Light Made Me the Light

A mudflat appeared at my feet...

A familiar "Spatial Rhythm" emanated from the space...

Namikaze Minato only felt a blur before his eyes. The Sun-Earring Boy beside him smiled slightly, flicked his Nen Thread thread, and suddenly plunged into the ground with Nohara Rin. When they reappeared, they were already a hundred meters away!

"Space-Time Ninjutsu?!" Namikaze Minato kept chasing after them, but his mind went blank as he stared blankly at Roy and Nohara Rin disappearing into the distance, leaving them far behind.

The name "Yellow Flash" highlights only one thing: speed. Namikaze Minato's two most famous techniques are the "Rasengan" and the "Flying Raijin Space-Time Ninjutsu"!

This ninjutsu, developed by the Second Hokage, has stumped countless elite Ninja. Throughout the entire Konoha, the number of those who have mastered it is less than a handful, demonstrating just how incredibly difficult and demanding the "Space-Time Ninjutsu" is to learn!

"Flying... Flying Raijin?"

"Tread. Tread..." Because of Namikaze Minato's pause, Kakashi and Obito finally seized a chance to catch up. The two stood clearly to the left and right, but their gazes were all focused on the boy in front of them, who was constantly moving in and out of the "surface" and "underground" with Nohara Rin, or perhaps Sun-Earring Boy from a blue stone, a tree, or a stream!

Kakashi blurted out a comment, which he immediately dismissed... He saw neither "Kunai" nor "Marking," so this wasn't his teacher's signature "Flying Thunder God Technique" at all, but rather... another unknown [Space-Time Ninjutsu]!

A Sun-Earring Boy with swaying white hair, his face half-covered by a dark blue mask, swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He stared intently at Roy, who was running away, and asked Obito, "Are you two really from the same Uchiha?" Uchiha Obito, already frantic because Rin had been taken away, glared at him angrily and said, "What do you mean?" Kakashi remained silent, glancing at him briefly before looking away. This silent suspicion and disdain, under normal circumstances, would have been like Deidara throwing a Obito bomb into Obito's heart, utterly igniting it!

But today, on this warm morning, deep within the lush Southern Forest... Obito, wearing goggles, showed no signs of distress. He was even more silent than Kakashi, pushing off with all his might, chasing after Rin, and seemingly also searching for... Uchiha Jin!

"This family's custom..." Kakashi was taken aback, stunned by the Sun-Earring Boy's unusual attitude.

Where did that idiot who would easily get worked up over a single rumor go?

Why... when he encountered Uchiha Jin, did he become like a sheep whose wool had been smoothed down from its back... so docile? Confusion and bewilderment surged through Kakashi's heart like a powerful wave, but even more so was...

Hiding behind the scenes, constantly Sarutobi Hiruzen, or rather...

"I'm not spying, I'm openly spying..."

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his massive desk, recalling the warning glance the Sun-Earring Boy had given him when they unexpectedly encountered Sakumo. His aged eyes gleamed, fixed intently on the Crystal Ball, watching Roy "sink to the bottom," "surface," "sink to the bottom again," and "surface again." He seemed to have forgotten to puff on his pipe, finally letting out a long, deep puff of smoke... "Sun-Earring Boy, are you deliberately putting on a show for this old man?"

"What a magnificent Space-Time Ninjutsu!"

If Sarutobi Hiruzen had previously harbored some doubts about Fugaku's ability to train a child like Roy, then... now Sarutobi Hiruzen is absolutely certain that Uchiha Jin's growth is entirely due to his own talent, and has little to do with Fugaku!

Because even someone like Fugaku, let alone Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage Hokage, recognized by several major ninja villages as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," couldn't personally train a child "capable of mastering Space-Time Ninjutsu," let alone...

[Space-Time Ninjutsu] is extremely rare; there are only a handful of such techniques in the entire ninja world, excluding Summoning Jutsu".

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind suddenly blew in from outside the window, lifting a corner of the scroll lying on the desk. On the back of the scroll, four large characters clearly marked Roy's name— Uchiha Jin:...

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared intently.

The pen was in his hand, the ink had dried, and he wanted to add one more sentence at the end of the scroll, but after a long while, he didn't know what to write... While an ordinary seven-year-old child was still learning the "Three Basic Jutsu" and practicing throwing "Shuriken" at the Ninja Academy, this Sun-Earring Boy in front of him, who led Nohara Rin through mountains, trees, lakes, and paths as if walking on flat ground, had already created his own "Space-Time Ninjutsu." This... even if his teacher were to be resurrected and sit in his place, he probably wouldn't believe it.

