Ninjutsu: Franklin Secret Style

After resting briefly, Minato headed toward the finals arena once more.

Ei Yano Yu set down the massive barbell and entered the finals arena from the other side.

In the stands, Kushina clasped her hands before her chest and prayed.

Her little brother was still with the Waterfall Hidden Village jonin. Although Sister Senju Takeoto had been treating him, he still needed to be sent to Princess Tsunade as soon as possible.

Jiraiya rose from his seat and leaned against the railing in front of him. Turning to glance at Orochimaru, he asked, "Why aren't you sitting? Are you nervous too?"

"Of course I'm not nervous. I'm merely curious—which of them has greater talent, the future Fourth Raikage or Minato Namikaze?"

The two Kage sat quietly in their lofty seats. The Third Lightning Kage's ceremonial robe billowed constantly, clearly showing that his chakra was somewhat unstable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, on the other hand, was in a fine mood.

Win or lose, the middle generation had Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo, while the new generation had Minato Namikaze and Nara Shikaku. Konoha Village was flourishing so magnificently under his leadership.

As long as Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo did not die young or suffer some other accident, Konoha Village would remain powerful.

Hatake Sakumo announced, "The Chunin Exams finals! Begin!"

The instant Sakumo's voice faded, Minato and Ei Yano Yu both moved.

Minato threw four or five kunai first, then formed hand seals.

The Third Lightning Kage glanced sideways. Wasn't this Hiruzen Sarutobi's signature ninjutsu?

The Third Lightning Kage nodded slightly. As expected of his disciple's disciple—this was the most suitable technique to open with. It could both probe and suppress.

The sky filled with kunai, at least a hundred by rough estimate. Like a hundred black streaks, they shot toward Ei Yano Yu.

Ei Yano Yu snorted coldly. Lightning arcs burst from his body, and key areas such as his hands and feet were completely covered in lightning.

The beginner stage of Lightning Release Chakra Mode was enough for him to ignore kunai that felt like mere scratches.

He waved his hand, lightning spilling from it as he knocked away dozens of kunai in front of him.

Some Shadow Clone kunai were struck apart and turned into white smoke, while more kunai embedded themselves in the ground.

The next instant, Ei Yano Yu vanished.

By the time he was seen again, he had already arrived before Minato and drove a fist at him.

Minato gave off no astonishing aura. His figure simply vanished as well.

When Ei Yano Yu turned around, he saw Minato Namikaze appear at the far end of the arena, reaching into the Ninja Tool pouch at his waist.

Ei Yano Yu did not know what Minato intended to take from the pouch, but instinctively felt that he had to stop him.

He immediately turned back and charged at Minato again.

As he went and returned in rapid succession, the jonin in the stands all held their breath.

If it had been them, some believed they would not even have been able to dodge the first punch from the Third Lightning Kage's son.

Too fast. He was simply too fast.

Ei Yano Yu's fist appeared before Minato once more.

Only at close range could one understand Ei Yano Yu's strength.

Lightning Release chakra erupted from certain chakra points in the form of electric arcs, then returned to his body through other chakra points using some special secret technique.

When the arcs became dense enough, they manifested outwardly as a chakra cloak, similar to how a tailed beast cloak was formed from chakra.

In other words, although Ei Yano Yu's entire body crackled with lightning and appeared to be consuming enormous amounts of chakra, he actually possessed a unique chakra recycling mechanism that prevented waste.

So that's how it is. Lightning Release Chakra Mode was an exquisite conversion of Lightning Release chakra—chakra points—electric arcs—chakra points—Lightning Release chakra.

If chakra were merely turned into electric arcs and draped over the body, even the God of Shinobi couldn't withstand such reckless expenditure.

Before the lightning-wreathed fist could strike him, Minato exerted force through his legs and slid away, vanishing once more.

When Ei Yano Yu turned around, Minato had already taken a scroll from his Ninja Tool pouch.

This technique was prepared for you, Ei Yano Yu. Today, I will kill you!

Slaughtering Uzumaki Clan infants was your cause. Dying by my hand today will be your result!

Hatake Sakumo noticed that Minato Namikaze's gaze was wrong. The child still did not know how to hide his emotions—his eyes changed far too much whenever he intended to kill.

"Ninjutsu: Kite-Guided Lightning Franklin and Gold Leaf Secret Style!"

Huh? Hatake Sakumo listened to the strange name. Could this technique really kill someone?

Minato opened the scroll and used an unsealing technique.

By following Kushina, Minato had been able to learn all of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques.

Ei Yano Yu charged over again, but Minato vanished before he arrived.

This time, Ei Yano Yu's fist did hit something. It just happened to be the Sealing Scroll.

With one punch, he shattered the Sealing Scroll, and its contents burst out.

Inside were over a hundred sheets of Gold Leaf Paper!

Ei Yano Yu had no idea what Minato Namikaze intended to do, but unease rose in his heart.

There was an old saying in the ninja world: the stranger the technique, the more powerful it was.

