"You can ask now."

  Jiraiya said, expecting Minato to ask about something reted to training. He readily agreed.

  However, Minato hesitated for a moment. The answer he sought might be cssified information, beyond what he could currently access.

  But... he really wanted to know the truth.

  Jiraiya noticed the change in his expression, and his pupils shrank slightly as he quickly connected the dots.

  "Jiraiya-sensei, since you know I shook off the Anbu directly under the Third Hokage's command, you must also know the reason behind that, right?" Minato asked, his tone cautious.

  Minato was sure that before Jiraiya had come to teach at the ninja academy, he didn't know Kushina, otherwise he wouldn't have needed to ask for her name. But now that Jiraiya was aware of the situation with the Anbu, it was clear that Jiraiya must know the entire backstory.

  Jiraiya's face tightened when he heard this, and Minato remained silent, sensing that Jiraiya already knew the question he was about to ask.

  "As I thought..." Jiraiya mumbled under his breath, as if about to say something. But he stopped, his gaze now focused on Minato. "You want to know why that girl, Kushina Uzumaki, is under the protection of the Third Hokage's personal Anbu, right?"

  Minato quickly nodded, his blue eyes flickering with emotion. There was a sense of foreboding stirring in his heart, as though the answer he sought would bring him deep sorrow.

  "Since you've realized that Kushina is important to the vilge, you should also understand that this kind of information is generally cssified. Most ninjas wouldn't have the right to inquire about it," Jiraiya added.

  Minato nodded slowly, murmuring, "I understand, Jiraiya-sensei."

  Jiraiya's implication was clear: he wasn't entitled to know Kushina's true identity at this stage. The fact that Anbu was protecting her meant that such sensitive information was probably beyond the grasp of even some high-ranking jōnin in the vilge.

  And though Jiraiya seemed to know, he wouldn't be able to share the truth with Minato just yet.

  Secrecy was one of the essential qualities of a ninja.

  Noticing Minato's downcast expression, Jiraiya stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "Even though I can't tell you anything right now, I'll do my best to teach you. I believe that soon enough, you'll be strong enough to hear the truth straight from the Hokage himself."

  "From the Hokage...?" Minato murmured, his mind racing. Though he had seen the Third Hokage a few times, it had always been from a distance, never up close.

  Jiraiya smiled. "He's really looking forward to your growth. When you reach a certain level, even if you don’t go to him, he’ll come to see you."

  "So, what I need to do now is keep getting stronger!" Minato’s eyes lit up, the determination in them clearer than ever.

  With this new understanding, the drive to improve surged within him. His resolve grew unwavering.

  "Thank you for your help, Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato said earnestly.

  ...

  "Now, do you know what your greatest advantage as a ninja is?" Jiraiya threw out another question.

  Minato didn’t hesitate and answered immediately. "Speed."

  In the past, he hadn’t been sure what his strengths were, but after his battle with Uchiha En, he had come to realize the truth.

  His shuriken skills couldn’t compare to those of someone from the Uchiha cn, and his ninjutsu was still cking. The only ninjutsu he had mastered so far was the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which he had learned on his own during advanced csses.

  For a beginner ninja, that was already enough. But Minato knew that it wasn’t enough for what he was striving to become.

  To reach the answers he sought, he had to get stronger.

  "Good," Jiraiya said with a smile. "The key to improving as a ninja is to understand your own strengths and push them to the limit. Take the Uchiha cn’s Sharingan, the Hyūga cn’s Byakugan and Gentle Fist—these are all innate advantages. The Uchiha and Hyūga cn members train specifically around these abilities."

  "Ninjas who have wind-type chakra naturally excel at Wind Release techniques. But if they try to learn a jutsu from an element they don’t possess, they’re just wasting time and energy."

  "Are you saying I should focus on training my speed?" Minato asked.

  "Exactly. A powerful ninja doesn’t just need to master strong jutsu—they need to have the foundational attributes to back it up. And right now, that’s what you need to work on."

  "Foundational attributes?"

  Minato blinked. This was a concept he hadn’t encountered before. The most powerful ninja he had met before Jiraiya was just a chunin, Saito Moto, and a chunin wasn’t exactly considered strong in the ninja world.

  "Speed of the body, speed of hand signs, and reflexes—the so-called reaction time. And then there’s tactical intelligence and battle experience. The st two require real combat to refine, so they’re a bit too far off for you right now. What you need to work on are the first three."

  "I had the Shadow Clones fight you just now to test those abilities. To my surprise, not only do you have all three, but your tactical intelligence and combat experience are beyond what I’d expect from a fresh academy graduate," Jiraiya said.

  "Heh." Minato chuckled, scratching his head. In truth, he didn’t really understand where these two abilities had come from.

  It was all just instinctive reactions.

  "Who taught you the Body Flicker Jutsu?" Jiraiya asked next, his curiosity piqued. There were things about Minato that he didn’t know.

  "My Body Flicker Jutsu?" Minato was confused.

  Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "The high-speed movement technique you used against Uchiha En during your duel. You didn’t know that was Body Flicker?"

  Minato’s eyes widened in shock. "I didn’t know that was Body Flicker... I thought it was just some fast movement technique I suddenly figured out while training..."

  His answer left Jiraiya momentarily stunned.

  "You figured it out yourself..." Jiraiya’s jaw dropped. While he had heard of people who could self-learn jutsu, this was the first time he’d encountered it firsthand.

  If the Third Hokage heard this, he would probably be ecstatic.

  A ninja who could independently grasp techniques and perfectly inherit the Will of Fire...

  A genius like that was a once-in-a-decade find. If they let this slip away, it would be nearly impossible to find another.

  "Alright..." Jiraiya cleared his throat and said, "Let’s start your basic training now."

  He swallowed hard, trying to control his excitement.

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