Sarutobi Hiruzen

Minato Namikaze was pretty considerate.

Not only did he point out what they needed to improve, he also treated them both to ramen.

Kakashi Hatake had initially wanted to refuse, but Yuki Yuichi had agreed without a second thought.

As if! If there was food to be had, and he knew where to find it, he wouldn't have come all the way here to train with Kakashi.

Now Minato had offered to treat them both to ramen. If that hotheaded Kakashi Hatake turned him down, Yuichi would be so mad he wouldn't be able to eat for two days.

Looking at the two boys, Minato said nothing. He simply smiled at them.

When they arrived at the entrance to Ichiraku Ramen again, Yuki Yuichi couldn't help sighing.

It seemed he'd become a regular here before long.

Uzumaki Kushina had brought him here for a meal yesterday, and now Minato Namikaze had brought him back today.

Inside, Teuchi was busy at work.

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

No matter how good Ichiraku Ramen was, it wasn't mealtime, so the place wasn't going 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's voice had caught his attention, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to look at him, then glanced at Yuki Yuichi and Kakashi Hatake beside him.

"Ah, Minato." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled warmly, like a kindly old man from the neighborhood. He didn't seem imposing or intimidating at all.

"Are you here for ramen too?"

As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "This shop's food is quite good."

Minato Namikaze nodded and smiled. "The owner, Teuchi, gets nothing but good reviews for his cooking."

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen turn his gaze to Yuki Yuichi. "Who are these two boys?"

He was only pretending not to know.

He'd seen through Konoha's sealing crystal ball that Minato Namikaze was bringing some people out for ramen, so he'd come himself.

The crystal ball was connected to Konoha's barrier.

Using the Telescope Technique, one could link up with Konoha's barrier and see everything within the village through the crystal ball.

However, this ninjutsu could only show places that weren't obstructed.

And it couldn't transmit sound. But that wasn't much of a problem for shinobi. They were shinobi, after all; knowing how to read lips wasn't asking too much.

Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's question, Minato Namikaze finally realized he hadn't made introductions. He scratched his head apologetically, then pointed to Kakashi Hatake. "This is Kakashi Hatake, Sakumo's son."

After Minato introduced him, Kakashi Hatake bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen and greeted him formally. "Lord Hokage."

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled. "There's no need to be so formal."

Minato Namikaze then pointed to Yuki Yuichi and introduced him. "This is Yuki Yuichi, Shinku's son."

"Hello, Uncle Hokage!" Yuki Yuichi said sweetly, beaming at him.

He made sure to sound sweet when he spoke. He'd always remembered the saying: "You can't hit someone who's smiling."

"Hahaha!" When Sarutobi Hiruzen heard Yuki Yuichi call him Uncle Hokage, he couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Then he looked at Minato Namikaze and asked, seemingly puzzled, "Yuki—that surname sounds familiar."

"Minato, does it ring a bell?"

Minato Namikaze didn't suspect anything. He glanced at Yuki Yuichi and explained with a smile, "He's the son of Qingshui and Haru. Shinku adopted him."

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen feign sudden realization. He turned back to Yuki Yuichi and laughed again. "Since you've called me Uncle, I'll give you a ninjutsu scroll."

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

Yuki Yuichi scratched his head and answered without hesitation, "I don't know."

Yuhi Shinku hadn't tested their chakra natures. Since he specialized in genjutsu, the only technique he'd taught Yuki Yuichi and Yuhi Kurenai at first was the Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique.

Besides, there hadn't been any need to test their chakra natures before.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his chin, frowning slightly. "You don't know your chakra nature..."

Just then, Minato Namikaze held out a piece of Chakra Induction Paper, smiling as he said, "I have one here. Let's test it."

Without the slightest hesitation, Yuki Yuichi took the Chakra Induction Paper from Minato's hand.

"Kakashi, have you tested your chakra nature?" Minato Namikaze asked, seeing Yuki Yuichi accept the paper.

"If you haven't, I have more."

As he spoke, Minato Namikaze pulled two more sheets of Chakra Induction Paper from his pocket.

Kakashi Hatake shook his head. "I've already tested mine."

Minato Namikaze nodded at that, and Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Kakashi and gave him a warm smile.

Meanwhile, Yuki Yuichi was channeling the chakra inside him into the Chakra Induction Paper.

As its name suggested, Chakra Induction Paper could reveal a shinobi's chakra nature.

Fire: the paper caught fire.

Wind: the paper split down the middle.

Lightning: the paper crumpled.

Water: the paper became wet.

Earth: the paper crumbled.

As Yuki Yuichi did so, one half of the paper sparked with fire, while the other half crumpled.

"Looks like your chakra has both Lightning and Fire natures." Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his chin and thought for a moment before saying, "In that case, I'll give you this ninjutsu."

Under Kakashi Hatake's envious gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled a scroll from inside his robe.

"This is a scroll for the Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique."

"Though it's a C-rank ninjutsu, it's very powerful."

As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen winked at Yuki Yuichi.

"Once you've learned it, you'll be able to breathe a straight line of fire from your mouth. Its speed and power are both top-notch, and it's strong enough to snap a large tree."

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

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

"Hahaha, you called me Uncle. How could I not give you something?" Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed and waved a hand, then said, "Well then, I'll be off."

"As Hokage, I have plenty of things to take care of."

As the three watched, Sarutobi Hiruzen left with his hands clasped behind his back.

Yuki Yuichi unrolled the scroll and looked at its contents.

After just one glance, he rolled it back up.

Minato Namikaze smiled at him. "What do you think? Can't make heads or tails of it, right?"

"Yeah..." Yuki Yuichi nodded. He recognized every character on the scroll, but when they were put together, he couldn't understand a thing.

It made him look like an illiterate.

He had never hated his own ignorance as much as he did now.