Chapter 184
After Minato finished speaking, everyone present stood frozen in shock, almost wondering whether they had misheard him.
Obito was the first to react. Curling his lips in disbelief, he protested loudly, “Captain Minato, what are you talking about? You obviously won! Guy was the one knocked flat on the ground!”
Minato merely shook his head before calmly explaining, “No, Obito. During that final exchange… I actually left the battlefield for three full seconds.”
“Left the battlefield?” Kakashi frowned, unable to understand.
“That’s right.” Minato nodded. “Guy’s final technique covered the entire area indiscriminately. Had I remained within its range, I would have been injured without question. My only option was to activate the Flying Thunder God Technique and teleport back to a marked location at my house.”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone was completely dumbfounded.
He… went home?
While Guy was unleashing that overwhelming storm of attacks, Minato Namikaze had actually teleported home?
A trace of embarrassment appeared on Minato’s face before he continued honestly, “Yes. I was forced to temporarily withdraw from the battlefield. Only after sensing that Guy’s attack was nearing its end did I teleport back to a Flying Thunder God marker that hadn’t been destroyed by the firestorm and launch a surprise attack with the Rasengan.”
Looking at everyone, Minato sighed softly.
“I called this a spar meant to guide a junior, yet in the end I was forced to retreat from the battlefield. From both a tactical and practical perspective, I had already fallen into a passive position.”
He looked directly at Guy.
“Guy successfully forced me into making the most disadvantageous choice.”
Silence filled the clearing.
Everyone wore complicated expressions.
Obito, in particular, opened his mouth several times, wanting to argue, yet finding himself unable to refute Minato’s explanation.
By then, Guy had finally recovered a little strength. With Ebisu and Genma supporting him on either side, he slowly stood up despite the soreness throughout his body.
“No, Captain Minato.”
Guy’s voice remained weak, but his expression was extremely sincere.
“I lost.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“Battles are constantly changing. If this had been a real battlefield, the Flying Thunder God Technique would never be limited by the boundaries of the battlefield itself. As long as you had a Flying Thunder God Formula somewhere else, you could instantly reposition. There is no such thing as a forbidden area for you.”
He smiled faintly.
“My explosive power may have been stronger, but if I couldn’t land a decisive hit, then all that power ultimately meant nothing.”
Looking directly into Minato’s eyes, Guy continued, “Besides, your final Rasengan was held back.”
“If you had truly gone all out, I probably wouldn’t even have had enough time to activate the Golden Bell Body Protection.”
“So…”
“The one showing modesty is actually you.”
Upon hearing those words, genuine surprise appeared in Minato Namikaze’s eyes.
“You actually noticed that I restrained the Rasengan…”
A hint of admiration quietly surfaced in his heart.
“This child…”
“His strength and talent are already astonishing enough, yet he remains calm instead of arrogant, mature instead of impulsive.”
“No wonder Senior Sakumo thinks so highly of him.”
Guy, meanwhile, remained completely composed.
Everything he had said came from the bottom of his heart.
He truly didn’t feel discouraged by this defeat.
After all, the person standing before him was Minato Namikaze.
The future Fourth Hokage.
The Yellow Flash whose name would eventually shake the entire Shinobi World.
Losing to someone like him was nothing shameful.
Quite the opposite.
Guy felt genuinely delighted.
This battle had allowed him to unleash every ounce of his strength without reservation.
He had finally experienced firsthand what it felt like to exchange blows against a genuine Kage-level Shinobi.
There could hardly be a better opportunity to accurately evaluate his current limits and identify the direction of his future growth.
At his present rate of improvement…
By the time he reached eleven years old and encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist…
He was confident he could defeat every single one of them.
No.
Not only the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Guy’s gaze settled upon Minato Namikaze once again.
A powerful fighting spirit slowly rose within his eyes.
He possessed absolute confidence.
The next time they crossed fists…
The one defeated would certainly not be him.
When he unleashed Morning Peacock: Vajra Wild Dance earlier…
He had clearly sensed something unusual.
Several times, as the Great Vajra Finger pierced forward with its utmost power…
His fingertips had encountered an inexplicable resistance while striking nothing but empty air.
Air…
Shouldn’t possess resistance.
Yet it had.
Guy understood exactly what that implied.
After opening the Sixth Gate and combining it with the extreme penetration and speed of the Great Vajra Finger…
His attacks had already begun to touch the threshold of space itself.
