A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Aoba never lacked money, so his living conditions were naturally excellent.

More importantly, Yumi loved Team 7 and Sakura as if they were her own children. Even Shikamaru and the others would occasionally come to Aoba's house for a meal.

Over time, it developed into a weekly routine: every weekend, a group of kids would gather at his house for dinner. They would bring their own ingredients and have Yumi cook, then indulge in a feast together.

When Aoba and Minato arrived at the house, they could already hear the shouting and commotion inside.

"Ahhh! That piece of grilled meat is mine!"

"Hmph, idiot. Grilled meat belongs to whoever grabs it first."

"Damn you, Sasuke! I challenge you to a duel!"

"Tch, I'll fight you after I finish eating."

"Can you two idiots argue somewhere else? You're spitting all over the food," Karin complained.

"I think we should just let them fight it out first," Sakura chimed in, exasperated.

"Looks like it's barbecue day. We're in for a treat," Aoba remarked to Minato with a smile.

"This place is..." Minato hesitated as Aoba casually opened the door and walked in without knocking.

"This is my home. Come on in, I'm feeling a little hungry too."

Aoba and Minato entered the courtyard, where several kids were noisily eating grilled meat.

Yumi stood nearby, cheerfully preparing ingredients while watching the kids with a smile.

When the two approached, all the kids turned to look at them.

Aoba coming home wasn't unusual, but today, instead of Kakashi, he had brought along a stranger, which was rare.

After all, Aoba-sensei rarely brought outsiders to his home for meals.

For some reason, when Naruto looked at Minato's face, it felt strangely familiar. But after taking a closer look, he was sure he had never seen him before.

"Aoba, is he one of your colleagues? Karin, go grab two more chairs and some extra tableware."

Yumi instructed Karin to set up for the guests while she welcomed Aoba and Minato to sit.

Minato tried hard not to stare at Naruto and instead sat down directly across from him.

With guests present, Naruto and Sasuke toned down their antics a little. Yumi soon brought out large trays of grilled meat, chicken wings, drumsticks, mushrooms, and vegetables, and the group began to feast.

After dinner, everyone sat in the courtyard drinking tea. Aoba gestured to the kids and introduced them to Minato.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Karin Uzumaki. These three make up Team 7. This here is Sakura Haruno, my personal student who is very talented in medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques.

"And this is Minato Ueno. You can call him Minato-sensei."

"Minato-sensei? Aoba-sensei, does that mean you're not teaching us anymore?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Of course not. It's just that the current state of the ninja world is a bit complicated. Konoha is under a lot of external pressure, and as the Hokage's advisor, I need to prioritize those issues. I won't be able to lead you on missions for a while.

"So, during this time, Minato-sensei will temporarily take over my duties and lead Team 7 on missions."

Technically, given Aoba's position, he shouldn't have been leading a team anymore. However, Team 7's members were far too special. Aside from him, there was no one he trusted to guide them, so he retained the role of team leader.

In practice, most missions were handled by the three kids, sometimes with Sakura, and Aoba rarely accompanied them.

That said, he never neglected their training. Letting Minato take over now was both out of necessity and as an opportunity for Minato.

Minato paused for a moment at Aoba's arrangement but quickly understood. Aoba was giving him a chance to reconnect and make amends. Naturally, Minato had no objections.

However, while Minato was fine with it, Naruto was not.

"What? Aoba-sensei, you're the strongest ninja in Konoha! How can you just replace yourself with someone else? I, Naruto Uzumaki, am not someone just anyone can teach!"

Naruto's lack of tact was on full display. If Minato had been any other instructor, Naruto's words might have made his life miserable.

Fortunately, Minato was Minato. He wasn't about to get upset, though Naruto's declaration that Aoba was the strongest ninja in Konoha made him glance at Aoba with some curiosity. He hadn't expected this young man to have such a reputation.

At that moment, Aoba noticed that it wasn't just Naruto, Sasuke also had a look of skepticism on his face.

There was no helping it, Aoba's reputation was too overwhelming, and Minato was still "unknown to the world." It was indeed difficult for these two prideful kids to accept him.

"Haha, you don't need to doubt Minato-sensei's strength. In his early years, Minato was a jōnin in the Anbu, operating under a hidden identity and carrying out missions outside the village for many years. He only returned recently. In terms of strength, he's not beneath me. You can rest assured."

"Not beneath Aoba-sensei? How is that possible?" Naruto couldn't believe it. He had seen Aoba in action multiple times and knew just how unfathomably powerful he was. There was no way the man before him could compare to his Aoba-sensei.

Aoba could only chuckle helplessly and turned to signal Minato.

Minato, having experience leading a team, naturally knew what to do in moments like this. In the ninja world, strength always spoke loudest.

"Looks like I'll need to prove myself to get this job. I'll be waiting for you at Training Ground 6."

After he finished speaking, Minato's body disappeared instantly.

"That's…"

"The Flying Thunder God Technique," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes. He had noticed the subtle difference in how Minato disappeared, it wasn't the Body Flicker Technique but a space-time ninjutsu.

"No way! He can actually use the Flying Thunder God?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief. He had tried learning the Flying Thunder God himself, but he couldn't even memorize the seals.

"Naruto, let's go." Sasuke was already impatient. The thought of someone who rivaled Aoba-sensei's strength made his blood boil with excitement.

Karin didn't share the same fervent enthusiasm for battle as Naruto and Sasuke, but as a member of Team 7, she wouldn't drag her feet. She stood up and followed them.

Aoba turned to look at the only one not moving, Sakura.

"You're not going, Sakura?"

"No, Aoba-sensei. I still have work to finish. My experiment is at a critical stage, and I shouldn't get distracted. I'm on a different path than they are, so I don't want to waste time."

"Very good, Sakura. You're starting to become a mature ninja. Come on, let's head back to the lab. I'll check your progress."

"But Aoba-sensei, aren't you going to check on them?"

"There's no need. Minato-sensei will handle it."

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Currently on Chapter 218 - Battles on All Fronts