《Hidden Emperor Of The Naruto World》


 Chapter 1 - What is in the black hole?

    Year 4082, Earth''s Calendar.


    In space, at the edge of the black hole attraction''s range at the center of the universe, floats a small black spaceship. The motors and lights were turned off, if not for the starlight, it would have been impossible to see it in this complete darkness.


    The spaceship corridors were empty and silent, making the atmosphere gloomy. Not a single sign of activity was present.


    In the control room, where the artificial intelligence core which controls the spaceship was situated, an aged man was looking through the only window of the spaceship straight in the dark hole, which was said to be the first thing created in the universe.


    Tiredness, fear, nervousness, and excitation could be seen in his eyes. The man sighed and sat in a black capsule, a mini-form of the latest bunker created of meteorites'' cores."It''s my only chance at life and if I do nothing I will soon die of old age anyway. The black hole, the only place unexplored in this universe, where gravity mess all the universal laws. Time, space ... Nothing is spared by the supremeness of the black hole. If I enter it, will I be crushed, erased? Or will I transcend death and find a new life? Hahaha" Laughing out loud, Byron''s fear transformed into excitation and determination. If he survives in the black hole, millions of possibilities will exist.


    "My body won''t last long, even with all the preparations I made. It is said that all beings possess a soul, no matter if it is a human, an animal or a plant. Even the scientists recently admit it, if not they would have succeeded to recreate life long ago. It means that there is a chance that God truly exists"


    "And in the religious text, the soul is said to be the essence of life, without it, nothing would exist. All the souls are just a part of the universe creator, also called God, who used a part of himself to insufflate life in us, thereby creating the soul."


    " I truly hope that the soul exists and that it can survive in the black hole, where time and space are messed up. It''s my only chance to escape being reincarnated in this universe without my memories like said in religious text" Thinking of earth, Byron couldn''t help but frown at the unpleasant memories.


    He was born into a rich family. But he sometimes thinks it would have been better to live with a poor family, even if it has shaped him into what he is today.


    The only good memory of his family was his mother. Thinking of her he couldn''t help but smile goofily, which soon turned into a frown. She died when he was 18 years old, collapsing the balance in the family.


    In the 4000th years after JC, humanity has successfully conquered the universe and its secrets, with only the creation of life and the black hole as unsolvable mysteries. Earth was destroyed long ago, and humans migrate to a lot of other planets. His father''s spaceship construction company encompasses a huge part of the universe, with thousands of billions of clients, making him one of the universal tycoons.


    His father''s brothers and sisters harassed his mother days and nights, to give them their brother legacy, saying that she should focus on raising us and letting them lead the company. Thankfully she wasn''t a fool and knew that the moment she gives them an inch they will snatch all things. So she raised her children in the building of her husband''s office, occupying the place of CEO till one of us brother and sister inherit our father''s legacy.


    She was satisfied when they seemingly give up after a few times. Unfortunately, she greatly underestimated humans'' greed. Seeing that a frontal approach didn''t work, they instead choose to corrupt Byron, his big brother, and his big sister, making the latter two more and more distant from his mother and him, and when they were ''mature for the reaping'', poisoned his mother.


    It''s only at her death doors that she finally saw through all the lies and tricks, making her give all the inheritance to the only child that still loves her despite all the brainwashing in her back, that she didn''t saw because of the tiredness accompanying the job of the CEO of such a company.


    Byron was bright since childhood, he knew that his uncles and aunts were up to nothing good, and he tried to warn his brother and sister multiple times but in vain. They didn''t listen to him thinking that he just wanted to have their father money for himself. And he didn''t dare to say it to his mother, knowing that she was under huge pressure already, so he played the ignorant, and gave his mother all the true love she needed.


    So the day that she died, and learn that she was poisoned, he knew that it was his brother and sister doing, urged by their uncles and aunts, and regretted not talking about it with his mother. Even if she would have been crushed, at least she would have lived, and he could have left with her live a peaceful life far from this greedy family.


    But he couldn''t know that they would resort to killing, even if he was intelligent, he didn''t know the true depths of the human darkness before this day.


    After his mother''s funeral, he became the company CEO. He didn''t want it, but he took the job. They killed his mother for it, so there was no way that he would let it to them.


    He took revenge on all of them, including his brother and sister, to whom he lost his ''humanity'', by torturing and killing them. Secretly, of course, it was as a stage that he didn''t have yet enough power to do it in front of the whole world.

