"Go ahead," Jiraiya says. He thinks Minato will ask questions about training, so he readily agrees.
Minato pauses for a moment because the answer he seeks might not be a secret he can access now. But he really wants to know the truth. Jiraiya notices his expression, and his pupils shrink slightly, immediately thinking of something.
"Jiraiya-sensei, since you know that I got rid of the Anbu who was directly under the Third Hokage, then you must know the cause of this matter, right?" Minato asks.
What he can be sure of is that before the teacher went to the Ninja School to teach last time, he didn't know Kushina; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked her name. But since he knows that Minato got rid of the Anbu, he must know the cause and effect.
Jiraiya's face tightens when he hears this, and Minato doesn't ask any more questions because it seems the teacher already knows his question.
"Sure enough," Jiraiya doesn't finish his words. He wants to say that Minato really noticed Kushina's identity is special. Then, he stares at Minato and says, "You want to know why the girl named Uzumaki Kushina is protected by the Anbu who is directly under the Third Hokage, right?"
Minato nods quickly, with some emotions flickering in his blue eyes. Because there is an inexplicable feeling surging from his heart at this moment, as if the answer he is looking for will make him sad.
"Since you can think that Kushina is very important to the village, you should also know that ordinary ninjas are not qualified to ask about this level of secrets, right?" Jiraiya adds.
Minato acquiesces and murmurs, "I understand, Jiraiya-sensei." The teacher's implication is that he does not have the right to know Kushina's identity now.
Being protected by the Anbu, such a level of information may not even be known by some of the village's jonin. And it seems that although Jiraiya-sensei knows, he is unlikely to tell him now. Keeping secrets is also one of the necessary qualities of a ninja.
Noticing Minato's gloomy expression, Jiraiya steps forward and pats his shoulder, saying, "Although I can't say anything now, I will try my best to teach you. I believe that soon, you will be qualified to get this answer from the Hokage."
"From the Hokage?" Minato groans. Although he has met the Third Hokage several times, he always watches the Hokage from afar.
Jiraiya smiles and says, "He is looking forward to your growth, and when you reach a certain level, he will come to see you himself."
"In other words, what I have to do now is to make myself stronger!" Knowing this answer is the biggest motivation for Minato's practice now, and the look in his eyes becomes resolute again.
"Then I'll trouble you, teacher!" Minato says.
"Do you know what your biggest advantage is as a ninja now?" Jiraiya asks a question first.
Hearing this, Minato answers without hesitation, "Speed." He didn't know his own advantages very well before, but he got this answer from the battle with Uchiha Yoruki.
His shuriken skills were not as good as Yoruki's, who was from the Uchiha clan, and there was no need to talk about ninjutsu. The only ninjutsu he really mastered was the three-body technique that he learned by himself. He secretly learned it while taking classes in the senior class.
Although it is enough for a junior ninja, it cannot satisfy Minato. If he wants to get the answer he is looking for, he has to become stronger.
"That's right." Jiraiya smiles lightly and says, "To improve the strength of a ninja, it is important to recognize your own advantages and use them to the extreme.
For example, the Uchiha clan's Sharingan and Fire Style Ninjutsu, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan and Gentle Fist, these are all natural advantages, and the ninjas in the Uchiha and Hyuga clans practice according to these powers."
"A ninja with wind attribute chakra will naturally get twice the result with half the effort when practicing wind style ninjutsu. If he is asked to practice a type of attribute ninjutsu that he does not possess, it will only be a waste of time and energy."
"Teacher, do you mean that I should focus on practicing my speed?" Minato asks.
"Yes, a strong ninja not only needs to master powerful ninjutsu but also needs basic qualities to match it, and these are the direction you need to practice now."
"Basic qualities?" This is the first time Minato has heard of this. After all, before Jiraiya, the most powerful ninja he had seen was Shirota-sensei.
And the level of Chunin is just the level of the general public in the ninja world, which is not considered strong.
"Physical speed, hand seal speed, reaction speed, which is the so-called reflex nerve, and then there is tactical wisdom and combat experience.
The latter two need to be polished through actual combat, which is a bit far away for you now. What you need is the first three."
"The reason why I let the shadow clone fight with you just now was to test your three abilities. What surprised me is that not only do you have all three, but your tactical wisdom and combat experience are also not like a freshman in a ninja school," Jiraiya says.
"Hehe." Minato laughs and touches his hair. In fact, he himself doesn't know where his two abilities come from. It is just a completely autonomous reaction.
"In addition to the Three Bodies Technique, who taught you your Body Flicker Technique?" Jiraiya asks. Minato had something he didn't know.
"My Body Flicker Technique?" Minato is stunned. Jiraiya raises his eyebrows and adds, "At the end of your duel with Uchiha Yoruki, the high-speed movement you performed was the Body Flicker Technique. You didn't know it?"
Minato is shocked and says, "I really didn't know it was the Body Flicker Technique. I thought it was just a simple movement. I suddenly mastered it while practicing." His answer makes Jiraiya drop his jaw. Although Jiraiya has heard of "mastering it by oneself" and comprehending ninjutsu by oneself, this is the first time he has seen it.
If he tells the Third Hokage about these things, he would probably be very happy. A genius who can comprehend ninjutsu by himself and perfectly inherit the will of fire is simply a rare talent. If he misses this kind of genius, it may be difficult to find another one.
"Okay. Let's do the basic training now," Jiraiya says after swallowing his saliva.
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[More Chapter available at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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