"Jiraiya-sama... truly, thank you so much!"
Minato's voice trembled with emotion, and in his azure eyes, Jiraiya saw the gleam of genuine childlike joy.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze finally looked like the seven-year-old child he was.
"Yeah... no matter how strong his heart might be... he's still just a child."
Jiraiya sighed inwardly. From what he'd learned through the Third, Minato's parents had been killed by bandits while traveling for trade.
A child so young having to face life alone already demanded not just talent and intelligence, but also remarkable inner strength.
Yet such strength was often born from fragility—only those who had lived through it could truly understand.
Smiling at the boy who was crying tears of joy, Jiraiya said, "No need for thanks. Come on, eat up! Barbecue tastes best right off the grill!" He gestured with his chopsticks toward the grilled meat on Minato's plate.
Minato quickly regained his composure. That brief emotional outburst had simply been beyond his control. Vaguely, he remembered feeling this warmth before—the comfort of being cared for by family.
"Jiraiya... why are you being so kind to me?" Minato asked after quickly finishing the grilled meat on his plate, following Jiraiya's suggestion.
"Seriously... I told you you ask too many questions," Jiraiya waved his chopsticks dismissively. "Didn't you tell your teacher that everyone in our village is like family? If that's true, then both you and I belong to this family. Does taking care of family even need a reason?"
Emotions flickered across Minato's face as he seemed momentarily stunned by Jiraiya's response.
"Enough talk. Hurry up and eat. It's troublesome enough that I'm treating you tonight. I can't even imagine how much more trouble you'll bring me in the future."
After placing another freshly grilled piece of meat on Minato's plate, Jiraiya chuckled and shook his head.
"Future?" Minato caught the subtle implication in those words, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I know you have tons of questions, but keep eating for now. I'll explain everything later. Right now, it's mealtime," Jiraiya said, then deliberately ignored Minato as he happily dug into his own food.
Since Jiraiya had promised answers later, Minato decided not to ask any more questions—for now. More importantly, deep down, he genuinely enjoyed this atmosphere.
A soft smile naturally spread across his delicate, youthful face.
Glancing sideways at him, Jiraiya couldn't help smiling softly too.
About an hour later, after finishing dinner, the two followed Jiraiya's lead toward Training Ground Seven at the edge of Konoha Village.
Built specifically for the village's ninja, Training Ground Seven was reserved solely for active ninja personnel, which meant Minato, as a new student at the Ninja Academy, wouldn't usually be allowed inside.
However, under Jiraiya's guidance, gaining access posed no problem whatsoever.
Under the night sky, a slight breeze blew through, carrying a trace of cold. Enduring the cold was part of a ninja's job. Missions never gave you the luxury of choosing your environment.
The two stood in the open field. Jiraiya crossed his arms and leaned against a wooden post, while Minato stood not far in front of him.
"Now I'll explain why I've been watching you—and what I really meant back at the dinner table."
Jiraiya's gaze settled on Minato, his expression suddenly serious. "I want you as my apprentice. That's why you deserve to know the truth behind everything I've done."
Upon hearing this, Minato's expression instantly turned extremely shocked. He muttered in disbelief, "R-Recruit me... as your apprentice?!"
"Hmph, don't want to?" Jiraiya added.
"Not at all."
Minato hurriedly denied it. Setting aside Jiraiya's status as a disciple of The Third, he himself was undoubtedly one of the village's top warriors. Becoming his pupil was something many ninjas could only dream of.
Great masters make great apprentices. That's exactly why becoming Jiraiya's pupil was a fast track to strength—that was the reason.
But Minato couldn't ignore the fact that someone like Jiraiya wouldn't just randomly pick an apprentice—let alone bring it up so casually.
In fact, he had followed Minato before—he must have been observing him beforehand.
Still, there had to be some deeper reason.
"Hehe, you're probably wondering why I suddenly decided to ask you to become my apprentice… Actually, asking you to be my apprentice was a request from The Third."
Jiraiya laughed. He believed that with Minato's intelligence, he might already have figured out some clues.
Minato suddenly recalled that not long ago, on Kushina's first day at the academy, he had shaken off several Anbu directly under the Hokage's command.
Everything that happened during Anbu missions would be reported back to the Hokage...
Minato shouldn't have known such details about Anbu, yet somehow these things felt strangely familiar.
As if… he had once been the Hokage himself.
Minato hadn't yet sensed anything truly out of the ordinary.
"Ever since you defeated Akasaki Yu, then what you said to Kondan afterward, and how you managed to shake off Anbu directly under The Third's command—all of this caught his attention. In fact… he believes you've already inherited the Will of Fire. Therefore, he wants to cultivate you into a capable shinobi. And I… am the one chosen to do that."
Minato had never imagined that those events he didn't consider significant had actually drawn the attention of The Third long ago.
"So, the reason Jiraiya-sama is showing concern for me is simply because of The Third's order?"
A flicker of sadness passed across Minato's face, though he wasn't disheartened by this.
Rather, he should feel grateful for having such an opportunity. After all, achieving that dream of his alone…
Would be too difficult!
Jiraiya, upon hearing this, said, "Initially, it was indeed like that. After all, taking in a young boy whose name I had never even heard before as my apprentice wasn't easy for me. My heart resisted at first. But after observing you for some time, I discovered that both your talent and demeanor actually suit my style quite well."
Minato wasn't sure exactly what Jiraiya meant. To him, those had just been simple, everyday actions.
Yet for an excellent ninja, while talent is certainly important, someone with ill intent possessing great strength would only bring disaster.
Even at his young age, Minato knew how to think about others' feelings—a rare quality worth more than anything else.
Looking at the small, slender boy in front of him, Jiraiya finally asked,
"So, would you like to take me as your master?"
...
...
There was supposed to be another chapter update today, but I came down with a mild cold, so I'll take some medicine and rest. It may go up late tonight. Sorry for the delay.
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