Yakushi Nonō

Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech was incredibly dry, yet the students were surprisingly receptive to it.

This caught Minato slightly off guard, though upon reflection, it wasn't particularly strange.

After all, with the prestige of being the Hokage and the fact that Konoha had indeed been developing well in recent years, Hiruzen Sarutobi still held significant authority within the village.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi concluded his speech, Minato officially began his life at the Ninja Academy.

The day after the entrance ceremony, the first class of the new semester began.

To avoid being swarmed by the girls, Minato timed his arrival at the classroom door perfectly.

Before the girls in the class could manage to crowd around him, the teacher appeared at the door right behind him.

"Everyone, return to your seats and sit down!"

Minato took the opportunity to sit next to a lone blonde girl in the back row: "Hello, my name is Minato Namikaze. Please take care of me."

"I know."

The girl offered a shy smile, her voice soft and delicate: "My name is Nono Yakushi. Please take care of me..."

Nono Yakushi?

Is it really such a coincidence?

Minato smiled gently, his expression remaining calm, but his mind fell into deep thought.

If this were any other character from the original story, he might not have given it a second thought.

But in the original story, Nono Yakushi came from Root and her primary profession was that of a spy...

He had only displayed his Wood Release a few days ago, and now a Root member who appeared in the original story had surfaced in his class. It was hard for Minato not to be suspicious; after all, Kabuto had become a spy at a very young age as well.

Minato kept his gaze fixed on the teacher at the podium, while his peripheral vision remained focused on Nono's reactions.

Minato hadn't expected Nono to be his age.

In the original story, Nono looked very young when she adopted Kabuto, so he had assumed she was from Kakashi's generation.

However, calculating it carefully, Kabuto shouldn't be much younger than Kakashi.

In terms of the timeline, she should indeed be around his age...

"Let me introduce myself. I will be your teacher for the next few years. I am Ikkaku Umino."

"Umino..."

Minato couldn't help but freeze.

Is he Iruka's father? Or a relative?

Minato studied the man on the podium. He looked to be in his twenties, with a capable demeanor and a short ponytail at the back of his head, just like Iruka in the original story.

He had never heard of a ninja clan named Umino in the village, so it was highly probable that he was either his father or an uncle...

After writing his name on the blackboard, Ikkaku Umino turned around: "I am 24 years old, a Chunin. I like fishing, I dislike enemies, and my dream is to become a ninja worthy of everyone's trust, just like the Hokage."

As he spoke, he scanned the room and pointed to a boy sitting near the door: "Now, everyone come up to the podium and introduce yourselves. Let's start with you."

"My name is Natsuha! I like drawing, I dislike vegetables, and my dream is to become the Hokage!"

"Ha! The one who is going to become the Hokage is me!"

No sooner had the boy finished speaking than a boy in the second row shouted out impatiently.

"The Hokage wouldn't be rude enough to shout while someone else is introducing themselves."

Ikkaku Umino glanced at the boy, whose expression immediately stiffened. Amidst the laughter of those around him, he sat back down.

"My name is Yumi Haruki. I like growing flowers, I don't have anything I dislike, and my dream is to become a gentle and virtuous wife!"

As the girl on the podium spoke, she covered her cheeks in embarrassment and snuck a glance in Minato's direction.

Minato felt a bit awkward. How did he end up with a lovesick girl in his class...

Everyone took turns introducing themselves, and soon it was Shinnosuke Sarutobi's turn.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi! I like fighting against strong opponents! I dislike being treated specially because of my status! My dream is to surpass my old man and become an even better Hokage than him!"

Shinnosuke stood on the podium looking rather cocky.

At the end of his speech, he looked toward the back of the class and pointed at Minato: "Before that, I will definitely defeat you, Minato Namikaze!"

Minato smiled awkwardly: "Well... good luck with that."

"What is that supposed to mean~"

In the second row, Kaoru Koyaba, the girl who had been the first to introduce herself to Minato during the entrance ceremony, rested her chin on her hands and looked at Shinnosuke with disdain.

"Is that what you call defeating someone—by pestering them until they have no choice but to concede?"

As soon as those words fell, the classroom erupted into laughter.

Everyone had been there on the day of the entrance exam, so they had all seen the battle between Minato and Shinnosuke and naturally understood what Kaoru meant.

"What did you say?"

Hearing this, Shinnosuke immediately grew anxious, his face flushing bright red: "I never admitted to a victory like that!"

Kaoru Koyaba pursed her lips, then turned to look in Minato's direction and flashed him a peace sign.

It was as if she were saying: Look, I got back at them for you!

Minato was left speechless at the sight.

Little sister, it's probably best not to say things that undermine class unity next time...

"Alright, settle down everyone. Next student, come up and introduce yourself!"

Ikkaku Umino felt a headache coming on. As expected, a class with the Hokage's son was not easy to manage, especially when there were students in the class who were even more outstanding than the Hokage's son himself.

Soon, it was Minato's turn to introduce himself.

"My name is Minato Namikaze. I enjoy a quiet life, I don't have anything I particularly dislike, and my dream is to be able to protect the people who are important to me."

After speaking, Minato offered a gentle smile, and the girls in the classroom immediately erupted into shrieks.

"Ahhh! Minato-kun is so gentle!"

"I will be the one to protect Minato-kun's smile!"

One girl raised her hand, blushing: "I can be one of the people important to Minato-kun! I really can!"

Shinnosuke looked speechless: "Is that guy some kind of succubus? These girls are absolutely insane..."

Minato returned to his seat, and Nonō stood up to walk to the podium.

"My name is Yakushi Nonō. I like taking care of others, I hate wasting food, and my dream is for everyone in this world to be well-fed and never go hungry."

The girl held her hands to her chest with a quiet, composed demeanor, bowed slightly, and returned to her seat.

Minato made his own assessment of Nonō's situation.

An orphan!

He couldn't say for certain, but with such preferences and ideals, there was a high probability that she was an orphan.

Minato didn't ask. If she truly had ulterior motives, she would approach him eventually, even if he did nothing.

As everyone finished their introductions, Ikkaku Umino began the first lesson: the definition and refinement of chakra.

Minato listened attentively. Although he had already mastered the Rasengan, he still intended to study the relevant knowledge systematically once more.

By organizing his existing knowledge and abilities into a structured framework, he might find inspiration in other areas.

Soon, the class concluded. While he hadn't gained any substantial new insights, Minato's understanding of chakra had deepened.

Ikkaku Umino was a very dedicated teacher; though he appeared capable and stern, he was unexpectedly easygoing when dealing with his students.

As the bell rang, Minato packed up his class notes.

"Alright, that's all for this lesson. Class dismissed!"

Ikkaku Umino glanced toward Shinnosuke and Minato before turning to leave the classroom.

He needed to report Shinnosuke's performance in school to the Third Hokage.

And, of course, there was also Minato Namikaze, whom the Third was paying special attention to...