[Naruto : Yellow Flash] Chapter 681 - 685

Chapter 681: Resolving Conflicts

"What on earth is going on?"

With Kakashi's personality, he simply ignored the discussions around him.

He looked at Chiharu. Although the Hokage's daughter was young, she was much calmer than Naruto when facing problems.

Kakashi could still see a hint of anger in Naruto's eyes.

Before Chiharu could explain, the short-haired little girl approached Kakashi and said tearfully:

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I caused everything."

"I will take all the blame. Can you please let him go first?"

Kakashi was stunned, not knowing what was happening. At this moment, the Hyuga ninja he had captured suddenly spoke with a resolute expression:

"Lady Hinata, you don't have to do this for me. I was too reckless."

"Hinata?"

Kakashi murmured, then raised his eyes slightly and looked at the extremely anxious little girl in front of him.

"Hyuga Hinata? The daughter of Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan."

"Brother Kakashi, please let this annoying guy go first."

Just then, Naruto raised his eyes and said to Kakashi.

"Okay."

Kakashi nodded and released his hold.

The Hyuga ninja immediately turned around, knelt on one knee in front of Naruto and Chiharu, and said: "My young lords, the unreasonable offense just now was entirely my fault. I am willing to take full responsibility. It has nothing to do with Lady Hinata. Please don't blame her."

The man was sweating profusely. Although Konoha was not governed by strict hierarchy, Naruto and Chiharu were the Hokage's children after all.

He had shown such contempt for them earlier. Even if the Hokage did not hold him accountable, the head of the Hyuga family would definitely not let him off easily if word got out.

"Huh?"

The sudden change in the man's attitude left Naruto bewildered. His expression immediately shifted from anger to confusion.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

He looked at Kakashi and Chiharu questioningly.

Chiharu briefly explained the whole story to Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded. Judging from the clothes of the man before him, he appeared to be a retainer of the Hyuga clan, which explained why he hadn't recognized Naruto and Chiharu.

The Hyuga family traditions were quite strict, and even though Naruto had only helped Hinata when she nearly fell, for the Hyuga family, it was indeed against tradition and considered embarrassing to see their eldest daughter being held by a young boy.

At this time, Chiharu signaled to Kakashi with her eyes.

He leaned down slightly, and she moved close to his ear and asked softly: "Earlier, this person called that little girl 'Lady.' What are their identities?"

Kakashi replied in a low voice: "They're from the Hyuga clan. This man is likely a retainer of the Hyuga family. The little girl is the daughter of the current Hyuga clan leader."

"Oh."

Chiharu nodded thoughtfully.

She had heard her father mention the Hyuga clan several times; they seemed to be a prominent clan in the village.

This situation, which had attracted many onlookers, naturally caught the attention of the Uchiha police force patrolling the village. Two Uchiha clansmen made their way through the crowd.

One of them recognized Kakashi immediately.

Though he was a member of the Uchiha clan and had no connection to the Hatake family, those familiar with village politics knew that Kakashi held a special status in Konoha.

So he approached and asked, "Kakashi, what's going on here?"

Kakashi was momentarily surprised, then noticed Chiharu beside him blinking at him meaningfully.

He immediately understood and said with a smile: "It's nothing, just some children playing together."

"Please ask everyone to disperse. There's nothing to see here."

Kakashi said to the Uchiha patrol member.

The man nodded, and then he and his partner began dispersing the crowd.

"You should stand up too."

Chiharu then spoke to the Hyuga retainer.

The man was slightly taken aback, but after seeing no malice in Chiharu's eyes, he stood up.

"Sister, don't worry. My brother and I don't want to do anything to him."

"When Brother Kakashi attacked him earlier, he was just worried that we might get hurt."

Chiharu walked to Hinata's side, stood on tiptoe, and gently wiped the tears from her face.

Looking at the girl's smile that was as warm as sunshine, Hinata's anxiety gradually subsided.

"You really don't blame me?"

When the Hyuga retainer heard Chiharu's words, his eyes trembled and he quickly looked away.

Chiharu looked at him, her face stern.

Seeing this, the man's expression became downcast again.

What he had done wasn't so easily forgiven.

However, the next moment, Chiharu chuckled and said, "Of course it was rude, but it's not a big deal. Why should we all be so tense?"

"Just think of it as a disagreement between fellow villagers."

