Fugaku collapsed weakly to the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with deep fear.
"I really thought I was going to die. I almost died."
His face still stung from the fierce punch, and the memory of that fist stopping just centimeters from his forehead would be hard to forget anytime soon.
Fuma smiled, pulling him up and dusting off his clothes.
"I thought you might evolve your eyes."
Fugaku looked at Fuma in confusion. Evolve his eyes? He already had the double tomoe Sharingan, didn't he?
Fuma waved his hand, dismissing the bewildered Fugaku, who was still too dazed to speak coherently.
He walked over to the group of onlookers, including Tsunade, and began checking Minato's progress.
"Minato, how is your research on the Flying Thunder God Technique? Do you need help?"
"It's going well. It's not as difficult as I thought. I've almost grasped the basic formula."
Minato replied confidently with a smile.
In this timeline, Minato, having been taught by Fuma from a young age, had developed a more decisive and determined personality but remained the same warm and kind "Yellow Flash."
Tsunade was surprised to hear this. Minato was already on the verge of mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique?
Jiraiya had truly missed out on a great disciple.
Wait, this little genius is now my husband's student. Jiraiya really wasn't qualified to teach him.
Tsunade mentally tallied the score, feeling that her side had won.
A woman in love, she was already planning her future family.
As for her childhood friend Jiraiya, who was that again? They weren't that close!
Fuma, holding Tsunade's hand with his left and Nawaki's with his right, slowly walked out of the training ground. Minato and Kushina followed hand in hand behind them.
It was such a heartwarming scene that those who didn't know might have thought a family of five was going on a picnic.
Feeling the strength in Fuma's large hand and watching him chat and laugh with Tsunade, Nawaki felt a sense of happiness and security well up inside him.
To him, this brother-in-law was like the Hokage, the highest praise his young mind could give.
This brother-in-law had taught him many principles, in a lively and understandable way, while also respecting his dignity.
His combat skills were mysteriously high. Fugaku, who had just been beaten with three punches and two kicks, seemed like a dead fish in front of him.
Nawaki's heart was filled with warmth as he happily watched this scene.
He had grown up without the company of his clan, relying only on Tsunade, and he had felt very lonely.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Outside the ramen shop, there was a large round table covered with dozens of bowls of various types of ramen, tempura, and sashimi.
Fuma sat with a commanding presence, with a high stack of empty bowls beside him.
Originally, Fuma had planned to take them to Yakiniku Q or a seafood restaurant for a big meal.
But Nawaki had a special fondness for Ichiraku Ramen and insisted on eating there.
Fuma inwardly complained, wondering if Nawaki was also a reincarnation of Asura. Why were the hot-blooded young men in the Naruto world so obsessed with ramen?
Nawaki buried his face in a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, his chopsticks whirling like a tornado.
Fuma, on the other hand, was dumping bowl after bowl of ramen into his mouth. For him, ramen had too low an energy density.
Eating ramen for him was like drinking porridge for ordinary people—it didn't fill him up.
Watching Nawaki's belly swell, Tsunade glanced at him and shook her head indulgently.
Fuma cleared his throat and looked at his little brother-in-law, asking, "Nawaki, I have a question for you."
"I'm not asking for your understanding of today's battle. I just want to ask, what is a ninja?"
Nawaki quickly swallowed the ramen in his mouth and looked respectfully at his brother-in-law, ready to answer, but then he paused.
Yes, what is a ninja?
He was at a loss for words and looked at Minato and Kushina for help, seeking their guidance.
Minato smiled, while Kushina frowned in thought. Even Tsunade watched Fuma with great interest.
Seeing the puzzled expressions of the younger ones and Tsunade's thoughtful look, Fuma raised an eyebrow and answered, "I don't know either."
Ignoring their bewildered reactions, Fuma continued:
"The First Hokage once said that a ninja is someone who endures everything."
"But in reality, what exactly does a ninja have to endure, and why do they need to endure it? This needs to be clarified."
"Everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness and freedom. Becoming a ninja doesn't mean you have to sacrifice anything."
"Suffering is not something to be praised. In this shinobi world, suffering only means there is something wrong with your strength and understanding."
Nawaki stared blankly at Fuma. These words were too profound for him. Tsunade also had a thoughtful look, pondering something unknown.
Only Minato listened as if it were normal. After being influenced by Fuma for seven years, his worldview had undergone significant changes.
Especially when he first fell in love with Kushina, Fuma had told him a dark story that he would never forget.
In the story, Minato became the Hokage, Kushina had a difficult childbirth, and the Nine-Tails was released.
To protect the village's valuable asset—the Nine-Tails—he sacrificed his life to seal it, resulting in both his and his wife's deaths.
Their child inherited the curse of the Nine-Tails, not as the hero's son, but as a feared and hated Jinchuriki.
To control the Nine-Tails, their child was no longer the orphan of the Fourth Hokage but was sent to ROOT for modifications.
All for the so-called "sake of Konoha."
When Minato first heard this story, combined with Fuma's usual talks about the missions and methods of the Anbu and ROOT, he increasingly believed such a thing could really happen.
So, that night, Minato grew up.
I, Namikaze Minato, have a lifelong wish to clock in and out of work on time and come home to a warm family.
He still remembered Fuma laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight when he heard this wish.
Fuma gave him a nickname on the spot: "Namikaze Kizaru."
Minato didn't understand, but he found the name Kizaru unpleasant and gave himself a new nickname: "The Golden Flash Emperor."
Fuma continued, "If you can't figure out what a ninja is, then think about your grandfather and your village."
"The village of Konoha is composed of various large and small ninja clans and wandering ninjas, now known as civilian ninjas."
"The establishment of Konoha was because everyone was tired of the constant killing in the Warring States period and wanted to unite their strength to protect everyone."
"So the original purpose of Konoha was to let everyone enjoy peace and live a good life."
"So, Nawaki, remember, as long as you first make sure you live a good life and then make other villagers happy, you are a qualified ninja!"
Fuma's elaborate theory left Tsunade and her brother stunned, while Minato nodded in agreement.
Nawaki, feeling dizzy, mumbled, "So living a good life means being a ninja?"
Minato unusually took over, saying, "Nawaki, we are all part of Konoha. If everyone lives a good life, Konoha will get better and better. Isn't that the best thing?"
Fuma's expression turned serious as he asked Nawaki a harsh and pointed question.
"And one more thing, Nawaki, have you ever wondered why, despite being from the Senju clan, you are so different from Fugaku?"
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