Chapter 3: Minato's Loving Lunch

"It looks like I need to study Medical Ninjutsu to see if I have any talent in this area."

In order for Tsunade to overlook the male factor and take him as her disciple, he must possess exceptional talent in Medical Ninjutsu beyond ordinary.

To become a medical ninja, precise Chakra control is essential.

In this regard, Akira has no problem. His Chakra control is one hundred percent precise and powerful, whether in its fine precision or its overall intensity.

Secondly, the ability to condense medical Chakra capable of healing is also crucial.

In his previous life, there were people online who said that medical Chakra is a special type of Chakra extracted from Yang Chakra.

So the key lies in whether he can refine Yang attribute Chakra.

Akira himself doesn't know if he can refine it.

Lastly, it's about having a flexible mind and understanding and absorbing medical knowledge.

In this respect, Akira, as a medical undergraduate in his previous life, should have a slight advantage.

However, the world is different now, and many of his medical knowledge needs updating and transformation.

"In any case, I have to prepare for long-term persistence."

"No matter what, I definitely need to learn Medical Ninjutsu and succeed in becoming Tsunade's disciple."

Akira encouraged himself inwardly. Becoming Tsunade's disciple is not just about learning Yin Seal and Medical Ninjutsu; it's also crucial to join the lineage of the Hokage's apprentices.

In Konoha, to become Hokage, the key is not whether you can gain the villagers' support. The key is whether you are part of the Third's lineage of apprentices.

Looking at the Hokages after the Third, whether it's Tsunade, Kakashi, or Naruto, they all come from the Third Hokage's lineage of apprentices.

Even the acting Hokage Danzo, in a sense, can be considered part of the Third's lineage.

Therefore, setting aside various reasons, the fact is that the position of Hokage has never escaped the critical factor of being from the lineage of the Third.

If Akira wants to compete for the position of Hokage, he must become Tsunade's disciple. Otherwise, he won't be able to compete with Minato.

Ding...

With the ringing of the bell signaling the end of the first morning Chakra condensation class, the quiet classroom instantly turned into a lively sea.

For young children around five or six years old who are naturally active, the Chakra condensation class, where they couldn't talk or move, was very painful.

As soon as class ended, everyone eagerly stood up and interacted with each other.

Only Akira remained immersed in the joy of condensing Chakra.

After all, the powerful pleasure brought by the continuous filling of Chakra in his body was too stimulating, making it irresistible and addictive.

"Akira...!"

Minato murmured in his heart, his gaze towards his friend becoming colder and colder.

The longer he observed, the more certain he became that his friend was having issues.

Currently, the Chakra within his friend's body is still rapidly increasing.

This indicates that his friend is still condensing Chakra. This kind of extraordinary speed in condensing Chakra is something his friend could never achieve before.

Moreover, condensing Chakra actually consumes mental energy.

Normally, after a class session, one's mental focus would become insufficient, and the speed of condensing Chakra would decrease.

Even for him, after focusing on condensing Chakra for a class period, if he continues, the speed of condensing Chakra would also decrease, though not as much as others.

But now, in his friend's case, from his sensing, his Chakra generation speed hasn't changed at all; it has been maintaining the initial acceleration.

This kind of intense mental focus is not something his friend was capable of.

"Who could it be?"

"Or what exactly happened?"

Minato pondered, still unable to come to a conclusion. Whether it was a problem with his friend himself or if someone else was controlling him.

"Kimura Akira, stop. The Chakra condensation class is over."

The Sensei of the ninja class came to Akira's side, frowning as he reminded him, "Excessive condensing will harm your body and spirit."

He believed that this child wanted to become stronger because of his parents' situation.

But overexertion and mental exhaustion from condensing Chakra can cause harm to both the body and spirit, and in severe cases, it may lead to permanent damage.

That would be too high a price to pay.

Upon hearing someone call out his name, Akira opened his eyes and saw curious classmates looking over at him in the classroom, as well as the serious-looking sensei watching him. It was then that he realized his first class of Chakra condensation had ended.

Not wanting to appear too out of line, Akira immediately lowered his head to apologize to the Ninja sensei, "I'm sorry, sensei. I won't do it again next time."

"Don't worry, but reasonable efforts are the quickest way to improve your strength," Sensei nodded, encouraging him a few words before turning away.

"Yes, sensei!"

Akira nodded along, watching the sensei leave and feeling relieved in his heart.

He still had some concerns about interacting too much with others, especially with adult ninjas.

"Akira, you were much more focused on condensing Chakra today than before," Minato still wore a gentle smile, his tone casually curious, subtly probing Akira.

Akira didn't think much of it and casually replied with a smile, "To become Hokage, I naturally have to work hard to improve myself."

Minato smiled back and replied, "Then I'll have to work harder too."

"Together."

"Together."

The two smiled at each other, appearing like close friends who cared deeply for each other.

The ten-minute break passed quickly. Minato didn't probe Akira further, and Akira was happy with that, feeling nothing was amiss.

