"What consequences?" Senba raised an eyebrow.
"Well... what if his family comes to trouble you?"
"It's just kids fighting; what consequences could there be?" Senba waved his hand, his tone casual. "At most, he'll bring a few more kids to corner me."
Minato thought about it and nodded. No one was seriously hurt, so real ninjas shouldn't get involved… hopefully.
Even if he brought newly graduated students, they wouldn't be a match for me, Senba thought.
An ordinary Genin or Chunin wouldn't be able to beat him if he went all out. If a jonin made a move, he'd make sure to involve the Uchiha clan.
Besides, he wasn't entirely helpless against jonin either. In a real fight, information mattered more than brute force. With a seal-less jutsu like the Rasengan, he could catch a careless jonin off guard.
Minato looked at the calm Senba and stopped worrying. He shifted to another topic.
"So how are we going to make a fortune?"
"First, go back and get some money," Senba said. "Just some pocket money will do, not too much."
Minato blinked. "Pocket money? How much exactly?"
"A few hundred ryo," Senba thought for a moment. "This is mainly for you to see how it works. I don't actually need your money."
Minato nodded, not fully understanding, but decided to trust him for now.
They walked out of the school in silence before Senba continued, "My house is in the Uchiha clan compound. Go out from the school gate, head south, pass the police force, then go into the third alley. It's the one at the very end. There's a small courtyard at the entrance with vines on the walls."
He spoke in detail, making it easy to recognize.
"Got it?"
"Got it." Minato nodded.
"Good." Senba glanced at him. "Go get the money, then come find me. I'll be waiting."
Minato was just about to respond when Senba vanished in a puff of smoke.
Poof.
Only a few wisps of dissipating smoke remained where he had stood.
"This—" Minato blinked.
Clone Jutsu. No… a regular clone couldn't talk, and it wouldn't vanish like that.
Could it be… the Shadow Clone Jutsu?
Minato had heard of it before. A B-rank technique that created real, physical clones.
So the one talking to him just now had been a shadow clone the whole time? The real Senba was already at home?
Minato pieced it together, but the confusion in his eyes didn't fully fade. Senba was only six—the same as him—and he had already learned a B-rank jutsu?
He stood there for a moment.
He had always been confident in his learning speed, but this was the first time he'd met someone this capable at the same age.
"Interesting." He smiled, then turned and ran toward home.
Whatever the case, he was more interested in this "fortune" Senba mentioned.
...
Twenty minutes later, Minato followed the directions and found the house.
He stopped at the courtyard gate, took a breath, and knocked.
Thud, thud, thud.
The door opened, and Senba stood there in casual clothes, his hair slightly messier than before, looking like he just woke up.
"You're finally here?" Senba nodded.
"Senba-kun." Minato hesitated, then asked, "The one at school… was it a Shadow Clone?"
"Yeah," Senba didn't bother hiding it. "Don't just stand there. Come in."
Minato stepped into the courtyard.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the surroundings—fish pond, pavilion, training dummies, shuriken targets…
'He's definitely not poor,' Minato thought.
Senba led him to the living room before he grabbed a bottle of soda from the fridge and tossed it over.
Minato caught it with both hands, then finally asked, "Senba-kun, when did you learn the Shadow Clone?"
"I've been trying for a while. Only succeeded yesterday." Senba sat across from him.
"You're amazing," Minato said it sincerely. Most students hadn't even mastered the basic three techniques yet, but Senba had already learned a B-rank jutsu.
Seeing him slightly dazed, Senba's lips curved faintly. "Do you want to learn it?"
Minato froze. "Senba-kun… what did you say?"
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu," Senba leaned back. "If you want, I can teach you."
"Really?" Minato's eyes lit up. He jumped to his feet and grabbed Senba's hand. "You're really willing to teach me?!"
Senba paused at the sudden reaction, then nodded. "Yeah."
Minato held his hand, the light in his eyes growing brighter. To him, this felt like something falling straight from the sky.
He was an orphan. His chunin father had only left him a few scrolls—the three basic jutsu, the Body Flicker Technique, and a few common C-rank techniques. That was all he had.
If he wanted more, he'd have to wait until graduation and hope his jonin instructor was willing to teach him.
But that was years away.
And now, Senba was offering to teach him the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which couldn't be learned without adult teaching.
"I'm willing!" Minato nodded quickly. "Of course I'm willing! Thank you, Senba-kun!"
Senba watched him, looking like a kid who just got his favorite Christmas gift, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Don't thank me too early," he said. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu requires very high chakra control. It's not easy to learn."
Minato nodded without hesitation. "I'll work hard!"
No matter how difficult, he'll try his best to learn it. In order
To become the Hokage, no amount of hardship would deter him.