Once they were back home, Minato wasted no time. He ran straight to his bedroom and closed the door. The moment he was alone, he focused on the blue screen, still hovering faintly in his vision.
He wanted to know more about this "Minato Namikaze Template" and how to unlock it. He mentally asked the system, What can I do to increase my synchronization rate?
The screen immediately updated, displaying a list of exercises:
50 Sit-ups50 Push-ups50 Pull-ups1 km Run
Minato looked at the list. Even for a child, it seemed like a lot. But a fierce determination, fueled by his memories of his past life and his new desire to protect his parents, hardened his gaze. This was the start of his training.
After eating lunch, Minato snuck off to a nearby park. He found a quiet corner and, with surprising effort for his small body, began his exercises. Each sit-up, each wobbly push-up, each attempt at a pull-up, felt like a battle. The 1km run left him breathless. But he pushed through, driven by an inner fire.
When he finished, he felt a strange, subtle change. He checked the system.
MINATO NAMIKAZE TEMPLATE - 1.1%
A tiny increase, but it was there! He returned home, utterly exhausted but with a newfound sense of accomplishment.
That evening, as they ate dinner, his mother asked, "Did you make any friends at the park today, sweetie?"
Minato shook his head. "There weren't many kids in the park," he replied, focusing on his food. "I just played by myself."
His mother smiled gently. "Well, that's okay for now, but it's always good to try and make friends and play together, okay?"
Minato just nodded, thinking about the secret training he had done.
After finishing his dinner, Minato excused himself and went to his room. In his room, he spent time searching about the world and the latest news. He learned that All Might was still in his prime, a towering symbol of peace. He also learned that in this world, people can attend hero school after attending high school, meaning he would be able to apply to UA at the age of 18. This was a significant difference from his past life, where training began much younger. He then continued to search for the latest news happening around the world, absorbing information about current events, hero rankings, and global politics, quietly building his knowledge base.
Minato woke up early the next morning, feeling surprisingly refreshed despite his efforts the day before. After a quick breakfast with his parents, he grabbed a water bottle and headed straight for the park.
He completed his basic exercises – the sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and the run – feeling a little stronger than yesterday. Then, remembering the system's instruction on chakra, he reached down and picked up a fallen leaf. He placed it carefully on his forehead, focusing on the subtle energy flow he now recognized within himself. He pushed the energy towards the leaf, trying to make it stick. It wobbled, then, to his delight, adhered to his skin. He had done it!
Just as he was concentrating on keeping the leaf in place, a series of muffled explosion sounds echoed from a little deeper within the park, past some trees. So, curiosity got the better of him. He carefully walked towards the noise.
He peeked around a thick bush and saw a clearing. There, a boy, who looked to be around 12 years old, was intensely training. He had striking white hair and vivid blue eyes. What truly caught Minato's attention, however, was the boy's Quirk. Every time he moved or concentrated, bursts of bright blue flame erupted from his hands and feet, dancing around him with fierce intensity. It was a powerful and dangerous-looking Quirk.
Minato, a small smile appearing on his face, stepped out from behind the bush and walked towards the boy. The boy, seeing Minato approach, stopped his training and turned, his blue eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hi! I'm Minato," he said, holding out a small hand.
The boy looked at Minato, then at his outstretched hand, before simply stating, "Touya." He then fell silent, just watching Minato.
Minato's eyes widened slightly. Touya. The name instantly brought back memories of the anime, of Dabi, Endeavor's oldest son. A surge of understanding, and a touch of sadness for the boy's future, passed through him.
Seeing that Touya wasn't going to say anything else, Minato tried again. "What's your Quirk?" he asked, pointing vaguely at the lingering blue embers in the air.
"Blue flame," Touya replied, his voice flat, then went silent again.
"Do you train here every day?" Minato continued, unfazed by the short answers.
"Yes," Touya said.
"Can I join you during your training every day?" Minato asked, his smile unwavering.
"No," Touya immediately replied.
"Why not?" Minato questioned, tilting his head.
"I don't want to," Touya stated, his arms crossing.
Minato's smile only widened. "Thanks for allowing me to train with you!" he chirped, as if Touya had said yes.
Touya's blue eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Didn't you listen?" he snapped, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I said I don't want to train with you."
"Yes, I heard," Minato said cheerfully. "But I chose to ignore it!"
This back-and-forth continued for a while, Minato's persistent cheerfulness clashing with Touya's gruff refusal. Finally, Touya, seeing how incredibly stubborn this small child was, sighed.
"Fine," Touya grumbled, looking away. "Come and join me in the morning if you want, but I will not train you."
Minato's smile brightened. "Thank you!" he said, truly grateful. He then moved a little distance away and continued with his own leaf exercise for a while longer, occasionally glancing at Touya, before finally returning home.
At lunch, Minato, still buzzing from his morning encounter, happily told his mother about his new "friend" at the park. He carefully avoided mentioning Touya's age. "I met a new friend at the park today, Mom!" he chirped, eyes wide.
His mother beamed. "Oh, that's wonderful, sweetie! I'm so happy you're making friends." She then added, "Speaking of friends, you'll be going to school next week! We need to go shopping for your school uniform and supplies."
Minato's eyes lit up. "Okay!" he agreed readily.
Later that afternoon, they headed out to the bustling shopping district. As they walked past various stores, Minato caught sight of a music store with guitars displayed in the window. A sudden, strong desire bloomed in his chest. In his previous life, he used to play guitar and often used to sing when he felt lonely.
"Mom! Can we get a guitar?" he asked, pulling at her hand. "I want to learn to play music!"
His father, who was with them, chuckled. "You're a bit too young for a guitar, Minato," he said, shaking his head.
But Minato, with his newfound determination, began to pester. "Please, Mom! Please, please, please!" He knew how to use his four-year-old charm.
After a few minutes of his persistent begging, his mother finally sighed good-naturedly. "Oh, alright, alright! You win, you little rascal."
Minato cheered. They turned and walked into the music store, and a few minutes later, walked out with a small, perfectly sized acoustic guitar for Minato. He clutched it to him, a new, joyful spark in his already busy mind.
Upon returning home, Minato immediately went to his room, gently placing his new guitar on his bed. He carefully picked it up and started to strum the strings of guitar. His small fingers fumbled with the strings at first, producing only clumsy, out-of-tune plinks and strums. But a wide smile spread across his face. He had a family who loved him, a secret power to unlock, and a new world to explore. He sat on his bed and happily started to strum his new guitar, letting the simple sounds fill his room.