At night — Ichiraku Ramen shop.
Guts and Namikaze Minato sat side by side.
In stark contrast to the Hokage, who had barely finished his first bowl, Guts had already stacked more than a dozen empty bowls beside him, forming a tower half a meter tall.
"One more."
Guts waved his hand lazily.
The shop owner, long accustomed to this bottomless pit, delivered another steaming bowl without missing a beat.
"So, that's why you called me out?"
Guts asked casually, snapping apart a pair of disposable chopsticks, ready to dig into his next bowl of ramen.
Namikaze Minato had invited him tonight to talk about Hyuga Hanabi, a gifted young kunoichi who had graduated early this year.
Knowing that Guts had briefly trained her in the past, Minato was hoping to persuade him to take up the role of a Jōnin instructor once more,this time, with Hanabi under his guidance.
Guts slurped some noodles and said bluntly, "Just replace that Haruno girl. Problem solved."
Minato blinked, unsure if he heard that right. "You mean… Sakura?"
"Yeah. She's got no clan, no power, and contributes nothing but yelling. Just brush her off and put Hanabi in her place."
He shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world.
Moreover, from start to finish in the anime, aside from that forced moment where Kishimoto, the author of Naruto, had her land a single punch on Kaguya purely for plot convenience, she didn't contribute much.
If anything, she was more annoying than useful.
Not even on Neji's level.
Brushing her off wouldn't be a big deal.
Guts thought to himself.
Minato let out a helpless sigh. "Guts… that's harsh. We're all Konoha shinobi. Everyone deserves equal treatment."
Guts gave him a sideways glance while grabbing his next bowl. "If you weren't that kind of guy, I wouldn't have let you take the Hokage seat."
Minato chuckled.
Guts took another slurp and added, "Anyway, forget team placement. I'm planning to leave the village for a bit. I'll take the brat with me. Might be fun to raise a wild cat into a house pet."
He grinned to himself, already imagining the look on Hanabi's face.
Minato's expression turned serious. "Leaving the village? Why? Something happened?"
"I'm not sure yet," Guts said, finishing his broth in one gulp. "But I've sensed something strange. Something... not of this world."
His eyes narrowed.
"It might be interesting."
When Minato heard him say that, his expression changed but in the end he didn't ask anything.
A short while later, the two left Ichiraku Ramen.
Minato was about to flash away when the owner called out, "Lord Hokage! You forgot the bill!"
Looking back at the towering stack of bowls, Minato's mouth twitched.
He reached for his thin wallet and sighed.
The next day – Ninja Academy classroom.
"Onee-san!"
A loud voice rang out as Hanabi dashed into the classroom, ignoring the shocked stares of her peers and leaping into Hinata's arms.
"Who's that? She kinda looks like Hinata," Ino asked curiously.
Hanabi puffed out her chest with pride. "I'm her younger sister. I passed the early graduation exam and came here for team placement."
Everyone blinked in surprise, only now noticing the Konoha forehead protector around her neck.
"She's so small…"
Some murmured, clearly shocked that a girl her age had actually passed.
But that was the difference between the current peace era and the war-torn generations. Back in Guts's time, or even Shisui's, this wouldn't have raised any eyebrows.
Even Naruto and Sasuke turned to look.
Sasuke clenched his fists, frustration flickering in his eyes.
He was still mad about Naruto stealing his first kiss.
But more than that, he was angry at himself.
"So it's possible to graduate this early? Damn it… I wasted so much time!"
Becoming a ninja earlier meant more chances to grow stronger, and get closer to his goal of revenge.
Then Kiba scoffed.
"Tch. A kid like her passed? Guess the exams were too easy this year."
Before anyone could stop her, Hanabi stepped forward.
WHAM!
Her palm struck Kiba in the gut with terrifying force, sending him flying across the room. He slammed into the wall, leaving a crack behind.
"S-Scary…" Naruto muttered.
Everyone stared at Hanabi in disbelief.
"How the hell is she that strong!?"
Hanabi just snorted and sat beside Hinata, acting like nothing happened.
Hinata leaned toward her, whispering something gently, but Hanabi just pouted.
Moments later, Iruka walked in to announce the team assignments.
As expected, Team 7 was revealed: Naruto, Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura.
The room immediately buzzed with chatter.
Meanwhile, Hanabi was fuming, when Hanabi heard that her sister had been placed in the same team as that dog-like guy, Kiba.
She immediately shot a glare his way, causing the already nervous boy to flinch in fear.
Tch… why didn't they put me and Onee-san in the same team?
Hanabi pouted slightly, clearly displeased.
Hinata tried to console her, but it was no use.
Not long after, the classroom door slid open.
Kurenai stepped in, her warm smile instantly lighting up Hanabi's face.
"Class 8, follow me."
"Kurenai-sensei!" both Hinata and Hanabi shouted together, clearly fond of her.
Of all Guts's acquaintances, Hanabi liked Kurenai the most. She had a gentle, big-sister aura and always treated her kindly.
With a smile, Kurenai guided Hinata, Kiba, and Shino out.
Then came the next entrance.
"Class 10, follow me!" a bold voice rang out.
It was Anko, strutting in with a dango stick in one hand and a soup cup in the other.
"Her chest is huge…" Ino muttered, glancing down at her own chest and sighing.
"Is that the Samehada I've heard about?" Shikamaru murmured, eyeing the blade on Anko's back.
Meanwhile, Chōji only had eyes for the snacks she carried.
He grinned.
"I like her already."
After a long debate, Asuma had been retired from the position of instructor, and Minato had ultimately chosen Anko to lead Team 10.
Now, only Team 7 and Hanabi remained in the classroom.
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