Chapter 230: This is the Fourth Hokage
The rhythmic thud of wooden kunai and the shouts of training students echoed across the Academy grounds, but for one particular student, the rigorous pace of the Elite Class was nothing more than background noise. Over the following days, because Stelle—currently operating under the unassuming alias of 'A-Mu'—consistently failed to keep up with the curriculum, Academy Principal Uchiha Kaito found himself forced into the role of her daily private tutor.
A month later, Kaito stood before the heavy oak door of the Hokage's office. He knocked twice before entering, carrying a detailed stack of notes regarding A-Mu's teaching progress to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"A-Mu possesses excellent social skills, and the other students in the class get along quite well with her," Kaito began, his tone laced with a heavy dose of resignation. "However, she has absolutely no desire to be a ninja. She openly states that she prefers to be a normal civilian and just wants to find a suitable, quiet clerical job in Konoha after graduation. Although she clearly possesses a tremendous talent for learning, she simply refuses to take any of it seriously."
Kaito rubbed his temples, a headache threatening to form. Hokage-sama's explicit requirement was for him to mold A-Mu into an outstanding shinobi, but he couldn't exactly force the girl to study at kunai-point., whenever he looked at that familiar face, the harsh reprimands he had prepared would instantly die in his throat. He simply couldn't bring himself to say a single harsh word to her.
Ultimately, he decided to toss this massive headache back onto the Hokage's desk and let the village leader worry about it.
Hiruzen, who had been quietly listening to the report, stopped his brush mid-stroke. Deep wrinkles creased his weathered face. He had genuinely believed that after the young girl spent some time in the Ninja Academy, familiarized herself with the environment, and was placed directly into the highly competitive Elite Class, her natural drive would emerge. He had expected the environment to prompt her to study diligently.
He certainly didn't expect that even being surrounded by the village's most excellent peers would fail to motivate her in the slightest.
"Has she truly never proactively studied any courses without your direct supervision?" Hiruzen asked, setting his brush down. "And Sakumo hasn't taken the initiative to teach her kenjutsu either?"
Kaito shook his head. "There are no calluses or signs of kenjutsu training on her hands. When she spends time with Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Obito, she usually just sits on the sidelines reading a book while they practice. And they are mostly books related to mundane life skills, like cooking or gardening."
"Not a single instance of active training?" Hiruzen pressed.
Kaito didn't know the highly classified information regarding the Rinnegan. He only knew that the Hokage, the Uchiha Clan Head, and the Great Elder all held impossibly high expectations for this strange transfer student who looked remarkably similar to the late Fourth Hokage.
He thought back carefully, sifting through the past month's memories.
"There was one incident," Kaito recalled. "A couple of days ago, a few older students who weren't selected for the Elite Class tried to cause trouble for A-Mu. Kakashi stepped in and dealt with them easily. However, as they retreated, they mocked Kakashi for constantly hanging out with a good-for-nothing who couldn't even hit a stationary target with a shuriken. Right after that, A-Mu approached me and asked how to properly throw a shuriken. She studied the mechanics diligently for an afternoon and can now achieve perfect bullseyes."
Hiruzen's eyes gleamed with sudden understanding. She wasn't interested in being a ninja, and she clearly didn't care if she was mocked personally, but she absolutely refused to let the people who cared about her be insulted because of her. So, she was willing to learn for their sake.
"It seems A-Mu and Kakashi get along quite well!" Hiruzen's brow smoothed out, a faint, grandfatherly smile touching his lips. In his opinion, forming strong bonds of camaraderie was the most important foundation for any Leaf shinobi.
"Yes, Kakashi takes incredibly good care of A-Mu," Kaito admitted, though his expression grew complicated. "Originally, the strict rule of the Elite Class was that anyone who failed the Trap Corridor test had to stand at the back of the classroom to listen to the lecture. But Kakashi completely ignored that and always dragged A-Mu through the traps and into the classroom with him. Surprisingly, this actually motivated the other students. They started cooperating when entering the classroom, and they've even developed a great sense of teamwork to bypass the traps together."
Kaito felt that familiar headache returning with a vengeance. Every year, the Elite Class would have a few stubborn troublemakers, but that had never managed to change the Academy's established training model.
Only this specific batch, starting from the very first day when Kakashi stubbornly pulled A-Mu along, had shattered the rules. Now, the entire Elite Class's teaching dynamic had shifted into a bizarre two-person teamwork mode. Two-person trap dodging, two people holding hands to practice tree climbing, and two-on-two real combat spars.
The students seemed to genuinely believe that training together in pairs was more challenging and yielded better practical results. It had suddenly just become the new standard, and Kaito didn't even know how the Academy's rigorous style had gone so far off track.
"Ah, youth is truly wonderful!" Hiruzen sighed softly, leaning back in his chair as he seemingly recalled fond scenes from his own distant student days.
"Alright, I understand the situation," Hiruzen continued. "Regarding her learning progress, continue to push her harder. Try to make her demonstrate techniques more frequently during class. The more she is forced to practice, the better she will gradually become."
