Three Months of Cultivation

Uchiha Lihuo watched Minato with curiosity, eager to see how one would go about testing a person's talent for space-time ninjutsu.

Minato sensed the question in Lihuo's heart and explained softly.

"This is a method recorded by the Second Hokage in the scrolls for the Flying Raijin Jutsu. As long as the caster injects their own chakra into the other person's body,"

"they can sense the other person's level of sensitivity to space-time perception."

If anyone from the Hyuga clan were here, using their Byakugan to look at Minato, they would discover that Minato's chakra was circulating in an extremely unique way.

Minato stepped forward quickly and gently took Lihuo's hand.

Suddenly, a stream of gentle chakra surged into Lihuo's meridians, following a specific path.

Lihuo understood that this was Minato's chakra.

While Minato slowly guided his chakra to probe Lihuo's meridians, he diverted some of his focus to comfort Lihuo.

"Little Lihuo, I've actually studied this space-time ninjutsu for many years and only recently mastered it."

"Though it might sound like I'm boasting, only the Second Hokage and I can use this technique so far, so it's perfectly normal if the results aren't what you hope for."

Listening to Minato's comforting words, Lihuo felt just how much heart Minato put into treating his companions.

Minato Namikaze, it really is impossible to dislike him.

Lihuo thought to himself, but aloud he said, "It's alright, Minato-senpai. But if I truly do have a talent for space-time, you must ask the Third Hokage for me—see how I might be permitted to train in it."

Minato shook his head slightly after hearing this, thinking to himself, Still just a boy's mindset. He doesn't realize that everyone has their own strengths, and those gifted in space-time ninjutsu are just too...

After detecting something, Minato slowly furrowed his brows.

...just too...

He probed Lihuo's meridians once more, carefully and thoroughly, before finally reaching a conclusion.

"It's just too coincidental, Little Lihuo. You possess immense talent for space-time."

"You are simply the best I have ever seen! If you can't learn the Flying Raijin Jutsu, then no one can!"

Minato said to Lihuo with delight.

Although it was within his expectations, Lihuo couldn't help but feel happy when he heard Minato's sincere praise.

"Then Minato-senpai, you must ask the Third Hokage for me."

"Of course," Minato said happily, leaving a Flying Raijin Kunai on the spot.

The next moment, a flash of golden light flickered, and Minato vanished.

Lihuo: (･_･;

Wait, is that polite? Is knowing the Flying Raijin Jutsu something to brag about? (Uchiha Lihuo is officially envious.)

Lihuo didn't have to wait long; before long, Minato reappeared at the location of the Flying Raijin Kunai.

"I am truly sorry. I was just so excited that I didn't greet you beforehand."

Minato rubbed his nose in embarrassment.

Lihuo asked curiously, "Minato-senpai, did you leave a marker in the Hokage Office as well?"

This question gave Minato quite a scare. After all, he was currently only a Jonin, not yet the Fourth Hokage who could enter the Hokage Office as if it were his own home.

"Oh my, what are you saying, Lihuo? How could I dare leave a technique formula inside the Hokage Office? I placed it in front of the Hokage Building."

The two shared a couple of jokes before Minato got to the point.

"Little Lihuo, the Third Hokage was quite shocked after learning of your situation. He said you are an all-around genius."

Even though Lihuo had seen his fair share of storms, being praised by a Kage still made him secretly pleased.

"The Hokage has decided that when you successfully become a Jonin,"

"you will have the right to practice the Flying Raijin Jutsu. At that time, I will serve as your teacher and guide your training."

It was clear that Minato was happy for Lihuo, and Lihuo felt that the conditions set by Sarutobi Hiruzen were reasonable, so he readily agreed.

After all, he had already fully mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu; going through this process was merely to use it openly and legitimately.

And when the critical moment arrived, Lihuo certainly wouldn't hold anything back!

The day had grown late. Lihuo and Minato chatted for a while longer before heading home.

Back home, Lihuo had no intention of resting.

"Simplified Sage Mode, activate!" Lihuo whispered.

"Perception, activate!" A dense web of chakra spread out rapidly. With Lihuo at the center, every person, event, and object within a one-kilometer radius was under his control.

To prevent the Third Hokage's telescope technique, Lihuo had even specifically designed an Anti-Telescope Technique based on the principles of the telescope technique itself!

He completely eliminated the possibility of being observed from the shadows.

Subsequently, Lihuo picked up a finely crafted kunai. Feeling the cold touch against his palm, he thought to himself.

Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique formula is the "Sword of Ninja Love," so what should my Flying Thunder God formula be?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lihuo, and a sense of mischievous humor welled up in his heart.

Lihuo then mobilized the chakra within his body.

If Minato were here, he would surely be astonished, for the chakra fluctuations Lihuo released were identical to those he produced when performing the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Following this, three small characters appeared clearly on the handle of the kunai in Lihuo's hand: "Dengdengdong."

Looking at his own Flying Thunder God kunai, a sense of pride surged within Lihuo. After placing the kunai in his bedroom, he walked into the living room and whispered softly.

