A New Mission

Namikaze Minato—anyone who has watched Naruto likely knows who he is.

If Kagetsu Qi hadn't watched Naruto in his past life, he probably wouldn't have survived until now, so naturally, he could not be unaware of this man.

There is no other reason; this man was simply too formidable. In the entire history of Konoha, there were only two top-tier experts who mastered space-time ninjutsu. The first was the former Asura of Konoha, Uchiha Madara.

And the second was the Fourth Hokage, known as the Yellow Flash, who rose to prominence during the Third Shinobi World War: Namikaze Minato.

What made it most remarkable was that Uchiha Madara was formidable because he possessed the heaven-defying bloodline of the Sharingan, while Minato had no bloodline at all. He was a pure ninjutsu practitioner who had reached a level of mastery in space-time ninjutsu that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Madara.

To be assigned under such a legendary figure—if Kagetsu Qi said he had no expectations, he probably wouldn't even believe it himself.

It was with this sentiment that, the next day, Kagetsu Qi finally met Namikaze Minato, who was waiting in the village under the guidance of Orochimaru.

This person... is Namikaze Minato!?

Namikaze Minato, known as the Yellow Flash, truly lived up to his name.

Even setting aside his ghostly speed and superhuman reflexes, just standing there, he was incredibly eye-catching; that head of blond hair was simply too striking.

The golden-yellow short hair combined with a gentle smile was almost telling everyone—I am Namikaze Minato, please take care of me.

"Senior Orochimaru."

Seeing Orochimaru approach, Minato greeted him very amicably.

"I heard you have also received a new mission?"

It was normal for Namikaze Minato to address Orochimaru this way; after all, Orochimaru was of the same generation as his teacher. Furthermore, this seniority was based on their lineage within the school. However, in the world of Naruto, there didn't seem to be terms like "uncle-master." Here, the teacher-student relationship was strictly between the teacher and the student.

Here, for those with higher seniority than oneself, it seemed that besides one's own teacher, the only term used was "Senior."

"My mission is nothing much, merely heading to the front lines to hold the line."

To Minato's greeting, Orochimaru also responded with a friendly smile. He gestured toward Kagetsu Qi beside him and continued, "This child is the Kagetsu Qi I mentioned to you before. From today on, let him follow you. The environment on my side is no longer suitable for him."

"That is no problem at all..."

Minato nodded. He looked at Kagetsu Qi, and suddenly, as if thinking of something pleasant, he smiled. "I just remembered, I am a disciple of Master Jiraiya, and he is your disciple; we are of the same generation."

"Ha..."

Orochimaru also laughed. "You are too kind to him... Then, I will trouble you for this period. I should be heading out; my people are waiting for me on the other side."

After saying this, Orochimaru let out a soft sound and transformed into a puff of smoke.

It was actually a shadow clone...

It seems Senior Orochimaru is very pressed for time. The pressure from the Rock Ninja has reached such a level...

Minato did not mind that Orochimaru had sent the boy in this manner. As the Sannin, they were the spiritual symbols of Konoha, and they had almost no spare time, needing to ensure they were on the battlefield at all times. Using a clone was a last resort. It was likely that at this very moment, Orochimaru and the others were already on their way to the front lines.

What he truly cared about was that Orochimaru had been sent back to the front lines less than two days after returning to the village, which showed just how tense the situation at the front was.

However, this was only a fleeting thought. Minato quickly calmed his mind. He knew these were not things that individual ability could change; for Konoha to win, it had to rely on the cooperation of everyone. Thinking of this, he looked at Kagetsu Qi, his gaze softening.

"You won't mind if I call you that, right?"

Are you kidding? How could I possibly mind...

Kagetsu Qi nodded hurriedly.

"My master is one of the Sannin, Lord Jiraiya. Although we don't have the same master, we are of the same school. If you don't mind, you can just call me Senior Brother."

What an easygoing person...

Honestly, Kagetsu Qi had been in this world for over a year and had almost grown accustomed to the rigid hierarchy of the ninja world. Namikaze Minato's easygoing nature, however, made him feel as if he had returned to his past life.

He could clearly feel that when Minato said this, there was not a hint of pretense.

Even though he had already known this person's personality from the anime in his past life, it still couldn't compare to the profound feeling of experiencing it firsthand.

"Senior Brother."

"Oh my... being called Senior Brother, I'm actually a bit embarrassed, haha..."

Minato laughed heartily. "I know a little bit about your situation. Keep working hard, Kagetsu Qi-kun."

As he spoke, he stood up. "Then, let's set off. Your new teammates are all waiting outside the village."

New teammates... that would be Kakashi and the others, right...

Kagetsu Qi suddenly realized. He remembered that at this time, Kakashi was still trapped in the shadow of his father's suicide, cold-blooded to the extreme.

"By the way, for the sake of the mission, when we are executing tasks, you might as well call me Teacher like the others. That way, it will be easier for me to guide you in certain things."

"Understood, Teacher."

Kagetsu Qi called out naturally.

The hierarchy in the world of Naruto is far less rigid than in his previous life; things are much more casual here, and the forms of address are naturally much simpler.