 Chapter 2 - No miserable childhood = No talk no jutsu?

    After his revenge, Byron began to tread the darker path. He had no more loved ones, so no more inhibitions. He didn''t care about how people view him, only his mother. It''s for that he was a good kid before her death. And without her anymore, he tried numerous things to fill the void of love in his life.


    Woman, Money, Power. He had it all, legally and illegally. He became the incarnation of ruthlessness. He wanted to love, but women wanted only his money, so he never grew to love them for fear of betrayal. Then he changed his view and tried to have a child. He bedded thousands of woman, unfortunately, he was sterile and could never become a father, so he became colder and colder. And without the possibility of having a child of his own, and a woman who he was sure will not betray him, he began to indulge in all sorts of things. Women, Alcohol, Food...and last but not least Anime and novels.


    He particularly liked the first Big ones as they called it, the ones popular in the early 2000s. One-piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball, Bleach, Martial World, Battle Through the Heavens...He found his solace in them, thinking that with true power, his life could become much more colored.


    Fear of betrayal? You can make a seal on your wife that will prevent her to do it. Inhuman? So what, at least you could give true love knowing that she will never betray you. He could do it here too, but the woman would know if he places a ship or a bomb on them, making it impossible to fester true love.


    With the anime and novels powers, he could have children. Sterility could be cured easily with their superpowers. He was truly envious of them, even if they didn''t exist.


    And truthfully, he became bored of this universe. Even if they created super canons that can destroy planets, spaceships that can travel faster than light, in the end, humans have no real power. How he wished that he could control lightning with his own body, or create shockwave with a punched not enhanced by machinery.


    At the age of 50, he was named ''the universal emperor'', the man that owns nearly all things in the universe. But which true emperor can easily be killed by those antiquities gun''s bullet? He just has money and machine might, nothing that can''t be snatched by a smarter guy. And he was just a mortal, that can''t live more than 200 hundred years old.


    So here he was, in his spaceship near the black hole, at 178 years old, not far from death, and hoping that in the black hole, he could find what he never found, a new life where he could love without fear of betrayal. It''s truly a foolish wish of an old man, but in the end, this place is really mystic, so who knows what will happen.


    Suddenly, an immensely strong gravity slammed into the ship, making it groan and creak despite being constructed from the toughest metal in existence, signaling the universe''s compression by the black hole, and that the place where the spaceship stationed entered the range of its attraction.


    "Ugh...Cough" Despite being in a meteor capsule, shielding him from most of the brute force, Byron was flattened and cough up blood ''Shit, all my bones are broken. My body won''t last long, I now more than never truly hope that I will not be completely erased by the black hole''


    The poor spaceship was reduced to scrap before entering the black hole, a terrifying place that makes even the darkness of the night looking luminous.


    In a matter of seconds, his capsule, the so-called greatest defense of humanity against disaster was pulverized, along Byron''s body, making him endure excruciating pain in the process, which made him black out instantly. Before blacking out, Byron was sad but relieved. ''Was it a foolish dream, who the hell designed the black hole theory? It''s impossible to survive this place, the toughest metal in the universe didn''t even survive 5 seconds. Sigh, being old made me senile. Immortality? Just a dream of an old fool in the end''


    When Byron''s body was completely pulverized by the gravity, a transparent representation of himself was ejected from his body. It saved a drop of blood containing the most of his DNA by instinct and stored it in the center of its ''body''.


    Byron''s soul flickered and began to be compressed under the heavy gravity. It was only hours later when it was on the verge of being destroyed with the drop of blood, because of the interference of the black hole, that the universal Samsara Law sensed Byron''s death.


    It then tried to direct it to the afterlife, unfortunately, the black hole, the most mysterious place in the universe, is a place where all things are messed up, including space and time. Instead of exiting the black hole and going for the afterlife, Byron''s soul was caught in a space-time turbulence.


    -------


    Elementals nations, Kannabi Bridge.


    Minato Namikaze, the Yellow flash, threw his Hiraishin''s kunai while executing the ''Kage Shuriken no Jutsu''. And he used the ''Flying Thunder God Jutsu'' with the thousands of kunai to slaughter the Iwa shinobi. Was it in a normal timeline, he would have killed thousands of them and finished the war singlehandedly. Unfortunately, the space-time disturbance caused by his Jutsu attracted a soul that was lost into the space-time continuum, making them collide, and enter in the space-time anew returning the day when he unlocked his chakra.


