Body Flicker Technique

"Such arrogance. I'd like to see just how much strength you actually possess. Kurokawa, go finish off that brat."

Narita Daisaku let out a cold snort, drew a Kunai, and charged at Master Minato. His speed was nearly on par with him.

"Die!"

Three more ninja emerged from the forest. Two of them lunged at Master Minato, joining Narita Daisaku in a three-pronged assault.

The third remained on the periphery, much like Uchiha Mai, observing the battle while waiting for an opening to strike while keeping Namikaze Minato distracted.

Trying to surround me, Namikaze Minato? Not easy!

Master Minato utilized the Body Flicker Technique, transforming into a streak of Yellow Flash. He moved with effortless grace amidst the three-man assault, dodging even the Lightning Style ninjutsu launched by the fourth attacker.

Incredible. Master Minato is truly Master Minato, Uchiha Mai remarked to himself.

One Jonin and three Chunin—this was an elite squad configuration. That Master Minato could hold his own against them was no small feat, a testament to the mastery of his Body Flicker Technique.

The Body Flicker Technique is distinct from the general concept of "body flickering," much like the difference between Yin-Yang nature, Yin-Yang Release, and the power of Yin-Yang.

In a broad sense, body flickering refers to any technique that enhances a user's speed and agility.

Might Guy's Eight Inner Gates, the Cloud Village's Lightning Style Body Strengthening Secret Technique, Kakashi's future cell activation technique, and Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode could all be considered forms of body flickering.

Of course, aside from Kakashi's cell activation, the primary purpose of those abilities is not merely to boost speed and agility.

The legendary Flying Thunder God is, naturally, a form of body flickering as well. Beyond that, Namikaze Minato was also proficient in the most common Body Flicker Technique.

There are many variations of the Body Flicker Technique, such as the Sand Flicker, Mist Flicker, or Water Flicker; each village and even each individual ninja has their own specialty.

Generally speaking, these common techniques involve channeling chakra into the soles of the feet to move at high speeds. The speed varies depending on the user's chakra reserves and their understanding of the technique.

Usually, a technique that requires hand seals is faster than one that does not.

Yet, Master Minato was not using any hand seals at all, moving so fast he was nearly invisible, appearing only as a golden blur.

This high-level mastery of the Body Flicker Technique was the foundation of Namikaze Minato's promotion to elite Jonin and the source of his reputation as the "Yellow Flash."

While Uchiha Mai admired Master Minato's display, he did not forget to remain vigilant and scan his surroundings.

After all, Narita Daisaku had specifically ordered someone named "Kurokawa" to deal with him.

Though he wasn't sure if this was a feint by Narita Daisaku, caution was never a mistake.

Suddenly, a gust of wind struck from behind. Uchiha Mai grew alert, instantly activating Gongshoudao and darting to the side.

Expend 50,000 ryo, set duration to 1 second.

In an instant, Uchiha Mai's overall capabilities rose by a notch; his explosive power, speed, agility, and reflexes were all enhanced.

Bursting with speed thirty percent faster than usual, he evaded the enemy's sneak attack.

This was the most suitable way Uchiha Mai had discovered to use Gongshoudao.

In this early era, before combat power had inflated and everyone was piloting giant mechs, ninjas were generally strong in offense but weak in defense. Speed and agility were far more valuable than raw attack power.

So what if you're a Jonin? Would a Jonin die if they took my Oniyaki? They'd likely fall, but the problem is actually landing the hit.

Gongshoudao enhances overall physical quality, including strength.

However, while the early-stage boost to attack power looks good on paper, its value is low; Uchiha Mai was not lacking in strength.

Due to the law of diminishing returns, by the time everyone is piloting mechs, even spending a trillion ryo would yield negligible results.

Over the past ten days, Uchiha Mai hadn't just been gambling; he had spent his spare time researching this ability. After weighing his options, he decided to treat it as a zero-seal, zero-chakra-cost Body Flicker Technique.

Calculating the cost-effectiveness, his instantaneous speed increased by about 30-40%. While the effect was mediocre compared to dedicated techniques, its advantage lay in having no wind-up and zero cost.

"Brat, you've got some skill."

A burly, tall figure appeared where Uchiha Mai had been standing. It was the fifth ninja, Kurokawa, the one assigned by Narita Daisaku to finish him off.

"Do I need you to tell me that?"

Uchiha Mai retorted, activated Gongshoudao once more, and lunged forward with a whip kick aimed at Kurokawa's head.

Mai Style Ancient Martial Arts: Heavy Kick, Style 77.

Well, in truth, it was just a standard whip kick. Aside from a few specific moves, Uchiha Mai always made up the names for his strikes.

Even though his sneak attack had been dodged, Kurokawa still didn't take Uchiha Mai seriously. A little brat with thin arms and legs—how good could his taijutsu really be?

Look at my 1.85-meter frame, look at these bulging muscles, look at my sandbag-sized fists. Would I lose a taijutsu bout to a kid?

With that thought, Kurokawa didn't dodge or weave; he simply raised his arm to parry the high whip kick, preparing to counter with his other hand.

Then, a "crack" echoed.

Kurokawa's raised arm was kicked until the bone fractured, his entire body tilting to the side. Only by bracing his hand against the ground at the last second did he avoid an ugly fall.

This brat is strong! No wonder he dared to follow Namikaze Minato into pursuit.

Having suffered a blow, Kurokawa's initial contempt for Uchiha Mai vanished instantly. He performed a one-handed seal to use the Body Flicker Technique, darting ten meters away to adopt a kiting strategy.

Young ninjas with strong taijutsu usually have weaker ninjutsu. In one's youth, mastering one skill is more important than being a jack-of-all-trades.

As Kurokawa gained distance and prepared to weave seals for a ninjutsu, he saw several Shuriken flying toward him, forcing him to dodge while he tried to complete his seals.

Dividing his focus meant his hand signs were naturally slower. Furthermore, one of Kurokawa's arms had already suffered a hairline fracture from a previous kick.

Because of this, before Kurokawa could finish his hand signs, Uchiha Mai closed the distance and slammed a heavy punch toward him.

"Damn it!"

How could this brat be so troublesome? Kurokawa cursed, forced to abandon his ninjutsu and continue tangling with Uchiha Mai using taijutsu.

"Within fifteen meters, your ninjutsu is absolutely not faster than my fists." Uchiha Mai's punches struck like a dragon, and after a brief stalemate with Kurokawa, he actually began to gain the upper hand.

The problem Kurokawa was facing was the same one Uchiha Mai had encountered when he first learned the Great Fireball.

The Great Fireball required six hand signs; even an average jonin needed over a second to complete them. Even after the signs were finished, the Great Fireball still needed time to travel to the enemy.

In that second or so, Uchiha Mai could sprint about twenty meters and would have already finished a whole combo.