Ding! Headpat A-Rank Ninja: Minato Namikaze [Youth]

An undisclosed location in Konoha, Root headquarters.

Danzo was carefully reading the intelligence report delivered by his subordinate.

"So, this Uchiha Lihuo has not only become the youngest genin in Konoha but has also become Orochimaru's apprentice."

He spoke slowly, his mind brewing some unknown scheme.

With a slight wave of his hand, a Root ninja appeared in an instant.

"Go and retrieve all the files on Uchiha Lihuo."

"Reporting to My Lord, the Third Hokage has classified the files of Uchiha Lihuo and Hatake Kakashi as top secret; we do not have the authority to access them."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen..."

Danzo's voice was heavy with suppressed anger, as if dissatisfied with his old friend's decision.

"Then go find Orochimaru and tell him he must bring Uchiha Lihuo to Root!"

Hearing this, the core member of Root couldn't help but show a troubled expression, and even Danzo sensed the dilemma hidden beneath his mask.

"Speak your mind."

"Yes, My Lord. Lord Orochimaru has explicitly rejected Root's decision to recruit Uchiha Lihuo."

"He also... also said..."

"What did he say! Stop stuttering!"

"He said that he and you are merely in a cooperative relationship, and he asks that you do not push your luck."

Bang!

Danzo slammed his arm heavily onto the table.

"This is simply too much!"

Table: (･_･;

"Hey buddy, you're being quite presumptuous. When the Raikage slams a table in anger, he shatters it. When you slam a table, you just hurt your own arm."

"You really did just get angry for a moment."

However, in his rage, Danzo naturally didn't care about such things. He immediately went to argue with Sarutobi Hiruzen, but ultimately returned empty-handed.

Beyond that, the news of Lihuo becoming the youngest genin also caused a massive stir within the Uchiha Clan, especially among the Hawk Faction, who all felt they had invested in the right person.

It wasn't just Uchiha Ting; more elders of the Hawk Faction were offering money if they had money, or ninjutsu if they had ninjutsu, vowing to win Lihuo over!

Even Uchiha Setsuna, who was still in prison, sent someone to express his regards.

Because of his keen eye for talent, Ting's status within the Hawk Faction and the Uchiha Clan as a whole rose rapidly.

Not only that, but even the Dove Faction sent generous "commendations" to Lihuo overnight.

This time, Lihuo truly felt like he had hit the jackpot.

Is this what it feels like for a good student to receive a scholarship? It feels great, Lihuo thought to himself.

While tallying his gains, Lihuo also received an invitation from Minato.

Minato had seen the Rasengan that Lihuo used during the competition and wanted to discuss the development of seal-less ninjutsu with him.

Lihuo naturally agreed with pleasure; after all, he hadn't managed to "cap" Minato during their battle, and now he had to seize the opportunity.

After all, Lihuo had been coveting the Flying Raijin Jutsu for a long time!

"Lihuo, could you demonstrate your seal-less ninjutsu for me again?"

In a training ground in Konoha, Minato looked at Lihuo with a face full of curiosity.

"Of course I can, but..."

"What's wrong, Lihuo? If it's inconvenient, just say so."

"After all, this is a ninjutsu I developed with my heart and soul..."

Lihuo put on a troubled expression, while secretly feeling overjoyed. Teaching Minato his own technique was just too interesting.

Seeing Lihuo "looking troubled," Minato actually showed a look of shame.

"I'm sorry, Lihuo. It was presumptuous of me." With that, he turned to leave.

Lihuo: (;￣O￣)

No, no, I just wanted to ask for more benefits!

Minato: (･_･;

"You should have said so earlier, little Lihuo. Tell me, what do you want?"

Lihuo's eyes darted around as he began to think.

If he only asked to touch his head right now, it would only make Minato suspicious.

There were many smart ninjas in this world, and Minato was one of the few top-tier geniuses among them.

If he revealed a flaw now, it was very likely that someone with keen insight would uncover his secret.

Thinking of this, a plan immediately formed in Lihuo's mind.

"I want that ninjutsu of yours that lets you zip around."

"Oh? You mean the Flying Raijin Jutsu?"

Minato Namikaze wore a look of realization.

"Well... that's going to be difficult. First, you need a talent for space-time, and second..."

"To be honest, Lihuo, the Flying Raijin Jutsu is a forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage. Even I don't have the authority to decide who to teach it to."

As if he had expected this response, Lihuo spoke unhurriedly.

"That's fine. Please test my space-time talent later, Minato-senpai. If I have the aptitude, I'll trouble you to ask the Hokage for me."

Seeing that Lihuo was genuinely eager to learn, Minato stopped refusing and agreed.

As for testing his space-time talent? What a joke—after a head-pat, he'd have everything!

"There's one more condition. Can you let me pat your head?"

