Three Months of Training

Qingyun sustained minor injuries, while Minato had been struck heavily by Qingyun and was quite hurt. However, Minato was broad-minded and did not blame Qingyun.

"Qingyun, was it? I've remembered you. You are a great opponent, and I hope we can become good teammates in the future." Minato looked at Qingyun and proactively extended his hand.

Seeing the future Hokage being so polite and respectful toward him, Qingyun naturally did not refuse the Fourth's goodwill.

"You're quite impressive yourself. That indiscriminate Shuriken Shadow Clone attack of yours wiped out my shadow clones instantly." Qingyun sighed with a hint of admiration.

"Your taijutsu is truly terrifying. I never expected your punches to be so powerful, and what shocked me most was that you could withstand my shuriken head-on. Are you really alright?"

"I'm fine. It might be my Kekkei Genkai, which allows my entire body to become hardened. In other words, I'm impervious to blades and bullets," Qingyun said with a faint smile, speaking the truth.

Qingyun and Minato hit it off immediately. Qingyun was an orphan, but Minato did not look down on him for it, treating him with complete sincerity.

Minato even decided on the spot that he would delay his graduation from the Ninja Academy to form a team with Qingyun.

"Huh? That means you'll become a ninja later than planned. Is that alright?" Qingyun asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I want to be your teammate. I had originally applied for early graduation, but now that I've met you, I think school will be quite interesting!" Minato said in a friendly tone.

"Alright then! You'll have to look out for me!" Qingyun smiled slightly; he didn't dislike being around Minato.

Minato was not only broad-minded and friendly but also a very simple-hearted person. As it stood, Minato was the only one qualified to be Qingyun's friend.

Qingyun then headed home. Just as he left the Konoha Hospital, two figures appeared before Minato's bed.

"Minato, how was it? Is the strength of this little kid named Qingyun acceptable?" the Third Hokage asked with a smile.

"Of course. Although he is young, his strength is astonishing," Minato replied truthfully.

"Indeed, this child is truly remarkable. To be able to use Shadow Clones at such a young age shows terrifying talent. Given how skillfully he used them, he must have practiced quite a bit."

"Not only that, his understanding of the current situation far exceeds that of his peers. Such a child is truly rare."

"Lord Third, do you mean..." Teacher Ikkaku was also very excited; after all, he was the one who had discovered the child.

"After he enrolls, help me keep a close eye on him. Once he graduates from the Ninja Academy, I will arrange for someone to train him."

The person speaking was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was known as the Shinobi Hero, a man of peerless strength with terrifying mastery over both ninjutsu and taijutsu. In the first part of Naruto, he was considered the "strongest."

At this moment, Qingyun had no idea that he had merely wanted to complete a system task, only to end up attracting the attention of Konoha's top brass.

"And what about Minato?" Ikkaku asked, looking at Minato.

"Minato? He is also an absolute genius ninja. After he graduates from the Ninja Academy, I will arrange for someone to instruct him as well! Minato, you must not be discouraged; you must work even harder," the Third Hokage instructed Minato.

"Understood!" Minato nodded gratefully, and the Third Hokage then departed.

Meanwhile, back at home, Qingyun had no intention of resting.

"Since the Shadow Clone is a cheat for cultivation, I wonder if using it to train Armament Haki would yield twice the result with half the effort?"

"What if I use Shadow Clones to practice walking on water? That should be fine, right?" Qingyun then began his arduous training once again.

When he was exhausted to the point of collapse, the shadow clones vanished, and the accumulated fatigue and experience points flooded into Qingyun's mind like a spring.

Qingyun's harvest was bountiful.

Exhausted, Qingyun finally drifted into a deep, groggy sleep.

The next day, remembering that he was now a student at the Konoha Ninja Academy, Qingyun immediately ran to the school.

Qingyun soon arrived at the classroom he had been assigned to in advance. The teachers and most of the students expressed delight at his arrival, as almost everyone had watched the battle from the previous day.

Being able to defeat the strongest student in the Ninja Academy meant that Qingyun was now the strongest himself. No one could help but like such a cute, young, and powerful boy.

"Welcome, student Qingyun. Welcome to the Ninja Academy. Alright, you can sit over there." The teacher assigned Qingyun to a seat among the top students, and his desk mate was, naturally, Minato Namikaze.

"Qingyun! Let's work hard together! I'll stay with you until graduation! I believe you'll graduate early!" Minato liked Qingyun so much that he couldn't help but say this.

"Alright, I'll do my best." Qingyun didn't say much more; he and Minato truly shared a mutual respect between heroes.

The Ninja Academy didn't strictly divide students into first or second years; teachers generally taught mixed groups, and the curriculum consisted of two main parts.

Theoretical knowledge and practical combat.

In terms of practical combat, they taught the basic Three Basic Techniques—Substitution, Transformation, and Clone—as well as dispelling genjutsu and taijutsu training.

Theoretical knowledge was more complex, such as the safe distance to use an Explosive Tag without getting caught in the blast, ninja survival rules, and the history of the shinobi world.

In short, whether it was theory or combat, these were all very fundamental things. However, Qingyun was still very interested in them; he didn't neglect his studies just because he was the strongest.

Just like that, three months passed in a flash.

During these three months, Qingyun easily mastered the Transformation, Substitution, and Clone techniques. His chakra reserves had also increased, and he practiced water-walking every single day.

His current level of chakra control was something not even average Chunin could necessarily surpass, let alone his peers.

Qingyun also diligently practiced Armament Haki and could now skillfully coat any part of his body with it. In other words, whenever Qingyun was about to be attacked, he could use Armament Haki to protect himself.

Furthermore, Qingyun sparred with Minato almost every day. Qingyun won more than he lost, though sometimes he would run out of steam due to his chakra levels.

However, toward the end, Qingyun could almost always win easily by using Haki, showing that his strength had made significant progress.

Of course, Minato's strength had also improved noticeably! This was because Qingyun had taught Minato his method for using Haki, and Minato had promised to repay Qingyun with a powerful ninjutsu in the future!