Minato Namikaze was carrying a small baggage, which contained a few clothes and odds and ends that Dean Orphanage had packed for him.
He said goodbye to his friends in the yard one by one. Although there was excitement on his face, he was still a little reluctant to leave.
Shinichi stood at the door and waited quietly. Seeing the little guy solemnly waving goodbye to each of his younger siblings, he nodded secretly in his heart.
He is indeed an emotional child.
After saying goodbye, Minato jumped up to Shinichi and followed his footsteps obediently.
The two of them walked slowly along Konoha street in the direction of Uchiha Clan Compound.
The sun shines through the leaves on the path, and the breeze blows gently, making the atmosphere extremely relaxed and comfortable.
As they walked, Minato raised his head and glanced at Shinichi. After holding it in for a long time, he couldn't help but ask:
"Master, what level of ninja are you?"
Shinichi paused when he heard this, a trace of amusement flashed in his eyes, and then he sighed pretending to be serious:
"Ah, Master... I'm just Genin."
He looked down at Minato, blinked, with a naughty smile on his face, "Why, little Minato doesn't think the master is just a Genin, and doesn't want to learn skills from me?"
When Minato heard this, he immediately waved his hands, his face full of seriousness. "No, Master! I can feel that you are very powerful!"
He raised his head and looked at Shinichi with bright eyes, and his voice was full of the innocence and determination of a child:
"Besides, you are also very gentle and a very reliable man!"
When Shinichi heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help laughing out loud. He raised his hand and rubbed Minato's blond hair, his eyebrows curved:
"Ah, yes, yes! Master, I am indeed a very reliable man!"
As he spoke, the smile on his lips became warmer, and he couldn't help but feel a little emotional in his heart.
This kid has a very vicious vision.
The two figures were stretched out in the sunshine, one was big and the other was small, slowly walking towards Uchiha Clan Compound.
This journey may be the beginning of Shinobi World's strongest master-disciple relationship in the future--
But at this moment, they are just a jumping little apprentice with a bright smile, and a "reliable" master who says "Genin", but in fact his strength has already surpassed Shinobi World.
Along the way, Minato Namikaze followed Shinichi, jumping up and down, chatting with the master happily as if his chat box was open.
The two chatted about everything, talking about cultivation and interesting things in the village. Occasionally, Minato would secretly ask some tips about ninjutsu, and Shinichi would not hesitate to teach and patiently answer them one by one. The atmosphere was relaxed and happy, just like an elder brother taking his younger brother on a trip.
Until they step into the door of Uchiha Clan Compound.
The originally lively and lively atmosphere quietly changed slightly at this moment.
The streets in the tribe's territory are clean and wide, and the atmosphere is solemn and orderly. The Uchiha tribesmen who come and go look calm, with a kind of natural pride and coldness.
However, whenever someone sees Shinichi, almost all their expressions perk up, their attitude is respectful, they all take the initiative to stop and greet in unison:
"Good morning, Patriarch!"
"Master Patriarch, have a good day!"
Even the older tribesmen bowed their heads and saluted with a respectful tone without losing awe.
The sound of "Lord Patriarch" echoed in his ears, and Minato Namikaze's originally excited little face was stunned for an instant.
He looked up blankly at the Shinichi next to him, and then looked at the Uchiha tribesmen who were saluting respectfully, with disbelief on their faces.
Clan leader?!
Minato's eyes widened, he almost subconsciously tugged on Shinichi's sleeves, and whispered:
"Master... you, you are the patriarch of the Uchiha Clan?!"
Hearing this, Shinichi couldn't help but chuckle, leaned over and patted Minato's head, with a hint of naughtiness in his tone:
"Why, are you scared? You just asked me if I was Genin, but now you know my identity, are you scared?"
Minato shook his head repeatedly, with admiration after shock on his face. Even at such a young age, he even scratched his hair in embarrassment and said seriously:
"No! It's just... I didn't expect that Master, who is so young, is actually the clan leader of the Uchiha Clan. That's amazing!"
Shinichi smiled and stood up straight, with a bit of teasing in his eyes. "Being a clan leader at a young age is actually quite troublesome."
He paused, changed the subject, and said gently:
"But, from now on you will be my apprentice, no need to be bound, this will also be your home."
Minato heard this sentence, a flash of emotion flashed in his eyes, and he nodded heavily.
My master is indeed a powerful and gentle man.
After returning to Uchiha Clan Head's mansion, Shinichi couldn't control his mood as soon as he entered the door. He stood in the yard and shouted loudly:
"Orochimaru--I have a new apprentice today!"
As soon as the voice fell, there was a faint sound of footsteps coming from the corner of the courtyard.
Not long after, Orochimaru slowly appeared. He was still wearing a dark robe and his face was as pale as usual. However, it was rare today that he did not stay in his underground Laboratory, which was filled with scrolls and experimental equipment. Instead, he walked out leisurely.
His golden snake eyes narrowed slightly, he glanced at Shinichi, and then looked down at Minato Namikaze who was standing next to Shinichi carrying a small bundle.
The corner of his mouth raised a meaningful arc, and his voice was low and hoarse with a bit of playfulness:
"Oh? What makes Brother Shinichi, the 'high and above' patriarch, also accept a disciple? And he is still such a young kid."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and took a brief look at Minato. His snake eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was assessing the child's potential.
Minato was a little nervous as Orochimaru looked him over. He quietly leaned closer to Shinichi and called out in a low voice, "Master, who is this?"
