Konohagakure.
In a small training ground near the Hokage Residence, Hiruzen and Minato stood facing each other, warming up together in preparation for the upcoming training session.
The Hokage was someone who acted as soon as he made a decision…
After finishing the work at hand, he immediately called over Minato—who was not out on a mission—to train together.
To properly familiarize himself with the combat style of a Flying Thunder God user…
Minato was naturally more than willing.
Setting aside the fact that he could grow closer to the Hokage—
Now that he had gained fame because of the Flying Thunder God Technique, the number of shinobi who wanted to get close to him had gradually increased.
However, among those of his own generation, it was difficult to find someone capable of suppressing him enough to conduct high-pressure training.
As for the older generation of shinobi, some were unfamiliar with him, while others were too busy to have time to spar with him…
For example, Sakumo would have been an excellent choice for sparring with Minato.
But after finishing the high-pressure work of the Anbu and entering his rotation rest period, Sakumo naturally needed to spend time with Kakashi and take on some lighter missions to relax.
Occasionally disturbing him once was already the limit…
And aside from Sakumo—
Minato's unique combat style, centered on the Flying Thunder God and branching into fūinjutsu and taijutsu, rendered many renowned jōnin's sparring sessions with him meaningless.
In ordinary shinobi bouts, the extensive tactical exchanges would be compressed by Minato's system into a single point:
"How can we prevent the Flying Thunder God kunai from reaching us?"
That stripped sparring of much of its significance.
What Minato urgently needed to improve now was what came after he flashed over—when the enemy was able to respond—namely, his follow-up handling, further enhancement of his taijutsu level, and his reaction speed.
Coincidentally, that was also what Hiruzen required.
As for Hiruzen now—if speaking of an all-out sparring match—within present-day Konohagakure…
It was also not easy for him to find an opponent who could allow him to fully exert himself…
It was not that he looked down on his old partner Danzō.
Rather, engaging in ninjutsu bombardments with this old friend was truly somewhat dull and tedious; before researching something new, it could not provide Hiruzen with any pressure at all.
Thus, the Hokage decided to conduct modular, specialized training.
For close combat and reaction speed, he would train with Sakumo and Minato…
As for ninjutsu bombardment, it would be just right to use it to drill Jiraiya.
Aside from Wind Release, this disciple of his was also quite accomplished in the Five Nature Transformations, having inherited part of his mantle.
And when it came time to further temper Lightning Release chakra mode to activate the body's latent potential, he could seek out Danzō, that Wind Release master, later on…
In any case, as long as Hiruzen asked him whether he wanted to spar…
Danzo would grit his teeth and agree every single time, as if refusing would mean admitting defeat—quite amusing.
"Lightning Release chakra mode—how is your training going?" As he spoke, arcs of lightning burst across Hiruzen's body.
"Just barely getting started, Hokage-sama…" Lightning likewise coiled around Minato, the corners of his mouth lifting.
Although the two of them were Konoha's most orthodox old-and-young pair, if outsiders saw this training scene, they'd think they'd come to Kumogakure!
Minato looked at the lightning flaring over Hiruzen's body and could not help but feel admiration.
His sensory ability was also extremely strong.
Or rather, this was one of the prerequisites for becoming a Flying Thunder God user in the first place…
Otherwise, the Flying Thunder God Technique would not have gone so many years without finding a successor.
The requirements truly were too many…
And within Minato's perception, Hiruzen's lightning armor was more solid than the time he had sensed it during morning practice before.
Even the feeling Hiruzen's chakra gave him was changing.
A shinobi with exceptional perception can sense an "impression" from chakra—some feel warm, some feel cold and stern.
And the impression Hiruzen's chakra gave Minato was also changing.
It no longer seemed as heavy as before.
But when he sensed it closely, it was as though it had become a deep lake—calm on the surface, yet profoundly deep within, unfathomable at a glance.
"Hokage-sama, have you made further progress again?" Minato could not hold back from asking.
No matter how steady Minato was, he was still a young man.
He was genuinely curious!
For someone like him to improve every day during his growth period was one thing, but could the Hokage be the same?
For shinobi, the older one gets, the more monstrous one becomes—this was practically against logic.
"How could that be?" Hiruzen said with a chuckle.
"At my age, it's good enough if I can just maintain my condition…"
"The future belongs to young people like you, Minato."
Minato's expression was somewhat strange, as if he had something to say.
He had said similar words to Obito, Kakashi, Asuma, and the other academy elites just a few days ago…
So what kind of mindset someone had when saying such words—Minato understood best of all!
It was basically comfort.
Minato could not help thinking: could this be the "Konoha Sun" suppressing him, this "Little Sun"?
Hiruzen carefully examined Minato's chakra mode and commented: "You're mainly focusing on using Lightning Release to activate your body, aren't you? That's good—external release in Lightning Release chakra mode will interfere with the flow sequence of chakra…"
"If you're not very proficient, it will interfere with the use of other ninjutsu."
"With a precise ninjutsu like Flying Thunder God, that's even more so."
