When Chidamoto heard the man's words, his expression froze in shock.
Minato… actually noticed the presence of the ANBU that that man had deployed?
That was supposed to be impossible. ANBU were the elite, the very shadows of the Hokage himself. Each member far surpassed the capabilities of a standard chunin like Chidamoto. Yet somehow, a seven-year-old boy—a newly enrolled student at the Academy—had picked up on them?
For the first time, Chidamoto felt a pang of disillusionment. He realized how little he truly understood the students in his class.
At the very least, when it came to Minato, he had completely misjudged him. That kid's way of thinking, his instincts and abilities—they were far beyond what any ordinary child should possess.
So when he bowed to the man before him, his voice carried a trace of helplessness.
"I've failed in my duty. Only today did I realize… I know next to nothing about my own students."
The man gave a light chuckle in response. "Don't be so hard on yourself. The world isn't lacking in geniuses. Besides, just from your conversation with him, it's clear—Minato Namikaze doesn't belong in a normal classroom. He's not your average student."
Chidamoto said nothing. He simply looked at the man before him with awe and deference. There was no room to doubt him.
Because this man—this legend—had been a shining prodigy since childhood. He had trained under the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi himself, as well as the Second. And now, he stood at the very summit of the ninja world.
Even his disciples had become pillars of the village, having graduated the Academy at Minato's age and quickly rising through the ranks.
If someone like that existed in his class, he should be thrilled… right?
The man standing before him was none other than the Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And as for Kushina… before she had even enrolled, Chidamoto had received notice that this particular student wasn't ordinary. But for the Hokage to personally assign ANBU to guard her? That meant her identity was anything but simple.
With that thought, the weight on Chidamoto's shoulders grew heavier. Not only did he have Minato, an outstanding prodigy, but also Uchiha Mikoto from a noble clan—and now Kushina, whose background clearly commanded the Hokage's attention.
The Third Hokage turned his gaze toward the dusky sky. A soft breeze stirred the massive tree outside the Academy, its leaves rustling and drifting down in ones and twos.
He turned back and looked Chidamoto in the eye.
"Chidamoto-sensei. For this student I've placed in your care… how about we find him a teacher?"
…
After parting ways with Mikoto, Minato carefully trailed behind Kushina.
Just moments ago, he had noticed them—two figures lurking in the shadows, following close behind her.
What shocked him most wasn't their presence, but the fact that he could actually sense them. By all logic, his current abilities shouldn't have allowed for that. Those two were far too strong—completely out of his league.
Why were they watching her?
His heart pounded as he kept his distance, cautious not just to avoid being spotted by Kushina, but to keep those shadowy figures from noticing him either.
He didn't realize it himself, but somewhere along the way, his movements had become faster, more agile than ever before.
When Kushina finally reached an inn tucked away in a quieter corner of the village, Minato stopped a good distance away—something instinctive told him to do so.
There were guards posted nearby.
Not just those two ANBU in the shadows—there were others too, watching the area.
Kushina was under tight protection.
Then it happened.
"Damn. I've been spotted!"
Before he could even finish the thought, Minato felt it—the gaze that had been locked onto Kushina had shifted. It swept toward him, faint but sharp as a blade.
He quickly glanced down and spotted a narrow wooden stump near his feet.
…
Kushina's lodging was located on the outskirts of the village. With dusk falling fast, the streets had emptied out, and only a few passersby remained.
Swish. Swish.
Two swift figures dropped onto the street beside the inn, landing directly in front of Minato.
"Hey, kid. Why've you been skulking around and following us?"
One of the masked ANBU stared him down. But the boy before him looked… vacant. His expression was blank, eyes glazed, like a doll.
The other ANBU stepped forward and tapped Minato lightly on the shoulder.
Poof!
A puff of smoke exploded outward—and Minato vanished, replaced by a chunk of wood.
"Substitution Jutsu!" one of them muttered.
It was one of the Academy's three basic techniques—nothing special on its own. But they hadn't expected this from a mere Academy student.
They'd underestimated him.
And now, scanning the fork in the road up ahead, they realized something—there had been a young man walking by earlier, someone they didn't recall seeing clearly.
Their focus had been too fixed on Kushina. They'd let their guard down.
Whoosh!
Several streets away, a teenage boy darted forward with incredible speed, practically vanishing from sight with each step.
But in Konoha, a village filled with skilled shinobi, no one even batted an eye.
Poof!
Once he crossed the street, Minato dropped his transformation jutsu, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
His heart was still racing.
If those two hadn't mistaken him for just another clueless student… if they'd taken him seriously from the start, his simple substitution trick never would've worked.
Even so… he couldn't deny it—he was faster than before. Much faster.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
All he could think about was Kushina.
He hadn't gotten a clear look at the two shadowy figures' faces. But with skill like that, and a mission of this nature, there was no doubt in Minato's mind—they had to be ANBU, agents of the Hokage himself.
What kind of identity did Kushina have that warranted this level of protection?
His mind was spinning.
Too many things had happened today—his strange, visceral reaction to Kushina… that woman with the long red hair who kept flashing through his thoughts. Who was she?
Why did her image drive him to the edge of madness every time it surfaced?
Minato had no answers.
But now that he was sure Kushina was safe, he turned and sprinted off toward the wooded hills behind the village.
Even if night was falling, he couldn't afford to slack off.
Training waits for no one.