Minato's Lack of Confidence

After choosing a Ninja Cat, Hinai handed Natsuki a contract scroll.

Signing it meant that he had become a contractor of the Ninja Cat Clan.

Natsuki did not stay long. After saying goodbye to Granny Cat, he hurried back with his Ninja Cat.

"My name is Shirayuki, meow."

Shirayuki excitedly bounced around Natsuki.

Just like a cat—full of energy.

Natsuki smiled and asked, "What abilities do you have?"

"I can help you deliver intelligence and purchase ninja tools."

Shirayuki answered.

"Those are the Ninja Cat Clan's abilities. What about your own?"

Natsuki asked again.

"I'm very fast, and my claws are powerful too—comparable to kunai!"

Shirayuki stretched out her soft paws. With a swish, sharp claws slid out.

Natsuki nodded.

He estimated that Shirayuki's combat ability was roughly equivalent to that of an ordinary Genin.

But that was normal. He could not expect a cat to possess the power to destroy heaven and earth.

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Ninja Cat Shirayuki.]

[When the Ninja Cat Shirayuki is summoned using the Ten Shadows Technique, speed is permanently increased by 30%.]

Natsuki could not help raising an eyebrow.

The 30% bonus had exceeded his expectations.

A 30% speed increase for the Ninja Cat Shirayuki might not seem like much, but what if it were a snake, toad, or Slug from the Three Great Summoning Beast Sacred Lands?

However, judging from the Ten Shadows Technique's description, the bonus granted by each type of Summoning Beast was probably different.

"Natsuki, is this your cat?"

The moment Natsuki entered Orochimaru's residence, Nawaki's voice rang out.

"I'm Shirayuki, meow."

Shirayuki raised a paw, waved it, and said.

"She's pretty cute."

Nawaki immediately praised her.

"I went to Granny Cat's shop to buy ninja tools and got myself a Summoning Beast while I was there."

Natsuki answered.

"I see."

Nawaki looked at Shirayuki and said, "When I have time, I'll get one too."

"Ninja Cats aren't suitable for you."

Natsuki shook his head and suggested, "I think you should find a Summoning Beast with sensory abilities."

"Sensory abilities?"

Nawaki froze, not understanding why Natsuki said that.

"Neither you nor I are sensory Ninja. Once we graduate, we'll be vulnerable to traps or enemy ambushes."

Natsuki explained.

"You really think things through."

Nawaki said with feeling.

"How about Ninja Dogs?"

Natsuki blinked and said, "The two of us can go ask the Inuzuka Clan for one."

The Inuzuka Clan was a ninja clan famous for raising Ninja Dogs, and their inherited secret techniques were closely tied to Ninja Dogs.

"But I don't know any Ninja from the Inuzuka Clan."

Nawaki scratched his head and said.

"Your sister definitely does."

Natsuki reminded him.

"Then once training is over, let's go to Konoha Hospital together."

Nawaki immediately said after hearing that.

"Mm."

Natsuki nodded.

He had brought up Ninja Dogs not only because of his Ten Shadows Technique, but also because Nawaki had died in an Explosive Tag trap.

But with a Ninja Dog, there was a high chance that Nawaki could avoid dying in an Explosive Tag trap.

Ninja Dogs possessed an extremely keen sense of smell. They could detect the scent of Explosive Tags, or rather, the lingering scent left by the enemy who had set the trap.

After the two finished chatting, Natsuki took out the Sword of the Thunder God and began practicing Konoha Style Swordsmanship.

After nearly two months of study, he had already mastered most of it.

The only regret was that he could not learn the ultimate technique of Konoha Style Swordsmanship, the Dance of the Crescent Moon, for the time being.

That was because the Dance of the Crescent Moon involved the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

With his talent in ninjutsu, learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu would definitely take a long time.

Besides, the Uzumaki Naruto Template he had obtained included the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, so there was no need for him to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The two were essentially the same type of ninjutsu. The only difference was that the Shadow Clone Jutsu had limitations and could not create too many Shadow Clones.

The sun sank in the west.

Natsuki and Nawaki finished training. After saying goodbye to Orochimaru, they headed to Konoha Hospital.

"Big sister!"

Nawaki spotted Tsunade from far away and shouted loudly.

Yakushi Nonō was standing beside Tsunade as well.

When she saw Natsuki, her eyes lit up, but Shirayuki quickly drew her attention away.

"Here."

Natsuki picked up Shirayuki and stuffed her into Yakushi Nonō's arms.

Yakushi Nonō immediately broke into a smile.

"Big sister, do you know any Ninja from the Inuzuka Clan?"

Nawaki looked at Tsunade and said, "Natsuki and I want a Ninja Dog as a Summoning Beast."

"Are there any Ninja in Konoha I don't know?"

Tsunade said proudly. "Quite a few Ninja from the Inuzuka Clan owe me favors. They'll definitely be willing to give us two Ninja Dogs."

That was the network of connections possessed by Konoha's finest medical Ninja.

And besides that identity, she was also the granddaughter of the First, the granddaughter of the Second Hokage, and the student of the Third Hokage.

Who in all of Konoha would dare refuse to give her face?

She was the true wielder of the Face-Face Fruit.

"Follow me."

Since it was already after work, Tsunade took them straight to the Inuzuka Clan.

With her help, Natsuki and Nawaki successfully obtained Ninja Dogs.

Natsuki's Ninja Dog was entirely black and was called Black Flower.

Nawaki's Ninja Dog was entirely yellow and was called Saburo.

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Ninja Dog Black Flower.]

[When the Ninja Dog Black Flower is summoned using the Ten Shadows Technique, sense of smell is permanently increased by 30%.]

Natsuki nodded in satisfaction.

For Ninja, the greatest use of Ninja Dogs was tracking.

And what tracking required was a Ninja Dog's sense of smell.

With a 30% increase in its sense of smell, Black Flower could be called the king of dogs.

Natsuki and Yakushi Nonō returned to Konoha Orphanage.

From then on, Shirayuki and Black Flower would live at Konoha Orphanage as well.

Only when Natsuki needed them would he summon them with the Ten Shadows Technique.

In the blink of an eye, July arrived.

Second Grade Class A was also about to welcome the Final Exam of its first semester.

"Sensei, do you think I can defeat Natsuki in tomorrow's Combat Exam?"

Namikaze Minato asked uncertainly.

"There's something wrong with that mindset. As a Ninja, before a battle begins, you must believe that victory is certain."

Jiraiya patted him on the shoulder and said, "Your enemies won't go easy on you just because you're weak."

"I understand, Sensei."

Namikaze Minato paused, then immediately answered in a serious tone.

"Don't worry too much. After all, I'm your teacher now."

Jiraiya laughed loudly. "Back when I fought Orochimaru, our wins and losses were evenly split."

If Orochimaru had been there and heard that, he definitely would have exposed him.

But Namikaze Minato did not know the truth. Hearing that, he immediately gained quite a bit of confidence.

Natsuki's teacher was Orochimaru, while his was Jiraiya.

Since their teachers were evenly matched, there was no reason for such a huge gap between the students.

"Victory or defeat isn't decided by a single Combat Exam."

Jiraiya continued, "You're well suited for an S-rank ninjutsu. In another two years, once your foundation has improved, I'll teach it to you."

An S-rank ninjutsu?

Namikaze Minato immediately began looking forward to it.

Once he learned an S-rank ninjutsu, he would definitely be able to defeat Natsuki.