However, the basic etiquette still exists, and since Minato asked him to address him this way so that he could openly impart some insights on ninjutsu, he naturally would not refuse.

"..."

Minato patted Kagetsu Qi on the shoulder quite happily. It was with this very pat that Qi was shocked to discover the scene before his eyes had completely changed—he was already somewhere outside the village!

It was actually the Flying Thunder God! He never expected to experience it firsthand so early! And... he never expected it to be this fast!

He seemed to understand why Minato could use the Flying Thunder God in conjunction with the Rasengan to wound Uchiha Madara, and why the Flying Thunder God had become a legend in Konoha.

Only those who have experienced the Flying Thunder God personally can grasp the terrifying nature of this technique... It can no longer be described simply as "fast"... The difficulty of executing the ninjutsu is only one aspect; for the user, the requirement for neural reaction speed is an equally harsh condition.

The essence of the Flying Thunder God lies in the coordination of both; if one link is missing, it won't work. If the user's own reaction speed is insufficient, they cannot even unleash half the utility of this technique.

The White Fang of the past was the same. His speed was no slower than Minato's, and although he could strengthen his body with Lightning Release, without that level of reaction speed, he could only charge blindly. The difference between the White Fang and Minato was that he was also a master of earth-concealment techniques...

It was precisely because of this combat style, which perfectly combined stealth with high-speed movement, that the White Fang became the Instant Kill King in Konoha's history. Compared to the Yellow Flash, the White Fang's instant kills carried a more sinister edge.

However, Qi's momentary daze was misinterpreted by Minato, who had just put away his kunai. He thought his junior brother was unhappy because he had used the ninjutsu on him without a word.

"Sorry about that. It's not just Senior Orochimaru who is pressed for time; we are too."

He said this with a look of apology and embarrassment. Although the urgency of the situation made it necessary, doing it without a heads-up was indeed a bit rude.

"Senior brother, you misunderstood. I didn't mind; I was just thinking about something else."

Qi snapped back to reality, realizing his reaction must have caused a misunderstanding.

"Haha, is that so... I'm glad you don't mind. Our new teammates are just ahead, let's hurry."

Seeing that Qi truly didn't mind, Minato felt relieved. He didn't waste any more time and led Qi toward the front.

Soon, they arrived at a clearing where three people—two boys and a girl—were waiting around in boredom.

"Teacher is here!"

As soon as Minato appeared, the three turned their gazes toward them. One black-haired boy even shouted aloud, but he quickly noticed Qi and let out a surprised sound.

"There's someone else?"

Although the other two were not as "lively" as him, their eyes also fell upon Qi...

"Obito, didn't you hear the teacher say yesterday that we would have a new companion?"

A silver-haired boy said indifferently before looking away, as if nothing that happened could concern him.

"Kakashi, shut up! Of course I knew that!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. It's very impolite to do this in front of the teacher and our new companion..."

"You can't blame me! It was Kakashi's fault to begin with!"

These three were indeed the young Kakashi, Obito, and their teammate, the medical ninja Rin...

"Everyone seems to be in high spirits; that puts my mind at ease."

Minato clearly didn't mind that his students were so "energetic." He chuckled and led Qi forward.

"Let me introduce you. His name is Kagetsu Qi, and starting today, he is our new companion."

After finishing, Minato patted Qi on the shoulder.

"Go ahead and get to know your new companions."

"Hello."

Qi scrutinized the three of them carefully.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi. I hope you won't hold us back."

Kakashi glanced at Qi, his tone neither warm nor cold.

This made Qi's teeth itch...

Acting cool was one thing, but to say he would hold them back? Sooner or later, he'd have to let this kid see what he was capable of!

It seemed that even without the incident with Ogata, he and the current Kakashi probably wouldn't get along very well...

"Hello! My name is Uchiha Obito! Wahahaha, the elite of the future!"

Obito was much more enthusiastic. He patted Qi's shoulder repeatedly, seemingly with the intent of dislocating it entirely...

"Haha, hello. Please take care of me."

Qi forced a laugh, rubbing his slightly sore shoulder.

This guy was a bit too enthusiastic...

"The elite that Minato-sensei was late for?"

Kakashi suddenly threw out a cold remark from the side...

Honestly, that jab was incredibly sharp; Qi almost burst out laughing...

"Kakashi, you again! Let me tell you, one day I will surpass you!"

Obito was predictably furious. Just as depicted in the anime, he and Kakashi were like a pair of bitter rivals at this age...

"Alright, alright, let's not argue..."

Rin, much like Minato, wore a bitter, awkward smile. Yet, even while playing the peacemaker, she didn't forget to offer Qi a very friendly smile along with her introduction.

"Hello, my name is Rin. I'm a medical ninja. Please take care of me, Qi-kun."

"Please take care of me as well."

The girl is the only normal one here. A team really can't function without a girl...

"Alright, since everyone has introduced themselves, let's get down to business."

Seeing that the introductions were finished, Minato clapped his hands, effectively putting an end to the bickering between Kakashi and Obito.

"Let me explain the mission for this time to everyone..."

His expression turned serious.

"Just like before, our mission this time is still to infiltrate the enemy's rear and engage in combat!"