Minato's Class
Hizashi spoke for over an hour, meticulously drilling key points and precautionary measures into the minds of Bai Ye and the other two.
Truthfully, most of the lecture was directed at Yuyan. Her temperament was somewhat unstable, and her reaction time was a beat behind others. If things weren't explained thoroughly, an unexpected mishap could easily turn fatal.
Though she was overly energetic and slow to process others' thoughts, Yuyan had an excellent memory. Her eagerness to learn made her a student worth recognizing.
"Hey, Hizashi, so you're teaching students now too?"
The four looked toward the voice and saw a blond-haired young man approaching, flanked by three students with varying hair colors. He waved cheerfully at Hizashi from a distance.
One of the boys had long white hair and wore a black mask covering the lower half of his face. His eyes were sharp and emotionless, a cold aura emanating from him. His outfit was a tight-fitting black uniform that blended into his mask.
Beside him was a black-haired boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a pair of goggles over it. His outfit—a blue and orange tracksuit—stood out, as did the bright grin plastered on his face.
The lone girl had short brown hair and large, warm brown eyes. She wore a black top with a white half-skirt that split from the waist down, revealing black leggings beneath. A pair of dark red knee-high socks clung just below her knees, and a red bracelet adorned her left wrist. Two purple markings framed her cheeks, complementing her gentle smile.
"So it's Minato. Looks like you brought your team out to train too," Hizashi said with a nod and smile. Clearly, the two shared a cordial relationship.
Bai Ye silently studied the new arrivals. Although Guy often spoke about Kakashi, this was his first time seeing him in person.
He could instantly sense it—after Sakumo Hatake's death, Kakashi had grown noticeably colder. Obito and Rin were still warm and expressive, but Kakashi had already begun to shut the world out. It was only Obito's persistent presence that kept Kakashi grounded at this point.
"Minato-sensei, someone's taken over our training grounds. What should we do?" Obito pouted.
Clearly disgruntled, he didn't recognize Bai Ye's group and assumed they were intruding. It wasn't their first time training here, but it was the first time the two teams had crossed paths.
"Sorry about him," Kakashi said dryly, casting a sideways glare at Obito. "I apologize on behalf of this idiot."
Obito fumed at the insult, clearly about to snap back when Rin intervened and stepped between them. She seemed well-practiced at preventing these two from coming to blows.
"Hey, Bai Ye, do you know them? I think Guy was in the same class as them," Yuyan whispered, a little tense. The white-haired boy gave off a suffocating pressure that made her uneasy.
"The white-haired one is Hatake Kakashi—top of the previous class. The goggle-wearing guy is Uchiha Obito, who ranked last. The girl is Nohara Rin. Their teacher is Namikaze Minato, a jōnin—and a very powerful one."
Though it was their first encounter, Bai Ye had read enough in the original series to know their reputations by heart. He shared the information casually with Yuyan and Yue.
"Obito, hear that? Even the younger class knows you're the dead last," Kakashi said flatly, stabbing Obito right in the pride.
Obito immediately slumped, turning pale like a ghost.
"Brother Obito! Long time no see," Yue chimed in with a smile, unable to contain her amusement at his misery.
Obito perked up instantly. "Yue! I didn't even realize you were here! Is this your team? It's been almost a month!"
Obito's mood flipped in a heartbeat. His bond with Yue was deep-rooted—his family had long been close to hers. After losing his parents young, Obito was frequently cared for by Yue's family. When her own father died in the war, Obito—two years her senior—made it his mission to cheer her up, often taking her out to play and lifting her spirits.
Because he was, frankly, a bit dim-witted, he constantly turned to Yue for help. She was a little genius, after all. Ever since Obito graduated early, the two had fewer opportunities to meet. They last saw each other about a month ago at her Genin promotion celebration.
While Obito and Yue caught up, Bai Ye struck up a conversation with Kakashi.
"You must be that hot-blooded idiot's little brother," Kakashi muttered, eyeing Bai Ye's green jumpsuit with immediate suspicion.
Just from the outfit alone, he could tell—he'd been tormented by Might Guy long enough to recognize another one of those.
"Heh. I'm normal, actually. Definitely thinking about changing my outfit," Bai Ye said with an awkward chuckle. The look of trauma in Kakashi's eyes told him everything he needed to know about what Guy had put him through over the years.
"You're Kakashi, right? Let's fight."
Yuyan suddenly stepped forward, challenging him without warning.
Kakashi flinched. "Oi, she's not like Guy, is she?" he whispered to Bai Ye in a panic.
Bai Ye gave him a deadpan look. "You're that afraid of being pestered? Relax—Yuyan's a little slow, but she's not obsessed with rivalries."
He couldn't help but be a little exasperated. After all these years living with Guy, had he been unknowingly indoctrinated?
As the younger Genin bantered and sparred, Hizashi and Minato stepped aside beneath a tree to chat.
"So that's the boy the Third Hokage asked you to keep an eye on?" Minato glanced toward Bai Ye, who was currently caught in a mock scuffle with Kakashi. "He looks solid. If he and Kakashi ever fought seriously, it'd be hard to say who'd win."
"He's very talented," Hizashi replied proudly. "When I first took him in, he couldn't control chakra at all. But he's spent years training his body with the harshest methods. His growth has been nothing short of remarkable."
Hearing Minato praise his disciple only made Hizashi more smug. After all, what master didn't take pride in a gifted student?