I Cannot Slow My Pace

A gentle breeze stirred, and the afternoon sunbeams dappled through the leaves overhead, scattering like stars in the sky, a little dazzling.

Naruto, encased in a layer of light armor, then placed protective gear on his head.

"Naruto, you're already very strong. You're only five years old, you don't need to rush like this at all."

Minato Namikaze, within the Sealed Space, wore a troubled expression.

"Father, I'm not rushing. I've never slacked on my Taijutsu training, and I've mastered all the sealing jutsu too," Naruto replied calmly to his Father.

He didn't mention Ninjutsu, because Minato had only taught him several variations of the Rasengan he had developed himself, along with basic Ninjutsu like Shadow Clone.

"But you don't need to do such dangerous Shuriken training just to test yourself," Minato continued to persuade him, a flicker of struggle crossing his face.

"I'm wearing protective gear. Father, don't you want to know if my personal nerve reaction speed is sufficient to learn the Flying Thunder God? No one is tracking or monitoring me right now, and the Third Hokage is currently inspecting Konoha's hospital. This is a rare opportunity that shouldn't be missed."

After speaking, Naruto ignored his Father and casually took out two Sealing Scrolls.

After inputting Chakra into the storage formulas on the scrolls one by one, six repeating crossbows capable of firing multiple Kunai appeared on the ground. Each crossbow could instantly fire nine Kunai.

Naruto picked up a crossbow and walked to the stone platform holding the basket of Kunai, beginning to load them.

Soon, all the crossbows were loaded with Kunai. Naruto first marked his current position, then began setting up the fixed crossbows on the surrounding tree trunks around the stone platform.

Another month had passed since his last meeting with the Uchiha brothers. For this past month, he had been fighting against Itachi Uchiha's data Puppet in the Mirrored World.

Only last night did he finally receive a breakthrough reward.

He had obtained Itachi Uchiha's masterful Shurikenjutsu and Fire-style Chakra!

As early as the beginning of the month, he had mastered all the sealing jutsu his Father, Minato Namikaze, had taught him, with the exception of the Reaper Death Seal.

Minato Namikaze had stated that the Reaper Death Seal would absolutely not be taught to him.

Later, Naruto requested to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. With his abundant Chakra and strong Sensory Ability mastered, he felt he had met all the requirements to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. However, this time, while Minato Namikaze didn't refuse, he didn't immediately agree either.

He said he wanted to see if his own reflex nerves met the requirements for learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, and then he kept delaying, hesitating without agreeing.

He vaguely guessed the reason why his Father was unwilling to teach him the Flying Thunder God Technique immediately.

But Naruto didn't press the issue. He didn't know if his Father, Minato Namikaze, was genuinely feigning ignorance or seeking peace of mind. The Mirrored World had collected his data the day they reunited.

He often went to the Mirrored World with Naruto, so even if he didn't teach him, it was only a matter of time before Naruto obtained everything he knew.

However, Naruto also wanted to test his own nerve reaction speed. If it was truly insufficient, he planned to shift his focus to other areas.

After securing the fishing line connected to the trigger of each crossbow to the ring on the handle of a Kunai, Naruto walked to the three stone pillars next to the stone platform and directly inserted the Kunai at his feet.

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze's expression tightened. "Naruto..."

Naruto's expression was indifferent. "I'm starting, Father. Please don't distract me."

As he spoke, Naruto reconfirmed that the firing directions of the crossbows were precisely aimed at his predetermined positions, then decisively kicked the Kunai at his feet.

Da da da~~

The crossbows on the tree trunks activated in response, and in an instant, 54 Kunai, carrying terrifying penetration power, shot towards his position.

Bang bang bang~~

Several Kunai landed in the empty space.

The moment Naruto kicked away the Kunai, he had already leaped up with agile movements. As his body was in mid-air, he threw his hands forward, and several Kunai flew out.

Ding ding ding~~~

The sound of successfully intercepting the attack echoed. With a thought, Naruto flipped his body and tapped a stone pillar with one foot. Just as he was about to turn, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and shoulder simultaneously.

The Kunai bounced off the protective gear Naruto was wearing.

But in that instant, Naruto's entire being tensed up. The eyes beneath the protective gear were now filled only with pure, cold rationality, calm and undisturbed.

The attack did not disrupt his subsequent actions.

Thump!

His heart began to beat violently. He could almost hear his blood surging like a rapid stream, rushing to all parts of his body.

It felt like a long time had passed, but in reality, it was less than the blink of an eye.

Still in mid-air, Naruto did not hesitate. With swift movements, he dodged the other incoming Kunai, crouched down, and landed on the stone platform beside the three stone pillars.

"One in front, one behind, two attack points. If it weren't for the Kunai shot earlier, I might have..."

"My perception isn't good enough without the Sharingan?"

"No! Even without the Sharingan, based on calculations, I should only have been unable to dodge the shoulder attack. It seems that because I was wearing protective gear, my mind created an obstacle, preventing me from breaking through my limits."

Recalling the trajectory details of the Kunai attacking him, Naruto suddenly made up his mind. After resetting all the crossbows, he began to remove his protective gear.

Minato Namikaze watched this with alarm. "Naruto! Why are you taking off your armor!"

Naruto replied with an unchanged expression, "I want to try again."

"Don't be reckless!" Minato Namikaze's face suddenly changed upon hearing this, and then he said anxiously, "Naruto, you're already very strong. I don't know why you're so fixated on power, but at your age, you can take it step by step!"

Kurama glanced at Minato Namikaze without making a sound. It felt that the Fourth Hokage understood his son even less than this fox did.

From the moment it had officially linked chakra with Naruto and touched the boy's reason that disregarded everything, it knew that any decision Naruto made was unquestionable.

Naruto, having removed all his protective gear, calmly inserted another kunai into the ground.

"Father, I can't slow down, and I haven't been able to for a long time."

His voice was steady, without a hint of fluctuation, and a bright, sword-like gaze emanated from his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze's expression turned bitter again. He was about to speak but quickly swallowed his words.

This was because he saw his son kick away the kunai controlling the repeating crossbow.

Thwack, thwack, thwack~~

The instant 54 kunai shot out, Naruto leaped into the air. His hands moved in the same manner as before, throwing several kunai to intercept the attack. The first wave of attacks wasn't even in his consideration.

Thwip!

Blood immediately flowed from Naruto's shoulder, where three kunai were now embedded.

However, he had successfully avoided the attack from the front without any distraction. His blood was almost boiling with the powerful beat of his heart, yet Naruto's emotions were calmer than when he had been wearing his protective gear.

Crack!

His body landed back on the stone platform with an unbelievable movement.

Naruto looked up, his azure eyes bursting with infinite sharpness.

"Father, no one can make me slow down! Because I am pursuing the right goal!"

Minato Namikaze, within the Sealed Space, was dumbfounded.