On a sunny afternoon, Namikaze Minato successfully performed a Wind and Fire Style combination technique through his own abilities, without using the Shadow Clone Technique.
This achievement had not come easily. Before this, he had endured countless failures and setbacks, but had never given up.
After every attempt, Namikaze Minato carefully reviewed what he had learned and continually adjusted the way he controlled his chakra.
Gradually, he seemed to be figuring out some of the key points.
This time, Namikaze Minato was more focused than ever. He guided the flow of chakra within him with complete concentration, carefully sensing the subtle differences between Wind Style and Fire Style.
Hyuga Shinichi, watching nearby, activated his Byakugan and clearly observed the changes in the nature of the chakra within Namikaze Minato.
When he sensed that the perfect moment had arrived, he shouted without hesitation.
"Minato! Now!"
At the prompt, Namikaze Minato immediately understood. His hands formed Hand Seals at lightning speed. A mass of Fire Style chakra gathered in his puffed-out mouth, while the Wind Style chakra within him began surging toward his throat.
"Wind and Fire Style Combination Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Bow and Arrow!"
Hyuga Shinichi had come up with the name. If Namikaze Minato had named the technique himself, the gathered chakra would probably have dispersed before he finished shouting its name.
The violent Wind Style chakra propelled the scorching Fire Style chakra in his mouth.
The elements of wind and fire melded together, complementing each other and bringing about a wondrous change in chakra nature.
The flames that Namikaze Minato spat from his mouth were like a blazing serpent, while the raging wind was like a white snake, coiling around it. They twisted and writhed wildly, further accelerating the flames' speed and heat as they lunged straight toward the wooden post serving as their target.
The tremendous force of the wind and fire combined was simply beyond imagination. In the blink of an eye, the thick wooden post was swallowed by the blazing inferno and reduced to ashes.
But the power of Flame Wind Bow and Arrow didn't end there. Everywhere it passed, the ground was devastated too. The lush green grass was completely burned away, revealing earth scorched black and gleaming by the intense heat.
The terrifying might left both Hyuga Shinichi and Jiraiya wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.
Even standing several meters away from Namikaze Minato, the two of them could feel the heat radiating from Flame Wind Bow and Arrow.
As the one who had unleashed the technique, Namikaze Minato gazed at the scene he had created, his heart surging with excitement that showed plainly on his face.
"Shinichi! Teacher Jiraiya! I did it!"
Namikaze Minato was so excited that he danced around, shouting over and over.
"I did it! I finally did it!"
Watching Namikaze Minato's unrestrained joy, Jiraiya smiled with relief and nodded in approval before saying,
"Excellent, Minato! This is the tremendous power produced when two kinds of chakra are combined. Its might is truly extraordinary."
Hyuga Shinichi smiled and praised him too, then changed tack and continued,
"But what we've accomplished so far is only the beginning. If you want to improve this ability further—even to the point of combining chakra into a Kekkei Genkai—you'll need to spend much more time practicing, exploring, and experimenting."
Hearing this, Namikaze Minato's eyes shone with excitement. He knew full well that without the careful teaching and patient guidance of Shinichi and Teacher Jiraiya, he could never have made such tremendous progress or achieved this success.
So he secretly vowed to train even harder from now on, striving to become an outstanding ninja as soon as possible and protect, through his actions, the "home" that had given him so much warmth.
Hyuga Shinichi continued,
"Of course, Jiraiya and I will stay by your side and help you through the whole process. And even if you can't eventually develop a Kekkei Genkai, that's fine too. As your big brother, I'll help you train in—or find—a ninjutsu that suits you better."
At that, Hyuga Shinichi thought of the Flying Thunder God Formula, a powerful technique hidden in the Scroll of Seals.
With his current level of contributions, he was still nowhere near qualified to exchange for it. But...
Hyuga Shinichi turned his gaze toward Jiraiya beside him, privately wondering whether Jiraiya had enough contribution points to exchange for the Flying Thunder God Formula.
Just then, Jiraiya felt a wolfish gaze fixed on him. A chill ran down his spine. He turned and saw Hyuga Shinichi staring at him.
"Shinichi... why are you looking at me like that? What exactly are you after?"
Jiraiya couldn't help asking.
Hyuga Shinichi answered with a cheerful grin.
"Jiraiya, Minato is your star pupil! Now that he's successfully completed a combination ninjutsu, don't you think you should give him a little something?
"If you ask me, the Flying Thunder God Formula invented by the Second Hokage would suit Minato perfectly. What do you think, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya groaned inwardly. He knew Hyuga Shinichi had deliberately steered the conversation toward the Flying Thunder God Formula, but he couldn't exactly refuse outright.
A teacher should indeed reward an excellent student. But the Flying Thunder God Formula was an S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu, and S-rank ninjutsu were considered "secret arts of the highest order."
Ever since the Second Hokage developed it, no one had truly mastered this S-rank technique.
Not only was it extraordinarily difficult to learn, it also required an exceptional talent for sensing space.
After all, to use the Flying Thunder God Technique, one first had to accurately sense the location of a previously placed formula mark in order to teleport instantly.
Having been Minato's teacher for so long, Jiraiya knew that Minato had an outstanding talent for sensing space.
Considering his exceptional aptitude for learning alone, it wouldn't be surprising if Namikaze Minato mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The problem was that the Flying Thunder God Formula was extremely costly. Jiraiya had already spent a great deal of his personal contribution points, and he wasn't even sure he had enough left to exchange for it.
As if he'd seen right through Jiraiya's thoughts, Hyuga Shinichi immediately asked,
"Is something troubling you, Jiraiya?"
"Uh... it's not that I don't want to give Minato the Flying Thunder God Formula. It's just that I might not have enough contribution points to exchange for it right now."
Jiraiya scratched his head as he spoke.
"Oh! So that's it! Come to think of it, I've completed quite a few missions over the years, so I've probably accumulated plenty of contribution points. They're not much use to me, though. At most, I could exchange them for some money.
"How about this? You cover part of the cost, Jiraiya, and I'll cover part. Then we can give Minato this gift together. What do you say?"
Hyuga Shinichi replied with a smile.
"We can do that? Then once Minato's had a chance to rest, let's go ask the Hokage together.
"But I'll cover most of the cost. You only need to make up the difference, Shinichi. After all, I'm Minato's teacher! Hahahaha!"
Jiraiya burst into hearty laughter.
"Hmph! I'm Minato's big brother, too!"
Hyuga Shinichi retorted, unwilling to back down.
Before you continue