CHAPTER 179
The next morning, deep within a dense forest outside the camp, a group arrived at a spacious clearing surrounded by towering trees. Leading them was none other than Minato Namikaze. Following behind were Guy, Ebisu, Genma, Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Obito, and Rin Nohara.
Originally, they had agreed to meet at the camp's training ground, but before setting out, Guy had suddenly suggested changing the location to this secluded forest clearing.
Minato Namikaze was one of Konoha's strongest Shinobi, and someone with such strength willingly offering guidance was an opportunity that came once in a lifetime. More importantly, it was a rare chance to personally experience the pressure of a Kage-level Shinobi without risking one's life. Such practical combat experience was priceless. Naturally, Guy had no intention of wasting it.
The training ground inside the camp was simply too small.
He wouldn't be able to fight without restraint there.
Not only him, even Minato would have to hold back.
Although Minato Namikaze found Guy's choice of location somewhat unusual, he didn't object. Wearing his usual gentle smile, he simply nodded in agreement.
He genuinely intended to guide Guy and the other two.
Partly because they were promising juniors from the village.
Partly because he wished to thank Guy for helping Obito awaken his Sharingan.
"Guy is taking this surprisingly seriously..."
"Perhaps he really has some hidden abilities."
"If that's the case, the training ground would indeed be too restrictive."
Those thoughts quietly crossed Minato's mind, though he didn't dwell on them.
"Very well, then we'll train here."
Walking to the center of the clearing, Minato turned around and smiled warmly at Guy's trio.
"So... who would like to go first?"
Guy glanced at Ebisu and Genma.
The two immediately understood.
"We'll go first!"
Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses before exchanging a glance with Genma. Together, they stepped forward.
Minato smiled and beckoned toward them.
"Come."
"Just relax and treat this as an ordinary spar."
Ebisu and Genma both inhaled deeply.
Almost simultaneously, they drew the replica Kubikiribōchō strapped across their backs.
Standing one on the left and one on the right, they adopted solemn fighting stances.
"Captain Minato... excuse us!"
The instant those words fell, both of them attacked at the same time.
Ebisu rushed forward first.
With a powerful step, he thrust the massive blade straight toward Minato's chest.
At nearly the same moment, Genma circled around from the flank.
His blade flashed horizontally toward Minato's waist.
One attacked from the front.
The other attacked from the side.
Their coordination perfectly sealed off most of Minato's possible escape routes.
Yet, just before both swords reached their target...
Minato Namikaze's figure flickered slightly.
Like a ripple reflected beneath sunlight.
He disappeared.
"What?!"
Ebisu and Genma's blades sliced through empty air.
Alarm bells instantly rang inside their minds.
Without hesitation, they retreated until they stood back-to-back, vigilantly scanning every direction.
"I'm over here."
A calm, gentle voice suddenly sounded beside Ebisu.
He spun around immediately, swinging his sword with all his strength.
Only to cut through a fading golden afterimage.
Genma reacted just as quickly.
The instant he heard the voice, he swept his Kubikiribōchō backward.
Again...
Nothing.
Minato's figure continuously flickered throughout the clearing.
Every appearance lasted only a brief instant before vanishing again.
Wherever he appeared, another calm piece of advice followed.
"Ebisu, your attack angles could be much trickier. Don't always focus on breaking through directly from the front."
"Genma, your speed is excellent, but your killing intent is revealed too early. Learn to conceal your decisive strike until the final moment."
His voice echoed from every direction.
Despite moving at such astonishing speed, his breathing remained steady and his tone completely relaxed.
Before long, beads of sweat covered Ebisu and Genma's foreheads.
Both of them attacked with everything they had.
Their enormous swords crisscrossed through the clearing in dazzling arcs.
Yet no matter how hard they tried...
They couldn't even brush the corner of Minato's clothes.
Minato hadn't used a single offensive Ninjutsu.
Relying solely on his astonishing Body Flicker Technique, he effortlessly toyed with both of them.
"Hah!"
