An unusual scene unfolded at the Konoha Orphanage.
Four people, one dog, and one cat gathered around the dining table for dinner.
"Boss's cooking is incredible!"
Shirayuki exclaimed. "Becoming Boss's summoning beast was definitely the right choice, meow!"
Kurohana, on the other hand, said nothing—just inhaled her food like a whirlwind.
The relationship between ninjas and summoning beasts was one of equals, so they could also eat at the table.
Of course, Natsuki had prepared separate dishes specifically for them.
Uzumaki Kushina took a sip of chicken soup and let out a contented breath.
She casually reached over and rubbed Shirayuki's head.
Girls were powerless against cute, fluffy things. She was no exception.
In contrast, Yakushi Nonou ate with elegant restraint.
She carefully picked up a piece of beef, placed it in her mouth, and chewed slowly—savoring the rich flavor as it spread across her tongue.
But a quiet sense of defeat settled over her.
She had been studying culinary arts recently, yet no matter how much she practiced, she couldn't catch up to Natsuki.
"This is infinitely better than my sister's cooking!"
Nawaki said with genuine feeling.
Natsuki glanced at him.
In the original story, there had been a scene where Tsunade cooked. The victim was Nawaki.
Victim was the appropriate word—because Tsunade's cooking was absolutely terrible.
In that scene, Nawaki's face had turned half-black while eating, as if he'd been poisoned.
"What are you all planning to do this summer?"
Natsuki asked casually.
"I'll keep training Water Release with my teacher."
Nawaki paused to answer.
"I don't have a summer vacation."
Yakushi Nonou shook her head.
"I'm going back to the Uzumaki clan with Lady Tsunade."
Kushina looked up.
She wasn't the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki yet. With Tsunade accompanying her, she was allowed to travel.
After all, she hadn't been home in nearly half a year.
Natsuki paused.
A question suddenly occurred to him: when was the Uzumaki clan destroyed?
The exact timing was never specified in the original story, but it should have been before the Second Shinobi World War.
The situation was complicated. Helping them now would be extremely difficult.
"What about you, Natsuki?"
Kushina asked.
"My teacher said he'd take me on missions."
Natsuki replied.
"What?"
Nawaki's eyes widened. "Why didn't Sensei invite me?"
"Is it dangerous to go on missions?"
Nonou immediately asked with concern.
"With Teacher there, there won't be any danger."
Natsuki smiled.
"I want to go too!"
Nawaki snapped to attention. "I'll go ask Teacher right now!"
"You'll still need to convince your sister."
Natsuki reminded him.
"She'll definitely agree!"
Nawaki said instinctively.
Though privately, he wasn't so confident.
"What a shame. If I didn't have to return to the Uzumaki clan, I'd definitely come with you."
Kushina said with regret.
"There will be other opportunities."
Natsuki said lightly.
"True."
Kushina nodded. "I'll join you next time."
The next day arrived—the final exam for Class 2-A.
As usual, the first day was theory. The second day was practical combat.
After relentlessly grinding through study materials, Natsuki could now consistently place in the top three for theory.
As long as he took first place in practical combat, his overall ranking would generally be first as well.
But this exam held additional significance.
He needed first place to unlock Ability 3 of the Shiba Tatsuya template.
The following morning. Ninja Academy training grounds.
"Minato."
Natsuki asked. "How prepared are you for this exam?"
"I've been training hard."
Namikaze Minato smiled. "I won't disappoint you."
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
Uzumaki Kushina huffed. "Who knows—I might take first place this time!"
She wasn't being arrogant. She genuinely had the strength to compete with Natsuki and Minato.
In the previous monthly exam, she had defeated Onodera and claimed third place in Class 2-A's practical combat rankings.
After all, her teacher was Uzumaki Mito.
In current-day Konoha, Mito could be considered the strongest.
With her powerful sealing jutsu and status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't confidently claim he could defeat her.
Not far away, Onodera watched the three of them.
A thick, invisible barrier seemed to separate them from him.
He used to think he was a genius. But after more than a year of brutal reality checks, he had accepted the truth.
