Sarutobi Hiruzen

Minato Namikaze was a thoughtful man.

Not only did he guide them through their shortcomings, but he also treated the two of them to ramen.

Kakashi Hatake initially wanted to refuse, but Yuki Yuichi agreed in a heartbeat.

He was joking—if there was food to be had and a place to wander, he certainly wouldn't be here training with Kakashi.

Now that Minato Namikaze had taken the initiative to treat them, if that blockhead Kakashi were to refuse, Yuichi would be so frustrated he wouldn't be able to eat for two days.

Watching the two of them, Minato Namikaze didn't speak, but instead looked at them with a smile.

Standing once again before the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen, Yuki Yuichi couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

It seemed he would be a regular here from now on.

Yesterday, Uzumaki Kushina had brought him here for a meal, and today, Minato Namikaze had brought him as well.

Stepping into the shop, Teuchi was busy at work.

There was only one other person in the shop at the moment, but that was perfectly normal.

Even as delicious as Ichiraku Ramen was, it wasn't mealtime, so it was unlikely to be crowded.

Just as Yuki Yuichi was thinking this, Minato Namikaze called out in surprise, "Lord Hokage, what are you doing here?"

As if Minato Namikaze's words had triggered a response, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head to look at him, then shifted his gaze to Yuki Yuichi and Kakashi Hatake beside him.

"Ah, Minato." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled warmly, looking just like an old man from the neighborhood, devoid of any imposing pressure or authority.

"Are you here for ramen, too?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed as he spoke, "The cooking at this shop is quite excellent."

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze nodded and offered a smile, "Owner Teuchi's skills are always highly praised."

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze settle on Yuki Yuichi, "And who are these two lads?"

He was asking a question to which he already knew the answer.

He had seen Minato Namikaze planning to take people for ramen through the Konoha Crystal Ball, which was why he had come.

The Crystal Ball was an object that relied on the barrier of Konoha to function.

Through the Crystal Ball, one could cast the Telescope Technique to connect with Konoha's barrier, thereby seeing everything within the village.

However, this ninjutsu could only see areas without obstructions.

Furthermore, it lacked sound, though for a ninja, that was hardly an issue; after all, they were ninjas, and reading lips was not an unreasonable skill to possess.

Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's question, Minato Namikaze finally reacted, scratching his head apologetically before pointing to Kakashi Hatake to introduce him, "This is Kakashi Hatake, the son of Senior Sakumo."

Following Minato Namikaze's introduction, Kakashi Hatake bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen and said in a stiff, formal tone, "Lord Hokage."

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, "No need to be so formal."

Minato Namikaze then pointed to Yuki Yuichi and introduced him in turn, "His name is Yuki Yuichi, the son of Senior Shinku."

"Hello, Uncle Hokage!" Yuki Yuichi flashed a sweet smile and spoke in a sugary, pleasant tone.

He started off sweet; he had always kept the saying "you can't hit a smiling face" in his heart.

"Hahaha!" Seeing Yuki Yuichi call him Uncle Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He then looked at Minato Namikaze, appearing puzzled as he spoke, "Yuki... that surname sounds very familiar."

"Minato, do you have any impression of it?"

Minato Namikaze, not suspecting anything, glanced at Yuki Yuichi and explained with a smile, "He is the son of Senior Qingshui and Senior Haru, adopted by Senior Shinku."

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen pretend to have a sudden realization, looking back at Yuki Yuichi and laughing heartily once more, "Since you called me Uncle, I shall gift you a ninjutsu."

"Can you tell me what your chakra nature is?"

Yuki Yuichi scratched his head upon hearing this and replied decisively, "I don't know."

Yuhi Shinku hadn't tested their chakra natures; after all, he was a master of genjutsu, and initially, he had only taught him and Yuhi Kurenai the Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique.

Besides, there hadn't been any need to specifically test for ninjutsu before.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly as he stroked his chin, "You don't know your chakra nature..."

Just then, Minato Namikaze handed over a piece of chakra testing paper from the side and said with a smile, "I have some here; let's test it with this."

Looking at the chakra paper in Minato's hand, Yuki Yuichi didn't hesitate for a second and took it.

"Kakashi, have you tested your chakra nature?" Minato Namikaze asked, turning his attention to Kakashi Hatake after seeing Yuki Yuichi take the paper.

"If not, I have more here."

As he spoke, Minato Namikaze pulled two more pieces of chakra paper from his pocket.

Seeing this, Kakashi Hatake shook his head and declined, "I have already tested it."

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze nodded, and Sarutobi Hiruzen also turned to look at him, offering a warm smile.

Meanwhile, Yuki Yuichi was busy channeling his chakra into the testing paper.

Chakra paper, as the name implied, could detect the nature of the chakra a ninja possessed.

Fire: The paper will catch fire.

Wind: The paper will split down the middle.

Lightning: The paper will wrinkle.

Water: The paper will become damp.

Earth: The paper will crumble.

As Yuki Yuichi performed the action, sparks erupted from one half of the chakra test paper, while the other half wrinkled.

"It seems your chakra possesses both Lightning and Fire natures." Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "In that case, I shall gift you this ninjutsu."

Under the envious gaze of Kakashi Hatake, Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled a scroll from his robes.

"This is the scroll for the Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique."

"Although it is a C-rank ninjutsu, its power is quite formidable."

As Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, he winked at Yuki Yuichi.

"Once you master it, you will be able to release a straight line of fire from your mouth. Both its speed and power are top-tier; it is strong enough to snap large trees."

Accepting the scroll, Yuki Yuichi looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, then at Minato Namikaze, and nodded.

"Thank you, Uncle, and thank you, Big Brother Minato!"

"Hahaha, since you've called me Uncle, how could I be embarrassed not to give you something!" Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed and waved his hand, then said, "In that case, this old man will take his leave."

"As the Hokage, there are many matters that require my attention."

Under the gaze of the three, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked away with his hands behind his back.

Opening the scroll in his hand, Yuki Yuichi looked at the contents inside.

After just one glance, he immediately closed the scroll.

Minato Namikaze smiled from the side and asked, "How is it? Can't understand it, right?"

"Mm..." Yuki Yuichi nodded. He recognized all the characters inside, but when strung together, they made no sense to him.

It made him feel just like an illiterate.

He had never hated his own ignorance as much as he did in this moment.