Two years had passed, and much had changed.
Take Yuuki's strength, for example.
Through relentless and grueling training, his speed had increased, allowing Extreme Reflexes to show its true potential.
With nothing more than a combination of the Body Flicker Technique and close-range kunai combat, Yuuki could easily defeat most academy-level reserve shinobi.
All his opponents could do was catch a fleeting glimpse of a figure speeding toward them before feeling a kunai at their neck.
His ranking in the elite class had changed too.
Two years ago, Yuuki's academic performance was unmatched, but his sparring results were abysmal.
Back then, he had been at the very bottom of the class.
Now things were different.
His improved combat skills had quickly closed that gap.
Today, Yuuki ranked near the top of his class.
And the changes didn't stop there.
On a bright spring afternoon, as usual, the class gathered on the field for sparring practice.
Yuuki's opponent was, once again, Yuichi Uchiha.
And once again, Yuuki came out on top.
But this time, something was different.
A girl from another class had watched the entire match.
After that day, Yuuki gained an unexpected follower.
Determined to see him every day, she worked hard to improve her own skills and grades, and a year ago, she successfully transferred into Yuuki's elite class.
That girl was Shiina Kō, the one Minato had teased him about.
It was like she had taken fangirling to the next level.
Time passed quickly, and soon the afternoon sparring was over.
Mizukawa Katsumi dismissed the class right there on the field.
Since he had promised Minato they would talk after school, Yuuki waited at the gate.
Minato didn't show up right away, but someone Yuuki wasn't eager to see did.
Shiina Kō, Kushina Uzumaki, and Mikoto Uchiha walked out together.
"Hey Yuuki, what are you doing here?"
Before Yuuki could say a word, Kushina greeted him loudly.
Yuuki had hoped to dodge their notice, but now he had no choice but to respond.
"I'm waiting for Minato. He said he wanted to talk after school."
As he spoke, he couldn't help glancing at Shiina Kō.
Whenever she was near him, Shiina always looked shy.
She fiddled with the hem of her clothes, long black hair falling over her shoulders, sneaking glances at him every so often.
Yuuki wasn't dense like the future Naruto.
Shiina's feelings were plain as day.
Honestly, while part of him was flattered to have a fan, it mostly made him feel awkward.
After all, Shiina was barely ten years old.
She wasn't even as tall as a desk.
A kid like that standing there shyly, clutching her clothes and looking up at him, didn't make Yuuki happy. It just made him uncomfortable.
"If you're done, you should go. I'm waiting for Minato about something important."
Yuuki felt more and more uneasy the longer he stood there, so he tried to hurry them along.
"What's the matter, got a fangirl and you're not even happy?"
Kushina laughed and teased him before leading her friends away.
Yuuki watched Shiina's retreating figure, feeling like it weighed on him more than facing the Hokage himself.
After a few more moments, Minato finally appeared at the gate.
"There you are."
"Sorry. You know it was my turn to clean the classroom today."
"I figured. So what was it you wanted to talk about on the field?"
Yuuki was eager to get to the point so he could head off for evening training.
Minato's expression turned serious.
"I've just been feeling uneasy lately. I needed to talk to someone."
"Uneasy?"
Yuuki was caught off guard.
What could make the future Fourth Hokage feel uneasy?
"Why? What's going on?"
Minato furrowed his brow.
"It's all the recent news. When you add it up, it doesn't sit right."
He glanced up and added,
"Let's talk at the training field. You're planning to train tonight anyway, right?"
"Yeah. I am."
A kunai whistled through the air, hitting dead center on a target carved into a tree.
Yuuki lowered his throwing arm and turned to Minato on the other side of the training field.
"You're saying it's the stuff about the Land of Rain that's bothering you?"
Minato, who had been practicing Wind Release, dismissed the small wind vortex in his hand.
"That's part of it. Sure, it's just another clash between us and the Sand over an assassination and protection mission. But why is it making such waves this time?"
"Things like that have happened before. Usually, both sides just accept it's part of the game."
Yuuki retrieved his kunai, quietly impressed by Minato's grasp of the bigger picture.
"And that's what's making you uneasy?"
Minato lay back on the grass, staring up at the endless summer sky.
The setting sun had turned the clouds red.
It was the kind of view that usually lifted your spirits.
But Minato felt anything but calm.
He took a deep breath.
"It's not just that. Lately, the village feels off."
Yuuki raised a brow.
"Off how?"
Minato hesitated, then decided to share everything he had noticed.
"There's a lot of weird stuff going on in Konoha lately."
"For starters, the main gate has been seeing supply carts coming in, but none going out."
"The price of ninja tools, which has been stable for over a decade, has suddenly started rising. Explosive tags especially. Even the lowest grade ones are through the roof."
"The mission hall is packed with people wanting to post jobs, just like always. But the actual missions are fewer and shorter. There are lots of shinobi sitting around with nothing to do. The village would never have tolerated that before."
He trailed off, his expression thoughtful.
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