The Secret of Space

Do you want to learn the secrets of time and space? Do you want to become the coolest guy in the Shinobi World? Do you want your enemies to quake in fear, seeing nothing but the back of your head?

If so, come find the fastest guy in the Shinobi World, Minato Namikaze. Learn Flying Thunder God and travel anywhere in the Shinobi World without fear.

Enemies either couldn't hit him or couldn't catch him. He could advance or retreat at will, coming and going as he pleased. This was the Flying Thunder God that had made Minato famous on the battlefield.

And now Minato was teaching Kaede this Forbidden Jutsu that made others green with envy.

Flying Thunder God was, in fact, divided into two parts.

First, the ninja's own perception of space. This was the key. A keen sense of space was a prerequisite for learning Flying Thunder God.

Second, the formula. The Flying Thunder God Formula sealed the user's Chakra to serve as a marker, allowing them to pinpoint the coordinates of their location and destination in the vastness of space.

Learning those two things only meant you had just begun. To use Flying Thunder God in battle, the rest really depended entirely on talent.

Fortunately, Kaede only wanted to use Flying Thunder God as a space gate.

There were many ways to fight, and many ways to move quickly in battle. There was no need to make things difficult for herself. Kaede could achieve rapid mental reflexes, but in the end, they would take a toll on her body.

Her goal was to learn Flying Thunder God so she wouldn't be stuck in the village and could easily travel outside to take care of her own business.

Minato taught Kaede earnestly. "The first step is learning what time-space is. You can actually use the space inside a Sealing Scroll as a reference. You should have a faint impression of it.

"When I was learning, I used the instant of spatial awareness I experienced while performing Summoning Jutsu as my reference."

This was Minato's first time teaching someone else to learn Flying Thunder God. He had learned it from the Sealing Scroll, without anyone guiding him. He had taught himself.

Now it was his turn to teach someone else, but he hadn't found a suitable method yet. He could only go by feel. How much Kaede learned would depend on her own understanding.

Kaede stared at Minato, utterly baffled, and grumbled inwardly, "Couldn't you give me a Ninjutsu scroll to look at? You just toss out this 'spatial awareness' like it's nothing. How am I supposed to sense anything?"

As if realizing how vague he'd been, Minato took Kaede's hand and said, "Don't resist. I'll take you to experience what time-space is like."

Minato and Kaede disappeared from where they stood. The next moment, they appeared atop a tree, where one of Minato's special Kunai was embedded. "Well? Do you feel anything different?"

Kaede shook her head. "I just felt weightless for a moment, and then the scenery changed."

Flying Thunder God really was incredibly fast. Kaede's reflexes were pretty good, but she still hadn't reacted by the time Flying Thunder God had changed the scenery. She felt that only by putting on Lightning Armor and stimulating her reaction speed could she keep up with Minato.

Minato smiled gently. "It's all right. That's how it is at first. We'll try a few more times. This time, close your eyes and carefully sense how space changes at the instant Flying Thunder God activates. You can only practice Flying Thunder God once you've sensed the existence of space."

He had wanted to improve Flying Thunder God and make it easier to learn. But he'd found that if he lowered the difficulty, there was a delay when the technique activated, and it lost its element of surprise.

He wouldn't teach Kaede such an inferior version.

At Training Ground Seven, Jiraiya was engrossed in Kaede's Ninjutsu scroll, while Kushina watched the two people repeatedly disappearing and reappearing in the field, bored out of her mind.

"Are you two done yet? Watching you has made my head spin. If you can't do it, Kaede, you should learn our Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu instead. Our Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu is really powerful."

Hearing Kushina speak, Minato moved to her side with a tender expression. "Kaede has a real talent for learning Flying Thunder God. She's already developed a faint sense of space. Don't distract her."

Kaede, who had been flying around with Minato, was now sitting cross-legged on the ground. Through her spiritual perspective, she was observing a world unlike the one seen by the naked eye.

Everything had lost its color. In a world of silver and gray, Kaede saw the so-called spatial nodes. At that moment, she saw another layer of the world hidden beneath its surface.

Two of those spatial nodes were colored. One was the place where she stood, and the other was the treetop where Minato had been taking her again and again.

She connected the two with her mental energy and sent Chakra through the spatial link. In an instant, Kaede vanished. When she appeared again, she was already at the treetop. Confused, she opened her eyes, because she felt herself falling.

She hurriedly coated her feet in Chakra and stood sideways against the tree trunk. "Did I do it?"

Minato's voice came from above her head. He stood on the treetop. "Congratulations, Kaede. You've seen the secret of space. The next step is learning the Flying Thunder God Formula. The formula helps the user mark more spatial nodes, and it has secrets of its own. I can only teach you the Flying Thunder God Formula. What kind of formula you create is up to you."

His Flying Thunder God Formula was the Ninja Love Blade, while the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Formula was the Senju clan crest.

Watching from a distance as Kaede had already gained a basic grasp of Flying Thunder God, Jiraiya said in surprise, "She really learned it. Now we've got a problem."

As a Forbidden Jutsu in the Sealing Scroll, Flying Thunder God was something Minato could learn because he was my student. But if this kid learned it, that old Third Hokage would definitely make trouble!

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, thinking up a countermeasure. This kid was also a troublesome Uchiha. The old man definitely wouldn't let this go. He might even blame Minato for teaching her Flying Thunder God. What a headache.

Kaede happily demonstrated her half-finished Flying Thunder God to Minato. For now, she could only teleport back and forth between the spot where she'd started and the treetop.

Even so, she was having a great time.

Minato and Kushina clapped happily at Kaede's achievement. In their eyes, she was definitely a genius.

"Don't celebrate too soon, kid. You've gotten yourself into a big mess." When Kaede appeared in the field, Jiraiya said to her with a sinister grin.

Kaede turned to look at the unpredictable Jiraiya. He was still holding her Ninjutsu scroll. "What are you planning? This was an equal exchange, and I clearly gave less than I got. Don't think you can squeeze anything else out of me."

Hearing Kaede slander him, Jiraiya scrunched up his nose in anger. Looking like a toad, he waddled over and slapped Kaede to the ground. "Kid, kneel down right now and take me as your master. Then I'll pretend none of this ever happened."

"Take you as my master? Why?" Kaede asked, chin raised.

Sure, they were friends who exchanged Ninjutsu now, but what was with this sudden demand that she bow down and become his disciple? She was Uchiha Kaede. Didn't she have any pride?

Besides, she was now the will of the Uchiha, with hundreds of underlings at her beck and call. She could have people glare him to death in a heartbeat.

"Jiraiya-sensei, what happened?"

"It's all your fault. This kid learned Flying Thunder God, and there's no way she'll get past that old Third Hokage. The only way to explain it to him is to make her my student." Jiraiya grimaced.

A brat this full of herself wasn't the kind of adorable disciple he'd had in mind!