Shinichi reached out and patted Minato on the head, and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, this is Orochimaru. He is usually the busiest guy here. But don't look at him like this, he is one of the genius ninjas recognized by Konoha, and he is also a disciple of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi."
After saying that, he smiled teasingly at Orochimaru: "How about it? My apprentice is destined to have an extraordinary future. I will bring it out to you to see."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes brightened slightly, and he said with a half-smile:
"Haha, Shinichi brother's vision is always right... this kid is quite interesting."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked towards the entrance of the underground Laboratory without looking back:
"Whenever your apprentice wants to learn some special ninjutsu, remember to call me."
Shinichi couldn't help but chuckle, looking at Minato and nodding in confusion.
At this moment, he knew in his heart that by bringing Minato into this mansion today, he not only accepted a disciple, but also quietly dropped a very crucial chess piece for the future Shinobi World chessboard.
In the future, there will be no more Nine-Tails chaos, and there will never be another tragedy in which Minato and his wife were martyred for Konoha.
Shinichi has already secretly made a decision in his heart - he will personally pave the way for Minato, nip all hidden crises and shadows in the cradle, and let this blond boy truly usher in his peak era.
And all of this, of course, is indispensable without imparting all the unique knowledge that one has learned and accumulated throughout his life to others.
"Since you accept me as your teacher, you naturally want to learn from the best."
Shinichi did not feel the least bit guilty about "cutting off" the disciple who was supposed to be taken away by Jiraiya, but felt at ease.
After all, if Minato followed the original path and became a disciple of Jiraiya, he would only be able to learn a few tricks.
Whether it is Flying Thunder God, Rasengan, or Sage Mode, in the final analysis, most of it relies on Minato's own understanding and efforts. Jiraiya's guidance is more of a companionship and guidance, and the real teaching significance is extremely limited.
What's more, Shinichi has no favorable impressions of that old bastard Gamamaru.
Shinichi sees this clearly.
Let Minato take Jiraiya as his teacher, and his future heights will stop here.
But now, he personally takes Minato under his tutelage, which not only allows him to have early access to a higher-level power system, but can even break the original fate of Predetermined Fate and go further and more steadily.
Konoha's future should not be based on sacrifice.
Since he has the ability to change, he will not let Minato take that regretful and tragic path again.
Shinichi looked at the little Minato standing next to him with a longing face, and slowly raised a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. He knew in his heart that this apprentice would become Konoha's most dazzling light in the future--
However, this time, no one will die artificially.
At the same time, far away Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya is sitting cross-legged in a quiet valley, concentrating on polishing his Sage Mode.
The surrounding spiritual energy is lingering, Toad is singing, and the air is filled with rich Natural Energy.
However, just as he closed his eyes and adjusted his breath, a familiar and heavy voice suddenly sounded in his mind -
"Jiraiya, come and see me."
He raised his brows, opened his eyes, looked slightly surprised, and then immediately stood up and walked straight towards the deep hall of Mount Myōboku.
After a while, Great Toad Sage's old and turbid eyes slowly opened, their gazes were deep and seemingly weak, but they seemed to be able to see through the long river of time.
Jiraiya saluted respectfully and asked with a smile, "Old man, why did you suddenly call me here today? Don't you usually let me practice by myself?"
Great Toad Sage looked at him quietly, his voice was low and hoarse:
"Do you still remember the prophecy I told you when you first arrived at Mount Myōboku?"
Jiraiya nodded with emotion. "Of course I remember. You said that I would become Child of Prophecy's teacher and lead Shinobi World towards peace."
Great Toad Sage shook his head slowly, a rare solemnity flashed in his eyes, and his voice seemed to pass through the mists of time:
"But, now the situation has changed."
He closed his eyes, as if still recalling the blurry scene, and said slowly:
"I recently saw fragments of the future - the trajectory of Child of Prophecy is being changed by a strange existence."
"In the future, there will be a son of the devil, Destroyer, whose power is enough to destroy Shinobi World, and even Mount Myōboku... will completely disappear from this world."
Speaking of this, his voice was low, as if he was bearing a huge weight:
"You must find this person as soon as possible and kill him before the chaos."
Jiraiya's expression became more solemn than ever before, and he frowned. "Who is...? You can't even see clearly?"
However, if Shinichi were standing here at this time and heard this so-called "prophecy", I am afraid that he would scoff directly and retort mercilessly:
"Destiny? Prophecy? Nothing."
He has long been freed from the constraints of any destiny line. Gamamaru's so-called future predictions are nothing but rootless water in his eyes.
Today, his strength far exceeds that of Sage of Six Paths--Hagoromo Otsutsuki. If he really wants to take action, not to mention Hagoromo, even Kaguya himself can slap her twice and make her kneel down and sing "conquer."
As for the "prophecy" Gamamaru said to Jiraiya at this moment, to put it bluntly, it was not a true insight into the future, but another reason.
--Hagoromo Otsutsuki is aware of the existence of Shinichi and perceives that he has power beyond the ordinary. He is much stronger than Hashirama and Madara, but he cannot see through the limits of Shinichi.
Driven by a sense of crisis, he sent a message to Mount Myōboku and used Great Toad Sage's mouth to manipulate the situation.
And Jiraiya, unknowingly, became a test piece pushed in front of Shinichi.
The chessboard of the future has been quietly laid out, and everyone is laying out the pieces--
However, no one knows that the person who really controls the chess game is not at all within their predictions and assumptions.