Perhaps only slightly…
But undeniably so.
Once his physical strength and explosive speed rose another level…
The disturbance his attacks created within space would become even more obvious.
By then…
Teleporting freely before him with the Flying Thunder God Technique would no longer be nearly as effortless for Minato.
Thinking of that possibility, Guy’s heart burned with anticipation.
Of course…
He also knew such a day had yet to arrive.
With his current physique and endurance…
He still lacked the qualifications to safely open the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder.
Forcing it open now would very likely cause his body to collapse before the battle even ended.
Fortunately…
He believed that day wasn’t far away.
At that moment, Minato finally began giving his post-battle guidance.
“Guy.”
“Your explosive strength and your rate of growth are both astonishing.”
His expression became completely serious.
“However, because your explosive power is so overwhelming, your control over that strength still isn’t refined enough.”
He slowly analyzed every detail.
“Morning Peacock: Vajra Wild Dance possesses extraordinary destructive power and an enormous attack range.”
“But because of that…”
“A considerable portion of your strength is actually wasted.”
“It isn’t concentrated enough.”
“If you can focus that same amount of power into a smaller area and deliver it more precisely against your target…”
“Both its destructive force and your overall stamina efficiency will improve dramatically.”
Guy nodded thoughtfully.
Everything Minato said was correct.
He had already sensed the same weakness himself.
Within the Sixth Gate state…
His fighting style relied primarily on overwhelming speed and violent explosive force.
Maintaining delicate control over every movement was indeed extremely difficult.
Standing nearby, Kakashi asked thoughtfully, “Sensei, then how should someone improve control under that kind of condition?”
“How can he better control such overwhelming power?”
Minato smiled gently.
“The answer is actually quite simple.”
“It’s similar to the way you practice Lightning Fang: Rapid.”
“The more frequently you enter that state…”
“The more your body and consciousness adapt to it.”
“Eventually, controlling that strength will become instinctive.”
After hearing that explanation, Guy could only smile helplessly.
Because…
That approach simply wasn’t realistic for him.
Opening the Fifth Gate from time to time during training wasn’t impossible.
Whenever there were breaks between missions, he could occasionally practice adapting to it.
But the Sixth Gate was completely different.
The burden it placed upon his body was simply too great.
Every activation inflicted tremendous strain upon his muscles, meridians, and internal organs.
Even now…
Every inch of his body ached.
His internal organs still felt sore from the earlier battle.
Recovering from the Sixth Gate required a considerable amount of rest.
On an actual battlefield, circumstances changed every second.
He couldn’t casually activate the Sixth Gate merely for training.
If danger suddenly appeared afterward…
He would be crippling himself before the battle even began.
Minato seemed to have anticipated Guy’s concerns.
Chuckling softly, he said, “Of course, besides that method, there’s actually another way to approach the problem.”
Guy immediately looked up.
His eyes shone brightly.
Minato continued, “Strengthen your ability to precisely control power while remaining in your normal state.”
“If refined control becomes part of your natural instincts…”
“Then even after entering a state of overwhelming speed and explosive power, those instincts will continue functioning.”
“They’ll naturally help you control your strength more efficiently.”
Guy’s eyes immediately lit up.
Precise control…
Wasn’t the Rasengan itself the perfect example of ultimate Chakra compression and control?
Could it be…
Captain Minato intended to teach him the Rasengan?
Unable to suppress his anticipation, Guy immediately asked, “Captain Minato… are you referring to a control method like the Rasengan?”
“If possible…”
“I’d like to learn that kind of control.”
Minato smiled gently before slowly shaking his head.
“I’m afraid I can’t.”
“The Rasengan represents the pinnacle of Chakra Shape Transformation.”
“It focuses entirely upon the precise manipulation of Chakra.”
“Your foundation, however, lies in Taijutsu and physical strength.”
“Although Chakra control is certainly important…”
“The emphasis is fundamentally different.”
He laughed softly.
“To be honest…”
“I’m not particularly skilled at Taijutsu.”
A trace of disappointment appeared in Guy’s eyes.
Seeing that, Minato immediately continued with a smile.
“However…”
“I can introduce someone who can become your teacher.”
“I believe you’ll be able to learn many things from him.”
“A teacher?”
Guy blinked in surprise.
Ebisu, Genma, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin also turned toward Minato with curious expressions.
A teacher personally recommended by the Yellow Flash himself…
Who exactly could that person be?