Minato's Growth

"Brother Hanma, you're back!"

"Hello, Teacher Hanma!"

When Minato and Kushina saw Hanma approaching, they warmly greeted him, showing how much they had missed him.

Hanma ruffled Minato's hair and played around with him for a moment before straightening his expression and asking seriously,

"How is your Flying Thunder God Technique training coming along? In the next war, I'll be commanding the Hunter-Killer Unit, so I probably won't be able to take you two with me."

The Hunter-Killer Unit was an elite force formed by selecting highly mobile ninja from among the village's Special Jonin.

They bore important responsibilities such as striking enemy scouts, reinforcing disadvantaged battlefields at any time, or lying in wait as a surprise force to raid enemy command posts.

Minato said confidently, "Kushina has helped me a lot. I can already use this technique."

Kushina raised her little fist high in agreement. "Minato-kun is the smartest!"

Watching the pair, already inseparable ahead of schedule, Hanma thought of his own complicated history with Tsunade and sighed.

Heh. They're just two kids in puppy love.

He raised an eyebrow, signaling Minato to show off his results.

Minato stepped into the middle of the field and flicked his wrist. Kunai spread through the air like a giant net, every throwing trajectory carefully arranged.

Hanma's gaze sharpened. This really did look the part—there was even a hint of the Yellow Flash from the original story.

"Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three!"

Minato rapidly shouted out the lengthy, embarrassingly dramatic name. At the same time, yellow flashes flickered in succession as he darted between the coordinates of the various kunai.

Unlike the usual Body Flicker Technique, the Flying Thunder God Technique's movement was almost entirely without fluctuation or presence.

Kushina wore a proud expression as well. This was the result of both their efforts.

Hanma moved, catching one swiftly flying kunai barehanded. It reminded him of something interesting.

In the original story, Minato's marking had been "Sword of Shinobi Love," which had also represented Minato's own ninja way.

So what was it now?

Looking down, Hanma saw four large characters clearly inscribed on the Flying Thunder God Kunai—"Sword of Steadiness"!

Hanma's face darkened.

Classmate Minato Namikaze, how old were you this year?

Once your teacher struck it rich, he would definitely send you to a world covered entirely in oceans so you could meet your predecessor.

Hanma cracked his neck with a series of terrifying pops and looked at Minato with an inscrutable expression.

He planned to help Minato properly test his ninja way and see just how steady it truly was.

Seeing Hanma's strange expression, a few beads of cold sweat appeared on Minato's forehead.

Having lived with Hanma for seven years, he already understood that this guy had somehow gotten upset again and was about to teach him a lesson.

Minato believed Hanma could control his strength, but what if he couldn't?

This was way too unsafe!

Recalling Hanma's previous displays of extreme violence, Minato's potential was stimulated to its limit in that instant.

Seeing the trace of panic on Minato's face, Hanma smiled. His figure flickered, and his huge fist was already closing in on Minato's head.

Minato pushed his reaction nerves to the absolute limit. The Flying Thunder God Technique activated successfully, allowing him to evade the strike.

Hanma applauded. To master this technique at thirteen, and to possess such activation speed, already made him a genuine genius of the Shinobi World.

Even if he had received the boost of living off a rich wife, no one could deny Minato's talent.

But before Minato could catch his breath, Hanma closed in again and began a new round of testing.

Figures and flashes flickered throughout the training ground. Minato and Hanma moved like shadows following one another, locked in an inseparable exchange.

After Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique more than a dozen times, Hanma stopped attacking. This was already the limit of Minato's current Chakra reserves.

This training had primarily been intended to help Minato become familiar with his new technique and understand his own limits.

It definitely wasn't retaliation because he and Kushina had been acting so lovey-dovey!

Hanma pulled Minato to his feet and began commenting on their battle.

"The Flying Thunder God Technique's brilliance lies in its seal-free activation. Minato, you need to make your technique activate faster and more discreetly."

The current Minato still could not achieve the direct teleportation effect he would have in the future. Once his Chakra was insufficient or the marking was too far away, he needed hand seals to guide himself there.

"You also need to remember that a fully developed Flying Thunder God Technique should combine range and speed. Your sensory ability needs improvement too."

For a truly mature Flying Thunder God user, Tobirama Senju was the only model.

The Second had a terrifying sensory range and abundant Chakra. As long as he set up Flying Thunder God coordinates in advance, he was practically a Perfect Ninja who stood undefeated.

Minato nodded seriously. Hanma's assessment was objective, and it was also the direction Minato had set for his own development.

As for the raw killing power Minato still lacked, that was not something he needed to consider right now. His small body did not have that much Chakra to spare.

Minato ran to the edge of the field and began picking up the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had thrown, collecting them one by one and storing them close to his body.

Hanma burst out laughing. This was the hidden iconic scene he had wanted to see!

Flying Thunder God Kunai really did need to be retrieved. Ninja tools with such unusual designs were obviously expensive.

Hanma rubbed the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had caught earlier, carefully feeling its material.

"With this hardness and Chakra conductivity, it must be mixed with quite a bit of Chakra Metal. No wonder it's so expensive."

Looking at the bulging ninja tool pouch around Minato's waist, Hanma's expression gradually grew complicated. Minato, you really should marry into the family!

Kushina ran over and poked Hanma, her eyes carrying an unexpected trace of shyness.

"Teacher Hanma, I heard the village might be going to war. Can I go with Minato-kun too?"

Hanma pondered without immediately answering Kushina. He considered the current situation; this was not a simple question.

As the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito, who possessed the Strength of a Hundred Seal, had already begun the countdown on her lifespan.

Kushina was both an Uzumaki orphan taken in by the village and a backup Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In the eyes of the higher-ups, she currently had a nature similar to that of a ninja tool.

Especially since the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito, was also the First Hokage's wife. That carried many implications.

In a sense, the Nine-Tails could be regarded as the Hokage's legacy and Konoha's symbol.

If anything happened to the Nine-Tails, setting aside its actual combat strength, the impact would be immense and would greatly shake the prestige of the Third and the others.

Hanma looked at Kushina and suddenly recalled a certain filial son's classic line.

"Go find the Third and say this to him in my tone."

Hanma imitated Uchiha Itachi's cold, arrogant tone.

"I want to test my capacity, as a trial for becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. If I do not even dare face war, how can I protect the Nine-Tails for the village?"

Seeing Kushina's confused expression, Hanma smiled helplessly. Imitating Itachi really was asking too much of her.

"You can also go find Mito-sama. The Third and the others will still listen to her."

Kushina blinked and asked, "So if I ask Grandma Mito, I can fight alongside Minato-kun?"

Hanma nodded. Kushina cheered and ran to Minato's side, helping him collect the kunai.

In the current Konoha, Uzumaki Mito's words were enough to be called an "imperial decree."

It was a new week. Thank you all for your monthly votes, recommendation votes, favorites, and comments. Thank you for your support! Also, please keep reading if possible—don't let this story die from being neglected (_). One more thing: I'm correcting an error regarding Mito's age. I'll revise the earlier chapters, but it will not affect the main story at all.