Kushina Uzumaki

The old man was, of course, the Third Hokage, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu. He was studying the information in his hands with a serious expression. After reading it all and thinking for a moment, he asked, "Have any members of the Uchiha clan visited the place where he lives now?"

The Cat Face ninja behind him quickly replied, "Not so far."

"It seems he's very good at hiding who he is. A born ninja. What a shame..."

The Third Hokage paused there, and the Cat Face ninja behind him asked, "Lord Hokage, should we arrest him?"

The Third Hokage shook his head. "No rush. Let's see what he does next."

Below, the two boys had become so engrossed in the Scroll of Seals that they couldn't help trying out the techniques inside. Minato formed hand seals and pressed his hands against his kunai. A marking appeared out of thin air on the kunai, and he casually tossed it over ten meters away. Before it could hit the ground, he appeared beside it out of nowhere and caught it in his hand.

Minato had successfully performed Flying Thunder God: Stage One on his very first attempt.

Meanwhile, Anyo also formed hand seals, then thrust his hands straight ahead. The space before him immediately turned into pure darkness, different from the darkness of night. It held no light at all, and even one's gaze could not penetrate it.

"How is that possible? In such a short time, these two children...?" The Third Hokage was stunned by the sight. Even the Cat Face ninja behind him trembled, clearly shaken as well.

Anyo's gaze sharpened, and he formed hand seals to dispel the technique. In just that brief moment, it had consumed a great deal of his mental energy. It seemed he still needed time before he could use this genjutsu perfectly. Minato's success, however, had been completely unexpected. My mental energy is so strong, and I have an adult's mind, yet even using a genjutsu is this difficult. How can a little kid like you manage that?

Anyo voiced his confusion. "Is the Flying Thunder God Technique that simple? You learned it after just one look."

Minato shook his head. "It's not that simple. I've only gotten started. This is a top-level Body Flicker Technique. It requires powerful sensory abilities, a talent for space-time techniques, and a lot of chakra. I happen to have a little of each, but ten meters is already my limit. Any farther would be very dangerous."

What kind of talk was that? It sounded humble, yet it made you want to punch him. A textbook humblebrag.

Anyo quickly closed the Scroll of Seals and looked at Minato with a faint, ambiguous smile, saying nothing.

Minato flushed slightly, looking a little embarrassed, but still asked, "Are you planning to take that with you?"

"Of course not." Anyo shook his head. "I've already gotten what I wanted, and I was just about to sneak it back. Since you're here, you can keep watch for me. Don't let anyone spot me."

"Huh?" Minato cried in surprise. Something felt off. He had clearly come to stop Anyo, so how had he ended up becoming an accomplice? But remembering that he had just secretly learned a forbidden technique from it himself, he could only nod. "All right."

"Heh heh."

Children really were easy to fool. If Minato were older, it wouldn't have been so easy to get away with this today. Anyo chuckled inwardly and pulled Minato along back to the Third Hokage's house. Of course, Minato hid anxiously in a corner, furtively watching for anyone approaching.

Anyo went inside and very carefully returned the Scroll of Seals to its original place. Once that was done, he breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, he had wanted to copy down the entire Scroll of Seals before returning it. But the moment he successfully performed the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, he had vaguely sensed that he was being watched. That feeling was what made him decide to return it immediately.

That Third Hokage is a crafty old fox. For all I know, he was watching me from nearby just now. Better not risk it. This one ninjutsu will already give me plenty to digest for a long time.

Seeing Anyo come out, Minato, who felt for the first time that he was doing something bad, sighed in relief and hurriedly signaled for him to leave.

Anyo obligingly nodded, and the two quickly left together. When they parted, Anyo smiled and waved to Minato. "Thanks for today. See you at school tomorrow."

"Okay," Minato replied, waving politely. For some reason, he felt that the two of them had grown a little closer.

Anyo naturally knew why. Doing good deeds together felt completely different from doing bad things together. The latter left a much deeper impression and gave people more of a sense that they were on the same side, as though they shared a secret.

When he arrived at school the next day, Anyo greeted Minato naturally, then plopped down beside him. Come on, this was the future Fourth Hokage. Getting on good terms with him from childhood certainly couldn't hurt.

Minato nodded when he saw Anyo, completely unaware of all the little schemes in his head.

After a while, with the teacher still absent, a bored Anyo simply closed his eyes and began pondering the genjutsu he had obtained yesterday.

To be fair, genjutsu didn't appear often in Naruto, but it was undeniably important and ran through almost the entire series. The final Infinite Tsukuyomi, in particular, could be considered a world-ending technique. That was why Anyo was so fascinated by this technique.

Suddenly, while immersed deep within his mind, he sensed Minato stand up beside him. Then he heard Minato say, "I want everyone in the village to acknowledge me too, and become a great Hokage."

What a cringeworthy declaration. Anyo gave him a puzzled look, then noticed a little girl with long red hair standing at the front of the classroom.

Huh? Another new student in our class?

At that moment, the red-haired girl was looking at Minato as though he were an idiot, making the smile on his face turn awkward.

Watching from the side, Anyo couldn't help finding it funny. Once Minato sat down, he asked, "Why did you suddenly stand up and say that? Are you interested in that girl?"

Minato paused, then nodded. "I think she's cute, and she has the same ambition as me."

Looks like kids here mature pretty early, falling for someone at such a young age. Wait, don't you have a canon partner? Could it be...?

Anyo looked back at the new girl, sizing her up from head to toe.

Perhaps his gaze was too brazen, because the girl snapped angrily, "You with the short hair! What are you looking at?"

Left rather speechless by her shout, Anyo looked away and asked Minato, "What's her name?"

Minato said in puzzlement, "Weren't you listening just now? Her name is Kushina Uzumaki."

Oh, it really is her. No wonder you like the look of her. Isn't that your future wife? She's quite fiery.

The girl found a seat in the front row and sat down. After the teacher left, everyone began talking about her behind her back. They thought a new student loudly declaring that she wanted to become Hokage as soon as she arrived was getting far too full of herself. Some even attacked her looks and red hair, giving her the nickname Tomato. The classroom immediately filled with mocking laughter.

The loud laughter made it impossible for Anyo to concentrate on his training, so he discreetly poked Minato.

Minato gave Anyo a puzzled look.

Anyo pointed toward Kushina. "Aren't you going to help her?"

Minato shook his head. "No need. Her ambition is to become Hokage, so she must be strong inside. She doesn't need my help."

Anyo rolled his eyes and sighed. "Honestly, you're clueless."