Qingshui + Sparkle + All-Encompassing Power: Is There Potential?

Every year, the entrance exam for the Konoha Ninja Academy is considered a major event in the village.

Take this moment, for instance: the school playground is packed with people, buzzing with noise.

Over a hundred children, aged five or six, stand in long lines. Minato stands quietly in the queue, following the instructions of the academy teachers as he and the other children undergo the entrance exam in groups of three.

Thwip, thwip, thwip—

As three shuriken pin themselves precisely into the bullseye, the black-haired boy stands straight, a hint of pride appearing on his slightly hurried, youthful face.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi, perfect score!"

The proctoring chunin announces loudly, fearing that people might not hear clearly.

Whoosh—

Hearing this, the parents watching from the sidelines erupt into a frenzy.

"As expected of the Hokage's son..."

"Young Master Shinnosuke must be the top student of this year's incoming class, right?"

Hearing the envious chatter of the parents, Hiruzen Sarutobi at the front of the crowd chuckles, takes a deep puff from his pipe, and feels quite pleased.

"Yo, not bad, that kid Shinnosuke."

Behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya—who still has a head of white hair and is but a young man—crosses his arms and laughs heartily: "He's a genius just like me!"

Hearing this, Orochimaru, standing beside him, glances at the target, a faint smile playing on his lips, tinged with a hint of disdain.

He does not deny that Jiraiya is a genius; although he was a bumbling dead-last back in school, his current strength is no weaker than his own, and in a direct confrontation, he can even faintly suppress him.

But if a brat like Shinnosuke Sarutobi could be considered a genius, then the title of genius would be far too cheap.

Shuriken throwing is something anyone with a head on their shoulders can master with a few months of diligent practice.

Jiraiya's own hit rate with shuriken back in the day was lower than winning the lottery, and he hadn't even known a single ninjutsu, yet that hadn't stopped him from getting into the academy.

Because at the same age of five or six, his chakra reserves were twice as high as Shinnosuke's.

With Shinnosuke Sarutobi's chakra levels, he would likely end up as nothing more than a jonin in his lifetime.

Tsunade, standing to the side, clearly shares similar thoughts. She impatiently twirls her ponytail with slender fingertips, hoping only for this entrance exam to end quickly so she can go off and gamble to her heart's content.

As the direct disciples of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, they naturally had to come and take a look since their teacher's child was enrolling.

But it was only a look; Shinnosuke's level of talent clearly wasn't worth their attention.

"Next group: Naoto Tsuchiya, Rin Toyama, Minato Namikaze!"

Hearing his name, Minato walks forward quickly.

The moment he stands still, the girls behind him suddenly become restless.

"Eh? Look at that boy! Don't you think he's handsome?"

"Mm-hmm, not just handsome, his aura is great too! He has such a warm smile..."

"Right, right! You really get it~"

Hearing the chatter from behind, Minato gives a sheepish smile, awkwardly scratching his cheek with his index finger.

The teacher nearby is unfazed; children in the ninja world are generally precocious, and similar situations occur almost every year.

The little blond boy before him is indeed very handsome, fully deserving of the highest praise for a man—even slightly better than he himself was back in the day.

His golden hair, like a small sun, and his azure eyes look like two magnificent sapphires.

Although his fair little face still carries a bit of baby fat, the comfortable proportions of his features ensure he will be defined by his handsomeness for his entire life.

Of course, for a ninja, looks are at most a bonus.

Strength is the most important thing for a ninja.

Just as he thinks this, he sees the boy before him suddenly flick his fingers, and three shuriken appear out of thin air between them. With a wave of his hand, a black shadow flashes, and all three shuriken pin themselves into the bullseye ten meters away with a dull thwip.

Hm?

At the front of the crowd, Hiruzen Sarutobi is slightly taken aback, and even Orochimaru and Tsunade, who were just distracted, cast surprised gazes toward Minato.

"What a beautiful shuriken technique..."

Jiraiya rubs his chin, observing Minato's handsome and cute little face with great interest: "Mm~ he's as dashing and handsome as yours truly!"

As the saying goes, the layman watches the excitement, while the expert watches the technique.

Because everyone's fingers are different lengths and have different strengths, the force and trajectory of every shuriken thrown will inevitably vary.

For someone like Minato to hit the bullseye with three shuriken at the exact same moment, aside from highly skilled shuriken technique, it also requires exceptional dynamic vision, muscle control, body coordination, finger flexibility, and many other factors.

In other words, it is what is called talent!

