Chapter 32 – Graduation
Around the time the Hannya Squad was formed, Minato Namikaze received a forehead protector symbolizing the rank of chūnin from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and tied it firmly around his brow.
Originally, Minato had planned to wait another year before officially graduating. But after being spurred on by Minamoto Ren, he realized the Ninja Academy could no longer teach him anything new. What he needed were missions—real experiences—to catch up to Ren's pace.
His chūnin exam was taken alongside Nawaki, and unsurprisingly, he passed. After all, there was no rule stating that an Academy student couldn't take the chūnin exam directly. Minato skipped the genin rank entirely, becoming a chūnin in one leap.
Logically speaking, Ren was several years older than Minato, so there was no real need for him to feel pressured. If Minato followed the usual path and trained diligently, it was only a matter of time before he surpassed Ren and became the number one of Konoha's new generation.
But his pride refused to let things be. In his eyes, age was never an excuse.
"Lord Hokage, can I ask you something?" Minato scratched his head and smiled.
"Of course, what would you like to know?" Hiruzen's smile deepened, the wrinkles on his face folding warmly. He was truly pleased with Minato's growth—before, the boy's training had been diligent but lacked that final spark of drive. Now, he lacked nothing.
"I'd like to know… uh, which department Minamoto Ren works in. I want to join the same one."
Minato spoke a little awkwardly, aware that his current mindset wasn't quite right. It was as if he needed to defeat Ren to prove something to himself.
Every night, he still remembered that moment—Ren tapping him on the head with a sword hilt. That refined young man, whose clothes were never the same twice, always defeated him with casual ease, leaving behind words that Minato would never forget:
"If I wanted to, you'd have been dead with the first strike."
The thought made Minato's fists tighten unconsciously. Damn it, why did this guy always say things in such an infuriating way?
"Oh, so that's the reason," Hiruzen said with a feigned look of realization, though he had known all along what had changed Minato. He simply welcomed it.
"In that case, you'd better hurry. Minamoto Ren is already a squad captain in the ANBU and has formally advanced to jōnin. You're excellent too, Minato, but… you've still got a bit of ground to cover, don't you?"
His tone carried a deliberate hint of provocation.
Minato's fists clenched even tighter. He knew perfectly well the old man was stoking the flames, but at his age, it was impossible not to rise to the bait.
"Lord Hokage, I want to join the ANBU!" Minato's voice was firm, his usually sunny face stripped of all smiles.
Those who truly want to win do not smile.
Hiruzen agreed immediately. Talents like Minato were far too precious to send to the frontlines before they were ready. Losing someone like him would be an irreparable loss for Konoha.
So, whether Minato wanted to or not, the ANBU would be his graduation destination. Only when he became a jōnin capable of leading on his own would he be sent to serve as a squad leader in the war.
That very day, Minato was assigned to the ANBU, paired with two teammates—Akimichi Dōtō and Inuzuka Gaku, just like in the original history. Their captain was a Hyūga ninja, Hyūga Ganghachirō, who had previously crossed paths with Ren and was also the uncle of Hyūga Haining.
Ren had no idea about this development. If he did, he might have sighed at the hand of fate.
Look at Minato's teammates, all trusted heirs of clans aligned with the Hokage. And that captain? An outlier within the Hyūga clan. This was no coincidence. As a Hokage supported by the lesser clans, Hiruzen naturally had to favor them, while recruiting "black sheep" from the great clans to dilute their power.
This wasn't personal choice—it was dictated by political position, a principle as objective as any in social science.
Pity the Uchiha—such a large clan with an exceptionally powerful kekkei genkai, yet Konoha only seemed to remember them in times of war. During peacetime, they received no cultivation, no real support.
And still, the Uchiha clung happily to their little police force and the civil law enforcement authority it brought them. With political instincts like that… there was nothing more to say.
In the world of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he wouldn't have survived past two chapters.
Back to the main point—after joining the ANBU, Minato Namikaze was given the codename "Sun", wearing a yellow, curling-rim sun mask that looked oddly cheerful. In his own words, he hoped to shine upon all the people of Konoha like the sun itself.
When it came to a sense of social responsibility, Minato had it maxed out. Every decision he made afterward would prove the sincerity of that promise.
Thus, the Hannya Squad and Okada Squad were formed. Both were part of ANBU, so they often crossed paths. In their daily interactions, though, the seniority lines got a little tangled…
For example, Hyūga Haining called Minamoto Ren "big brother" and Hyūga Ganghachirō "uncle." But by rank, Ren and Ganghachirō were equals. The two addressed each other formally when speaking in an official capacity.
Ren had already noticed that Ganghachirō was different from most branch family members of the Hyūga. Now that they were working together, that impression only deepened. Ganghachirō lacked the bitterness and deep-seated resentment common to the branch family. Even more strangely, he had joined the ANBU as a branch family member—an extremely unusual occurrence. Normally, only members of the main family entered the ANBU, and usually only under the Hokage's direct orders.
Curious, Ren once asked Haining about it. But Haining dodged the question with a mysterious smile—not because he didn't want to tell, but because revealing the truth might cause trouble for Ganghachirō.
This only made the enigmatic Hyūga brothers all the more intriguing to Ren. Still, since Haining wouldn't say more, he didn't press. Some things are better left unsaid—when the time was right, the truth would naturally come to light.
Time in the ANBU passed quickly. Two months later, Minamoto Ren had already taught his squad the Gate Manifestation Technique, fulfilling his role as their mentor. The frequency of missions was moderate, and by now, his team members' hands were more than a little stained with the blood of foreign enemies.
As Ren put it, "Now, Nawaki and Haining have truly grown up."
Aside from ANBU duties, Ren's own training made progress as well—he had finally solved the targeting problem of his Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Release Technique!
It was all thanks to the single-tomoe Sharingan gifted by the Game of Power system. He had secretly tested it at home in front of a mirror, and the moment the Sharingan activated, it felt like removing the thick bottom of a beer-bottle lens—his entire world became crystal clear, every detail razor-sharp.
While dynamic vision was the most basic function of the single tomoe, its true power lay in the unconditional boost to mental energy—the yin release enhancement, in manga terms. Naturally, it improved his resistance to genjutsu, but what thrilled Ren most was the significant increase in his chakra extraction speed.
This wasn't really strange. Chakra was a mix of mental energy and physical cell energy. With physical energy unchanged, boosting mental energy naturally increased overall chakra reserves.
Of course, if Ren had already possessed the Sharingan, this wouldn't have been such a surprise. But for him, it was a game-changer.