Minato nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, that's right, Hokage-sama! What I'm thinking is: first raise my basic physical qualities, and once I hit a bottleneck, then refine the Lightning Release armor."
Hiruzen nodded. "Come, Minato—strike with full force and let me see…"
Minato immediately mobilized his chakra and swung the Flying Thunder God, slashing through the air!
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, and he more or less had a measure in his heart.
Minato's taijutsu could be considered forceful; against the bodies of most shinobi, his slash was enough for a one-hit kill.
But against certain monsters, naturally, he lacked a means to break through their defenses.
However, he was still, after all, a not-yet-grown youth. It was better for him to first further solidify his foundation and master the Flying Thunder God, and only then think about how to solve the problem of becoming a well-rounded fighter.
With him, the Hokage, holding the line, it was not as if Minato lacked time to grow…
"You're lacking battles of life and death—fights where you truly feel pressure, aren't you?"
Hiruzen said with a smile. "Geniuses always run into this problem."
Minato scratched his head and nodded somewhat embarrassedly. "It may sound a bit arrogant to say this, but it's indeed rare for me to swing out many consecutive slashes in one go and be forced to my limit…"
"Come. Use your full strength against me."
"Treat me as the enemy you intend to kill. With every slash and every transfer, give it your all. And if you lose focus, I will not hold back either, Minato."
"You may have heard from Jiraiya that I used to be rather conservative when training disciples—but that was before."
"Now, I believe that if it means you bleed less on the battlefield, it's better to be stricter."
Hiruzen paused. In an instant, Lightning Release chakra erupted violently from him!
His ever-strengthening body entered a fully activated state at once, and the Lightning Release armor grew exceedingly thick.
Minato's expression turned solemn. He retreated several steps in succession and bowed. "Thank you for your care, Hokage-sama! Minato will certainly give his all and not let your painstaking effort go to waste…"
The opportunity to engage in actual combat with the Hokage was, across the entire shinobi world, an extreme luxury.
And at that very moment, a dispirited Asuma happened to pass by this training ground, and his gaze was instantly drawn over.
Interestingly, the first thing he noticed was not his old man.
It was that yellow-haired monster who always appeared in his dreams!
Wearing a gentle smile and speaking modest words, yet striking with extreme ruthlessness—the Great Demon King!
His fifty companions…
In an instant, they were all wiped out by a single lipstick!
And because of this, Asuma and the academy elites had become filled with awe toward the outside world.
Although their parents had all "comforted" them, saying they were already excellent and their pride…
The problem was that when Asuma and the others went to confirm it with Minato, they all received the same answer.
—"I'm merely of average talent, and you're truly outstanding. Train well, and you will surpass me."
The more Minato said this, the more the academy students felt that perhaps all the shinobi outside were like him…
Especially when Kakashi added another blow, saying that both he and Guy's father were usually the type to hide their true strength.
So if one day they left the academy…
The torrential rain outside might drown them in an instant!
The elites of other hidden villages probably had shinobi like the yellow-haired one as well—perhaps more than one…
Thus, under both their parents' encouragement and the sense of crisis they had imagined, the academy students grew increasingly united and earnest in their training, drawing closer into a tight whole.
They were afraid of letting down the parents who had been "so tolerant" toward them.
Because Sakumo had forcibly drawn up their training schedule, fearing that overexertion would affect their development and end up doing more harm than good.
They had received praise and support from their parents.
But in the eyes of the academy students, this was simply their parents' boundless and tolerant love for their mediocrity…
And a large part of why they had such an understanding was Kakashi's dark, behind-the-scenes fanning of the flames…
"Father, you have to be careful!"
Asuma spotted Hiruzen and shouted loudly, "This guy is really strong, seriously!"
At Asuma's shout, even the usually steady Minato nearly lost his composure, his expression twisting.
Hiruzen laughed heartily; he had naturally noticed the little bean long ago.
"Alright, I'll be careful. Minato truly is frighteningly strong—like a monster…" Hiruzen said in a deliberately serious tone, though his aura grew even more imposing.
Being described that way, Minato could not help but break into a slight sweat.
The Hokage was far more practiced than he was at using that routine of modesty he normally employed!
And Minato quietly committed that line to memory as well…
"Then here I come, Hokage-sama!"
With a shout, Minato once again scattered the Flying Thunder God kunai from his hand like a torrential rain of pear blossoms, embedding them throughout the training ground.
Hiruzen stood unmoving. There was naturally no need for him to stop Minato from spreading the kunai.
Otherwise, the drill would lose its meaning.
A flash of golden light—Minato suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen, raising the Flying Thunder God kunai high!
Since the Hokage had said to go all out, Minato would do exactly that.
To hold back against the Hokage would be far too arrogant.
In that split second of lightning and flint—during the instant of stiffness that followed Minato's teleportation—Hiruzen had already turned around and reacted, looking at him with a genial smile.
But his hands moved without the slightest delay, a punch blasting toward Minato's shoulder!
Minato's eyes widened slightly. He immediately chose to transfer, yet still took half the punch…
Hiruzen clapped his hands together. A large quantity of viscous water instantly flooded the entire training ground, submerging the Flying Thunder God kunai.
