The door slid shut behind him, and silence lingered for a moment before Orochimaru broke it, his golden eyes glinting with curiosity. "So, it wasn't Danzo after all? I cannot imagine him mastering such forbidden techniques, even if he possessed them."
Hiruzen regarded his disciples, then gave a thoughtful nod. "I suspect that the trail leads back to the Uzumaki clan, maybe some backhand left behind by Shodai or my Teacher, so they disguised themselves as such to destroy Kumogakure. Too bad if we knew we could have taken action together."
The words hung heavily in the room, unknown to the people present of its truth or the truth of Hiruzen's claims. But before doubt could fester, Hiruzen waved it aside. "Enough of that. Minato, I've heard from Jiraiya that you've become the fastest shinobi he has ever seen. Your mastery of the Body Flicker is unmatched, and your reaction speed is extraordinary. Coupled with your progress in sealing techniques under Kushina's guidance… I believe there is a technique that would suit you perfectly. If you can master it, it would benefit not only you but the entire village."
At this, both Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged a glance. Their memories stirred. They recalled the many techniques their teacher had once entrusted to them when they had risen to jonin; techniques, difficult and dangerous, but never the darkest or most sacrificial of the forbidden arts.
The Book of Seals contained many such jutsu. While most jonin knew of the famed Multiple Shadow Clone technique and others and even mastered them, countless others were kept hidden, sealed away by the Hokage's authority. It was rare for their teacher to bestow one personally. Their curiosity sharpened.
Hiruzen opened a drawer and withdrew a scroll. His expression carried a rare solemnity as he handed it to Minato. "This is the Hiraishin no Jutsu/the Flying Thunder God technique. Created by the Second Hokage. It allows its user to move instantaneously across space. But to wield it effectively in combat requires not only extraordinary reflexes, but also mastery of fuinjutsu/sealing-jutsu and the rare ability to perceive space itself. Many believed this jutsu best suited the Uzumaki, given their affinity for sealing arts and sensory talent. But even they lacked the unique spatial perception it demands. You may have that talent, and you meet the other qualifications, Minato. That is why I am entrusting this to you. I expect much from you!"
Minato's eyes widened, his breath catching as he accepted the scroll with reverence. Excitement and gratitude surged within him. He bowed low. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. But… this technique is legendary, renowned throughout the shinobi world. Why has neither Master Jiraiya nor Orochimaru, who have mastered summoning to its peak, learned it?"
Both Sannin blinked in surprise. Jiraiya chuckled, scratching his cheek awkwardly. Orochimaru, however, leaned forward, his voice sharp. "Minato, all of us, including Teacher Sarutob, I have attempted it. The first step is simple enough: inscribing the teleportation formula. That much we could all do. But the second step, the true essence, is to sense the spatial coordinates of the mark and travel there with your own chakra. That is where we failed. What we achieved was only a crude imitation. By using the pre-sealed chakra needed for the mark, we consumed it to summon us, as the summoning jutsu was an underlying part of this vast technique. At best, it became a one-time transport with limited range. The true technique, however, requires you to sense the coordinates of space itself and leap across them. That is beyond us."
Jiraiya nodded with a wry smile. "Yes. Both Teacher and Orochimaru could bend it to their will in limited ways. As for me, I found it easier to let my toads summon me. Even Orochimaru's combat summons are essentially jutsu extensions. But none of us crossed that final threshold."
Hiruzen's voice was calm, steady. "A ninja's sensory perception is limited, unless they possess exceptional talent and strength. But spatial perception is another matter entirely. Summoning jutsu rely on contracts and medium, and always involve delay and cooldown, so when we used this to summon ourselves using the spell mark of the Flying Thunder God Technique, it just became a one-time version of a really bad and slow summoning technique. The Flying Thunder God has no such limitation. It is instantaneous. Two entirely different concepts. That is why it remains unmastered, Minato. Until now."
Of course Orochimary could not help but think if only there was ways to store substantial amount of usable chakra on objects, that the flawed version of this technique might still be useful, too bad for him, even the known chakra battery sold by the Land of Lightning, at most allows ninjas to use lightning style recharge the battery, and in reality could not store chakra and use them; Of course true chakra batteries have existed in Kumogakure used for the training founds and many other places; but Ron would definitely not let it flow, out it was too dangerous in his opinion, especially with people like Orochimaru, as sealing chakra and storing chakra and using them using sealing techniques were two complete different things.
The room grew still. Minato bowed deeply again, determination burning in his eyes.
Yet, amidst the exchange, one detail was quietly overlooked. The black market's infamous bounty of over one hundred million ryo was for a blonde ninja rumored to wield the Flying Thunder God. Fate, it seemed, was aligning cruelly. For Minato, too, was a blonde shinobi. Perhaps Hiruzen himself had dismissed the implication or thought about it, never truly expecting anyone to master the technique again after decades of failure.
But the truth was inexorable. Before long, the shinobi world would come to know a golden flash that no wall, no jutsu, no army could halt.
Far away, in the secluded Hollow Mountain Research Center of Kumogakure, even Ron knew this. Among the researchers, only a few could perceive spatial distortions at all, and even they relied heavily on the specialized seals Ron had crafted to measure and understand space. Their work pressed onward, guided always by his ideas. And as they struggled to understand the fabric of reality itself, on a different track from the future being shaped by a young man in Konoha holding a single scroll.