The studentship ceremony was not held on a grand scale.
The message that came out of the Hokage Tower was simple: the Third Hokage had taken in a final student.
But gossip spread through Konoha Village faster than ninja hawks. In less than half a day, if you randomly grabbed a fishmonger on the street, even he could say the name Nohara Shinnosuke.
These past two days, whenever Hiroshi went out, he had already grown used to the gazes coming from all directions.
On the surface, he went about his business as usual, but in his heart, he kept thinking about one thing.
Shin-chan was only five years old. Were these gazes too heavy for him?
In truth, Shin-chan didn't notice those gazes at all.
He had his own troubles.
At Namikaze Minato's home.
Shin-chan lay sprawled across the table, both arms stretched straight forward, looking exactly like a salted fish.
"You've been like this ever since you came in." Uzumaki Kushina sat cross-legged across from him. "What's wrong?"
Shin-chan did not lift his head. "Big Sister Kushina, don't you think a five-year-old child shouldn't have to learn so many things?"
Kushina reached out and touched Shin-chan's forehead. "You don't have a fever."
"I'm not sick." Shin-chan rested his chin on the tabletop. "I'm serious."
"You're actually using the word 'serious' to describe yourself." Kushina leaned back in her chair. "What happened?"
Shin-chan finally lifted his head. "Grandpa Third said that starting today, I'll learn sealing techniques from you in the morning, and ninjutsu from Teacher Orochimaru in the afternoon."
"Isn't that pretty good?"
"What part of it is good?" Shin-chan's eyes widened. "My mornings and afternoons are both fully scheduled. Grandpa Third even said there might be extra lessons in the future."
Namikaze Minato walked out of the kitchen, carrying two cups of water. "Do you feel too busy?"
"When I was at the ninja academy, I could go home early." Shin-chan sprawled back onto the table.
Namikaze Minato placed the cup in front of Shin-chan and sat down opposite him. "Then what did you do after school?"
"A lot of things." Shin-chan thought for a moment. "Looking at the clouds in the sky, watching ants move houses, waiting for the old man selling roasted sweet potatoes to pass by, checking under vending machines to see if anyone dropped coins..."
"Stop, stop, stop." Kushina reached out and interrupted him. "More than half of those don't count as things at all."
"But every one of them is very important." Shin-chan suddenly lifted his head. "When you were at the ninja academy, weren't you like that?"
"When I was at the ninja academy..." Namikaze Minato thought for a moment. "Every day after school, I practiced shuriken by myself. On weekends, I went to the woods outside the village to practice the Three Basic Techniques. Sometimes I practiced until it was dark before going home."
Shin-chan collapsed back down. "It's over. I asked the wrong person."
Kushina couldn't hold back and laughed.
"People with ability are destined to learn more than others," Namikaze Minato said in a gentler tone. "There are many things in this world that ordinary people want to learn but can't. The fact that you can learn them is itself a kind of talent."
"Why do people with ability have to attend more classes?" Shin-chan seriously thought about the question. "Shouldn't people without ability be the ones who need more classes?"
Namikaze Minato paused after being asked that.
Shin-chan propped himself up from the table. "If a ninja is really dumb and can't learn anything, shouldn't he take more classes? If he's already very strong, then why does he still have to take so many classes?"
"If a ninja is not very talented but works hard, then taking more classes can indeed make him stronger." Namikaze Minato looked into Shin-chan's eyes. "And for a talented ninja, spending the same amount of time learning allows him to grow faster."
"But I don't want to grow faster."
Kushina poked his forehead. "That's called: with great power comes great responsibility."
"But I only asked for the power. I didn't ask for the responsibility." Shin-chan rubbed his forehead. "Can I return the responsibility?"
"Too late." Kushina stood up. "Power is easy to receive at your door, but hard to return."
Shin-chan's shoulders slumped again.
Kushina looked at Shin-chan, who resembled a salted fish that had lost all its dreams. After standing there for a moment, she suddenly turned and walked toward the kitchen.
A cabinet door opened, then closed.
Shin-chan's ears twitched. "What are you doing?"
"Don't ask." Kushina did not turn her head. "Just wait."
Namikaze Minato held his cup of water, his gaze moving between the kitchen and the dining table. Wisely, he chose to keep drinking water.
When Kushina came out of the kitchen, there was a small white plate in her hand.
On the plate was a piece of cake.
Shin-chan's head lifted from the table, and his eyes followed the plate from the kitchen doorway all the way to the dining table.
"Eat something first." Kushina pushed the plate toward him. "Morning class ends early."
"Is this cake?" Shin-chan's eyes lit up at once.
"What else?" Kushina pushed the plate forward a little more. "Did you think I went into the kitchen to research sealing techniques?"
Shin-chan did not answer, because he was already eating.
With the first bite, his expression changed in a way visible to the naked eye. From the gloomy look of "life is so hard" just moments ago to his current beaming excitement, the distance between the two was only one piece of cake.
Shin-chan swallowed the last bite and licked the cream from the corner of his mouth. "I've come back to life."
"One piece of cake and you're revived." Kushina took away the empty plate. "Who were you trying to fool with that look earlier?"
"I really was tired just now." Shin-chan's eyes still followed the plate in Kushina's hand. "Big Sister Kushina."
"Mm?"
"Did you put something in your cake?"
Kushina raised an eyebrow. "Flour, eggs, sugar. What about it?"
"Not that kind of thing." Shin-chan shook his head. "After eating the cake, I don't know why, but I feel like I can hold on just a little longer."
He raised one finger and emphasized, "Just a little, okay?"
Kushina placed the plate in the sink, her back to the dining table. "Then next time you're tired, come tell me."
"Then there'll be cake?"
"Not necessarily." Kushina placed the plate in the sink and glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's still early. You can go home and rest for a while first."
When Shin-chan came out of Namikaze Minato's home, the sweetness of cake still lingered in his mouth.
There was still some time before his afternoon ninjutsu lesson, so he decided to make good use of that time—by doing absolutely nothing.
Soon, the appointed time in the afternoon arrived.
Shin-chan stopped beside a well. A calico cat was crouched by the well.
"Hello." Shin-chan crouched down and spoke to the cat. "Do you happen to know where Training Ground Three is?"
The cat yawned.
"Thank you." Shin-chan stood up and continued walking.
He didn't know which direction Training Ground Three was in, but he knew he was definitely late.
Orochimaru stood in the open space of Training Ground Three, arms crossed in front of his chest.
He had already been waiting for a long time.
"Teacher Orochimaru." A small figure appeared at the entrance of the training ground. "I'm here."
"You're late." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
~~~
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