Jiraiya and Minato cross several streets at an almost instantaneous speed before they stop. Under the dim streetlights, the two look a little embarrassed.
At this time, Minato's face is flushed. Although he only glanced and turned back, he still saw some shameful scenes. Jiraiya looks around like a habitual offender. After making sure that no one is around, he looks at Minato and says, "Why did you follow me?"
He then notices Minato's expression, which is flushed from his face to his neck. "I... I thought you left first because of something important, so..." Minato speaks timidly, not knowing what to say.
"Okay, okay, I get it." Jiraiya waves his hand. He understands that Minato is speaking illogically at the moment. After all, it is his first time experiencing such a "major event in life."
Immediately, his expression becomes a little strange, and then he approaches Minato and asks, "Boy, what did you think of the scene just now?" Minato glances slightly and sees Jiraiya's somewhat wretched expression again. He has no idea how to answer his question.
"This... is not good?" After a long while, he comes up with such a sentence. No matter how smart he is and how calm his mind usually is, he still seems incoherent about this kind of thing.
Jiraiya's expression becomes a little unhappy when he hears this, and he says, "You don't understand this? This is the true meaning of life." He talks to himself, but Minato's dull expression shows he has not heard it.
"Hehe, it's too early for you. After all, you are just a child." Jiraiya says, stroking his chin, and then adds, "Tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock, go to the seventh training ground to start training."
After he finishes speaking, before Minato can react, he has disappeared. That speed is something Minato can't fathom now.
Minato stands stunned for a long time under the streetlight, and his red face gradually returns to normal. As he is about to leave, a voice rings in his ears. "Be careful of Jiraiya-sensei."
He stops immediately. In his mind, the red-haired woman appears again, although he still can't see her face clearly. "Who is she?" Minato's heart pounds.
He leans down slowly with the help of the streetlamp, and his blue pupils shrink slightly. The woman's words echo in his mind. Be careful, Jiraiya-sensei?
That was not a warning tone. Although the woman said so, he could hear that she also respected Jiraiya-sensei very much; otherwise, she would not call him teacher.
This red-haired woman who often appears in his mind must be acquainted with Jiraiya-sensei, or maybe, like him, she is also a disciple of Jiraiya.
Minato always feels that when he sees her, his emotions become uncontrollable. In his joy, there is a strong sadness. Thinking back carefully, all this starts from the day he met Kushina.
The person who could make the Third Hokage send the Anbu to protect her must have a complex identity.
"Kushina must be unhappy to be monitored like this all the time, right?" Minato slowly stands up. Thinking of the sad look on Kushina's face when she leaves the Ninja School every day, his mood also becomes depressed.
"Jiraiya-sensei may know about Kushina!" Minato's eyes light up. His teacher is a disciple of the Third Hokage and a high-ranking ninja in the village.
Moreover, his teacher goes to the Ninja School to teach, probably to observe him, but he deliberately approached Mikoto and Kushina that time. He must have his own reasons for doing so!
While thinking, Minato returns home. Facing the empty house, his heart is filled with a warm feeling. The feeling that Jiraiya-sensei gives him is like that of a teacher and a father, so finally, he feels no longer alone.
Therefore, after putting aside some questions in his chest, he looks forward to tomorrow's practice.
Minato looks at the Hokage Rock outside the window. As a disciple of Jiraiya, he is one step closer to his dream. The next day, just after dawn, Minato has already gone out and headed towards the seventh training ground.
After arriving at the training ground, he finds that the teacher has arrived without him noticing.
"Sorry, Jiraiya-sensei, I'm late." Although he has arrived early enough, today is his first time to practice with Jiraiya-sensei, and he arrives later than the teacher, which is very rude. So, he thinks about going forward to apologize.
Just as Minato approaches Jiraiya, the latter's closed eyes suddenly open, and then he punches Minato. Minato's reflexes are also very fast, but under Jiraiya's hands, he just barely dodges the punch, turns over, and half-crouches on the ground beside him.
Before he can fully react and his body is in a stiff period, the teacher's other punch has already arrived. The complete physical technique forces Minato into a desperate situation.
"Bang!" But when Jiraiya's fist hits Minato, a puff of light smoke fills the air, and what falls to the ground is a nearly shattered wooden stake.
"That was close." Minato's figure appears several meters away, and he cries out inwardly.
"You don't look like a freshman at a ninja school at all." Jiraiya retracts his fist. How could he not see that when Minato dodged his first attack, he had already begun to form the seal of the substitution jutsu, so he could escape when he was almost unable to dodge the second time? This not only requires an extremely strong reaction ability, but most importantly, it combines practical experience and a quick mind.
In this short period, a set of strategies to get oneself out of trouble must be formulated, and the opportunity must be seized to implement them. There is no doubt that Minato has this talent, and he succeeds.
Swish! After retracting his fist, Jiraiya's figure quickly crosses the distance of several meters and punches Minato in the face. Even a Genin can't react to that speed, but Minato, who is prepared, is not one of them. He moves to the side, dodges the attack, and actually makes a counterattack.
There is no doubt that this is the teacher testing his strength, Minato thinks. The two start a confrontation, and after persisting for more than ten rounds, Minato is finally captured by Jiraiya.
In any case, there is an immeasurable gap between the two now. Both hands are locked tightly, and Jiraiya smiles and says to Minato, "You have adapted to my way of meeting very quickly." The captured Minato smiles bitterly and says, "You are worthy of being a teacher. Even one of your clones is no match for me now."
Jiraiya hears this, his face changes slightly, and then he smiles again, saying, "Have you noticed it?" "Bang!" Immediately, the "Jiraiya" who captures Minato turns into a puff of smoke again, and his real body also appears in front of Minato at the same time.
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[More Chapter available at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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