At the Ninja Academy.
As usual, Satori Hyūga arrived at his class on time, ready to coast through the day as usual.
But this time, before even reaching the classroom door, he was stopped by a boy with bright golden-blond hair.
The boy had strikingly handsome features and determined eyes. There was a warm, radiant energy about him.
Upon seeing him, Satori instantly recognized him.
It was Minato Namikaze from the elite class.
The elite class was a special program within the Ninja Academy, training top-tier students. Only geniuses from prominent clans were accepted.
Although Minato wasn't from one of Konoha's major ninja families, as a commoner, his talent could not be ignored.
That was why he had been placed in the elite class.
Satori himself had nearly entered the elite class once before.
However, after practicing the [Feeding-Back Jutsu v1.0], his chakra constantly scattered and drained, making his chakra reserves appear insufficient during evaluations.
This led to a decline in his ranking, and ultimately, he was placed into the regular class.
"Minato Namikaze, what do you want from me?" Satori asked directly.
With that unmistakable golden hair, there was no mistaking him.
Satori had considered getting to know Minato better before—after all, this was the future Fourth Hokage—but due to being in different classes and both being busy with training, opportunities rarely arose, so he eventually let go of the idea.
There'd always be time to connect later.
So he never expected Minato to seek him out today.
Minato studied Satori closely, recalling his teacher's words.
Satori Hyūga—the once-revered genius of the Hyūga Main House, a dead last in the regular class, yet someone who had recently begun to shine once more.
"Minato, go bring him here."
The Hokage had issued the order: transfer Satori Hyūga to the elite class for training.
Someone who had once earned the title of "genius"—surely no ordinary person.
"Satori-kun," Minato said warmly, "I've come to inform you—you've been officially reassigned to the elite class."
"Gather your things, and let's head there together."
Satori hesitated, piecing things together quickly.
He must have shown some potential that caught the attention of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Well, no matter—it made sense anyway. He was a Hyūga Main House member. Joining the elite class would allow him to build connections with Konoha's future leaders.
Which would definitely help him enjoy an easy, comfortable life later on.
And if they ever tried sending him on dangerous missions?
Sorry, but I'm a Main House member—I need to stay safe at all times to prevent the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands.
In that moment, Satori had already weighed the pros and cons.
"All right, I'll go with you. No need to gather anything—I don't own much anyway."
Satori said without hesitation.
He had no attachment to the classmates in the regular class.
To him, they were just children.
Friendship? Bonds? Companionship? None of that mattered more than pursuing his own well-being and enjoying life.
After all, the classroom was just a place for him to practice the [Feeding-Back Jutsu].
Switching classrooms wouldn't change that.
Arriving at the elite class,
Satori immediately spotted several children from Konoha.
These weren't ordinary students—they either possessed bloodline limits or inherited secret family techniques.
Most of the prodigies present belonged to prestigious clans.
Although Satori Hyūga couldn't see their faces clearly, as soon as he heard their names, he immediately understood who they were.
Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, Nara Shikaku...
These were all future clan heads of Konoha's major families, each a powerful figure in their own right.
Realizing this, Satori began to take things more seriously.
If he could establish good relationships with these people, he'd definitely have smooth sailing for the next few decades.
Beside him, Minato Namikaze felt the same way.
The Fourth Hokage, known by his title "Golden Flash"—that reputation wasn't just hype.
Satori dropped his previously lazy attitude and walked up front of the classroom, introducing himself before everyone.
"Hello everyone. My name is Satori Hyūga, from the Hyūga Clan. I specialize in the Gentle Fist taijutsu style. My hobby is health maintenance. I'm not really into fighting. My dream is simply to live long and enjoy life."
She let out a short laugh.
From a seat nearby, a red-haired girl with an energetic aura burst into laughter.
"Sorry, but that was way too funny."
Kushina Uzumaki covered her mouth, unable to resist commenting,
"This is a ninja school training future shinobi, and you say you don't like fighting? You're into 'health maintenance' instead?"
Satori looked at Kushina Uzumaki—the Jinchūriki who hosts the Nine-Tails—without rebutting. He simply sat down at his seat.
It turned out that his seat was right beside Kushina's.
Minato gave a faint smile, leaning toward Kushina and murmuring, "Kushina, Satori-kun is from the Hyūga Main House. He's protected by members of the Branch House, so he doesn't really need to get involved in combat."
Kushina's eyes widened slightly with confusion. She didn't know much about the hidden traditions of the Hyūga Clan.
As the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, most elite clans had been forbidden from getting too close to Kushina, leaving her largely unaware of many secrets and internal affairs within Konoha's major families.
Minato, coming from a civilian background, hadn't originally known much either.
It wasn't until Teacher Yamada explained everything that Minato truly understood the meaning behind Main House and Branch House.
They were two entirely different roles—each dictating a distinct fate within the same family.
Those in the Main House controlled the lives of those in the Branch House, while Branch House members were required to obey without question.
This strange clan system made Minato feel uneasy deep inside.
But he never showed it.
Originally, he had assumed someone like Satori—raised under such a rigid clan structure—would be arrogant and difficult to deal with.
But after meeting him, he realized Satori was nothing like that.
He even came across as more approachable than most other aristocratic students.
There wasn't even a trace of pride in his demeanor—just a surprisingly easygoing and friendly personality.
However, the longer one spent around him, the clearer it became that his confidence didn't show on his face—it was evident in his actions.
Satori would simply ignore any challenges or minor annoyances he faced.
It seemed like he didn't care much about regular classmates at all.
Except for a few Hyūga like Chonghuo Hyūga, he only exchanged greetings with select members of his own clan.
Even then, Minato could tell Satori was being insincere.
"What an odd guy," Minato muttered. "I hope nothing unexpected happens."
Minato Namikaze had a bit of a headache. As the class monitor appointed by the teacher, he simply hoped that Satori Hyūga could get along with the other students.
The very issue causing him headaches was also troubling Yamada Takeshi, the Elite Class instructor.
After all, these were students from influential families or young heirs like him. Managing them was genuinely difficult.
They were all disobedient, but he couldn't really punish them severely.
Later on, when they grew stronger, it wouldn't be surprising if they used their family's influence to retaliate.
Even without that, they themselves could easily corner him in a dark alley and beat him up without him ever knowing who did it.
That's why he assigned Minato Namikaze—a talented commoner—to assist him.
Minato was warm-hearted, clever, and exceptionally good at connecting with people.
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