Morning, at the Senju ancestral home.
Mito Uzumaki smiled kindly and said softly, "Kushina, eat slowly."
Kushina nodded like a chick pecking at grain, her cheeks bulging, then picked up her miso soup and took a sip.
"Why are you in such a hurry to eat today?"
Nawaki was a little curious.
"Ruyun is challenging a classmate today. I want to get to school early."
"Ruyun... Oh, I remember him. Who is he challenging?" Nawaki smiled, fond of the boy who had once addressed him as his senior.
"Minato Namikaze."
"...Never heard of him. Is he strong?"
Kushina thought for a moment, then said with certainty, "I don't know, but Ruyun should be stronger."
Nawaki nodded.
Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he asked, "Can I go watch?"
Kushina didn't quite follow at first. "Don't you have class?"
Mito Uzumaki watched quietly, a smile playing on her lips.
Just then.
Tsunade walked out of her room, her ponytail tied loosely behind her head, still looking a little sleepy.
She pulled out a chair and sat down, casually picking up a rice ball from the table and taking a bite.
"I could hear you talking from my room. What are you discussing?"
"Sis, Kushina said Ruyun is challenging someone named Minato Namikaze. I want to go watch. Can I?"
Tsunade paused. Moonlight Ruyun?
If she remembered correctly, he was her student.
He had kept calling her "Teacher" yesterday, yet hadn't even told her about something as entertaining as a challenge match.
What an unlovable little brat.
Looking at the expectant Nawaki, she said irritably, "You're about to graduate. Focus on your classes."
"Huh?" Nawaki's shoulders slumped. "I've already learned all that stuff. Sis, please. I really want to watch."
Seeing that Tsunade remained unmoved, Nawaki could only turn his pleading gaze toward Mito Uzumaki.
Mito glanced at Tsunade, who was signaling to her with her eyes, and chuckled. "You really want to watch?"
Nawaki nodded furiously.
Because of his unusual background, he didn't have any friends in his class.
"Then go. Remember to ask your teacher for leave."
"Thank you, Grandma!"
Overjoyed, Nawaki gave Tsunade a smug look as she ate her rice ball.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. Then, as though something had occurred to her, she gave him a dangerous smile. "I'll go with you."
"Huh???"
The stands overlooking the Ninja Academy's training ground.
Tsunade's blond hair stood out in the morning light, and her fair skin seemed to glow.
"How long has it been since we all got together like this?"
Wearing a Jonin vest, Orochimaru stood with his hands in his pockets, his long black hair falling over his shoulders. "A long time," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Things have been getting more chaotic lately. There are too many missions. It's rare to get a few days off."
Jiraiya rubbed his messy white hair.
They fell silent for a few seconds.
"Let's not talk about that." Tsunade waved a hand. "Jiraiya, why did you suddenly take on a student?"
Orochimaru looked interested as well.
Of the three of them, Jiraiya was probably the least likely to take on a student.
Unless something unexpected happened, Orochimaru would take Nawaki as his student after he graduated.
As for Tsunade, she probably wouldn't turn down a promising Medical Ninja candidate.
Jiraiya alone kept going on every day about some Child of Prophecy. Never mind training a student-he completed far fewer missions than either Orochimaru or Tsunade.
"...It's a long story."
Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged a glance and didn't press him. It most likely had something to do with Mount Myōboku.
"What about you two? I'm here to watch my student fight. Why did you come?"
Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya with his narrow eyes. "I came to see just how good your two students are."
Jiraiya froze at that. "What two students?"
Tsunade looked equally bewildered. "Right. Since when did Jiraiya have two students?"
Seeing that neither seemed to be joking, Orochimaru asked in confusion, "Jiraiya, didn't you tell me that yourself?"
"Uh, I'd had a little too much to drink that day. The old man didn't agree..."
Orochimaru was speechless. "Then who did you take as your student?"
"Minato."
"What about Moonlight Ruyun?"
He recalled the boy he had seen at the ramen shop that day. Had it all been a misunderstanding?
Jiraiya spread his hands. "The old man said he had plans for him. I don't know either."
"Wait." Tsunade interrupted their conversation. "Moonlight Ruyun is my student."
Both men exclaimed, "Huh?"
A few minutes later.
After piecing together the whole story from beginning to end, the three exchanged looks.
Orochimaru wore an odd expression. "No wonder you came too, Tsunade. So it's a match between your students."
"Yeah. Who would've thought all three of us would have students so soon?"
Jiraiya burst out laughing.
Tsunade and Orochimaru laughed as well.
For a while, only their laughter echoed across the empty training ground.
As the laughter gradually faded, Jiraiya asked excitedly, "Tsunade, who do you think will win?"
Orochimaru coughed twice and gave Jiraiya a speechless glance.
Sure enough.
Tsunade snorted. "My student, of course!"
The air seemed to grow charged with tension.
Jiraiya shook his head. "Ruyun is strong too, but I still think Minato will win."
He recalled the day he had gone to Mount Myōboku to pick Minato up.
Minato had been playing with a few little toads.
When he had pressed Sage Fukasaku about why Minato had been reverse-summoned to Mount Myōboku, he had received only an ambiguous answer.
It had something to do with the Child of Prophecy.
That was precisely what had cemented his decision to take on a student early.
He firmly believed that if Minato was the Child of Prophecy, he couldn't possibly lose.
"Not necessarily."
Tsunade folded her arms and gave him a sidelong glance, though she wasn't sure how strong Ruyun was either.
But surely Mito Uzumaki and Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't steer her wrong?
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously. "I'll tell you a secret. Minato has already learned the Summoning Technique. Guess who he summoned?"
He could barely keep the corners of his mouth from rising.
Orochimaru asked curiously, "Who? Surely he didn't summon the Toad Sage?"
Jiraiya shushed him and quickly shook his head. "Of course not! Take a guess..."
He drew out the last word, waiting until Tsunade looked impatient before continuing. "Gamabunta! Minato summoned Gamabunta on his very first try."
Orochimaru asked curiously, "Gamabunta? Does he have enough chakra?"
Jiraiya nodded. "Minato has as much chakra as I did when I was young."
"Interesting. Another civilian genius?" Orochimaru committed the name to memory.
As she listened to their conversation, Tsunade's brow slowly furrowed.
As teammates, they were familiar with one another's summons.
Given Gamabunta's size... if Minato summoned him during the fight, she really couldn't imagine how her student could win.
"Ugh, I forgot to have him sign a Summoning Contract with Shikkotsu Forest!"
Tsunade felt a little annoyed with herself.
Jiraiya smiled. "Now you know why I'm confident in Minato, right? Unless Ruyun is a Jinchūriki, there's no way he can beat Minato!"
Before you continue