[Chapter Size: 1600 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 34.
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Dawn bathed Konoha in its gentle light, heralding the start of a new academic year at the ninja academy. Minato, now entering his third year, was already accustomed to the feelings of the start of the school year. He had spent the holidays dedicating himself to rigorous training and in-depth studies, with a few casual meetings among his friends, even though Mikoto had not appeared anymore after that conversation about the Sharingan he had with her.
But he hoped to see her as he walked towards the academy; other than that, Minato continued walking and mentally reviewing his goals for the year. He wanted to refine his techniques, learn all the basic jutsus, and continue to strengthen his body and mind. His third year in this world promised to be more demanding than the others.
As he approached the academy, the familiar wooden and stone structure rose before him, the fire symbol stamped on the gate in Kanji. Students of all ages were already there, all gathered in a whirlwind of activity and noise.
Minato entered the third-year classroom, his eyes sweeping the space for familiar faces. Soon, his gaze found Mikoto arguing with Tsuna about something; he walked to his usual place.
As Minato got closer, the discussion between Mikoto and Tsuna became clearer. The two were engaged in a heated debate, while many students looked on with interest, already accustomed to the fierce competition between the two 8-year-old girls.
Tsuna, with a defiant posture, taunted Mikoto, her Senju spirit evident in every word. "What do you think, Uchiha? I'm going to beat you badly this year!"
Mikoto responded with a sharp look, the typical serenity of the Uchiha present even amid the provocation. "Tsk, Senju, you're always such a wild one."
The response made Tsuna frown, her fighting spirit more ignited than ever. "What did you say? Want to get beaten up?" She stepped forward, the challenge clear in her tone.
Mikoto sighed lightly, as if Tsuna's bravado was something she had come to expect. "Please, Tsuna, you know it's not a matter of 'wanting.' It's a matter of 'can.' And we all know that, when it comes to technique and control, the Uchiha have the edge."
Tsuna laughed, crossing her arms. "Oh, yes, the famous eyes of the Uchiha. But don't forget, Mikoto, the strength and stamina of the Senju are not something to be underestimated. This year, I'll show you the true power of our clan!"
Mikoto kept her gaze fixed on Tsuna, the challenge and confidence clearly etched on her face. "I'm looking forward to it, Tsuna. You'll be surprised how much I've evolved, prepare to cry with your defeat." Her words were firm, but the small smile playing on her lips softened the threat, turning it into a friendly promise of competition.
"I see you guys are already excited…" The moment Minato intervened, both turned towards him. "Minato, you finally showed up!" Tsuna greeted him with a broad smile, her usual vibrant energy making her greeting warm and welcoming.
Mikoto, on the other hand, seemed momentarily taken aback. As soon as she saw him, a slight blush tinted her cheeks, and she averted her gaze, murmuring a shy, "Minato..." It was a subtle reaction, and neither of the other two noticed.
Minato continued his way and sat next to them; he asked a basic question. "Ready to start the year?" He maintained a cheerful smile for both of them on each side.
"Of course..." Mikoto replied, still avoiding direct eye contact with Minato, her voice calm and somewhat distant.
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"Let's rock it!" Tsuna responded with her usual enthusiasm, her contagious energy filling the space around her. While Minato and Tsuna continued to chat, Mikoto remained a bit more reserved, participating when necessary but clearly lost in her own thoughts, somewhat avoiding Minato. The conversation was interrupted by the start of the class, with the arrival of a familiar teacher. "Hello third-year students, we're together once again!" Maki Fuuma announced, entering the room with an energetic vibe, surprising all the students.
"Did we get a new teacher again?" asked a student, their curiosity echoing the sentiment of the class.
"Yes, I'm back with you this year," Fuuma responded with a small smile, clarifying the situation and the reason for the change. "Professor Aburame has been promoted to Jonin, no longer needing to teach and serving Konoha elsewhere with his abilities."
"Amazing! Aburame-Sensei became a Jonin!" The room filled with murmurs about the promotion of the former teacher, many liked him last year, and Minato was one, as nobody helped Minato more than Aburame-sensei with the beginner's book for fuinjutsu.
