Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech was incredibly dry, but the students surprisingly ate it up.
Minato found this a little unexpected, but thinking about it, it wasn't that strange.
After all, he had the "Hokage buff." Plus, the Leaf Village had indeed developed well in recent years, so Hiruzen's prestige in the village was still very high.
With Hiruzen's speech over, Minato officially began his Ninja Academy career.
The second day after the entrance ceremony was the first class of the new semester.
To avoid being surrounded by girls, Minato timed his arrival perfectly, appearing at the classroom door right on time.
Before the girls in the class could crowd around him, the teacher appeared at the door right behind him.
"Everyone, get back to your seats and sit down!"
Minato took the opportunity to sit in the back row next to a blonde girl who was sitting alone. "Hello, I'm Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you."
"I know."
The girl smiled shyly and spoke softly. "I'm Nonō Yakushi. Nice to meet you..."
Nonō Yakushi?
Is it really that much of a coincidence?
Minato gave a warm smile, his face calm, but inside he was deep in thought.
If it were any other character from the original series, he might not think much of it.
But in the original story, Nonō Yakushi was from the Root, and her profession was a spy...
He had only revealed his Wood Style a few days ago, and now a future Root member appeared in his class. It was hard not to overthink it. After all, Kabuto became a spy at a very young age, too.
Minato looked straight at the teacher on the podium, but out of the corner of his eye, he watched Nonō's reactions.
He hadn't expected Nonō to be his age.
When she adopted Kabuto in the original story, she looked quite young, so he thought she was from Kakashi's generation.
But thinking about it, Kabuto shouldn't be much younger than Kakashi.
Timeline-wise, it made sense that she was about his age...
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Ikkaku Umino, your teacher for the next few years."
"Umino..."
Minato paused.
Is this Iruka's father? Or a relative?
Minato observed the man on the podium. He looked to be in his twenties, capable and sharp, with a short ponytail at the back of his head, just like Iruka in the original series.
He hadn't heard of an Umino clan in the village, so this was likely Iruka's father or uncle...
After writing his name on the blackboard, Ikkaku Umino turned around. "I'm 24 years old, Chunin. I like fishing, hate enemies, and my dream is to become a ninja worthy of everyone's trust, just like the Hokage."
Saying this, he scanned the room and pointed to a boy near the door. "Next, everyone come up to the podium and introduce yourselves. Let's start with you."
"I'm Natsuha! I like drawing, hate vegetables, and my dream is to become Hokage!"
"Ha! I'm the one who's going to become Hokage!"
As soon as the boy finished, a boy in the second row couldn't wait to shout out.
"The Hokage wouldn't shout rudely during someone else's introduction."
Ikkaku glanced at the boy. The boy froze and sat back down amidst the laughter of those around him.
"I'm Yumi Haruki. I like gardening, don't really hate anything, and my dream is to become a gentle and virtuous wife!"
The girl on the podium covered her cheeks shyly as she spoke, stealing a glance in Minato's direction.
Minato felt awkward. Another love-struck one...
Everyone introduced themselves one by one, and soon it was Shinnosuke Sarutobi's turn.
"Shinnosuke Sarutobi. I like fighting strong opponents! I hate being treated specially because of my status! My dream is to surpass my dad and become an even better Hokage!"
Shinnosuke stood on the podium, looking a bit cocky.
At the end, he looked toward the back of the class and pointed at Minato. "Before that, I will definitely defeat you, Minato Namikaze!"
Minato smiled awkwardly. "Uh... good luck then."
"What's with that~"
In the second row, Kaoru Koyaba—the girl who first introduced herself to Minato at the ceremony—propped her chin on her hands and looked at Shinnosuke with disdain.
"By 'defeat,' do you mean pestering someone until they're forced to forfeit?"
As soon as she said this, the class erupted in laughter.
Everyone had been there during the entrance exam, so they had all seen the fight between Minato and Shinnosuke. They knew exactly what Kaoru meant.
"What did you say?!"
Hearing this, Shinnosuke panicked, his face flushing red. "I never accepted that kind of victory!"
Kaoru pouted, then turned to look at Minato, flashing him a peace sign.
It was like she was saying: See? I got revenge for you!
Minato fell silent.
Little sister, let's not say things that damage class unity next time...
"Alright, quiet down! Next student, come up!"
Ikkaku Umino had a headache. As expected, the Hokage's son's class was hard to manage, especially when there was someone in the class more outstanding than the Hokage's son.
Soon, it was Minato's turn.
"I'm Minato Namikaze. I like enjoying life quietly, don't really hate anything in particular, and my dream is to protect the people important to me."
After speaking, Minato gave a warm smile. The girls in the audience screamed.
"Ahhh! Minato-kun is so gentle!"
"I will protect Minato-kun's smile!"
One girl raised her hand, blushing. "I can be Minato-kun's important person! I can do it!"
Shinnosuke looked speechless. "Is that guy a succubus? These women are crazy..."
Minato returned to his seat, and Nonō stood up and walked to the podium.
"I'm Nonō Yakushi. I like taking care of people, hate wasting food, and my dream is that everyone in this world can have enough to eat and never go hungry."
The girl held her hands over her heart. She had a very quiet demeanor. After a slight bow, she returned to her seat.
Minato made a judgment about Nonō's situation.
Orphan!
He couldn't be 100% sure, but with those likes and that dream, there was a high probability she was an orphan.
Minato didn't ask. If she really had ulterior motives, she would approach him proactively even if he did nothing.
After everyone finished their introductions, Ikkaku Umino started the first lesson: The definition and refining of chakra.
Minato listened carefully. Even though he had already mastered the Rasengan, he intended to study the relevant knowledge systematically again.
Summarizing the knowledge and abilities he had already mastered into a system might give him inspiration in other areas.
Soon, the class ended. Although there were no substantial gains, Minato's understanding of chakra deepened.
Ikkaku Umino was a very conscientious teacher. Although he looked capable and serious, he was surprisingly easygoing with the students.
As the bell rang, Minato finished organizing his class notes.
"Alright, that's it for this class. Dismissed!"
Ikkaku glanced at Shinnosuke and Minato, then turned and left the classroom.
He needed to report Shinnosuke's performance at school to the Third Hokage.
And also... Minato Namikaze, whom the Third was particularly interested in...