Chiharu glanced at Naruto. Given his personality, he was only angry for a moment because of those harsh words.

Neither he nor Chiharu would make things difficult for others just because their father was the Hokage.

"My young lords, I am deeply humbled by your generosity." The Hyuga retainer lowered his head in shame and spoke in a solemn voice.

"If you understand, then don't treat other people with that tone anymore. We're all fellow villagers living in Konoha. Is there anything that can't be said in a friendly way?"

Chiharu's words echoed concepts she had learned from Minato.

Kakashi's white eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

Chiharu really was a clever child.

"Yes, I understand!" the Hyuga retainer replied earnestly.

Chiharu turned and smiled at Hinata again: "Sister, let's be friends from now on."

"My name is Namikaze Chiharu, and this is my brother, Namikaze Naruto."

She introduced herself and also pointed to Naruto who stood nearby.

Hinata nodded timidly and said, "My name is... Hyuga Hinata."

"Great!"

Chiharu responded happily.

"Brother, what are you doing standing over there? Come here quickly."

Chiharu turned and called to Naruto.

Naruto was startled for a moment, then walked over.

The three of them were all children without complicated thoughts or concerns, so after a brief exchange, they became acquainted.

"I'm sorry, but it's getting late. I need to go home."

"Thank you for today, Naruto, Chiharu, and Kakashi-senpai."

Hinata's face suddenly grew anxious again.

She had already stayed out longer than her father had permitted.

"Well, see you next time," Chiharu said cheerfully.

Naruto, standing beside her, looked a bit awkward. He put his hands behind his head and smiled at Hinata.

Hinata bid farewell to them and hurriedly left with the Hyuga retainer.

Chapter 682: Dad's Power

"Brother Kakashi, why are their eyes so strange, with only whites and no pupils?"

After Hinata left, Naruto finally voiced the question that had been on his mind.

Kakashi replied: "That is the bloodline limit unique to the Hyuga clan, the Byakugan."

"Byakugan?" Chiharu also murmured this unfamiliar term.

"Byakugan? I think I've heard my father and Sasuke mention the Sharingan," Naruto said thoughtfully.

Chiharu, standing nearby, pondered for a moment and asked, "Bloodline limit—what is that exactly?"

Naruto and Chiharu hadn't yet systematically learned the basic knowledge of the ninja world. Even before today, Naruto hadn't known there was a Hyuga clan in the village.

The concept of a bloodline limit was even more distant to them.

In response to their questions, Kakashi explained patiently: "A bloodline limit, to put it simply, is power hidden in the body since birth."

"This kind of power is passed down through blood. The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan and the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan both belong to the category of Kekkei Genkai."

"So Sasuke already has this Sharingan power?"

Naruto frowned. He wasn't as skilled as Sasuke in training. If that guy had other powers too, wouldn't the gap between them just keep growing larger?

Kakashi shook his head and continued, "That's not the case. Since it's a hidden power, not everyone can awaken it."

"Among these two clans, only those who can awaken the Byakugan or Sharingan are considered true elites."

"As far as I know, the youngest person in the Uchiha clan to awaken their Sharingan was Uchiha Shisui, when he was seven years old."

"Sasuke is only a few months older than you, not even five years old yet. Of course, he can't possess the power of the Sharingan yet."

"Oh." Naruto nodded.

"However, Sasuke's brother Itachi also awakened the Sharingan when he was eight years old. Since they're brothers with the same parents, Sasuke should also be able to awaken the Sharingan in the future."

Kakashi explained that because he was Minato's student and had a good relationship with Shisui, he was relatively familiar with some public information about the Uchiha clan.

Shisui and Itachi were now known as the two greatest geniuses of the Uchiha clan.

Although Shisui had awakened his eyes earlier than Itachi, that didn't necessarily mean much.

They had lived in an era close to war, which provided more opportunities for the kind of stimulation needed to awaken the Sharingan.

When Kakashi mentioned awakening the Sharingan, his expression unconsciously changed.

There was a trace of sadness in his eyes.

But times had changed, and these things no longer caused him the psychological trauma they once did.

Kakashi took a deep breath and composed himself.

At that moment, he noticed Naruto in front of him slowly clenching his fists.

Kakashi didn't know the full story, so he wasn't sure why Naruto was reacting this way.