In the next instant, Hiruzen leapt high, arriving above Minato in a flash.
A single leg came crashing down!
'So fast—how can the Hokage-sama be this fast…' Minato's gaze darkened. With the Flying Thunder God kunai restrained by the Water Release, he could only choose one among them to transfer to.
And with chakra interference present, sensing the Flying Thunder God kunai also became more difficult.
But it was precisely under this kind of pressure that training became meaningful!
Enduring the pain in his shoulder, Minato executed the transfer!
A trace of approval flashed through Hiruzen's eyes as he followed through, smashing the heavy kick down.
In the blink of an eye, the ground was forcibly gouged open, thunder roaring!
Asuma at the side was completely dumbfounded.
Was this still that terrifying blond? How was he being beaten by his old man like a mole…
He had seen Hiruzen fight Orochimaru before, but he had not expected this to be an entirely different scene.
His old man could actually react to that golden-light technique?
"Minato, continue!" Lightning flickered as Hiruzen's eyes flashed, gathering information.
For Hiruzen, locking onto the position of a teleportation also required complete concentration.
After all, he had not been adept in this area before—but fortunately, he possessed an upper limit that could be continuously tempered.
Streak after streak of lightning flashed, Hiruzen seeming to transform into bolts of lightning.
And across the field, golden light flashed as well.
Asuma, standing to the side, could not keep up with their speed at all and could only stare in shock.
This…
Is this what a battle between adults looks like?
Amid one impact after another, Minato's expression grew intensely focused, fully immersed in this training, sweat unconsciously gathering at the tip of his nose.
Hiruzen treated it with equal seriousness. He had not come to show off before others, but to improve as well.
What was interesting was that as Minato gradually adapted to the Flying Thunder God marks being interfered with by Water Release, he was shocked to discover—
Hiruzen's reaction speed to his transfers was also increasing!
'Is the Hokage-sama holding something back to accommodate me, or is he adapting as well?' Minato felt the Hokage's authority even more deeply.
The two of them were like race cars competing in acceleration, each pressing down on the accelerator called "talent," continuously increasing their speed.
Before they realized it, Hiruzen had already withdrawn the Water Release, helping him increase his transfer speed.
"Practice your slashes, Minato!"
Minato nodded in understanding. Under the high-intensity, continuous transfers, his chakra was already close to exhaustion.
The Flying Thunder God kunai collided with Hiruzen's forearm!
The sharp tip of the trident shattered with a crash, and Minato's expression darkened.
'If I take even half another punch from the Hokage-sama, I'll be down!'
Yet Hiruzen did not continue the pursuit.
The Hokage had no interest in competing with a youth over victory or defeat.
With a flick of his toe, a Flying Thunder God kunai flew toward Minato.
Minato caught it in understanding and, without pause, continued the close-quarters clash.
"Your slashes—learn to observe the enemy's weaknesses and concentrate your chakra at a single point!"
"Hold back strength, not speed. Leave yourself room to pivot…"
"Faster. You can do it, Minato—faster!" Hiruzen shouted.
After roughly half a quarter of an hour, the training finally came to a stop.
Minato was so exhausted that he braced his hands against his knees, panting heavily, yet his eyes shone brightly.
Under pressure, he had surpassed his usual limits!
Hiruzen cast a gaze of great approval toward Minato…
This truly was a genuine genius.
He was only around sixteen years old, yet his neural reaction speed and dynamic vision were able to spar against a strengthened version of himself—more than enough to demonstrate how terrifying his talent was.
To speak fairly, if Hiruzen were in his initial state, and Minato were allowed to grow just a few more years…
He certainly would not be able to react to his Flying Thunder God.
"I've benefited greatly… Whenever I see young people like you—so many outstanding youths emerging one after another!"
"I feel a sense of urgency, afraid that one day I'll be left behind by you all!"
Hiruzen walked over and covered Minato's injured shoulder with the Mystical Palm Technique, offering praise without stint.
"Hokage-sama, your talent… When I look at you, I don't even want to be called a genius anymore…" Minato shook his head awkwardly.
"You can't say that, Minato."
Hiruzen shook his head. "After all, I've trained thirty more years than you. It wouldn't be fair to compare us that way. The speed at which you advance and grow will certainly surpass mine…"
"When you gain new insights, take the initiative to come find me. I enjoy interacting with young people like you."
Tempering one's upper limit also followed the principle of tension and release—one had to allow time to digest and consolidate.
Minato nodded, half believing and half doubting.
And because of this, a question similar to Asuma's arose in his heart.
Were the other "Kage," or the experts of other villages, also like Hiruzen?
That would be far too terrifying!
As for Asuma at the side, he had long since been staring blankly.
At this moment, he only wanted to cheer loudly for his father, then return to the academy to tell his friends…
So the yellow-haired monster wasn't invincible after all!
...
One month later.
Danzo returned to Konohagakure, travel-worn and dusty.
He had completely consolidated the intelligence regarding Kusagakure!
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