Nawaki got home from school, and Minato started grilling skewers.
The barbecue meal left Tsunade and her brother with mouths full of oil.
Seeing how they wolfed down the food, Minato suspected that if he had used metal skewers, these two would have chewed sparks off them.
As expected, skewers bring happiness!
Seeing the two of them burping up the smell of lamb skewers, Minato clapped his hands gently. Suddenly, a round, plump watermelon grew out of the ground in front of him!
"Have some watermelon to cut the grease."
"Whoa—! Minato, you're the best!"
Seeing this, Nawaki shouted in excitement.
Watermelons were expensive in the ninja world. He knew exactly how valuable Minato's trick was!
A few minutes later, the three of them sat side by side on the veranda eating watermelon, the setting sun gilding them in a warm, golden glow.
For a while after that, Minato's life became completely peaceful.
Wake up early every day to cook, eat, and go to school.
Come home after school to cook, eat, and then train in the yard.
After training, shower and sleep.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed quietly.
Day after day of routine didn't make Minato feel bored.
On the contrary, he liked these days very much.
A laid-back life could calm one's heart and clear the mind, which allowed Minato's training in Chakra Nature Transformation to progress rapidly.
In the original story, Naruto used the experience-stacking characteristic of Shadow Clones to create thousands of clones and mastered Wind Nature Transformation in a few days.
Minato didn't have the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, nor did he plan to be as reckless as Naruto. After all, the fatigue from Shadow Clones stacked, too.
Naruto had the Nine-Tails' chakra to tank it; at most, he'd just pass out from exhaustion.
If Minato dared to do that, even the "Creation of All Things" power couldn't save him.
Besides, Naruto was simple-minded and didn't overthink things. With Minato's active modern mind, getting schizophrenia would be getting off lightly.
To be safe, Minato only created ten Shadow Clones a day. After school, he would dispel them to receive the experience.
Then he would create another ten clones to continue training until bedtime, dispelling them then and using the stacked fatigue to help him fall asleep quickly.
Just like that, Minato spent a month and a half completely mastering Water Nature Transformation, able to instantly whip up waves in a calm pool!
And in the following half month, he successfully got started on Earth Nature Transformation.
Although not as fast as Naruto, for ordinary people, this speed was no different from cheating.
It could be said that the current Minato, in terms of Ninjutsu, had already reached the level of a Jonin!
And this terrifying training speed was observed by Tsunade, secretly shocking her.
By now, she had completely given up on comparing herself to him.
Minato's training speed was simply not humanly possible.
She wasn't unaware of the Shadow Clone training method.
After all, the Jutsu was invented for intel gathering, and everyone understood the principle of experience stacking. But not everyone could do it.
She could handle the fatigue of ten Shadow Clones.
But like Minato, creating ten clones every day and dispelling them once in the middle? She couldn't do it even if you threatened to beat her to death.
That level of fatigue couldn't be recovered from in one night, let alone doing it every day.
She wasn't surprised that Minato could do it, though.
Judging by Minato's energy levels, Tsunade was absolutely certain that he not only awakened Wood Style but also possessed the terrifying vitality of her grandfather—where even if the person died, their cells would still be alive!
"Hey, Minato. What are your clones training for?"
Another weekend, Nawaki finally couldn't help but ask, looking at the clones playing with mud in the yard.
Because there weren't many clones, they usually trained in the yard. Nawaki was a bit wary of Minato's training at first, but after a while, he got used to it.
"They are training in Earth Style Chakra Nature Transformation."
Minato explained, "Simply put, it's using Nature Transformation to enhance the power of the corresponding elemental Jutsu."
"Just by mixing mud?"
"Strictly speaking, it should be changing the composition and hardness of the soil!"
Minato explained, "When I can instantly turn that mud into rock, or rock into mud, the training will be successful."
"Sounds amazing..."
Nawaki flopped onto the tatami mat, looking like a dead fish. "This shouldn't be something an Academy student trains for, right?"
"Um... it's a requirement for Jonin."
Minato nodded hesitantly. Nawaki would find out sooner or later anyway.
Nawaki looked even more dispirited. "Jonin... You guy, you're already a genius to a degree I can't understand. Although I knew it long ago, it's hard not to feel the gap."
Minato smiled. "I won't fight you for the position of Hokage."
"So what?"
Nawaki lay on his side, propping his head with one hand and spreading the other hand in defeat. "With a genius like you as a comparison, who would choose me as Hokage?"
"Don't sell yourself short..."
Minato smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to encourage him for a moment.
After thinking it over, he asked carefully, "Nawaki, why do you want to be Hokage so badly?"
"Of course, to inherit Grandpa's will!"
Speaking of this, Nawaki immediately perked up. He sat up straight, his eyes shining with longing.
"I am the grandson of the First Hokage who founded the Leaf Village! The Leaf is my grandpa's most important treasure, so of course, I have to protect it for him!"
"Is that so..."
Minato smiled gently. "In that case, how about I teach you a powerful Jutsu?"
"Ninjutsu?"
A glimmer of light flashed in Nawaki's eyes, then dimmed instantly. "Forget it. My grandpa was the First Hokage; how could I lack Ninjutsu? Besides, you are two years younger than me. Letting you teach me... is too embarrassing."
Minato sighed regretfully. "What a pity for this seal-less A-rank Jutsu."
Thud!
With a muffled sound, Nawaki threw himself heavily in front of Minato, performing a very standard Dogeza, his forehead pressed firmly against the tatami mat.
"I am extremely sorry for being so ungrateful! Please teach me, Lord Minato!"
"Hahaha, don't be like that..."
Minato laughed and cried at the same time, hurriedly pulling Nawaki up.
"So... what Jutsu is it?"
Nawaki looked at Minato eagerly.
A-rank Jutsus weren't rare.
Seal-less Jutsus weren't rare either.
But a seal-less A-rank Jutsu was very rare. He hadn't even heard of one.
"It's a Jutsu I created myself."
Nawaki's mouth twitched. "Create... created yourself? A five-year-old created a seal-less A-rank Jutsu?"
"It is a bit exaggerated, so I haven't even told Sensei Tsunade."
Minato smiled sheepishly. "With your Senju clan chakra reserves, this Jutsu is actually quite suitable for you. Consider it my support for your Hokage dream! You can train secretly and give Sensei Tsunade a surprise when the time comes!"
"Wu..."
Hearing this, Nawaki was moved to tears. "Minato, you guy—"
Click...
"I'm back!"
The sound of the door opening was followed by Tsunade's voice from the entrance.
"Sensei is back. I'll teach you tomorrow!"
"Eh? Don't... don't do this!"
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