Chapter 3: Minato's Heartfelt Lunch
"Looks like I'll need to study medical ninjutsu to see if I have a talent for it."
If Tsunade was going to overlook the fact that he was a boy and accept him as her student, it would only happen if he demonstrated a medical ninjutsu talent beyond the norm.
To become a medical ninja, one must first possess extremely precise chakra control.
In that regard, Li Yao had no problem at all. His chakra control—whether for delicate precision or intense output—was absolute.
The next key was whether one could generate medical chakra powerful enough to revive even a dead fish.
According to things Li Yao had read online in his past life, medical chakra was a special kind of chakra derived from extracting the Yang aspect—life energy—from non-elemental chakra.
The key was whether you could extract the Yang attribute from your chakra.
Li Yao wasn't sure if he could do that.
The final requirement was a flexible mind and the ability to comprehend and absorb medical knowledge.
In that area, Li Yao figured he had a slight advantage—he'd been a pharmacy major in college in his past life.
But this world was different now. A lot of the knowledge would have to be updated and reinterpreted.
"In any case, I have to be prepared for the long haul."
"Whatever happens, I need to learn medical ninjutsu, and I must become Tsunade's student."
Li Yao silently encouraged himself. Becoming Tsunade's disciple wasn't just about learning the Yin Seal and medical ninjutsu—it was also about entering the line of succession from the Third Hokage.
In Konoha, if you wanted to become Hokage…
It wasn't really about winning the people's support.
It was about whether you belonged to the Third Hokage's teaching lineage.
Looking at the Hokage line after Hiruzen, whether it was Tsunade, Kakashi, or Naruto, they all came from the Third Hokage's circle of disciples.
Even the temporary Hokage, Danzo, could be considered part of Hiruzen's generation in a certain sense.
So regardless of all other reasons, the fact remained—every Hokage after Hiruzen had come from his lineage.
If Li Yao wanted a shot at the title, he had to become Tsunade's student. Otherwise, he stood no chance against Minato.
Ding…
As the bell rang, the first chakra refinement class of the morning ended.
The quiet classroom instantly exploded with noise and activity.
To a group of five- and six-year-old kids full of energy, a class where they weren't allowed to speak or move was sheer torture.
As soon as it ended, everyone leapt up and started interacting eagerly.
Only Li Yao remained absorbed in the joy of refining chakra.
That rush of power—feeling your chakra fill up inside you—was intensely stimulating and addicting.
"Yō…!"
Minato whispered inwardly, glancing sideways at his friend, his expression growing colder.
The longer he observed, the more certain he became that something was wrong with Yō.
His chakra was still increasing at a rapid pace.
That meant he was still refining chakra. But this extraordinary rate wasn't something the old Yō could have ever achieved.
And refining chakra was mentally exhausting.
For most people, even a single class would leave them mentally fatigued, and their speed of chakra refinement would drop.
Even for Minato, after focusing for one class period, his refining speed would fall slightly—just not as sharply as others.
But now, his friend's chakra output hadn't changed at all. It remained steady and fast, just like at the beginning.
That level of mental focus wasn't something Yō had ever demonstrated.
"Who is this?"
"Or what exactly happened?"
Minato kept thinking. He couldn't yet determine whether something had happened to his friend—or if someone else was controlling him.
"Kimura Yō, stop. The chakra refining class is over."
The ninja instructor approached Li Yao and frowned slightly. "If you keep going, it'll harm your body and mind."
He understood this child wanted to grow stronger because of what happened to his parents.
But overusing your mind to refine chakra could cause serious damage—and in extreme cases, even permanent injury.
That would defeat the purpose entirely.
Hearing someone call Kimura Yō's name, Li Yao opened his eyes. He saw classmates watching curiously and his teacher staring at him with a stern face. Only then did he realize the first class was already over.
Not wanting to appear too unusual, Li Yao quickly lowered his head and apologized: "Sorry, teacher. It won't happen again."
"Don't worry. Proper effort is the best way to grow stronger," the instructor nodded and offered a few words of encouragement before walking away.
"Yes, teacher."
Li Yao also nodded and watched him leave, quietly sighing in relief.
He was still a little wary about interacting too much with others—especially adult ninjas.
"Yō, you seemed a lot more focused than usual during chakra refinement today," Minato said with a gentle smile. His tone was casual and curious, subtly probing.
Li Yao didn't think much of it and answered with a smile, "If I want to be Hokage, I have to work hard to become better."
Minato replied with a grin, "Then I'll have to work even harder too."
"Together."
"Together."
The two exchanged smiles, looking like a pair of perfectly synced close friends.
The ten-minute break passed quickly. Minato didn't probe any further, and Li Yao was happy to let things be—he felt nothing unusual at all.
