After everyone sat together and talked for a while, Tsunade and Kizaru said their goodbyes and left together.
Tsunade had to return and write up the medical reform proposal, while Kizaru was going home for a lunch break.
When they left, Nagato, who had been happily playing with Minato, Kushina, and Nawaki, was clearly reluctant to part. His eyes were already turning red.
If Minato and the others had not promised to visit him often, Nagato, who was only four or five years old, might have burst into tears on the spot.
As they walked along the street, Kizaru glanced down at Minato, who had taken the initiative to walk beside him.
"Minato," Kizaru asked lazily, "do you want to take the early graduation exam?"
Minato froze for a moment.
He did not answer right away.
Deep down, Minato did not want to graduate early. He was reluctant to leave his classmates and friends behind.
But early graduation was something his adoptive father, Danzō, had asked of him.
Although Danzō was strict during training, he treated Minato well in everyday life. Whether it was daily necessities or ninjutsu instruction, Danzō had never shown favoritism or neglected him.
Because of that, the sensible Minato did not want to anger his adoptive father over the matter of early graduation.
He also did not want Kizaru and Danzō to argue because of him.
After hesitating for a moment, Minato smiled and nodded.
"I want to take it."
Kizaru had lived two lives and understood Minato's personality very well. With one look, he could roughly guess what the boy was thinking.
He smiled, raised his hand, and lightly patted Minato's head.
"Then I'll find you a good teacher."
"A teacher?" Minato's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Who is it, Kizaru-kun?"
"The one most suited for you."
Kizaru did not answer directly.
That only made Minato even more curious. He looked up at Kizaru and asked again, "Kizaru-kun, who is it?"
Kizaru smiled.
"My senpai… Jiraiya. One of the Sannin."
"Jiraiya-sama?"
Minato's eyes brightened immediately.
Although the Second Shinobi World War had ended earlier than expected because of Kizaru's existence, the three shinobi who had led Konoha's forces against Hanzō of the Salamander had still earned tremendous fame.
Because of that, when Minato heard that Jiraiya might become his teacher, anticipation and excitement appeared on his face.
As a child raised in a shinobi village, Minato naturally understood how fortunate it was to have a powerful ninja personally guide him.
"Don't tell anyone about this yet," Kizaru said casually. "For now, just prepare for the graduation exam."
"Yes!" Minato nodded quickly.
Kizaru had thought carefully about having Jiraiya become Minato's instructor.
In the original timeline, Minato had grown exceptionally well under Jiraiya's guidance. More importantly, Jiraiya's students were all monsters in their own right.
Namikaze Minato.
Nagato.
Yahiko.
Konan.
Naruto.
Among those five students, aside from Yahiko, who died early and whose full strength remained unknown, the other four all reached at least Kage level.
With that kind of success rate, Jiraiya could absolutely be called a gold-medal teacher in the shinobi world.
It was precisely because Kizaru recognized Jiraiya's ability to guide students that he decided to follow the original direction and let Jiraiya become Minato's teacher.
At the same time, Kizaru also wanted to avoid a certain uncle of his suddenly getting ideas and dragging the freshly graduated Minato straight into Root.
However, this time, Kizaru had misunderstood Danzō a little.
At that very moment, inside the Hokage's office, Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen were having a private conversation.
The conversation had started because Danzō had come to Hiruzen on his own initiative.
He had come to discuss arrangements for his adopted son, Namikaze Minato, after graduation.
After nearly three years together, Danzō had come to value Minato more and more. The boy had outstanding talent, followed orders well, and possessed a maturity rare for his age.
Because of that, Danzō placed great importance on Minato's future growth and training.
As the founder and commander of Root, Danzō understood better than anyone that Root's strict and ruthless training methods could produce elite shinobi of considerable strength.
But if one wanted to raise a truly top-class powerhouse, Root's training system was not suitable.
Minato's abnormal reaction speed and talent for ninjutsu made Danzō understand one thing very clearly.
Training Minato in Root would be a waste.
Danzō's plan for Minato's future was to make him his nephew's right-hand man.
Just like Danzō himself had once stood beside Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Because he held high hopes for Minato, Danzō had come to his old friend Hiruzen to arrange an excellent teacher for the boy.
Unlike Kizaru, who knew the original future, the teacher Danzō had his eye on was Hatake Sakumo.
In Danzō's opinion, Hatake Sakumo, with his sharp swordsmanship and swift movements, was extremely compatible with Minato, who possessed extraordinary reflexes.
Moreover, if Sakumo became Minato's teacher, Danzō could use the bond between master and student to draw Sakumo closer to the Shimura clan.
In other words, he could pull Hatake Sakumo into his own faction.
With that thought in mind, Danzō entered the Hokage's office and went straight to the point.
"Hiruzen, I heard Sakumo intends to leave the ANBU and transfer to the jōnin corps."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was smoking his pipe, looked at Danzō and nodded calmly.
"Sakumo's wife is pregnant. He wants to spend more time with his family."
"After he transfers to the jōnin corps, will he become a jōnin instructor, or will he continue leading mission teams?" Danzō asked.
"That has not been decided yet." Hiruzen looked at the old friend before him, already guessing his purpose. "Sakumo wants to rest for a while."
Danzō nodded slightly.
"Then let Sakumo become Namikaze Minato's jōnin instructor."
Hearing that, Hiruzen's expression became somewhat strange.
He had also been paying attention to Danzō's adopted son.
Top of his class for three consecutive years.
Outstanding talent.
A cheerful and gentle personality.
Hiruzen admired such a genius very much.
And he had already prepared a teacher for him.
Just as Danzō wanted to use Minato to draw Hatake Sakumo toward his own side, Hiruzen also intended to bring Namikaze Minato closer to him.
"Sakumo needs time with his family. He won't be available for the time being."
Hiruzen first used Sakumo's situation to block Danzō's proposal, then calmly revealed his own choice.
"I intend to have Jiraiya serve as Minato's instructor."
"Jiraiya?"
Danzō frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
Young.
Lustful.
Reckless.
Naive when it came to politics.
All of Jiraiya's flaws immediately surfaced in Danzō's mind.
He spoke coldly. "Jiraiya is too young."
"I know my own student." Hiruzen's tone remained steady. "Jiraiya will become an excellent teacher."
"Hmph. I disagree."
Danzō refused without hesitation.
"Danzō."
Hiruzen looked at him calmly, his voice carrying the weight of the Hokage.
"I am the Hokage."
Danzō's single visible eye narrowed.
"You will regret this."
Having failed to get what he wanted, and already dissatisfied with Hiruzen because of Sunagakure's affairs, Danzō turned around coldly and prepared to leave.
"Wait."
Hiruzen stopped him.
Danzō did not speak. He simply turned his head and stared at Hiruzen with a cold gaze.
"There are two reform plans I intend to implement in the village. I hope—"
"Reform?"
Danzō's expression darkened at once.
"Hiruzen. You're trying that again?"
"This was proposed by Kizaru."
Danzō paused.
Then, without another word, he turned fully around and walked back.
"Tell me."
With two steps, he returned to Hiruzen's desk and stood directly in front of him.
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