Creak—!
Just as Sora was about to step inside after pushing open the door, he immediately sensed something off.
His right hand instinctively moved to his ninja pouch at his waist, which held his only weapon—a single shuriken.
His heart sank. He was just an ordinary kid, now a parentless orphan. Who would come looking for him?
Especially at this critical time, just as the Third Great Ninja War was ending—Sora couldn't help but be on high alert.
"No need to be nervous. I'm a friend of your father's."
Before he could react further, a gentle voice came from the courtyard.
Looking carefully, Sora saw Minato Namikaze standing there, his blond hair and kind smile unmistakable.
Beside him was Kushina Uzumaki, her bright red hair draped over her shoulders.
Sora immediately relaxed. If it was these two, he didn't know why they were here, but at least they weren't dangerous.
"Greetings, Jonin Minato, Jonin Kushina. May I ask what brings you here?"
Sora respectfully bowed to them.
In this world of ninjas, the only way a weakling could survive was by never provoking people out of their league.
Not everyone was like Uchiha Sasuke—defying everyone and still living a glorious life.
Sora didn't have an older brother like Itachi, and he certainly wasn't the son of the Sage of Six Paths.
Naturally, Minato and Kushina noticed Sora's subtle movements.
"You seem to recognize us?" Kushina crouched down, both her fair, delicate hands pinching and squishing Sora's little cheeks.
She wasn't suspicious of him—she just took this chance to playfully mess with him.
Though small, Sora's porcelain-like face and just barely one-meter-tall frame were simply too cute for Kushina to resist.
Hearing her words, Sora was briefly startled. But realizing she was just being playful, he calmed down.
He also snuck a glance at Minato—calm and composed, unlike Kushina, who acted impulsively. Minato might start suspecting something.
"Muh pahrensh told meh 'bout chu..."
His speech came out garbled as his squished cheeks distorted his words.
"Speak properly!"
Kushina blinked in confusion, then started pinching even harder, assuming Sora was messing with her on purpose.
"Ahem—Kushina, Sora meant to say that his parents told him about us. Let him go."
Seeing the dark lines forming on Sora's forehead, Minato covered his own in embarrassment.
Only then did Kushina realize what was going on and reluctantly let go of Sora's face.
Feeling his cheeks going numb, Sora shot her a glare.
But he wasn't angry—he knew this was just who Kushina was: a cheerful, impulsive tomboy.
Turning back to Minato, he waited for an explanation.
"Well, the reason we're here is to take you home to live with us. We've already received the Third Hokage's approval."
Minato stepped forward, gently ruffling Sora's jet-black hair as he spoke kindly.
At the same time, he carefully observed Sora's expression, worried the boy would reject the idea.
He hadn't been able to protect his friends on the battlefield. If he couldn't at least give their child a better life, he would never forgive himself.
But as he spoke, Sora's eyes suddenly lit up—Minato's heart eased immediately.
Without waiting for a reply, Minato made a prompt decision. "Go ahead and grab anything you need. Kushina and I will wait right here."
He gently pushed Sora toward the house.
But his words left Sora stunned.
All he had done was spot a golden card drop from Minato—how did it turn into agreeing to be adopted?
That's right—when Minato took a step forward, a golden card had dropped from him, leaving Sora momentarily dazed.
A golden card—the highest-tier card in the entire system!
And it came from Minato Namikaze. Sora knew exactly what this meant.
It could only be the Flying Thunder God Technique!
That decided it. Who cared about being adopted—getting the card was the real priority.
So, following Minato's gentle push, he dramatically "fell" toward the location of the card.
The moment he hit the ground, he scooped the card into his inventory.
Kushina immediately Shunshined to his side and helped him up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine! Just tripped a little. I'll start packing now!"
Sora waved his hands dismissively, then dashed inside.
With the golden card in hand, who had time to fuss over anything else? He needed to check it out now!
Inside the house, Sora could still hear Kushina's yelling and Minato pleading.
The thought that Minato was getting scolded on their first meeting made a small smile curl on Sora's lips.
As for packing—there wasn't much. Just his change of clothes.
Everything else was sealed inside a storage scroll. All he needed to take was that.
With the mind of an adult and knowledge of the Naruto world, Sora knew that if he didn't leave now, the Third Hokage would soon throw him in the orphanage and confiscate his home and belongings.
Going with Minato and Kushina? A way better deal than ending up in an orphanage.
At the very least, he could keep what his parents left him!
With that in mind, and unwilling to let that scheming old man profit, Sora swept the place clean—not even a single grain of rice was left.
He had always disliked the Third Hokage.
Among all the Hokage, he was the weakest, yet still shamelessly called himself the strongest.
He manipulated everything behind the scenes just to hold onto the Hokage seat—never focusing on strengthening Konoha, only undermining loyal people!
If he had time for scheming, why not find ways to develop Konoha's economy and free it from the Daimyō's control?
But the worst part? He dumped all the blame on Danzo while keeping his own hands clean—absolutely shameless!
Of course, Sora would never say any of this aloud.
That old fox was still alive and kicking—if he opened his mouth, Sora doubted he'd live to see tomorrow.
After finishing his packing, Sora finally opened the system.
Minato and Kushina hadn't followed him inside, but given their skills, they could easily sense his actions.
So appearing to pause out of reluctance made for the perfect cover.
[Ding! Golden Card: Primary Space Affinity. Absorb?]
"Absorb!"
Although the result wasn't exactly what he expected, Sora didn't hesitate.
Just like with the Strength card before, a warm current flowed through his body—only this time, the sensation was much stronger.
Once the process was complete, he clenched his fists—but felt no physical enhancement.
His system didn't provide much explanation, so he'd have to figure things out himself.
"Display system panel!"
[Host: Sora]
[Strength: 5]
[Speed: 4]
[Constitution: 4]
[Spirit: 22]
[Affinity: Space Affinity LV3]
[Skill: Shuriken Basics LV1]
None of his base stats had changed, but he now had a Space Affinity.
The moment he saw it, he understood why it was a golden card.
This meant he could learn any space-based jutsu—including the legendary Flying Thunder God Technique.
Excited, Sora still felt a bit greedy. The talent levels ranged from LV1 to LV9—and his was only LV3. That wasn't very impressive.
"Minato Namikaze, you're so lame!" he muttered.
After all, since he now shared Minato's exact Space Affinity, it was hard not to throw some shade.