It could only be said: Minato's sincere, gentle smile was far too easy to trust.
The second class was about the Will of Fire. Everyone had a booklet titled The Will of Fire, and unsurprisingly, the topic was—The Will of Fire.
But as the class went on, Li Yao felt more like he was attending a personal autobiography session about the Third Hokage.
Because the book's contents were entirely about Hiruzen's life and accomplishments from childhood onward.
In other words, the Will of Fire was explained through the life of the Third Hokage.
In some ways, the Will of Fire was just the will of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"No wonder in the original, the Third was called the strongest Hokage in Konoha."
Li Yao couldn't help but sigh. It was like embedding your own ideology into the mandatory national curriculum. Of course people would accept you as the strongest Hokage.
It also subtly elevated Hiruzen's reputation among both the ninja and civilian population.
The Third truly had the sharpest political mind among the Hokage.
That tactic… was good. Li Yao mentally noted it down.
Someday, he would write his own Will of Fire book—one that everyone in Konoha would inherit.
After the Will of Fire class, the third period was theoretical tools knowledge.
It introduced the usage of various ninja tools and the corresponding techniques and strategies.
Today's lesson was about how the Five Great Hidden Villages used kunai in combination with elastic wires and springs to build traps, as well as how to use explosive tags to set up strategic ambushes.
It went into great detail, even taking into account each country's geography and climate.
Li Yao treated the class with even more seriousness than he did his high school final exams back on Earth, absorbing every bit of the ninja teacher's lesson.
After all, this knowledge could literally save his life in the future.
He couldn't afford to be careless.
The tools class was longer, and once it ended, the morning classes were over—it was time for lunch.
Lunch break was held at school; they didn't go home. It reminded Li Yao of how most schools worked in his past life.
You came in the morning and only went home after the final bell in the afternoon.
"Yō, let's eat together."
Minato opened his large lunchbox and invited Li Yao to share the meal.
"Uhh… I don't know if that's okay." Li Yao pretended to hesitate.
It was only now that he realized—he was the only one in class who hadn't brought a lunchbox. Everyone else had one.
It wasn't really his fault. These past few days he'd been stressed and anxious about being in a foreign world.
Besides, back in his previous life, he never had the habit of packing a lunchbox.
So this morning, he came to school empty-handed.
"Come on, I brought enough for two," Minato said with a warm smile, handing Li Yao a pair of chopsticks.
When Li Yao saw the second pair of chopsticks already placed in the lunchbox, he immediately understood—Minato had specifically prepared lunch for him.
At that moment, whispers from nearby girls confirmed his guess.
"So that's why!"
"No wonder Minato-kun has been bringing a large lunchbox every day—it was for Yō!"
"That's so sweet and handsome, Minato-kun!"
The girls were entranced by Minato's gentle charm, eyes sparkling.
"Looks like he started bringing the bigger lunchbox the same day Yō's parents died."
Someone noticed the timing and, seeing this scene now, everyone understood why Minato had kept bringing that oversized lunchbox.
It was to make sure Kimura Yō wouldn't go without lunch one day.
Why would Yō not have a lunchbox?
Because he had no parents and no relatives to help him. Of course he wouldn't prepare one on his own.
At such a young age, Minato already understood and handled social matters so delicately—it was impossible not to admire him.
"Having a friend like Minato-kun is really a blessing."
One girl looked at Li Yao with envy, clearly longing for a friendship like his with Minato.
Hearing all this and realizing everything, Li Yao was deeply moved. He looked at Minato with sincere eyes and said with heartfelt gratitude, "Thank you, Minato."
Minato smiled and said, "We're friends, aren't we?"
Li Yao nodded firmly. "Yes. We're friends."
At the same time, deep in his heart, Li Yao silently swore: Yes, we're friends. I will make sure the tragedy of the Nine-Tails attack never happens again. I swear—I will never let that bastard Obito succeed.
Minato's care and thoughtfulness truly touched Li Yao. This was someone he could entrust his life to.
He treasured their friendship.
He would get stronger—and change everything.
"Let's eat."
Minato pushed the open lunchbox between them. His expression didn't change—his smile remained as warm as ever.
Li Yao, still lost in his emotions, didn't even notice that the lunchbox contained sashimi sushi rice balls. He picked one up with the chopsticks and popped it into his mouth.
In an instant, the raw fishy taste combined with the strong vinegar hit his senses like a punch.
Or rather, it triggered an intense memory from his past life—his utter disgust and nausea toward raw fish and vinegar.
Li Yao's brow twitched, his throat tightened, and he almost spat it out.
Fortunately, at the last second, he held it in and forced it down.
(END CHAPTER)