Don't Take Out Dog Food When You Speak

The crowd from the police force dispersed.

Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, and Uchiha Fugaku were chatting ahead, while Uchiha Itachi followed behind with the two juniors, Beiyuan and Kakashi, in his arms. The scene was quite harmonious.

Under the streetlights, the men, limited by their status or personalities, spoke very little. Therefore, during this journey, the one controlling the entire conversation rhythm was Uzumaki Kushina.

Given her carefree nature, this wasn't surprising. However, what she said wasn't particularly insightful. Only the most well-behaved Uchiha Itachi listened and answered earnestly. It couldn't be helped; young boys have always been very respectful of elders and seniors.

"Itachi, after the New Year, will you come to watch the Hokage's inauguration ceremony?"

Uchiha Itachi looked towards the blonde hair. "I will definitely go."

"Have you learned any new ninjutsu recently? Let me see how it is?"

Uchiha Itachi placed Beiyuan on his shoulder, his small face solemn, and nodded, "Yes."

Child-Ox-Tiger-Rabbit-Dragon-Snake-Horse-Sheep-Monkey-Rooster-Dog-Boar!

Shadow Clone Jutsu!

A burst of air and smoke gathered around Uchiha Itachi. Two identical little boys stood before everyone. Even though it wasn't the simplified hand seals for Shadow Clone Jutsu, it was astonishing for his age!

"Nani?"

"Huh?"

"..."

As a father, Uchiha Fugaku knew Itachi was learning ninjutsu from crows. Intelligent ninja beasts understood ninjutsu. Simple techniques like Body Replacement Jutsu were fine to learn in advance. He was just a child; it was good to praise him for his desire to learn, but now...

"... Itachi! Shadow Clone Jutsu is a B-rank ninjutsu!"

"Dad, what is B-rank ninjutsu?" Itachi looked at Fugaku with wide eyes. Whenever his dad found out he had learned a new ninjutsu, hadn't he always praised him by saying, 'As expected of my son'?

"...You little brat..." Uzumaki Kushina stepped forward and pinched his little face. "Listen to me, ninjutsu is divided into five ranks: S, A, B, C, and D."

"Among these, S-rank and A-rank are forbidden techniques that require talent and chakra reserves. Ninjas are generally forbidden from learning or coming into contact with them, such as Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique and Kakashi's Chidori. Therefore, B-rank, C-rank, and D-rank ninjutsu have become commonly used techniques in ninja combat. This means..."

Kushina's words caused Beiyuan to fall into a daze. It finally realized another thing. After hearing two ninjutsu in succession, it finally had a clear comparison for activating the ninjutsu within its body. The root cause was chakra nature. It did not possess lightning-style chakra within its body.

Because Beiyuan was clear that it had activated another ninjutsu mentioned by Kushina—the Flying Thunder God Technique.

As a ninjutsu that purely relied on talent and not bloodline or chakra nature, it had mastered it. What did this mean? It meant it... still had no offensive techniques.

Only by finding a technique that matched the chakra nature within its body could it activate the ninjutsu.

Kushina's voice gradually became more pleasant in Beiyuan's ears...

"Mastering enough D-rank ninjutsu allows one to graduate from the Ninja Academy, wear the forehead protector, and become a genin."

"Mastering enough C-rank ninjutsu allows one to participate in the Chunin Exams, and upon passing, be promoted to chunin and serve as a squad leader during wartime."

"Mastering enough B-rank ninjutsu allows one to participate in the Jonin assessment. Upon success, one can be promoted to Jonin or Special Jonin, serve as a leading captain, and learn forbidden techniques."

"Ninja training needs to be gradual. Without sufficient chakra, learning and developing advanced ninjutsu is a very dangerous thing..." Minato added after his wife finished speaking.

The little boy bowed to thank them. "Thank you for the guidance."

For him, this was all common knowledge for a ninja, something he needed to learn. It seemed he couldn't casually learn the ninjutsu taught by Beiyuan anymore. This crow in his arms was more childish than he was... teaching him new ninjutsu just for Ichiraku Ramen...

However, the chakra within his body was increasing day by day, and the speed of refining and recovery was becoming faster.

This was because Beiyuan couldn't speak human language and didn't act like a human. Itachi and Beiyuan could only communicate through chakra. Every time their chakra converged, Itachi's chakra would show a significant increase.

Kushina glanced at Kakashi beside Itachi and shook her head. "I estimate he'll be like Kakashi in the future, maybe he won't even need to go to the Ninja Academy..."

"No, the curriculum of the Ninja Academy is irreplaceable," Namikaze Minato refuted his wife seriously. "Whether it's the bonds with friends or the basic knowledge of ninjas, our time in the Ninja Academy was very interesting! Kushina!"

"Yeah!" Kushina leaned closer to him, her face slightly flushed. "If it weren't for school, we wouldn't have met..."

"..."

Uchiha Fugaku, the middle-aged man, Kakashi, the teenage boy, Uchiha Itachi, the childhood child, and Beiyuan, the crow with red eyes, watched them grow closer...

After seeing them off, Fugaku took his son's hand, his expression somewhat inexplicably complex. He thought for a moment, then crouched down and looked directly into his son's eyes. "The Fourth Hokage is right. Learning advanced ninjutsu without enough chakra is a dangerous thing!"

"Dad..."

"Well, even though knowing my son is a genius ninja makes me feel proud," Fugaku said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "I still feel that being able to watch you grow up healthy is what makes me most proud."

"Dad!"

The father-son embrace made Beiyuan, who was caught in the middle, feel stifled...

"Caw!"

"Beiyuan, are you alright?"

"What a strange ninja beast! It has intelligence no less than a ninja, and even understands various ninjutsu, but it can't establish a summoning contract..."

Since Beiyuan moved in, his wife and son's smiles have increased. Compared to the tranquility of their family of three before, the house has become more lively. When their second child arrives, it should be even livelier.

If it weren't for the Kakashi incident tonight, they would probably still be gathered around eating hot pot, serving each other their favorite foods, and discussing New Year's gifts... But he still bore the responsibility of the Uchiha clan.

"Itachi, what do you think of the Fourth Hokage?"

"Very powerful."

"Indeed, very powerful." Uchiha Fugaku sighed. "His strength is evident to all. The Yellow Flash is a terrifying name in the ninja world. From today's perspective, he is also a very responsible Hokage. Truly... perfect..."

After Namikaze Minato took office, a rumor began circulating in Konoha Village. In the whispers, he was merely a puppet for the Third Hokage to continue holding power in Konoha, with the village's mission assembly hall still being supported by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The issue was that this actually eased many of the village's internal relationships, allowing the Third Hokage to finish his final term.

According to Beiyuan's memories, Namikaze Minato was arguably almost flawless among all the Hokage. Another with even fewer flaws and more fans would be... the Seventh Hokage... and he would be seen soon, wouldn't he? After all, Uchiha Mikoto was already pregnant...

So, the pregnant Uchiha Mikoto... was still waiting at home for hot pot!

"Caw!"