Chapter 12: The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki

This was a kind of probing by Jiraiya towards Minato Namikaze, even though he himself did not have high expectations, he was able to perceive it.

After all, no matter what, Minato was still a new student at the Ninja Academy. Even though he possessed the basic qualities of a genin, in Jiraiya's eyes, it was not something significant.

Years ago, when he and two others were six years old, they had already become true ninjas. When Minato was this age, he had already experienced life-and-death battles.

However, the test he set seemed too difficult for ordinary genin, yet Minato had already noticed this point, which even the talented Uchiha Homura from the Uchiha clan had not noticed.

In any case, Jiraiya was quite satisfied with the disciple the Third Hokage had found for him.

Today's lesson was also proposed by him, with the purpose of testing Minato's abilities. Originally, he had further preparations, but now it seemed unnecessary.

Through a short observation, Minato had demonstrated all the qualities a ninja should possess: keen perception, judgment, and most importantly, a composed demeanor.

With his qualities, he could easily graduate from the Ninja Academy and become a true ninja.

However, it seemed that he was concealing his strength at the Academy. For an age when one should typically show off, Minato's actions must have had their reasons.

Such a nature did not seem like that of a seven-year-old child.

However, gradually, Jiraiya shifted his gaze from Minato to Kushina Uzumaki.

From the moment he arrived, he noticed that this girl possessed an exceptionally strong chakra fluctuation, even surpassing Minato and Uchiha Homura. However, her chakra seemed a bit peculiar.

It was not an ordinary chakra fluctuation that a regular person could possess.

For this reason, he deliberately approached Mikoto and Kushina at the beginning, just to confirm his perception was not wrong.

"Today's demonstration ends here. I have other matters to attend to, farewell." Jiraiya said, and then his form disappeared from everyone's sight.

Kunio Shindō and the others exchanged glances, then led their respective classes back to the classrooms. Jiraiya had taught them the Clone Technique, but many students seemed to not fully understand it, requiring their teachers to explain it in more detail.

Before learning ninjutsu, one must first understand the nature of the technique and the hand seals. Although Jiraiya had slowed down the hand seals earlier, many people naturally did not remember them.

Among them was the frustrated Kushina Uzumaki.

The Hokage Residence, located in the central area of Konoha Village, had a prominent "fire" character on the upper part of the building. This was the place where the Hokage worked and also symbolized the Hokage's position in Konoha Village and the Land of Fire.

Jiraiya's form appeared in front of the building, and after a few leaps and flashes, he arrived at the entrance and walked straight in, moving through it with familiarity. Soon, he came to a door.

At that moment, the door was open.

A handsome man with light purple long hair emerged from the door.

Coincidentally encountering Jiraiya, the man smiled and greeted him, "Jiraiya, here to see the Third Hokage?"

The man's name was Katsudō Rantō, and like Jiraiya, he was also a Jōnin.

"Yeah," Jiraiya nodded in response, and the two brushed past each other, with the former closing the door from the inside.

After entering the room, the first thing that caught his eye was a large desk, but it was currently piled high with documents like a small mountain. While the Hokage was respected, he also bore tremendous responsibilities.

If he had to handle so many documents himself, it would be more troublesome than executing an S-rank mission.

The Third Hokage slightly raised his head, then lowered it again, continuing to process the documents in front of him, "You're here."

Jiraiya casually found a spot near the desk to sit down, waiting for the Third's question.

"You've seen that kid?" the Third said.

Jiraiya nodded.

The Third wrote a few strokes with a pen on the document in front of him, then placed it on the stack of documents on the left side and let out a long sigh. Raising his eyes, he said, "I found this disciple for you. Are you satisfied with him?"

The Third smiled, and Jiraiya raised his white eyebrows, "Indeed, he's a good seedling, though not quite as good as I was back then."

The Third simply smiled at this, then said, "It seems you're satisfied, that's good. I'll leave him to you. As for how to teach him, you can handle it yourself."

"Of course, I would have done so even without you saying it," Jiraiya said, pursing his lips.

Then, he stared at the Third and said, "Aren't you hiding something from me?"

The Third was taken aback upon hearing this.

"The red-haired girl in Minato's class, her chakra is very peculiar."

Jiraiya said, although he couldn't yet identify the source of Kushina's chakra, he could affirm that this little girl's origins were extraordinary.

The Third's expression changed slightly, a detail that Jiraiya naturally noticed.

"So you still couldn't hide it from me."

He had deliberately removed the ANBU guards protecting Kushina, fearing that Jiraiya would notice. It seemed that his disciple had grown to an extent that surprised him without realizing it.

Then, the Third stood up, took the pipe on the desk, lit it, and took a puff.

He exhaled smoke, which gradually spread and filled the Hokage's office.

After a moment of contemplation, the Third said, "Originally, even you had no right to know about this matter. Its implications are too significant, potentially affecting the stability of Konoha Village and the peace among the Five Great Shinobi Nations. However, since you are my disciple, also an inheritor of the Will of Fire, telling you is acceptable."

He first emphasized the severity of this matter, and Jiraiya's expression became serious upon hearing it.

"That little girl's name is Kushina Uzumaki," the Third said slowly.

"A member of the Uzumaki clan?" Jiraiya showed a surprised expression. The Uzumaki clan was once an ally of Konoha Village, and its members were born with exceptional vitality and immense chakra reserves.

No wonder he felt that Kushina's chakra was peculiar.

However, the Uzumaki clan no longer existed in the world because their proficiency in sealing techniques was seen as a threat by other shinobi nations, leading to their destruction.

The surviving members of the Uzumaki clan were scattered across the world.

After learning Kushina's identity, Jiraiya had guessed in his mind, but when the Third confirmed it, his pupils still narrowed slightly.

"And she will be the next Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki!"

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(End of chapter)