[Naruto : Yellow Flash] Chapter 696 - 700

Chapter 696: Peace

"Of course!" Jiraiya answered without hesitation. He looked at Minato, who appeared a little uncomfortable, and asked in a low voice: "How is it? Is my new book exciting?"

Seeing this, Minato was completely speechless. He twitched his lips and quickly stuffed "Intimate Paradise" back into Jiraiya's hands.

"What? You don't want to read any more?"

Jiraiya was stunned. He really couldn't imagine any man who could resist the contents of his new book.

However, at this moment Minato was already feeling a little anxious.

"I must not let Teacher mention this book to Kushina, let alone let her know that I've read it. Otherwise, once she finds out, I'll be dead!"

As he was thinking about this, a thin layer of sweat began to seep out of the forehead of the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, who was now famous throughout the ninja world.

He hadn't forgotten the punishment Tsunade and Kushina had given to Teacher Jiraiya after they caught him peeping into the women's bath.

Minato didn't want to witness that a second time.

"Minato, are you hot?" Jiraiya, of course, noticed the sweat on Minato's forehead and asked immediately.

"I'm fine," Minato responded and asked Jiraiya, "Teacher, you will definitely go meet the Third Hokage and Tsunade-senpai in a while, right?"

"Hmm?" Jiraiya nodded. Apart from Minato's family, his mentor, the Third Hokage, and Tsunade, who grew up with him, were all like his family.

"Teacher, I advise you not to show this new book to Lady Tsunade no matter what. I think you should know the consequences."

After Minato finished speaking, Jiraiya's eyelids trembled slightly, and then he couldn't help but shiver.

"Also, I would like to invite you to my house tonight, but please do not mention anything about the book or what happened just now to Kushina, please!"

Minato clasped his hands together, his eyes filled with sincerity.

"I see." Jiraiya responded. He also knew very well that although Kushina seemed gentle most of the time, once she got angry, the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" was not named for nothing.

"Then I'll go ahead and see you this evening!"

After the two chatted for a while longer, they returned to their serious expressions and Jiraiya left the Hokage's office.

At the ninja academy, what Naruto and the others learned today was still some basic knowledge about ninjas.

After class, there were still many people surrounding Naruto. It was obvious that everyone's curiosity about this "special classmate" had not yet worn off.

Today, Naruto no longer avoided the questions. He began to answer some students' inquiries.

Of course, this was only within the scope of his knowledge, because when it came to his own father, Naruto realized that his understanding was far from enough.

After answering for a long time, a considerable number of students finally dispersed.

However, there were still many students from other grades pestering him, but the lunch break was only so long and he couldn't use it all to answer these people's questions.

So Naruto escaped again and came to the rooftop just like yesterday.

"This is so troublesome," Naruto muttered softly, holding his lunch box in his hand.

Sasuke was there too, still staying in the same spot as before.

The two of them looked at each other and smiles appeared on their faces.

Neither of them wanted to stay here voluntarily. If not for the crowds, they would probably not have any reason to spend free time together.

"My lunch has gotten cold," Naruto opened his bento and started eating.

Sasuke was standing aside, glancing at Naruto thoughtfully.

Naruto had only known how to avoid these people yesterday, but his attitude had changed drastically today. Because only by engaging with the attention could he get out of this situation as soon as possible.

It seemed that his and his mother's worries were a little unnecessary.

Thinking of this, Sasuke's brows relaxed slightly and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"What are you grinning at?" At this time, Naruto's voice came over, and he looked at Sasuke suspiciously.

Because in his opinion, this guy was acting a little too strange today.

"What's it to you?" Sasuke's expression suddenly turned cold and his eyes swept towards Naruto.

After saying that, he stood up and jumped down from the roof. After a few leaps, he disappeared.

Naruto rolled his eyes, then realized that there was no one around the training grounds and teaching building.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late!" His face changed immediately and he rushed towards the classroom.

The sun was half set, the soft red light spread all over the earth, and the gentle breeze was blowing, making people feel particularly cozy and comfortable, as if able to relieve the fatigue of the day.

Kushina took Chiharu to the ninja academy to pick up Naruto after school.