Chiharu immediately raised her eyes, looked at Kakashi and asked, "It sounds like Kekkei Genkai can give people great power. Dad is so strong, he must have something similar, right?"

Hearing this, Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

"No, Minato-sensei doesn't have any kekkei genkai."

Naruto, who had a glimmer of hope in his eyes because of Chiharu's words, had it extinguished after hearing Kakashi's response.

"Oh."

Chiharu replied. She wasn't very disappointed, but she knew that her brother was competing with Sasuke.

Seeing the brother and sister, especially the extremely disappointed expression on Naruto's face, Kakashi stretched out his hand and gently placed it on the boy's head.

"Minato-sensei doesn't have that kind of special power, but he still became the strongest ninja in the world today. Among the five major ninja nations, there are many powerful shinobi who possess Kekkei Genkai."

"But all these people pale in comparison to your father."

"Is Dad really that powerful?"

Although Naruto and Chiharu knew that their father, as the Hokage, was extremely skilled, they only had a vague understanding of just how powerful he truly was, despite often hearing people talk about their father's past.

"Hehe."

Kakashi laughed and said, "You know that in addition to the Hokage of our Konoha Village in the Land of Fire, there are also four other ninja countries—Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water—and each of their ninja villages also has a Kage, right?"

Naruto and Chiharu nodded.

"The Fourth Kazekage Rasa of the Sand Village in the Land of Wind and the Fourth Raikage A of the Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning are both powerful and renowned figures in the ninja world. They are very strong."

"However, both of these men were defeated by your father during the Third Shinobi World War several years ago."

When Kakashi said this, his eyes suddenly filled with fire and admiration.

"Wow!"

Naruto and Chiharu's mouths dropped open in astonishment. Their father had never mentioned these things before.

"That's not all."

Kakashi chuckled and continued, "In a small country called the Land of Rain that borders our Land of Fire, their leader is called Hanzo, a very powerful ninja who is revered as a demigod throughout the world."

"This demigod Hanzo, who was once regarded as standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, was also defeated by your father and once fled in panic."

In truth, Minato's real achievements were far greater than this, but given the age of Naruto and his sister, it might be difficult for them to fully comprehend.

However, this alone was enough for them to have a completely new understanding of their father.

Our gentle father is actually such a powerful ninja.

"Your father did not have any bloodline advantage, but he still relied on his own strength to lead Konoha from a disadvantageous position in the war to victory."

"That's why the previous Hokage chose him as the Fourth Hokage."

Kakashi shared all this because he hoped that Naruto and Chiharu would not underestimate themselves.

Although their father couldn't give them a bloodline limit as powerful as the Sharingan, as the children of Minato-sensei, Naruto and Chiharu would definitely not be ordinary.

Naruto and Chiharu were unable to calm down for a long time, overwhelmed by the stories of their father's accomplishments.

"Also, even though you don't have a bloodline limit like the Sharingan, you both have inherited the powerful physical constitution of your mother, Lady Kushina."

"Physical fitness is also very important for ninjas. It directly determines the strength of your chakra."

Kakashi couldn't help but look at Chiharu as he said this.

"For ordinary people, they have to wait until they're at least three years old, when their chakra pathways have basically developed, before they can start practicing chakra concentration."

"But, Chiharu, you've already begun this kind of training, haven't you?"

Chapter 683: Worry

"Um."

Chiharu nodded obediently.

"As expected of the child of Minato-sensei and Kushina-sama."

Kakashi exclaimed in admiration. When he was Chiharu's age, he had also begun trying to condense chakra.

However, he didn't have as strong a physique as Chiharu, so he didn't succeed until he was three years old.

Although he didn't have the ability to sense chakra like a sensor-type ninja, shinobi with a certain level of strength could distinguish between those who had activated their chakra and ordinary people through careful observation.

Apart from certain movement habits, people who possessed chakra had subtle differences in their physical appearance compared to ordinary people.

Although Kakashi didn't show it much, to be frank, among the young ninjas of Konoha, only Itachi and Shisui had comparable talent to his own.

He wasn't surprised at all that Chiharu had such ability. After all, she was Minato's child.

Naruto, who had been excited about his father's strength moments earlier, suddenly changed his expression.

Why?

Naruto kept repeating this question in his mind.

If what Kakashi said was true, why had he practiced hard for more than a year but still couldn't control his chakra?

