Did he truly agree that readily?
A flash of bewildered confusion crossed Yahiko's eyes as he stood there. To be honest, he had only been testing the waters with his bold question; he had not expected Minato to actually agree to his request without a moment of hesitation.
Could he be trying to make me lower my guard so he can take the chance to kill me and steal my meager food supply?
At that dark thought, he subconsciously gripped the Kunai in his hand much tighter, his knuckles turning white.
As if seeing directly through the boy's paranoid thoughts, the Clone gave a soft chuckle and asked, "But why exactly do you want to learn Ninjutsu?"
"To get stronger, of course. That way I will finally have the ability to survive, and I won't have to live like this anymore, just scraping by like a petty thief," Yahiko said without the slightest bit of hesitation in his voice.
The Clone nodded in quiet agreement, his sharp gaze scanning the damp interior of the cave. "You live here all by yourself?"
"Otherwise?" Yahiko curled his lip in a defensive manner. "Who would ever choose to live in a place like this under normal circumstances?"
"Then it certainly hasn't been easy for you."
The Clone sized up Yahiko with a calculating look. The boy was half a head shorter than him, his face carrying a distinct hint of stubbornness, looking like a weed growing wildly out of a jagged crack in a rock.
(In the official databooks, Yahiko and the others are five or six years younger than Minato, but if we go strictly by the databooks, they would only be three or four years old during the Second War. Therefore, this story will follow the plot and keep their relative ages vague.)
His gaze fell on Yahiko's thin, tattered clothes, and the Clone let out a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.
"I can give you two distinct choices. The first choice is—I can take you back to Konoha with me. I guarantee you will be well-fed and properly clothed, and you will receive a formal Ninja Academy education. With me acting as your official guarantor, no one will make things difficult for you there."
"You're lying, right—"
Yahiko looked at Minato, a trace of deep-seated suspicion flashing in his eyes. "You don't look much older than I am; at most, you're just a Genin, right? Where would you ever get that kind of authority?"
"You don't need to worry about that part."
The Clone smiled warmly. "The second choice is, I can stay here for a while and teach you some basic Ninjutsu knowledge until you have the actual ability to survive on your own."
"I choose the second one!"
Yahiko said the words without any hesitation at all.
"Oh?"
The Clone was somewhat curious about the immediate response. "Why choose that?"
"Since you can supposedly have such a big say in Konoha, you either have a very special identity or you're incredibly strong."
Yahiko gave a cheeky, knowing grin, his tone carrying a hint of pride in his own deduction. "And since you dare to wander around this war zone all alone, your strength definitely won't be weak! Even though you don't look particularly strong or intimidating—"
Hearing this, the Clone couldn't help but be a bit surprised. He had thought the refusal was because of identity recognition or national loyalty.
He had to admit, Yahiko was much smarter than he had initially thought.
"Well? I guessed right, didn't I?" Yahiko looked at the Clone expectantly, his eyes wide.
"Fifty-fifty."
A small smile played on the Clone's lips. "The reason I am alone is simply that I am just a Shadow Clone."
"?"
Yahiko's expression froze instantly. He had not expected the truth to be anything like that.
"But you were right about one thing—"
Minato smiled readily, his smile appearing warm and bright to the outside observer. "I really am strong!"
"Re—Really?"
Yahiko was still half-doubting, as Minato's physical appearance did not seem threatening in the least.
If not for the clear identification of the Konoha forehead protector, he might even think this was some little young master from a wealthy family who had accidentally gotten lost in the rain.
"Then when do we start our actual cultivation?" Yahiko asked.
"Wait a moment, the timing should be about right."
The Clone raised his hand and slapped a Flying Thunder God Mark onto the stone wall, then disappeared on the spot with a soft 'poof'.
Before Yahiko could even react to the disappearance, another Minato suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of him.
"This—could this also be a Clone?" Yahiko looked at the Minato before him with deep suspicion.
"The main body is currently handling something important and cannot get away for the time being."
Of course, he would not tell Yahiko that the so-called important thing was being gathered around a warm fireplace with a beautiful Uchiha girl, enjoying delicious food and being all lovey-dovey.
