"Whew…" Minato closed his eyes, savoring the razor-thin sense of pressure from just now, and a trace of insight welled up in his heart.
The burdening weight, and the way returning to normal disrupted his chakra, had tempered him.
Flying Thunder God was an extremely precise ninjutsu. If he wanted to be able to cast it successfully in any environment, then he had to remain calm at all times so he could sense the mark, and he needed a strong heart to face sudden changes.
Just like that punch Hiruzen had thrown at him…
In future life-and-death battles, there might be times when he would have to deliberately sell an opening—pretend he hadn't reacted in time, then wait until the enemy closed in before responding, turning it into a killing trap.
But if he really failed to react—
Then that would just be suicide.
Hiruzen sat cross-legged off to the side without saying a word.
Earlier that morning, he had already trained in the Lightning Release chakra mode, and had even happened to run into Kisame and eat breakfast together…
What he needed to do now was strengthen his body through the gravity field.
Hiruzen formed a hand seal, his palms slowly coming together.
Centered on himself, gravity spread across every limb and every part of his body, gradually increasing.
The dust drifting around him dropped at his side, falling without scattering.
The soil beneath him looked as though it had been tamped down by a heavy hammer, the soft surface pressed into a flat, hardened layer.
Spreading outward from him as the center, the ground within the area sank viciously by an entire layer.
After a short while, Minato opened his eyes and froze when he saw the scene before him.
He crept over on tiptoe and slowly extended his hand into the gravity field—
His whole arm suddenly dropped.
'So this is how Hokage-sama usually trains?'
'No wonder his body is far beyond ordinary people's even without using the Lightning Release chakra mode. He's using his body as iron and hammering it again and again…'
Minato couldn't help but remember that forehead flick Hiruzen had given him.
If that had been done at full force, with gravity enhancing it on top of that, wouldn't it have flicked a bloody hole straight through his skull?
Compared to destructive power, a ninja's body was fragile.
"Hokage-sama, do you think I need to train in the Lightning Armor too?"
Minato couldn't help asking.
The entry level of Lightning Release chakra mode was activating the cells and the body.
Minato was already very skilled at that technique.
The next stage was projecting it outward to form a sustained Lightning Armor, increasing speed and strength while also creating defense.
"Not much use…"
Hiruzen opened his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Between one ninjutsu and another, compatibility matters."
"A technique like the Lightning Release chakra mode greatly activates the cells, but it also causes disorder in the flow of chakra. In that state, would you still be able to clearly sense your Flying Thunder God marks?"
"Even for me, while using the Lightning Release chakra mode, it's hard to use other ninjutsu. Even if I force it, the effect is greatly diminished."
Minato froze, then carefully thought back on it, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
He hadn't noticed that before, mainly because whenever they sparred, Hiruzen's exit from and reentry into Lightning Release chakra mode had been far too smooth.
So smooth that Minato had never considered that the techniques couldn't be used simultaneously. He had thought Hiruzen was only doing it to increase the power of his ninjutsu.
"I understand, Hokage-sama!" Minato nodded obediently.
"Every strong person's combat system has its own characteristics. You have to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. If you're worried about defense, then strengthen your mobility. That's where your talent lies…"
"If you force yourself to do things you're not good at, you'll get half the result for twice the effort. It's not worth it."
"Even if your body is fragile, as long as you set up Flying Thunder God properly, then no matter how strong the attack is, it's useless if it can't hit you. You can't demand that you master every technique…"
As Hiruzen spoke, he raised the intensity of the gravity once again.
When he spoke, his voice had been compacted by the gravity, passing through the field and reaching Minato's ears, deep and heavy like the toll of a bell, every word solid and weighty.
They struck steadily into his ears like great bronze chimes, making Minato's heart tighten.
"Thank you for your guidance, Hokage-sama!"
Minato said sincerely and with full conviction: "I was always thinking about whether I could develop in a more diversified way. I'd fallen into a misunderstanding…"
"I'll talk it over with Kushina and see if we can combine fuinjutsu with Flying Thunder God to counter or defend against enemy large-scale powerful techniques. Otherwise, I'd have a hard time dealing with opponents like that."
Minato's idea was to open a sealing barrier and absorb the enemy's ninjutsu into it first.
Then he would throw out a Flying Thunder God kunai, release the ninjutsu again, and detonate it near the enemy.
"A very good idea, Minato!"
"But that technique would probably demand extremely high attainment in both space-time techniques and fuinjutsu. I can't help you there, but you can go to Mito-sama."
"Just say I told you to."
Minato's eyes lit up.
Although he and Kushina were a couple, they still did not have any formal status yet.
Even if Kushina was close to Mito, it still wasn't really appropriate for his girlfriend to go to a senior elder and ask her to help her boyfriend develop a technique…
But if Hiruzen spoke up, that was different.
In today's Konoha, who didn't know that when Mito took Yamato out for walks, she would always say things like, "Hiruzen is a Hokage who inherited the First Hokage's spirit—Hashirama's good disciple"?
Their relationship was excellent!
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Minato rubbed his hands together, a little excited.
It wasn't that Kushina wasn't capable.
But compared with Mito, there was naturally still a gap.
"Oh, right, Hokage-sama…"
"In another two years, Kushina and I are planning to get officially married. Do you approve?" Minato's heart stirred, and he asked softly.
Kushina's identity was special. Although Mito now looked like she was about to enter an ultra-long standby state…
No matter what, Kushina was still a backup candidate for the jinchūriki position.
Hiruzen calculated it in his head. By then, Minato would already be an adult.