And that is genius, a genius of the Uchiha who is no less than the Senju Clan!

"Whoosh. Ton. Ya." Southern Forest,

As Kakashi and Obito, carrying logs on their shoulders, sprinted past a blond man,

Namikaze Minato seemed to finally snap out of his shock at Roy's mastery of Space-Time Ninjutsu. He had always believed it to be his unique technique, and had often fantasized about having a student inherit it from him. Unfortunately... Kakashi couldn't, Obito couldn't, Rin couldn't... until...

Namikaze Minato slightly raised his chin, watching Roy lead Nohara Rin into the rushing forest, their figures almost disappearing from sight. Only then did he smile, a very happy and hearty smile. Then, he patted his waist and flung out a Kunai branded with "Flying Thunder God Formula," which pierced the air and shot forward like lightning!

With his blond hair swaying, the man vanished into thin air in a flash, then reappeared, overtaking Kakashi and Obito in the blink of an eye, appearing at the location Marking by the Kunai. Just like that, "swing out," "flash," "swing out again," "flash again," a thousand meters was all within his feet... In just a moment, Namikaze Minato caught up and flashed to Roy's side!

Wearing a green Jonin vest and a blue headband, a pair of bright blue eyes pierced through the air. Namikaze Minato, sensing the "Spatial Rhythm" emanating from Roy's side, remarked with admiration, "A very impressive ' Space-Time Ninjutsu '."

"Using objects as entrances and exits to space, omitting ' Marking,' a brilliant idea."

Indeed, as Namikaze Minato said, the [Swamp Space] technique, compared to the [Flying Thunder God Technique], a targeted "Body Flicker Technique, skips the " Chakra Marking " step. It's much simpler— Gate of Opening a door anywhere with just a thought. However... just like the " Law of Equivalent Exchange " in the Hunter world, the magnitude of an ability is often linked to "risk" and "limitations."

The [Swamp Space] is now completely unrestricted, and the distance is shortened; the limit is what the eye can see. It's far inferior to the [Flying Thunder God Technique], which has a teleportation function and can travel much farther.

"This is my current 'fastest'..." Etan to Namikaze Minato, "Three hundred meters is my limit." "It's also the limit that [Embo] can currently capture," the Sun-Earring Boy said, silently adding in his mind.

"Lu Ta..." With a single step, Namikaze Minato "teleported" with Roy, a glint in his eye as he glanced at Nohara Rin, who was bound to the Nen Thread and already somewhat dizzy, and smiled, saying, "Not bad, after all, you brought someone with you."

"Am I even human anymore?"

The wind was blowing in her ears, the clouds were drifting in the sky, and the sunlight was shining on Nohara Rin. The girl's beautiful short brown hair was wet and still had a string of water droplets from the stream. Listening to the Sun-Earring Boy and teacher chatting in front of her, she felt dizzy and didn't feel like a "person" but more like an "Worm", an "Worm" that could burrow into the ground, wade through water, gnaw on trees and break rocks!

That's amazing!

So this is what Earth Release feels like.

So this is what Water Release feels like.

So... this is what Wood Release is all about. I, Nohara Rin, am going to abandon all humanity!

The brief time travel brought the girl an indescribable thrill, a novel feeling she had never experienced before, and for the first time made her realize... that the Sun-Earring Boy named Uchiha Jin in front of her was no ordinary person!

"Pfft~" With a flick of her Nen Thread, Nohara Rin gasped as Roy pulled her underground once more. The soil whistled past her ears like air. When the girl regained her senses, Roy reappeared, carrying her forward another hundred meters or so before shaking his head at Namikaze Minato, saying, "You flatter me... I was merely taking a shortcut."

He exploited the "Clone Demon's" "opportunity" and took advantage of the "Blood Demon Art's" "skill." Since the [Monster Compendium] replicated the opponent's talent, and it wasn't Roy's own creation, there was nothing to boast about...

Namikaze Minato's gaze flickered. Noticing that the sincerity in the Sun-Earring Boy's words didn't seem like Sai's, he teleported to follow the boy's movement and asked curiously, "You're not satisfied?"

Are you satisfied?

My great-grandfather always said... human imagination lies in... imitation, transcendence, and then creation.

