"Minato Namikaze, it's your turn. What's your dream?"
Ibuki-sensei's voice echoed through the classroom, drawing the students' attention back once again. Almost everyone's gaze fell on Minato Namikaze.
After Kushina had stated her "dream," they had begun answering in order. For some ordinary students, they were often nervous when saying these things, but in fact, they attracted no attention from anyone else.
Only when it was Minato Namikaze's turn did the students in the classroom all turn their attention over again.
He was no ordinary student!
Minato Namikaze was the class's top student. He mastered anything the teacher taught as soon as he learned it, and his proficiency in Ninjutsu in particular far surpassed that of his peers.
According to everyone, Minato Namikaze could have graduated early, but for some reason, he had stayed at the Ninja Academy to study. He was not the least bit arrogant, either, and his face often wore a gentle smile that made people feel very comfortable.
"I hope to become a great Hokage acknowledged by the people of the village!"
Minato Namikaze raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and held it at his chest. The gesture looked very solemn, while his face displayed his trademark warm smile, making people feel very comfortable.
"Whoa!"
As soon as Minato Namikaze said this, the classroom erupted. His classmates whispered about him, their eyes filled with envy.
When someone was stronger than you, it might provoke disdain. You might feel bitter about it, or even develop jealousy and resentment.
But when that person's strength reached a level you could never hope to match, all you felt was envy and admiration.
A small gap bred jealousy; an enormous gap bred only envy!
In his classmates' minds, the gap between them and Minato Namikaze was simply too vast. They could never catch up. As a student in their class, he was like something put in the wrong place, delivering a dimensional strike. They were on entirely different levels.
Become Hokage!
If anyone else had said something like that, they would only have been mocked!
After all, out of every ten children in Konoha, at least nine wanted to become Hokage. It was practically their shared dream, but they would not constantly talk about it, because dreams were only dreams. Some dreams could never be realized in a lifetime.
But when Minato Namikaze said it, they did not find it unrealistic. They even felt it was highly likely to happen. Among their generation, not a single person could compare to Minato Namikaze.
On the other side at the back of the classroom.
Kushina's gaze focused on Minato Namikaze's blond hair.
Hmph!
Kushina snorted inwardly. Becoming Hokage was her dream and goal, too. Since they had the same idea, they were destined to be competitors.
There was only one Hokage position!
If he took the seat, there would be no seat left for her!
Out of consideration for Araki's feelings, Kushina had not expressed her real thoughts, but that did not stop her from viewing Minato Namikaze as an enemy now.
Sure enough, anyone with a little ability can't wait to have the whole world revolve around him!
From the students' reactions, Kushina vaguely guessed that Minato Namikaze might be the strongest in the class. He was much like those peers she had known before: with just a little ability, they could not resist showing off.
In that respect...
He was nowhere near as composed as Araki!
At that thought.
Kushina turned her gaze toward Araki, who had no presence at all.
She grew even more curious about Araki.
That figure, whom almost no one else noticed, shone with a mysterious aura in her eyes, making her want to delve deeper into his secrets.
Chapter 10: Araki's dream
The exclamations in the classroom continued for quite some time before gradually dying down.
Almost every student knew that Minato Namikaze wanted to become Konoha's Hokage, but knowing was one thing. Hearing Minato Namikaze say it himself was another.
Only now did everyone truly understand Minato Namikaze's "ambition." Without realizing it, they were already looking at him differently.
Even Ibuki-sensei, who had asked the question, looked at Minato Namikaze with praise and appreciation in his eyes.
After all...
Having taught a student like this was something he could brag about for the rest of his life!
After asking several more students in succession, Ibuki-sensei focused his gaze on Araki in the corner.
"Araki, what's your dream?"
When Ibuki-sensei asked this question, his demeanor was not quite the same as before. He even seemed a little troubled.
It had to be said...
Even Ibuki-sensei thought Araki was a tough nut to crack.
In the past, whenever he asked Araki a question, the boy's response was practically like opening a blind box.
On a good day, he was like a top student, giving the answer instantly.
On a bad day, he seemed not to have understood a word.
So much so that even from his position as a teacher, he would not deliberately approach Araki unless there was something he needed. Doing so brought even greater uncertainty.
This time.
When Araki was called on.
Not a single student paid any attention.
The people in the classroom continued doing their own things. Those who had answered had begun thinking about other matters or resting, while those who had not were still mentally drafting their responses, considering how to answer quickly when asked. No one cared what Araki would say.
However...
There was a slight exception this time.
Kushina, who had just transferred into the class, had been listless and utterly uninterested while listening to the others' dreams. After all, she did not know any of them yet. Listening was pointless, since she could not remember who was who.
But when Araki was mentioned...
Kushina suddenly straightened her neck, her red twin ponytails bouncing twice. Her beautiful eyes, filled with anticipation and curiosity, fixed on Araki. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"I..."
Araki's expression did not change at all. Just like the other students waiting to be questioned, he had long since decided how to answer.
From the moment he saw Kushina, he had known that the lesson was about to reach the part where they were asked about their dreams.
Dreams were very nebulous things!
If you aimed too high, people would call you overambitious and think you were unrealistic.
But if you aimed too low, you would be seen as lacking ambition.
Araki would not reveal his full strength, as that would draw more people's attention. Nor would he completely hide his strength, because that would also draw some people's attention. Only by always keeping himself at an average level could he blend into the crowd.
The same principle applied to dreams!
Dreaming too big or too small would both attract attention.
Just like Minato Namikaze now: everyone in the class had remembered that his dream was to become Hokage.
"My dream... is... is... to become... a medical... medical-nin..."
Araki spoke slowly in a halting, somewhat awkward manner. This was how he had always spoken in front of everyone, the effect of having only just learned the language here and not yet being able to express himself particularly fluently.
In fact, during his time at the Ninja Academy, Araki had slowly allowed his language skills to improve. The progress simply had not been especially obvious, so many people still thought of him as having difficulty expressing himself.
This was a label Araki wanted to shed gradually.
Just like his approach to living here, he would neither stand out too much nor fall too far behind. He would stay among the average masses, because people at that level were often the most numerous and the least noticed.
The difficulty expressing himself that Araki had previously shown people had, to some extent, attracted attention to him.
But Araki had had no choice back then. At the time, he genuinely could not speak the language. Even if he wanted to express himself, he simply could not.
It was hardly different from a language impairment!
After hearing Araki's words, Kushina's beautiful eyes instantly lit up, and she began imagining some possibilities.
Perhaps...
Possibly...
That was how it was...
Kushina's thoughts rapidly branched out. At her current age, she was naturally full of imagination and prone to letting her mind wander, and now she had encountered such a strange person.
In fact.
Before Araki spoke.
Kushina had already been imagining what sort of dream someone like him might have.
Surely he did not want to become Hokage?
Or did he intend to just lie flat for the rest of his life?
Or did he also want to make more friends?
Kushina had thought of many possibilities. This guessing gave her a strong sense of involvement and made her even more curious about Araki's dream.
It was precisely because of this...
That when she heard Araki say his dream was to become a medical-nin, she was deeply shocked. It was something she had never expected.
"Why is that?"
Ibuki-sensei's voice raised the question at just the right moment. Not only had Kushina not expected it, but even he, Araki's teacher, had not expected him to say something like that.
The students in the class paid no attention to what was happening here. Or rather, they did not care what Araki's dream was. None of it had anything to do with them.
However, as a teacher, Ibuki still found it very surprising, so he asked a follow-up question.
"Be... because..."