Chapter 256: Minato to Become a Teacher
After his recent conversation with Mugetsu, Minato found himself inspired. He decided to set aside missions for a while and focus on developing new Ninjutsu.
But just as he was deep in thought, pondering how to replicate the Tailed Beast Ball, a messenger ninja arrived, informing him that the Hokage wanted to see him. Without delay, Minato made his way to the Hokage's Office.
Knock, knock!
Minato rapped lightly on the wooden door.
"Enter," came Hiruzen Sarutobi's calm voice from inside.
Minato pushed the door open and stepped in. "Third Hokage, do you have a mission for me?" he asked directly.
Such summons usually meant either a specific mission request or a special assignment.
"It's not exactly a mission," Hiruzen said with a smile, setting down his pipe and exhaling a puff of white smoke. "Minato, you've been a Jonin for quite some time now. Have you ever thought about becoming an instructor?"
Hiruzen regarded Minato warmly. He admired the young man deeply—not only for his remarkable talent but also for his sincerity and character.
Thinking of that, however, brought the Hokage a mild headache. His three former disciples were all powerful in their own right, yet each carried a glaring flaw.
Tsunade was a compulsive gambler and had grown lax in her duties, her hemophobia preventing her from fighting on the battlefield.
Orochimaru, brilliant but cold, viewed comrades as expendable and pursued his goals by any means necessary.
And Jiraiya—though eccentric and undeniably lecherous—was still the most balanced of the three.
If Hiruzen had to pick one of them as Hokage at that moment, he would have chosen Jiraiya.
Upon hearing the Hokage's words, Minato paused in thought.
His own teacher, Jiraiya, was certainly unconventional, but Minato had always believed he was an excellent mentor. Despite his often careless and comedic behavior, Jiraiya's approach to teaching had shaped Minato's entire path.
He never lorded his authority over his students, and outside of training, he treated them more like friends. When it came to missions, though, Jiraiya was as dependable as they came. His occasional frivolity vanished the instant things turned serious—and in those moments, Minato always felt a deep sense of trust and security.
He knew he owed much of his current strength to Jiraiya's guidance.
Then, Mugetsu came to mind—the image of him teaching his students with a calm, reassuring smile.
Even that loudmouthed boy, Obito, who dared to talk back to Jiraiya, was completely obedient to Mugetsu.
"Yes," Minato said at last, smiling at Hiruzen.
He wanted to become a teacher too—to train the next generation of excellent ninja like his master, and perhaps to have a few talented, endearing students like Mugetsu's.
Hiruzen nodded, clearly pleased.
As Jiraiya's student, Minato possessed not only power but also heart. The Hokage even saw in him the potential to one day become the Fifth Hokage. And to reach that point, learning to raise the next generation was essential. After all, the Second Hokage had mentored him and Danzo, just as he himself had trained the Sannin.
"The Academy's graduation exam is coming soon," Hiruzen continued, reaching for several folders on his desk. "Once the new Genin are assigned, these three will likely be your students."
He handed the files to Minato.
Even though the exams weren't over yet, these three were guaranteed to pass. During wartime, the Academy's graduation standards were lower—producing more ninja was vital to the village's survival.
Minato took the files and began to read. As his eyes fell on the first photo, he froze.
"Kakashi Hatake… Chunin?" he murmured, raising a brow.
He recognized the boy immediately. Kakashi had been part of Mugetsu's team and had even gone to the battlefield with him. For his age, his skill level was extraordinary.
"So that's it… Mugetsu's team was only an internship squad," Minato thought. "Now that the interns are graduating, they're being reassigned."
Mugetsu's main position was still as an Academy instructor. Unless Kakashi returned as a teaching assistant, he'd have to join a different squad.
"What an exceptional child," Minato thought with admiration. "It's just a shame about Sakumo Hatake…"
He sighed quietly.
Then he turned to the second file—and blinked in surprise.
"Uchiha Obito?"
The photo showed a cheerful boy with messy black hair and goggles, grinning broadly.
Minato immediately remembered him. Obito was also one of Mugetsu's students. In fact, Minato had once been teased by the boy for "looking like Mugetsu's twin brother" when he'd gone over for dinner, and he'd even helped take a photo for him.
But when Minato looked at Obito's mission record, his eyes widened.
"Two A-rank missions and one S-rank?!"
Even many Chunin didn't have S-rank completions on their record.
"Even if Mugetsu was leading the team… would he really bring interns on missions of this level?" Minato murmured.
He could understand the S-rank—it must have been due to that large-scale battle. But two A-ranks and a B-rank? Not a single C-rank among them?
The record was almost unbelievable.
"This… this is a once-in-a-lifetime Academy student," Minato thought, shaking his head in amazement. "No one else could match this."
Finally, he looked at the third file and exhaled with relief.
"Rin Nohara…"
Not Might Guy.
If the third name had been Guy, Minato might have seriously questioned whether Hiruzen was playing a joke on him.
Two of the three students were Mugetsu's disciples.
Smiling to himself, Minato closed the files. He was already planning to visit Mugetsu that evening—to borrow a meal and have a long, friendly talk.
