The List of "ANBU" Member:
-Alireza Akram
-Miguel razo
-Victor Gonzalez
-OutlawPinky
-Korron Hightower
-YoungPhxntom
-Dan Trigolden
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Within the Land of Fire.
In the peaceful village of Konoha, life had completely returned to its usual bustling state.
At the Ninja Academy in Konoha, a group of future ninjas was busily engaged in their studies.
"Ding-ding..." "Ding-ding..." "Ding-ding..."
A clear ringing of the bell sounded, and on the classroom platform, Kimura spoke gently.
"Alright, that's the end of today's lessons. You all can take a break now."
As his words fell, a group of children at the desks below suddenly raised their hands high, cheering excitedly.
"Wow!"
"The week's classes are finally over, awesome!"
"Hehe, where should we go to play?"
"Let's go catch the beautiful Mirume bugs in the village forest; I heard they are really pretty insects."
"Yeah! Let's do that!"
Kimura, listening to these suggestions, suddenly had his gentle smile stiffen and a frown quickly formed on his forehead as he shouted.
"Even though tomorrow is a day off, you shouldn't be so reckless, understand?"
"Especially those talking about catching Mirume bugs, you are not to enter the Konoha forest without an adult; it's very dangerous there."
Hearing his words, the children waved their hands dismissively.
"We know, we know, Kimura-sensei, don't worry, we won't go."
Then a few kids winked at each other, saying,
"You agree, right!?"
The children nodded in unison.
"Yes, Kimura-sensei, we won't go, you can relax!"
But seeing their excited faces, who would believe that...
Kimura sighed helplessly, knowing he couldn't intervene too much, he could only hope that these kids would govern themselves strictly.
Thinking this, he couldn't help but recall a student from the past who was humble and respectful, always behaving elegantly.
A tinge of melancholy suddenly passed through his eyes.
That child... why did he eventually stray from the path... maybe I failed as a teacher back then...
With these thoughts, he walked outside, his whole posture seeming much more stooped.
Just then.
"Tap-tap!" "Tap-tap!"
With the sound of two light footsteps, two figures stood in front of Kimura, blocking his path.
Both were much shorter than Kimura, one with golden hair, the other with red hair.
Kimura looked at the newcomers, his face breaking into a gentle smile as he softly said,
"What is it? Minato... and Kushina."
Kimura paid special attention to Minato, not for any particular reason other than he really reminded him of that once talented and elegant boy—Sōsuke.
In front of him, Minato gently held Kushina's hand, his face beaming with a sunny smile.
Kushina looked somewhat impatient, but since Minato was holding onto her, she didn't leave.
"Kimura-sensei, Kushina and I have something very important to ask you, do you have a moment?"
Minato looked up respectfully at Kimura-sensei, his blue eyes serious.
Hearing his words, Kimura was slightly taken aback, then his face lit up with a gentle smile as he replied softly,
"Of course, I have plenty of time. Let's go, today I'll treat, and we can talk over a meal."
Hearing Kimura-sensei's words, Minato blushed slightly but still nodded happily, his lips curving into a radiant smile as he said,
"Thank you so much, Kimura-sensei."
Kushina's face also turned a bit red, seemingly shy about the question they were about to ask.
However, in the end, she was dragged along by Minato to follow Kimura.
The three walked down the bustling streets of Konoha, and suddenly, as they passed a lively storefront, Kimura glanced at it, his gaze nostalgic as he spoke softly.
"If you don't mind, today I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."
Hearing this, Minato looked up at Kimura in mild surprise and exclaimed,
"Kimura-sensei, you like Ichiraku Ramen too!?"
Kimura glanced at him and smiled slightly.
"Why, Minato, do you also like eating at Ichiraku Ramen?"
Minato's face lit up with a sunny smile as he replied softly,
"Yes! The ramen there is really great, I really like its flavor."
Hearing this, Kimura's expression became a bit complicated as he said softly,
"Is that so... I like it too because... never mind, let's not dwell on old stories. Let's go, today you two little guys can eat as much as you want, it's my treat."