Being the child of the same parents, Chiharu had learned hand seals in no time and condensed chakra in a very short period.

In comparison, Sasuke's father was the head of the Uchiha clan, and his brother was also a genius.

Sasuke had already learned basic chakra manipulation, while Naruto still lagged behind.

Naruto couldn't find answers to the questions in his mind, nor was it easy to share these concerns with others.

"What's wrong?"

Kakashi noticed that something was troubling Naruto and asked.

"It's nothing. Thanks for helping us earlier," Naruto shook his head and replied.

Kakashi responded: "It was no big deal."

"Chiharu, it's time for us to go home," Naruto turned and said to his sister.

"Um."

Chiharu nodded, then said to Kakashi: "Goodbye, Brother Kakashi."

Naruto left with his sister in a hurry.

Kakashi was a little puzzled, but he had other matters to attend to, so he departed as well.

After returning home, Naruto said nothing, walked to the giant tree in the yard again, and began to practice.

"Bang! Bang!"

Naruto used every muscle in his body to strike the tree, and the sounds of impact echoed throughout the courtyard.

The afternoon sun was hotter than in the morning, and coupled with Naruto's relentless practice, sweat quickly soaked the boy's clothes and dampened his hair.

Beads of sweat kept dripping down his tender cheeks.

"Brother, please take a rest."

Chiharu grew anxious, but Naruto, who usually listened to her, seemed not to hear her this time.

Because he was hitting too hard and his mind was distracted, Naruto accidentally cut his palm.

He winced slightly, but didn't bother treating the wound and continued to practice.

Seeing this, Chiharu was alarmed and said, "Your hand is bleeding! You need to treat the wound immediately."

"This little injury is nothing," Naruto replied dismissively.

Chiharu saw that he wouldn't listen to any advice, and with their parents away from home, she needed to take action.

She gritted her teeth and walked toward Naruto.

As she approached him, she suddenly broke into a run.

Though she hadn't begun formal training, she already had a basic understanding of chakra, and her movements were relatively quick.

With her small stature, she slipped right into the gap between Naruto and the tree.

Naruto was about to throw a straight punch when he saw Chiharu in front of him. His eyes widened in shock.

Although Chiharu was clever beyond her years, she was still a little girl less than two years old. When Naruto's fist came toward her, she instinctively closed her eyes.

Naruto desperately twisted his arm aside, and the resulting breeze barely ruffled the bangs on Chiharu's forehead.

"Chiharu, are you hurt?" His face changed drastically.

After hearing Naruto's voice, Chiharu cautiously opened her eyes. Her small body was pressed against the tree, surprise evident in her expression.

"I'm fine," she said.

Naruto sighed in relief, then asked anxiously: "Why did you suddenly run in front of me? That was very dangerous!"

"What if I had hit you? You could have been seriously hurt!"

In his anxiety, Naruto's speech pattern briefly resembled Kushina's.

"It's because my brother is injured and ignoring me," Chiharu said softly. She walked to Naruto, reached for his hand, and examined his injured palm.

"If an injury isn't treated promptly, it can become more serious." She tugged at Naruto, intending to take him out of the house.

She didn't know how to treat wounds yet, so her plan was to take Naruto to the Konoha hospital.

"There's really no need to worry about such a minor injury," Naruto chuckled. He tried to hold Chiharu back, wanting to return to his practice.

"No, the wound must be treated!"

Chiharu's childish face suddenly became serious, looking remarkably like Kushina.

Naruto had never seen her like this before, and he felt a little unsettled.

"Also," Chiharu continued with a sigh, "I understand how my brother feels right now, but Dad always says that if training isn't done properly, it not only has no benefit but can actually damage your body."

"So, this afternoon, brother, you need to rest properly."

"But..." Naruto's eyes darted around uncertainly.

"If my brother doesn't agree, then I'll just have to follow his example."

As she said this, Chiharu turned around and got into position.

Although she had never practiced this way before, she had memorized all the movements just by watching Naruto train.

Afraid that Chiharu would hurt herself and seeing that he couldn't persuade her otherwise, Naruto could only nod obediently.

Chiharu's face lit up with a smile. She took Naruto's arm and pulled him toward the house.

"Brother should know how to treat his own wounds."

She knew that Naruto often fought with Sasuke, and to hide it from their mother, he would always clean up the traces of their fights.

