Moto Kouda was shocked upon hearing the words from the man before him.
Could Minato actually notice the presence of Anbu deployed by the Hokage?
After all, Anbu were a special unit directly under the Hokage. Each member was an extremely skilled ninja—far more capable than himself, a mere chunin instructor.
Minato Namikaze was just a new student at the Ninja Academy, a child no older than seven. How could he possibly have such ability?
Suddenly feeling a bit lost, Moto Kouda realized today just how little he actually understood his students.
At the very least, Minato was one such student whose thoughts and abilities exceeded what he could comprehend.
So when he bowed to respond to the man in front of him, his voice carried a note of humility: "Forgive my incompetence. It wasn't until today that I realized how little I truly know about my own students."
In response, the middle-aged man gave a soft chuckle. "You don't need to put yourself down like this. The world is full of geniuses, and moreover, from your conversation with him you could already tell—the boy Minato Namikaze doesn't resemble an ordinary Ninja Academy student in the slightest."
Moto Kouda looked respectfully at the man before him, harboring not even a hint of doubt toward his words.
Because this man himself was a prime example. Since childhood, he had undeniably been the most brilliant genius, once apprenticed under the First Hokage, known as the God of Shinobi, and the Second Hokage. Now, he himself stood among the greatest warriors in the shinobi world.
Even at Minato's age, his own students had already graduated from the Ninja Academy and become full-fledged ninjas. Today, they had become cornerstones of the village, holding high status and respect.
Rather than worrying, he should be happy that there might be students in his class destined for such greatness.
The man standing before him was none other than the greatest ninja in the village today—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
As for Kushina, even before she entered the academy someone had warned that she was no ordinary student. But now, to have the Third himself assign Anbu to protect and monitor her, her identity must surely be far from ordinary.
Thinking about this, Moto Kouda felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders growing heavier. Not only did his class include a student as outstanding as Minato, but also Mikoto from the prestigious Uchiha clan and the extraordinary Kushina.
Hiruzen gazed into the pale yellow sky ahead. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew outside, rustling the thick leaves of the great tree in front of the Ninja Academy, sending a few green leaves drifting down slowly.
He turned around and looked at Moto Kouda. "Teacher Moto Kouda," he said, "shall I find a mentor for this student of yours?"
...
After parting ways with Mikoto, Minato cautiously followed behind Kushina. Just now, he noticed two shadowy figures trailing close behind Kushina and that woman.
Truthfully, even Minato was surprised—at some point, his senses had become incredibly sharp. By his previous standards, he wouldn't have had the slightest chance of detecting those two hidden figures.
For those two were far stronger than he currently was.
He was deeply concerned for Kushina's safety—why on earth would those two set their sights on her?
Throughout this time, Minato remained especially cautious; he had to avoid detection not only by Kushina but also by the two hidden observers.
Perhaps even he himself hadn't realized it—his body movements had somehow become noticeably faster than before.
As Kushina arrived at a small inn on the village outskirts, Minato instinctively halted in his tracks, guided purely by intuition.
The place where Kushina lived actually had considerable guards present!
So, along with the two lurking in the shadows, they were probably all there to protect Kushina.
"Not good—I've been noticed!"
Before he could fully grasp the current situation, Minato noticed how the gazes fixed on Kushina had faintly shifted toward his direction.
He glanced down with his sapphire-blue eyes and spotted a slender tree stump directly under his feet.
...
Kushina's residence lay in a somewhat remote area of the village. With night quickly approaching, the streets were nearly empty, having only a few passersby.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two agile figures landed on the street beside Kushina's place, right in front of Minato.
"Kid, why are you sneaking around behind us?"
An Anbu member addressed the boy standing before him. However, the expression on the child's face looked unusually blank, almost emotionless upon closer inspection.
At that moment, the other Anbu reached out and gave "Minato" a sharp tap on the shoulder.
[Puff!]
A cloud of smoke burst outward, and the boy transformed into nothing more than a slender tree stump.
[Transformation Jutsu!]
One of them narrowed his eyes slightly. It was one of the most basic body techniques every ninja learned—yet these two Anbu had never expected a mere academy freshman, barely Kushina's age, to have mastered it.
They had underestimated him!
Turning their gazes toward the nearby crossroads, they suddenly recalled that one adult male among the passersby had strangely gone unnoticed earlier.
Their attention had been completely focused on Kushina, so they ignored others along the way.
Whoosh!
Not far away on another street, a young man dashed forward at incredible speed, like using a Body Flicker Technique.
To the people of Konoha Ninja Village, this wasn't strange—after all, it was a place where powerful individuals were common; nothing ever seemed out of the ordinary.
[Puff!]
After passing through the street, Minato released his transformation technique. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
Minato breathed an internal sigh of relief. Fortunately, those two assumed he was just an academy student and had let their guard down. Otherwise, such a basic jutsu wouldn't have fooled them at all.
Still, reflecting secretly now, his speed indeed felt significantly faster compared to last night's practice session...
But he didn't have time to dwell on it. Right now, his mind was consumed entirely by thoughts of Kushina.
Although Minato couldn't clearly see the two figures hiding in the shadows, the ninja possessing such skills and carrying out this kind of mission in Konoha could basically be identified as part of the Hokage Anbu.
Was there really Anbu guarding Kushina?
What kind of identity did she have that earned her the Hokage's respect?
His mind was in chaos—too many things had happened today: the strange way he reacted to Kushina, and that red-haired woman who kept appearing in his thoughts. Who exactly was she?
Why did his thoughts always slip out of control whenever she crossed his mind?
These swirling questions overwhelmed Minato, but after confirming Kushina's safety, he quickly headed toward the back mountains of Konoha.
It was nearly dark, but training still couldn't be skipped...
...
...
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