This matter alone showed how children with different personalities handled failure. But failure was a normal thing. Their lives had just begun, and failure might also serve as a source of motivation, depending on how they were guided. Before school let out for lunch, a first-place winner was decided for each grade, for a total of six people. Minato was one of them. They stood in the center of the training grounds, in order of their grades, with their heads held high and their faces full of joy. It was a great honor to receive a reward from Hokage.
Minato's face was also filled with an uncontrollable smile. He was very happy that he had won first place in his grade through his own hard work. Torifu walked in front of them and looked at them. "Children, you all did very well. To stand out among so many of your classmates, it shows that you're all very hardworking kids."
"Always remember, this world doesn't lack people with outstanding talent. It lacks people who are hardworking."
Then, with a wave of Torifu's hand, a glimmer suddenly appeared in the sky, and then it condensed into six trophies that slowly fell.
"Catch them. This is my reward for you. I hope your futures can be as brilliant as these crystals."
"Yes, Hokage-sama! We will!"
Then, they reached out and caught the trophies. They felt cool to the touch and sparkled in the sunlight. Torifu then walked to the side of the training grounds and said to the other students, "Even though you didn't win first place, you don't need to be too discouraged. As long as you focus on doing what you love, you can succeed. I hope you can all contribute to the village's construction in the future."
The students all responded to Torifu at once. The sound echoed throughout half of Konoha, making Torifu's ears ache. But he still acted a very amiable way. "Alright, that's it for this morning's class. Class is dismissed." The children looked at their teachers, and when they saw them nod, they all ran toward the exit of the training grounds, wanting to get home as soon as possible. Torifu, on the other hand, walked toward Minato. "Let's go, Minato. Let's go home for lunch." Minato happily followed behind Torifu, holding the trophy in his arms. He was very proud.
He had also invited Naori to come home for lunch, but she refused. She probably had some things to do in the clan compound, so Torifu didn't insist. After the two of them returned home together, the puppet had already started cooking. Torifu could sense the puppet's situation. No one had entered the office all morning. So it was unlikely that Torifu's appearance at the training grounds would be exposed.
"Minato, you were really great today. Being first in your entire grade made me very proud."
Minato was a little embarrassed. "Not at all. The other students are also very strong. It was just a close win."
When Torifu heard this, he rubbed Minato's head. "You, kid. You've already learned to be humble. That's a good quality. You should keep it up in the future."
"I will, Big Brother. I'm going to put my trophy away first."
Torifu waved his hand. "Go ahead." During this time, Torifu checked his Peace Points. In one morning, he had gained about 20,000 to 30,000, which meant that the villagers had topped up about 2 to 3 million in one morning. This was not a small amount. 2 to 3 million could buy a small shop. It seemed that everyone really liked playing the game.
Torifu didn't plan to stop the villagers from topping up. Adults could top up an unlimited amount, but minors couldn't, after all, adults could be responsible for their own actions. And those who could spend lavishly were mostly the young masters and ladies of the various clans, or clan heads and elders. These people had so much money that they couldn't spend it all. He was still trying to figure out how to "borrow" it from them, and now it was just delivered to him. With the stable support of these big clans, Torifu's Konoha investment and construction plan could be prioritized. This was a huge project, so he could take his time with it. There was no need to rush.
When it was time for lunch, Amado walked out of the room, looking half-asleep. "Is the food ready? I'm a little hungry."
"What's wrong with you? Did you stay up all night again?"
Amado nodded. "I did. I didn't fall asleep until two in the morning."
Torifu didn't say anything about Amado's behavior. Staying up late had already become a habit for Amado. Nagging him wouldn't change anything, so he just let him be. As long as he got enough sleep, staying up late didn't matter.
"Alright, alright. Hurry up and get ready to eat."
At the dinner table, Minato asked, a little confused, "Second Brother, didn't you say you wouldn't stay up late anymore? Why are you still like this?"
Torifu shook his head when he heard this. "Just treat what Amado says as a gust of wind; don't take it seriously."
Amado said dejectedly, "I was in the promotion match yesterday. All I had to do was win, and I could have become a Genin! But I was defeated by someone playing as Hashirama. I couldn't fall asleep all night."
Torifu felt a little speechless. "What's the big deal? You just lost one game. Is it really that bad?"
"You probably just ran into someone who's good at playing. This game isn't difficult. It's just that people haven't had the experience of operating it, so it's easy to win."
Amado picked up a big mouthful of food and stuffed it into his mouth. "I asked him for a rematch, but he hasn't responded to me yet. This is worse than killing me! If I ever run into him again, I'm going to crush him!"
Seeing Amado so hung up on it, Torifu patted his back and comforted him. "Alright, hurry up and eat. You might not lose the next time you play. He probably didn't accept the rematch because you're too strong and he wasn't confident."
When Amado heard Torifu's words, his eyes became bright again. "You're right. I'll definitely win next time!" Amado quickly shoveled the food in his bowl into his mouth, went into the room to get a stack of money, and ran out the door.
"Big Brother, what is Second Brother going to do? Is he going to do something stupid?"
Torifu pointed at him. "Do something stupid? He'd never do that. He's just going to top up. When you can't win, you pump money. That's a timeless truth that's useful no matter what."
Minato hadn't had the chance to experience the Naruto game yet. He had been preparing for his practical combat class, and now that it was over, he could finally try the game his Big Brother made. He had heard his classmates talking about it in class, which made him itching to try it. After eating, Minato went back to his room and opened the game.
"It's so pretty. Is this Konoha? Why aren't there any clan compounds? A lot of places are different, too. Maybe Big Brother made them himself?" Minato only experienced it for a little while before he became completely immersed in it and couldn't pull himself out. But what he didn't know was that he only had one hour of game time left. An introduction to anti-addiction, anyone?