    Unfortunately for this timeline, without Minato to use the Shiku Fujin, and with Kushina not willing to sacrifice her son that she had with a random good looking shinobi that swindle her to marry him, Asura reincarnation aka Kushina''s son aka Naruto didn''t become Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and was killed easily by Indra reincarnation Uchiha Sasuke at the valley of end when the latter defected from the village, because the talk no Jutsu without experiencing a rough childhood and without power is useless on a ''best friend'' with miserable childhood, allowing Kaguya to enslave the world. And she was later killed and chakra eaten by Kinshiki and Momoshiki. But our story has nothing to do with this timeline.


    Instead, it began when an 8 years old Minato Namikaze unlocked his chakra 1 week after being at the academy, and when his 21 years old self and himself were devoured by Byron''s soul, that acquired an extreme resilience in the black hole and the space-time continuum.

 Chapter 3 - New Life

    Village of Konohagakure, in a small apartment''s room, rented to the academy student Minato Namikaze.


    On his bed, Minato Namikaze, 8 years old, 1-week old apprentice ninja, was sitting crossed-legged and closed eyes, trying to activate his chakra.


    Tugging on the ''warmth'', confined in his navel, he tried to bring it out. 1 time, 2 times, 10 times... Sweat began to build upon his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. Because activating his chakra is crucial to begin his road on becoming Hokage, and be respected by all the villagers.


    Even if he possesses a family name, in the end, he is merely a small orphan, and the villagers don''t even pay attention to him. They sing lore for the clan children, even untalented ones. He knew that even if he is charismatic, and well-liked by his peers, in the end without sufficient strength, the ?du?ts will forever overlook him. So he chose to become Hokage, to prove to them that even an orphan can amount to something.


    At the 12th attempt, he began to tire. Opening his eyes, he sighed "Well, I will give my all for the last attempt of the day, and if it doesn''t work I will try again tomorrow."


    Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes and raising his concentration at the maximum, he focuses all his energy and yanks the chakra harshly.


    ''Ping'' Like a dam broken, all the confined chakra surge through his chakra pathway, making him m??n comfortably. Ecstatic, Minato opened with eyes, and as he was going to jump in joy from the success of unlocking his chakra, a vortex open in front of him, and from it, 2 translucent beings came out and collide with him.


    Before blacking out, he caught a glimpse of their silhouettes. The first one looked like him but in his 20s, while the other was a featureless human shape being, who gives the impression of having been refined to return to the pure state that he was at before being tarnished by the experience of a mortal body.


    Meanwhile, inside of the young Minato body, more precisely inside of his soul domain, a 3-way battle took place, with only one ''soul'' awake.


    Minato, 21 years old, was panicking. One moment he was on the battlefield about to kill the Iwa shinobi and hopefully end this senseless war, and out of nowhere a soul collide with him while he was executing the Hirashin no Jutsu, making the 2 of them tumble through space and time. And when he regained his bearing, he was in his 8 years old body, with that same soul, eating his bit by bit, and there was nothing he could do. It was at this time that he regretted not practicing soul techniques like the Reika no Jutsu of Dan, Tsunade''s late lover. At least he could have defended himself, but here he was, in his soul form, unable to do anything because he has no access to physical energy, so incapable of producing chakra.


    ''I can only execute Genjutsu with my spiritual energy, but it does not affect him. I''m sorry Kushina, it seems that my road finishes here''


    Bit by bit, Byron soul was absorbing the 2 Minato''s soul. It''s only thanks to this ability, developed in the black hole and space-time tunnel that he survived. If not for his strong instinct of survival, his soul would have dispersed long ago. But instead, his soul survived by absorbing all sorts of energies in the black hole while being refined by gravity. It''s not until a long time later that he will discover that he earned far more than he thought in this mysterious place.


    ----


    The next day, ''Minato'' woke up with a pounding headache.


    "Argh...what happened?" Nursing his forehead, ''Minato'', by instinct, calmed himself and analyzed the situation.


    He first looked around for any sign of danger and seeing the familiar surroundings, he releases a sigh of relief.


    Still lying on his bed, he tried to recall what happened, and during 30 minutes, all sorts of memories flash through his mind.