Naruto surrendered completely—he was no match for Chiharu's determination.

As the sun set, Minato finished his work and returned home.

"Dad."

Seeing Minato, Chiharu and Naruto in the living room turned their heads and spoke in unison.

"Haha, I heard that something happened with you two in the village today," Minato smiled as he greeted Naruto and his sister.

He had heard everything from Kakashi. Because of the incident, Hyuga Hiashi had even brought his retainer and Hinata to apologize to him.

But given Minato's personality, he certainly wouldn't punish anyone over such a minor issue.

And he'd heard that Chiharu had already taught that Hyuga retainer a lesson in her own way.

At this moment, Minato noticed some unusual movements from Naruto.

With a quick glance, he spotted the gauze roughly wrapped around Naruto's palm.

There was still a little blood seeping through the bandage.

Minato's smiling face suddenly changed, and concern appeared in his eyes.

"What happened? Naruto, how did you get hurt?"

Kakashi and the Hyuga retainer had reported to him that Naruto and Chiharu weren't injured during their earlier encounter.

Chapter 684: Fortune and Misfortune are Interdependent

"Hehe, it's no big deal."

Seeing that he couldn't hide it from Minato, Naruto smiled faintly and waved his palm, which was roughly wrapped in gauze.

Anger welled up in Minato's eyes, but he suppressed it immediately. Looking at Naruto and his sister in the living room, he said, "Tell me again everything that happened to you since your mother and I left."

He was angry at the retainer of the Hyuga clan because, from the information he got from Kakashi, the only one who could have hurt Naruto was him.

Worry leads to confusion.

In fact, even if the Hyuga retainer had lied to him, Kakashi would not. And judging from the injuries on Naruto's palms, it didn't look like he was injured by that man. After all, he was a Hyuga Chunin who specialized in taijutsu. If he had hurt Naruto, the injury would not look like this.

"Chiharu, you speak." Seeing Naruto's evasive look, Minato turned to Chiharu.

Chiharu glanced at Naruto beside her, and then told Minato everything that had happened that day.

After hearing this, Minato's eyes flickered with a strange look. The worries in his heart finally surfaced.

Minato walked in front of Naruto and stared into his eyes. Deep in those blue eyes, there was a hint of confusion.

He wanted to comfort Naruto, but before he could open his mouth, Naruto hurriedly said, "Dad, can you tell me how to become as strong as you!"

Minato was startled.

"Today I learned from Brother Kakashi that Dad is the most powerful ninja in the ninja world!"

Kakashi had also reported to Minato what Naruto had said earlier that day, because he had noticed the unnatural look in Naruto's expression before he left.

After a slight hesitation, Minato could probably guess why Naruto was asking him this. The whole issue stemmed from his decision to seal the Nine-Tails into Naruto's body. Because of this, Naruto's practice of controlling chakra was countless times more difficult than that of others. Otherwise, with Naruto's talent, he would definitely be further along.

But Minato couldn't tell him about the Nine-Tails yet.

So, when Minato saw the confusion in Naruto's eyes, he felt a little guilty.

He calmed himself down and said, "Naruto, first of all, you have to remember that there is no strongest ninja in this world, and dad is still far from it."

Indeed, with Minato's current strength, he was probably the strongest among the five major ninja villages. But he never thought that there was such a thing as the strongest in the world. The world is so vast that it is beyond human imagination. Whether you are an ordinary person or a ninja, you must have a heart full of awe.

"As for how to become like me?"

Minato murmured, then placed his palm on Naruto's head and whispered, "Everyone in this world is a unique individual. You don't have to become like anyone. Naruto is Naruto, not a copy of anyone!"

"Dad, I don't understand what you mean."

Naruto said blankly, and Chiharu beside him also had a confused look on her face.

They were still children, and the principles that Minato wanted to convey seemed simple, but at their age, it was indeed a little difficult to understand.

Minato smiled and said, "To put it simply, I believe that Naruto will become an excellent ninja one day and surpass his father!"

Minato's words contained a sense of hope and unshakable conviction. He believed that Naruto would become the savior predicted by the Great Toad Sage, which is why he took the risk of splitting the Nine-Tails in two and giving him this power.

"Surpass dad?"

An expression of deep shock suddenly appeared on Naruto's face. After his eyes flickered a few times, his expression became somewhat self-deprecating.