When the mother and her two children walked around the last street on their way home and arrived in front of their gate, they suddenly saw two figures.

When she saw the people coming, Kushina's expression changed slightly, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes. She asked, "Why are you here?"

"Hey, Kushina, long time no see." Jiraiya waved at Kushina, and the Third Hokage beside him also smiled.

Kushina was about to say something, but before she could finish, Jiraiya waved his hand to stop her.

Jiraiya's eyes fell on Naruto and his sister beside Kushina, especially when he saw Chiharu, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He took two or three steps toward the children, then squatted down, showing what he thought was a very kind smile, and said: "You are Naruto and Chiharu, right?"

Naruto was slightly stunned. At this time, Chiharu's bright eyes studied the visitor, and then she smiled and said, "Yes, hello, Master Jiraiya."

After she finished speaking, Naruto's expression changed slightly, and then he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him with great curiosity.

Of course, Minato had mentioned Teacher Jiraiya in front of them more than once. Especially to Naruto, whose name was actually chosen by his father's teacher.

"How do you know who I am?" Jiraiya was surprised. The reason why he had stopped Kushina from speaking was because he had heard from Minato that Chiharu had been very clever since childhood, and he wanted to test her.

Chiharu smiled and replied, "Because your clothes are rarely seen in the village, you must have just returned from outside. And you came here with Third Hokage-sama, plus mom's reaction when she saw you just now, as well as the fact that dad often mentioned you to us. So it's not difficult to guess your identity."

After listening to this, Jiraiya looked down at his clothes. Indeed, he had just returned from another country, so the clothes he was wearing were also from there.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the courtyard in front of everyone.

It was Minato.

Minato's eyes scanned the group, and when he saw the Third Hokage had also arrived, his eyes widened slightly.

"Lord Third, why are you here too?" Minato walked closer and asked.

"I haven't seen Naruto and Chiharu for a long time, and I miss them very much." The Third Hokage smiled, and his eyes when he looked at Naruto and Chiharu were full of the love of an elder for the younger generation.

"Honey, you're home," Kushina also came to Minato's side.

Minato nodded, and at this moment Jiraiya turned his eyes and smiled with relief.

"Minato, your daughter is not only beautiful, but also very smart."

Chapter 697: Jiraiya and Naruto

"Thank you for the compliment."

Minato chuckled. Chiharu had been more sensible than her peers since she was very young, so compliments like this were common.

"I have to prepare a sumptuous meal tonight!" Kushina said enthusiastically.

"That's really exciting," Jiraiya replied. Although he often ate out, he had not yet found any restaurant whose food could be better than Kushina's.

"Come in," Minato stretched out his arms and welcomed the Third Hokage and Jiraiya.

"Minato, I've told you many times, you don't have to be so formal," the Third Hokage smiled and waved his hand.

Kushina and the others all walked toward the courtyard.

Minato stood at the door, and when Naruto approached, he turned around and walked into the house with him.

"How was your day at the ninja academy?" He glanced sideways at Naruto, whose eyes were much calmer than when he first came home from school yesterday.

This made Minato feel relieved. It seemed that his son had quickly found a way to adjust.

"Everything is fine," Naruto laughed, then scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "It's just that I can't remember most of what the teacher said in class, hehe."

Minato knew that it was impossible for the ninja academy to teach these students advanced techniques like chakra refinement right after the start of the school term. Instead, they would begin with theoretical classes.

Naruto wasn't good at theory, just like Kushina. After a day of lectures, just the content alone would probably make him dizzy. Adding those extra social pressures to the mix, Naruto's school day wasn't actually easy.

"Everyone has things they are good at and things they are not good at. The key is to do your best."

Minato smiled as the two walked to the front of their home, and he reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Dad," Naruto was stunned for a moment, then said, "Compared to you having to shoulder the responsibility of the entire village, my little bit of pressure is really nothing."

He gave Minato a bright, genuine smile.

Naruto's smile gave people a warm and comfortable feeling, just like basking in the sun. This was exactly the same as Minato's smile.

"What are you two talking about, father and son? Come in quickly." At this time, Jiraiya urged from the entrance.

