Jiraiya

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Uchiha Gen stepped forward and picked up a few shuriken.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

With a flick of his hand, five shuriken flew out at once. After a few sharp cracks and five dull thuds as they struck the wood, they were embedded firmly in the target.

What was even more astonishing was that all five shuriken were arranged in parallel, with almost exactly the same distance between each one.

"Just as I thought."

Looking at the shuriken in the target, Ino Sarutobi nodded to himself in understanding.

"Uchiha Gen, full marks. Next, Shihi Aburame."

"He's amazing!"

"No wonder he's Lord Gen! He really is amazing!"

"Hmph, he must've practiced beforehand. I'll be able to do that too someday."

"..."

When Uchiha Gen's results were announced, the crowd began murmuring. Gen ignored them.

After school, Uchiha Gen had just walked out of the school gates.

"Gen! Wait a moment, please!"

A gentle voice came from behind him. Uchiha Gen turned toward it and raised an eyebrow.

A little blond boy stood off to the side, looking rather shy. His already somewhat effeminate face, paired with that bashful expression, made for a truly bizarre sight.

Come on, man. This isn't Chengdu!!!

"Is something the matter?"

Though Minato Namikaze seemed a little strange like this, Uchiha Gen still asked.

He always had a little more patience for certain people.

"Well... could you teach me how to throw shuriken and train in Taijutsu? I can treat you to ramen!"

At Gen's question, Minato scratched his head and asked, looking a little embarrassed.

"..."

A few minutes later.

Beside a river.

The shimmering water reflected the evening glow, the faces of two boys, and the greenery around them.

On the banks of the Naka River.

This river, which ran through the love and hatred between the Uchiha and Senju clans and through the history of Konoha itself, now welcomed two boys destined to make their mark on Konoha's history.

Smack!

"You're putting too much force into your wrist. Your aim is right, but it's taking too much effort. Try again."

"Okay!"

Uchiha Gen crouched by the river and spoke softly as he watched the water flow.

Behind him, Minato was practicing shuriken throwing at a log with one of Gen's specially made training kunai. Between them, a fire burned, with four fish roasting beside it.

The Naka River stretched across a vast area, and its upper reaches ran right through the Uchiha Clan Compound. Since Gen had only just met Minato, he hadn't taken him straight to the compound. Instead, he'd chosen a spot nearby.

"Is this right, Gen?"

Minato threw the shuriken at the log again. Seeing the five shuriken lined up in a row, he turned excitedly toward Gen, who was practicing qi, and asked.

"Not bad."

Gen opened his eyes and looked at the log, a flicker of surprise in his gaze.

He knew Minato was a genius, but to achieve this after only a few pointers, without even seeing Gen demonstrate it—that was impressive.

"Oh no, the fish!"

Minato smiled at Gen's praise. He was about to thank him when he caught a whiff of something burning and hurried over to the fire.

"Good, only one fish's tail got too close to the fire and burned. The others look fine. Gen, the fish is ready."

After inspecting them for a moment, Minato picked up the fish he thought had cooked best and smiled as he offered it to Gen.

Uchiha Gen took it.

The taste was all right, nothing more.

"Um, Gen, I've been meaning to ask since we got here. Why are you willing to teach me how to throw shuriken?"

Looking at Gen as he ate, Minato suddenly asked, curious.

He'd heard things about the Uchiha...

"There's no particular reason. If I had to give one, it's because you're one of the few opponents in this class who's barely worth my time.

"You're weak right now, but I think you can improve quickly. The Ninja Academy is boring, so I want to find myself something to do."

Uchiha Gen set down his grilled fish and spoke softly.

Minato hadn't used enough seasoning... Once you got past the skin, the inside was awful.

"Uh... I see?"

Minato scratched his head at Gen's words.

He didn't know how to respond. Gen had insulted the whole class; agreeing would make Minato seem unbearably conceited.

"From now on, you can use this place as a training ground. It's close to the Uchiha Clan Compound, so people don't usually come here. But don't bring anyone else."

Gen stood up and glanced at the fish in his hand, then at the fire. In the end, he gave up on throwing the leftover fish into the flames. He took it with him and headed toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Huh? Oh! Thanks, Gen."

Seeing Gen leave, Minato immediately stood and called out his thanks to Gen's retreating back.

"Gen... he doesn't seem much like the Uchiha people talk about."

Watching Gen walk away, Minato murmured to himself.

"Yeah, he really doesn't."

"?"

A sudden voice beside his ear startled Minato. He quickly turned around.

A white-haired... middle-aged man with a nosebleed was crouching nearby, staring at the grilled fish left beside the fire.

"Turns out if I run toward the Uchiha Clan Compound, Tsunade won't chase me. I really am a genius. Hey, kid, this fish... heh heh."

As Minato wondered who the man was, the white-haired ninja suddenly spoke.

"Huh? Please, go ahead, sir."

After noticing the Forehead Protector on Jiraiya's head, Minato realized he was a ninja and respectfully offered the fish.

"Then I won't hold back! I haven't eaten a thing all day while gathering material. Ow, hot, hot! Whoo, it tastes pretty good—better than that idiot Orochimaru's cooking."

When Minato agreed, Jiraiya reached for the grilled fish beside the fire and took a bite without waiting for it to cool.

"Are you... Lord Jiraiya?!"

Watching Jiraiya eat the fish and recalling what he'd said, Minato immediately realized who he was.

As one of the Third Hokage's students, Jiraiya's name was familiar to Minato, even though he didn't know what he looked like. It wasn't hard to identify him based on what Jiraiya had said.