Chapter 24: Foundational Training

"Go ahead," Jiraiya said, thinking that Minato would ask a question about training, so he readily agreed. 

However, Minato hesitated slightly at this moment, because the answer he wanted to obtain might be a secret that he couldn't access at his current level.

But he really wanted to know the truth.

Jiraiya noticed his expression, and his pupils immediately narrowed, as he seemed to have guessed what Minato was going to ask.

"Master Jiraiya, since you know that I left the Anbu Black Ops directly under the Third Hokage, then surely you must also know the reason behind it?" Minato inquired. He could confirm that before Jiraiya went to teach at the Ninja Academy last time, he didn't know Kushina, otherwise he wouldn't have asked her name.

However, since Jiraiya knew about Minato leaving the Anbu, he must also know the cause behind it.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's expression tightened, and Minato didn't ask further, because it seemed that his master already knew his question.

"Indeed..." Jiraiya didn't finish the sentence, as he was going to say that Minato had indeed noticed Kushina's special identity.

Then, he looked at Minato and said, "You want to know why that girl named Kushina Uzumaki was under the protection of the Anbu directly under the Third Hokage, don't you?"

Minato quickly nodded, with a flicker of emotion in his blue eyes.

Because an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart at that moment, as if the answer he was pursuing would make him deeply saddened.

"Since you can figure out that Kushina is very important to the village, you should also know that ninjas of ordinary rank have no right to inquire about such classified information, right?" Jiraiya added.

Minato nodded in agreement and murmured, "I understand, Master Jiraiya."

The implication of his master's words was that at his current level, he didn't have the privilege to know Kushina's identity.

To receive protection from the Anbu Black Ops, the level of this information was so high that even some Jonin in the village might not be aware of it.

And it seemed that although Master Jiraiya knew about it, he couldn't tell Minato at this point.

Keeping secrets was also an essential quality for a ninja.

Noticing Minato's dejected expression, Jiraiya patted his shoulder and said, "Although I can't say anything now, I will try my best to guide you. I believe that soon, you will have the qualification to receive this answer from the Hokage himself."

"From the Hokage?" Minato pondered. Although he had seen the Third Hokage a few times, each time was from a distance.

Jiraiya smiled and said, "He has high expectations for your growth, and when you reach a certain level, even if you don't say anything, he will come to see you himself."

"So what I need to do now is to keep getting stronger!" Knowing this answer became Minato's greatest motivation for training, and the determination in his eyes became unwavering once again.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master!" Minato said.

"Do you know what your greatest advantage as a ninja is right now?" Jiraiya first asked a question.

Upon hearing this, Minato answered without hesitation, "Speed."

In the past, he wasn't very clear about his own advantages, but from his battle with Uchiha Homura, he found this answer.

His sword skills couldn't match those of Uchiha Homura from the Uchiha clan, and his ninja techniques were even more inferior. The only ninjutsu Minato had truly mastered so far was the basic Clone Technique, which he had secretly learned while the higher-level classes were in session.

Although this was enough for a beginner ninja, it couldn't satisfy Minato's current aspirations. To obtain the answer he was pursuing, he needed to become stronger.

"Correct," Jiraiya smiled faintly and said, "For a ninja to improve their strength, it's crucial to recognize their own advantages and develop them to the utmost. For example, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, their Fire Release ninjutsu, the Byakugan and Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan – these are all innate advantages. The ninjas from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans train according to these inherent powers."

"A ninja with Wind Release chakra nature would find it much easier to learn Wind Release ninjutsu. However, if they were to train in a nature transformation that they don't possess, it would only be a waste of time and effort."

"Do you mean that I should focus on training my speed, Master?" Minato asked.

"Correct. Powerful ninjas not only need to master formidable ninjutsu but also possess compatible fundamental abilities. These are the directions you should work on at the moment."

"Fundamental abilities?"

This was the first time Minato had heard of this concept, as the strongest ninja he had seen before Jiraiya was Kunio Shindo, who was only a Chunin – considered an ordinary rank in the ninja world, not truly powerful.

"Physical speed, hand seal speed, reaction speed – also known as reflexes – and then there are battle tactics and combat experience. The latter two require honing through actual battles, which may be too distant for you at the moment. What you need are the first three."

"The reason I had my Shadow Clones spar with you earlier was to test these three abilities. To my surprise, not only do you possess all three, but your battle tactics and combat experience also seem far beyond that of a fresh graduate from the Ninja Academy." Jiraiya explained.

"Heheh," Minato laughed and scratched his head. In reality, he wasn't quite sure where these latter two abilities came from himself.

It was just an instinctive reaction.

"Besides the Clone Technique, who taught you the Body Flicker Technique?" Jiraiya then asked. There seemed to be some things about Minato that he didn't know.

"My Body Flicker Technique?" Minato was puzzled.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows and added, "The high-speed movement you used in the final moments of your fight against Uchiha Homura – that was the Body Flicker Technique. You didn't know?"

Minato was greatly surprised. "Indeed, I didn't know that was the Body Flicker Technique. I thought it was just a simple movement I suddenly mastered while training."

His answer made Jiraiya's jaw drop in astonishment.

"Mastered by yourself..." Jiraiya had heard of cases where someone self-taught a technique, but this was the first time he had witnessed it.

If he told the Third Hokage about these things, he would probably be overjoyed.

A genius who could self-learn ninjutsu and perfectly inherited the Will of Fire – a prodigy that was truly a once-in-a-decade talent. If they missed this opportunity, it might be difficult to find another talent like this again.

"Alright, let's begin your foundational training now," Jiraiya gulped and said.

(End of Chapter)