"Dengdengdong!"

The formula on the kunai in the bedroom glowed faintly, and in a mere instant, Lihuo teleported to the location of the kunai.

"It really worked!"

Lihuo was incredibly excited. That night, relying on his superb reflexes, he practiced the coordination between the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Rasengan until he reached perfection.

It could be said that if Lihuo were to participate in the Third Shinobi World War now, he would be the new "Yellow Flash"!

However, after a night of practice, Lihuo discovered his only current shortcoming: his total chakra reserves.

During his training, Lihuo had to stop from time to time to recover his chakra, which significantly hindered his sustained combat capability.

The next day, Orochimaru sent a ninja snake to deliver a message, instructing Lihuo to come for training.

Lihuo naturally agreed. He felt more and more that he had chosen the right teacher; although he and Orochimaru each had their own agendas, Orochimaru's professional dedication as a mentor was beyond reproach.

On the way, Lihuo ran into Kakashi. Kakashi mentioned that he had been assigned to Minato's squad and was currently receiving guidance from him.

"Lihuo, I've realized that I've been vastly overestimating genin," Kakashi said seriously.

Lihuo retorted, "Big brother, look at our strength—are we really just ordinary genin?"

"Exactly. I intend to take the Chunin Exams today."

Lihuo: (･_･;

"Then go ahead. As for me, I'll follow Teacher Orochimaru's arrangements."

Before long, Lihuo arrived at the Konoha Training Ground designated by Orochimaru.

"Hehehe, little Lihuo, it's only been a few days, and you've grown stronger again."

The moment they met, Orochimaru keenly sensed the changes in Lihuo; one had to admit his eye for talent was sharp.

Orochimaru then explained, "I've called you here to set a course for your upcoming training."

At this point, Orochimaru smiled. "You already possess enough skill; what's important now is how to integrate and master it."

"From here on, I will teach you how to use your abilities at the right moments in battle."

"Not only that, but I will also teach you all of my self-created Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu."

Hearing this, Lihuo nodded in agreement.

"And..." Orochimaru paused, licking his lips with his tongue. "You must also cooperate with me every week to research Natural Energy."

Lihuo replied, "Rest assured, Teacher Orochimaru, I will guide you..."

"...I mean, I will cooperate with you in researching Natural Energy."

Following that, under Orochimaru's guidance, Lihuo began his arduous training.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

On the Konoha Training Ground:

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

With Lihuo's sharp shout, five giant white pythons lunged out from his sleeves, slamming fiercely into the wooden training posts.

BOOM!

Amidst a cloud of billowing smoke, the wooden posts were smashed to pieces by the impact of the pythons.

"Clap, clap, clap." Orochimaru walked over and applauded.

"You truly make me feel inferior, little Lihuo. I have nothing left to teach you."

"From now on, we must proceed to live-combat training."

Lihuo looked at Orochimaru with a hint of confusion.

"From now on, I will personally take you on missions—not D-rank or C-rank ones, but missions B-rank and above."

Lihuo understood that missions B-rank and above meant there was a high probability of combat between ninjas. The risks involved were self-evident.

As if seeing through Lihuo's thoughts, Orochimaru chuckled. "You must hone yourself through real combat. Prepare well, little Lihuo; I will notify you when it's time to depart."

With that, Orochimaru flickered away. Lihuo stayed behind, packing up his training gear while reviewing the gains from his practice.

First was his own strength; although he lacked the explosive leaps brought by the head-touching, these three months of training had made Lihuo's abilities far more well-rounded.

Lihuo felt increasingly comfortable in combat, and he was confident that if he were to face his self from three months ago, he could defeat him with ease.

Then there was the Orochimaru-Style Ninjutsu, which Lihuo had now fully mastered and demonstrated to be quite formidable. The wooden stakes scattered in disarray before him were the best proof of this.

Not only that, but during these three months, Lihuo had basically traveled to every corner of Konoha Village, leaving his Flying Thunder God Mark at key locations for any potential needs.

As for Natural Energy, Lihuo had been nothing but generous; aside from providing blood samples for Orochimaru to analyze, he would occasionally offer unique insights, which only made Orochimaru favor him even more.

There was even one time when he exclaimed with genuine wonder, "Little Lihuo, if the test results didn't show that you are a genuine child, I would have suspected you were the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths."

The relationship between Lihuo and Orochimaru had shifted from that of a test subject and experimenter to that of fellow researchers.

Gathering his thoughts, just as Lihuo finished packing and prepared to leave, Kakashi's voice drifted over from a distance.

"Yo, Lihuo, so you're here."

The moment he saw Kakashi, Lihuo could clearly sense that this guy had grown stronger once again.

"I'm just packing up my training gear. What about you?"

"I'm preparing to participate in the Chunin Exams a month from now."

Hearing this, Lihuo couldn't help but sigh. The track record of becoming a Chunin at six and a Jonin at thirteen was truly monstrous.

Unaware of Lihuo's inner reflections, Kakashi continued, "Lihuo, inspired by your Rasengan, I also want to develop an A-rank ninjutsu!"