He didn't stay up late, and Kawakaze got up quite early the next day. He arrived in ti for breakfast, but by the ti he reached the dining hall, everyone had already taken their seats. Even if he hadn't shown up, no one would have called him.
"Hmph." Sakumo grunted without saying a word. What happened yesterday would not be so easily forgotten.
There were too many juniors these days, and it would be a sha to tell them about it. It would make him seem lacking in intelligence, sothing Sakumo could not tolerate.
"Good morning!" Kawakaze sat down with a smirk on his face, paying no attention to Sakumo's grunt.
"Good morning, Sensei." The four kids greeted him obediently and continued eating their als.
Konan was growing cuter by the day, and Yahiko kept serving her food as if she didn't have hands. Nagato, on the other hand, simply watched his two little friends with a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Kawakaze glanced at him and imdiately understood why Nagato remained single in the original story. This guy is either completely clueless or just doesn't have those kinds of feelings for Konan at all.
"Wait, I'll check the progress of your training. Eat more so you have the strength," Kawakaze said.
Finally, he had so ti today to guide his disciples and fulfill his duties as their Sensei. Thankfully, he didn't need to evaluate Minato's strength—that had already been proven in the war.
"Okay, got it!"
The A children responded in unison and quickly finished their rice. Minato's heartwarming whisper encouraged them to work even harder.
"Hey, now you rember your disciples?" Sakumo spoke in a sarcastic tone, unwilling to miss an opportunity to criticize Kawakaze. His strange tone made it all the more unpleasant.
"I'm busy, aren't I?" Kawakaze replied casually, unwilling to explain that he was, in fact, taking their training seriously—it was obvious enough. The few of them were mostly left to their own devices, and Kawakaze was at peace being his own master, free of any pressure.
"Busy, hehe~" Sakumo didn't say much, but Kawakaze naturally understood the aning behind it.
"Can you two be quiet?"
"If there's sothing to discuss, we can do it after we eat," Nayuki said helplessly, playing the role of the peacekeeper. Without her, this family would fall apart.
"As you wish."
"Okay, sister-in-law."
Kawakaze and Sakumo exchanged glances, their eyes sparkling with understanding.
After everyone had finished eating quietly, Kawakaze led the three kids to the dojo. Sakumo followed, holding Kakashi in his arms, curious to see how much progress the children had made.
The three kids stood in a row according to height, straightening their backs as they faced Kawakaze.
"Konan, you're the youngest. You go first," Kawakaze said, signaling her to step forward. The little girl had grown quite a bit, her light blue-purple hair tied into a bun on top of her head, making her look cute and playful.
"Sensei, the new Ninjutsu I developed is called the Dance of the Shikigami."
Without forming a hand seal, Konan's body transford into countless paper-like fragnts that floated forward before reuniting into her original shape.
"Very interesting Jutsu," Kawakaze remarked.
"It's not fully developed yet," Konan admitted.
Kawakaze understood this was her specialty—a versatile technique useful for combat and reconnaissance. It was practically immune to physical damage, though its weakness to fire made it less reliable in certain conditions.
"Yes, Sensei. I'm still working on it," Konan smiled brightly, happy to receive her Sensei's approval.
Sakumo looked a little stunned. A disciple picked up randomly could create such an impressive Ninjutsu? From his experience, he could tell just how unique and powerful Konan's technique was. His younger brother really was a lucky bastard.
Kakashi watched Konan as he clapped his hands cheerfully, swaying from side to side. He rembered how Konan often used this technique to amuse him and make him laugh.
"Nagato, you go," Kawakaze called out, eager to see just how exaggerated Nagato's progress had beco.
"Sensei, I can't do it well here," Nagato admitted, his tone sincere. Ninjutsu wasn't sothing easily practiced at ho. He usually trained at a very remote location.
"Sensei, too," Yahiko quickly added, his voice laced with concern. "If I flood the dojo, I'll definitely be in big trouble."
"That's easy enough to fix," Kawakaze said confidently. Placing his hands on the shoulders of both boys, he disappeared with them in an instant.
When they reappeared, they stood at one of the most secluded training grounds in Konoha. It was fair to say this area was like Kawakaze's personal backyard.
"This is it. What do you think?" Kawakaze released their shoulders, surveying the familiar terrain. He had spent countless hours here in his youth, often sparring with Sakumo.
"Okay," the two boys answered in unison.
"You two fight a battle—don't just demonstrate one by one," Kawakaze instructed firmly. Actual combat would showcase their abilities far better.
"Okay," Yahiko agreed readily. Nagato, however, hesitated. His Rinnegan held considerable power, but he still struggled to control it fully and worried about accidentally injuring Yahiko.
"Don't worry, I want to see what you've mastered too." Kawakaze reassured him, gently stroking Nagato's long red hair.
"Hmm..." Nagato finally relented. With their Sensei present, he felt confident he could keep Yahiko safe.
The two of them stepped apart, and Yahiko launched the first attack.
"Nagato, be careful."
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave." Yahiko ford the hand seals and spat a small puddle of water at Nagato.
Judging by the size of the puddle, Kawakaze could tell that Yahiko had excellent Chakra control. There was no waste—just enough for a test attack.
Nagato dodged Yahiko's Water Release with a swift flick of his body. His physique was notably stronger than expected. While he hadn't focused on Kenjutsu, he occasionally practiced it, which contributed to his agility.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears."