Kaito didn't hold much hope regarding this strategy. A-Mu was completely entrenched in a lazy, 'Buddhist-style' state of existence. But since the Hokage had given the order, he could only bow and agree.
As soon as the office door clicked shut behind Kaito, Danzo Shimura, who had been lurking in the shadows and holding his tongue for a remarkably long time, immediately stepped forward.
"Hiruzen, letting this absurd situation continue is absolutely unacceptable," Danzo snapped, his lone visible eye narrowing. "She is a Rinnegan wielder! What kind of nonsense is a clerical job? Only by quickly and ruthlessly training her into an excellent shinobi can she learn to properly control and use the devastating power of those eyes."
To emphasize his point, Danzo grabbed an ambiguously written budget document he had been reviewing, crumpled it up, threw it into the trash can, and kicked the metal bin in sheer dissatisfaction.
"It is her third month at the Academy, and she is already capable of chasing down a group of older students and beating them to a pulp," Danzo argued, pacing the floor. "I don't ask for her to be a perfect, obedient weapon immediately, but she should at least have some basic drive. Hiruzen, it is time to do something drastic to make her understand the true benefits of possessing power."
Hiruzen did not immediately refute Danzo's harsh words. He simply stared out the window at the Hokage Monument.
Time had passed far too quickly; three months had flown by in a flash. Sakumo hadn't made any moves, not even showing the slightest intention of teaching A-Mu his legendary kenjutsu. From the reports, it seemed A-Mu herself had actively refused his half-hearted offers.
It made a tragic sort of sense. In Sakumo's current depressed state, the man could barely bring himself to draw his own White Light Chakra Sabre, so how could he possibly inspire and motivate a young girl? That meant Hiruzen would have to take action himself.
Regardless of the methods, bonds had to be nurtured, and her studies could not be neglected. Kakashi already possessed Chunin-level strength and tactical awareness, and Uchiha Obito had recently awakened his Sharingan, making his future incredibly promising as well.
A-Mu had fallen far too behind her peers. When they eventually graduated and formed a three-man squad, she would become a fatal burden on the battlefield. The Rinnegan was far too valuable to afford any mishaps. If she wasn't outstanding enough to protect herself, how could Hiruzen ever feel safe letting her leave the village walls?
"Don't worry, Danzo," Hiruzen finally spoke, his voice carrying a heavy weight. "I will arrange this matter properly."
Danzo huffed, somewhat satisfied that his aggressive suggestion had actually been accepted for once. He walked over to the desk, unceremoniously gathered the massive pile of pending documents from in front of Hiruzen, and placed them on his own side of the table.
"There is a Jonin Regular Meeting coming up soon," Danzo muttered, refusing to look his old rival in the eye. "Seeing how pathetic and tired you look, I'll help you handle these finance reports. I'll separate out anything unsuitable for me to authorize and leave it for you, just like I used to help Teacher Tobirama. Go take a break and sleep on the sofa for a while."
Hiruzen was genuinely feeling dizzy and exhausted to his very bones. So, when the usually abrasive Danzo offered this rare moment of assistance, he didn't hesitate at all. He walked over to the worn leather sofa in the corner and heavily lay down.
"You said it yourself, Danzo," Hiruzen mumbled, his eyes already drifting shut. "Last time I asked you to keep an eye on things, you didn't process a single document. When I wake up today, I want to see this entire pile gone."
Danzo stiffened, immediately recalling the hidden pile of questionable magazines stuffed in Hiruzen's bottom drawer that he had accidentally discovered last time. He felt a sudden urge to slip away and abandon the paperwork.
But as he turned his head, he saw that Hiruzen was already fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a slow, exhausted rhythm. Danzo's hardened expression softened just a fraction.
Forget it. Seeing how hard Hiruzen worked to keep the village running, he would grudgingly lend a hand. He just couldn't help but be soft on the old fool sometimes. He really owed him too much.
Back at the Academy, the Elite Class's pace truly was on a completely different level.
Aside from the first day's orientation—which heavily covered the heroic deeds of the Fourth Hokage and detailed exactly how many elite shinobi had been forged since the Elite Class was established—the curriculum was brutal.
Following the history lessons came various intensive physical training exercises. Currently, they were focusing on advanced Chakra control, which required the students to channel precise amounts of Chakra to the soles of their feet to adhere to tree trunks and climb them without using their hands. Every single student had to practice this relentlessly, regardless of their innate Chakra reserves, to ensure they learned the most reasonable and efficient distribution of their limited energy.
Everyone practiced with intense dedication. Everyone, that is, except for Stelle, who stood out from the crowd by completely failing to keep up with the basic pace.
Instead of climbing, she was sitting in the shade, lazily practicing basic Chakra refinement.
Seeing this, Kaito pulled her aside and gave her a special private lecture on how to refine and mold Chakra effectively and quickly. After several of these grueling private lessons, Kaito finally noticed a glaring problem.