This technique left him completely baffled.

Minato frantically formed hand seals from another position.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rose to his feet. Another Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique?

But this time, the target was not shadow clones, but the fluttering gold leaf.

Under Minato's chakra, the number of gold leaf sheets surged, filling the final arena with swirling fragments of gold.

Ei Yano Yu still had no idea what Minato intended to do. He merely charged through the countless fluttering gold leaves and continued rushing toward Minato.

The gold leaf paper obstructed his vision. By the time Ei Yano Yu reached Minato, he discovered that Minato had vanished again.

One attacked while the other fled. Minato's Body Flicker Technique was superior, allowing him to evade Ei Yano Yu's attacks every time.

When the crowd found Minato Namikaze again, they saw him appear in midair, using the Summoning Technique.

Among the toads of Mount Myōboku was a special one capable of hovering through the air—the Great Strength Toad.

Standing on the Great Strength Toad's back, Minato raised one hand, and a Rasengan appeared in his palm.

Jiraiya said excitedly from the stands:

"Look! That's the new ninjutsu Minato and I developed together! A hand-signless A-Rank Ninjutsu—the Rasengan!

"Minato has grasped the charm of D-cups, so he can form a Rasengan the size of a fist.

"And I've grasped the charm of F-cups, so I can form an enormous Rasengan!"

The next second, Minato's Rasengan suddenly expanded to over a meter in diameter.

Jiraiya muttered to himself, "Not bad, not bad. Minato has improved again. He's already grasped the charm of E-cups!"

Orochimaru looked at that hand-signless ninjutsu with mild surprise. It was powerful and practical.

The Third Lightning Kage could no longer remain seated. He abruptly stood up.

The situation changed in an instant!

Ei Yano Yu stood on guard, prepared to deal with what appeared to be Minato Namikaze's immensely powerful technique. Yet the lightning around his body suddenly diminished!

He could no longer maintain even the initial stage of Lightning Release Chakra Mode!

For the first time, Ei Yano Yu panicked.

Before Ei Yano Yu could figure it out, the Third Lightning Kage in the stands had already noticed that the lightning was flowing along the gold leaf beneath Ei Yano Yu's feet, dispersing into the surrounding kunai before being conducted underground.

Minato smiled. Too bad none of you had been brainwashed by Franklin's story about flying kites to draw lightning. You had no idea how ingenious this ninja art of mine was.

Too bad none of you had ever hauled bricks around a construction site either. You didn't understand that a combination of lightning rods, down conductors, and grounding wires could guide away electric charge.

The gold leaf paper spread across the ground was the down conductor, while the kunai embedded in the earth were the grounding wires.

The electric light created by Lightning Release was, like natural lightning, direct current.

Since it was similar to lightning, it had to fear lightning rods too, right?

He had spent two days learning Wind Release, and he appreciated Jiraiya and Orochimaru's good intentions. But ninjutsu learned in two days could not possibly deal with Ei Yano Yu.

When experts fought, they could not use half-baked ninjutsu.

It still had to be Franklin's secret method.

The Great Strength Toad flipped over, belly facing upward, turning Minato toward the ground.

Minato kicked hard off the Great Strength Toad's back and vanished instantly.

In the next instant, Minato appeared before Ei Yano Yu.

The enormous Rasengan cast blue chakra light across Ei Yano Yu's head and shoulders.

This strike would definitely avenge the infants and children of the Uzumaki Clan!

The fervor in Minato's eyes suddenly turned cold.

The Third Lightning Kage abruptly appeared. With a swing of his arm, he not only shattered Minato's Big Ball Rasengan, but his arm was also about to strike Minato in the throat.

No matter how gifted Minato was, there remained a tremendous gap between him and the Third Lightning Kage. He had no way to evade it.

At that moment, a dazzling white light appeared beside Minato's shoulder.

Hatake Sakumo was just as fast, slashing toward the Third Lightning Kage's shoulder.

If the Third Lightning Kage did not withdraw, Hatake Sakumo would definitely cut off one of his arms.

Hatake Sakumo's short blade was a chakra blade. In his hands, it possessed terrifying power. During the Second Ninja World War, he had single-handedly defeated the Sand Hidden Village's strongest Puppet Master couple—the son and daughter-in-law of Chiyo, adviser to the Kazekage.

The roar suddenly changed. The Third Lightning Kage shifted his attack and exchanged a blow with Hatake Sakumo, both of them retreating.

Minato's vision blurred. When he regained his sight, he found the final arena filled with people.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Akimichi Torifu...

The Third Lightning Kage stood on the other side, having rescued Ei Yano Yu.

The Third Hokage broke out in cold sweat. If not for Hatake Sakumo, his grand-disciple would have died here.

Jiraiya shouted, "Shameless Lightning Kage! You actually attacked a junior during a fair duel!"

Minato added, "Yeah! You led everyone into the arena and crushed my expensive gold leaf paper. Pay up!"