Growing impatient, Ebisu saw Minato suddenly appear directly before him.
Without hesitation, he poured a tremendous amount of Chakra into the Kubikiribōchō.
The enormous blade erupted with brilliant blue Chakra.
A fan-shaped wave of Chakra burst outward.
At the same instant, Genma coordinated perfectly.
From another angle, he launched several Chakra-enhanced senbon.
Together, the two attacks completely blocked Minato's possible retreat.
"Excellent coordination."
Minato's voice carried genuine praise.
The next moment...
His figure appeared directly above them.
Ebisu and Genma instinctively looked upward.
Minato was hanging upside down in midair.
A three-pronged Flying Thunder God Kunai rested in each hand.
Smiling gently, he pointed both kunai downward.
The tips hovered barely an inch above the crowns of their heads.
"But..."
"Your awareness of three-dimensional space still needs improvement."
Minato landed lightly before patting each of them on the shoulder.
"When fighting..."
"Never forget that your enemy can attack from above or below."
Ebisu and Genma breathed heavily.
Their expressions were filled with frustration.
But far more than frustration...
There was excitement.
Their horizons had truly been broadened.
"Minato-sensei..."
Ebisu couldn't suppress his curiosity.
"The incredible movement just now..."
"Was that the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Minato nodded slightly.
"Can... can you teach us?"
The question escaped Ebisu almost instinctively.
The moment he spoke, however, he realized how inappropriate it sounded.
After all...
That was the legendary S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu.
How could someone casually teach such a forbidden technique?
Minato slowly shook his head.
Ebisu and Genma both revealed expressions that seemed to say, "As expected."
Seeing their disappointment, Minato smiled.
"You've misunderstood."
"It's not that I'm unwilling to teach it."
"It's simply because the Flying Thunder God Technique is extraordinarily difficult to learn."
"It demands extremely precise Chakra control, excellent spatial perception, and above all else..."
"...an exceptional talent for inscribing technique formulas."
As he spoke, his gaze swept toward Kakashi, Obito, and Rin nearby.
"Even Kakashi and the others haven't mastered it."
Kakashi, standing with his hands tucked inside his pockets, silently nodded.
Rin smiled helplessly.
Obito, meanwhile, simply scratched his head as though he didn't particularly care.
Ebisu and Genma finally understood.
Even so...
The disappointment on their faces remained obvious.
After all, this was the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Even learning a tiny portion of it would be an unbelievable opportunity.
Minato pondered briefly.
Then he reached into his ninja pouch and removed two blank pieces of special Chakra-sensitive paper.
Extending a single finger, pale blue Chakra condensed at its tip.
In the blink of an eye, he inscribed an incredibly intricate formula onto each sheet.
Every line flowed smoothly.
Faint spatial fluctuations lingered around the completed markings.
"How about this?"
Minato handed one sheet to Ebisu and the other to Genma.
"If either of you can perfectly replicate this formula using your own Chakra..."
"...without damaging the paper..."
"...I'll teach you the foundations of the Flying Thunder God Technique."
The instant those words fell...
Both Ebisu and Genma's eyes lit up.
"Really, Captain Minato?!"
Ebisu immediately grabbed the paper.
"Go ahead."
"Give it a try."
Minato smiled encouragingly.
Ebisu instantly concentrated.
Gathering Chakra at his fingertips, he carefully touched the paper.
He attempted to guide his Chakra along every line of the formula.
However...
The Flying Thunder God formula demanded absurdly precise Chakra control.
Only a few seconds later...
"Shhh..."
The paper suddenly wrinkled violently.
Ebisu's unstable Chakra distorted the entire formula.
The paper was instantly ruined.
"Huh?!"
Looking at the crumpled sheet in his hand, Ebisu's face collapsed in disappointment.
Minato had already expected this outcome.
"It's alright."
"The Flying Thunder God formula is incredibly difficult."
"Most people can't even complete the very first step..."
His voice suddenly stopped.
Because beside Ebisu...
Genma remained completely focused.
The senbon still rested between his lips.