It could only be said that Minato, with his sincere and gentle smile, easily gained the trust of others.

The second class was about the Will of Fire, each person had a book on the Will of Fire, discussing its principles.

However, throughout the entire class, Akira felt more like he was attending a personal biography lesson of the Third Hokage.

Because the contents of the Will of Fire book were all about the Third Hokage's experiences from childhood to adulthood.

In other words, the Will of Fire was interpreted through the life experiences of the Third Hokage.

To some extent, the Will of Fire was synonymous with the will of the Third Hokage.

"No wonder the Third Hokage in the original had the title of the strongest Hokage in Konoha."

Akira sighed inwardly. It was like directly putting his own will into the essential knowledge for college entrance exams; if he didn't want people to acknowledge him as the strongest Hokage, it would be impossible.

At the same time, it could subtly enhance the prestige of the Third among the many ninjas and civilians in Konoha.

The Third truly deserved the title of the Hokage with the strongest political acumen.

'This move... is very clever; I should remember this.'

Akira smiled to himself, deciding that in the future, he would also write a book on the Will of Fire that belonged to him, ensuring that everyone in Konoha inherited his Will of Fire.

After the Will of Fire class, the third period was a theoretical class on ninja tools knowledge.

Mainly, it introduced the usage of various ninja tools in the ninja world and corresponding techniques.

Today's lesson focused on the application of Kunai paired with elastic wires and spring mechanisms to create Kunai traps, as well as strategies involving Explosive Tags for combat.

The discussion was detailed, taking into account factors such as the geographical climate of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

Akira approached the lesson with a more serious attitude than he did during his senior year in his previous life, actively absorbing the knowledge imparted by the ninja sensei at the podium.

After all, this knowledge could potentially save his life in the future.

There was no room for not taking it seriously.

The theoretical class on ninja tools knowledge was quite lengthy, and once it was over, there were no more classes until lunchtime.

Lunch break was spent at school, not going home, similar to most schools in his previous life.

Typically, students came to school in the morning and returned home after classes in the afternoon.

"Akira, let's eat together."

Minato took out his large lunchbox, opened it, and invited his friend to join him for lunch.

"This... I'm not sure if it's appropriate," Akira pretended to be reserved.

Only now did he realize that he seemed to be the only one in the entire class without a lunchbox; everyone else had brought theirs.

It wasn't entirely his fault. These past few days, he had been overwhelmed by the sense of panic and anxiety of being in a strange world.

Moreover, in his previous life, he never had the habit of preparing a lunchbox for himself.

So this morning, he came without food.

"Let's eat together. I deliberately brought enough for two people," Minato smiled and handed a pair of chopsticks to Akira.

Seeing that there were already two pairs of chopsticks prepared in the lunchbox, Akira instantly understood that Minato had indeed prepared lunch for him in advance.

At this moment, the conversations of several female classmates in the class also confirmed Akira's thoughts.

"So that's it!"

"No wonder Minato-kun has been carrying a big lunchbox these days. It turns out it was for Akira."

"Minato-kun is so gentle and handsome!"

Several girls were captivated by Minato's personal charm, their eyes sparkling.

"It seems like Minato started bringing a big lunchbox..."

Someone noticed that Minato began bringing a lunchbox on the day Kimura Akira received news of his parents' death. Seeing the scene now, they all understood why Minato had been carrying a big lunchbox these days.

It was to prevent Akira from having a day without a lunchbox like today.

Why didn't Akira bring a lunchbox?

Because as an orphan without other relatives to rely on, Akira definitely wouldn't prepare lunch for himself.

At such a young age, to be so sensitive to human feelings and circumstances, how could one not admire him?

"It's really nice to have a friend like Minato-kun!"

Some looked at Akira with envy in their eyes, clearly also desiring to have the friendship between Minato and Akira.

Upon hearing this, Akira, who now understood everything, was deeply moved. He looked sincerely at Minato and said with heartfelt gratitude, "Thank you, Minato."

After saying that, Akira took the chopsticks from Minato's hand. Minato smiled and said, "We are friends, aren't we?"

Akira nodded vigorously, "Yes, we are friends."

At the same time, Akira firmly thought to himself, 'Yes, we are friends. The outcome of the future Nine-Tails incident will never repeat itself. I swear I will never let Obito succeed.'

Minato's sensitivity deeply moved Akira. He found in Minato a friend he could truly entrust his life to.

Akira cherished this friendship dearly.

"Itadakimasu" Minato said, pushing the opened lunchbox between them. His expression showed no signs of abnormality, his smile as warm and friendly as ever.

Akira, immersed in his emotions, didn't notice that the lunchbox contained sushi rice balls with raw fish slices. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

Instantly, the raw fish's freshness and the strong vinegar flavor overwhelmed Akira's taste buds.

Or rather, it immediately triggered Akira's aversion and discomfort towards raw fish slices and vinegar from his memories of his past life.

Akira's eyebrows furrowed instantly, his throat itched, and he felt like vomiting.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, he managed to hold back and forcibly swallowed it down.