach even let out a faint growl.
"Go ahead and eat. If you don't fill up, where will you get the strength to train?"
"Yes, Senior Qingguang."
A little over ten minutes later, a tall stack of empty bamboo steamers had accumulated beside Minato.
Watching him eat, Qingguang said, "From now on, you can eat here at the Police Department."
Minato stopped with a bun in his hand and, feeling a little embarrassed, started to refuse. Qingguang cut him off.
"One more person or one fewer person makes no difference to the cafeteria. Here, look over there."
Following Qingguang's pointing finger, Minato saw a row of Ninja Dogs gnawing on fresh chunks of meat.
Only then did Minato stop insisting.
After the meal, on the training ground, Qingguang handed Minato a sheet of Chakra Paper.
"Infuse this paper with Chakra. The way it changes will show you your Chakra nature."
Minato concentrated and closed his eyes, meditating.
He seemed to feel a breeze pass by, followed by warmth and a tingling sensation in his hand.
Qingguang looked at the paper, which had been split in half, with one side burned and the other crumpled. He had his answer.
"Wind, lightning, and fire. You naturally have three natures. First, tell me what you think of these three styles, and which one you want to learn first."
It was better to teach someone how to fish than to give them a fish. Qingguang didn't intend to instruct Minato in a rigid, prescriptive way. With a genius like him, the best teaching method was to let his thoughts roam freely and allow him to keep drawing out the fruits of his own wisdom.
"Wind, fire, lightning..."
Minato recalled what he had been taught at the Ninja Academy, and soon reached a decision.
"Senior Qingguang, I want to learn Wind Release first."
"Why?" Qingguang asked.
"At the Ninja Academy, our teacher said Wind Release is the rarest of the five Chakra natures."
"And the nature I felt most clearly just now was probably Wind Release."
"Have you thought it through? A ninja's time and energy are limited. The style they learn first often becomes the one they're best at for their whole life. There's only one ninja in all of Konoha, even the whole Shinobi World, who can master all five natures like Lord Hokage."
"Yes, I've thought it through." Minato nodded firmly.
"Good." Qingguang formed Hand Seals. A fierce gust swept from behind him, gathering the withered leaves around them and piling them in a thick heap in front of Minato.
"Today's training is to use Wind Release Chakra to cut every one of them in half."
"Don't burn them or crumple them. You can only use Wind Cutter."
"When you can say 'Leaf Sever' and leave a smooth cut, I'll start teaching you ninjutsu."
"If you get tired, read this." Qingguang took a scroll from his sleeve. It contained quite a bit of analysis and commentary on Wind Release Chakra.
Though most members of the Uchiha Clan used fire and there were very few Wind Release users, the clan had plenty of ninjutsu in its collection, including techniques of every nature.
They were all spoils of war from the Warring States Period. They'd been gathering dust in the storeroom, so with Qingguang's current standing, there was no harm in taking a few.
Minato accepted it. The moment he opened the scroll, a cloud of white smoke billowed out with a bang.
A cascade of scrolls spilled from within and buried Minato.
Sitting up from the ground, Minato gazed at the vast "sea of books" around him and felt the happy dilemma for the first time.
Before, he'd thought the Ninja Academy taught too little and didn't have enough books for him to read. He'd wanted to learn more.
But now Qingguang had brought out so many scrolls at once—and they were all about Wind Release. There were more than a hundred of them. How...
How long would it take him to read them all?
Minato wasn't the only one surprised. Qingguang hadn't expected it either.
Was this a space scroll? He hadn't checked carefully. He'd only told the person in charge of the storeroom to bring him the most comprehensive and best Wind Release scrolls. How had they given him so many?
"Ahem. You don't have to read them all right now. But if you're eager to learn and do finish them, there are scrolls for other natures too. I can—"
"No, Senior Qingguang. You're right. Too much at once is hard to digest. I think learning Wind Release is enough for me for now."
"I'll think about the other styles later. Later."
Minato got to his feet, went over to the withered leaves, and began training with them clasped in his hands.
By the end of the day, the training ground was covered in fragments of leaves.
Minato was still there, continuing to train. Qingguang didn't show up again until dusk was falling.
"How's it going?"
Minato scratched his head, looking a little troubled. "I can cut them easily, but I can't make the cut surfaces smooth."
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