Hearing the man's words, Shirota Hon was visibly shocked.
Minato Namikaze had actually noticed the presence of the ANBU agents deployed by this man?
The ANBU were a special force directly under the Hokage. Every member was an extremely capable ninja—far stronger than someone like Shirota Hon, who was merely a chunin instructor.
Yet Minato Namikaze was only a first-year student at the Ninja Academy.
A child who had just turned seven.
How could he possibly possess such perception?
Shirota Hon suddenly felt somewhat disheartened.
It was only today that he realized he didn't truly understand the students in his class.
At least when it came to Minato Namikaze, his way of thinking and his abilities had gone far beyond what Shirota Hon had imagined.
Thus, when he bowed his head to answer the man before him, his tone carried a hint of helplessness.
"This subordinate has been incompetent. I only discovered it today. I know almost nothing about my own students."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man chuckled softly.
"You don't need to belittle yourself so much. There has never been a shortage of geniuses in this world."
"Besides, judging from your conversation with him, Minato Namikaze does not resemble an ordinary academy student in any aspect."
Shirota Hon looked at the man with deep respect and did not question his words in the slightest.
After all, the man standing before him was the perfect example.
Since childhood, he had been a dazzling genius. He had even studied under the legendary Hashirama Senju, known as the God of Shinobi, and also under Tobirama Senju.
Now, this man stood at the very peak of the ninja world.
Even his own students had already graduated from the Ninja Academy and become true shinobi when they were around Minato Namikaze's age. Today, those students were pillars of the village, holding extremely high positions.
In fact, Shirota Hon should feel honored that someone like that might emerge from his own class.
The man standing before him was none other than the greatest ninja in the village today—
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Before Kushina Uzumaki had enrolled at the academy, someone had already warned Shirota Hon that she was no ordinary student.
However, the fact that the Third Hokage had personally dispatched ANBU agents to both protect and monitor her made it clear that her identity was truly extraordinary.
Thinking about this, Shirota Hon felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders grow even heavier.
After all, his class contained not only an exceptional student like Minato Namikaze, but also Mikoto Uchiha, who came from the prestigious Uchiha Clan, and the mysterious Kushina Uzumaki.
The Third Hokage gazed out at the dim orange sky.
A gentle breeze suddenly stirred outside, rustling the thick leaves of the large tree in front of the Ninja Academy. A few fresh green leaves drifted down slowly.
He turned to Shirota Hon and said,
"Shirota-sensei… how about I find a teacher for that student of yours?"
After parting ways with Mikoto Uchiha, Minato Namikaze carefully followed Kushina Uzumaki.
Earlier, he had noticed something unusual.
Behind Kushina Uzumaki and the woman walking with her, two shadowy figures were secretly following.
Even Minato Namikaze himself found it strange.
His perception had suddenly become much sharper than before.
With his previous abilities, he would never have been able to detect those two hidden figures.
Their strength was far greater than his own.
Minato Namikaze couldn't help worrying about Kushina Uzumaki's safety.
Why would such skilled individuals be keeping watch over her?
As he followed them, Minato Namikaze remained extremely cautious.
He needed to avoid being noticed by Kushina Uzumaki herself while also evading the attention of the two hidden watchers.
Without realizing it, his movements had become faster than before.
Eventually, Kushina Uzumaki arrived at a small inn located in a quiet area of the village.
Before she reached it, Minato Namikaze instinctively hid himself.
It was almost as if his intuition was guiding him.
There were strong guards stationed around the place where Kushina Uzumaki lived.
Which meant that the two hidden figures—including the ones following her earlier—were likely there to protect her.
Not good… I've been discovered!
Before Minato Namikaze could process the situation fully, he realized that one of the hidden observers seemed to glance toward his hiding spot.
His blue eyes quickly scanned the ground.
At his feet lay a small wooden stump.
Kushina Uzumaki's residence was located in a relatively remote part of the village.
With night approaching, the streets were mostly empty, with only a few pedestrians passing by.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two swift figures appeared on the street beside the residence and landed directly in front of Minato Namikaze.
"Kid, why have you been sneaking around and following us?"
One of the ANBU members questioned the boy standing before them.
The "boy" looked somewhat dazed, his expression oddly blank.
The second ANBU member stepped forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
Bang!
A puff of smoke erupted.
The figure of Minato Namikaze instantly turned into a small wooden stump.
"A Transformation Technique!"
One of the ANBU agents raised an eyebrow in surprise.
The Transformation Technique was one of the basic academy techniques taught to all ninja students.
However, neither of the ANBU had expected that a child the same age as Kushina Uzumaki—a mere academy student—would already be capable of using it.
They had been careless.
Looking toward the nearby intersection, they suddenly remembered that among the pedestrians who had passed earlier, there had been a young man they didn't recognize.
Because their attention had been focused entirely on Kushina Uzumaki, they had overlooked the crowd.
Whoosh!
Not far away, on another street, a young man dashed forward at incredible speed, almost like a Body Flicker Technique.
For the residents of Konohagakure, such sights were nothing unusual.
After all, the village was filled with powerful ninja.
Bang!
Once he had crossed the street, Minato Namikaze canceled his Transformation Technique.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He couldn't help feeling relieved.
Fortunately, the two ANBU agents had assumed he was just an academy student and lowered their guard.
Otherwise, the basic techniques he knew would never have fooled them.
However, thinking about it now…
his speed seemed even faster than it had been during last night's training.
But he didn't have time to think about that.
His mind was filled entirely with thoughts about Kushina Uzumaki.
Although he hadn't clearly seen the faces of the two hidden figures, their abilities and mission made it obvious who they were.
They were almost certainly ANBU under the Hokage.
Kushina Uzumaki had ANBU protecting her?
What kind of identity did she possess for the Hokage to value her so highly?
Minato Namikaze's thoughts became tangled.
Too many things had happened today.
His strange reaction toward Kushina Uzumaki.
The mysterious red-haired woman who had appeared repeatedly in his mind.
Who exactly was she?
And why did he lose control of himself every time she appeared in his thoughts?
These questions remained unanswered.
However, now that he had confirmed that Kushina Uzumaki was safe, Minato Namikaze quickly headed toward the back mountain of the village.
Even though night was approaching, he couldn't allow his training to slacken.