Thinking of this, the Clone couldn't help but feel a bit of internal resentment toward the main body's leisure.
Then he clapped his hands together with a sharp sound. The ground suddenly cracked open, and thick, sturdy tree trunks rose from the earth. In the blink of an eye, the cave that only held a few broken wooden boxes was renovated into a clean two-bedroom, one-living room residence.
A massive wooden door grew out of the wall, separating the inside and outside of the cave into two entirely different worlds.
As the entrance was sealed shut by the heavy wooden door, the cave became pitch black, with only a small oil lamp struggling to illuminate the surrounding darkness.
"So cool!"
Yahiko's mouth hung wide open in shock. "There's actually such a practical Ninjutsu? What is this? Can I learn how to do it?"
"You can't. This is a Bloodline Limit."
The Clone went to the newly created fireplace and lit a fire. The cave instantly brightened up significantly.
Yahiko's eyes were full of intense curiosity. "Bloodline Limit? What's that?"
"Well—it's a bit complicated to explain to a beginner."
The Clone smiled. "Let's start from the very basics first."
Hearing this, Yahiko stood excitedly at attention. "Yes! Teacher Minato!"
"Forget about calling me 'teacher'. I am not at the age to take on a Disciple yet."
The Clone shook his head. "How old are you this year?"
"Probably around seven? I've been living on my own for a long time, so I don't remember the date very clearly."
Yahiko thought for a moment. "How about I just call you Big Brother Minato!"
"————That works too."
The Clone nodded. "Then, let's start with Chakra refinement first."
Minato had a genuinely good impression of Yahiko, as the boy could be considered one of the few clear-headed characters in the original work. It was just a pity he was always a bit too naive for his own good.
Minato didn't dislike naive people, so he didn't mind giving him a helping hand in this harsh world.
While Minato was teaching Yahiko to Cultivate, the Sunagakure front-line camp was shrouded in a heavy gloom.
The total failure of the vanguard unit some time ago had dealt a heavy psychological blow to Sunagakure.
The sharp blade that had been given such high hopes had been broken by the hands of an eight-year-old Genin named Minato Namikaze.
When the news reached them, it didn't just shake the front lines; it caused an even greater uproar back in the Village itself.
Consequently, the Third Kazekage, who had personally planned this surprise attack, inevitably faced harsh questioning.
The Third Kazekage had only recently taken office. Although his personal strength was quite formidable, he had not yet established enough prestige to silence his critics.
Before this, Sunagakure was facing a massive fiscal deficit and political instability. Therefore, to divert internal conflicts, the newly appointed Third Kazekage had to initiate an external war.
He had originally intended to use this surprise attack to fire the successful first shot of the official war.
As it turned out, the declaration of war had already been drafted, but the front line had completely messed up the execution!
This caused the Third Kazekage's already insufficient prestige to suffer further, and treasonous rumors would occasionally spread throughout the camp.
Little did they know that the Third Kazekage was also suffering in silence.
According to the original plan, this surprise attack should have caused heavy losses to Konoha's front line and brought great publicity to Sunagakure's power.
But no one could have ever imagined that Konoha would suddenly produce a Wood Release Bloodline Limit!
A single Wood Dragon Jutsu had reduced the vanguard of over $100$ people to just a few stragglers, and the perpetrator was currently only $8$ years old.
The power of Wood Release was even stronger than he had imagined. If Minato Namikaze didn't die, there would be no possibility of gaining an advantage on the main battlefield.
And it was precisely because of Minato's existence that the current Third Kazekage was caught in a difficult dilemma.
Step forward, and receive a Wood Dragon warning.
Step back————
He couldn't back down at all!
Once this war was lost, Sunagakure's long-accumulated internal conflicts would completely explode!
At this thought, the Third Kazekage's expression became even gloomier than the rainy sky over the Land of Rain.
However, as the saying
goes, when Heaven closes a door, it opens a window.
In the midst of this suffocating stalemate, a subordinate rushed into the tent and brought an unexpected report:
A team of messengers from Iwagakure requested an immediate audience with the Third Kazekage.
Iwagakure, messengers————
A sudden spark of light flashed in the Third Kazekage's weary eyes.
A single word suddenly flashed through his mind:
Alliance!
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