His eyes were fixed upon the formula without blinking.
His Chakra output was astonishingly stable.
Patiently...
Slowly...
He carefully traced each line of the formula.
Without realizing it...
He had already completed well over half of the entire Flying Thunder God formula.
Although the lines lacked Minato's natural smoothness...
The structure remained accurate.
Even the Chakra flow stayed remarkably stable.
"This child..."
A flicker of genuine surprise appeared in Minato's eyes.
He immediately realized something.
Genma possessed exceptional Chakra control.
More importantly...
He seemed naturally gifted at perceiving and reproducing complex structural patterns.
At that moment...
A faint crackling sound echoed.
Genma's Chakra fluctuated slightly at one crucial node.
A tiny wrinkle formed on the paper.
Instantly...
The entire formula collapsed.
The paper became useless.
Looking down at the ruined sheet, Genma couldn't hide his disappointment.
"I was... so close..."
Minato walked over.
Carefully examining the failed formula, he turned his eyes toward Genma.
The admiration in his gaze became even stronger.
After a brief silence, he spoke.
"Genma..."
"You've already done exceptionally well."
"Although you ultimately failed..."
"...your perception of Chakra lines and structural formulas surpasses that of most Shinobi."
"You possess remarkable talent for Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Genma abruptly looked up.
Minato continued.
"If you're willing..."
"I can personally teach you the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"However..."
"The process will be extremely difficult."
"It will require tremendous effort."
"And even then, you may never completely master it."
"So..."
"Are you willing?"
"I am!"
Genma answered immediately.
Without even the slightest hesitation.
An unprecedented determination shone brightly in his eyes.
Being able to learn the legendary Flying Thunder God Technique...
No matter how difficult...
No matter how long it took...
He would never give up.
Because...
"This is probably my only chance to catch up with that guy."
Out of the corner of his eye, Genma quietly glanced toward Guy.
"Very good."
Minato smiled and nodded.
"Then beginning tonight, whenever there aren't any urgent missions..."
"...come find me."
"Yes!"
"Thank you, Captain Minato!"
Genma nodded repeatedly, unable to conceal the excitement on his face.
Beside him, Ebisu's eyes had practically turned red with envy.
Still...
More than jealousy...
He genuinely felt happy for his teammate.
He immediately slapped Genma hard on the shoulder.
"You brat!"
"So you've been hiding your talent all this time!"
Nearby, Obito, Rin, and even Kakashi all revealed expressions of surprise.
Obito exaggeratedly shouted,
"Whoa!"
"Genma, you actually have talent like this?!"
"Even Kakashi hasn't learned the Flying Thunder God Technique yet!"
Kakashi merely glanced sideways at Obito before remaining silent.
However, his gaze toward Genma had undeniably become more complicated.
He understood better than anyone how impossibly difficult the Flying Thunder God Technique truly was.
Genma displaying such aptitude had genuinely surprised him.
Standing off to one side, Guy simply smiled broadly as he nodded toward Genma.
He was sincerely happy for him.
However...
He wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Because Guy knew the future.
Several years from now, Genma would become one of Minato Namikaze's personal bodyguards.
Together with Raido Namiashi and Iwashi Tatami, he would master the Flying Thunder God Formation and perform long-distance group teleportation.
That alone was enough to prove Genma possessed extraordinary talent for Space-Time Ninjutsu.
Now...
Having the opportunity to learn directly from Minato years ahead of schedule...
His future accomplishments might become even greater than in the original timeline.
"Alright."
Minato clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
"Genma's matter is settled."
His blue eyes slowly shifted toward Guy, who had quietly waited to the side all this time.
Curiosity...
Expectation...
And faint excitement quietly flickered within them.
"Guy."
"It's your turn."
Standing in the middle of the clearing, Guy slowly took a deep breath before stepping forward.
His gaze locked onto Minato Namikaze.
His expression gradually became incomparably serious.
A blazing fighting spirit quietly ignited within his eyes.
"Captain Minato..."
"Please guide me."