"Flying Thunder God Technique, huh..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to be lost in thought, a hint of nostalgia softening his expression.
He couldn't help but recall just how difficult it was to learn that jutsu.
As a member of Tobirama Senju's personal guard, Hiruzen had personally attempted to master the Flying Thunder God Technique. Unfortunately, neither he nor his teammates had the necessary trait to truly grasp it.
"I remember… young Minato has excellent dynamic vision, doesn't he? And Kaien was still able to keep up with him, even while using the Three Tomoe Sharingan?"
Lost in his memories, Hiruzen recalled how both Sakumo Hatake and Uchiha Kagami had praised Minato Namikaze's incredible reaction speed.
It was no exaggeration—Minato's dynamic vision was on par with the Three Tomoe Sharingan. His natural speed and reflexes had even left Sakumo stunned on more than one occasion.
Perhaps… this child really could master the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Minato already possessed most of the prerequisites. Even at his young age, he had jonin-level strength. If he could learn the technique, the heights he might reach in the future would be unimaginable.
"Have you made up your mind, Minato? This jutsu demands a lot from its user."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. I think this technique suits me perfectly. I already have the Rasengan, and if I could master the Flying Thunder God, they'd form a powerful combo."
"Instant-cast jutsu paired with the Flying Thunder God?"
Hiruzen nodded in approval. Both techniques required no hand seals. Used together, they would dominate the battlefield—easily overwhelming weaker enemies and giving Minato an edge even against opponents of equal strength.
Hiruzen had seen this firsthand from Tobirama. If Lord Tobirama had ever truly wanted to escape a battle, no one would have been able to stop him.
Thinking of his late master, Hiruzen sighed with a touch of sorrow. Still, his hands moved quickly as he rummaged through the scrolls in his office, finally pulling out a pristine scroll.
Minato accepted it with reverence. Written on it was the complete training method for the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kaien leaned over curiously.
"This looks really tough… And it requires a space-time perception trait? Still, it's perfect for Minato. He definitely has what it takes!"
"Once you've learned it, can you teach me too?"
With the [Seed of Perception] already awakened in him, Kaien wasn't worried about his own potential in space-time techniques.
"Of course!"
Minato couldn't think of a single reason to refuse. He glanced at Hiruzen.
"It's okay to share this with Kaien, right, Lord Hokage?"
"Hahaha, of course. In fact, learning together might help you progress even faster."
Hiruzen chuckled warmly, watching the two boys with grandfatherly affection.
He'd given them each a jutsu to choose from, but the selections weren't mutually exclusive—each of them could study both techniques.
From the sidelines, Senju Nawaki remained silent.
As the Senju heir, he had no shortage of powerful secret techniques. Besides, most of the techniques in the Book of Seals had originally been developed by Tobirama himself.
"I'll take the Four Symbols Seal!"
Kaien had made his decision.
Sealing techniques were versatile no matter the era. And the Four Symbols Seal? It was one of the best.
This was the kind of seal used to contain tailed beasts—more than enough for Kaien's purposes.
As for reanimation and other taboo jutsu? Those weren't even listed in the options Sarutobi had presented. Forbidden techniques like that were still far too inappropriate for kids their age—not something you just handed out.
"The Four Symbols Seal, huh? That's quite a powerful one too. Nice choice, Kaien."
Hiruzen was a little surprised. He'd expected Kaien to go for an S-rank combat jutsu that would boost his battle prowess right away.
But Kaien was interested in far more than just sealing. He'd also had his eye on the Spirit Transformation Technique. Too bad he could only pick one this time.
Guess he'd need to find a way to earn more rewards next time.
"Flying Thunder God seems to require support from sealing techniques, so I figured I'd learn the Four Symbols Seal."
Kaien decided to use Minato as his excuse. He wasn't about to admit he picked the seal to deal with tailed beasts or strange Yin-Yang creations.
He still hadn't given up on the idea of acquiring tailed beast chakra.
And with the Four Symbols Seal, it'd be a lot easier to "collect" something from another village...
But that plan would have to be handled quietly—no one could find out.
...
Knock knock—
Just as Kaien and Minato were diving into their new scrolls, someone knocked on the door.
Hiruzen didn't seem to mind the interruption.
"Come in."
"Lord Hokage."
An Anbu agent stepped in and knelt on one knee. He hesitated when he saw the others present.
"Just say it," Hiruzen said calmly, picking up on the man's hesitation.
"Yes, sir."
"We've located the Kumogakure spies hiding in the village. Shall we proceed with the arrest?"
"What's their combat capability?"
That was what mattered most.
Spies came in many tiers. If they were low-level, Hiruzen could eliminate them without concern.
But if they were high-level assets, then the situation was more delicate. Timing would be crucial.
After all, even enemy spies had their uses—whether feeding them false information or flipping them for intel at a critical moment.
Information had a shelf life. The fresher it was, the better.
And if the spy was already dead? Well… no more intel.
"One of them has jonin-level chakra. The others appear to be chūnin."
The Anbu's report was clear and concise.
"A jonin? Then Kumogakure's motives must be serious..."
Jonin were high-level assets. Sending one as a spy meant they were aiming for something big.
"Is it because of the war? Has Kumogakure started eyeing what doesn't belong to them?"
Hiruzen thought back on the current state of Kumogakure. Besides their fight with Iwagakure, their forces were still quite intact...
"What are the spies' movements like?"
"They're often spotted near places with lots of children."
"..."
For a moment, Hiruzen was speechless.
So Kumogakure was resorting to theft now? And targeting children in Konoha?
Unacceptable.
Konoha had many clans with kekkei genkai and unique secret techniques. Every child in the village represented untold potential. Kumogakure couldn't be allowed to steal even one.
"Their targets seem to be the senior classes at the Academy."
The Anbu continued.
"I see. Don't alert them. Keep watching."
Hiruzen wanted to monitor a bit longer. If the spies were truly after Konoha's children, then Kumogakure deserved a real response.
Konoha's future was his bottom line.
Considering the enemy included a jonin, Hiruzen hadn't decided who to assign for surveillance yet.
"Lord Hokage, let me take this mission."
Kaien volunteered without hesitation.
"I can pose as an Academy senior. I'm from the Uchiha clan—my value as a target will be much higher than most kids."
This had to be the group that was planning to kidnap Kushina, right?
But if they were already exposed before making their move…
Kaien couldn't help but sigh. Konoha's barrier system was no joke. These unregistered spies might as well be walking around with targets on their backs.
"I can even let them 'capture' me and infiltrate Kumogakure to gather intel..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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