In the entire village, even among the Uchiha clan who play with shuriken like it's an art form, few could reach Minato's level at this age.

"Minato Namikaze! Perfect score!"

The teacher in charge of scoring announces loudly, his gaze toward Minato filled with undisguised admiration.

"Hmph, not bad, but I won't lose to you either!"

The boy next to him, Naoto Tsuchiya, looked eager to try, whipping his hand out to throw three shuriken that flew in crooked, erratic arcs.

Two landed on the ground, while one managed to pin itself to the target Minato Namikaze had set up...

"Naoto Tsuchiya, zero points."

"Damn it!"

Hearing his score, Naoto Tsuchiya's face flushed red instantly. He wiped away his tears and turned to run, drawing a burst of laughter from those around him.

Minato Namikaze was left speechless at the sight; he wanted to laugh, but felt it would be impolite.

However, when he saw the boy throw himself into his mother's arms and sob uncontrollably, that hint of amusement vanished instantly.

That kid had one more mother than he did.

And in all likelihood, one more father, too...

This matter traced back half a year, to a time when he was still just an ordinary child.

His father had been a Chunin in the village, but because his mother's health was poor, he had retired from active duty to become a merchant, and their family circumstances were quite comfortable.

But accidents always come too suddenly. Due to a heavy rainstorm, the merchant caravan encountered a landslide; his father was severely injured by falling boulders while trying to save others and eventually passed away because he couldn't be treated in time.

And just as that unknown Roronoa Zoro from the neighboring franchise would say, disasters always follow one after another—that is the way of the world.

When the news of his father's death reached home, his mother's health deteriorated rapidly. Within a single month, she succumbed to grief and passed away suddenly one night.

It was at the very moment he witnessed his mother's death that a cold, chilling power erupted in Minato Namikaze's brain. Countless memory fragments flooded his mind like a shattered mirror, causing a splitting headache.

In those memories, he had originally been an ordinary college student, gentle and mild-mannered, well-liked by his parents and teachers.

After his parents passed away unexpectedly, he began working to support his studies. Because of his gentle personality and handsome looks, he was "drafted" by a wealthy senior from the school's anime club to cosplay as Minato Namikaze at a convention for three hundred a day.

As it turned out, just as the convention ended and he was crossing the street carrying a box of figures, a massive truck came speeding toward him.

Perhaps due to the "skin bonus" from cosplaying Minato Namikaze, in that instant, his body instinctively lunged forward like a yellow flash, narrowly dodging the brutal collision.

Yet, before he could even scramble to his feet, he saw that truck transform into a Cybertronian on the spot, twist its waist, and throw a punch!

Then, everything went black. In the darkness, only a mocking electronic voice drifted toward him, saying something like: "Time to head to another world, young man!"

By the time his memories were sorted, Minato Namikaze's consciousness had arrived in a peculiar space.

This space was bright and boundless, as if the concepts of time and space did not exist, save for three statues standing before him.

Upon seeing the appearance of these three statues, Minato Namikaze was struck with astonishment.

There was no other reason: these three statues were the very figures he had been carrying in his box before he transmigrated!

The three statues were: the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, clad in red armor with a wooden dragon coiling behind him!

Madara Uchiha, also in red armor, eyes active with the Sharingan, with a half-body Susanoo standing behind him!

And the Marine Admiral, Kizaru Borsalino, from the neighboring franchise, whom he had shoved into the box to save space while organizing his collection.

Seeming to sense Minato Namikaze's gaze, the three statues suddenly shuddered, transforming into red, yellow, and green streams of light that surged into his body.

When he woke up, he had been sent to the Konoha hospital due to his collapse, and his mother had been laid to rest beside his father's grave with the help of their friends and neighbors.

It was hellish to think about: that day, he lost his mother, but simultaneously awakened the power of Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit, Hashirama Senju's Wood Release, and a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan...

[Disclaimer: This book uses the canon birth year of Naruto in Year 51 and Minato Namikaze's age of 24 at death as a baseline, as this timeline is longer. Given the inconsistencies in the original timeline, there may be errors regarding character ages and the timing of closely related events. If you must complain, please complain about the original work first, thank you!]

[Disclaimer: The author possesses the original black-and-white manga, color manga, and official databooks. For controversial settings, this book will adopt the more reasonable version. If you must complain, please complain about the original work first, thank you!]

[Disclaimer: Unless absolutely necessary, the author dislikes using fan-made headcanons. Please do not use fan-fiction settings to criticize the author, thank you!]