Child of Time and Space

A ripple that only Yuzhen could see flashed by.

The system extracted the golden Affix light from Namikaze Minato.

The golden Affix appeared on the panel, then materialized in his mind.

[Child of Time and Space (Gold)]:

Proof that you can soar freely through space-time—you are the one and only child of space-time!

Space-time perception greatly enhanced.

Reflexes greatly enhanced.

He finally understood.

Why the Flying Thunder God, developed by the Second Hokage, had only allowed Senju Tobirama to teleport himself.

Yet the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had managed to take it a step further.

Expanding the Flying Thunder God Technique Formula.

Making it universally applicable,

and no less impressive than those "Otsutsuki" Divine Techniques.

It seemed that everything was thanks to Namikaze Minato's incredibly strong space-time talent.

But this wasn't the time to get distracted and install an Affix.

Yuzhen hurriedly let go of the hand he was holding.

He turned and walked back to where his three teammates stood.

His three subordinates all seemed to be waiting for his orders.

Namikaze Minato smiled and pulled three bells from his ninja tool pouch.

"Next, I'll use these bells to test you."

"Only those who pass will become real ninja."

Seeing this familiar, iconic scene, Uchiha Yuzhen couldn't help thinking, Well, would you look at that.

Was this the Hokage Lineage's standard routine?

Familiar with the drill, he stepped forward.

He spoke directly to Namikaze Minato:

"Sensei, why not just tell us the rules? Then we can come up with a plan to deal with them."

He'd said it on purpose.

The core purpose of this test was to see whether they could work as a team.

Now that he'd asked, if Namikaze Minato agreed to let them hear the test details first,

and they came up with a plan to split up,

then they'd already passed the teamwork test.

And if he refused?

Heh...

Kakashi, who was already an old hand at missions,

would definitely catch on.

Then he'd work with Yuzhen and guide Obito and Rin

into fighting together.

After that, no matter whether they won or lost, they'd pass the test!

And Namikaze Minato was an incredibly clever man. The moment he heard Yuzhen ask that,

and saw his eager expression,

he knew that the Uchiha boy in front of him had already figured out the purpose of the test.

He couldn't help admiring Yuzhen's sharp mind.

The trick had already been seen through.

Being clever, Minato knew that no matter how he answered,

Yuzhen and Kakashi, both ninja with plenty of mission experience,

would understand the real point of the test.

Once he'd figured that out,

he went along with it.

He explained the rules of the bell test.

After listening to Namikaze Minato's explanation,

Uchiha Yuzhen and the others huddled in a corner of the Training Ground.

They discussed something among themselves.

"I think we all understand. We need to work together to take those three bells."

"As for what Minato-sensei said afterward—that one of us would ultimately be eliminated..."

Uchiha Yuzhen paused and glanced at the others.

Then he continued:

"You all know that was a lie, right?"

Kakashi and Rin both looked calm.

Yuzhen was quite pleased. Kakashi went without saying.

As for Rin Nohara, the girl had recognized the core of the test and hadn't been shaken by the threat.

She lived up to her reputation as a genius medical ninja.

Only...

"Huh? Minato-sensei was lying when he threatened us?"

Obito, being the dunce he was, hadn't figured it out.

Obito's question brought Yuzhen's train of thought to an end.

He turned to Obito with a helpless look,

and explained in detail:

"That's right. Just follow our battle plan, Obito."

"Tch! I feel like you're underestimating me."

"You're not. We need your strength."

"Then don't turn away when you say that."

After their teasing ended,

they held a strategy meeting and put their heads together.

Uchiha Yuzhen was the first to step out of the Training Ground.

He smiled slightly at Namikaze Minato:

"Minato-sensei, we're ready to begin."

Yuzhen was confident now.

Why?

While discussing tactics with Kakashi and the others,

he'd already had the system install the [Child of Time and Space (Gold)] Affix.

In that instant!

Kakashi's [Genius (Gold)] Affix on the panel glimmered faintly.

