Chapter 22: The Way We Meet

Jiraiya and Minato moved through several streets at nearly instantaneous speed before finally stopping. 

Under the dim street lamps, both of them looked somewhat disheveled. At this moment, Minato's face was flushed red. Although he had only glanced sideways for a moment before turning his head away, he had still caught sight of something embarrassing. 

Jiraiya, on the other hand, was surveying their surroundings like a seasoned criminal. Once he confirmed there was no one else around, he turned to Minato and said, "Why did you follow me?"

It was only then that he noticed Minato's flushed appearance, his face and neck both bright red.

"I...I thought you left first because of some urgent matter, so..." Minato spoke timidly, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"Alright, alright, I understand," Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively. Minato's words lacked coherence at the moment, but Jiraiya understood. After all, it was the first time he had experienced this "significant life event."

Then, Jiraiya's expression became somewhat bizarre as he leaned in close to Minato and asked, "Kid, what did you think of that scene we just witnessed?"

Minato averted his gaze slightly, once again catching a glimpse of Jiraiya's rather lecherous expression, and had no idea how to respond to his question.

"It wasn't...very appropriate, was it?" After a long pause, Minato finally managed to say this much. No matter how intelligent or level-headed he was, when it came to such matters, he still appeared flustered.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's expression soured as he said, "Ah, you just don't understand. This is the true essence of life!"

He continued speaking to himself, but Minato's dazed expression made it seem as though he hadn't heard a word.

"Heh heh, it's too early to explain these things to you. You're still just a child, after all." Jiraiya stroked his chin and then said, "Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, meet me at the Seventh Training Ground to begin your training. That's all."

Without waiting for Minato to respond, he vanished, his speed beyond what Minato could currently comprehend.

Minato stood under the streetlight in a daze for a long time before his flushed complexion gradually returned to normal. As he prepared to leave, a voice suddenly rang out in his ear.

"Be careful of Master Jiraiya."

He immediately stopped in his tracks, and the image of the red-haired woman appeared in his mind once again. Although he still couldn't make out her features clearly, Minato could distinctly see the helplessness in the curve of her lips.

"Who is she?" Minato's heart raced as he leaned against the lamp post, his blue pupils contracting slightly.

The woman's words echoed in his mind: "Be careful of Master Jiraiya?"

It wasn't a tone of warning, though. Even as she said those words, he could sense her deep respect for Master Jiraiya; otherwise, she wouldn't have addressed him as "Master."

This red-haired woman who frequently appeared in his mind must have known Master Jiraiya or perhaps even been one of his students, just like Minato himself.

Whenever he saw her, Minato always felt his emotions becoming uncontrollable, a mixture of joy and profound sadness.

Thinking back carefully, all of this began the day he first saw Kushina.

A person who warranted protection from the Anbu Black Ops under the Third Hokage's orders—her identity was undoubtedly not a simple one.

"Being watched like this all the time, Kushina must be feeling unhappy too," Minato thought as he slowly rose to his feet, recalling the sadness in Kushina's expression whenever she left the Ninja Academy. His mood also turned somber.

"Master Jiraiya might know something about Kushina!" Minato's eyes lit up. As the Third Hokage's student and a high-ranking member of the village, his master would likely have information.

Moreover, when Master Jiraiya had come to teach at the Ninja Academy, it was likely to observe Minato himself. However, during that time, Jiraiya had deliberately approached Mikoto and Kushina.

He must have had his reasons for doing so!

Lost in thought, Minato returned home to the empty house, but his heart was filled with a warm, comforting feeling.

The sense Master Jiraiya gave him—like a teacher and a father figure—finally made him feel less alone.

So, after setting aside some of the questions in his mind, he eagerly awaited the next day's training.

Gazing at the Hokage Rock through the window, Minato felt one step closer to his dream of becoming the master's student.

The next day, before the sky had fully brightened, Minato had already left for the Seventh Training Ground.

Upon arrival, he found that his master had already beaten him there.

"Apologies, Master Jiraiya, I'm late..."

Although he had arrived quite early, this was the first day of training under Master Jiraiya, and he had still managed to arrive after his master—an impolite act.

Thus, he intended to approach Jiraiya and apologize.

But just as Minato neared him, Jiraiya's closed eyes suddenly snapped open, and he launched a punch straight at Minato.

Minato's reflexes were also extremely fast, but against Jiraiya's attack, he could only barely dodge the punch. He flipped his body and landed in a half-crouched position on the ground nearby.

Before he could fully recover, Jiraiya's next punch was already incoming during Minato's moment of stillness.

With pure taijutsu techniques, Jiraiya had pushed the current Minato to his limits in just a brief exchange.

"Boom!"

But when Jiraiya's fist struck Minato, a puff of smoke dissipated, revealing only a shattered wooden post where Minato had been.

"That was close..." Minato's figure appeared several meters away, letting out a quiet exclamation.

"Not at all like a new student from the Ninja Academy," Jiraiya commented as he retracted his fist. He could clearly see that when Minato dodged his first attack, he had already begun forming the hand seals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

This not only required exceptional reflexes but, more importantly, the ability to combine real combat experience with a quick mind.

In that brief moment, Minato had to devise a plan to escape his predicament and seize the opportunity to execute it.

Undoubtedly, Minato possessed this talent, and he had succeeded.

Swish!

After retracting his fist, Jiraiya's form swiftly closed the distance between them, and he struck out with a palm strike aimed at Minato's face.

His speed would be too fast for even a low-ranking ninja to react to, but the prepared Minato was not among them. He shifted his body to the side, evading the strike, and then surprisingly launched a counterattack.

There was no doubt that this was Master Jiraiya testing his abilities.

The two then engaged in a brief exchange, lasting more than ten rounds, until Minato was finally restrained by Jiraiya.

Regardless, there was an immeasurable gap between their current abilities.

With both of his hands tightly locked, Jiraiya smiled at Minato and said, "You adapted quickly to my way of greeting, huh?"

The restrained Minato let out a wry laugh and said, "As expected of Master Jiraiya, even your clone alone is more than a match for me at present."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's expression changed slightly before he chuckled and said, "So, you've already noticed?"

"Poof!"

The "Jiraiya" restraining Minato once again dissipated into a puff of smoke, and his true form simultaneously appeared before Minato.

(End of chapter)