With this, Minato grinned and said softly,
"Thank you so much, Kimura-sensei."
After that, the three of them went inside.
The newly renovated Ichiraku Ramen was much larger, so it was not crowded. They found a relatively quiet spot to sit down and waited for the food to be served.
At that moment, Kimura glanced at Minato and Kushina, his eyes crinkling with a smile, and he said softly,
"Alright, you can talk now. Do you have any questions you want to ask me?"
Hearing this, Minato looked at Kushina, who rolled her eyes at him and remained silent.
Minato awkwardly touched his nose, then looked at Kimura, straightening his posture respectfully and said,
"Kimura-sensei, I... I would like to ask you about Sōsuke-senpai..."
Hearing that name, Kimura's expression froze momentarily.
Minato, thinking he had been too forward, quickly apologized,
"Sorry, Kimura-sensei, I heard that you were also Sōsuke-senpai's teacher, so... I wanted to learn about him from you."
"Although I know Sōsuke-senpai is now considered a... rogue ninja... both Kushina and I hold great respect for him, and we really want to know what he was like from your perspective."
Kushina also showed a remorseful expression but looked at Kimura with eyes full of pleading and anticipation.
Hearing Minato's words, Kimura snapped out of his daze and quickly waved his hand,
"Don't apologize, Minato, I was just lost in thought."
"Sorry, I was just surprised by your question..."
Saying this, his expression softened as he looked at Minato and Kushina and continued softly,
"But, I'm also relieved that you don't feel the same anger towards Sōsuke as others do."
His expression seemed to reminisce as he said softly,
"That child was truly exceptional, far beyond ordinary."
Hearing Kimura's murmur, Minato and Kushina widened their eyes and listened attentively to Kimura's narrative.
Kimura suddenly smiled slightly and asked them,
"What would you like to hear about?"
Hearing Kimura's question, the two looked at each other, then both said simultaneously,
"I want to know just how exceptional Sōsuke-senpai was, did he work hard?"
"I want to know if Sōsuke-senpai had a girl he liked, what was she like!?"
After their questions, Kushina's ears turned a bit red, but she still maintained a firm expression, eager to know the answer.
Minato turned to look at her, his face showing a mixture of disappointment and hurt.
Kushina glanced at him and pouted slightly.
Hearing their questions, Kimura couldn't help but laugh heartily and said gently,
"Your questions are really tricky."
"But, fortunately, I know a bit about these things, so let's start with Kushina's question."
Saying this, he straightened up, his eyes filled with memories, and continued warmly,
"At that time, Sōsuke didn't have a girlfriend, and there wasn't even talk of him liking any girl."
"Because Sōsuke... he was a very humble and self-respecting child."
"You may not know this, but Sōsuke was an orphan picked up by the village because of the war."
Hearing this, Minato and Kushina were slightly taken aback.
They did not know this information, and upon hearing Kimura's words, Kushina's gaze flickered with a touch of sadness and hope.
As a survivor from the Land of Whirlpools, she was also alone, and learning that the senior she admired had a similar background to her own made her feel a slight resonance.
Kimura continued his story,
"Back then, because of the end of the war, the village wasn't as peaceful as it is now, and the situation was quite tense, so Sōsuke was also brought to the Ninja Academy."
"That was also my first time
seeing that child."
"His face always wore a gentle smile, as if he had never given up hope for this world, and his smile easily infected others. So, in the class, he got along very well with his classmates."
"At that time, Sōsuke... was very much like you are now, Minato..."
Kimura suddenly said this, catching Minato and Kushina off guard.
Kushina turned her head, carefully examining Minato's face, which made Minato feel a bit embarrassed.
Suddenly, Kushina reached out, grabbed Minato's cheeks, and while stretching them outward, muttered to herself,
"This silly face, how is it at all like Sōsuke-senpai..."
Seeing this, Kimura quickly separated the two.
Minato looked at Kushina with teary eyes, his face full of hurt and unable to speak.