Did he agree so readily?
A flicker of surprise crossed Yahiko's eyes. To be honest, he had only been testing the waters with his question, never expecting Minato to accept so readily.
Could he be trying to lower my guard so he can take me out and steal my food?
With this thought, he instinctively tightened his grip on the kunai in his hand.
As if sensing his suspicion, the Clone chuckled lightly. "But why do you want to learn Ninjutsu?"
"To become strong enough to survive properly," Yahiko replied without hesitation. "Not like this, just scraping by with petty theft."
The Clone nodded in agreement, his gaze sweeping across the cave. "You live here alone?"
"What else?" Yahiko scoffed. "Who would choose to live in a place like this under normal circumstances?"
"You've had it tough, then."
The Clone studied Yahiko. The boy was half a head shorter than him, his face set with stubborn determination, like a wild weed stubbornly growing from a crack in the stone.
(In the official guidebooks, Yahiko and the others are five or six years younger than Minato. However, if we followed the guidebooks strictly, they would have been only three or four years old during World War II. Therefore, this story will prioritize the narrative and keep their ages somewhat vague.)
The Clone's gaze fell on Yahiko's thin clothes, and he let out an imperceptible sigh.
"I can offer you two choices. The first is this: I can take you back to Konoha, guarantee you food, shelter, and a proper education at the Ninja Academy. With me as your guarantor, no one will trouble you."
"You're lying—" Yahiko eyed Minato with suspicion. "You don't look much older than me. At most, you're just a Genin, right? Where do you get such authority?"
"You don't need to worry about that," the Clone said with a smile. "The second choice is that I can stay here for a while and teach you the basics of Ninjutsu until you're capable of surviving on your own."
"I choose the second one!" Yahiko declared without hesitation.
"Oh?" The Clone was curious. "Why?"
"If you have such influence in Konoha, you must either have a special status or be extremely powerful."
Yahiko chuckled, a hint of smugness in his voice. "Besides, anyone who dares to wander around here alone must be pretty strong! Though you don't look it—"
The Clone was somewhat surprised by this. He had assumed Yahiko was judging him based on his identity.
I have to admit, Yahiko is smarter than I thought.
"Well? Was I right?" Yahiko asked, looking at the Clone expectantly.
"Half and half," the Clone replied, a smile playing on his lips. "The reason I'm alone is because I'm just a Shadow Clone."
"Huh?" Yahiko's expression froze, completely caught off guard by the truth.
"But you were right about one thing—" Minato smiled warmly, his expression bright and sunny. "I am very strong!"
"R-really?" Yahiko asked, skeptical. Minato looked utterly harmless. If not for the forehead protector identifying him, he might have thought he was just a lost young master from a wealthy family.
"So when do we start training?" Yahiko asked.
"Just a moment. It should be time soon."
The Clone raised his hand and placed a Flying Thunder God mark on the wall, then vanished from the spot with a poof.
Before Yahiko could react, another Minato suddenly appeared before him.
"This... could this be another Clone too?" Yahiko asked, eyeing the figure before him with suspicion.
"The main body is handling something important and can't be detached at the moment."
Of course, he wouldn't tell Yahiko that the "important matter" was enjoying delicious food with the beautiful Uchiha girls around a warm hearth, lost in sweet nothings.
Thinking of this, the Clone couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment.
Then, he clapped his hands together, and the earth suddenly cracked. Thick tree trunks erupted from the ground, transforming the cave, which had only contained a few broken wooden boxes, into a two-bedroom, one-living room dwelling in the blink of an eye.
A massive wooden door grew from the wall, sealing the inside of the cave from the outside world.
As the door closed, the cave plunged into darkness, illuminated only by a small oil lamp struggling to pierce the gloom.
"Amazing!"
Yahiko's mouth fell open. "There's really such a practical Ninjutsu? What is this? Can I learn it?"
"You can't learn this. It's a Kekkei Genkai."
The Clone approached the newly built fireplace and lit it, instantly brightening the cave.
Yahiko's eyes filled with curiosity. "Kekkei Genkai? What's that?"
"Hmm... that's a bit complicated to explain," the Clone said with a smile. "Let's start with the basics first."
Hearing this, Yahiko snapped to attention. "Yes! Teacher Minato!"
"Teacher is too formal. I'm not old enough to take on disciples yet," the Clone said, shaking his head. "How old are you?"
"Around seven, I think? I've been living alone for a long time, so I don't remember clearly."
Yahiko pondered for a moment. "How about I just call you Brother Minato!"
"—That's acceptable."
The Clone nodded. "Then, let's begin with Chakra refinement."
Minato had a good impression of Yahiko. The boy was one of the few level-headed characters in the original story, though perhaps a bit too naive. Minato didn't dislike naive people, so he didn't mind helping him.
While Minato was teaching Yahiko how to cultivate, a somber mood hung over the Sunagakure front-line camp.
The recent defeat of Sunagakure's vanguard troops dealt a severe blow to the village.
The elite unit, on which such high hopes had been placed, was shattered by a mere eight-year-old Genin, Namikaze Minato.
When the news reached the village, it not only shook the front lines but also caused a massive uproar.
The Third Kazekage, who had planned the raid, inevitably faced scrutiny.
Having only recently taken office, the Third Kazekage, though still powerful, had yet to establish sufficient authority.
Previously, Sunagakure had been plagued by financial deficits and political instability. To divert internal conflicts, the newly appointed Third Kazekage had launched the external war.
He had intended this raid to be the first shot of a full-scale war.
Yet, before the declaration of war was even drafted, the front lines had collapsed in a humiliating disaster!
This further damaged the Third Kazekage's already precarious authority, fueling rumors and whispers throughout the camp.
Little did they know, the Third Kazekage carried his own silent burden.
According to the original plan, this raid should have inflicted heavy losses on Konoha's front lines and brought Sunagakure immense propaganda value.
No one could have predicted that Konoha would suddenly produce a Wood Release Bloodline Limit!
A single Wood Dragon Technique had reduced hundreds of the enemy's vanguard to a mere handful of survivors, and the culprit was only eight years old.
The power of Wood Release proved far greater than anticipated. As long as Minato remained alive, there was no hope of gaining an advantage on the battlefield.
And it was precisely because of Minato's presence that the Third Kazekage found himself in an impossible dilemma.
Advance and face the Wood Dragon's warning.
Retreat—
There was no room to retreat!
If this war failed, Sunagakure's long-simmering internal conflicts would erupt completely.
At this thought, the Third Kazekage's expression grew darker than the sky over the Land of Rain.
Yet, as the saying goes, when one path closes, another opens.
Just as this suffocating stalemate seemed unbreakable, a subordinate rushed into the tent with an unexpected report:
A delegation of envoys from Iwagakure had arrived and requested an audience with the Third Kazekage.
Iwa, envoys—
A spark suddenly flashed in the Third Kazekage's weary eyes.
A single word flashed through his mind:
Alliance!
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