"Oh, right!" Minato replied, closing the door behind him.

Jiraiya's eyes remained fixed on Naruto. When Naruto came closer, Jiraiya squatted down, looked at him and said, "You should know who I am, right?"

Although they hadn't spoken yet, from his observations so far, Jiraiya realized that Naruto and Chiharu, despite being siblings, gave people very different impressions.

"Yes, you're my father's teacher," Naruto nodded and looked at Jiraiya curiously.

His father had said more than once that it was thanks to the teachings of the person in front of him that he became a true ninja and later succeeded to the position of Hokage.

Naruto had also learned through his parents and the lessons at the ninja academy how powerful this ninja was, who along with two others bore the title of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha.

However, he had only learned from his father that Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade were two of the three Sannin. The third Sannin was someone his parents and teachers rarely mentioned, and Naruto had never heard anything about this person in the village.

After meeting Jiraiya, Naruto had something in his mind that he needed to ask.

"Since you're my father's teacher, please tell me how to become a good ninja like my father!" Naruto said, staring at Jiraiya with expectant eyes.

Jiraiya was stunned and looked at Minato beside him.

"Naruto, ask about these things later," Minato patted Naruto's shoulder and said.

"Oh, okay," Naruto responded.

However, Jiraiya was struck by the determination in Naruto's eyes. He smiled and replied, "You asked me how to become a good ninja like your father."

Seeing that Jiraiya was willing to answer his question, Naruto's eyes lit up.

"To be honest, although I am indeed your father's teacher, he has already surpassed me. So how to become as good and powerful as him? I don't know the method either."

Jiraiya explained that he hadn't actually taught Minato for that long after accepting him as his disciple. Although he couldn't say that Minato's ability to reach his current level had nothing to do with his teaching, Jiraiya at least believed that his influence wasn't as significant as others might think.

"How can that be?" Naruto looked a little disappointed.

"Although I don't know the specific method, I have just confirmed one thing," Jiraiya changed the subject, looked at Naruto seriously, and said, "Your father is the most talented and accomplished ninja I have ever seen, which is why he became the Fourth Hokage and a legend in the ninja world today."

"And the only one who can surpass him is you, Naruto!"

Naruto's expression trembled when he heard this, and he said in complete disbelief, "You and Dad both said that, but you're just saying it to comfort me, right?"

"Do you need comfort?" Jiraiya suddenly asked back.

Naruto was stunned, and Jiraiya smiled and said, "From what I know, your father would not lie to you with such words even if he was trying to comfort others."

As Minato's teacher, Jiraiya was also the one who had received the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage before him. He certainly knew that Minato had re-sealed the Nine-Tails in Naruto's body and that Naruto might be the child of prophecy.

Of course he trusted Minato's decision, but Jiraiya still had some doubts about this matter. After all, this concerned the future, and just a few words in a prophecy didn't represent everything.

But today, after learning about Naruto's childhood from Minato and actually meeting him, Jiraiya understood why Minato had made this decision.

For a ninja as experienced as Jiraiya, Naruto held no secrets. So, even though it was only a brief meeting, he saw something in the child's eyes that he couldn't find in most people.

He still remembered the look in Minato's eyes when he first accepted him as a student. That look was full of confidence and persistence, just like Minato's personality.

Naruto was different. He didn't have the natural confidence that Minato had. He even had some self-doubt. However, even with that uncertainty, there was no trace of surrender in his eyes just now.

The look in the eyes of a five-year-old child, who would never give up no matter what kind of setbacks he encountered in the future, surprised Jiraiya more than any talent could.

This is what he believed to be the most important quality a strong ninja needed to possess.

So, facing the somewhat uncertain Naruto in front of him, he laughed and said, "In fact, I was not an outstanding person when I was young. I even held my team back."

"What I said just now was not meant to comfort you at all. I'm not quite sure why your father said similar things to you."

"But if you really want me to explain it, it's because I gave you your name, so I believe in you!"

Chapter 698: The Life of a Ninja

Under Kushina's preparation, Minato and the others' dinner was naturally extremely sumptuous.

