Chapter 5: Encounter with Minato Namikaze, Ninja Academy
Morning sunlight poured over Konoha, bright and warm. In this era of peace, the village streets bustled with life and vitality.
A lone figure moved swiftly through the lively main road.
It was Ling Yu. After dispelling his shadow clones last night, he'd felt like he'd just run a full marathon—utterly drained. Exhausted, he'd collapsed into bed and accidentally overslept, nearly making him late for the academy.
Even after a full night of study, he'd only mastered about a quarter of the sealing techniques Granny Suishitsu taught him. A few more sessions and he'd have them down completely.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique really drains mental energy… If not for that, I wouldn't have slept in. To make it to school on time, I've got no choice but to take the main road."
Leaving Suishitsu's secluded residence, Ling Yu hesitated briefly before deciding on the busy thoroughfare. The back paths would take far too long.
He'd considered using Rokushiki to speed up, but he sensed several faint, lingering presences tailing him. ANBU—assigned to protect (and monitor) him. He wasn't ready to reveal his full strength yet, so he held back.
"Morning, Ling Yu! Heading to the academy? Come in for some breakfast before you go!"
As he passed a breakfast stall, the owner called out with his usual enthusiasm.
"Thanks, Uncle Tanaka, but I already ate at home." Ling Yu gave a quick polite refusal and kept moving.
"Little Ling Yu's getting more handsome every day! Auntie's heart is racing~ You must have tons of girls chasing you at school!"
A group of middle-aged women with children in tow crowded around, grinning wolfishly. Their hungry stares sent chills down his spine.
"N-no, they're all really focused on studying…" He made a flimsy excuse and slipped away fast.
"Hey, kid! Want some ninja tools? Special discount for you—70% off!"
The weapons shop owner waved him over as always.
"No thanks, Uncle Yamada. I've still got plenty."
All along the way, villagers greeted him warmly. As more people gathered, Ling Yu quickened his pace, practically jogging toward the academy.
As the publicly recognized descendant of Hashirama Senju, he and Tsunade were constantly showered with affection from the villagers. Tsunade was used to it and brushed it off, but Ling Yu hated being the center of attention. He could barely handle the overwhelming enthusiasm.
…
Ninja Academy
"Phew… That was exhausting. If I wasn't about to be late, I'd never take the main road again."
After escaping the crowd, he sprinted the last few minutes and finally reached the academy gates, letting out a huge sigh of relief.
He silently swore: never again.
When Tsunade used to drop him off, the attention hadn't felt this intense. But with her gone on a mission, he was left to suffer alone.
Little did he know, as he passed through the throng, hands had nearly groped him everywhere. Some creep had even secretly pinched his butt twice—leaving him with lingering goosebumps.
"Morning, Ling Yu!"
A cheerful voice suddenly called from behind, snapping him out of his thoughts. A light pat landed on his shoulder.
Ling Yu jolted, instinctively turning around.
A boy his age stood there—blond spiky hair, bright sunny smile. The future Fourth Hokage: Minato Namikaze.
"Oh, it's you, Minato. I thought the villagers had caught up…"
Seeing who it was, Ling Yu relaxed. The mob's enthusiasm had left him paranoid for a second.
"Haha, you're still super popular, huh?"
Minato laughed, a hint of envy in his tone.
He knew Ling Yu always got mobbed by villagers on his way to school. Honestly, he envied it. His own dream was to become Hokage—to gain the power to protect Konoha and ensure everyone could live happily.
Ling Yu, on the other hand? Becoming Hokage sounded exhausting. Endless paperwork, dealing with scheming old council members who'd stab you in the back at any moment… No thanks.
He'd rather stay free, date beautiful women, travel whenever he felt like it, stay in nice inns, soak in hot springs, sip sake—life didn't get better than that.
Money? The Senju clan's wealth spanned the entire ninja world. He could spend freely for a lifetime without worry.
At the same moment Ling Yu recognized Minato, the system chimed.
Ding! Mission Chest detected. Mission: Help Minato Namikaze complete the Rasengan (no-hand seals technique). Reward: Exquisite Chest ×2, Exchange Points 200.
Ding! Defeat Chest detected. Since the host has already fulfilled prior conditions, Exquisite Chest and 100 Exchange Points have been issued. Please check your inventory.
Even past sparring results count? The system's surprisingly fair.
Ling Yu mentally praised it, then claimed the rewards.
Help Minato complete the Rasengan? That's an A-Rank ninjutsu—the one Naruto uses constantly. Later he even develops the S-Rank Rasenshuriken, and in Sage Mode it reaches SS-Rank.
The more he thought about it, the better the deal seemed.
Minato was a genius—he'd invent the Rasengan eventually anyway. If Ling Yu guided him first, he could reap the benefits without effort, and Minato would owe him a massive favor.
Back in the real world, only a second had passed.
Noticing the dark circles under Minato's eyes, Ling Yu asked curiously:
"By the way, what did you stay up all night for? Those bags under your eyes are brutal."
"Huh? That obvious?"
Minato blinked, then scratched his head awkwardly.
"Last night I stayed up practicing the ninjutsu you taught me… didn't sleep at all."
His expression suddenly turned serious. He bowed deeply to Ling Yu.
"Ling Yu! Thank you so much for teaching me those techniques. I don't have much to offer right now, but from today onward—if you ever need anything, just say the word. I'll be there for you, no matter what."
Minato came from a civilian background with no clan resources. Despite being called a genius, high-level ninjutsu had always been out of reach.
Ling Yu had "kindly" taught him several common B-Rank techniques—nothing special to him, but priceless to a civilian ninja.
"It's nothing… We're friends, right? Though… I might end up letting you down someday."
Ling Yu shrugged casually, his voice dropping to a mumble at the end.
Because Kushina? He had no intention of letting Minato have her.
In the original story, Kushina was loyal, cheerful, and full of life—yet her fate was tragic: ripped open by Obito on the night of the Nine-Tails attack, the beast torn from her body, then impaled and killed.
To prevent that ending, Ling Yu had already decided: Minato would get zero chance to get close to Kushina.
"I didn't quite catch that last part, but thank you anyway. My promise stands forever."
Minato hadn't heard the quiet words. He smiled gratefully, completely unaware that his future wife might be "intercepted" by his best friend.
"Let's talk about the future later. Class is about to start—I'm heading in."
With that, Ling Yu walked straight into the academy without waiting.
"Mm!"
Minato nodded and followed behind.
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