Chapter 25: Becoming a Disciple
"Minato Namikaze!"
Originally, Koshino had come to the Nara residence with the intention of seeking refuge and honing his skills. He never expected that the Fourth Hokage himself would visit him in person.
Even though he was accustomed to meeting famous figures from the original storyline and had even sparred with Itachi, Koshino couldn't help but feel a bit excited when he first saw the Fourth Hokage, led by a servant. After all, this was the legendary Fourth Hokage!
He was the iconic figure of Konoha Village during the Third Great Ninja War!
However, when Koshino first met the Fourth Hokage, he respectfully greeted him and then stood quietly behind Shikaku, observing this legendary figure. As he looked at the Hokage's signature golden hair and the white cloak emblazoned with "Fourth Hokage," Koshino suddenly realized that the Fourth Hokage was far less stern than he had imagined. In fact, there was a playful side to his amiable demeanor.
During his conversation with Shikaku, the Hokage showed no airs of superiority and even cracked a few dry jokes, leaving Koshino with a very favorable first impression.
It was hard to imagine that this amiable, slightly humorous man was the renowned Yellow Flash of Konoha! Even more unbelievable was the unwritten rule in the ninja world that if one encountered the Yellow Flash of Konoha, they could abandon their mission and flee without any repercussions.
While Koshino watched Shikaku and the Fourth Hokage chatting and laughing, he didn't notice that the Hokage was also secretly observing him, the young man whose reputation had spread throughout Konoha Village.
After exchanging pleasantries with Shikaku, the Hokage turned his attention to Koshino and asked with a smile, "Koshino, you look a bit worn out. Have you been facing a lot of trouble?"
"Huh?"
Caught off guard by the Hokage's sudden question, Koshino didn't immediately realize he was being addressed.
He instinctively nodded, acknowledging the Hokage's inquiry.
Neither Shikaku nor the Hokage blamed Koshino for his lack of decorum. Wanting to leave a good impression on the Hokage, Shikaku quickly explained with a smile, "Minato, don't blame Koshino. I imagine anyone speaking with you for the first time would react similarly. It's my fault for not taking better care of him. I should have brought Koshino over this morning to spare him from facing challenges from the new generation of various clans all day long."
Turning his gaze to Koshino, Shikaku asked with a smile, "Koshino, after a tiring day, how do you feel? Share with us!"
"Nothing much, just that carrying the title of a genius is quite burdensome."
Koshino replied wearily, causing both Shikaku and the Hokage to chuckle.
Especially the Hokage, who, as a former disciple of one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, had also borne the title of a genius and understood Koshino's feelings.
With a smile and a shake of his head, the Hokage, aware of the many important matters he needed to attend to, decided not to beat around the bush. He directly addressed Shikaku, "Shikaku, to be honest, my visit this time is for Koshino. You know how high the mortality rate for geniuses is during wartime. Koshino is a genius of our village, and I certainly don't want to see him harmed. So, the real purpose of my visit is to take him as my disciple!"
"Apprenticeship?"
Hearing the Fourth Hokage's words, Koshino showed a look of astonishment. Clearly, he hadn't expected that the purpose of the Fourth Hokage's visit was to take on a disciple!
In contrast, Shikaku had already guessed the Fourth Hokage's intention to recruit a student as soon as he arrived.
Firstly, the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans have been the guardians of the Hokage for generations. To solidify the Hokage's position, it is quite normal for the Fourth Hokage to build good relations with these three clans. If he could recruit the geniuses of these clans and have the new generation of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio become his disciples, it would undoubtedly benefit both the clans and the Fourth Hokage.
Secondly, upon hearing that Koshino had fiercely embarrassed the prestigious Uchiha Clan, Shikaku knew that some of the higher-ups in Konoha Village would definitely take action.
The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha Village has long been no secret.
As early as the time of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, the suppression of the Uchiha Clan had already been proposed. The Konoha Police Force, which seemed like a promotion for the Uchiha Clan, was actually a plan by the Second Hokage to keep the Uchiha Clan away from the center of power and isolate them. Now, to counter the Uchiha Clan, the Fourth Hokage couldn't act directly and needed a representative.
And Koshino, who had angered the Uchiha Clan, was undoubtedly a good candidate.
So from another perspective, the Fourth Hokage wanting Koshino to become his disciple had the underlying intention of finding a "weapon" to deal with the Uchiha Clan!
Lastly, the Fourth Hokage inevitably had a fondness for talent and wanted to nurture the new generation of geniuses in Konoha Village.
At this time, Koshino was reputed as the foremost of Konoha's new generation. The Fourth Hokage, considering the two important factors mentioned earlier, personally came to the Nara Clan with the intention of taking on a disciple.
However, while Shikaku and the Fourth Hokage both had the intention of having Koshino become a disciple, Koshino himself was having second thoughts.
Not to mention that becoming the Fourth Hokage's disciple meant getting involved in Konoha Village's power struggles too early.
And as for the benefits of becoming the Fourth Hokage's disciple, Koshino didn't see any!
"Come on! The Nine-Tails battle is about to erupt, and the Fourth Hokage is going to sacrifice himself for the village. What can he teach me in just a few months?"
"Having the Fourth Hokage take me as a disciple is not as good as having the Third Hokage do it! At least then I'd be a peer to the Sannin, and my status wouldn't be too low!"
His head was full of grievances, but unfortunately, Koshino's thoughts were destined to remain unspoken.
Under the mutual understanding between Shikaku and the Fourth Hokage, the matter of Koshino becoming the Fourth Hokage's disciple was hastily settled. As for the formalities of apprenticeship, they would wait until the Fourth Hokage completed his strategic mission in the Village Hidden in the Mist. Simply put, the arrangement for Koshino to become the Fourth Hokage's disciple was finalized, but after the apprenticeship, there would only be the nominal relationship of master and disciple between Koshino and the Fourth Hokage, without any actual guidance from him.
With a bitter face, Koshino agreed to the apprenticeship, feeling that there was almost no difference between becoming a disciple and not. Then, he went with Shikaku to see the Fourth Hokage off.
Unexpectedly, just as Koshino and Shikaku were seeing the Fourth Hokage to the door, Koshino finally received his first surprise from the Fourth Hokage!
"Sorry, Koshino, I've been very busy lately and haven't had time to guide your training."
"However, I've heard you have great talent in 'jutsu,' so I'll leave this scroll I personally wrote with you!"
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