NARUTO FANFIC Chapter 1

Chapter 1 is CN author notes.

Chapter 2: Minato, and the White-Haired Natural Curly boy

"Minato, huh? Are you out exercising so early again? Truly a genius who's going to enter the ninja school!"

On the streets of Konoha Village, an old lady buying groceries looked at the blond child coming out of the alley, still stretching, and smiled.

The child known as Minato nodded, the slight trace of sleepiness disappearing from his face. He seamlessly transitioned to a bright smile that matched the exceptionally sunny day. With the gap-toothed hole in his lower jaw from a fallen baby tooth, he appeared both innocent and clean.

"Yes, Grandma Matsui. But you're still earlier than me. I just heard you had set up your stall here."

Upon hearing Minato's words, Grandma Matsui put on an exaggeratedly worried expression and said, "I hope I'm not disturbing the future ninja master's sleep. That would truly be a sin."

Minato knew Grandma Matsui was joking, so he just shook his head with a smile and replied, "Grandma Matsui, I'll come back later to buy groceries. Please remember to set aside some for me."

"Alright, alright. I'll pick out some tender greens for you, dear."

Granny Matsui smiled and waved her hand, also revealing her missing teeth. She couldn't help but wonder why her grandson wasn't as likable as Minato.

In addition to Grandma Matsui, Minato also greeted the owners of several nearby stalls, reserving ingredients for today. The neighboring stall owners were all happy to take care of this adorable child.

After leaving the street where he lived, the smile on Minato's face gradually faded, replaced by a serious and focused expression. Not long ago, he had received the admission letter to the ninja school. Tomorrow was even the day he would begin attending.

In other words, he was already a prospective student at the ninja school. After receiving the admission letter, Minato began consciously exercising his body.

He knew he was just a commoner's child, lacking the background and resources of the ninja clans. Therefore, if he wanted to keep up during his time at the ninja school, he had to work harder himself.

After all, during this period, the ninja world was far from peaceful. Even in Konoha Village, Minato, who was naturally perceptive, had noticed the changes.

The ninja adults rarely strolled on the streets of Konoha these days; they were always in a hurry, clearly going to and from missions.

Not only that, but some vendors and shop owners were discussing the rising cost of shipping goods lately. It seemed that some large merchant caravans had cleared transportation lines to carry other things.

Minato hadn't experienced war, but what he saw and heard made him anxious. Standing at the street corner, he looked towards the direction of the Hokage Rock and murmured, "I hope it's just my misunderstanding."

Retracting his gaze, Minato once again assessed his physical condition. After confirming the flexibility of his ankle and knee joints, he adjusted his breathing and began preparing for his workout.

Minato wasn't sure what kind of training the children from the ninja clans received before entering the ninja school. He also didn't know what kind of training would help him grow. However, speed, strength, and endurance were undoubtedly essential for a ninja.

Prepared, Minato looked to the corner of the street on the other side and muttered to himself, "Are you working as hard as I am, because we the same future?"

While Minato was talking to himself, a short figure suddenly appeared at the street corner. The elegant turn brought the boy in front of Minato's eyes. This boy had blue and white hair with a sunny smile on his face.

"Tap, tap, tap~"

Seeing the appearance of this boy, Minato's smile reappeared. He clenched his fists for some reason; whenever he saw this boy, who was the same age as him, he felt more motivated.

"Hey~ Minato-san, training so early again? Truly impressive! Let's see who can reach the ninja school gate faster!"

Like a gust of wind, the boy ran past Minato, leaving behind a three-dimensional surround sound message. Minato watched the boy's figure, nodded, and then ran in the opposite direction.

Actually, the boy's route was closer to the ninja school, but Minato had his own training route. He had been following this routine for a month and hadn't changed it because of the boy's invitations.

Minato didn't know how the boy knew his name, and he didn't recognize the boy. So, in the first few days, he didn't pay much attention to the boy, or rather, he didn't have time to. After all, the boy didn't seem to intend to stop and chat.

But over time, Minato became more interested in this boy of the same age. From him, Minato felt the bond of friendship.

What made Minato ashamed, however, was that he still didn't know the boy's name. Thinking about this, Minato suddenly stopped right after starting and turned to look at the boy's back.

"You should be a student at the ninja school too, right? Although I should know your name tomorrow, I still want to be friends with you as soon as possible!"

Minato made up his mind, changed his direction, and ran toward the boy. Fortunately, the boy's running speed wasn't particularly fast; after all, they weren't practicing extreme sprints but long-distance running.

After a little while, Minato gradually caught up with the boy. It seemed the boy had also noticed Minato's presence. When he turned to look at Minato, he first stared in surprise, then revealed a row of small white teeth with a missing one.

He even gave Minato a thumbs-up. Unfortunately, because he turned, the boy was tripped by an empty can and nearly fell.

As a result, the boy's speed dropped sharply, and Minato caught up. He supported the boy, and the two of them looked at each other without saying much, both looking at the ninja school gate less than two hundred meters away.

"Tap, tap, tap~"

"Tap, tap, tap~"

As soon as Minato let go, both of them sped up. Their eyes were fixed on the large character "忍" above the ninja school gate. Their smiles disappeared, replaced by serious expressions.

Two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters, one hundred meters, fifty meters...

In the final sprint, the two, who hadn't received formal ninja training, lost their balance due to excessive speed, leading to a somewhat embarrassed scramble, much like hungry wolves fighting for food. They struggled to maintain balance and approached the ninja school.

"Tap~"

Almost simultaneously, they stepped onto a weathered wooden board at the entrance of the Konoha Ninja School. They exchanged glances and simultaneously extended their hands, slapping the ninja school gate.

"Smack~"

"Smack~"

"As expected of you, Minato-san! Your speed is indeed impressive, but this time... I won!"

The boy retracted his hand, supporting his ribs. He smiled at Minato. Minato wasn't too concerned about the outcome; he too pressed against his ribs, working to regulate his breathing.

After a while, Minato finally regained his breath and reached out his hand to the boy. "I'm Minato Namikaze. Can I know your name?"

The boy looked at Minato's outstretched hand but didn't shake it. Instead, he gave Minato a high-five, a form of greeting that clearly caught Minato off guard.

But before Minato could understand the boy's intention, the boy answered with a smile, "I'm Tatsuma, Tatsuma Sakamoto."

As Tatsuma's words fell, a prompt sounded in Minato's mind.

"Ding~"

"Praise and defeat the opponent to acquire the talent [Speed +3], [Stamina +2]. Do you want to acquire it?"

"Yes!"