As a veteran Mist Ninja over forty years old.
Having also taught at the Ninja Academy for around ten years, Minato knew all too well what sort of mindset most of the little ones in his village had when they entered the academy. More than seventy or eighty percent of them would never realize what the cruelty of being a ninja meant.
Those who understood it to some extent invariably had at least one ninja parent. In fact, one could even say that only those born into ninja clans could truly understand what a "ninja" was before entering the academy!
They simply saw how impressive ninjas were!
And this sort of disparity, or rather, this mistaken mindset that bordered on criminal, would leave many of these little ones suffering heavy blows once they entered the Shinobi World. In peacetime, things were relatively better. They would generally suffer a little hardship, at most sustain injuries or take a certain degree of psychological damage. But during wartime, this sort of mindset would practically cost these little ones their lives!
Put it this way: in past wars, including the two Shinobi World Wars of the greatest scale, the little ones sent straight to the battlefield after graduating had a mortality rate as high as seventy percent!
That figure was truly terrifying!
Although Minato had been a very traditional Mist Ninja in his youth, he was older now, and his outlook had changed. Most importantly, he was now a Ninja Academy teacher, and he also had a child of his own around ten years old. Putting himself in their shoes, Minato genuinely hoped that the students he taught each year could adopt the right mindset and learn and master as much useful knowledge as possible at the academy with their feet firmly on the ground, especially in terms of their caliber and mental maturity. Those were every bit as crucial to a ninja!
Sweat more in peacetime.
Bleed less in wartime!
Even if that saying did not exist in this world, the principle was the same.
This was also Minato's earnest hope for his students at the start of the school year.
Unfortunately, history and experience told us that, when it came to creatures known as students, very few could understand their teachers' painstaking intentions right from the beginning.
This was not the first time Minato had said something similar on an occasion like this.
Sadly, the effect really might not amount to much.
"Yes~~"
Among the dozens of children in this classroom, too, more than ninety percent of the little ones answered their homeroom teacher in very loud voices, yet the carelessness showing on their little faces was unmistakable.
Only a handful, including Kei, took Minato's words to heart, because they truly understood the bloodshed and darkness of the Shinobi World, and understood even better the cruelty beneath the seemingly glamorous identity of a ninja!
One had to remember that before the Five Great Shinobi Villages were established, the average lifespan of a ninja did not exceed thirty years. Even now, that figure had only increased a tiny bit. This was already the most compelling statistic of all!
Of course, Minato also knew very well that getting the little ones before him to adopt the right mindset with a single speech was absolutely impossible. Still, what needed saying had to be said in advance. It was his job, and more than that, his responsibility.
As for what lay ahead, that could only be left for the future.
Fortunately, however, the Second Shinobi World War had already ended. This incoming class, along with the children still studying in the higher years, did not have to worry about being sent to the battlefield. If they simply graduated normally, the injury rate would still be far from low, but the mortality rate would certainly fall considerably.
There was no need to worry about these little ones as much as in the past few years.
Minato thought this with a measure of helplessness. After all, he was a ninja of civilian birth himself, and he still hoped as much as possible that the little ones here from civilian families could "grow up" a little sooner!
Otherwise, even without going to war, all sorts of situations and problems could easily arise while ninjas carried out their everyday missions!
Even without raising the mission rank, a C-Rank Mission alone was guaranteed to involve bloodshed!
Fortunately, the Mist Ninja's educational policies were somewhat more realistic, and their graduation assessment was the harshest and cruelest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. At worst, the graduates selected this way would include arrogant, conceited hotheads, rather than excessively naive, kindhearted fools.
In the world of ninjas, kindness and naivety were grave original sins even worse and more serious than arrogance and conceit.
"Well, over the next few years, every one of you will certainly come to understand these principles more clearly than the next, so I won't say any more. Next, let's start with introductions. You won't just be studying together as classmates for several years. After graduation, there's also a certain chance you'll become teammates and carry out missions together. First impressions of one another are very important. Let's start with this student in the first row, then go in order!"
Still wearing a stern expression, Minato pointed to a little boy seated on the far right of the first row, near the door, and spoke softly.
"Just briefly tell us your name and hobbies, things you like, and your dreams for the future, that sort of thing..."
"Yes, Mr. Minato!"
After a brief moment of surprise, the little boy Minato had called on immediately reacted. He quickly stood up straight, excitement appearing on his face as he said, "My name is Yoshitsugu Matsuoka. My dream for the future is to become a ninja as great as Lord Mizukage. My favorite food is the mochi from South Gate Street, and my hobbies are..."
Even in a world where children matured incredibly early, five- or six-year-olds could hardly possess much real guile or cunning. Apart from the unusual existence that was Kei, the dozens of others present truly were "little ones" in every sense of the word. Their introductions also offered some indication of their personalities.
They really were each more straightforward than the last, though that was how children their age ought to behave. Kei was also using these classmates' introductions to deepen his understanding of them, especially the two from the Kaguya Clan, the one from the Hozuki Clan, and Mei Terumi, whom Kei valued most!
These were the few people Kei most needed to pay close attention to during the coming years of his student life. Mei Terumi in particular, excluding those few cheats in the original story, would reach a height in the future that already placed her at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World's pyramid!
Her dual Kekkei Genkai abilities of Lava Release and Boil Release, along with her own proficiency in Water Release techniques, made this future Fifth Mizukage one of the stronger individuals even at Kage Level in terms of personal strength!
Of course, she was still a little girl wet behind the ears now, but that did not stop Kei from paying attention to her early, or even trying to win her over in advance!
The younger and more innocent someone was, the easier it was to grow close to them!
If possible, or rather, if a suitable opportunity arose.
Kei absolutely wanted to invest early in these promising prospects of Kirigakure!
This also held great significance and importance for his future plans!