But attention quickly turned to Fuuma as he continued. "Anyway, let's start the class. As I'm already familiar with everyone, let's continue what we're going to learn." With that, the class officially began, all eyes turned to the teacher.
Inoichi, always curious and eager, raised a question that was on many minds. "Are we really going to finally learn jutsus this year?" His voice was full of anticipation.
Fuuma smiled, aware of the students' anticipation. "Yes, we will learn the basics this year. You're classified as an elite class, which means that in addition to higher-quality lessons, greater results than other classes are also expected from you, so I want you to strive for that. You need to learn the three basic techniques by the end of the year. In the coming years, with the elite program, you'll learn basic elemental jutsus with a Jonin a few days a week."
The announcement triggered a wave of excitement. "Hahahaha! We're going to learn jutsus!" exclaimed a student, his joy reflecting the collective feeling.
"This is so cool!" said another, almost jumping out of his chair with excitement.
"I was classified as a fire element, I can't wait to spit fire!" commented a third student, imagining their future abilities.
"I was with an affinity for water, I can't wait to launch amazing jutsus!" another shared, their eyes sparkling with possibilities.
The revelation that they would learn elemental jutsus still in the academy left Minato genuinely surprised. "Incredible, we're going to learn elemental jutsus in the academy?!" He knew this wasn't common, in fact, he never expected something like this, even though he was surprised by the affinity test in the first year. Minato was still recalling that, in the original Naruto work, almost no genin was taught outside their clan. Konoha's academy was evidently taking a new direction with this class.
Tsuna, always well-informed, confirmed his suspicions. "Yes, my mom said that this is usually not taught by the academy, you really only practice when you're a chunnin or don't have a clan behind you. But our class is part of a special program from the village, with our results over the last two years, the village's higher-ups decided to put us with new jutsus beyond the basic ones to test if the village can create a stronger force."
Mikoto, curious, questioned Tsuna about how she knew so many details. "How do you know all this?"
Tsuna replied as if it were obvious, "My mother is a student of the Hokage. The Third Hokage personally asked her opinion about the program, and many parents were called in for this, your father must have been involved as well, since he's the patriarch of your clan." Mikoto was a little surprised and perhaps disappointed that her own father hadn't discussed these changes with her. "I see... He didn't tell me about these things," she murmured.
"Anyway, isn't this a great opportunity for all of us? We're going to learn elemental jutsus." He was particularly excited, thinking about exploring his affinities with wind, lightning, and fire elements. "Even though we learn some in our clans, it's good to practice in the academy, my father says that the earlier we practice, the greater our chakra reserves will develop." Mikoto spoke.
"The Uchiha is right, I personally haven't started practicing elemental jutsus yet to focus on chakra refinement and control with my mother, but next year will be a good opportunity to start." Tsuna spoke and turned back to look at her classmates. "What are your affinities? Mine are earth and water, I plan to focus on water initially."
"Fire, like any Uchiha." Mikoto spoke.
"Wind, fire, lightning, and Yang. I want to develop Yang and lightning." Minato responded, leaving the girls shocked.
"Wait, now that I remember, you became famous for having 3 affinities, but Yang too?" Tsuna expressed.
"4 affinities? I knew you were special, Minato, but that's amazing!" Mikoto looked at Minato with admiration.
"I became famous? Yes, I didn't do the test with a special affinity paper, but I know I have an advanced affinity in Yang, it's by far my main affinity." Minato spoke calmly, even though he had never developed his fruit, he felt that his power was there, dormant.
"I hope you master them all!" Mikoto spoke surprisingly in a supportive tone for Minato.
"I hope so too... but I won't be left behind!" Tsuna spoke.
As the day progressed, Professor Fuuma started the class with the basic concepts for the year, followed by a practical lesson. Minato, although physically present, had his mind divided. He had created four clones that were training in his personal training space, along with Tsuna's clones. The capacity had evolved to the point where Minato could create five clones, only surpassed by the six that Tsuna could create, yet he and the girl used their clones to multiply their opportunities for training and learning.
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