Haruki noticed Minato looking down and tried to cheer him up. "Minato, you still have a chance...."
Before he could finish, Minato suddenly looked up, his expression determined. "I've decided! I want to become a ninja like you, Haruki-sensei!"
"Huh?" Haruki blinked in surprise. His own image was modeled after Minato, and now Minato was taking inspiration from him?
Thinking he was just joking, Haruki tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, don't worry. With a face as handsome as mine, you'll have an easy time"
Minato cut him off with an awkward smile. "Sensei, I'm serious."
"So am I." Haruki smirked, patting his shoulder.
"Alright then, tell me, do you know the secret to attracting girls?"
Minato thought for a second. "By sharing common interests?"
"Nope. It's all about your face."
"....." Minato was speechless.
This Haruki felt.....different from the one he had imagined. And to think he just declared he wanted to be like him.
Was that really a good idea?
Suddenly, Minato wasn't so sure.
After finishing their meal, Haruki stood by the door, watching Minato and Kushina leave. "You two be careful on the way."
Then he turned to Minato with a teasing grin. "And don't forget, protect Kushina."
Minato was about to puff up his chest and play the hero, but Kushina beat him to it.
"Hah? I don't need his protection!" she scoffed.
Haruki and Tsunade nearly burst out laughing. The dynamic between these two never got old.
Once they were out of sight, he made his way to Orochimaru's place.
"Orochimaru, I'm coming in," Haruki called out, knocking on the door. When there was no response, he fished out a key, unlocked it, and stepped inside.
The basement was well-lit, packed with lab equipment—distillation flasks, beakers, pipettes, iron stands, alcohol lamps. The works.
Orochimaru barely glanced at him.
He pulled off a pair of bloodstained gloves, hung a small blackboard in the corner, and sat down on a stool.
"Shall we start today's lesson?"
Haruki picked up a pointer stick. "Before we begin, I have a few things to discuss."
Orochimaru's expression darkened as if he knew this was going to be a hassle. And he was right.
"First, move your lab to the research facility at the Academy. Second, I need you to develop a new kind of long-range weapon Byakugan."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "What do you take me for?" he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.
"Of course, you're my Doraemon...Ahem, I mean, my best friend!" Haruki coughed.
Seeing Orochimaru's expression twist further, he quickly sighed and added, "I mean, come on. A certain someone eats my food, uses my stuff, and even sits through my lessons for free, but won't even call me 'Sensei.'"
Orochimaru was silent for a moment before finally saying, "I don't have enough manpower."
Haruki smirked. "I figured you'd say that. I'll transfer some kids from the orphanage to the research institute."
Orochimaru raised a brow, considering the offer.
"And I'll also find you a few wandering ninjas to help out," Haruki added.
Over the past three years, he had built a name for himself as one of Konoha's Twin Pillars.
But beyond that, he had also taken in war orphans and displaced families, setting up an orphanage that doubled as a recruitment ground for situations like this.
"Alright, class is in session." Haruki tapped the small blackboard, then wrote two bold words:
[GENES & EVOLUTION]
"Today, we'll be covering genes, how they relate to chromosomes, their nature and expression, and how mutations work...."
---
By the time morning came, Orochimaru was still full of energy, while Haruki could barely keep his eyes open.
As soon as he got home, he went straight to bed. Tsunade was already used to this routine and didn't even bat an eye. It was the same every time he came back from Orochimaru's place.
When he finally woke up at noon, he had a quick meal before heading to the Academy.
To his surprise, Orochimaru had already relocated to the new research facility, Haruki couldn't help but be impressed. Moving an entire lab that fast was insane.
But he knew better than to ask how Orochimaru pulled it off. The last thing he wanted was for him to snap at him, especially since he was stronger than Tsunade.
Even though he only had two classes a week, his job wasn't easy. On top of teaching, he had to train the other instructors.
Hiruzen had already read through the textbooks and approved them without any changes. According to Takahiro, the Hokage was very pleased and had even instructed him to provide full support if any issues came up.
---
A month passed, and the Academy was running smoothly.
Haruki had built a good relationship with both the teachers and students, especially Minato and Kushina. They had taken to calling him "Sensei" all the time and had even developed a love for his cooking.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in," Haruki called out, looking up from his desk.
Minato stepped inside, his face curious. "Sensei, what did you want to talk about?"
Haruki leaned back, resting his chin on his hand with a smile. "How do you feel about joining me on a mission?"
Minato hesitated. "But....I don't know medical ninjutsu," he said with an awkward smile.
"It's a B-rank mission," Haruki explained. "We need to take out a group of bandits near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. Their leader's a rogue chunin who regularly leads raids. The reward is 100,000 ryo. If you come with me, we'll split it evenly."
He knew Minato came from a civilian background and wasn't well off. Fifty thousand ryo would go a long way for him.
However, Minato didn't immediately accept.
Instead, he studied Haruki with an unusually serious expression. "Sensei....why are you offering me such a good deal for no reason?"
Haruki's smile widened. Hearing that question only made him more fond of the boy.
"It's simple," he said. "Didn't I already tell you? I want you as my student,"
Minato blinked in surprise. He had thought Haruki was just joking back then. But now, he realized that Haruki was serious.
After a moment of thought, Minato nodded. "I'll go with you, Sensei."
Haruki gave him a serious look. "Think this through. The Land of Rain is a war zone. We might run into other village ninjas"
Minato tensed for a second but didn't say anything. He didn't waver in the slightest.
Haruki chuckled. "Just as I thought, you already have the mindset of a real ninja. Go get ready. We leave this afternoon."
"Got it." Minato turned and walked out of the room.
Once he was gone, Haruki unrolled a scroll, scanned its contents, then flicked his fingers. A small flame ignited at his fingertips, quickly reducing the parchment to ashes.
---
That afternoon, Haruki spotted Minato arriving with a black school bag slung over his shoulder.
"Stick close to me," Haruki said before launching himself forward, speeding out of the village.
Minato immediately followed, using the Body Flicker Technique to keep up.
As they ran, Haruki kept glancing at Minato, even causing him to nearly crash into a few birds along the way.
'Damn....his speed, his movement, he's already got crazy good reflexes and dynamic vision.' Haruki was more than satisfied.
Minato was only ten, yet he hadn't trained under Jiraiya or Hiruzen yet, meaning he was still highly moldable. If Minato became his student, he could fully shape him into a new version of the Will of Fire.
Haruki had already decided that Minato would be the Fifth Hokage.
As for the Fourth? Well, that spot was reserved for his girl.
As the sky darkened, Haruki slowed down. "Let's take a break." He lit a small fire and stretched. "I'll go see if there are any wild rabbits or something."
Without waiting for a response, he disappeared into the shadows.
Not long after, a muffled grunt sounded in the woods.
"You...ugh....!"
Haruki's hand tightened around a man's throat, pinning him against a tree. His gaze flicked to the forehead protector on his captive's head.
"A Sand ninja, huh?"
The man's eyes widened in shock. 'Was this a trap?! But....no way. One of Konoha's Twin Pillars wouldn't act as bait!'
Haruki smirked. "So, your message already got through, huh?"
He twisted the ninja's neck with ease and let the lifeless body slump to the ground.
"I hope whoever comes next is worth my time."
________________________
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