"Flying Thunder God" Detected as an Overpowered Potential Target!

Hearing Nohara Rin's words, Mikami Yu froze for a moment, instinctively sensing that something was off.

Oki had told Nohara Rin to wait for him here...

What did that mean?

At that moment, the auditorium doors were slammed open from outside with a bang. A spiky-haired figure wearing yellow goggles appeared in the doorway—it was Uchiha Obito, a full two and a half hours late.

Obito braced himself against the doorframe, bent over, and panted heavily. "Huff... huff... Rin! You're still here! And Yu... I didn't come too late, did I?!"

"..."

After a brief silence, Nohara Rin sighed, helpless yet amused. "Obito, the graduation ceremony is already over. Everyone has been assigned to teams and left... But there's still one forehead protector here. Teacher Oki specifically asked Yu and me to give it to you."

"Wow, I can graduate too?"

Obito was delighted at first, then reacted a beat too late. "The teams have already been assigned? Then what team are you on, Rin? Are we on the same team?"

"..."

That was a good question.

It was known that Konoha had always assigned teams in groups of three. Those with bonds were grouped together first, while those without them were assigned according to average grades.

It was also known that Mikami Yu and Nohara Rin were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together, while Obito was Rin's devoted simp. In theory, the three of them had pairwise bonds; meanwhile, their grades were, respectively, first in the year, above average, and dead last among the graduates...

Alarm bells rang in Mikami Yu's mind. He immediately stood up, ready to ask whether the team assignment could still be changed. But before he could take a step, a hand quietly landed on his shoulder, accompanied by a gentle, sunny male voice:

"Looks like everyone's here."

"!!"

Mikami Yu's eyelid twitched.

Nohara Rin and Obito looked up at the same time and saw a tall blond man who had somehow appeared inside the auditorium. The dark green vest he wore marked him as a Konoha Jonin, while his azure eyes were calm and gentle, carrying a natural warmth.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Namikaze Minato. Starting today, I'll be your Jonin instructor."

"..."

Damn.

His worst premonition had been confirmed.

At that moment, Mikami Yu's mind buzzed as scenes from the original plot flashed through it like a slideshow... This, this wasn't right, was it? Had he become Kakashi? Then where had Kakashi gone? Was it too late to drop out and start making ramen?

Beside him.

Obito looked at Namikaze Minato with admiration. "A Jonin instructor? Then you must be amazing, right? Way stronger than that stuck-up Kakashi?"

"Well... I suppose I'm a tiny bit stronger than him."

Namikaze Minato used his other hand to make a gesture showing "a tiny bit," then lightly cleared his throat. "All right, we can talk about the rest later. Since this is our first meeting, we should have a little sense of ceremony. Come on, move closer together and hold hands."

"?"

Mikami Yu was still watching the slideshow in his head.

Obito glanced at Nohara Rin, somewhat hesitant.

But Nohara Rin took the initiative first. She grabbed Mikami Yu's hand, then used her other hand to seize Obito's wrist. "Like this, Minato-sensei?"

"That's right."

Namikaze Minato stepped closer and placed his hands on Mikami Yu's and Obito's shoulders respectively. "Hold on tight."

Buzz—

In that instant, Mikami Yu and the others all felt their vision blur. A dizzying sensation swept through their bodies in a single moment. When they came back to their senses, they had already left the grand auditorium and arrived in a forest surrounded by bright sunlight and dense thickets.

``` [Ding! An overpowered potential target has been detected: "Flying Thunder God"!]

[The requirements to unlock it have not yet been met. Unable to unlock it.]

The Gala System displayed two notifications.

Based on his previous experience, these high-level Ninjutsu did indeed require certain conditions before they could be unlocked. For example, the mission for the Eight Gates had only been triggered after Mikami Yu's physique had improved by more than ten points. As an S-rank Ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God was presumably no different.

So Mikami Yu was not particularly disappointed. He merely took a deep breath and looked around.

All right.

Although he was somewhat concerned about having somehow joined Team Minato, objectively speaking... this was already the best possible choice under the circumstances.

At this point in time, among the Three Ninja, aside from Orochimaru, the other two no longer openly accepted disciples. Namikaze Minato was the only remaining inheritor of the Hokage line still leading a team, and his own strength was solidly among the top five, perhaps even the top three. According to Konoha custom, his disciples had a chance of entering the line of Hokage candidates.

Hiruzen Sarutobi assigning him under Minato's command was proof of how highly he was regarded. If he insisted on changing teams under these circumstances, it would only make things awkward for everyone.

So...

Since he was already here.

He might as well make the best of it.

According to the original plot, Team Minato would not face an unavoidable life-or-death crisis until Kannabi Bridge. At worst, he could spend the next two-plus years finding ways to win over Namikaze Minato, expanding his list of targets to win over, then figure out how to avoid that mission when the time came.

At this moment.

Nohara Rin and Obito finally came back to their senses as well.

"Wow, this is..."

"It's the training grounds on Konoha's outskirts! Minato-sensei, could it be that you... can teleport instantly?"

Facing Obito's question,

Namikaze Minato smiled. "More or less. This is a Space–Time Ninjutsu called the Flying Thunder God. As long as coordinates are set in advance, I can jump to a designated location in an instant. It's very convenient when long-distance travel is needed."

"Huh, isn't that just Yu's Substitution Technique?" Obito glanced at Mikami Yu.

Namikaze Minato laughed. "You could understand it that way. It's an enhanced version of the Substitution Technique... Yu seems to adapt more quickly. He had already recovered the moment we arrived."

"..."

Mikami Yu thought that if he had really reacted that quickly, he would probably have been able to unlock the Flying Thunder God. Still, compared with Obito and Nohara Rin, who were experiencing this kind of instantaneous movement for the first time, the difference was indeed considerable.

"All right, everyone, sit down. Let's introduce ourselves first and talk about our dreams and such."

Namikaze Minato clapped his hands and sat down on the grass first.

All right.

Introductions, discussing dreams, and snatching bells—these were indispensable rites in Konoha's little corner of the world. In the spirit of doing as the locals did, Mikami Yu played along.

But...

When they reached the final step, Namikaze Minato paused. "According to procedure, every newly formed team needs to undergo a team-building exercise. But before that, I need to explain something.

"My missions are usually rather demanding, so I may not always be able to stay by your side. Therefore, I applied to the Hokage for an assistant instructor, who will temporarily take on the captain's duties when I'm absent and guide you through daily training and basic missions. He'll also be handling this team-building exercise."

"An assistant instructor?"

Obito blinked. "Where is he?"