After unfolding a long, elaborate scheme, Lihuo finally revealed his true intentions and asked the question he cared about most!

"Eh? A head-pat? Of course, but why..."

Without giving Minato extra time to react, the moment he agreed, Lihuo touched Minato's head.

Heh! That was absolutely perfect!

"Ding! Head-pat successful: A-rank ninja, Minato Namikaze [Youth]."

Lihuo didn't pay attention to the reward for the moment, as he still had to fulfill his own promise.

"Minato-senpai, watch closely."

Lihuo spread his hand, and a pale blue sphere of swirling chakra instantly appeared in his palm.

The faint hum produced by the high-speed rotation of the chakra revealed the immense destructive power of the technique.

Seeing this technique again, Minato knew at a glance that this was the ninjutsu most suited for him!

"Minato-senpai, do you need me to explain the principles to you?"

Maintaining a high-quality service spirit, Lihuo thoroughly explained the training methods, pros, and cons of the technique to Minato.

As he spoke, Lihuo marveled at Minato Namikaze's formidable talent; with just a slight hint from Lihuo, Minato would instantly understand and even draw inferences about other cases.

Even though Lihuo had read the original work, he still couldn't answer some of Minato's questions.

"Little Lihuo, this technique pushes chakra shape transformation to its absolute limit."

"Is it possible to add chakra nature transformation to it?"

This question left Lihuo filled with emotion.

Every Naruto fan knew that in the original story, after Minato Namikaze created the Rasengan, he had proposed this very idea, but unfortunately, he died young, leaving it to Naruto to perfect it.

This remained one of the great regrets in the hearts of Naruto fans.

"Of course it's possible, but we can't demonstrate that here."

("Though you could go ask Orochimaru; he's been hit by it, he knows," he muttered under his breath.)

Subsequently, Lihuo told Minato about the concepts of the Big Ball Rasengan and Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, and shared the method Naruto used in the original story to condense the Rasengan using shadow clones.

"You must be careful. The Wind Style: Rasenshuriken is not only immensely lethal, but it will also damage your own chakra meridians."

"If you haven't found a suitable way to avoid that, do not use it," Lihuo said to Minato solemnly.

After all, he didn't want to ruin the life of a genius due to his own momentary negligence.

Minato nodded, indicating he understood. The two talked from morning until dusk, enjoying a pleasant conversation.

Finally, Lihuo added a reminder to Minato.

"This ninjutsu is called the Rasengan. Don't go giving it some weird name!"

Although Minato was the one with the real naming rights, Lihuo certainly didn't want his childhood memories to turn into something like "Light-Wheel Ice Pop Inspired Whirl-Hair Jiraiya Dual-Style Ball."

Minato smiled upon hearing this. Finally, after clearing up all the doubts in his heart, he said to Lihuo with gratitude:

"Thank you, little Lihuo."

Lihuo smiled.

"Actually, I should be the one thanking you."

Minato hadn't forgotten his promise; he offered to test Lihuo's space-time talent.

At this moment, Lihuo finally opened the system rewards.

"Ding! Head-pat successful: A-rank ninja, Minato Namikaze [Youth]. Please select three of the following rewards:"

"God-tier Naming Talent"

"Greatly Enhanced Space-Time Talent"

"Flying Raijin Jutsu"

"Greatly Enhanced Affinity"

"Greatly Enhanced Reaction Speed"

Good heavens! These are all top-tier rewards!

(Except for the first one,) Lihuo muttered under his breath.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lihuo spoke decisively.

"System, I choose 'Greatly Enhanced Space-Time Talent', 'Flying Raijin Jutsu', and 'Greatly Enhanced Reaction Speed'."

"Rewards being issued immediately!"

A piercing pain struck him instantly, causing Lihuo, who had long grown accustomed to the agony of enhancements, to let out a muffled groan.

Before long, the pain gradually dissipated, and the enhancement was firmly complete.

Lihuo had now fully mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu, including the creation of the formula and how to utilize it.

His proficiency was already on par with Minato and the Second Hokage!

The boost to his reaction speed was not immediately obvious, but Lihuo knew that when using the Flying Raijin and Rasengan, reaction speed was a crucial component. While it couldn't trigger a counter-attack, it would be immensely useful at critical moments!

The enhancement to his space-time talent was far more comprehensive, as it actually strengthened every ninjutsu related to space-time!

First, the range of his Flying Raijin Jutsu had increased.

Second, regarding the "Triple Rashomon," after the massive boost to his space-time talent, Lihuo could actually perceive the "Fivefold Rashomon"!

This was the very ninjutsu the First Hokage used to withstand Uchiha Madara, though if Lihuo were to summon the "Fivefold Rashomon," he wouldn't be able to manifest it even if his entire chakra reserve were drained dry.

All in all, every ninjutsu related to space-time had received a significant upgrade!

And just at that moment, Minato was ready for the space-time talent test!