"What?"
Upon hearing the news, Minato's pupils immediately constricted. Kushina beside him also wore a look of utter shock.
They had both seen Sarutobi Ao and Nawaki fight. Both were undoubtedly young geniuses destined to become formidable shinobi in time.
Yet now Shurou was telling them—Sarutobi Ao was no longer a ninja.
"Why?"
Before Minato could even speak, Kushina had already lost her patience. In her eyes, becoming a ninja was a lifelong decision—one that allowed no retreat.
The two did not rashly speculate about the reason. From their memories, Sarutobi Ao had always been a senior with unshakable willpower.
The battle between Sarutobi Ao and Nawaki especially remained vivid in their minds.
That real fight fought under the name of ninja.
Shurou didn't answer Kushina's question but instead turned to Minato. "You should understand that some matters are forbidden knowledge that cannot be freely disclosed, right?"
"You—"
Kushina naturally understood the rules of being a shinobi. Even if she resented it, seeing Nawaki and Shurou now tightly sealed lips told her one thing—it would be impossible to get any answers from either of them now.
Immediately, she turned around, grabbing Minato's arm. "If you won't tell me, then I'll go ask the person directly."
From Kushina's sensory perception, Sarutobi Ao wasn't very far away.
Her intense reaction exceeded both of their expectations. Only Minato, who truly understood Kushina, could grasp why she reacted so strongly.
Whoosh!
Nawaki shot forward, blocking Kushina's path.
"You mustn't go!" His voice was firm and absolute.
Kushina's expression darkened again as she shouted, "Get out of my way!"
In the next instant, Kushina's speed suddenly surged beyond Nawaki's expectation. He hadn't imagined that within just half a year, this girl's strength had advanced so much.
As she neared the alley's exit, blocking her became impossible. Instantly, Nawaki activated the [Shifting Body Technique], appearing behind Kushina and reaching out to grab her shoulder.
Kushina had also anticipated his move. She swung her hand back to knock his palm aside.
"Stop!"
At that moment, Minato abruptly appeared between them, his hands gripping both Nawaki and Kushina.
"So fast!"
Although he had seen Minato's speed before, even standing still, Shurou couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
Minato had moved during the split second when both Nawaki and Kushina acted. For an instant, all she saw were flashes of golden light.
Right now, she couldn't catch even a glimpse of his movements at all.
Minato had clearly improved dramatically since the Chakra Aptitude Test...
He was practically reaching the level of their elite jonin mentors.
Seeing the arrival of Minato, some of Kushina's anger faded. Taking advantage of her hesitation, Minato pulled her back from the mouth of the alley and released both of them.
"Senior Nawaki, I apologize on behalf of Kushina for her recklessness."
Minato looked at Nawaki and spoke.
"It's fine. What I did just now wasn't entirely right either..." Nawaki wouldn't dwell on such matters. Instead, his eyes held a trace of surprise toward Minato.
It seemed that over the past six months, Minato hadn't just stood still...
But his progress had come far too quickly.
Minato gave a light smile and turned to Kushina. "A ninja lives by obedience. You should understand this as well, right?"
Faced with him, her spicy, fiery little temper instinctively held back completely.
She bowed her head slightly and gave a reluctant nod.
"I was wrong," Kushina muttered, pouting.
Minato chuckled softly. "I'm not blaming you, and I believe Nawaki-senpai isn't either. But even if we dig deeper, it would be pointless. If my guess is correct, doing so will only end up hurting Sarutobi Ao-senpai."
Although Kushina still didn't fully grasp Minato's implications, she naturally had no doubts due to her trust in him.
Nawaki and Shurou were both startled by his words. The former hadn't obtained much useful intelligence from Kushina and Minato, yet what Minato said was spot-on.
This guy, Minato, had always been exceptionally perceptive since before.
"Alright then, let's not waste any more time. The flower shop will close soon," Minato said with a smile.
Only then did Kushina react. "Right, I haven't finished browsing yet."
Suddenly anxious, she added an oddly exaggerated ending to her sentence.
"Senpais, today's visit was rather rash on our part. We won't bother Sarutobi Ao-senpai anymore. See you another day."
With that, Minato bid farewell to Nawaki and Shurou, and was immediately dragged away by an eager Kushina.
"Bang!"
After they left, Nawaki slammed his fist against one side of the alley's wall, the impact splitting its surface with deep cracks.
"It's all my fault. If Ao-senpai hadn't tried to save me, he wouldn't have ended up in this state," Nawaki said gravely, punching the wall repeatedly. Unconsciously neglecting self-protection, blood began dripping from his fists.
Standing behind him, Shurou frowned slightly. Yet she knew, given Nawaki's nature, no persuasion could help unless he convinced himself otherwise.
...
As dusk fell, after Minato saw Kushina back to her residence, the smile on his face instantly transformed into solemnity.
...
Over the next two days, Minato roamed Konoha's streets. Finally, near sunset, he located the person he wanted to observe.
Sarutobi Ao.
Minato concealed himself in the shadows, observing carefully. After confirming that Nawaki and others weren't around today, he began his surveillance.
"His right leg..."
After watching for a while, Minato's expression gradually shifted into shock because he finally understood the unnaturalness he'd previously sensed in Sarutobi Ao's movements—it all stemmed from his right leg.
As a ninja, limb coordination is naturally far superior to ordinary people. Even injured, there would still be noticeable differences distinguishing them from regular individuals.
Eventually, Minato reached a conclusion.
Sarutobi Ao's right leg was gone—leaving him unable to take on even the simplest of ninja missions.
That was exactly why he could no longer serve as a ninja. Ninja were defined by their efficiency and mobility, which was why so many people came to the village requesting missions.
"Chakra Aptitude Test..."
Gradually, the doubts that had been lingering in Minato's mind began to connect.
After the Chakra Aptitude Test, he and Yan Uchiha were sent on a mission to the Land of Hot Springs. When they returned, Mikoto started acting strangely.
Minato couldn't miss the look in her eyes—the same revulsion toward killing that he had once felt himself.
Ao's injury didn't look fresh either—it was at least three or four months old.
"Could it be that after the Chakra Aptitude Test, others were also sent out on missions besides me and Yan Uchiha?"
Suddenly, all those scattered thoughts clicked into place—Minato had his answer!
"Could this so-called Chakra Aptitude Test have actually been nothing more than a selection process meant to eliminate us—the ninja and new recruits?"
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