Bab 10: Chapter 10: Jiraiya!
In the classroom, these children were not really aware of the concept of the three direct disciples of the Third Hokage. Their surprise stemmed from the title of the "Third Hokage" itself.
The Hokage is considered the greatest ninja in the village, and whether ninja or civilian, adult or child, everyone in Konoha respects them immensely.
Only Minato and Mikoto knew that the Third's direct disciples were also among the top-tier shinobi in Konoha, the pillars of the village. Even the leader of the Uchiha clan had to show them respect.
For such a figure to come and teach at the Ninja Academy, even to those who were not yet ninja students, was an immense honor. Although he might not teach any advanced techniques today, his insights as a ninja alone would be invaluable to these children - if they could grasp them, that is.
Only Kushina seemed to show a fleeting look of disdain upon hearing the title "Third Hokage."
Seeing the classroom's sudden excitement, Kunio Shindō smiled and said, "Everyone, please stand in the training ground. The special instructor will arrive soon."
At the Ninja Academy's training ground, all the new students stood in a line, including Uchiha Homura, who had spoken with Minato in the hallway earlier. He was about Minato's height, slightly taller than his peers. However, while Homura stood prominently in the front row, Minato was quietly at the back.
The students behind Homura could barely see the training ground through the gaps between heads. This drew some resentful looks, mostly from the boys, as Homura was surrounded by girls from various classes, drawn by his prestigious clan, top grades, and good looks.
Some girls also wished to approach Minato, who was arguably even better looking than Homura. But he lacked Homura's prestigious background, and his grades, while good, were not the best. Of course, this was due to Minato concealing his true abilities.
There were also rumors about who was truly the top student between Minato and Homura, sparked by Minato's sudden defeat of Akasaka in class. Homura couldn't help glancing toward Minato, who ignored him.
Minato didn't resent Homura, but he didn't like him either. Homura's disregard for his classmates behind him hinted at his arrogance, which even his class teacher couldn't seem to control given his Uchiha lineage.
Kunio Shindō and some other instructors waited respectfully nearby.
"Yo, sorry to keep you waiting!"
A tall figure suddenly appeared on the training ground, grinning in amusement. No one knew when he had arrived.
"Such speed!" Minato's eyes narrowed, his vision sharper than most due to extensive training. Even so, he only caught a fleeting afterimage of the figure's movement.
Such ghostly speed on the battlefield would allow this ninja to instantly kill weaker opponents before they could even perceive the threat.
Everyone's eyes were on the man with strikingly long, white hair that even surpassed Mikoto and Kushina's long locks. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with an odd appearance - two red markings seemed to trail down from his eyes.
He wore a black chunin vest like Kunio Shindō's, but his manner was rather casual as he ignored the instructors, focusing his gaze on Kushina and Mikoto instead.
Kunio Shindō excitedly ran up to introduce him, but the man cut him off, approaching Mikoto and Kushina with what he thought was a friendly smile.
"What are two lovely ladies' names?" he asked.
Mikoto bowed deeply, a little nervous. "Uchiha Mikoto, sir."
The gentle Mikoto harbored no sense of clan superiority, respectfully addressing even Jiraiya, a great ninja of the village her clan respected.
"Ah, the talented Uchiha princess," Jiraiya smiled, aware of her reputation in the prestigious clan.
Flattered by his praise, Mikoto blushed slightly.
Turning to Kushina, Jiraiya asked, "And you, young lady?"
Kushina frowned, arms crossed. "Who are you, weirdo?"
Her words made the instructors sweat, while many students chuckled or stifled laughs, Minato included.
Jiraiya twitched, taken aback by her blunt response. He stepped back, unfazed, scanning the crowd until his gaze landed briefly on Minato's suddenly calm face in the back row.
Regaining his composure, Jiraiya addressed the instructors. "I'm not much for theory, so I'll just teach these kids my way."
The instructors didn't dare object, though they worried if the students could grasp lessons from a ninja of Jiraiya's caliber.
Looking at the fresh young faces before him, Jiraiya reminisced about being a ninja himself at their age. Times really had changed.
"Today, I'll teach you the three basic ninja techniques every shinobi must master," he announced.
(end of chapter)
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