Class progressed like usual.
Kadoya, as always, barely paid attention to what Ms. Mayabi was saying. Everything she was explaining, he'd already read before, and thanks to his [Photographic Memory], he remembered it all perfectly from a single glance.
Honestly, if it weren't for Minato, Kushina, or Saiguu, he probably wouldn't even remember any of his classmates' names. Not because he couldn't, but because he never bothered to.
But today's sparring session had a surprise.
Hiroto Hyuga actually challenged him.
Kadoya blinked at the name. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he didn't care enough to dig through his mental archives to remember why.
Whatever. Free points are free points.
The match began with Hiroto shakily stepping forward, clearly still traumatized by yesterday's "incident."
Kadoya, smiling casually, raised his thumb and bit into it, drawing a thin line of blood.
Minato's eyes widened.
Kadoya formed a rapid series of hand seals before slamming his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke and a burst of chakra, a sleek blue frog appeared, lean, fast, and clearly annoyed.
"Took you long enough!" Frogadier barked, stretching as if he had just woken up from a nap.
Kadoya just shrugged. "What? I wasn't strong enough back then. I didn't wanna call you out just to watch you get your face kicked in."
Frogadier scoffed, but smirked.
His eyes drifted to Hiroto, who was now visibly trembling.
And just as the two partners were about to charge forward-
Hiroto backed down.
The memory of getting humiliated yesterday resurfaced too fast, too vividly. And now Kadoya stood there, grinning like a devil, while a summoned frog crouched beside him with sharp eyes and eager energy.
Hiroto's knees wobbled. His confidence evaporated.
Kadoya: "..."
Frogadier: "..."
They both stared, disappointed.
Then Frogadier stepped forward and jabbed a webbed finger at the retreating Hyuga.
"Are you even a ninja!?" the frog snapped, voice full of contempt. "What kind of loser mentality is that!? If you're gonna tremble before the match even starts, maybe you should quit and go sell cabbages or something!"
The entire class went silent.
Eyes shifted from the talking frog… to Kadoya… and then back again.
Everyone had the same thought:
"Yup. Definitely Kadoya's summon."
Same attitude. Same lack of tact. Same chaotic energy.
Suddenly, a loud BOOM echoed through the training grounds as a massive puff of smoke erupted nearby.
Standing tall atop a giant orange-skinned toad, easily twice the size of Ms. Mayabi, was none other than Minato, arms folded, golden hair flowing in the wind like some protagonist from a heroic epic.
He leaned forward, pressing his hand on his right knee, looking down at his friend from below.
"KADOYA!!" he shouted with such intensity and flair it felt like he'd been waiting his whole life for this entrance.
Kadoya glanced up, squinting against the sunlight, and then broke into a grin that mirrored his best friend's energy.
"MINATO!!"
The way they shouted each other's names, eyes locking in perfectly over-the-top slow motion, gave serious deja vu to anyone who'd seen the original show.
It was like watching Madara spot Hashirama getting reanimated in the Fourth Great Ninja War. But this time, Hashirama shouted back, eager to face off with his best friend again.
Even their stances matched.
Everyone: "..."
If anyone from the Warring States period could see this, they'd probably be reminded of the friendships between Hashirama and Madara.
Ms. Mayabi, meanwhile, looked like she had aged five years in five seconds.
With a tired sigh, she turned to the rest of the class. "Alright, everyone, take a few steps back. Give room for these two to spar."
The students shuffled backward, whispering among themselves, wondering if they were about to witness a legendary clash or an overly theatrical friendship flex.
Probably both.
A massive puff of smoke exploded onto the training field, and the orange-skinned toad beneath Minato gave Kadoya's summon a long, unimpressed look.
"A skinny frog? Minato, is this a joke?" the toad grumbled. Towering like a mountain, he scoffed at Frogadier's smaller, lean build. "What's that little tadpole gonna do, hop aggressively?"
"Big talk for a fat ass." Frogadier spat back, eyes narrowed.
The large toad's face twitched with annoyance. "That's it! Let's go, Minato!"
Without warning, the toad launched into the air and fired a volley of massive oil balls toward Kadoya and Frogadier.