At the dinner table, Minato had a drink with Jiraiya and the Third Hokage to celebrate Jiraiya's return to the village. During the conversation, they talked about some things from the past.

It was the Third who made it possible for Minato to become Jiraiya's disciple. The Third Hokage was extremely grateful for the decision he had made. Jiraiya felt the same, but how could they have imagined at the time that the boy with no background or bloodline could grow to where he is today? He surpassed his master and the previous Hokage at an extremely astonishing speed, and is now revered as the strongest ninja by countless people in the ninja world.

Naruto and Chiharu listened quietly to stories about their father's past, their eyes flickering with interest.

Kushina, on the other hand, had a happy smile on her face as she looked at the scene in front of her. Her autumn-water-like eyes were filled with satisfaction. Her hometown, the Land of Whirlpool, was destroyed by war, so for a long time, her life had been extremely dark. Everything changed when she was discovered by Konoha ninja and brought back to the village. Now her heart was filled with love.

After dinner, the Third talked briefly with Minato and the others, with a slightly anxious look in his eyes.

"Minato, Kushina, I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving now."

As he said this, the Third stood up and waved his hand to stop the Minato couple who were about to get up to see him off.

Minato was slightly stunned. He glanced to the side and saw Jiraiya, who was standing beside him. There was a smug look in his eyes and a hint of a mischievous smile. Minato immediately had a guess in his mind. His face suddenly changed and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Let's go see that child," Jiraiya said before heading toward the front yard of Minato's house.

The bright moonlight poured into the courtyard, making it appear silvery-white, like a fairyland, extremely beautiful.

Naruto sat cross-legged in a corner of the courtyard, making hand seals. Jiraiya and Minato watched him quietly in the dark. Although Jiraiya did not understand chakra perception as well as Minato, he could vaguely sense that the chakra fluctuations in Naruto's body were quite strong.

"Even when most of his chakra is used to suppress the tailed beasts, he still has this level of power. He is indeed a little guy who inherited your and Kushina's bloodline," Jiraiya sighed. "The Eight Trigrams Seal is indeed an extremely strong seal from the Uzumaki clan, but even a strong seal needs the support of a powerful Jinchūriki."

Therefore, under normal circumstances, most of the chakra in a Jinchūriki's body is used to suppress the tailed beasts. Despite this, Naruto's chakra was still far beyond that of his peers. His mother had the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, and although his father was of ordinary origin, he was born with a huge amount of chakra.

"It's just that although his chakra is very strong, his control is barely acceptable," Jiraiya noted. As one of the top three ninjas in the ninja world, he had a sharp eye and immediately noticed Naruto's problem.

"Come to think of it, I am the one who caused the predicament this child is facing now," Minato said. Although Jiraiya knew sealing techniques, he knew nothing about the Uzumaki clan's Eight Trigrams Seal.

"What's going on?" Jiraiya frowned.

Minato immediately explained to Jiraiya the principle of the Eight Trigrams Seal he had placed on Naruto.

"I see." After hearing this, the shock in Jiraiya's eyes had not yet faded.

He looked at Minato and chuckled. "You really are someone who doesn't do anything unnecessary. You actually used this method to seal the tailed beast into your son's body."

"In this way, as long as Naruto can grow up smoothly, he will be able to truly master the power of the Nine-Tails," Jiraiya continued. His eyes flickered as he thought about how powerful the Nine-Tails was. Even if Naruto only had half of its chakra, if he could fully control it, he would be able to become a top ninja in the world. That power would be unmatched by any Kage from the other four ninja villages except Minato.

"However, it is not so easy to fully master the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox," Minato sighed. In order to fully control the tailed beasts, one must gain their recognition.

However, in the history of the five major ninja countries, it seemed that the only ninja who could do such a thing was Killer Bee, the younger brother of the current Fourth Raikage.

Minato had experienced the hatred and resentment of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and he knew that with human intelligence alone, once entangled by its hatred, it would be easy to be swallowed by it. Eliminating the negative emotions of the Nine-Tails was something that even Minato could not do now.

"If he is really the boy predicted by the Great Toad Sage, he will definitely be able to do it," Jiraiya said, patting Minato's shoulder as he looked at Naruto in the courtyard.

