Chapter 29: Chakra Affinity
Chapter 29: Chakra Affinity
Minato Namikaze was also a genius who graduated early from the Ninja Academy.
However, the timing of his early graduation was awkward. It coincided with a particularly intense period of war between Konoha and other ninja villages, and many of Konoha's high-ranking ninjas had been dispatched to the front lines.
Since Minato graduated early, he wasn't assigned to a specific class and often joined different teams for temporary missions.
Minato didn't mind this much.
He had applied for early graduation with the intention of going to the battlefield, but Konoha wasn't yet at the point where freshly graduated Genin were needed in the war. As a result, his request had been denied.
Being naturally gifted, Minato was one of the few people who caught the attention of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who kept an eye on his progress.
For now, Minato spent most of his time training alone, growing stronger by himself.
But he had no complaints. Every day, he faced everything with a smile, like a little sun warming everyone he interacted with.
At first, Tonari and Minato trained separately, each focused on their own routines without disturbing the other.
However, when Tonari saw how difficult Minato's training was, he couldn't help but admire him silently.
It was no wonder Minato was called the "future Golden Flash"! Even though he hadn't learned the Flying Thunder God technique yet, his mastery of body flicker was already impressive.
When it came to Taijutsu, Minato was probably stronger than Nara Shikaku by quite a bit.
But Tonari didn't try to get too close to Minato. He wasn't eager to push their relationship. Instead, he focused on his own training, working tirelessly. His determination was already on par with Lee's in the future.
Gradually, Minato grew curious about the boy who practiced Taijutsu with such relentless effort.
He had seen hard workers before, but not someone who worked this hard. Wasn't he afraid of overexerting himself?
Out of kindness, Minato decided to speak up.
"Tonari, don't you think you might overwork your body like this...?"
Just as Minato spoke, he saw Tonari, who had been doing push-ups, suddenly flip his body upside down, release one hand, and continue doing push-ups on five fingers.
Minato: "..."
Well, that felt like an unnecessary comment.
Tonari had been trying to find a way to start a conversation. After all, Minato wasn't a fool; Tonari couldn't just ask him for help outright. Minato didn't owe him anything.
Even a tool required a little bit of development.
"Thanks for the reminder, Minato! Is it okay if I call you that?" Tonari said as he pushed himself up with one hand, spinning and landing on his feet in front of Minato.
"Of course, everyone calls me that. But… Tonari, you're still a child, and your body is still growing. Such intense physical training could have a significant impact on your development…" Minato waved his hand, expressing his concern.
In the world of ninjas, they were tough, but even they had limits.
Everyone knew the importance of taking care of the body, and excessive training was avoided to prevent physical damage.
Tonari scratched the back of his head and then noticed his hair wasn't as graceful as Minato's.
"Well, I don't have a choice. Right now, Taijutsu is the only thing I can focus on. I haven't learned any ninjutsu, and I don't know how to control chakra. This is the fastest way I can think of to improve."
He knew that excessive training could harm his body's growth, but he wasn't a typical child.
As the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, his body could handle more than most.
That was why he could push himself so relentlessly.
Minato blinked, then paused. "Wait… you're not a student at the Ninja Academy? Shouldn't you be learning these things from your teachers?"
"Uh…"
Tonari then briefly explained his "tragic experiences."
Of course, he left out any details about being the Jinchuriki, since the ANBU would probably be alerted immediately if that information was revealed.
After hearing Tonari's story, Minato looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and understanding. Minato had grown up as an orphan himself, relying on his own efforts to graduate from the Ninja Academy and become a ninja. His dream was to become Hokage.
Though many had once mocked his dream, Minato had silenced them with his determination. His dream of becoming Hokage, while still distant, was no longer impossible.
So, when he heard Tonari's story—another orphan who worked tirelessly—he couldn't help but feel a connection.
Hardworking people always earned the respect of others, no matter where they were.
"So you've never been to the Ninja Academy and still developed this level of Taijutsu? That's amazing!" Minato exclaimed. "But don't doubt your efforts. Even if you don't see the results now, they will definitely pay off in the future. Besides, your Taijutsu is already better than a lot of Academy students! Keep it up, Tonari!"
Minato patted Tonari on the shoulder with a grin, his eyes squinting as he smiled, showing his white teeth.
Tonari stared at Minato for a moment, feeling a bit dazed.
For some reason, in that instant, he felt like he had seen the smile of the goddess of dawn!
It was so refreshing!
Suddenly, his fatigue seemed to melt away. What an amazing "tool" Minato was!
With that boost, Tonari felt like he was 30% closer to successfully forming a bond!
"Thanks, Minato! I'll keep working hard!" Tonari said, his eyes sparkling.
"By the way, Minato, I might be going to the Ninja Academy soon. Before that happens, could you teach me about chakra? If you could also teach me some techniques, that'd be even better!"
Tonari's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Nara Shikaku and Nara Shikashin learned most of their clan's secret techniques, which Tonari had been exposed to, but they weren't as interesting as what Minato could teach.
"Of course." Minato agreed without hesitation.
The techniques he knew were things taught in the Academy anyway, but telling Tonari in advance wouldn't hurt.
"So, Tonari, do you know your chakra affinity? Have you ever tested it?"
Hearing this, Tonari suddenly remembered that he had never tested his chakra affinity.
The method was relatively simple. There was a special chakra paper that, when infused with chakra, would change based on the chakra's nature.
Tonari shook his head slowly.
While chakra paper was easy to use, it wasn't cheap, especially for someone like him who had no money.
"Well, I happen to have a spare chakra paper. It's not useful after being used once, so you can try it."
Minato took out a small piece of chakra paper, about the size of two fingers.
Tonari didn't hesitate. He took the paper and placed it between his index and middle fingers, focusing on channeling his chakra into it.
However...
Both Minato and Tonari stared at the paper for a long time, but nothing happened.
"Is… is there no affinity?" Minato wondered aloud, confused.
Tonari blushed slightly. "It's not that. I just haven't infused my chakra into it yet."
Minato: "..."
Well, that chakra control was something else.
But it wasn't too surprising. Given how strong Tonari's Taijutsu was, his chakra control should have been decent, so testing his affinity should've been a piece of cake.
But Tonari had only used chakra for transformation techniques in the past and hadn't really practiced controlling it.
It wasn't surprising that it took a little time to get it right.
Thankfully, after Tonari's "persistent effort," the chakra paper finally began to change.
The paper split into three parts. The first third ignited in flames, the next third shattered into pieces, and the final third appeared to soak as though submerged in water.
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