When Nawaki arrived home from school, Minato had already begun grilling the skewers. The smell of charcoal and spiced meat filled the courtyard, and the resulting meal left the Senju siblings' mouths glistening with oil.
Watching the two of them devour the food with such ferocity, Minato privately suspected that if the skewers had been made of iron, they might have even produced sparks while pulling them through their teeth. As expected, eating good food made people happy, and a satisfied stomach was the easiest way to keep his hosts content.
Seeing that even their burps now smelled of lamb, Minato gently pressed his palms together. With a soft pulse of energy, a large, round watermelon suddenly grew from the wooden floorboards in front of him.
"Come, have some watermelon to cleanse your palate."
"Whoa! Minato, you're amazing!"
Nawaki shouted with excitement at the sight. The price of watermelons in the Ninja World was exceptionally high, and he understood all too well the sheer luxury of Minato's Wood Release tricks.
A few minutes later, the three of them sat side-by-side on the Engawa eating the fruit. The afterglow of the setting sun plated their figures with warm, golden edges, creating a picture of domestic peace that stood in stark contrast to Minato's cold inner world.
In the days that followed, Minato's life fell into a state of total tranquility. Every morning he woke up early to cook, and after eating, he went to school. After school, he returned home to prepare dinner, and once that was finished, he would cultivate in the courtyard. Finally, he would bathe and go to sleep.
In the blink of an eye, two months quietly passed by.
The repetitive daily life did not make Minato feel bored. On the contrary, he enjoyed this predictable routine. A Zen-like life allowed his inner heart to quiet down and his mind to become sharper, which caused his progress in Nature Transformation to be exceptionally fast.
In the original history, Naruto had used the unique properties of Shadow Clones to stack experience, creating over $1,000$ clones to master Wind Nature Transformation in just a few days. Minato didn't have the Multi-Shadow Clone technique yet, nor did he intend to be as desperate as Naruto; after all, the fatigue of Shadow Clones also stacks upon the user.
Naruto had the Nine-Tailed Fox's Chakra to back him up, so at most, he would simply pass out from exhaustion. If Minato dared to push himself that far, even the Power of All Creation might not be able to save his physical form from collapsing.
Furthermore, Naruto had a simple, one-track mind. With the complex mental activity of a modern person like Minato, receiving the memories of a thousand clones at once would likely result in schizophrenia as a mild outcome.
To remain safe, Minato would only create $10$ Shadow Clones every day. After school, he would release the clones to receive their accumulated experience. Then he would create $10$ more to continue cultivating until he released them right before bed, using the sudden wave of stacked fatigue to help himself fall asleep quickly.
In this way, Minato spent six weeks completely mastering Water Nature Transformation. He reached a point where he could instantly stir up massive waves in a calm pond with a thought. In the following two weeks, he successfully began learning Earth Nature Transformation.
While it didn't compare to Naruto's supernatural speed, for an ordinary person, this pace was no different from using a cheat code. It could be said that the current Minato, in terms of Ninjutsu theory and control, had already reached the level of a Jonin.
This terrifying cultivation speed was observed by Tsunade, leaving her secretly alarmed. By now, she had completely given up on trying to keep up with his growth. Minato's speed was simply not something a human should be able to achieve.
It wasn't that she was unaware of the Shadow Clone cultivation method. After all, that Ninjutsu was originally invented for gathering intelligence; every high-level ninja understood the principle of experience stacking, but almost no one could actually execute it.
She could perhaps withstand the fatigue of $10$ clones for a single day. But doing it like Minato—ten clones twice a day, every single day—was something she couldn't do even if her life depended on it. One simply couldn't recover from that level of mental exhaustion in one night.
However, she wasn't entirely surprised that Minato could manage it. Judging by the sheer energy he displayed, Tsunade was certain that he had not only achieved Wood Release Awakening but also possessed the same terrifying vitality as her grandfather, Hashirama, whose cells remained vibrant even after death.
"I say, Minato, what exactly are those clones of yours practicing all day?"
On another weekend, Nawaki watched the clones playing with mud in the courtyard and finally couldn't help but ask. Because there weren't many of them, the clones usually worked in the yard. At first, Nawaki had been wary of Minato's private training, but over time he had grown used to it.
"They are practicing Earth Property Chakra Nature Transformation," Minato explained calmly. "To put it simply, it's about using Nature Transformation to enhance the power of the corresponding elemental release."
"By... playing with mud?"
"Strictly speaking, it's about manually changing the composition and the hardness of the soil." Minato elaborated. "When I can instantly turn that mud into solid rock, or turn rock back into soft mud, the cultivation will be considered successful."
"That sounds really impressive..." Nawaki flopped onto the tatami mat, looking like a dead fish. "But this shouldn't be something a Ninja Academy student is supposed to be practicing, right?"
"Um... it's actually a mandatory course for those reaching the rank of Jonin." Minato nodded hesitantly. He knew Nawaki was bound to find out the truth sooner or later anyway.
Nawaki immediately looked even more dejected. "Jonin, huh? You're a Genius to a degree I can't even comprehend. Even though I already knew you were fast, it's hard not to feel a massive sense of disparity."
Minato smiled his practiced, gentle smile. "Don't worry. I won't compete with you for the position of Hokage."
"So what?" Nawaki lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand while the other lay flat in resignation. "With a Genius like you for comparison, who would ever choose me to be Hokage?"
"Don't belittle yourself like that." Minato gave an awkward smile, momentarily unsure of how to properly encourage the boy. After thinking it over, he asked carefully, "Nawaki, why exactly do you want to be Hokage so badly?"
"To inherit my grandfather's will, of course!"
Speaking of his goal, Nawaki suddenly perked up. He sat up straight, his eyes sparkling with a longing light. "I am the grandson of the First Hokage who founded Konoha! This village is my grandfather's most precious treasure, so of course I have to be the one to protect it for him!"
"Is that so..." Minato smiled faintly, his eyes cool. "In that case, how about I teach you a powerful Ninjutsu?"
"Ninjutsu?" A flash of interest crossed Nawaki's eyes, then dimmed just as quickly. "Forget it. My grandfather was the First; how could I be lacking in scrolls? Besides, you're two years younger than me. Letting you teach me... I'd lose too much Face."
Minato sighed with mock regret. "Then it's truly a pity. This is a Hand-seal-less A-rank Ninjutsu, after all."
Thud!
With a heavy sound, Nawaki threw himself down in front of Minato. He performed a very standard, perfect Dogeza, his forehead pressed tightly against the tatami.
"I am terribly sorry for being so ungrateful! Please teach me, Lord Minato!"
"Hahaha, please don't be like that." Minato didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he hurriedly pulled the older boy back up.
"So... what kind of Ninjutsu is it?" Nawaki looked at Minato expectantly. A-rank techniques weren't rare for a Senju, and hand-seal-less tricks weren't unheard of, but a Hand-seal-less A-rank Ninjutsu was something he had never even heard of.
"It's a technique I created myself."
Nawaki's mouth twitched. "You... created it yourself? A five-year-old created an A-rank jutsu?"
"It is a bit exaggerated, which is why I haven't even told Teacher Tsunade yet." Minato smiled sheepishly. "With your Senju Clan Chakra reserves, this technique is actually very suitable for you. Consider it my support for your dream. You can practice it in secret and give Teacher Tsunade a real surprise when the time comes!"
"Ugh..." Hearing this, Nawaki was moved to the point of tears. "Minato, you guy—"
Click! "I'm back!"
The sound of the front door opening echoed through the hall, followed by Tsunade's voice.
"Teacher is back. I'll teach you the details tomorrow!"
"Eh? No... wait!"
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