"How? I can't even do the most basic training right now."

He pursed his lips tightly. Through Kakashi's stories, what Minato had done as the Hokage seemed like a legend. But Naruto didn't think that he had the ability to become the protagonist in that legendary story.

"If you really think like that, then everything is over."

Minato saw that it was impossible to persuade Naruto with ordinary methods, so he changed his approach, staring into his eyes as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but slowly clench his fists. Obviously, he was quite unwilling, but Naruto now lacked confidence in himself.

"The strength of a ninja does not depend on how many powerful jutsu he has mastered, but on his heart."

"No matter what kind of difficulties you face, you must have the perseverance and spirit to never give up. Only with these can you become a powerful ninja. Otherwise, no matter how powerful you are, you will be eliminated by this world."

Naruto still couldn't fully understand what Minato meant, but his unwillingness caused him to suddenly raise his eyes. Looking at Minato, he said, "Dad, is it really okay if I don't give up?"

"Not giving up may not guarantee success, but if you give up, you won't have any chance at all," Minato replied.

"Then I will never give up. After all, I am the son of the Fourth Hokage!"

Naruto said firmly. His character was exactly the same as Kushina's—the spirit of never giving up no matter what. But what happened recently made him feel his own weakness. This isn't shameful, though, because only by recognizing your own inner weakness can you become truly strong.

"Brother, you're so cool! You'll definitely become an excellent ninja!"

Chiharu ran to Naruto with her hands behind her back and smiled sweetly.

"Heh-heh."

Naruto's mood changed quickly, and he scratched his head in embarrassment.

Minato finally breathed a sigh of relief and then said to Naruto, "Let me see your injured hand."

"Oh."

Naruto responded, holding his hand out in front of Minato.

Minato began to untie the roughly wrapped gauze. His palm was only scraped, and the amount of bleeding was not heavy.

"Dad, I'm fine. It really doesn't hurt at all."

Naruto said, as Minato finished removing the gauze.

"Really..."

Minato thought to himself, noticing that the wound on Naruto's palm had almost healed, with only shallow marks visible now.

Even Naruto himself and Chiharu were surprised by this.

"Well, what do you know?" Minato mused inwardly. The Nine-Tails' chakra caused great obstacles for Naruto when he was trying to learn to control his own chakra. However, when Naruto, as the host, was injured, the Nine-Tails' chakra would immediately repair his injuries.

Minato's own body had been transformed by the Nine-Tails' chakra, and his recovery ability was amazing. Not only did Naruto have the Nine-Tails sealed in his body, but he also inherited the Uzumaki clan's powerful physique and vitality.

So far, it was unknown whether the power of the Nine-Tails in Naruto's body was a blessing or a curse.

Chapter 685: One Year

The next day, morning.

"I'm leaving now."

After having breakfast and tidying up, Minato said to Naruto and his sister.

"Okay, goodbye, Dad!" Chiharu nodded obediently.

Minato ruffled her soft hair and looked at Naruto.

The lack of confidence in Naruto's eyes from yesterday was gone.

"Come on."

With a small chuckle, Minato stretched out his other arm and thrust his fist toward Naruto.

Naruto was stunned for a moment, then he also stretched out his arm, bumped fists with Minato, and nodded vigorously.

Minato smiled at them and disappeared from in front of Naruto and his sister.

"Okay, time to start practicing!"

Naruto clashed his fists and palms together, looking full of energy.

With that, Naruto walked to the yard and sat down cross-legged.

He began to make hand signs.

After encouraging Naruto yesterday, Minato had told him that his taijutsu foundation was actually not weak, and was even a little stronger than Sasuke's.

His only weakness was his chakra control.

However, this kind of practice couldn't make progress just by someone's guidance. The most important thing was accumulation and a certain level of talent.

Naruto's talent wasn't bad, but his practice in chakra control was fundamentally different from that of others.

So even Minato couldn't find a way to solve this problem for him.

"Haaah..."

In the courtyard, Naruto slowly closed his eyes, concentrating all his energy and sinking into his body and mind.

"Hoooo..."

The boy's breathing gradually became even. The most basic and important point in practicing chakra manipulation was to first form perfect control over your own body.

Whether it was movement, breathing, or heartbeat...