Besides, ninja tended to marry relatively early anyway, given how quickly they matured and developed…
"I approve. If you and Kushina are together, I'm at ease."
"But aren't you going to think it over a little more? There are plenty of girls who like you…" Hiruzen teased.
Minato shook his head and said with a smile, "It's her."
"Hokage-sama, this is how Kushina usually gives me money…"
As he spoke, Minato opened his wallet, took out a banknote, and read aloud: "This is the subsidy the village gave me. I forgot to buy you kunai yesterday—so you'd better use this. If you don't, I'll take it as you looking down on me!"
"If you won't spend my money, then I won't spend your money anymore either!"
"If you're short on food or clothes, tell me. The house Hokage-ojiisan gave me has gone up in value now—you know it's in Konoha's inner ring! I can sell it and move to the outer ring instead. It's quieter over there too, hmph!"
This time, it was Hiruzen's turn for the corner of his mouth to twitch.
What a disgustingly lovey-dovey couple!
Seeing Hiruzen's reaction, Minato grinned and was just about to take his leave.
"Brat, showing off in front of the Hokage comes with a price!"
"The Sage Region cosmetics line will be coming out before long. The village is requisitioning your story with Kushina, so the two of you won't be getting any copyright fees."
Hiruzen raised a brow.
When selling cosmetics, you always had to care about the story. A good story could multiply a product's value several times over!
Minato using lipstick to instantly kill off the ninja academy elites, and then the whole village asking Kushina whether she liked that shade…
Kushina's half-tsundere way of forcibly stuffing money into Minato's hands, even going so far as to bring up selling her house.
These two stories would undoubtedly strike right into the hearts of young men and women. Who wouldn't want a partner like that?
And those stories would also turn into money flowing into Konoha, ultimately becoming part of Hiruzen's ninja path potential.
Minato chuckled. "Why would I need copyright fees for that!"
Hiruzen laughed too.
He wondered whether, once those two cosmetics became huge sellers in the future, Kushina would shut the door and scold Minato for being a spendthrift…
That would absolutely be an outrageous sum of money.
"Go on. Young people need to know when to tighten up and when to loosen up…"
"At your age, you're still in a phase of rapid growth. Rest is a necessary part of it."
Hiruzen waved a hand at Minato. "No need to stay with me. I'm not like you young people."
"At my age, I've already hit my upper limit. All I can do is pile on time and grind it out through slow effort…"
Minato nodded, feeling relieved inside.
The Hokage really did understand what he was thinking!
"You should also make sure to rest. Don't overwork yourself too much. There's no need for you to carry everything on your shoulders—we'll step up…"
Minato still offered a word of advice, and also came to realize that being Hokage truly wasn't easy.
You had to handle state affairs, while also maintaining your strength…
That was also one of the reasons Hiruzen had established the "Konoha Committee."
A Hokage who spent all day stamping documents would only become less and less capable in battle—eventually crushed beneath mountains of paperwork and endless meetings…
When he reached the entrance of the training ground, Minato suddenly turned back and glanced over his shoulder.
What he saw was that the ground in Hiruzen's field seemed to have sunk yet another layer.
Something felt off to him…
'Didn't Hokage-sama say you should specialize in your strengths?'
'Then why does it feel like Hokage-sama is developing in every direction? Neural reaction speed, physique, speed and strength, ninjutsu—and he's even gained a kekkei genkai…'
Minato scratched his head. 'Could it really be that this is just the result of long accumulation finally bursting forth? That he's digesting the build-up from the past…'
'There's really no need for me to train Lightning Release chakra mode. It doesn't suit me.'
'But combining fuinjutsu with Flying Thunder God definitely has to be accelerated. Those little brats at the academy are all waiting for me——especially that Uchiha Seisui that En-ojisan keeps talking about…'
Minato narrowed his eyes.
His relationship with Uchiha En was practically like that of honorary grandfather and grandson.
And whenever En chatted with him, he would always bring up the fact that a super genius had appeared in the clan, someone named Uchiha Seisui, whose talent was no weaker than his own.
But if you really savored En's tone, it was more that he was too embarrassed to say the boy was stronger than Minato, while inwardly believing exactly that.
Minato had secretly gone to watch Senju Tobirama a couple of times, and had also asked around.
And he had discovered that compared with the students at the ninja academy, Tobirama's build really did make him seem closer to Minato's age group.
And the combat ability he displayed was likewise astonishing—an utterly dimensionality-crushing kind of dominance.
As for Asuma, Kakashi, and the others, they had already placed all their hopes of defeating Minato entirely on "Seisui"…
'Though I don't think I'll lose…'
'But Hokage-sama said there's always someone better.'
'Hokage-sama also said before that when this class of ninja academy students reaches the end of term, he'll have me go test them again…'
'That Uchiha Seisui will probably step forward.'
'I have to master the 'Dazzling Light Spiraling Shift Guiding Thunder Technique' before then!'
Minato secretly made up his mind. If he didn't prepare thoroughly…
Then wouldn't he have taken today's forehead flick for nothing?
This clash between Konoha's two benchmark figures of the new era—
With Hiruzen and Isshin unintentionally adding fuel to the flames from the sidelines, it only grew more and more intense.
One of them had, through repeated sparring, greatly improved his neural reaction speed in near life-and-death combat.
Not only had he trained in cellular activation, he was also going to develop Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder ahead of time under Mito's instruction.
The other had inherited the complete dōjutsu power of a pair of Mangekyō.
He had tempered body and soul into one, no longer constrained by the series of shackles that came with forced reincarnation.
And he could even call forth an "ancestor" from the Pure Land…
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---