"In fact, these burdens should be mine to bear, but I relied on my intuition and a prophecy that I didn't know would come true, and I put this responsibility on Naruto's shoulders. I really can't be considered a good father," Minato admitted. Even now, he still asked himself whether the decision he made was really the right one.

"Since when did you become so indecisive?" Jiraiya chuckled. "Remember that during the great war nearly twenty years ago, I asked Sarutobi-sensei to bring you to the battlefield. Do you think that the decision I made at that time was wrong?"

Minato was startled. He shook his head and said, "No, at that time, only by experiencing the cruelty of the battlefield could we truly grow up."

No matter how talented a ninja is, if they are always kept in an ivory tower, they will only be eliminated by this ninja world. Only in the fire and blood of war, between life and death, can a ninja truly and quickly grow.

"So, even if you didn't seal the Nine-Tails into Naruto's body, he would have to go through something even more cruel than this. He is your child and is destined not to be an ordinary ninja," Jiraiya said with conviction. "Besides, the child himself will not be content with being ordinary."

In the courtyard, Naruto continued to practice hard. A year had passed since the last time Minato talked to him. After a year of tedious chakra refining practice, he did not feel bored. Through this difficult training, his heart had become more resilient and stronger.

What Jiraiya had told Naruto before was really not meant just to comfort him. Although Jiraiya may not be the most powerful ninja in the world, he believed that Minato's persistence and vision would not be wrong.

Chapter 699: Physical Training

Before they knew it, Naruto and the other new students had been studying in the Ninja Academy for more than half a month.

During this half month, they naturally studied theoretical courses. In addition to the history of the ninja world and Konoha, they also needed to learn everything about ninjas. After all, before this, most of the freshmen had no idea about the ninja world.

Ninjas need more than just brute force.

The fact that Naruto is the son of the Hokage was known to the whole school, so there were still people surrounding him. However, for the students of the Ninja Academy, this kind of thing was only a momentary excitement. So, after about ten days, Naruto's school life returned to normal.

Of course, learning theoretical knowledge made him extremely anxious. There was constant noise in the classroom.

Iruka walked into the classroom carrying the textbooks, and the sound that could be heard even outside the academy finally quieted down.

Sitting by the window, Naruto rested his chin on the desk, looking dejected because he felt that these daily theoretical classes were more difficult than practicing.

Iruka glanced around the class and said, "It has been almost half a month since the start of the school year. The study of theoretical courses will come to a temporary halt. Today, we have practical training."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of the boys and girls in the class lit up, and their young faces were filled with anticipation.

Naruto also sat up straight at once, his previous dejection disappearing instantly as he looked full of energy.

"Teacher, what are we going to learn today? Chakra training, Taijutsu, or Shuriken techniques?" a student called out.

At this time, many students still seemed impatient. The boring theoretical classes these days had made not only Naruto, but most of the students feel bored and tired.

In the minds of these new students in the Ninja Academy, ninja was synonymous with strength, so they were quite curious about what aspect of ninja training the teacher would teach them next.

Looking at the boys and girls in front of him with expectant eyes, Iruka smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's still too early for you to learn these things. Today, the practical training content is running."

"Running?" All the students were stunned and very confused. What kind of ninja practice is running?

"Hehe." Seeing this, Iruka chuckled and said, "One of the most obvious signs of a ninja is their mobility beyond that of ordinary people. Therefore, running training is essential for ninjas."

"You all do have the potential to become ninjas, so you were recruited into the Academy, but I also taught you that chakra is the product of the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy."

"Running training is the best way to enhance your body's energy. Only by doing this well can you become a qualified ninja in the future."

Ninjas can use chakra to restore their physical strength, but in order to condense powerful chakra, they must first possess a physique that surpasses that of ordinary people. Moreover, the stronger the physical fitness, the greater the body's strength will be. This is also the basis for practicing taijutsu and shurikenjutsu.

"Don't think this is just ordinary running training. Our training today is..." Iruka paused for effect, "Run around the entire Konoha ten times!"

