Minato shook his head, a smug look on his face.
"The name the Fourth Hokage actually gave it was: Light-Halo Cryo-Fruit Auto-Swirl Jiraiya Twin-Style Sphere!"
Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. What kind of name was that?
Light-Halo Cryo-Fruit Auto-Swirl Jiraiya Twin-Style Sphere?
Seeing this side of Minato for the first time, Naruto felt the image he had of him instantly shatter. Noticing that Sasuke and Hinata also looked a bit stunned, Naruto quickly asked, "Uh... so why was it changed to Rasengan later?"
"Hmm... well..." Minato's gaze softened, his eyes clouding over with nostalgia. "The Fourth Hokage's wife changed it for him."
Nearby, Hinata clasped her hands, thinking to herself how much the Fourth Hokage must have loved his wife.
"Alright, Sasuke, your turn," Minato said, snapping out of his reverie.
Sasuke was about to draw his Sword of Kusanagi, but then he remembered the stern lecture he had received from his brother a few days ago. The sword was off-limits.
Instead, he formed the hand signs for the Chidori. With a sharp crackle of electricity, a sphere of blue-white lightning materialized in his palm.
Just as he'd expected. Minato already knew they had learned this jutsu from watching Naruto and Sasuke train together.
Before the Chidori in Sasuke's hand could dissipate, he saw his teacher, Shingo, form the exact same hand signs. A brilliant flash of blue-white light erupted from his palm, forming another Chidori.
"Shingo-sensei, you know Chidori too?" Sasuke asked, astonished.
"I can barely manage it," Minato replied. "I'm not actually very skilled with Lightning Release."
Kakashi had developed the Chidori because he was unable to infuse his Lightning Release chakra into the Rasengan. During its development, his teacher, Minato Namikaze, had offered him some guidance. As a result, Minato could also use the Chidori.
"Next up is you, Hinata."
Due to Hiashi's strict upbringing, Hinata had always struggled to meet her father's expectations, no matter how hard she tried. This had left her timid and lacking in confidence.
She stood up, trying for a long time to think of what she was good at. Naruto waited patiently, and Minato watched her with an encouraging smile. Sasuke wasn't annoyed either; since she wasn't like the other girls who constantly clung to him, he had some patience for her.
Being rushed usually made Hinata more nervous, but the quiet, expectant silence from her teammates helped her calm down. She recalled how she and Naruto had first met because of her Byakugan, and an idea came to her.
Gathering a small amount of chakra, she declared, "Byakugan!"
Veins bulged around her temples as her pale eyes focused on the distance. "My Byakugan can see everything within a one-kilometer radius," she explained. "In the future, I'll be able to see even farther. I can detect an enemy's chakra, leaving them with nowhere to hide. I can also observe their chakra pathway system, tenketsu, and even their skeletal structure."
As soon as Hinata finished, Naruto exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing! We'll definitely need you on our missions, Hinata!"
He clapped in praise. He had only a vague idea of the Byakugan's capabilities before, but he never imagined Hinata could see so far.
Coming from a clan famous for its dōjutsu, Sasuke naturally understood the power of the Hyuga's Byakugan. As powerful as the Sharingan was, it couldn't compete with the Byakugan in terms of reconnaissance. The Byakugan was incredibly useful on missions, providing an advantage that few other jutsu could replicate. Sasuke had to agree.
Over the years, he and Naruto had sparred with Uchiha clansmen many times. Although they always lost, they had at least gotten to know many of them. Sometimes, while discussing missions, these clansmen would pass on bits of knowledge to the two boys. As a result, their understanding of the ninja world was already far beyond that of a typical academy student.
Seeing her teammates acknowledge her skills filled Hinata's heart with joy. At home, her father had never once praised her.
Minato glanced at the sky. "Now that everyone understands their teammates' strengths, go home and think about how you can best work together. We'll have a combat exercise tomorrow. Meet here at seven in the morning! Remember to eat a full breakfast before you come."
"Dismissed!"
With a final smile at Naruto, Minato vanished.
Naruto shot to his feet. "Hinata, Sasuke and I are going to get something to eat! See you tomorrow!"
A bewildered Sasuke was dragged away by Naruto. Watching his energetic retreat, a faint smile graced Hinata's lips.
See you tomorrow, Naruto.
...
In the Uchiha Clan compound, Kawasaki was planning his next move.
Orochimaru was finally secure in his position as the Fifth Hokage. The next step was to oust those two old councilors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Once they were gone, he could proceed to the next phase.
First, he needed to take control of their new territory in the Land of Water and arrange for clan members to relocate. He also had to make a trip to the Land of Earth, not just to collect on a debt but to handle other matters as well. Kawasaki also planned to investigate why the mission there hadn't been completed yet and figure out what had gone wrong.
He stroked his chin. "Then again, I might not need to go to the Land of Water myself. I can just have Shisui make the trip."
As he was thinking, a commotion sounded from outside.
"Kawasaki-senpai! Where are you!?" Naruto's voice echoed through the compound.
Uchiha Iori entered the room to report. "Lord Clan Head, Naruto has been looking all over for you since he arrived."
Uchiha Kawasaki doted on Naruto, so the boy had free rein within the Uchiha grounds. Naruto was usually well-behaved, however. This was the first time he had ever sought Kawasaki out in such a frantic rush. Kawasaki couldn't figure out why he was in such a hurry.
"It's fine. I'll go see what's going on."
Kawasaki stepped out of his study and saw Naruto running toward him, sweat beading on his forehead. Even with his incredible stamina, Naruto was out of breath, a testament to how urgently he had run here.
"Kawasaki-senpai, I have something I need to ask you," Naruto panted.
Slightly puzzled, Kawasaki waved a hand to dismiss Iori. "Come inside. We can talk in there."
Kawasaki led the way back into the room. As Naruto closed the door, he snuck a few glances outside, a sight that made Kawasaki chuckle.
"Why so cautious? You're in my home."
Naruto turned around, his face flushed with excitement and joy. "Kawasaki-senpai, how could you trick me like that?"
Seeing Naruto's expression and remembering that today was the day squads were assigned, Kawasaki immediately understood that he had recognized Minato. "Ah, what a shame. I was planning it as a surprise for you."
Kawasaki beamed. "So? The wait of several months became a reality in an instant, didn't it? Are you surprised? Are you happy?"
Naruto threw his arms around Kawasaki in a tight hug. "Thank you, Senpai."
"Thank you for taking care of me all these years, for making sure I didn't have to grow up all alone. And for working so hard to reunite me with my family."
"I... I'm just so..."
"Thank you. I'm so grateful..."
Naruto broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. He remembered his life before he was five—a time of starving more often than not, of eating meals gritty with sand and drinking expired milk. He had no friends and was ostracized, chased away, and even beaten wherever he went. Most of the time, he just sat alone on a swing, because that was all he knew how to do.
Until he met Kawasaki-senpai.