Minato nodded. He knew he was coming at a bad time, but he had training scheduled for the afternoon, so this was his only window.
As Minato walked into Hashirama's courtyard, he saw a red-haired ninja in casual clothes standing in the middle of the courtyard. Her long hair was draped over her back.
"Did Kushina somehow grow taller?" Minato tried calling out, but when the person turned around, it was a strange face.
"Isn't this Minato? Have you come to find Kushina?"
Minato heard the person's voice but still didn't know who this was. With the red hair, they must be one of Kushina's clan members, right?
Then, Minato suddenly remembered what Big Brother had told him—that Elder Ashina had undergone some changes... Minato looked at the red-haired middle-aged man in front of him with some disbelief.
"El... Elder Ashina?" he called out uncertainly. Ashina immediately nodded. "It's me. Don't you recognize this old man, child?"
Minato was truly shocked. He simply couldn't believe that Elder Ashina's frail, old appearance had turned into this.
"Elder Ashina, you should look at how young you are now! If Big Brother hadn't told me beforehand, I would have mistaken you for one of Kushina's clan members!"
Ashina had also forgotten that he had become younger. He gave an embarrassed laugh. "Hahaha, I'm sorry, little Minato. This old man hasn't completely gotten used to it either. Sometimes I forget that I've become younger."
Minato felt a little helpless at this moment. This was truly a case of reversed aging. He couldn't help but feel suspicious of Big Brother's ability again. How could there be something that could break the limit of life span?
Seeing Minato's bewildered look, Ashina immediately said, "Alright, alright, don't worry about this old man. Go find Kushina and play. You two haven't seen each other for a long time."
Minato nodded and then went into the house. Ashina remained outside, taking a walk. Although he was younger now, he hadn't been able to change this habit.
Just then, Tobirama walked out of the house. "What's going on? I think I heard that kid Minato's voice?"
Ashina chuckled. "Yes, the child is here to find Kushina."
Just as Ashina finished speaking, Kushina and Minato walked out together.
"Tobirama-sama, why did you come out? I hope I didn't disturb you?" Minato asked apologetically.
Tobirama waved his hand. "Don't call me that, child. Just call me Grandpa. Don't always follow your Big Brother's useless rules."
Minato scratched his head. "Okay, Grandpa Tobirama."
Hearing this, Tobirama smiled with satisfaction. "Good. Call me that from now on."
Kushina, standing next to him, also sweetly called him Grandpa Tobirama, which earned her a compliment from Tobirama.
Tobirama took this opportunity to ask Minato about his progress with the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. Minato truthfully told Tobirama about his slow training speed.
Tobirama nodded. "Don't worry, this is normal. There is a phase in the Flying Thunder God Jutsu that requires constant study and refinement to succeed. This period is mainly for improving your mastery and understanding of Space-Time Ninjutsu. The more you understand, the faster you will pass through this phase."
Tobirama roughly explained his understanding of Space-Time Ninjutsu to Minato to help him get past this phase faster. Kushina also listened with great interest, although she couldn't understand all of it. She wasn't annoyed that Minato had been pulled into a lesson with Tobirama when he came to play with her. Learning with Minato also made Kushina happy. In reality, many people at school were afraid of her, and she didn't have many genuine friends. Because she could be a bit violent, only Minato truly played with her. That's why Kushina particularly cherished Minato.
At their age, they didn't understand what love was. They just thought of each other as best friends.
"Kushina must study hard too. In another couple of years, you'll be a qualified Genin. Maybe you'll even go on missions with Minato." Tobirama encouraged Kushina. Although her Ninjutsu talent wasn't great, her talent in Fuinjutsu was surprisingly high. Ashina also planned to let her continue developing Fuinjutsu. Since the Uzumaki Clan wasn't naturally good at the five nature transformations, it didn't matter if she didn't learn them. As long as she mastered Fuinjutsu, she could even prevent her opponents from using Ninjutsu, turning the fight into a taijutsu battle. Kushina also had some talent in Taijutsu, so Hashirama had been trying to teach Kushina to use the Chakra Enhanced Strength technique. If she really learned it, then Minato would be fortunate indeed.
"Come on, perform the Flying Thunder God Jutsu for me. Let me see how far you've progressed."
Minato scratched his head. He couldn't do anything other than marking his kunai with his unique seal. He couldn't perform the critical teleportation part at all and could only slightly shift forward a short distance.
After his demonstration, Tobirama rubbed his chin and nodded. "Hmm, it's decent. It's very good for a beginner. You've only been learning for a year, and you've already surpassed too many people." Minato thought he was going to be criticized. He didn't expect Grandpa Tobirama to praise him highly, which boosted his confidence again. Perhaps he really was very talented in the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, just as Big Brother had said.
Afterward, Tobirama performed the Flying Thunder God Jutsu multiple times in the courtyard, making Minato dizzy. He couldn't help but sigh that this was the real Flying Thunder God Jutsu. His was just child's play in comparison.
"Don't be discouraged. You are still very young, and your future is bright." Tobirama was right. In the future, Minato's Flying Thunder God Jutsu speed would surpass even him, the developer. He would become the undisputed fastest in the ninja world.
But the Flying Thunder God Jutsu was just one of Tobirama's many jutsu. Any jutsu Tobirama developed, such as the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu or the Impure World Reincarnation, could be a trump card on its own. However, these jutsu were currently sealed in a desk in the Hokage's office. He didn't know when they would see the light of day again.
After Tobirama finished teaching, he didn't continue to interrupt the two children's playtime. He sat by the door and chatted with Ashina. Ashina was clearly still not used to his current physical condition and didn't know how to thank Torifu. Such a valuable item was given to him for free. Ashina couldn't figure out why. He needed to find a chance to ask Torifu, or his heart would never settle down.
"Now that you're young again, are you planning to take Kushina back to Uzushiogakure?"