The Apothecary of Konoha

Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech was incredibly dull, but the students were unexpectedly receptive.

This surprised Minato a little, though when he thought about it, it wasn't all that strange.

After all, Hiruzen had the Hokage's status working in his favor, and Konoha really had developed quite well in recent years. His standing in the village was still very high.

Once Hiruzen's speech ended, Minato officially began his life at the Ninja Academy.

The day after the entrance ceremony was the first day of the new term, and the first lesson.

To avoid being mobbed by girls, Minato timed his arrival so he reached the classroom just before the lesson began.

Before the girls in the class could crowd around him, the teacher appeared at the classroom door.

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

Minato took the opportunity to sit beside a lone blonde girl in the back row. "Hello, I'm Minato Namikaze. It's nice to meet you."

"I know."

The girl smiled shyly and spoke softly. "My name is Yakushi Nonō. It's nice to meet you..."

Yakushi Nonō?

What a coincidence.

Minato smiled gently, keeping his expression calm as he fell into thought.

If she'd been any other character from the original story, he might not have given it much thought.

But in the original story, Yakushi Nonō had come from Root, and her actual profession was that of a spy...

It had only been a few days since he'd revealed Wood Release, and now a member of Root from the original story had appeared in his class. It was hard not to suspect something, especially since Kabuto had also become a spy at a very young age.

Minato kept his gaze on the teacher at the front of the classroom, but watched Nonō's reactions from the corner of his eye.

He hadn't expected Nonō to be the same age as him.

When Nonō adopted Kabuto in the original story, she looked quite young, so he'd assumed she belonged to Kakashi's generation.

But now that he thought about it, Kabuto probably wasn't much younger than Kakashi.

Judging by the timeline, Nonō really was probably around the same age as him...

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Ikkaku Umino, and I'll be your teacher for the next few years."

"Umino..."

Minato couldn't help but be taken aback.

Was he Iruka's father? Or were they just from the same clan?

Minato studied the man at the front of the classroom. He looked to be in his twenties, with a capable air about him and a short ponytail at the back of his head, just like Iruka in the original story.

He'd never heard of a shinobi clan in the village with the surname Umino, so Ikkaku was most likely Iruka's father or uncle...

After writing his name on the blackboard, Ikkaku turned around. "I'm twenty-four years old, a Chunin, and I like fishing. I hate enemies, and my dream is to become a ninja everyone can trust, just like the Hokage."

As he spoke, he surveyed the class and pointed to a boy at the desk nearest the door. "Next, everyone will come up and introduce themselves. You can start."

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

"Ha! I'm going to be Hokage!"

As soon as the boy finished speaking, a boy in the second row shouted impatiently.

"The Hokage wouldn't rudely shout while someone else was introducing himself."

Ikkaku glanced at the boy. His expression stiffened, and amid the laughter of those around him, he returned to his seat.

"My name is Yumi Haruki. I like growing flowers, and there's nothing in particular I dislike. My dream is to become a gentle, virtuous wife!"

The girl on stage finished speaking, then bashfully covered her cheeks and stole a glance in Minato's direction.

Minato felt a little awkward. What was with all the lovestruck girls in this class...

One by one, the students introduced themselves. Before long, it was Shinnosuke Sarutobi's turn.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi. I like fighting strong opponents! I hate being treated specially because of who I am! My dream is to surpass my dad and become a better Hokage than him!"

Shinnosuke stood at the front of the class, looking rather cocky.

At the end, he looked toward the back row and pointed at Minato. "Before that, I'll definitely beat you, Minato Namikaze!"

Minato gave an awkward smile. "W-well, good luck with that."

"What was that~?"

In the second row, Kaoru Koyaba—the first person to introduce herself to Minato at the entrance ceremony—propped her chin on her hands and looked at Shinnosuke with disdain.

"Is that what you call winning? Pestering someone until he has no choice but to give up?"

The moment she finished speaking, the whole class burst into laughter.

Everyone had been at the entrance exam, so they'd all seen the fight between Minato and Shinnosuke. They understood exactly what Kaoru meant.

"What did you say?"

Shinnosuke immediately flared up. His face turned bright red. "I never admitted that was a win!"

Kaoru pursed her lips, then turned toward Minato and flashed him a victory sign.

It was as if she were saying, See? I stood up for you!

Minato could only fall silent.

Little girl, maybe don't say things that could cause division next time...

"All right, quiet down. The next student can come up and introduce themselves!"

Ikkaku looked troubled. As expected, teaching the Hokage's son's class was no easy task—especially when someone in the class was more impressive than the Hokage's son.

Before long, it was Minato's turn to introduce himself.

"My name is Minato Namikaze. I like enjoying a peaceful life, and there's nothing in particular I dislike. My dream is to protect the people who are important to me."

When he finished, Minato smiled gently, and the girls below immediately squealed.

"Ahh! Minato-kun is so gentle!"

"I'll protect Minato-kun's smile!"

A girl raised her hand, blushing. "I can be someone important to Minato-kun! I can!"

Shinnosuke looked utterly speechless. "Is that guy some kind of womanizer? These girls are completely crazy..."

Minato returned to his seat, and Nonō stood and walked to the front of the classroom.

"My name is Yakushi Nonō. I like taking care of people, and I hate wasting food. My dream is for everyone in the world to have enough to eat, so no one ever has to go hungry."

The girl clasped her hands over her heart, her manner quiet and reserved. She bowed slightly, then returned to her seat.

Minato had also made his assessment of Nonō.

An orphan!

He couldn't say for certain, but with interests and ideals like those, there was a good chance she was an orphan.

Minato didn't ask her anything. If she really had an ulterior motive, then even if he did nothing, she would approach him on her own.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Ikkaku began the first lesson: the definition of chakra and how to draw it out.

Minato listened attentively. Although he'd already mastered the Rasengan, he still planned to study the related knowledge systematically.

Organizing the knowledge and abilities he'd already mastered into a coherent framework might give him some new insights in other areas.

The lesson soon ended. Although he hadn't gained anything tangible, Minato's understanding of chakra had deepened.

Ikkaku was a very conscientious teacher. Although he seemed capable and stern, he was surprisingly easygoing with his students.

When the bell rang, Minato finished organizing his notes.

"All right, that's it for today. Class dismissed!"

Ikkaku glanced in the direction of Shinnosuke and Minato, then left the classroom.

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

There was also Minato, whom the Third Hokage had specifically asked him to keep an eye on...