9 AM. Ishida Yu arrived on schedule. The practical combat exam officially began.
"Third round, fourth match: Natsuki versus Namikaze Minato."
As Ishida Yu announced the pairing, Class 2-A erupted with excitement. Some cheered for Natsuki; others supported Minato.
But compared to a year ago—when support had overwhelmingly favored Minato—most students now leaned toward Natsuki.
"Let's have a good match."
Minato took a deep breath, blocking out all distractions. His expression turned deadly serious.
Natsuki nodded and drew a wooden sword.
He attacked first.
One-Sword Style: 36 Pound Phoenix!
The high-speed wooden blade trembled violently, generating a flying slash.
Seeing this, Minato immediately formed hand seals.
Chakra gathered in his palms, then transformed into a fierce gust of wind.
C-Rank: Wind Release — Gale Palm.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow.
Why not Fire Release?
After all, Jiraiya's specialty was Fire Release.
Of course, he also knew Wind Release.
Though he rarely used it in the original story, Nagato had demonstrated Wind Release: Gale Palm.
And Nagato's ninjutsu had all been taught by Jiraiya.
BOOM!
The flying slash tore through the fierce wind.
Minato wasn't surprised. He had anticipated this and dodged the residual slash in advance.
After steadying himself, he immediately threw a shuriken.
Its speed was extraordinary.
Natsuki instinctively sensed danger and activated Reinforcement Magecraft.
He raised his wooden sword to block.
With a sharp crack, a section of the blade snapped clean off.
Fortunately, the block bought him enough time. He flashed left, narrowly avoiding the shuriken.
"Wind Release: Shuriken. Clever."
Natsuki glanced at the shuriken embedded in the ground. A sharp edge of Wind chakra coated its surface.
Wind Release: Shuriken imbued the projectile with elemental chakra—making it faster and giving it far greater cutting power.
Even a reinforced wooden sword couldn't withstand it.
The students of Class 2-A gasped.
Witnessing two Wind Release techniques in a single academy match was simply unbelievable.
Especially since Minato had never shown Wind Release before.
"This is what a genius looks like!"
Ishida Yu was both shocked and thrilled.
But Minato himself felt no joy.
Wind Release: Shuriken was already his strongest Wind technique.
He had hoped to unexpectedly destroy Natsuki's weapon and claim victory—but the result was far from what he'd expected.
There was definitely something unusual about that wooden sword.
Still, he didn't give up.
Clone Jutsu!
Minato formed hand seals and created a duplicate.
Summoning Jutsu!
Natsuki discarded the broken sword and pressed his right palm to the ground.
Revealing the Ten Shadows Technique directly wasn't convenient right now.
Shirayuki appeared instantly, leaped into the air, and swiped at the nearest Minato.
"What—?"
Minato's vision blurred. Shirayuki was already in front of him.
Left with no choice, he raised his arms to block.
Poof.
He vanished in a puff of smoke.
The clone.
Natsuki didn't hesitate. He drew another wooden sword.
One-Sword Style: Iai — Lion's Song!
He transformed into a flash of blade light and struck toward the real Minato.
Minato felt the terrifying edge bearing down on him.
He instinctively reached for a shuriken—but it was too late.
Pain struck.
His entire body flew backward.
Minato sat slumped on the ground and sighed internally.
He had chosen to learn Wind Release precisely because of its speed.
Lightning Release was actually faster—but Jiraiya only possessed Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water natures.
"Learning two Wind Release techniques in such a short time. If I don't work hard, you'll catch up soon."
Natsuki sheathed his wooden sword, walked over, and extended his hand.
He genuinely felt a sense of urgency.
This was the future Fourth Hokage, after all.
"We'll fight again next time."
Minato blinked—then grasped the offered hand and rose to his feet.
"I'll be waiting."
Natsuki smiled.
Minato smiled back.
"This is the Will of Fire."
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the scene through his crystal ball with deep satisfaction.
Because two of his grand-disciples were in Class 2-A, he now observed every practical combat exam.
[Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked Shiba Tatsuya Template Ability 3: Non-Systematic Magic — Phantom Blow.]
Natsuki nodded.
With this, all abilities of the Shiba Tatsuya template were fully unlocked.
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