Homecoming Minato

Watching Yuki Yuichi repeatedly step onto the tree only to fall back down and hit the crash pad with a dull thud, Yuhi Kurenai blinked.

Although Yuki Yuichi fell every single time, she could still see that the height he reached changed with each attempt.

Every time Yuki Yuichi fell, he seemed to make adjustments, and his next climb would go a little higher.

"Yuichi is so amazing." Yuhi Kurenai watched Yuki Yuichi, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Then, she clenched her small hands, I can't slack off either!

This training continued for four days, and Yuhi Kurenai's talent for chakra control proved to be even stronger than Yuki Yuichi's.

She was the one who truly belonged in the ranks of geniuses.

If Yuki Yuichi's progress could be described as a snail's pace, then Yuhi Kurenai was like someone walking; while not exactly fast, she was significantly faster by comparison.

Standing vertically on a tree trunk three meters above the ground, Yuki Yuichi fell into a silence as he watched Yuhi Kurenai, who was already nearing the top.

I remember, I have a title that boosts cultivation, right?

[Ninja Student: Equipped with this title, ninjutsu effects are increased by 10%, and cultivation effects are increased by 20%.]

Looking at the azure panel before him, Yuki Yuichi fell into an even deeper silence.

With a 20% boost to cultivation effects, if this was his performance, just how poor was his talent?

His talent wasn't actually bad; whether it was his physique or his chakra, he was a cut above almost everyone else his age.

But chakra control was truly unkind to him.

The more chakra one possessed, the greater the difficulty of controlling it.

The less chakra one had, the easier it was to control.

Because of his Uzumaki Clan heritage, his chakra reserves were immense, so naturally, controlling it was much harder.

On top of that, Yuhi Kurenai was a natural genius in genjutsu; after all, she was someone who would eventually become a Jonin through her mastery of it.

And genjutsu relied heavily on chakra control.

If Yuhi Kurenai's talent for chakra control were poor, how could she possibly become a genjutsu-specialist Jonin?

Comparing the two, Yuki Yuichi felt like a complete failure.

She had reached the top, while he had only climbed two and a half meters.

Just as he was deep in thought, Yuhi Kurenai's voice reached his ears.

"Yay! I did it!"

Yuhi Kurenai stood at the very top of the tree, her face beaming with joy.

Yuki Yuichi pushed off with his feet, performed a flip in the air, and landed on the ground with a smile.

If I'm a failure, so be it.

If Kurenai was happy, then he was happy.

If he had to lose to someone, losing to Kurenai was something he could accept.

Yuhi Kurenai walked down the trunk from the treetop, stood steadily on the ground, and looked at Yuki Yuichi with a radiant smile, her hands behind her back.

"Ahe, I can climb trees now!"

Yuhi Kurenai looked like a little kitten waiting for his praise.

Yuki Yuichi smiled and ruffled her small head, "As expected, Kurenai is the best!"

"Hehe..." Yuhi Kurenai gave a silly laugh, then said, "I can explain the key points of tree climbing to you, Yuichi~"

"Then I'll have to listen carefully!"

It wasn't just Yuki Yuichi; Sarutobi Asuma and the others also gathered around.

They had naturally heard the commotion Yuhi Kurenai made just moments ago.

They crowded over, greeted Yuhi Kurenai with smiles, and then began to mock him.

Sarutobi Asuma laughed, "You're so lame, Yuichi!"

Uchiha Obito took off his goggles, "This Yuichi is just pathetic!"

Looking at the two of them, Yuki Yuichi chuckled, "So, you two think you're pretty brave, huh?"

Sensing danger, Sarutobi Asuma pulled Uchiha Obito in front of him and stopped talking.

Uchiha Obito, completely oblivious, continued, "I'm super brave, aren't I!"

"Then let me show you something good." Yuki Yuichi dragged Uchiha Obito away.

Watching Uchiha Obito being hauled into the training area, Sarutobi Asuma shook his head, "Good thing I'm smart, otherwise I'd be just like Obito."

Glancing at him, Kakashi Hatake chuckled, "So, you think that guy is going to let you off the hook?"

Having hung around Yuki Yuichi for so long, Kakashi Hatake had also started to pick up his habits.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Asuma's smile froze on his face, and he turned to look at Kakashi Hatake stiffly, "Surely... he wouldn't, right?!"

Uchiha Obito's miserable scream echoed over at that moment, making him shiver. He gave a dry cough and said, "I suddenly remembered I have some things left to finish, I'm heading back."

"See you this afternoon!"

With that, he bolted straight down the mountain.

His speed was rarely seen in this world.

The people here wouldn't hold back on him just because he was the son of the Hokage, a fact he was well aware of, and precisely the reason why he and the others were friends.

Here, he was Sarutobi Asuma, not the son of the Hokage.

But at this moment, he truly wished Yuki Yuichi and the others would treat him like the son of the Hokage.

That way, he could avoid a sound beating.

A long while later, Yuki Yuichi returned, looking thoroughly satisfied.

Trailing behind him was Uchiha Obito, who looked disheveled and covered in dust.

"Where's Asuma?" Noticing someone was missing, Yuki Yuichi looked curiously at Yuhi Kurenai.

"He ran away..." Yuhi Kurenai scratched her little head.

"Hmm?" Yuki Yuichi was stunned.

"Why did he run?"

"He was afraid you'd come to settle the score," Might Guy said while doing push-ups on the side.

"!!!"

"Do you all really see me as the type of person who holds a grudge over every little thing?!"

Yuki Yuichi looked at them in disbelief, his face a mask of heartbreak and despair.

"Is there no love left in this world?"

Yuki Yuichi's expression was sorrowful, but Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Obito both stared at him with blank faces.

It was as if they were saying, You are exactly that kind of person.

"You all disappoint me so much!"

Yuki Yuichi sighed, "I was just helping you loosen up your muscles and bones."

"Heh."

Yuki Yuichi's words were even too much for Yuhi Kurenai to bear.

Few people possessed the ability to spout such blatant nonsense with a straight face.

"I'm done arguing with you lot; I'm going back to tree climbing."

"Then I'm going to practice water walking!" Yuhi Kurenai raised her hand.

They hadn't just been training; at the very least, they had scouted the entire perimeter of this training ground.

Not far away was a small stream that wasn't very deep.

At its deepest point, it only reached Yuki Yuichi's lower abdomen.

It was just right for practicing water walking.

This was likely a major reason why Minato Namikaze had established a training ground here.

If they had been left to find a spot themselves, they would never have found such a perfect place.

Secluded, devoid of people, and equipped with everything needed to train ninjutsu, taijutsu, and areas for both tree climbing and water walking.

While they were training, Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha.

"Although I could use the Flying Thunder God to get home, walking back is still more relaxing."

Minato Namikaze went home.