"I'm really counting on you to come up with something like that."
Emerging from the Hokage Building, Kakashi looked at Qi with a hint of admiration in his eyes for the first time.
"You're definitely full of bad ideas."
"Hey, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. What bad things have I done?"
Qi was very dissatisfied. Why did he not have a good image in Kakashi's eyes?
"Hmph, if I had thought like you back then, life wouldn't have been so hard."
Kakashi ignored Qi and looked up. By then, the Hokage inauguration ceremony was long over, and the crowd had dispersed. The two of them walked along without encountering many passersby.
"Back then, because I refused to let go, I not only lost the property that was originally allocated to my family, but also offended a lot of people. If I hadn't spent six years on the battlefield, they don't know how many shoes they would have made me wear!"
At this point, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Those who benefited from my family and those who didn't all see me as someone who blocked their path to wealth. Unlike you, with what you've done, they've all turned on each other like dogs. Even if they only get a tiny fraction of what they've earned, no one will hate you."
"Then you're just stupid. You're all alone in your family, why are you being so stubborn? Aren't you afraid of overeating with so much?"
Qi really didn't understand. The Hatake wasn't a large clan like the Uchiha, Hyuga Clan hundreds or thousands of members. The White Fang family of three was the so-called Hatake Clan, and they might have relatives, but at least Qi had never heard of them or seen them.
High-level ninjas like White Fang often receive large sums of money rather than living supplies. These funds are used for research and development of Ninjutsu. Most of the money these ninjas receive from the government is spent on this. Developing and modifying Ninjutsu is not something that can be done by simply manipulating Chakra; it generally requires a certain degree of experimentation. This is especially true for Ninjutsu research fanatics like Orochimaru, who basically pours all his income into Ninjutsu research.
But such funds were of no use to young Kakashi, Konoha Village would inevitably cut back on them and allocate them to those who needed them more. Kakashi's efforts were futile from the start.
"I don't know either. Maybe it's because I'm too bothered by my father's death. Right after he died, they wanted to reduce the share of the Hatake. In a fit of anger, I didn't think much about it."
Kakashi shrugged.
"I understand now, but it's too late; the person has already been offended."
The two remained silent for the rest of the journey until they reached the intersection, where they parted ways.
Time flew by, and the next morning, Qi appeared early at the entrance of the Hokage Building. After showing a document, he swaggered into the building.
The reason he was here was simple: starting today, the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, would be personally training him for half a month until he set off for the Land of Water next month.
This kind of combat instruction, which is ostensibly training but is actually instruction, cannot be conducted in public places. The Hokage Building is not only the Hokage's office but also Hokage residence. All the Hokage have lived here, so naturally there are also dedicated indoor training areas.
The Hokage's private training room is built beneath the Hokage Building. Because it is deep underground, it can be built as spacious as possible, allowing the Hokage to have such a luxurious training ground. In the village, only large clans like the Hyuga Clan Uchiha, who have their own private territories, can probably compare.
Of course, if the Huiyue Clan can be established, it will become another large clan with its own territory.
Qi quickly arrived at the place after walking down the road, pushed open the door, and went inside.
Minato, clad in a white Hokage robe, stood in the center of the arena, waiting for him.
"You've come."
Minato smiled as always, making the latecomer feel quite embarrassed...
"I'm sorry, I'm late..."
Qi apologized very honestly.
"It's alright, I just arrived too."
Though he uttered clearly polite words, Minato's expression quickly turned solemn.
"Alright, let's begin. First, let me see just how strong you've become."
Wearing the white robe, Minato, though still in his Jonin underneath, undoubtedly exuded a more imposing aura than before. The extremely high position itself gives a person a certain degree of presence, and Minato was already a top-tier master. Now, with the Hokage's attire, his aura seemed to be growing even more powerful.
"Yes."
Sighing at how quickly the situation changed, Qi was unwilling to miss such an opportunity. Minato was one of the most outstanding masters in Konoha's history, and the opportunity to be personally instructed by him was not something that could be encountered every day. Even Kakashi and the others were only led by Minato on missions.
For Qi Lai, there was no need for any confrontation or searching for weaknesses, since his opponent was Minato. Therefore, he made his move directly.
"Whoosh!"
He moved swiftly and launched himself forward. At the same time, the temperature on the field began to change, and a considerable number of ice crystal particles were being produced in the air near Qi at a visible speed.
But Minato was faster. Qi had only gone halfway when Minato pounced on him and slashed down at Qi's head with a palm strike!
Of course, this wasn't Space-Time Ninjutsu, just a normal acceleration, but it already fully demonstrated Minato's mastery of speed.
Faced with this situation, and seeing the palm blade growing ever larger before him, Qi Weiyi, who was in mid-air, only had time to quickly turn his head to the side...
"Sizzle!"
A sound like a blade of wind slicing through the air rang out. Minato's palm strike not only slashed a bloody gash across Qi's face but also cut off several strands of his hair.
Although his main skill was Space-Time Ninjutsu, Minato was also a master of Wind Release. Using wind-attribute nature transformation directly with his physical body was not difficult for him. After all, even Qi could do this now, let alone him.
Having dodged the attack, Qi had no time to reflect. The two were now face to face, and if he didn't make a move, he would truly be beaten all the way back to the surface by Minato...
At this moment, the air around Qi had already been chilled by his Ice Release ability. He suddenly arched his body, one leg aimed directly at Minato's stomach, while his elbow struck at Minato's face. The surrounding cold air quickly transformed into visible cone-shaped vortexes with his leg movements, piercing towards Minato, who was also in mid-air and unable to change his Minato...
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Like the sound of bubbles being popped, Qi's attack penetrated without hindrance... no, it pierced through Minato's body!
A smile suddenly appeared on Minato's face, and then with a "bang," he exploded into a cloud of yellow mist...
"It seems that I can use the Body Flicker Technique now."
His voice came from above, and almost simultaneously, a hand was placed on Qi's back, suddenly unleashing a tremendous force!
"Boom!"
A humanoid object crashed into the training ground at incredible speed, accompanied by billowing smoke and tremors, leaving behind a trail of cracks that stretched far into the distance...
At the same time, another figure landed on the ground. It was Minato. He didn't even glance at the man-made crater on the ground, but instead surveyed his surroundings.
"You timed the creation of the clone perfectly, Qi. My junior brother, can you let me use the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"Senior brother, although you are very strong, please don't say such things with such a doubtful tone. I'll get hurt..."
Qi's frustrated voice echoed from all around. In the sky, countless ice mirrors filled the entire training ground, completely surrounding Minato.
One by one, in every mirror, Qi's figure began to appear...