I'm currently stuck in the stage of imitating [the Clone Demon]. Let alone creating, even surpassing it is just thanks to the bonus from [the circle]. So what's the point of being "satisfied" or "unsatisfied"?

Roy remained silent, simply carrying a log and leading Nohara Rin through the boundless depths of the Southern Forest.

One lap, two laps, three laps. For him, whose physique had now surpassed 1000 and whose "Potential Nen Capacity" had broken through to B-level, running around the forest was merely a matter of catching his breath...

He remained silent, leaving Namikaze Minato deep in thought, his brow furrowed. After a long while, they crossed a stream, wading through it, listening to the murmuring water. Namikaze Minato turned to look at the Sun-Earring Boy, tentatively saying, "Perhaps it's a problem with the person, not the technique." The person? The technique?

Roy paused, his steps faltering, and Gate of Opening a little too slowly. As a result, Nohara Rin was half-submerged, her head emerging first into the stream, where she was forced to swallow a large mouthful of water, choking and coughing. Roy then snapped out of his daze, quickly quickening his pace and leaping with her out of the water...

"Cough cough cough..."

"Feel sorry,"

The boy and girl stopped simultaneously. Roy took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a handkerchief that his mother, Mikoto, had prepared to wipe his sweat, but now it seemed... it could be used by Nohara Rin.

"No need, I have some." Nohara Rin's hair was still wet. She lowered her eyes and refused Roy's offer. She took out a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped her hair. Her youthful innocence made Namikaze Minato feel as if he had returned to the past, to the scene when he first met Kushina and beat up his classmate.

"Hehehe... I didn't say stop~" The man winked at Roy and Nohara Rin, seemingly oblivious to the situation.

Roy glanced helplessly at Nohara Rin, then gently instructed her, "Let's go."

Nohara Rin gave a barely audible "hmm," quickly wiped herself down, then hoisted the log back up and, following Roy's "rising and falling" teleportation, ran forward...

Four laps... five laps... six laps... The wind whistled in his ears. Roy used the [Swamp Space] to teleport while pondering what Namikaze Minato had just said. After a moment, he turned to the man beside him and asked, "Teacher, what is a person, and what is technique?"

"A person is, of course, a person, but a technique isn't necessarily a technique." Namikaze Minato smiled meaningfully at Roy: "Or rather, a technique is also a person, only it's a product of human imagination materialized through Chakra..."

Through Chakra materialization? ×

Manifested through "thought"! √

Roy frowned, as if he had vaguely grasped something.

I vaguely remember a time when he discussed matters of the heart with Silva... and when he gazed at the stars with Gotoh at night... and even discussed human Visualization with my great-grandfather Maha... Gradually... a familiar yet unfamiliar answer reached deep within my heart, ready to emerge...

"It's the sun!" The Sun-Earring Boy's eyes suddenly shone brightly, and he murmured, "The omnipresent sun..." Just like a "Clone Demon" using a "swamp" to achieve "teleportation," it embodies its "muddy" and "filthy" nature...

"My teleportation is the sun!"

Suddenly a gust of wind arose, blowing down a few leaves; abruptly...

A "Spatial Rhythm" far stronger than [Swamp Space] swept out, instantly engulfing Namikaze Minato!

Namikaze Minato suddenly looked at Roy. A Great Sun was shining above the Sun-Earring Boy's head, and he instantly entered a mysterious state. As soon as he lifted his foot, his body instantly "Photokinesis"!

A gust of wind blew, and the light transformed into tiny fireflies, merging into the sunlight. It was unclear whether he was the sunlight, or the sunlight was him... In any case... when Namikaze Minato glanced again, trying to catch a glimpse of the Sun-Earring Boy... he leaped a thousand meters away, emerging from the sunlit graveyard, revealing his form. "This..."

Namikaze Minato abruptly stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

After Roy revealed himself, Nohara Rin transformed into a ball of light and appeared behind her. She stood there stunned for a moment, feeling as if she were ethereal and unreal!

"Light... I feel like I've become a beam of light?" The girl stared blankly, raising her chin to look at the Sun-Earring Boy had also stopped and closed his eyes to savor the light not far ahead. At this moment, the punishment and the circling were no longer important; it seemed that only light, only light, dazzling light, would exist forever in the world, like a Blade of Light that crossed the river of time and, through the [Clairvoyance Jutsu], Sarutobi Hiruzen hard!