Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech was very dry, but the students surprisingly ate it up.
This surprised Minato a bit, but on second thought, it wasn't strange.
After all, with the added prestige of being the Hokage and Konoha's good development in recent years, Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation in the village was currently very high.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech ended, Minato's life at the Ninja Academy officially began.
It was the day after the entrance ceremony, the first class of the new semester.
To avoid being surrounded by girls, Minato timed his arrival perfectly at the classroom door.
Before the girls in the class could surround him, the teacher appeared right behind him at the door.
"Everyone, return to your seats and sit down!"
Minato took the opportunity to sit next to a lone blonde girl in the back row.
"Hello, I'm Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you."
"I know."
The girl smiled shyly and spoke softly.
"I'm Nono Yakushi, nice to meet you..."
Nono Yakushi?
Such a coincidence?
Minato smiled gently, remaining calm on the surface, but his mind was deep in thought.
If it were any other original character, he might not think much of it.
But in the original story, Nono Yakushi was from Root, and her primary occupation was a spy...
Only a few days after he revealed his Wood Release, a Root member from the original story appeared in his class.
This made it hard for Minato not to overthink.
After all, Kabuto became a spy at a very young age.
Minato looked straight at the teacher on the podium but kept an eye on Nono Yakushi's reaction from the corner of his eye.
Minato also didn't expect Nono Yakushi to be his peer.
In the original story, when Nono Yakushi adopted Kabuto, she looked very young.
He had thought she was from Kakashi's generation.
But calculating carefully, Kabuto shouldn't be much younger than Kakashi.
Based on the timeline, she should indeed be around his age...
"Let me introduce myself. I am your teacher for the next few years, Iruka Umino."
"Umino..."
Minato couldn't help but be startled.
Is he Iruka's father? Or from the same clan?
Minato looked at the man on the podium.
He looked to be in his twenties, had a capable aura, and a short ponytail at the back of his head, just like the Iruka from the original story.
He hadn't heard of a Umino ninja clan in the village, so he was likely the father or an uncle...
Writing his name on the blackboard, Iruka Umino turned around.
"I'm 24 years old, a Chunin. I like fishing, hate enemies, and my dream is to become a ninja as trustworthy as the Hokage."
As he spoke, he scanned the room and pointed at a boy at the desk near the door.
"Next, everyone come up and introduce yourselves. Let's start with you."
"My name is Natsuha! I like drawing, hate green vegetables, and my dream is to become Hokage!"
"Ha! I'm the one who's going to be Hokage!"
Just as the boy finished, a boy in the second row couldn't wait to shout.
"A Hokage wouldn't rudely shout while others are introducing themselves."
Iruka Umino glanced at the boy.
The boy's expression froze, and he sat back down amidst the laughter of those around him.
"My name is Haruki Yumi. I like growing flowers, I don't hate anything in particular, and my dream is to become a gentle and virtuous wife!"
The girl on the stage spoke, then covered her cheeks in embarrassment, stealing a glance in Minato's direction.
Minato felt a bit awkward; how could there be someone so lovestruck...
Everyone introduced themselves one by one, and soon it was Shinnosuke Sarutobi's turn.
"Shinnosuke Sarutobi! I like fighting strong opponents! I hate receiving special treatment because of my status! My dream is to surpass my old man and become an even better Hokage than him!"
Shinnosuke stood on the podium, looking a bit cocky.
At the end, he looked towards the back of the class and pointed at Minato.
"Before that, I will definitely defeat you, Minato Namikaze!"
Minato smiled awkwardly.
"Then... then good luck."
"What's that about?"
In the second row, Kaoru Koyou, who was the first to introduce herself to Minato during the entrance ceremony, rested her chin on her hands and looked at Shinnosuke with disdain.
"Defeating him by pestering him until he's forced to admit defeat—is that the kind of 'defeat' you mean?"
As she spoke, the class erupted in laughter.
Everyone was there on the day of the entrance exam, so they had all seen the battle between Minato and Shinnosuke, and naturally understood what Kaoru Koyou meant.
"What did you say?"
Hearing this, Shinnosuke immediately got anxious, his face turning bright red.
"I never accepted that kind of victory!"
Kaoru Koyou curled her lip, then turned to look at Minato and gave him a peace sign.
As if to say: See, I stood up for you!
Minato was silent for a moment.
Little sister, next time, please don't say things that are so bad for unity...
"Alright, everyone be quiet. Next student, come up and introduce yourself!"
Iruka Umino had a bit of a headache; as expected, a class with the Hokage's son was hard to manage, especially when someone in the class was even more outstanding than the Hokage's son.
Soon, it was Minato's turn to introduce himself.
"My name is Minato Namikaze. I like enjoying life quietly, I don't have anything I particularly hate, and my dream is to be able to protect the people important to me."
After speaking, Minato gave a gentle smile, and the girls below immediately started screaming.
"Ahhh! Minato-kun is so gentle!"
"I will protect Minato-kun's smile!"
A girl raised her hand with a flushed face.
"I can be one of Minato-kun's important people! I can!"
Shinnosuke looked speechless.
"Is that guy some kind of incubus? These women are simply crazy..."
Minato returned to his seat, and Nono Yakushi stood up and walked to the podium.
"My name is Nono Yakushi. I like taking care of people, I hate wasting food, and my dream is for everyone in this world to have enough to eat and never go hungry."
The girl clasped her hands over her heart, her aura very quiet.
After a slight bow, she returned to her seat.
Minato also made a judgment about Nono Yakushi's situation.
An orphan!
He couldn't say for sure, but with such hobbies and ideals, there was a high probability she was an orphan.
Minato didn't ask.
If the other party really had ulterior motives, then even if he did nothing, she would take the initiative to approach him.
As everyone finished their introductions, Iruka Umino began the first lesson: the definition and refinement of chakra.
Minato listened intently.
Although he had already mastered the Rasengan, he still intended to systematically learn the relevant knowledge again.
Organizing and summarizing the knowledge and abilities he already possessed into a system might provide inspiration in other areas.
Soon, after one class, although there were no substantial gains, Minato's understanding of chakra became deeper.
Iruka Umino was a very dedicated teacher.
Although he looked capable and serious, he was surprisingly easy-going when dealing with students.
As the bell rang for the end of class, Minato finished organizing his class notes.
"Alright, that's all for this class. Class dismissed!"
Iruka Umino glanced in the direction of Shinnosuke and Minato before turning to leave the classroom.
He needed to report Shinnosuke's performance at school to the Third Hokage.
In addition, there was Minato Namikaze, whom the Third Hokage was particularly concerned about...