Chapter 7: Uchiha Homura

"I didn't do that," Minato said, turning around.

The boy frowned slightly and said, "Even now, you're still pretending. Let's not talk about anything else; Akasaka, who ranks only behind Mikoto and you in our class, was sent flying without any reaction, and the wall was even cracked. This doesn't match your usual performance."

The new students who had just entered the academy less than a year ago were divided into two classes. The boy in front of Minato was a student from the other class and also the top student, Uchiha Homura.

In Minato's class, Mikoto always ranked first, Minato second, and Akasaka, whom Minato had angrily struck earlier, ranked third.

This reflected the strength of the Uchiha clan; no matter what field, people from the Uchiha clan were synonymous with power and excellence.

Minato didn't expect that Uchiha Homura, who wasn't present, would understand his actions so clearly. Obviously, before approaching Minato, he had gathered intelligence from his own class.

Not only was Uchiha Homura the top student academically, but he was also extremely handsome. The information about Minato was most likely leaked to him by girls from Minato's class who admired Homura.

"What do you want to do?" Minato frowned. Uchiha Homura had investigated his matter so thoroughly; naturally, it wasn't just out of boredom.

At this moment, there was a hint of arrogance in Uchiha Homura's expression, although it disappeared quickly, but Minato still caught it.

"I want to fight you!" Uchiha Homura said, walking towards the practice field.

However, Minato shook his head, "Sorry, I won't engage in such a meaningless battle. Excuse me."

Minato turned and left. In his view, strength was meant to protect what one cherished, not a tool for showing off or fighting.

"Minato Namikaze, you coward, are you afraid of me?" Uchiha Homura's expression immediately darkened, and he said mockingly.

His insulting words didn't bother Minato at all; he just kept walking and said, "Think what you want, goodbye."

Uchiha Homura stood in place, clenching his fists tightly. Although he had heard rumors, he didn't expect Minato Namikaze to be so easygoing, unaffected by what Homura considered the most unbearable insults.

He wasn't stupid; he naturally wouldn't think that Minato was afraid of him. Instead, as Minato said, he believed that fighting Homura was meaningless.

Bang!

He punched the wall next to him, watching Minato enter the classroom.

"Minato Namikaze, you wait, one day I'll defeat you fair and square. That day won't be too far away."

Minato entered his classroom, and his classmates unconsciously avoided him. He caught a glimpse of disappointment in their eyes.

However, some people looked at Minato with fiery eyes, as in the world of shinobi, strength was respected.

In their eyes, Akasaka's strength was already quite formidable, yet Minato was able to defeat him instantly. How powerful must Minato be?

"Minato, over here," Mikoto called out, sitting at her seat with Kushina.

When Kushina met Minato's gaze, she averted her eyes, her cute face flushed with a few hints of red.

Seeing Kushina like this, Minato's heart warmed inexplicably. For some reason, seeing Kushina in this state made him feel at ease, so he quickly walked over and sat across from the two girls.

Mikoto took a rice ball from her bag and handed it to Minato, as they had agreed. Judging from Mikoto's smiling expression, she had already shared the rice balls with everyone and received praise.

The lunch break passed quickly, and the afternoon class was about refining chakra.

Chakra was the foundation of ninjutsu, and one reason shinobi were called such was their ability to perform various ninjutsu.

For new students at the Ninja Academy, they didn't have the ability to learn ninjutsu yet, so they could only practice basic chakra refining and physical training.

Most students in the class could already refine chakra, although the amount was pitifully small.

Excluding Minato, who was hiding his true strength, Mikoto had the largest chakra reserves in the class, thanks to her Uchiha lineage, which gave her an inherent advantage over ordinary people.

However, from today onward, Mikoto might lose her position as the top student in terms of chakra reserves.

It was Kushina's first time receiving lessons at the Ninja Academy and refining chakra. Yet, on her first try, her chakra reserves were larger than Mikoto's.

Minato felt that even if he didn't conceal his abilities, his chakra reserves might still be inferior to Kushina's.

This result left Kunio Shindō speechless and aroused envy among the other students.

"It seems Kushina has found her forte," Mikoto said with a sincere smile, not feeling any displeasure at being surpassed by Kushina.

Kushina could sense that the strange looks from her classmates had lessened somewhat, and she couldn't help but feel delighted.

At the end of the day, as the sun set and the sky turned orange, the students left the academy, where many parents had gathered outside the gate.

Minato, Mikoto, and Kushina walked out together. Minato paused slightly at the gate, a hint of disappointment in his azure eyes.

He wished that after finishing classes at the Ninja Academy, there would be someone waiting for him, holding his hand, and walking home together.

"Sorry, I have to go," Kushina said abruptly, spotting a woman around thirty waiting in the crowd. Although the woman didn't resemble Kushina at all, she avoided Kushina's gaze and bid farewell to Minato and Mikoto before leaving with the woman.

As for Mikoto, like Minato, no one had picked her up since she started at the Ninja Academy, as the Uchiha clan's tradition was to raise independent and outstanding shinobi from a young age, not relying on others, a trait of the weak.

Even as a girl, Mikoto was no exception.

Akasaka seemed to have been picked up by his mother earlier, so Minato didn't even have a chance to apologize. He would have to find another opportunity.

Originally planning to walk home with Mikoto, Minato instead looked in the direction Kushina and the woman had left, his eyes narrowing.

"Mikoto, you go ahead. I have something to take care of," he said before quickly disappearing from Mikoto's sight.

Mikoto tilted her head, puzzled. For some reason, Minato had been acting a bit strange since meeting Kushina.

At the same time, in an office at the Ninja Academy, Kunio Shindō knelt respectfully before a man in his thirties or forties, at the prime of his life.

The man looked out the second-floor window at Minato disappearing into the crowd, a hint of surprise on his face. "Teacher Shindō, your student is quite extraordinary to have noticed the presence of the ANBU I deployed."

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(End of chapter)