Inspired by a conversation with Mutsuki, Minato decided to refrain from accepting any missions for a while and focus on developing his Ninjutsu. However, while Minato was contemplating how to replicate the Tailed Beast Bomb, a Ninja arrived to inform him that the Hokage had summoned him. Minato quickly went to the Hokage's office.
Knock, knock!
Minato knocked on the door of the Hokage's office.
"Come in," Hiruzen's voice called from inside.
Minato then pushed open the wooden door and entered the Hokage's office.
"Third-sama, is there a task you need me to complete?" Minato asked directly, without any small talk.
Such direct notifications usually meant either someone had specifically requested him for a task, or the Hokage had a special mission for him.
"It's not really a task," Hiruzen said with a smile as he took his pipe out and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. "Minato, you've been a Jonin for a while now. Have you ever thought about becoming a guiding sensei?"
Hiruzen greatly admired Minato, not only for his exceptional Ninja skills but also for his pleasant personality. This made Hiruzen feel somewhat troubled. His three disciples were strong in terms of ability, but each had character flaws.
Tsunade had become a compulsive gambler and had begun to slack off. Due to her fear of blood, she could only be responsible for medical duties and was unable to fight on the battlefield.
Orochimaru was cold and indifferent; apart from a few special relationships, he largely disregarded his so-called comrades and would use any means necessary to achieve his goals.
Jiraiya, in comparison, was relatively normal, though he was somewhat lecherous. Hiruzen felt this wasn't a major issue. If he had to choose one of his three disciples to become Hokage, he would pick Jiraiya.
Upon hearing Hiruzen's words, Minato fell into deep thought. Jiraiya was Minato's guiding sensei. Despite Jiraiya's frequent display of lecherous behavior and various unreliable moments, Minato genuinely believed that Jiraiya was an excellent sensei.
Jiraiya rarely adopts a sensei demeanor with them; aside from training, they interact more like friends. Moreover, Jiraiya has always been very reliable in missions and training. His unreliability is more evident in daily life. Whenever Minato saw Jiraiya showing a serious or earnest expression, he felt a strong sense of security.
Minato believed that his current strength was largely thanks to Jiraiya. He then thought about Mutsuki, recalling the warm interactions Mutsuki had with his disciples at the camp. The child named Uchiha Obito would even argue with Jiraiya, but listened to Mutsuki without question.
"Yes," Minato said with a smile as he looked at Hiruzen. "I do want to become a sensei, to nurture excellent Ninjas like my sensei Jiraiya did, and to have a few outstanding and lovable disciples like Mutsuki."
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction with a smile. As Jiraiya's disciple and such an exceptional one at that, Hiruzen believed Minato had the potential to become the Fifth Hokage. Becoming Hokage also involves the skill of nurturing successors, just as the Second Hokage had trained him and Danzo, and Hiruzen had trained the Sannin.
"The Ninja Academy's graduation exam is about to start, and soon there will be a new batch of Genin. You will be responsible for these three students," Hiruzen said as he handed Minato three files.
Although the exam had not yet begun, the three students Hiruzen had prepared for Minato were certain to pass. Due to the ongoing war, the Academy's graduation standards were being lowered to increase their wartime capabilities, making it almost impossible for anyone to fail.
Minato took the files and, upon seeing the photos and names, was taken aback.
"Hatake Kakashi, Chunin…" Minato was surprised as he looked at the white-haired boy with a mask. He remembered that Kakashi was a member of Mutsuki's team and had recently been on the battlefield with Mutsuki. Given his current age, his strength was quite impressive.
"Is it because Mutsuki's team was just a training squad and was disbanded after the interns graduated, so Kakashi is being reassigned to me?" Minato thought to himself.
Mutsuki's main role was still as an Academy sensei. Unless Kakashi was going to assist Mutsuki at the Academy, he would have to be placed in a different team.
"What an outstanding child. It's a pity that White Fang-san couldn't…" Minato sighed as he reviewed Kakashi's file.
When Minato looked at the second file, he was a bit stunned. It listed Uchiha Obito, with a photo of a black-haired boy wearing goggles and grinning.
He recognized this person too, as he was also one of Mutsuki's students. Minato remembered Obito joking about how he and Mutsuki were like twin brothers when Minato was eating at Mutsuki's house and even helped take some photos.
Minato was shocked when he saw Obito's mission record. Despite being a Ninja Academy student, Obito had records of two A-Rank Missions and one S-Rank Mission. Many Chunin didn't even have an S-Rank Mission on their record.
"Even if Mutsuki was leading the team, it's surprising to see an intern with such a high-level mission record," Minato thought, feeling puzzled.
He could guess that the S-Rank was due to an unexpected major battle and that Mutsuki might have been involved in it, but he couldn't figure out how Obito had completed two A-Rank missions. There was also one B-Rank mission, but surprisingly no C-Rank missions.
After reviewing Obito's record, Minato had to admit that he was an unprecedented Ninja Academy student, and such a record might never be seen again; it was truly extraordinary.
When he saw the file for the third student, Minato sighed in relief, as it was Nohara Rin and not Might Guy. If the third student had been Might Guy, Minato would have had to ask Hiruzen if there was any special reason for the arrangement.
With two of the three students being Mutsuki's disciples, Minato was already planning to have a good chat with Mutsuki during dinner.
