Minato walked over to Akihara and patted his head. "Good boy. You helped uncle a lot. Akihara, go play with your dad for now, so I don't accidentally hurt you."
Akihara was primarily a obedient child. Though he was in a clingy phase, he never excessively used his age to act spoiled. No one had specifically taught him this; it was simply his innate quality. Perhaps he inherited it from Torifu or Naori, as both of them had been quite mature even in their own childhoods.
Minato moved to the clear space Akihara had made for him and took a kunai from his pocket. On the kunai's handle, several large characters were clearly visible:
'Blade of Ninja Love.'
He then threw the kunai forward, and almost instantly, it struck the target fifty meters ahead. The next second, Minato himself vanished from his spot, instantly appearing where the kunai landed.
"Not bad, Minato. Your Flying Thunder God is getting more and more refined."
Minato scratched his head, humbly replying, "I've been training for so long, it just shows my talent isn't great. I can only make up for it with diligence."
Minato had mastered the Flying Thunder God two years prior. From his first exposure to the jutsu to complete mastery, it had only taken him three years in total. When Torifu informed Tobirama of this news, Tobirama himself couldn't believe it. Tobirama never imagined that anyone other than himself could truly learn this jutsu. He finally understood why Torifu held Minato in such high regard and wanted him to become the Fourth Hokage. Learning the Flying Thunder God at just thirteen years old and using it with such proficiency—such talent in space-time ninjutsu was simply defying heaven. Even Tobirama, the creator of the jutsu, felt a touch of jealousy.
After learning the Flying Thunder God, Minato continued his morning training every day, as usual. There wasn't a hint of arrogance or slacking, and the speed of his Flying Thunder God Technique steadily improved. Torifu estimated that Minato's speed was already on par with Tobirama's. If he trained for a few more years, surpassing the Second Hokage would be a sure thing.
"You don't need to be so modest. Such talent is unparalleled even across the entire ninja world. In two years, I'll pass the Hokage title to you."
The stronger Minato became, the happier Torifu was. He couldn't wait to retire early. Although Minato had now mastered the Flying Thunder God and his strength surpassed most of the village's veteran jōnin, he was still far weaker than Torifu. Bearing the responsibility of protecting Konoha Village would still be difficult for him. However, his youth was an advantage; he just needed to continue honing his skills.
"By the way, Minato, Sakumo's son is apparently entering the Ninja Academy. Did you know about this?"
Minato nodded upon hearing this. "Yes, I know. That kid has exceptional talent. He already had his chakra nature tested and started refining his chakra quite a while ago. And his growth is incredibly fast. He's a true genius."
Torifu, of course, knew this. Kakashi, after all, graduated from the Ninja Academy at five years old. It was truly outrageous; he was graduating from the Academy before others were even old enough to enroll. It was just that later, for various reasons, his ninja path took a bit of a detour. Now that Kakashi's father didn't have to commit suicide, giving him a complete childhood might allow him to have a different life.
Sakumo's death was inextricably linked to Danzō, but Danzō was now wholeheartedly working for the village. He had no particular ambitions for the Hokage position, simply serving diligently as the Shimura clan head. So, there was no need to worry about Sakumo's death. Furthermore, Konoha Village's ironclad rule now stated that a teammate's life was paramount; any mission could be abandoned, but a teammate's life could not.
"This child has great talent, but with Konoha Village currently a hotbed of geniuses, it remains to be seen if he can truly shine."
Kakashi was indeed very talented, but now, the minimum age to study at the Ninja Academy in Konoha was ten before one could choose to graduate early and become a ninja. Because there were no wars now, and Konoha had a plethora of ninjutsu, there was no urgent need for a large number of ninja.
Therefore, Torifu's main priority was ensuring children had a relatively complete childhood and learned to develop correct values. In the original story, Kakashi's rapid graduation and promotion to jōnin at the age of twelve were due to Konoha being at war at the time. They urgently needed high-level combat power and needed to boost the village's reserves. Nothing was more morale-boosting than a young genius wreaking havoc on the battlefield.
Minato, hearing Torifu's words, also felt quite hopeful for Kakashi. After all, his own jōnin instructor was Kakashi's father. If there was an opportunity in the future, he even wanted to mentor Kakashi. But that was all for later, as it would still be at least six or seven years until Kakashi graduated.
"Big Brother, when are we going to clean up the snow in the yard?"
Torifu smiled and waved his hand. "No rush, I'll get to it later. Akihara is having so much fun; there's no harm in letting him play a little longer."
Minato nodded upon hearing this. "In that case, I'll continue training."
Akihara had no interest in Torifu and Minato's conversation, nor could he understand it. He simply rolled snowballs around the yard by himself. Torifu's gaze remained fixed on his son, afraid he might trip or bump into something. He cared more about Akihara than anything else; after all, he was his own son, how could he not love him? Especially when the child was so well-behaved.
Just as a faint smile touched Torifu's face, the back door opened. Naori emerged, wrapped in a cotton cloak.
"How long have you two been playing outside? Why didn't you call me?"
Torifu waved his hand, and a rocking chair appeared beside him.
"Sit down first. We've only been out for less than twenty minutes. You were sleeping soundly, so I didn't want to wake you."
Naori looked at the vast expanse of white in the yard, realizing something. She then turned to Torifu. "You shouldn't spoil him too much. With all this white, the villagers will have to clean for ages."
Torifu shook his head at her words. "This isn't about me spoiling Akihara. Didn't I tell you a while ago that I'm planning to host a Spring Festival? Without snow, the festival wouldn't have any atmosphere."
"Konoha Village hasn't seen rain or snow in many years. The villagers must miss it."
Naori couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head after hearing Torifu's explanation. She knew her husband too well. This "Spring Festival" was definitely something Torifu planned just to make Akihara happy. Otherwise, why hadn't there been such a festival in previous years? Still, Naori didn't object. It was a good idea, and the village would have some excitement again.