"Minato, I have something to ask."
"Go ahead."
Shimizu repeated the same question he had asked Jiraiya earlier that evening.
The increasingly severe crises made him desperate to grow stronger—even if Minato had once refused to teach him the Rasengan.
What was pride compared to survival?
Besides, it was Jiraiya who had told him to ask Minato. If things turned awkward, he could just push the blame onto Jiraiya.
"Why is your Body Flicker so fast?" Minato didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked his own question.
"When I use the Body Flicker Technique, I consume extra chakra in my feet to increase explosive force. Then I gather a considerable amount of chakra in my abdomen to adjust my center of gravity. Of course, depending on posture, the center shifts—it's not always the abdomen. That part requires constant experimentation."
"That sounds rather profound," Minato murmured thoughtfully. "Using chakra to shift your center of gravity to enhance speed…"
"Just a small trick."
Since Shimizu dared to explain it, he wasn't worried Minato would easily replicate it.
It sounded simple—but if Minato wanted to rediscover the method from scratch, he was welcome to try.
It had taken Shimizu years of trial and error to reach this level.
Did these natives who never went through nine years of compulsory education even understand physics?
"And you?" Shimizu asked casually.
"My Body Flicker has two forms. One is the standard technique—same as yours. Concentrate large amounts of chakra in the feet to boost explosive power. It just so happens my chakra reserves and burst strength are both quite good."
So in short—talent.
"The other is true space-time ninjutsu. The Flying Thunder God Technique developed by the Second Hokage. I relied on that to escape the spiral-masked ninja."
At the mention of the spiral-masked ninja, Shimizu immediately focused.
"Was he very strong?"
"Very. I couldn't match him in raw strength. And he used Wood Release—it was extremely troublesome."
"If he used Wood Release, then he should be from the Senju clan, right?"
"That would be the only possibility. But with the mask on, I couldn't see his face. I assume the Hokage and Jiraiya-sensei will uncover some clues."
So mysterious…
"Did he have any other obvious traits?" Shimizu carefully probed. What he truly wanted to ask was whether the man had a Sharingan—but that question was both sensitive and foolish.
If the enemy had displayed a Sharingan, Minato would have noticed.
"If I had to say… his fighting style felt different from ours—different from those trained through the Academy system. There was no clear structure. Beyond that, I couldn't tell."
"…By the way, does your space-time technique have a distance limit?"
Two young men whose Body Flicker techniques had reached extraordinary heights began an intense discussion.
They questioned each other, analyzed mechanics, and debated the limits of speed.
When Minato encountered the bottleneck of his dynamic vision failing to keep up with his speed, his solution had been simple:
Channel a portion of chakra into his eyes to enhance dynamic visual acuity.
That allowed him to see clearly at extreme velocity.
Because his reflexes were already exceptional—it wasn't that his reactions were too slow, only his visual tracking.
The catch?
Channeling chakra into the eyes required extremely refined chakra control.
In summary—
Shimizu Uzuki couldn't learn it.
Talent once again barred him from the next gate.
"…Sorry. Given your situation, I don't know how to solve it either," Minato admitted.
"I'll find another way to break through."
"I see… Then I can only remind you—against experienced and powerful shinobi, overly repetitive attacks can be fatal."
"Speed is a double-edged sword."
"I've already been mindful of that issue."
Since there was no immediate solution, he could only set it aside for now.
As for the Rasengan and the Flying Thunder God…
By this point, Shimizu no longer craved those two techniques as desperately as before. He was gradually forming his own combat style. He believed that his Instant Water would be no weaker than the Flying Thunder God. And his Lightning Blade Slash would be no inferior to the Rasengan.
As for needing a specific water environment—
He possessed powerful Water Release techniques capable of reshaping the battlefield itself.
"Jiraiya-sensei told me about your situation. Both he and the Hokage trust you. If you ever need my help…" Minato drew a kunai from his waist and handed it to Shimizu. "This one has my Flying Thunder God seal inscribed on it. As long as you channel chakra into it, I'll arrive immediately."
It was a three-pronged kunai, its handle etched with the Flying Thunder God formula—the key that allowed Minato to move through space.
Minato smiled and added, "Don't worry. This one has a static formula. I won't know your location unless you input chakra. Only the dynamic formulas allow me to track their coordinates at all times."
"Thank you." Shimizu put the kunai away.
"I should head back now." Minato wore an apologetic expression—mixed with a slightly sheepish grin.
Men in love all looked like that.
It was probably because of that lively girl with long, fiery red hair—
Uzumaki Kushina.
"…By the way, I've actually wanted to tell you this for a long time. Thank you. Truly," Minato said after a moment's hesitation.
"Thank me?"
"That day—when Kushina was kidnapped by the Cloud ninja. It was thanks to you…"
He was referring to the year Kushina had just graduated from Konoha's Ninja Academy. At the time, the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning were at war. Kumogakure, unable to properly control the Eight-Tails and having discovered Kushina's special chakra, had planned a kidnapping.
Two full squads of Cloud ninja participated. Right after Kushina's graduation ceremony—when vigilance was at its lowest—they abducted her.
Konoha immediately dispatched shinobi in pursuit, but initially found nothing.
The Land of Fire was vast—it was like searching for a needle in the ocean.
In the end, near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, Minato and Shimizu, along with their squad, rescued her.
It was many years ago.
But even back then, Shimizu had already established considerable merit and served as a chūnin squad leader.
If Shimizu hadn't helped that day, Minato alone might not have been able to rescue Kushina.
And without that—
There would be no love story between him and Kushina now.
"It was just a mission. Nothing more."
"…No matter what, I owe you my thanks." Minato gave a bright, sunny smile like a carefree young man.
Shimizu Uzuki—
You truly haven't changed.
A real shinobi.
...
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