Minato Namikaze

"The Eye of Heaven: Dust, Myriad Transformations!!!"

Issui already understood that he seemed to have returned to the past. The four people under the tree were clearly distinguishable from their attire. The handsome man with blond hair was the Fourth Minato Namikaze, Minato Namikaze; the one with half his face covered, wearing black clothes and carrying a short katana was Kakashi Jr.; the one wearing goggles was probably Obito Uchiha; and the cute girl with two red marks on her face was probably Rin Nohara.

In order to prevent time and space from becoming disordered and making it impossible to return to the future, Issui had no choice but to use the Secret Technique of the fourth stage of the Eye of Heaven to slightly change his face shape. If you look closely, you will find that Issui only made his face more rugged, and there is no difference from his original appearance. It is difficult for people who are not close to him to tell the difference at a glance.

"Come out... I've already memorized your presence, right here..." Minato Namikaze suddenly looked at a large tree, gripping his Kunai tightly, calmly observing the shadow behind the tree.

"Gulp..." A bead of cold sweat trickled down Obito's forehead, and his body trembled slightly.

"..." Rin's face paled, but seeing Kakashi's calm demeanor, her tension eased slightly...

"Well, since you've found me, I won't hide anymore. You're quite something, aren't you? You managed to find my hiding place so quickly. I clearly remember concealing my presence, how did you know..." Issui slowly jumped down from the tree and said to Minato Namikaze.

"Sunlight... shadow..." Minato Namikaze uttered a few simple words.

"Oh, I see. Sigh, I was so careless. I completely forgot it was morning. The sunlight streaming down from the jungle inevitably shone on me, leaving a shadow on the ground that was distinctly different from the shadows of the surrounding trees. That's how you spotted me, wasn't it? You're quite observant. Even though I wasn't well hidden, to be able to understand the surrounding environment and detect my presence like this, you're a very experienced person..." Issui suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. You actually found me by my shadow. You're a truly formidable battlefield analysis expert."

"No, I'm not entirely sure. Your shadow is different from the shadow of a leaf, but only slightly. After all, it's midday sunlight, and the area of a person's shadow under direct sunlight is very small, so I can't be sure if it's your shadow at all. What I said was to test you. If I guess right, you will definitely stop hiding and come out. If I guess wrong, you will continue to hide..." Minato Namikaze said quietly. Although Issui had already emerged from hiding, he gripped the Kunai in his hand even tighter.

"Uh... I give up. So it was a series of traps. Your previous guesses and subsequent probing completely controlled my mind. I admire you. I'm definitely not as good as you in this regard. I didn't expect to be at a disadvantage in our first encounter. You have far more combat experience than me..." Issui shook his head with a wry smile. He thought he had performed so well after meeting the Fourth, but he was completely outmaneuvered in their first exchange. How pathetic...

"No, you're quite formidable. You made me feel very dangerous, even if it was only subconsciously. But it still shows how strong you are. Besides, what happened before was just a test. The fact that you dared to come out and remained so calm shows that you are very confident in your abilities..." Minato Namikaze said calmly.

"Haha, I must say, you've really surprised me. You're a formidable opponent..." Issui Shui laughed heartily. "That's right, I'm very confident in my own abilities, but you're no slouch either. You're a worthy opponent."

"Minato-sensei, look at his Forehead Protector... it's from Konoha..." Obito suddenly exclaimed in surprise. How could this person be wearing Konoha Forehead Protector? He'd never seen him before. Was he someone from the village?

"Idiot... we all know..." Rin rolled her eyes at Obito. How could we not see something so obvious? The reason we didn't say anything was to test the enemy's intentions, you idiot...

"Hmph..." Kakashi gripped the Shuriken in his hand and snorted lightly, clearly unimpressed by Obito's words; he was already used to Obito's personality.

"Young man, your identity..." Minato asked coldly.

"Identity? Isn't that obvious? I'm a member of Konoha Ninja Village..." Issui pointed to his Forehead Protector and said, "I am indeed Konoha ninja, but I traveled back in time. I'm from the future..."

"Really? If you were, I might remember, but I know all the Genin to Jonin of Konoha. There's no ninja like you among them. With your strength, many people should know you, but obviously I don't recognize you. Where did you get your Forehead Protector?" Minato asked, puzzled.

"Forehead Protector... Oh, this is indeed mine. Believe it or not, it's up to you. I'm just passing by. Do as you please. I'm leaving..." Issui Chong and the other four waved and prepared to leave.

