Umino Ikkaku continued lecturing from the podium.
Kushina felt a growing sense of unease.
She had only just arrived in Konoha, and already such a massive explosion had occurred.
Is the living environment for Konoha's citizens really this harsh?
She glanced at Minato beside her. "Minato, aren't you worried?"
"Me? I'm just a clone."
The clone chuckled. "Don't worry. If real danger arises, the original will rush here immediately."
Moreover, even without considering the original, the chakra in this Wood Clone alone was sufficient to overpower some weak Chūnin.
Most Chūnin, truth be told, didn't have much greater combat power than Genin; they simply had better battle training.
This was precisely why, in Naruto's generation, only Shikamaru successfully advanced to Chūnin.
Furthermore, under normal circumstances, the difficulty of the Chūnin assessment in Konoha wasn't as high as depicted in the original story.
Konoha held two Chūnin assessments per year, and these were internal village exams. If they were as challenging as the joint exams in the original story, hardly anyone in the village would ever be promoted to Chūnin.
The chakra the original body allocated to him wasn't much, but it was enough to unleash a single Tree Sea Descent, sufficient for dealing with cannon fodder.
Seeing his clone's confident demeanor, Kushina felt a slight sense of relief.
As expected, the village remained peaceful until the end of class, with no signs of enemy attack.
Kushina returned to her usual lively self.
The classmates buzzed with speculation, debating the cause of the earlier explosion.
"I bet it was an enemy attack! Definitely foreign ninja who were repelled by the Third Hokage."
"Idiot! The explosion was outside the village. My dad spends all day at the Hokage Office Building. By the time he could have gotten there, the enemies would have already breached the village."
Shinnosuke propped his chin in his hand, interrupting his classmates' blind worship of their fathers.
"Minato, what do you think happened?" Kushina asked quietly.
"I don't know..." Minato shook his head. "But it probably wasn't an enemy attack. Konoha has emergency protocols for such incidents. In the event of an enemy assault, Anbu would immediately notify the school, and the teachers would evacuate the students to safety."
"Counterattacks will only begin after all civilians have entered the shelters."
"Is that how it works?" Kushina's eyes widened with admiration. "Minato, you're so knowledgeable!"
"Hmph, you're just spouting nonsense to steal the spotlight again, aren't you?" Kota scoffed from nearby, refusing to believe a word Minato said. His earlier jealousy had turned to outright hatred after Minato's actions the previous day, which led to him being punished with extra copying.
"If that's true, why haven't I heard about it?" Kota demanded.
Heh...
The Clone chuckled inwardly and looked at Kota, genuinely puzzled.
"What right do you have to know about it?"
"What did you say?" Kota's face twitched violently, a surge of anger flaring within him. He had been trying to maintain a superior air, feigning nonchalance as he crushed this attention-seeking brat underfoot. But one sentence from the Clone shattered his facade.
"What I mean is, this emergency protocol is directly issued to the Anbu and Ninja Forces."
The Clone scratched his head, wearing an awkward yet polite smile. "Um, sorry, but... are you some kind of important person?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kushina let out a stifled laugh.
The surrounding students burst into laughter.
Hearing the harsh giggles around him, Kota's face flushed crimson. "Nonsense! If what you're saying is true, then how do you even know about it?"
"Of course, my teacher told me."
The Clone looked genuinely puzzled. "My teacher is Tsunade, and Tsunade-sensei's teacher was the Third Hokage. Is it really so strange that I know these things?"
Kota glared at Shinnosuke, who shrugged. "He's telling the truth. My dad also told me to follow our teacher's instructions in emergencies and evacuate immediately."
"See? I'm not lying, am I?"
The Clone shrugged innocently, looking utterly guileless.
"Damn it..." Kota's face burned crimson, his blood boiling with frustration.
He desperately wanted to punch Minato, but before he could act, Seo grabbed his arm, restraining him.
"Calm down, we're in class," Seo whispered. "Don't forget yesterday's punishment of copying lines. Besides, that guy's pretty well-liked..."
"Hmph..."
Kota glared darkly as he sat back down. "That guy really gets on my nerves! And to think he's Tsunade-senpai's disciple... What should we do?"
Seo shrugged. "What's there to fear? Tsunade-senpai is his teacher, not his mother. The Hokage's son is in our class too, and he doesn't get any special treatment, does he?"
Ninjas were a violent profession, and anyone who tried to involve their parents would be laughed at—a tacit rule everyone understood.
"Then we'll teach him a lesson!" Kota clenched his fists. "We'll show him how tough we are!"
"That's all well and good, but we haven't found the right opportunity," Tetsuo said hesitantly. "I saw him being picked up by a beautiful older woman after school. That must be Tsunade-senpai, right?"
"Hmph. He'll be alone eventually, won't he?" Kota scoffed, unconsciously tightening his grip. He could already imagine his iron fist smashing into Minato's face.
At the back of the classroom, the Clone glanced in the trio's direction.
From a few meters away, their whispered conspiracy sounded no different to him than if they were shouting. He heard every word with perfect clarity.
But being ever willing to help his classmates, the Clone decided he shouldn't let their scheme go to waste.
So, he resolved to lower his guard slightly and give them a chance to act.
Soon, it was time for afternoon dismissal.
The clone and Kushina walked side by side out of the classroom.
As they passed by a group of students, Minato casually remarked, "Teacher Tsunade might be home late today. I'm planning to pick up groceries on the way. Want to come with me, Kushina?"
"Mm-hmm! Let's go together!" Kushina nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
The two of them going grocery shopping together... It felt almost like a date...
No, more like a married couple!
The thought made Kushina's cheeks flush slightly, and she instinctively cupped her round face in her hands.
Although the Minato before her was just a Wood Clone, she knew his memories would synchronize with the original when he returned.
With this in mind, Kushina resolved to present herself as the epitome of a virtuous wife during their shopping trip, leaving a profound impression on Minato!
As soon as they left, Kota and his two accomplices exchanged glances.
"Opportunity!" Kota growled, grinding his teeth. "I'm going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget today!"
"Oh!"
The trio stormed out of the classroom in a frenzy.
Back in the classroom, Shinnosuke watched their retreating figures and shook his head. "Three fools."
He wasn't sure about Minato's exact capabilities, but he knew Tsunade well enough.
To be chosen as a disciple by the First Hokage's granddaughter on his very first day—how could he be anything but extraordinary?
Three worthless thugs who hadn't even mastered basic ninjutsu...
Heh.
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