Naruto Uzumaki sat cross-legged in a clearing within the Forest of Death, eyes closed, lost in thought, trying to steady his emotions.
Nearly a week had passed. Naruto had been trying to figure out how to find information about anyone named "Minato" in the village without alerting Jiraiya or Tsunade.
Clearly, this name held a major secret. He knew Jiraiya would tell him eventually—but it could take months… maybe even years.
And after being sealed, during his time at the academy, most teachers avoided him and gave him little real instruction, so he eventually stopped attending altogether...
Iruka! That was the one! He knew enough about the village to answer Naruto's questions.
After finishing his meditation in the Forest of Death, Naruto decided to head to the academy to find his old teacher.
******
"Can anyone tell me the ranking system of Konoha ninja?"
From the back row, Udon immediately raised his hand and sniffled as he answered:
"Iruka-sensei, the ranking order is Genin, Chunin, Jonin, then Kage."
Iruka gave a nod. "Excellent answer."
"Then what about Anbu?"
A little girl with black hair raised her hand:
"Anbu members are selected from any rank based on their skill level and potential. Any ranked ninja can join Anbu, though typically those at the Chunin level or higher."
Iruka smiled warmly at her. "Very good, Hanabi. Now—"
His lesson was cut short when the classroom door burst open.
"Naruto?"
Naruto glanced around the room before locking eyes with Iruka.
Moegi and Udon were shaking Konohamaru awake, telling him that Naruto had arrived.
"Iruka-sensei, could you do me a favor? Just one question."
"Boss!"
Naruto waved at Konohamaru. "Hey, Konohamaru!" Then he turned to Iruka.
Iruka covered his face. "I already have enough trouble; I can't imagine what kind of mess your apprentice will get into. You can ask your question, but first, you have to do me a favor."
Naruto scratched his chin. "Alright, I'm free today anyway."
"Well then, kids, we've got a surprise—class is dismissed early today, you're all free to go play."
The students burst into cheers and scrambled out noisily.
"Iruka-sensei, how many people in Konoha are named Minato? And which one is the most famous? Also, does he have any connection to Jiraiya?"
"Naruto, that's the name of the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze. He was trained by Jiraiya. He was known for summoning frogs. And he defeated the Nine-Tails..."
"Now he's gone... while I'm still here," Naruto muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Iruka watched him, noticing how Naruto stared blankly into the distance.
[Three hours later]
Naruto entered the Hokage Office.
After glancing around, Naruto noticed the Anbu still posted inside Tsunade's office.
"Would you mind sending them out? I recently heard that Minato Namikaze was pretty important."
Tsunade's eyes widened, and she swiftly dismissed the Anbu:
"How much do you really know about Minato?"
Naruto didn't give a direct answer. Instead, he stood up and walked toward the row of Hokage portraits hanging on the wall.
He stopped in front of a portrait of the Fourth Hokage and turned to face Tsunade.
"I'm such an idiot. How did I not figure this out earlier?" He pointed to himself and then the portrait. "Look at us—we're practically twins!"
Tsunade pressed her fingers against her temple.
"How did you find out? We were going to tell you soon anyway."
Naruto grinned. "Iruka-sensei." Seeing her surprised expression, he added, "C'mon, Granny!" He pointed out the window toward the Hokage monument. "It's been staring right at me every single day for thirteen years!"
Tsunade exhaled sharply again.
"We can talk more when Jiraiya comes back. He can answer all your questions. You know you can't tell anyone this secret."
******
#A Few Days Later, Hokage Office#
Tsunade exhaled and gestured for Naruto to come closer to receive instructions.
"This is a Class-B mission. You'll be part of a team escorting an important individual to Kumogakure—two other Chunin and a Jonin will accompany you."
"Then who are we escorting, and who's on our team?"
Tsunade frowned slightly.
"You can get the full details from the Mission Center. Everything will be explained there."
Naruto got up and left.
After receiving the detailed mission scroll, Naruto headed toward the village gate to meet his team.
When he arrived, he found three ninja and an older man already waiting for departure.
They were Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, and Yuugao Uzuki.
Their client was an elderly man with silver hair and beard, wearing glasses. This was Mitokado Homura, one of the Third Hokage's longtime teammates.
Naruto approached Yuugao, the only Jonin among them, and reported.
"Chunin Naruto Uzumaki reporting for duty. Ready for the Kumo escort mission."
Yuugao tilted his head lazily and gave Naruto a slow look.
"Nice seeing you again, kid. So you're the last member of our team, huh?"
Homura surveyed the assembled group.
"It should take us about a week to reach our destination."
They left through the main gate, where a carriage was already waiting. Homura climbed inside while Yuugao took the driver's seat.
A few hours later, the ninja made camp around the carriage for the night. Homura had already entered his tent to sleep.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!