The first lesson of the school year focused on explaining chakra.
The second lesson covered familiarizing students with the twelve common hand seal techniques.
Each lesson lasted forty minutes, with only two classes scheduled in the morning.
The afternoon also consisted of two classes: one literacy class and one art class.
Minato found this quite remarkable. Excluding ninja-specific courses, the schedule closely resembled that of a regular elementary school, and in fact, the daily class count was even fewer than in elementary school!
Despite the limited number of classes, the content was comprehensive and packed with essential knowledge.
During the second lesson on hand seals, the teaching assistant not only taught the twelve common hand seal gestures but also explained the distinctive features of the hand seals for the Five Elemental Release Techniques. For example, the final seal for Fire Release is typically the Tiger seal.
The assistant also covered how to practice speeding up hand seal execution and how chakra flows differently within the body when forming different seals.
This reminded Minato of the Chūnin Exam arc in the original story, where while others resorted to various forms of cheating, Sakura was the only one earnestly answering the questions—and she even managed to solve all of them!
During the Chūnin Exam, Sasuke was supposed to be the graduate with the highest overall academic performance, yet he couldn't answer a single question.
From what Minato could tell, both the school and the village placed a greater emphasis on a ninja's practical combat performance.
But Minato felt that theoretical knowledge was far from useless, as the original story had suggested.
For example, Orochimaru's Cursed Seal.
This was strikingly similar to the Wedge used by the Ōtsutsuki Clan, almost like a crude imitation.
This led Minato to a question: Were the original members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan naturally so powerful?
He doubted it.
Hamura, the younger brother of the Sage of the Six Paths, was a descendant of the clan's moon-based lineage. His bloodline should have been highly pure, yet he only exhibited the Byakugan as a distinctive trait.
This led Minato to a hypothesis.
The original members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan might have been similar to humans. Through their relentless study of chakra, they gradually evolved to their current state.
Their method of evolution involved cultivating Divine Trees, using them to absorb natural energy, refining it into pills—information Minato already knew before his transmigration.
Could humans follow a similar path?
For instance, could they create a medium capable of absorbing natural energy, akin to the Divine Tree?
Through a certain process, natural energy could be converted into chakra, a form of energy the human body could absorb, thereby enabling evolution.
Minato found this highly feasible!
Later, he could suggest... that Orochimaru direct his research in this direction.
In the Shinobi World, Orochimaru was the one with the easiest desires to satisfy.
He simply wanted eternal life. Within the chakra system, this wasn't an impossibility.
Unfortunately, his vision was clouded by ambition, his mind consumed by the desire to possess others' bodies.
How could a body obtained through possession compare to one cultivated and cloned from scratch?
During the two afternoon classes, Minato barely paid attention, his mind consumed by visions of chakra technology.
The school bell rang.
"Class dismissed!"
No sooner had the teacher's voice faded than Minato vanished from the classroom.
Having experienced the clinginess of the girls in his class, he knew that lingering would only invite trouble.
He glanced at the third-year floor, noticing Nawaki and the others were still in class, and left without waiting.
After all, upperclassmen couldn't possibly have the same light schedule as freshmen, with only four classes a day.
Minato was deep in thought when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure at the school gate.
"Teacher Tsunade, what brings you here?"
"Of course, I'm here to pick you up!" Tsunade chuckled, flicking his forehead playfully.
"You know how special your status is, right? I'll be picking you up not just today, but possibly for the next few years. Even if I can't make it personally, someone else will come for you, unless I believe your strength is sufficient to handle any potential dangers."
Minato nodded. "Thank you, Teacher."
"Flatterer," Tsunade scoffed, though the corner of her mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly. "Nawaki never got this kind of treatment back in the day! Shouldn't you be grateful and repay me properly?"
"What would Teacher like to eat?" Minato asked, immediately understanding her unspoken request.
"Heh heh, how considerate of you~" Tsunade licked her lips. "I've had stir-fry for days. I want something different."
"How about grilled meat?"
"BBQ... sounds a bit bland. Doesn't really get me excited."
"My cooking skills aren't bad. Want to give it a try?"
"Oh—?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Since you're so confident, sure. I'll give you a chance to show off."
They exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
At the entrance to the school building, Nonou watched the scene from afar, a hint of envy flickering in her eyes. She quickly suppressed the envy and walked alone toward the village outskirts.
Before long, she arrived at a hidden underground base. An Anbu ninja wearing an animal mask led her to a room deep within the facility.
"Lord Danzo," Nonou said, studying the man in the room with caution.
"How is the mission progressing?" Danzo asked, seated at a low table.
"Contact with the target has been established successfully."
Remembering that bright, innocent face, Nonou felt a pang of guilt. Minato had guessed correctly—she was indeed a spy planted by Danzo to infiltrate his circle.
"The target was assigned to my class, and by coincidence, we ended up sitting next to each other. So far, our interactions have been relatively smooth."
"Not bad, Nonou," Danzo said, nodding slightly, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. "Tell me, what's your impression of him?"
"He's an exceptional person, far more so than I am," Nonou replied without hesitation. "He's kind and gentle."
"Kind..." Danzo snorted, his tone ambiguous. "That's not a quality a ninja should possess. But in this case, it's fortunate. I've observed that boy, and he truly lacks the qualities we expect in our kind."
"Qualities?" Nonou asked, puzzled.
"Some people are born to bask in the sunlight. Even shadows can't dim their radiance. Namikaze Minato is one such person. Even if the Third Hokage were grooming him to become the next Hokage, I wouldn't be surprised."
Danzo glanced at her, his tone complex. "These types are always too naive, especially when they possess great power. To prevent them from endangering the village, such power must be restrained."
"And you are the bond that restrains him. You're both orphans, but having grown up in an orphanage, you can see the reality and darkness that he cannot. This has endowed you with a more rational mindset than other children. In this sense, we are kindred spirits."
Nonou fell silent.
She desperately wanted to retort, "Who are you calling your kindred spirit? You're the only one steeped in darkness, you old monster!"
Of course, she kept those thoughts to herself.
As an orphan, she had no right to express her true self before Danzo.
Nonou clearly remembered that just days earlier, Danzo had suddenly appeared at the orphanage, claiming the village was preparing to select exceptionally talented children for special training.
In the end, she was chosen due to her sweet appearance and calm, steady personality, and brought to Root by Danzo.
The mission he entrusted to her was simple:
To form an unbreakable emotional bond with her target, Namikaze Minato, no matter what it took!
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