A Sage's Pursuit of Power

At Training Ground 6, Team 7 lay sprawled on the ground, utterly exhausted and unable to stand.

Minato hadn't held back. As someone who had previously led a squad, he understood that a team of headstrong students needed a strong impression early on. Only then would they follow orders strictly in future missions.

"Damn it... completely powerless." Sasuke lifted his head reluctantly, but his body was so drained that he couldn't get up.

He had never imagined that Konoha, apart from Aoba-sensei, would have someone this powerful. The three members of Team 7 had joined forces, yet they hadn't even managed to land a scratch on their opponent's clothes.

It was worth noting that Aoba had previously evaluated Team 7, stating that each member was approximately at the tokubetsu jōnin level. Together, they were on par with an elite jōnin.

But against this suddenly appearing Ueno Minato, they were utterly helpless. This meant their opponent was at least of Kage-level strength, as Aoba had described.

Who knew Konoha's Anbu had such hidden masters?

"Well? Want to continue?"

Minato crouched in front of Naruto, smiling warmly.

"Damn it, don't underestimate me! I'm not done yet!" Naruto shouted stubbornly. Minato, however, wasn't bothered and simply gazed quietly at Naruto's face, causing the boy to feel increasingly uneasy.

"Uh... is there something on my face?" Naruto asked reflexively.

"...No. You just remind me of someone I used to know."

Aoba could only imagine the emotions Minato must be feeling while leading Naruto's team.

Joy? Guilt? Pain? Perhaps a mix of all three. But now was not the time for Minato to reveal his identity.

When Aoba had briefed Minato on the current state of the ninja world, he hadn't gone into great detail. However, Minato understood enough to know that Konoha was facing a monumental crisis. Those resurrected like him were Konoha's trump cards.

And trump cards must remain hidden.

Still, Minato was heartened by Naruto's strength. It seemed that his teacher, Aoba, was a dedicated mentor.

Each member of Team 7 had unique strengths, and Aoba had clearly tailored their training to suit their individual abilities.

Most instructors in the ninja world wouldn't go to such lengths.

"All right, today's training is over. It's getting late, I'll treat you all to dinner."

"I want Ichiraku Ramen! And three bowls of the Grand Slam special!" Naruto immediately agreed. Sasuke and Karin had no objections either. Despite their crushing defeat, they acknowledged their new instructor's strength as more than qualified.

"Iruka-san, six bowls of the Grand Slam special," Minato called out at Ichiraku Ramen.

The Grand Slam special was Ichiraku's signature bowl, loaded with every possible topping: chashu, boiled eggs, bamboo shoots, ribs, eel, and more, totaling more than ten ingredients. It even required an oversized bowl to serve. Naturally, the price was equally extravagant.

Fortunately, Aoba had already anticipated this and provided Minato with a budget when handing over Team 7.

"Since I've been away from Konoha for many years, I'm not very familiar with the current state of the village. Why don't you three briefly introduce yourselves? Sasuke Uchiha, let's start with you."

Sasuke's expression darkened but didn't object. This was a standard procedure for new instructors and students.

"Sasuke Uchiha, survivor of the Uchiha clan, I..."

As Sasuke spoke, Minato suddenly realized the sensitive topic and quickly interrupted him.

"Sorry, sorry, you can skip that part. Just tell me something else."

"No, it's fine. I can face this now. I'm a survivor... and an avenger. One day, I will kill that man. After that, I will restore the Uchiha clan."

"Very well. Next, Karin Uzumaki."

"Karin Uzumaki, survivor of the Uzumaki clan."

The moment Karin began, Minato realized he had made a mistake. Aoba hadn't provided detailed introductions for Team 7. Seeing that Karin had a mother and seemed happy, Minato had assumed there were no issues.

He hadn't expected her to also be an Uzumaki orphan...

Minato had asked these questions to understand Team 7 better and, naturally, to hear Naruto talk about his past.

He had previously asked Aoba about it, but Aoba hadn't answered directly, instead telling him to ask Naruto himself. "It'll give you a more direct understanding of his life," Aoba had said.

Thus, this conversation came about.

"It's fine. I've come to terms with everything. I'm an orphan of the Uzumaki clan, raised and abused by Kusagakure. My goal is to grow stronger, strong enough to protect my mom and take revenge on Kusagakure. After that, I haven't decided yet... maybe I'll try to rebuild the Uzumaki clan too."

Minato initially wanted to ask about Kusagakure, but seeing Karin's expression, he decided against it. He sensed that delving into it might be too painful for her.

Left with no choice, he turned his attention to the last person: His own son, Naruto Uzumaki.

Minato knew nothing about Naruto's situation. Although he had left a part of his consciousness within Naruto, he had been sealed in the Reaper's stomach, completely disconnected from the outside world. He couldn't wait to hear Naruto's story.

As his son and the descendant of a hero, Naruto must have had a good life, right? He seemed cheerful enough now.

However, Naruto's story shattered Minato's composure entirely.

"...You're saying you're the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

"That's right! Aoba-sensei told me. Before that, I always thought I was a fox demon. Later, I found out that the so-called fox demon was the tailed beast sealed inside me. I'm not a fox demon at all—I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage, the descendant of a hero!"

Minato found it incomprehensible. How was it that Naruto had to hear about being his son from a teacher?

Wasn't that something he should have been told as soon as he could understand?

"You said you went hungry as a child... is that true?" Minato asked, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

"Of course it's true. Back then, I had to wait until the market closed and sneak in to steal leftover vegetable scraps."

Snap. The sound of chopsticks breaking in Minato's hand echoed, though he didn't notice. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Naruto, continuing to question him.

"How could this happen? Aren't you the son of the Fourth Hokage? The descendant of a hero?"

"I don't know! Everyone hated me when I was little, and I didn't understand why. Aoba-sensei said it was the darkness of Konoha or something. I didn't really get it.

But ever since I met Aoba-sensei, things have gotten much better. He's taught me a lot of things and taken me on some amazing missions. I've saved up a lot of money now. I can afford this Grand Slam ramen once a week without any problems."

"..."

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Currently on Chapter 220 - The Final Showdown