Although somewhat hard to believe, Minato could roughly understand the reason behind Mikoto's actions.
Mikoto, usually gentle in nature, actually had a sharp and thoughtful mind. Probably because he had shown anger toward Akasaki Yu yesterday, she had figured out the whole story.
Regardless of his own relationship with her, Mikoto also got along extremely well with Kushina.
Akasaki Yu had not only betrayed him, but also allowed Uchiha En to use Kushina as bait to provoke him.
Such a method was indeed despicable, so it wasn't surprising that Mikoto had attacked Akasaki Yu in fury.
Uchiha En, the other main character from yesterday's incident, hadn't come to the Academy today. According to Mikoto, this matter had even drawn the attention of the Third Hokage, since he was the principal of the Ninja Academy.
Since Uchiha En had nearly injured two students, there certainly should have been punishment. However, due to the influence of the Uchiha clan, the case had been handed over for internal handling by the clan itself.
Minato knew that once the Uchiha clan got involved, it meant the village's top brass started moving, considering that this clan still held responsibility for Konoha's royal guards and enjoyed high status and power.
Handing over Uchiha En for "clan punishment" was essentially a form of protection.
Today's classes were still basic training—nothing special. The Academy seemed to show no intention of holding Minato accountable, and Kondan maintained a composed expression all day, as if yesterday's events had never happened.
After school, Minato continued with his daily training without the slightest relaxation.
His fight against Uchiha En had made him clearly aware of his shortcomings. He wanted to improve on his weaknesses and become stronger as soon as possible.
His purpose for growing stronger remained unchanged.
Yet he still didn't know that Jiraiya had been secretly watching him.
For three consecutive days, Jiraiya had been shadowing Minato from nearby without being noticed.
The Ninja Academy has rest days too. When school ended in the afternoon, most children were cheering joyfully. For Minato, however, whether or not it was a holiday hardly mattered at all.
In fact, he slightly disliked such days, as they left him completely alone the entire day.
Just as he was about to go train in the mountain behind the village again, a tall figure appeared before him.
"Thank you for your help the other day, Jiraiya-sama," Minato said respectfully with a bow upon seeing him.
If Jiraiya hadn't suddenly shown up that day and rescued those two classmates, Minato would have carried guilt for life.
"Don't mention it," Jiraiya smiled.
"If there's nothing else, then I'll be on my way now."
Minato politely excused himself and prepared to head toward the back mountain again, but Jiraiya stopped him.
"Kid, tomorrow is a holiday. Even if you want to train, there's no need to rush like this," Jiraiya chuckled.
"How did you know…?"
Minato looked surprised. It seemed Jiraiya knew a lot more about him than he should've—right down to where he was going next.
Jiraiya didn't answer right away. Instead, he grabbed Minato's arm and started walking off.
Minato felt puzzled but, for some unknown reason, found himself enjoying the feeling—especially sensing a rare warmth from the corner of Jiraiya's gaze.
This important figure in the village seemed oddly familiar, as if Minato had met him long ago, with no sense of strangeness between them at all.
Their walk naturally drew some attention. Jiraiya's status wasn't just symbolic, though very few people recognized the child he was holding hands with.
Eventually, the two stopped in front of a barbecue restaurant.
Standing at the entrance, Minato hesitated slightly, only to be gently pushed inside by Jiraiya.
The owner of the barbecue restaurant was a middle-aged man in his early forties. When he saw Jiraiya arrive, he didn't show that kind of overly reverent expression.
After all, even as a kid, Jiraiya used to frequent this place often.
"Jiraiya, it's been a while," said the owner warmly, his eyes gradually shifting downward to look at Minato.
"Hehe, so you're Minato. Thanks again for what happened last time," the owner chuckled.
Jiraiya looked slightly surprised—it seemed the barbecue owner had already met Minato before.
"Uncle, you're too kind," Minato smiled. Last month, while hurrying toward the Academy, already running late for class, he had just happened to encounter the owner struggling after his delivery cart hit a stone someone carelessly left in the middle of the road.
Although still a child, Minato had strength surpassing that of an average adult. He helped steady the cart and hurried off to school before the grateful owner could properly thank him.
"These days, it's rare to find kids your age who are this polite," the owner praised Minato—as every adult who knew Minato would do.
"Uncle, same usual today," Jiraiya casually said, leading Minato to a seat.
At this point, the restaurant wasn't very crowded yet, since dinner time hadn't arrived.
"I really don't like being called uncle," the barbecue owner laughed and went to prepare the ingredients.
Sitting upright at the table, Minato appeared quite restrained.
"What are you nervous about? I'm not making you pay, so just relax and eat. It's on me today," Jiraiya smiled.
"But, Jiraiya-sama, why...?"
Minato was confused. He and Jiraiya had only met briefly once before—in class—and during that encounter, they hadn't even exchanged words.
"Why so many questions? You sure don't leave much room for us adults…"
Jiraiya interrupted instead. Minato was thoughtful and perceptive—more than many actual ninja already out on missions.
Being around a kid like him made you feel like he could see right through you.
"To be honest, although your way is excellent, you live far too heavily for a kid. A child should act like a child."
Sizzle...
The grilled meat in front of them crackled with sound, releasing an aromatic scent. Jiraiya picked up a slice with his chopsticks and placed it onto Minato's plate.
"Although you're a student at the Ninja Academy, you're still in your growing phase. Don't always eat chilled meals."
Jiraiya's words and actions left Minato stunned. At the same time, he also realized—how Jiraiya seemed to understand him so well… knowing his training schedule, even what he ate during cultivation.
He must've been watching him without getting noticed.
"Hehe, figured it out, huh? Following you around without permission… sorry about that." Seeing Minato's expression, Jiraiya knew he had guessed correctly.
He said with a smile, watching the emotions ripple across Minato's bright blue eyes.
Jiraiya had originally expected many possible reactions once he knew—but things were clearly going differently than he had imagined.
Minato's expression shifted, and then—without warning—he bowed deeply. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke to the visibly surprised Jiraiya.
"Thank you, truly… Jiraiya-sama!"
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