The first class of the term was an explanation of chakra.
The second class was about familiarizing themselves with the twelve common hand seals.
Each class lasted forty minutes, and there were only these two classes in the morning.
The afternoon also had two classes: one for literacy and one for drawing.
This felt unbelievable to Minato; excluding the ninja-specific courses, the schedule was almost identical to an elementary school, and there were even fewer daily classes than in elementary school!
Although there were few classes, the knowledge taught was comprehensive and packed with substance.
The teaching assistant for the second class on hand seals not only taught the twelve common hand signs but also explained the characteristics of hand seals for the five elemental releases—for instance, the final seal for Fire Release is usually the Tiger seal.
They also covered how to train hand seal speed, and how chakra flows differently within the body when performing different seals.
This reminded him of the Chunin Exams arc in the original series; while everyone else used various means to cheat, only Sakura was honestly answering the questions—and the key was that she finished them all!
During the Chunin Exams, Sasuke was established as the top graduate in overall grades, yet he couldn't solve a single question.
From this perspective, both the school and the village prioritized a ninja's practical performance.
But Minato felt that theoretical knowledge was definitely not as useless as it seemed in the original series.
For example, the Cursed Seal researched by Orochimaru.
This thing is very similar to the Karma of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, and could even be seen as a budget version of Karma.
This also led Minato to a question: was the original Ōtsutsuki Clan born this powerful?
Probably not.
The descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, Hamura Ōtsutsuki, on the moon should have a fairly pure bloodline, yet they only manifested the single trait of the Byakugan.
Therefore, Minato formed a hypothesis.
The original Ōtsutsuki Clan might have been similar to humans, only gradually evolving to their current state through continuous research on chakra.
And their method of evolution was planting the Divine Tree, using it to absorb natural energy and refine it into pills—this was information he knew before his transmigration.
Could humans take a similar path?
For instance, creating a medium like the Divine Tree that can absorb natural energy.
Then, through some process, converting natural energy into chakra that the human body can absorb to complete the evolution.
Minato felt the feasibility was very high!
Later, he could trick... suggest that Orochimaru research this direction.
In fact, in the ninja world, Orochimaru was the easiest to satisfy.
He just wanted eternal life; within the chakra system, this wasn't impossible.
Unfortunately, he was blinded by desire, his head filled only with thoughts of possessing others' bodies.
How could a body taken through possession be as suitable as a self-cultivated, cloned body?
During the two afternoon classes, Minato basically didn't listen, his mind filled with concepts for chakra technology.
The school bell rang.
"Class dismissed!"
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Minato's figure instantly vanished from the classroom.
He had already experienced how troublesome the girls in the class could be; if he didn't leave quickly, he would surely be cornered again.
He glanced at the third-grade floor and saw that Nawaki and the others were still in class, so Minato left first.
As expected, it was impossible for the upperclassmen to have only four classes a day like the freshmen.
While Minato was thinking, he suddenly saw a familiar figure at the school gate.
"Tsunade-sensei, why are you here?"
"To pick you up, of course!"
Tsunade chuckled and lightly flicked Minato's forehead with her finger.
"I don't need to tell you how special your status is, right? Not just today, but for the next few years, I might come to pick you up. Even if I'm busy, someone else will, unless I feel your strength is enough to handle certain dangers."
Minato nodded.
"Sorry for the trouble, Sensei."
"You certainly have a sweet tongue."
Tsunade let out a soft huff, the corners of her mouth curling up almost imperceptibly.
"Nawaki didn't even get this kind of treatment back then! Don't you think you should repay me properly?"
"What would Sensei like to eat?"
Minato immediately understood what Tsunade meant.
"Hehe, you're quite sensible~ Besides stir-fry, can you make anything else?"
Tsunade licked her lips.
"I've been eating stir-fry for several days now; I want to try something different."
"How about BBQ?"
"BBQ, huh... I don't feel much anticipation for that."
"My skills should be pretty good; do you want to give it a try?"
"Oh—?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Since you're so confident, alright then, I'll give you a chance to show off~"
The two looked at each other and then laughed together.
At the entrance of the teaching building, Nono watched this scene from afar, a hint of envy in her eyes.
Then she quickly suppressed that trace of envy and walked alone toward the edge of the village.
Before long, she arrived at a hidden underground base.
Led by a ninja dressed as an Anbu wearing an animal mask, she arrived at a room in the deepest part of the base.
"Lord Danzo."
Nono looked cautiously at the man in the room.
"How is the mission progressing?"
Danzo sat upright by a low table.
"I have successfully made contact with the target."
Recalling that sunny and clean face, Nono felt a bit guilty; Minato's guess was correct—she had indeed been sent to his side by Danzo.
"The target arrived at the classroom just in time, and by coincidence, sat next to me. Currently, we are getting along quite well."
"Well done."
Danzo nodded slightly, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Tell me, what is your impression of him?"
"He is a very outstanding person, far more so than I am."
Nono didn't hesitate for a moment.
"He is a very gentle and kind person."
"Kind..."
Danzo gave an ambiguous chuckle.
"That's not something a ninja should possess. However, it's just as well; I've observed that child, and he truly lacks the traits of people like us."
"Traits?"
Nono was puzzled.
"Some people are born to bathe in the sunlight; even shadows cannot obscure their radiance. Minato Namikaze is such a person. Even if the Third Hokage were to groom him as the next Hokage, I wouldn't be surprised."
Danzo glanced at her, his tone somewhat complex.
"These types of people are always too naive, especially when they possess great power... To prevent harm to the village, this power must be constrained."
"And you are the bond that constrains him. You are both orphans, but having lived in the orphanage since childhood, you can see the reality and darkness that he cannot. This has also given you a more rational mindset than other children. In this regard, we are the same kind of people."
Nono fell silent.
She actually really wanted to say, 'Who's the same kind as you? You're the only one who's dark, you old fossil!'
Of course, she only thought it.
As an orphan, she had no right to express her true self in front of Danzo.
Nono clearly remembered that just a few days ago, Danzo suddenly appeared at her orphanage, saying the village planned to select some talented children for special training.
Ultimately, because of her sweet looks and calm, quiet personality, she was chosen by Danzo and brought to Root.
And Danzo had given her only one mission.
That was to establish an inseparable emotional bond with the mission target, Minato Namikaze, no matter what!