For ordinary ninjas or even senior students in the Academy, the intensity of this training was actually not too great. However, for these students who had not received any practical training, it was different. Most of the students' expressions suddenly changed and their eyes became bitter.

The expressions of Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and other children from ninja families did not change much. This kind of training they had completed before entering the Academy. More than a year ago, Hinata had accidentally bumped into Naruto who suddenly rushed out of Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant, probably during one of his training sessions.

"Okay, everyone get ready. Everyone will gather outside the school gate in five minutes," Iruka said and walked out of the classroom.

At this time, many students in the classroom looked at each other, their faces looking a little pained before the training even began. However, this was just a small ordeal before they became true ninjas.

…

Five minutes later, outside the gate of the Ninja Academy.

Swish!

Iruka suddenly appeared in front of the dozens of freshmen who had gathered.

"Is everyone ready?" Iruka said calmly, looking at the students in front of him, most of whom looked bitter.

"We are ready," the students answered, but their tone was a little low. Running around Konoha ten times was something that even some adults cannot accomplish.

Iruka didn't continue asking them because he saw two students looking at each other, eager to try.

"Before we begin, let me say one last thing. Although this is just a training session..." Iruka paused, "But I will still keep track of everyone's results. After the training is over, the last person will need to do an extra 500 squats."

Compared to the main training, these squats were nothing, but after running around Konoha ten times, this kind of punishment would have a completely different effect.

Many students swallowed nervously and made up their minds that they would never be the last one.

"Well, let's get started," Iruka said.

After saying that, all the students turned around and looked at the streets of Konoha in front of them with focused expressions.

In the crowd, Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, and there was suddenly a fiery look in their eyes.

"Preparation..." Iruka called out.

"Start!"

Swish!

As soon as the words fell, two figures among dozens of students rushed out like arrows from a bow. At their speed, they soon disappeared at the end of the street.

"So fast..." Many students sighed as they watched the two figures disappear from their sight in the blink of an eye.

"It's really fast, but at this speed, they can't sustain it for too long..." Iruka did not chase after Naruto and Sasuke. He knew that the two knew how to control chakra to restore their physical strength. However, even so, this speed could not be maintained until the end of the training.

Apart from these two, among the freshman team, Hinata and others were naturally at the front of the crowd. Their abilities may not necessarily be worse than Naruto and Sasuke, but it seemed that they had no desire to compete with those two.

Swish!

On the streets of Konoha, Sasuke and Naruto ran side by side, neither giving way to the other.

Suddenly, Sasuke slowed down for a moment, and Naruto glanced sideways with a smile on his face.

"Bang!"

With a collision, Naruto directly bumped into a man who was about to go out to deliver takeaway food.

"Naruto!" When Teuchi saw that it was Naruto who knocked him over, he shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry, uncle!" Naruto immediately stood up because just a moment ago, Sasuke had surpassed him.

Chapter 700: Innovative Mechanism

Swish! Swish! Swish!

From time to time, the figures of these Ninja Academy freshmen flashed across the streets of Konoha.

These children, who were approximately five or six years old, were selected after passing the preliminary examination of the Academy. Their physical fitness was stronger than that of their peers.

The so-called chakra is a combination of physical energy and spiritual energy. According to theory, all people actually have chakra hidden in their bodies. But not everyone can successfully condense chakra after systematic ninja training.

On the streets of Konoha, passers-by and shop owners were not surprised by this scene, because every new student of the Ninja Academy must go through this stage.

The person who was leading in first place at this time was naturally Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you were so cunning just now!" Naruto shouted, trying his best to overtake Sasuke. But the difference in speed between them was not much, and coupled with the "accident" that just happened to Naruto, the gap between them was temporarily widened.

Sasuke simply filtered out Naruto's shouting and didn't hear it at all.

"Has it started yet?"

In the Hokage's office, Minato looked at the current scene in Konoha through the window, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

At this time, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was also in the office, slowly walked forward and stood side by side with Minato, looking at the scene with a bit of nostalgia on his face.

"You didn't intend for everyone to complete the difficulty you set this time, did you?" Hiruzen glanced at Minato beside him. Although Konoha was called a village, its actual size was no less than most cities in the Land of Fire. Running around it ten times within a certain period of time was impossible for these newbies who had not yet received proper ninja training.