Minato quickly weaved hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The moment the fire connected with the oil, a fiery rain of exploding fireballs scattered across the sky.
Even Ms. Mayabi looked alarmed.
"They're academy students?!" she muttered, eyes wide.
Saiguu, meanwhile, looked less impressed and more irritated. Her two closest friends were evolving like protagonists mid-arc, while she was stuck fending off delusional Hyuga boys.
Kadoya, unfazed, formed hand seals while Frogadier clapped its webbed hands.
"Water Style: Bubble Capture Seal!"
"Water Style: Water Pulse!"
A massive water bubble formed around the fireballs, its surface covered with sealing runes. Frogadier's Water Pulse slammed into the bubble's base, reinforcing it and sending it hurtling back toward Minato and his summon like a bouncing water bomb.
Frogadier's ability is Battle Bond, making it able to connect to Kadoya, and able to understand his techniques and power.
Still, this Battle Bond is not the complete version.
So he could only understand and connect to Kadoya, still unable to become one with it summoner. Unlocking the true power of Battle Bond.
Thinking fast, Minato countered.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The wind jutsu pushed him and his toad out of range just in time as the fiery bubble popped midair, igniting a red inferno that painted the sky crimson.
As they landed, the orange toad roared and charged Frogadier.
The smaller frog used his speed and agility to weave through the toad's heavy strikes, forming another condensed water sphere in his hands, this time shaped like a spinning Rasengan.
WHAM!
Frogadier's watery Rasengan slammed into the toad's chest before it quickly retreated, knowing that one hit wouldn't end it.
Meanwhile, Kadoya and Minato clashed directly.
Kadoya's water blade sparked against Minato's kunai. Each strike chipped away at the blade while splashes flew from every parry.
Seizing an opening, Kadoya grabbed Minato's hand and began forming hand seals using his friend's hand.
Minato's eyes widened. "Hey!"
Before he could finish, he delivered a swift kick to Kadoya's chest, launching him back just as the last hand sign was completed.
"Water Style: Water Bullet!"
A high-pressure water shot blasted toward Minato, but struck a wooden log instead.
Substitution Jutsu.
"Fire Style: Fire Bullet!"
Minato returned fire, but his attack hit nothing. Kadoya's body had already scattered into a swirl of glowing white flower petals.
"Petal Escape Jutsu..." Minato muttered.
Suddenly, a high-pitched screech echoed, the sound of a thousand birds chirping.
Lightning crackled in Kadoya's hand, raw and unstable. "Chidori!"
Minato responded, chakra surging in his palm, twisting into a swirling semi-finished orb.
"Rasengan!"
Their techniques clashed in a burst of chakra and shockwaves.
BOOM!
The force sent them both flying in opposite directions.
Seeing their summoners fall, both Frogadier and the massive toad broke from their fight and leapt to catch them.
"Minato! You good?!" the toad bellowed, catching him midair like a sack of potatoes.
Minato winced, blood dripping from his hand, his fingers bent unnaturally and bone exposed. "I'm fine, Ginta. Just a scratch..."
Frogadier, fast as lightning, caught Kadoya and let him lean on his back.
"Kadoya, don't be stupid."
"Pssh. Just a flesh wound." Kadoya grinned, though his left arm was twisted completely backward.
He'd tried to use a no-hand-seal Chidori, and it backfired. If he'd gone full power, Minato's half-finished Rasengan wouldn't have countered it.
Both summons gave their summoners the exact same look.
"Idiots," their eyes seemed to say in perfect sync.
Before the spar escalated again, a new figure suddenly appeared on the field.
A man in a Jonin vest, with spiky white hair tied in a dashing ponytail and a short sword strapped across his back. A familiar Konoha forehead protector gleamed in the sunlight.
Sakumo Hatake.
Younger than the story, but unmistakable nonetheless.
He scanned the scene: burnt grass, two bloodied kids, a giant toad, a snarky frog, and the aftermath of a literal skyfire.
Without saying a word, Sakumo walked straight to Ms. Mayabi. "What happened?"
"I... would also like to know," she replied, still processing the flaming water bomb that nearly took her eyebrows off.