"Minato, you need to pay special attention to the student named Hatake Kakashi," Hiruzen said, taking a puff from his pipe and exhaling smoke.
"You should know Sakumo Hatake, right?"
"Of course. With such an outstanding figure as White Fang-sama, no Ninja in Konoha would be unaware of his name," Minato replied. Seeing Kakashi's surname immediately reminded him of White Fang.
"Kakashi is his child. After that incident, Kakashi changed entirely and went down a dark path…" Hiruzen said with a sigh, recounting Kakashi's experiences, from being a Ninja Academy student and Chunin to becoming a cold, disliked teammate.
"Under Mutsuki's efforts, Kakashi seems to have returned to his previous self, but I don't know if it's temporary or permanent. So please, Minato, pay extra attention."
The changes in a person can be visibly noticeable. Hiruzen had seen Kakashi at the mission hall and knew he had changed; his entire demeanor was different.
To ensure Mutsuki's efforts were not in vain, Hiruzen had arranged for Kakashi to be teamed up with Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito, who were close to Kakashi.
"I will," Minato said solemnly. Even if Hiruzen hadn't specifically reminded him, he would address any issues with his students as soon as he noticed them; otherwise, he wouldn't be worthy of the title of sensei.
…
In the evening, Minato went to Mutsuki's home, intending to discuss Obito and the others with Mutsuki and have dinner as well. It wasn't that he was particularly eager for a meal, but if he arrived too early, Mutsuki wouldn't be home.
Mutsuki was usually only at home during mealtimes and at night; the rest of the time, he was busy teaching students.
Minato skillfully helped Mutsuki wash vegetables and then smiled as he said:
"Mutsuki, I'll also be a sensei from now on. Although I'm not teaching at the Ninja Academy, being a guiding sensei should count as being a sensei too."
"Of course, a guiding sensei is still a sensei. And you've already been my Sealing Jutsu sensei for a while," Mutsuki said with a smile.
"It's mostly Kushina who has been putting in the effort," Minato modestly replied.
Although Minato's Sealing Jutsu skills were not as advanced as Kushina's, he was still a master in the field and had been a great help to Mutsuki, who was just starting to learn Sealing Jutsu.
"Third-sama gave me the information about the students assigned to me in advance. Among them, two are your disciples: Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito." Minato's expression was somewhat complicated as he mentioned this.
"That means you have a special connection with them," Mutsuki said with a somewhat surprised smile.
"It's their good fortune to have you as their guiding sensei. I know your strength; among Konoha Jonin, only the Sannin can be stronger than you."
Mutsuki glanced at Minato's panel. After several months of battlefield experience, Minato's strength had significantly improved. His Chakra had increased to 55,000, his Flying Thunder God proficiency level had risen considerably, and other skills had also seen notable improvements. Overall, his strength had advanced.
Mutsuki felt that Minato had now surpassed many Konoha Jonin and was considered a top-tier force in Konoha.
"There are still some Jonin whose strength is not inferior to mine," Minato quickly waved his hand in response to Mutsuki's comment about being second only to the Sannin.
"Everyone has their own strengths. Mutsuki, your Ninjutsu is actually stronger than mine."
"But if you can't hit anyone, great power doesn't mean much. Minato, your Flying Thunder God is just too fast." Mutsuki engaged in some mutual flattery.
"Usually, teams are made up of three students. Who is the third person?" Mutsuki asked cautiously.
Although the original team consisted of Rin, Obito, and Kakashi, with the current situation, there was a possibility that Hiruzen might have rearranged the team if he thought Kakashi and Obito, along with Might Guy, would work well together.
"If Rin and Obito are not together, then I'll need to expedite the development of Water Breathing. If teammates aren't up to par, I'll need to enhance my own strength even more."
"It's a girl named Nohara Rin," Minato said as he handed the washed vegetables to Mutsuki and responded.
Since this wasn't information about a covert mission, there was no need to keep it secret.
"That's quite a coincidence. Actually, Nohara Rin is also one of my disciples," Mutsuki said with a surprised expression.
Previously, he had kept things hidden due to his less impressive strength and his position in the Root, which made it inconvenient. Now that his public strength was at the level of a powerful Jonin capable of defeating Explosion Release Gari, and given that the conversation was with Minato, there was no need to conceal too much.
"Mutsuki, don't you also have a disciple named Might Guy?" Minato asked with a look of confusion.
"I conducted a special training session for the fourth grade at the Academy before, during which I discovered Rin's potential and took her on as a disciple to cultivate her," Mutsuki explained.
Minato looked enlightened, then felt a bit odd. It seemed that all three of his disciples were Mutsuki's students.
"Mutsuki, why don't you become a guiding sensei directly? That way, you could continuously teach them," Minato asked.
He felt that with Mutsuki's strength, becoming a guiding sensei would be more beneficial and flexible, and it would also provide an opportunity for Mutsuki to improve himself.
"I prefer teaching at the Ninja Academy. Additionally, after they graduate, I can still guide them during extracurricular time," Mutsuki replied with a smile.
At his current level, teaching at the Ninja Academy offered him greater benefits. Based on past mission rewards, having disciples execute missions with Minato would also yield rewards, but without additional bonuses, the reward would be about one-third less.
"Then, Mutsuki, when you have time, come and give me some pointers on how to teach students. This is an area where you excel," Minato said with a smile. Mutsuki's teaching ability had been praised by the Hokage himself.
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