In front of the door, Chiharu leaned against the wall, looking at Naruto's back, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, nearly a year had passed.

In the Hokage's office.

Minato looked at a scroll in his hand with a slightly serious expression.

"As expected of you, one of the Legendary Sannin and the Third Hokage's most proud disciple."

He sighed. This scroll was sent back to Konoha by a Toad from Mount Myoboku at the request of Master Jiraiya. It recorded information about Orochimaru's whereabouts.

Naruto was already five years old this year.

The masked man's attack on Konoha, Orochimaru's defection, and Jiraiya leaving the village all happened during that period.

For five years, Jiraiya had been tracking Orochimaru's whereabouts but had never seen him in person.

But through the information collected over the years, plus what Orochimaru did in the village at that time, it seemed this guy was conducting some kind of human experiments for unknown purposes.

Jiraiya had discovered several of his experimental bases over the years.

"My sensei is an expert in this area, but he can't track down Orochimaru's exact whereabouts."

Minato said as he handed the scroll to the black-clad man in front of him, who was none other than Uchiha Yoruki.

As the captain of the Anbu, Uchiha Yoruki was of course paying close attention to these matters.

He read the information sent back by Jiraiya and showed the same expression as Minato.

"That masked man, the man in black, and Sasori of the Red Sand seem to have disappeared over the years. There is not much valuable information to be found."

Over the years, the Anbu had never given up tracking down the masked man and his group.

But those people were all S-level wanted criminals, so it was not easy to find them.

Konoha had collected some information about Kakuzu over the years.

That guy had been hunting down ninjas on the underground black market bounty list, and from time to time he showed up at the black market's exchange office, exchanging corpses for money.

The ninjas of Konoha had also launched several attacks to capture him, but failed every time.

After all, Kakuzu was a ninja from the same era as the First Hokage and had rich experience. With his strength, how could he be caught so easily?

"Don't worry, one day, they will appear in our sight."

Minato nodded. It was useless to be anxious at this moment.

He believed that the masked man would strike again one day, but he didn't know whether the target would be Konoha or the entire ninja world.

In addition to being wary of his special abilities, what made Minato even more uncertain was the identity of this man and the man in the black robe.

To this day, no matter how many files and documents he searched through, he could not find any information about them.

The masked man possessed the Sharingan, but even in the Uchiha clan's records, there was no record of this person.

He seemed to have appeared out of thin air, leaving no trace or information in this world.

The two of them stopped dwelling on this matter. Uchiha Yoruki pondered for a moment and asked Minato, "What about what I told you last time?"

Upon hearing this, Minato immediately took out a file from the drawer of the table in front of him.

The name column of the file read [Uchiha Itachi].

It recorded all the information about Itachi from birth to the present.

"Given this child's abilities, he is indeed qualified to enter the Anbu."

Minato nodded. Itachi was only ten years old now, but he was already a very capable ninja.

"Besides, when Shisui joined the Anbu, he wasn't much older than Itachi is now, so I think it shouldn't be a problem."

He laughed. Itachi was someone who Minato had watched grow up. It would be great if he could become an Anbu directly under his jurisdiction.

Moreover, Itachi was mature for his young age and had a calmness far beyond his years.

"Yes, they are both exceptional talents."

Uchiha Yoruki nodded, and when he mentioned Shisui, a look of pride appeared in his expression.

He was the one who had brought Shisui into the Anbu, and now Shisui's strength and reputation in the Anbu were second only to his own as captain.

Seeing how much he had grown in just a few years, the joy in his heart was indescribable.

"Haha, you have really changed a lot."

Seeing the look in his eyes, which was like a father watching his child achieve something great, Minato couldn't help but smile.

"Come to think of it, you're already grown up. It's time for you to start a family."

Over the years, Minato had mentioned this matter to Uchiha Yoruki more than once.

The two were classmates, and Minato's children were about to enter the ninja academy, but Uchiha Yoruki was still single.

"That doesn't seem to be within the scope of our work discussion."

Uchiha Yoruki's expression immediately became serious. He lowered his eyes and looked at the scroll that Minato had just handed him.

"It's just out of concern as a friend, not work," Minato said.

Uchiha Yoruki raised his eyes and said, "If there is nothing else, I will leave first."

"Alright."

Minato reluctantly nodded.

Uchiha Yoruki immediately turned around and left the Hokage's office.