Sakumo had just returned from a mission and hoped to get a bite to eat before winding down.
Instead, he'd spotted a literal inferno cloud over the Academy and assumed Konoha was under attack.
Only to find out... it was just two overpowered third-year students casually throwing out advanced chakra nature combinations like it was lunch break.
Kadoya Uchiha.
Minato Namikaze.
Of course.
After a long pause, Sakumo walked over to the two exhausted boys.
"Wanna graduate early? I'll personally take you both as my students."
Kadoya didn't even hesitate.
"No thanks."
Sakumo raised a brow. "You don't want training from a Jonin?"
"I don't want to graduate early," Kadoya said bluntly.
He was not about to throw myself into the Second Great Ninja War early. Look at Kakashi. Graduated early, straight into the Third.
He is not making that mistake.
Minato chuckled beside him. "Same here. Besides... I don't want to leave my friends behind."
Sakumo exhaled slowly, then smirked.
"Fine. Come to Hatake grounds tomorrow, I'll train you anyway. If tomorrow you two don't come, I won't hold it against you.
After saying that, Sakumo left. Kadoya, along with Minato, both left for the infirmary, but the two never truly reached it. As Kadoya used his Hamon to heal both of them.
"Let's skip class." Kadoya said, and Minato was somewhat taken aback. Although not surprised by Kadoya's offer, he was surprised at himself for almost agreeing without thinking.
Normally, a good student like him wouldn't even think about something like this, but now he almost agrees without thinking.
Damn it! He is being corrupted!
"Oi! I'm joining too." Unbeknownst to both of them, Saiguu actually sneaked up behind them, followed by little Kushina, who is also eager to skip class with her friends.
Seeing that all of his main friends actually wanted to skip class, how could he, Minato Namikaze, abandon his friends and not join them?
"Sure." Minato could only reluctantly agree.
...
The next day, Kadoya, Minato, Saiguu, and even Kushina made their way to the Hatake residence.
When Sakumo opened the door, his brow lifted in surprise.
He clearly remembered inviting two boys, yet now four kids stood on his doorstep.
"Come in," he said after a moment, his voice calm. He didn't have the heart to turn them away.
As they walked through the house, Kadoya passed by the kitchen and caught sight of a young woman with soft brown hair. Her features bore a slight resemblance to one of his Inuzuka classmates.
Was Kakashi's mother from the Inuzuka Clan? he wondered. That might explain the ninja dogs.
Still, it wasn't the time for speculation. He pushed the thought aside and followed Sakumo and the others out to the training grounds.
Once they reached the field, Sakumo turned to face them.
"So… do any of you have experience with Kenjutsu?"
"Just a little," Kadoya answered simply.
The other three shook their heads.
"I see," Sakumo said, folding his arms. "Then let me ask this, do you want to learn Kenjutsu?"
There was no pressure in his tone. It was a genuine question. If they wanted to learn, he'd teach them. If not, he wouldn't waste their time.
Kadoya nodded. "I'm a bit interested."
"I'm still figuring out my style," Minato said. "But yeah, I'd like to try."
"If I can integrate it into my current fighting approach, I'm open to learning," Saiguu added.
Kushina, however, looked hesitant.
"I-I'm already struggling with the basics," she admitted quietly. "I can't even keep up with ninjutsu or shurikenjutsu, let alone Kenjutsu..."
She glanced down, frustrated. While her taijutsu and fuinjutsu showed promise, she knew she was lagging behind in the more standard ninja arts.
What was the point in learning swordsmanship if she couldn't even master what was expected of her?
Sakumo studied her for a moment before speaking.
"I understand," he said gently. Then, turning back to Kadoya, Minato, and Saiguu, he nodded. "Since you're interested, I'll teach you the fundamentals. What you do with it, what style you develop, will be up to you."
Then his gaze shifted back to Kushina, his expression softening.
"You can stay and train alongside your friends. Even if you're not learning Kenjutsu, there's still enough room for you here to practice your other skill."
Kushina's eyes widened.
Her posture straightened, and a small, hopeful smile bloomed across her face.
"Thank you!" she said brightly, blue eyes sparkling with new motivation.