"Minato, you…"
As soon as he spoke, Shikaku and the others turned to look at Minato in surprise.
"I thought you were the goody-two-shoes type, a real model student. Didn't expect this from you..."
"No, wait! You've got it all wrong!"
Minato quickly waved his hands, flustered.
"It's not like I want to skip class or be a bad student!"
"It's just… the stuff they teach at school is way too basic. Staying there all day feels like a waste of time."
"I mean, it's only been a month since enrollment, and I've already finished all of Year One's material."
"I've even started learning Year Two content from the library!"
"I just don't want to waste my time like this."
"And honestly… Riku's words really struck a chord with me. I don't want to be powerless when it matters most—when someone I care about needs help and I can't do a thing."
"Surely you guys feel the same way, right?"
"Yeah..."
Shikaku and the others nodded instinctively.
"Then why not join us?"
"With Riku guiding us, we'll improve way faster!"
"Seriously, you guys don't even know—he's insanely talented. Learns fast, understands faster."
"Just in these past few days, I've progressed more than I did in weeks of training on my own."
"Don't you want to be recognized by your families? Don't you want to become true geniuses?"
Minato extended another invitation, trying to tempt them.
Riku glanced at him in surprise, eyes practically saying: "Minato… you're really not as innocent as you look, huh?"
Minato noticed the look and returned a sheepish smile.
Come on, when had he ever been that straight-laced?
He was plenty sharp—and he knew that since they were going to use shadow clones to skip school, it was better to pull Shikaku and the others in too.
That way, they were all in the same boat—less risk of someone spilling the beans.
If the teachers found out, it'd be bad.
"...Seriously?"
The trio all turned to Riku, clearly surprised.
"Just give it a try and see."
Riku smiled calmly and nodded.
"I'm more than happy to train with you all if it helps us grow together."
"Alright! I'm in!"
Shikaku gave the others a look, then nodded first.
After a brief glance among them, Inoichi and Chōza both nodded as well.
It wasn't that they were suddenly burning with ambition.
More like… skipping school to train sounded way more fun than sitting through boring classes.
"Then it's settled! Welcome aboard!"
Riku and Minato exchanged glances and then each reached out, placing their hands in a pile.
The others followed suit.
Together, they made a pact.
"Next step: you three need to master the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu as soon as possible. Sound good?"
"Want me to teach it to you?"
Riku pressed on.
"No need—we'll ask our families."
"If we're the ones initiating the request, they'll be happy to teach us."
Shikaku shook his head.
He didn't want to owe Riku a personal favor over something like this.
Favor debts were not easily repaid.
"OK! Then it's settled."
"Once you guys are comfortable with the jutsu, we'll put the plan into action!"
"In the meantime, if you're interested, come train with us after school at our secret training spot. Try it out, see how it feels."
Riku offered warmly.
"Sure! I wanna see if what Minato said is true."
No way they'd turn that down.
And just like that, the bonds between them deepened significantly.
"Tch tch tch… Using shadow clones to skip class and train, huh?"
"Not bad, brat. Not bad at all."
"I'm actually kinda looking forward to having you as my student now."
Outside the window, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, a faint smirk on her lips.
She had clearly been watching for a while.
And thanks to her refined stealth skills—and the fact that Riku hadn't activated his sensory jutsu—he hadn't noticed her at all.
...
That afternoon after school—
Riku brought Minato and the Ino–Shika–Chō trio to their secret training ground by the South Naka River and began their day's training.
He didn't just train himself—he used a shadow clone to guide the others.
Correcting their flawed techniques, adjusting their postures…
Under his instruction, the trio immediately felt like they'd had an epiphany, and their training efficiency shot up several times over.
It even felt… fun.
Especially with the clear feeling of progress—they couldn't help but get hooked.
Even Shikaku wasn't immune.
"This kid's pretty good. His experience and teaching ability… this doesn't feel like something a five-year-old should be capable of."
"A genius, huh?"
Tsunade, who had followed them in secret, watched from the shadows with an increasingly impressed gaze.
She had to admit—Riku was exceeding expectations.
What she didn't know, though, was that Riku had sensed her the moment they left school.
And he'd already identified her chakra.
So yes—his "training session" today definitely included some deliberate showmanship for her benefit.
The more valuable he appeared, the more likely she was to accept and acknowledge him as her student.
Of course, he didn't yet know that the Sandaime and Tsunade had already decided to take him in.
...
Over an hour later—
As the sky darkened, Riku dispelled his shadow clone, clapped his hands, and announced:
"Alright! That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
"Let's all try to master the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu as soon as possible—once we do, we'll have so much more time to train and get stronger together."
"Someday, I hope we all become powerful shinobi, legends of the ninja world."
"Protecting Konoha, protecting our families, and protecting everything we hold dear."
"Yeah!"
The others were visibly fired up, nodding in unison.
"Really, thank you, Riku, for inviting us and putting so much thought into teaching us."
"I honestly feel like your guidance is better than what the ninja assigned to me from home provided."
Shikaku said this seriously, full of sincerity.
"Yeah!"
Inoichi nodded as well.
"Thanks, Riku. Your explanations are easier to understand—way more digestible."
"You're practically a master teacher!"
"Mmhm! Agreed! Thanks so much, Riku!"
Chōza chimed in, nodding repeatedly.
"Haha! You guys are exaggerating. I could never compare to your family tutors—they're definitely more skilled."
"If what I shared helped, that's all that matters."
"We're friends, aren't we? Friends help each other—that's what we're supposed to do."
Riku smiled humbly and waved off the praise.
"They might be stronger than you right now, sure…"
"But in terms of teaching? Nah. You're better. You're way more suited to teaching us."
Shikaku shook his head, then looked at Riku seriously.
"You're right—we're friends."
"So if you or Minato ever need anything, don't hold back. Just say the word."
"We'll help however we can."
Chōza and Inoichi nodded in agreement.
"Shikaku speaks for all of us."
Friends help friends. That's how it should be.
One-sided giving isn't right—it doesn't feel genuine.
And they weren't the kind of people to take advantage of others.
In short—they now fully accepted Uchiha Riku as a true friend.
...
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]