"Don't even think about it... Flying Thunder God Technique!!" Minato had no intention of letting Issui escape so easily; he needed to see the back of this powerful enemy clearly.

Just as Issui was about to leave, a Kunai behind. Then, out of the corner of Issui eye, Ichisui caught a glimpse of a golden light flashing, Minato Namikaze appeared in front of him, gripping the Flying Thunder God Kunai and thrusting it towards his heart...

"Eye of Heaven - Black, Distorting Light!!!" A black eye suddenly opened on Issui's forehead, as he wanted to try out his newly mastered Secret Technique.

A strange thing happened. The instant Minato's Kunai touched Issui's body, his attack was redirected elsewhere, while Issui's body flashed and appeared behind Minato, a Kunai in his hand. The situation was reversed; now it was Issui who was stabbing Minato Namikaze with Issui Shuriken...

"..." The exchange between Minato Namikaze and Issui was only a fleeting moment. Kakashi and the other two only saw two figures flash by. First, a golden light flashed by—they recognized it as Minato-sensei's blond hair. Then, a silver light flashed by—they remembered Issui's silver hair. Could that silver light be him?

After his attack was guided and distorted by a strange force, Minato's eyes widened instantly, somewhat incredulously. With his research on Space-Time Ninjutsu, he naturally understood what had happened. That silver light was probably from Issui using some kind of Space-Time Ninjutsu to reach behind him and launch an attack.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!!!" At this crucial moment, Minato had no choice but to use the Flying Thunder God Technique again. In an instant, his body returned to the area where Kakashi and the others were, back to where he had been standing, as if he hadn't moved at all, except that a tear appeared in his ninja shirt!

The Issui only touched Minato's clothes before it vanished; Minato had already used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave once more.

"???" A bead of sweat appeared on Minato's forehead. It was the first time he had encountered a ninja other than himself who could use Space-Time Ninjutsu. That was really close. If he hadn't reacted quickly, his back would probably be bleeding...

"What a powerful ability! Instantaneous movement, far surpassing the power level of Body Flicker Technique. You're incredibly skilled..." Issui exclaimed in admiration. The Fourth was truly a genius. He himself had only acquired space-time Ninjutsu through developing his Kekkei Genkai, while the Fourth Hokage had genuinely created a unique Space-Time Ninjutsu. The difference was stark. Just as Jiraiya had said, Minato Namikaze was a true genius.

"Minato-sensei..." Rin asked worriedly. From her teacher's slightly pale face, she could tell that this opponent was truly extraordinary, unlike any of the ordinary opponents she had faced before. Minato-sensei had never been this nervous before, and this was only their first encounter...

"Rin, Obito, protect yourselves. Kakashi, don't attack, focus on defense. Our opponent is no less strong than me. The three of you stand back to back and don't make any rash moves. Don't worry, I will protect you. If the enemy wants to hurt you, they will have to step over my body!!" Minato moved his feet slightly, protecting his three disciples behind him, leaving them with a solid back.

"Hey, don't be so nervous, okay? I have no hostility towards you. I am indeed Konoha ninja..." Issui said, spreading his hands.

"I don't know if you're Konoha ninja or not, I only know our current situation. You and we are enemies..." Minato gripped the Kunai in his hand, preparing to launch the next attack.

"Hey, I've already told you, I have no hostility towards you. You don't want to keep fighting with me, do you?" Issui said with a wry smile. Damn it, I already told you to stop, but you still want to continue. Don't take it so seriously.

"If it's really as you say, please reveal your identity. If you continue to use your Konoha identity, then it shows you have no sincerity at all. Reveal your identity, young man, it's better for all of us..." Minato said.

"..."

Issui's brain froze. He realized that his identity as Konoha Ninja was from the future, and they had no idea about it. Even if he called on everyone in Konoha, no one would recognize him, since this was the past.

"Alright, I might as well tell you. I am a wandering ninja. My parents were ninjas who died in battle in Konoha. The only thing they left me was this Forehead Protector. After my parents died, I left Konoha to find a path to become a stronger ninja. Now I guess I've found my Ninja Way. Meeting you all today was just an accident..." Issui fabricated the lie without changing his expression.

"Really?" Minato Namikaze was somewhat skeptical. Was it really true?

"Of course, my parents' names are on the Memorial Stone heroes in Konoha. My father's name is Ono Nakamura, and my mother's name is Erika Nakamura. You can check..." Issui had seen the names of this sacrificed couple on the Memorial Stone in Konoha before, and it was the best thing to use them now. As for whether the couple had any children, he really didn't know. He just made it up and hoped that he could get away with it.