Earth overcos Water. Nagato quickly counterattacked, causing sharp rocks to erupt from the ground beneath Yahiko's feet. If Yahiko hadn't moved quickly, the attack could have seriously injured him.
"Don't underestimate ," Yahiko said with a grin. He had long wanted to spar with Nagato, but Nagato had always refused out of concern for his safety. Today, at last, they could have a proper fight.
"I won't hold back," Nagato responded. Putting forth his full strength was his way of respecting Yahiko as an opponent.
Kawakaze observed as they exchanged Ninjutsu. Yahiko's Water Release was well-tid but lacked variety, making it predictable. Nagato, on the other hand, unleashed five consecutive techniques, quickly overwhelming Yahiko. Yahiko was forced to rely on his speed to avoid a decisive defeat.
Kawakaze was impressed by their progress and could have stopped the match there. However, he was curious to see if Nagato's Rinnegan was ready to manifest in combat.
Spotting a flaw in Nagato's movents, Yahiko seized the mont and unleashed his most powerful Water Release technique. To Kawakaze, it was clear both of them were nearing their limits—they were still young, after all.
Nagato sensed the danger. Heat surged in his eyes as instinct took over. Raising his hand subconsciously, Yahiko's Water Release was reflected back at him.
Shocked, Yahiko brandished his sword and charged straight at Nagato.
"Shinra Tensei," Kawakaze muttered as he observed the technique. He recognized it imdiately. This was one of the Rinnegan's abilities, with a five-second cooldown. Shinra Tensei allowed the caster to repel and damage all surrounding objects and Ninjutsu, centered on themselves.
"Yahiko!" Nagato exclaid, startled that the technique had activated without his control.
As the Water Release dissipated, Nagato saw Yahiko panting beside Kawakaze. Relief flooded through him—he had been truly scared for his friend.
"Well done," Yahiko said, giving Nagato a thumbs-up. Rather than feeling jealous, he was genuinely happy that Nagato was stronger.
"Luckily you're okay," Nagato said with a sigh of relief, his concern evident as he looked at the unhard Yahiko.
"Can't you fully control that technique yet?" Kawakaze asked, studying Nagato closely. He realized that with abilities like Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in, Nagato was on his way to joining the ranks of the truly powerful. The more he developed the Rinnegan, the stronger he would beco.
"Not yet," Nagato admitted, shaking his head.
"Don't be discouraged. We still have ti," Kawakaze reassured him. He knew these were Madara's eyes and that mastery would only co with patience and practice.
"Understood."
"I'll take you back," Kawakaze said, repeating his earlier technique. Placing his hands on the boys' shoulders, he transported them back to the dojo in an instant.
Bang!
As soon as they arrived, a loud noise filled the air. A massive tree inside the dojo fell with a mournful creak.
Sakumo, who had been observing the commotion, pulled Kakashi closer and moved them both away from the door. The scene was far too dangerous—what kind of crazy Ninjutsu was this?
Then, Minato's excited cry rang out.
"I did it! I did it!"
Kawakaze glanced over and saw the fallen tree with a circular hole at the point of the break.
This was the effect of Rasengan!
"Sensei, I've developed a new Ninjutsu," Minato reported excitedly to Kawakaze, his voice full of pride. After two years of hard work, he had finally completed the technique his Sensei had once ntioned. Only Minato truly understood the imnse effort it had required.
"Well done, I knew you could do it," Kawakaze said with a nod, offering genuine praise. He refrained from taking credit, knowing he hadn't provided much assistance.
"Sensei, I've decided to na this technique—the Light Wheel Popsicle-Inspired Spiral Kawakaze Dual-Style Sphere," Minato announced proudly, clearly satisfied with the na he had co up with.
"Wait, what's it called?" Kawakaze's eyes widened. The na was so long and absurdly intricate that he hadn't even registered it fully after hearing it once. Minato's talent for naming things was... unique, to say the least.
"It's called..." Minato repeated the na confidently, word for word, without hesitation.
"Brother Minato, don't you think this na is a little bit ridiculous?" Konan said, sticking out her little finger and making a teasing gesture.
"Haha~" Yahiko and Nagato burst into laughter. They had been holding it in, but Konan's bold comnt made it impossible to stay composed.
"Is it? I think it sounds really nice," Minato replied, scratching his head. He didn't seem bothered by the laughter. "How about changing it..." he started, already brainstorming a new na. For Minato, naming was almost as natural as breathing—he thought he was as talented at naming as he was at Ninjutsu.
"Stop. I think we should just call it Rasengan," Kawakaze interjected, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Minato's naming skills were truly frightening. "What do you think?"
"I think it's pretty good," Konan said imdiately, siding with Kawakaze. "At least it's better than the one Minato just ca up with."
"I agree." Yahiko and Nagato both raised their hands in support.
"Then, let's listen to Sensei," Minato said, though his tone sounded a little dejected. He couldn't help but ask again, his hopeful eyes scanning the group. "Is the na I ca up with really not good enough?"
"Ahem, it's just a bit hard to pronounce. You ca up with a good na," Kawakaze lied without much conviction, trying to soften the blow. After all, Minato was still a kid.
"That's good, then!" Minato's smile returned instantly, bright and full of energy. In that mont, the future Yellow Flash of Konoha looked as innocent and cheerful as any other child.
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