After the incident at the gate, Takuya and Minato quickly gained a reputation as bullies in the class, causing the other students to avoid them.
Even some of the girls who thought Takuya was cute now kept their distance out of fear.
"Master..."
A soft, sweet voice whispered in Takuya's ear. He felt something small and warm pressing against his chest, and something wet licking his face.
Groggily waking up, Takuya opened his eyes to find a small fox with nine tails lying on his chest. He gently pushed it away, mumbling:
"Snowy, stop it."
He rolled over and went back to sleep.
Snowy quietly curled up on the blanket.
A few seconds later, Takuya's eyes shot open, and he sat up abruptly.
Staring at the little fox nestled on his blanket, his face lit up with excitement:
"Snowy, you can come out now?"
In the game, his exclusive tailed beast could assist in battles and act as a pet once it reached level 30.
Since it was an exclusive tailed beast, Takuya wouldn't die like a jinchūriki if the beast left his body.
Takuya hadn't expected Snowy to reach level 30 so quickly, giving it the ability to leave his body.
"Master," Snowy chirped, snuggling into the blankets, curling up into a ball in Takuya's arms.
Isn't having a tailed beast as a pet standard for everyone?
If your tailed beast can't fight outside your body, what kind of jinchūriki are you?
Takuya couldn't help but chuckle, remembering the jokes players used to make when he played the game in his past life.
Snowy being able to fight outside meant another ace up Takuya's sleeve.
When it wasn't convenient to use the tailed beast's chakra, he could summon Snowy as a familiar.
Holding Snowy close, Takuya rolled over and continued to sleep.
Since Snowy could now fight outside, when would it unlock its first fixed skill?
Takuya noticed that all the skills he had set up before his transmigration were gone.
Now, all he could do was hope for his exclusive player skills.
Although there were only four exclusive skills, even one would significantly boost Takuya's strength.
A new batch of fifth-year students had graduated, with Nawaki among them. These students would leave the academy, step into the world of ninjas, and become true shinobi.
But how many of these rookie ninjas would survive and grow remained unknown.
Some students, like Mikoto Uchiha, had to repeat the year.
Unlike Mikoto, though, they didn't volunteer to repeat—they were forced to.
Some failed their exams, while others were sent back by their jōnin mentors.
The majority had been sent back for further training by their mentors.
Mikoto quickly rejoined the fifth-year students, and Takuya, Minato, and Kushina, who had recently skipped grades, were now also part of the fifth-year class.
When the Ninja Academy was first established, students had to complete six years of schooling before they could graduate.
Early graduation wasn't restricted.
However, after the Third Hokage took office and the First Ninja War broke out, the number of Konoha's shinobi dwindled rapidly. As a result, the six-year graduation requirement was shortened to five years.
The enrollment age was also lowered from six to five.
This meant that instead of starting at six and graduating at twelve, students now started at five and graduated at ten, all thanks to the Third Hokage's changes.
It's like what capitalists do to squeeze workers, Takuya thought.
Instead of letting things grow naturally, they forcefully pull the plants to speed up the harvest, not caring if they grow crooked or die.
"Yagami Takuya, Namikaze Minato, come to the office for a moment."
After class, the teacher motioned for Takuya and Minato to follow him to the office.
Minato looked back, puzzled. "Did you go block the gate again?"
"Get lost!" Takuya rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to think you were caught spying on girls in the bath."
"No way! I'm not that kind of guy!" Minato's face turned bright red as he stood up and loudly denied it.
What nonsense are you spouting?
Mikoto swatted Takuya's arm, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.
You might not be that kind of guy, but your future teacher definitely is.
Wait!
If Minato skipped grades with me, would Jiraiya still end up being his mentor?
When they reached the office, the teacher set down his teacup and said to them:
"I called you here because the Hokage has taken a great interest in you two. He believes you're both geniuses worth nurturing for the village."
"After observing you for a while, he's decided to give you a reward."
"Really?" Minato's face lit up with excitement at the idea that the Hokage had been keeping an eye on him.
Takuya, however, discreetly rolled his eyes. He didn't buy it.
The Third Hokage might be watching them, but he wouldn't just hand out rewards for no reason.
Could it be Tsunade?
Aside from Tsunade, Takuya couldn't think of anyone with that kind of influence.
"This is the ninjutsu scroll that the Hokage is rewarding you with. The two of you will study it together, and then return the scroll. Understand?"
The teacher handed over the ninjutsu scroll. These scrolls weren't easy to produce, and each one was worth a fortune.
The scrolls were expensive, but the ninjutsu they contained were even more valuable. Even with money, you could only buy some basic jutsu. As for B-rank or higher techniques, forget it.
Even the Daimyo, who controlled the wealth of the Land of Fire, couldn't gather too many ninjutsu scrolls.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!!"
Minato's eyes widened with excitement as he unrolled the scroll.
If Takuya had any doubts before, now he was certain—this was Tsunade's doing.
He was even sure that this was the same scroll Tsunade had tried to give him earlier.
Except now, instead of coming from Kushina, it was presented as a reward from the Third Hokage.
Takuya wouldn't have accepted it before, but now... well, why not take it?
After all, once a ninjutsu scroll was issued, the village would record it as a reward, and even if you didn't learn it, you'd have to return it once you became a shinobi.
"This is awesome! We get to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Minato's smile was as bright as the sun, making it clear why he was nicknamed "The Yellow Flash."
Takuya pulled Minato aside, draping an arm over his shoulder, and guided him to a quiet spot near the school's training grounds. He took the scroll from Minato and asked with a smirk:
"Do you really think this ninjutsu scroll is a reward from the Hokage?"
"Isn't it?" Minato blinked, confused. The teacher said we're geniuses, and the village wants to nurture us, so they're giving us this reward.
No wonder you end up being the Third Hokage's puppet for over a year, Takuya thought, sighing inwardly. Then, in a more serious tone, he said:
"Minato, do you trust me?"
Minato rarely saw Takuya this serious, so he nodded. "Of course I trust you."
"Since you trust me, then stop thanking the Hokage for this. If you want to be grateful, thank Tsunade-sensei instead. This scroll came from her, not the Hokage."