"Minato, you need to pay special attention to that disciple named Kakashi Hatake," Hiruzen said, placing his pipe between his lips as a faint trail of smoke rose into the air.
"You should know Sakumo Hatake, right?"
"Of course. The White Fang was a legend—there isn't a single Konoha ninja who doesn't know his name," Minato replied. The moment he saw Kakashi's surname, White Fang was the first person who came to mind.
"Kakashi is his son. After that incident, he changed completely and started walking a darker path…" Hiruzen said with a sigh, recounting how the once-promising Academy prodigy had become a cold, detached teammate after his father's death.
"With Mugetsu's help, Kakashi seems to have returned to his old self. But I can't tell whether that change will last. That's why I'm asking you to keep an eye on him, Minato."
It was a transformation that could be seen with the naked eye. The last time Hiruzen saw Kakashi in the mission hall, he had immediately noticed the difference—the boy's entire presence had changed.
To make sure Mugetsu's efforts wouldn't go to waste, Hiruzen had assigned Rin Nohara and Uchiha Obito—both close to Kakashi—to be his teammates.
"I will," Minato said seriously. Even if Hiruzen hadn't reminded him, Minato would never ignore a problem in his students. A teacher who didn't guide his pupils properly didn't deserve the title.
...
That evening, Minato headed to Mugetsu's home. He planned to discuss his new students with him—and, of course, to freeload a meal.
It wasn't that he was addicted to freeloading, but if he went too early, Mugetsu wouldn't be home. He was usually either at the Academy or tutoring students, only returning home around dinner time.
Minato, ever the polite guest, helped wash vegetables as he spoke with a smile.
"Mugetsu, starting today, I'm officially a teacher too. Not at the Academy like you, but as an instructor, it still counts, right?"
"Of course," Mugetsu replied with a chuckle. "An instructor is definitely a teacher. Besides, weren't you already my Sealing Technique teacher?"
"Kushina contributed more than I did," Minato said modestly.
Though Minato's sealing skills weren't quite at Kushina's level, he was still a master in the art—something that had been invaluable to Mugetsu, who was just beginning to explore sealing techniques at the time.
"The Third Hokage showed me my team assignments in advance," Minato said as he rinsed a batch of greens. "Two of my students are your disciples—Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Obito."
"That means you're quite connected to them," Mugetsu said with a mildly surprised smile. "But they're lucky. Having someone like you as their instructor, Minato, is a blessing. Among all the Jonin in Konoha, only the Sannin surpass you in strength."
Mugetsu had observed Minato's growth carefully. After months of intense combat on the front lines, his strength had skyrocketed. His chakra reserves now exceeded fifty-five thousand, his Flying Thunder God proficiency had improved drastically, and his other skills had all reached new heights. At this point, Minato stood among Konoha's top-tier fighters.
"There are still senior Jonin whose strength rivals mine," Minato said quickly, waving his hand in modest denial. "We all have our specialties, after all. Your Ninjutsu's power is far beyond mine."
"But if it doesn't hit the target, power means nothing," Mugetsu replied with a grin. "Your Flying Thunder God Technique is simply too fast, Minato."
Their mutual modesty drew a light laugh between them.
"Usually, a team has three students, right? Who's the third?" Mugetsu asked, just to be sure.
He already had a hunch. In the original timeline, it was Rin Nohara, but given his interference in this world, Hiruzen might have made changes. It wouldn't be impossible for Kakashi, Obito, and Might Guy to end up together.
If Rin and Obito weren't in the same team, then Mugetsu would need to accelerate Rin's training in Water Breathing—since she would have to rely more on her own power.
"It's a girl named Rin Nohara," Minato said, handing him the washed vegetables.
"That's quite the coincidence," Mugetsu said, genuinely surprised. "Rin Nohara is also my disciple."
He hadn't mentioned this before because back then, his strength was still developing, and he still carried his Root identity, which made things complicated. But now, he had nothing to hide. His strength as a Jonin capable of defeating an Explosion Release user spoke for itself. And since it was Minato, there was no reason for secrecy.
"Mugetsu, didn't you have another disciple named Might Guy?" Minato asked curiously.
"Yes," Mugetsu nodded. "I first met Rin during a special training session for the Academy's fourth-year students. I noticed her potential, so I decided to take her under my wing and train her personally."
"I see," Minato said, a look of understanding dawning on his face. But when he thought about it again, something struck him as oddly amusing—all three of his assigned students were Mugetsu's disciples.
"Mugetsu, why don't you just become an instructor yourself? That way, you could continue guiding them directly," Minato suggested.
"With my current schedule, I prefer teaching at the Academy," Mugetsu said with a calm smile. "Even after they graduate, I can still train them during their free hours."
It was also more efficient for him. His system granted better rewards through Academy teaching, and while mission-based rewards were good, teaching bonuses yielded greater long-term gains.
"Still," Minato said with a grin, "when you have time, you should give me some pointers on how to train students. You're far more experienced in that area."
Mugetsu smiled faintly. Hiruzen's praise for his teaching skills had apparently made its rounds.
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