This student's learning talent wasn't just good; it was monstrously excellent. As long as he pushed her hard enough, spoon-fed her the theory individually a few times, and gave her undivided attention, her results were immediate and significant. When she finally attempted the tree climbing exercise, after only a few initial failures, she perfectly caught up with the main group's progress in a matter of minutes.
This rapid advancement was entirely the result of him chasing her around and forcing the knowledge down her throat because she simply wasn't serious about studying. If she actually applied herself and trained hard on her own volition, she would undoubtedly be hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius.
But compared to learning how to master Chakra control and become a lethal shinobi, she was vastly more interested in calculating how to safely coast through graduation. She just wanted to add the 'Elite Class Graduate' line to her resume so she could easily secure a comfortable, danger-free clerical job.
She had even possessed the sheer audacity to ask him, the Academy Principal, if she could just work directly at the school after graduation as a Teaching Assistant to avoid taking field missions. The question had completely stumped Kaito.
Standing on the edge of the training playground, Kaito turned around to watch her nap under a tree. His eyes grew slightly red with emotion. Was the Fourth Hokage simply too tired from carrying the weight of the village in his previous life? Was that why he had reincarnated, only wanting to be an ordinary, lazy person in this new life?
Although the higher-ups and logic dictated that A-Mu wasn't the Fourth Hokage, Kaito couldn't help his racing thoughts. He absolutely couldn't help it. The resemblance, the hidden genius, the bizarre charisma that drew people like Kakashi to her...
No, he concluded silently, wiping a stray tear. This absolutely must be the reincarnation of the Fourth Hokage.
High above the training grounds, outside the classroom window, a golden shadow flashed through the canopy with blinding speed. It came to a silent halt on a thick branch of a large oak tree, perfectly positioned to clearly observe the young girl sitting lazily by the window.
Down below, Stelle, who was pretending to take notes, instantly sensed that familiar, massive surge of Chakra. A moment later, a transparent blue screen flashed across her vision.
[System Prompt: Mood Value +500 from Minato Namikaze]
Her eyebrows twitched slightly, though she didn't look up from her notebook. 'Minato... long time no see.'
Hidden in the foliage, Minato stood perfectly still on the branch for a long time. His bright blue eyes were currently clouded with a turbulent mix of sadness, confusion, and a deep, aching longing. He only forced himself to break his gaze and jump away when he sensed Kaito approaching the area to greet him.
After quietly leaving the Academy grounds, Minato walked through the bustling streets of Konoha. He stopped at a local florist to buy some fresh fruit and two beautiful bouquets of white lilies before heading toward the village Graveyard.
The atmosphere grew solemn and quiet as he walked among the rows of stone markers. He carefully cleaned the dust off his Master's grave, and then did the same for the grave situated right next to it. With gentle, reverent movements, he placed the fruit and the flowers down before the cold stone.
"Master," Minato whispered, his voice cracking slightly in the quiet breeze. "I think I did something wrong today. When I saw that little girl at the Academy... the one named A-Mu... I actually mistook her for you."
He lowered his head, his golden bangs casting dark shadows over his eyes.
"For a fleeting moment, I really wanted to deceive myself. I wanted to tell myself that it was a disguise, that it was really you sitting there. Because that way... that way, I would finally have my Master back."
Minato reached into his pouch, his fingers brushing against a small, carefully sealed wooden box.
"I've managed to open most of the Sealing Techniques on the puzzle box you gave me before you left," he continued, a sad smile touching his lips. "But only the very last seal remains. I... I can't bring myself to open it. I always feel that as long as I don't open that final seal, you're still out there somewhere. Just doing a long-term mission, being busy, and simply haven't had the time to come back home yet..."
He rested his hand on the cold tombstone. "Master, I miss you very much."
Minato stood in the silent Graveyard for a long time, lost in his memories, until a soft, familiar voice called his name from the pathway behind him.
"Minato!"
He turned around, a few scattered specks of light finally returning to his dim, grieving eyes.
"Kushina," he said softly. "How did you know I would be here?"
Kushina Uzumaki walked forward, her vibrant red hair catching the afternoon sun. She held her own bouquet of flowers and gently placed them in front of the tombstone next to his.
"I guessed immediately that you would come here today," she replied softly.
She stood up and moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Although Kushina usually possessed a fiery, talkative, and overwhelmingly lively personality, she was completely quiet now. She simply accompanied him, offering her silent presence without needing to fill the air with words.
Perhaps sensing that her personal little sun was shining far too dimly today, she reached out and actively intertwined her fingers with his, squeezing his hand to transfer some of her own warmth and strength to him.
Minato squeezed her hand back, anchoring himself to her presence.
No matter how many devastating Ninjutsu he had mastered, or how powerful and feared he had become across the elemental nations, at this specific moment, he was just an ordinary young man who had lost his beloved Master. He just needed a moment to be allowed to feel his sadness.
Once he left the quiet sanctuary of this graveyard, he would lock these feelings away. He would once again become the reliable, smiling, and invincible Minato Namikaze that the village needed him to be.
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