"Yeah." Minato nodded.

"According to common sense, only those few people can accomplish this," Minato said, referring to those children from the ninja families in Konoha, such as Hinata Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, and others.

"You mean?" Hearing the hidden meaning in Minato's words, Hiruzen asked.

Minato turned his head, exchanged glances with the Third, smiled faintly, and said, "Lord Third, what I mean is that I am expecting that, besides those students, some of the other freshmen will be able to complete this training."

"It seems that your purpose is not just as simple as training their physical fitness?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen smiled slightly. Even he, the former Hokage, didn't know what his successor was thinking.

Minato turned around and looked back at Konoha, saying, "The Ninja Academy system left by the previous Hokage really gave civilians the opportunity to become ninjas. It was a great innovation. But I think this mechanism still needs to be improved."

Ever since the Second Hokage established the mechanism of the Ninja Academy, this model of training ninjas had been used for decades. This system had indeed cultivated many outstanding ninjas for the village, but if you thought about it carefully, the best among them were either geniuses like Minato who had superb talents, or those who received guidance from famous teachers and gradually became powerful people who were renowned in the ninja world.

However, there were still some buried talents among them. Might Dai had been a Genin for decades and possessed unique skills. His strength was definitely not inferior to that of the Legendary Sannin. Although promotion to Chunin and Jonin was not entirely based on strength, with Might Dai's abilities, it was indeed a waste of resources for him to remain a Genin.

"The systematic teaching model can indeed train almost all students to become ninjas, but I think that on this basis, we can try to discover their talents in certain areas," Minato continued. "Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu – the latter two types of powerful ninjas are very scarce, whether in Konoha or other ninja villages. The root cause is that there is no perfect training mechanism."

Minato explained that when he was coaching Itachi before, he had the idea of training him to be an illusionist. However, it was because the two families were friends that Minato was able to discover Itachi's talent in controlling chakra. But there were so many students in the Academy, and how many teachers had the vision of Minato?

Hiruzen's eyes flashed, and he suddenly realized: "So the reason why you arranged this intensity of training is to select youngsters with potential in taijutsu?"

Minato smiled and nodded.

"You are truly remarkable!" Hiruzen looked at the blond man in front of him and couldn't help but smile with relief. It wasn't because Minato was once his student's student, but because Konoha was able to have such a Hokage.

As time passed, the gap between these freshmen gradually emerged.

Naruto and Sasuke were still rushing in the front, neither of them giving in to the other. However, even though they had already undergone such training in advance, their physical strength was still being consumed, and their heavy breathing and sweat on their faces became obvious.

Relatively speaking, Hinata, Shikamaru and others were also quite fast, but their positions had not changed much. They all completed the training in their most stable state.

Then, the level differences among the remaining students gradually emerged, and they were divided into many echelons.

"Hoohoo," the students breathed extremely rapidly and heavily.

It was almost noon.

At the end of the freshman group, two students were running slowly, their clothes already soaked with sweat.

At this moment, dense footsteps came from behind them, accompanied by gentle breathing sounds.

Swish! Swish!

Sasuke and Naruto overtook them from both sides one after another. Looking at the two figures gradually pulling away from them, the two almost exhausted students smiled bitterly. These two had already surpassed them by two full laps.

As their tense consciousness relaxed, their bodies began to go limp, and then they both collapsed to the ground. Their physical strength had reached its limit, and if they continued to hold on, they would faint.

"Minato?"

Just as Naruto and Sasuke were running past a barbecue restaurant in Konoha, an old man with gray hair blinked as he looked at the passing figure of Naruto.

He immediately followed the direction and saw the boy's back as he turned into the next intersection. The golden hair that looked extremely dazzling in the sunlight was the reason for his mistaken identity.

Then he chuckled. The boy who used to give people a humble and sunny feeling was now the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, and his son looked just like him.

"This guy," Sasuke, who was running at full speed, glanced sideways with a look of surprise on his face. Naruto, who had been lagging behind him just now, had gradually caught up and was about to overtake him.