Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Chapter 1130 Rejection
Just as the three were staring at each other, Naruto got up on his own, put one hand on his hip and pointed at Qingming with the other, saying, "Hey, was it you who bumped into me?"

Upon hearing this, Qingming temporarily withdrew his gaze and looked down at Naruto.

Seeing this, Naruto said again, "Quickly, apologize to me."

As he spoke, he would occasionally glance at a popsicle on the ground that had already been bitten.

Clearly, this was dropped on the ground when the other person fell down.

However, Qingming didn't tolerate the other party's behavior and said directly, "You're the one who bumped into me, so why should I apologize? You should be the one apologizing."

Naruto was taken aback by his words, seemingly not expecting Qingming to refute him.

That's true, in this life, the other person isn't an orphan.

With the Fourth Hokage as his father and being young, he often gets away with things just by laughing it off, even when he's in the wrong. There aren't many people like Qingming who take things so seriously.

However, as the reincarnation of Ashura's chakra, which symbolizes love and peace, Naruto was born with a sense of justice.

Therefore, after realizing his mistake, he immediately scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Well, it seems like I was wrong."

Then, he solemnly bowed to Qingming and sincerely said, "I'm sorry, big brother!"

Seeing the other party's reaction, Qingming was somewhat stunned.

The reason is simple: this is far removed from the lawless Naruto he remembered.

However, considering that in my memory, the other person did this entirely to attract attention, it's not surprising.

The other person in this life is never short of attention.

But the other person's mature demeanor is quite something.
Clearly, Minato taught him well.

As for the other party's previous reactions and words...
Isn't it normal for kids to be a little mischievous?
These are long stories, but they are just a fleeting thought of Qingming. He saw Naruto looking at the popsicle on the ground again, seemingly hesitating whether to pick it up.

So he said, "Alright, I forgive you. The one on the ground is dirty. Come in, pick one yourself, it's on me."

As he spoke, he walked into the shop.

Naruto, upon hearing his words, was filled with excitement and showed no politeness whatsoever, shouting, "Big brother, you're a good person!"

Then, he followed along eagerly.

Soon, the two each chose an ice pop and left the shop.

At that moment, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki also walked over.

Upon seeing the two, Naruto shouted, "Dad, Mom, I met a kind older brother, and he even bought me an ice pop!"

As he spoke, he pulled the popsicle out of his mouth and waved it at the two of them.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki smiled helplessly at Naruto's carefree attitude.

Then, the two came to Qingming.

Before the two could speak, Qingming spoke first: "Fourth Hokage, Captain Kushina."

Kushina Uzumaki is currently the Jonin captain of the Konoha Sealing Team. Qingming wasn't very familiar with her, so he didn't feel comfortable calling her by her name directly and simply referred to her by that name.

Kushina Uzumaki didn't mind, smiled and nodded at him, then said, "Blue Ninja, Konoha genius, I've heard of you for a long time. Thank you for taking care of Naruto."

"Nothing."

Qingming replied, and then saw the other party take Naruto and walk to the side.

Seeing this, Qingming knew that Minato Namikaze must have something to say to him, so he turned his gaze to the other party.

Minato Namikaze, on the other hand, was carefully examining him, as if trying to confirm something.

Qingming knew exactly what the other party was confirming; it was simply to see if he was the original form.

Given his regular schedule, anyone who paid even a little attention to him could guess that he mostly kept shadow clones in the village. Besides, he was registered with Minato Namikaze and was one of the people Minato was focusing on, so it was impossible for him to hide it from him.

Of course, this is also the result of him no longer deliberately hiding it; otherwise, even the other party wouldn't have found out so easily.

As for why he stopped hiding it?

It's very simple. With his current strength, even if he's exposed, it's no big deal. He can just leave.

Therefore, from a very early time on, he stopped wasting chakra and concealed the fact that shadow clones replaced him.

Meeting Qingming's calm gaze, Minato Namikaze seemed to have confirmed something, and then smiled and said, "I didn't expect to run into you here. I was planning to look for you tomorrow."

"Looking for me? Is there something you need, Fourth Hokage?"

Qingming asked in confusion.

"Ah."

Minato Namikaze nodded and said, "Qingming, would you be interested in becoming a Jonin and mentoring a few students?"

"Mentoring students? Me?"

Upon hearing this, Qingming pointed to himself, looking surprised and doubtful.

"Not bad!"

Minato Namikaze nodded again and said, "Your strength is more than enough to take care of a few students. Coincidentally, there are a few promising talents at the school this year; you can observe them."

'A promising talent?'

Qingming murmured to himself, his mind racing to recall famous ninjas from recent generations who might have come from the future.

Unfortunately, he didn't think of any of them.

Perhaps his standards were too high, or perhaps the ninjas in his memory were just the tip of the iceberg.

In short, there wasn't anything I liked.

Of course, he has no plans to take on any genin at the moment.

He could see right through Minato Namikaze's idea; it was simply a way for him to establish a closer connection with the village.

Clearly, the other party has discovered some of his problems and wants to prevent anything bad from happening.

Unfortunately, he doesn't even have enough time for himself now, let alone time to teach students.

Moreover, he has many secrets. Short-term contact is fine, but if he keeps several people around him for a long time, there's no guarantee that problems won't arise.

So, forget it!
However, he couldn't refuse too obviously.

After thinking for a moment, Qingming said, "I'm still young, let's wait a few more years!"

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze didn't press the matter further. He simply mentioned it casually, and after Minato refused, they chatted for a few more minutes before leaving with Naruto and Kushina Uzumaki.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Qingming frowned slightly, his mind filled with many thoughts.

But in the end, he completely forgot about them.

Whatever Minato Namikaze's purpose may be, he only needs to remain unchanged and deal with whatever happens. After all, he has the means to overturn the table, so there is really no need to waste his energy.

Thinking of this, Qingming felt much more relaxed.

So, while licking the popsicle in his hand, he walked up to the meatball vendor, chatted with him for a few minutes, paid, and then took the twenty skewers of meatballs of various flavors that he had bought.

After that, he continued walking and soon disappeared into the crowd.

(End of this chapter)