Yuzhen hadn't learned any space-time ninjutsu yet, so he couldn't feel any change from the greatly enhanced space-time perception.

But as for—

the greatly enhanced reflexes,

with the help of the "Genius" Affix,

he mastered them instantly!

In that moment,

he felt just how astonishingly much his reflexes had improved!

His reaction speed was even more incredible than the Sharingan's.

No wonder Namikaze Minato could take down dozens of Jonin in an instant.

Reflexes like these, combined with the Flying Thunder God,

were an absolute trump card for crushing weaker opponents!

At that moment,

even without any space-time ninjutsu, he'd become incredibly strong!

Now Yuzhen stood before Minato,

confident in his newfound talent, and spoke.

Namikaze Minato nodded slightly.

"Then let's begin. Your plan is to have you take the lead, right?"

"That's right!"

After Uchiha Yuzhen answered, chakra rapidly surged into his eyes.

Buzz—

His eyelids trembled slightly.

A pair of two-Tomoe Sharingan appeared.

He quickly formed Hand Seals.

[Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique].

He spat out a fireball packed with tremendous force, trailing waves of scorching heat,

and sent it hurtling toward Namikaze Minato.

Seeing Uchiha Yuzhen make his move, the others on the sidelines

also sprang into action.

In an instant,

this Training Ground began to break apart under the clash of ninjutsu, ninja tools, and Taijutsu.

Obito was stunned.

This was nothing like Yuzhen's fight with Inabi.

Right now, Yuzhen was moving at an incredible speed,

and responding to every move with incredible skill.

How was he able to fight a real Konoha Jonin to such a degree?

"Is it because of the Sharingan?" Obito bit his lip in frustration. His yearning for the Sharingan, at that moment,

reached its peak!

"Obito, don't get distracted. Yuzhen-kun is working hard to keep Sensei occupied." Rin stood nearby, pulling Shuriken from her ninja pouch.

Seeing Obito lose focus, she hurriedly reminded him.

"Got it, Rin..." Obito replied, pulling himself together as he began forming Hand Seals.

"Phew." Seeing that, Rin Nohara breathed a sigh of relief.

As someone Obito often tried to impress,

she had a pretty good idea why he'd gotten distracted.

That Yuzhen senior really was strong.

As a medical ninja, she wasn't especially perceptive.

But a ninja who could smoothly switch between Taijutsu and ninjutsu

was clearly very experienced.

More importantly, the Jonin they were facing

was a household name to someone like her, born a civilian.

A young civilian prodigy, he was a powerful ninja who had begun to earn the title "Yellow Flash."

Unlike Obito and Rin,

Kakashi, racing nearby, was the one who was truly shocked.

Back when he'd been Yuzhen's teammate,

that guy had merely been a Genin who was close to reaching Chunin level.

Someone had better tell him—

how had Yuzhen gotten so strong?

Judging by the blond Jonin's movements,

if Yuzhen were replaced with Kakashi right now,

Kakashi wasn't sure he could do any better!

He glanced at the red eyes in Yuzhen's face.

Was it because of the Sharingan?

Could a former Genin really become this strong just by awakening the Sharingan?

His thoughts were in turmoil, but his hands kept moving.

His hand signs flashed.

Electric arcs crackled across his entire body.

He officially activated Lightning Style: Body Flicker.

Kakashi's speed surged.

He joined the fight.

Together with Yuzhen, he attacked Namikaze Minato.

Minato easily dodged Kakashi's strike.

Looking relaxed, he casually fended off Yuzhen and Kakashi as they attacked him from both sides.

Yet he was astonished by the young Uchiha Yuzhen.

Just now, aside from not using the Flying Thunder God,

he had genuinely been fighting seriously in every other regard.

Those reflexes...

If he hadn't misjudged them, they were about as good as his own, weren't they?

Otherwise, the kid would have already fallen at his hands.

He pondered this.

With reflexes like those, if the boy also had a talent for space-time techniques,

then his improved Flying Thunder God

might have found an heir.