    "Hahaha, so I did transcend death. Not only that, I even finished in the Naruto universe as a young Minato. Who knew that other universes existed apart from ours. It''s truly a fortunate thing that this old me decided to gamble my life on this, if not I will be still in this old body that would soon have returned to earth"


    Byron was laughing joyfully, while tears streamed down his face. Not only was he still alive, but in such a young body, and a universe where his dream of finding love without the fear of betrayal could be accomplished. And his side dream of being immortal could too be realized in the Naruto world.


    "Mom, your son can finally love someone other than you. Thank you for all the things you did for me, and I hope that your mind rest in peace in the afterlife even if your soul reincarnate"


    Like a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders, Byron fully embraces his youthfulness, not feeling inadequate to be 8 years old again. After all, age didn''t matter to him anymore, if he played his cards right he could be young forever.


    "Let''s see, it seems that I am 1 week after Minato entered the academy, so approximately a month before Kushina arrives in Konoha. Oh, I even have memories of Minato till his battle that will have made him famous, eh poor him, he executed the Flying Thunder God at the wrong time and was absorbed by me too instead of being just his 8 years old safe. It could be interesting to see what happened to his timeline, without him being alive a lot would have changed."


    "Well, to achieve my dream I need power. And to do that I need to plan. But I don''t have time for that now, I must go to the academy. I will write a plan this evening after school. Byron doesn''t exist anymore, now I will live this new life as Minato, without forgetting my experience as Byron because it is what shaped me. But I don''t have to be as cold as my past life now that I can have power that will make betrayal impossible."


    Having made his mind, Byron now Namikaze Minato, exit his bed, freshen up, eat his breakfast and was on his road to the academy, where his new life will begin.

 Chapter 4 - Dreaming of having chibi Hinata calling me daddy

    Walking through the road of the village hidden in the leaves, Minato was astounded. ''Konoha is far more impressive than in the anime, it is really big, nothing like the show wherein mere minutes Naruto was able to traverse the village. Even if I ''know'' it thanks to Minato''s memories, nothing beats the real deal. Aaah, I can''t even describe this joy, I never felt so alive.''


    While Minato was busy mentally gushing out the fact that he was in Konoha, a flower pot fell from the 3rd floor of the flat he was passing by.


    At the same time he heard the cry of the pedestrians, Minato has a sudden feeling of danger and choosing to trust it, he stood still, and in the place he would have been if he had continued to walk a flower pot shatter fell and shatter on the floor.


    Cold sweat overflow on Minato forehead, he couldn''t help but curse internally ''Fuck! I just survive a black hole but I was nearly smashed to death by a flower pot, what kind of shitty luck is this! The first thing that I will train is my sensory abilities, if I didn''t have this sudden strange feeling of danger I could have died''


    "Are you ok young man?" A nearby grandma brought Minato out of his thoughts. Seeing the look of concern, he smiled and thanked her for the concern, continuing on his way to the academy.


    "What a strange kid, well at least he is lucky" Shrugging her shoulders, the aged lady look around to the nearby people chatting excitedly about the lucky kid that stopped and fell in his thoughts right on time to escape the calamity, and returned to her home.


    Meanwhile, Minato was having complicated feelings ''How long has it been that I smiled at somebody? It''s...refreshing I would say. It''s like the world suddenly became colorful, at least I can shed little by little the ice from my heart. Well, I must not become complacent. In this world of shinobi, people backstab others even faster than in my universe, and if I show a sign of not willing to sacrifice myself for random strangers of this village while being honored to do it, I will be drowned by the waves of their pitiful indoctrination named the so-called will of fire. Sigh, whether in my universe or here, humans are all the same, hypocritical and greedy beings. In my world, uncles brainwashed their nephew and niece to kill their mother to usurp the hard work of a family, while here they send children to their death over small and useless territory that won''t even better their lifestyle, and to defend the grown ?du?ts weakling that can''t fight. The fun fact is that civilians earn far more money than shinobi, even if they have no means to safeguard it, in a world where superpower exists, it''s truly pitiful to see such disgusting society. The richest of them is the daimyo, a weakling that control the fate of a bunch of hardcore killers, the law of jungle is so twisted that it''s repugnant. If I was Hashirama, I will have created a government like in One Piece with the Kage as the heads, at least even if it was corrupted no weakling will be as the top. But no, the Kage, such powerful fighters, earn as much money of a middle-class merchant, while passing their life to do paperwork, and listening to ?ssassination request from weaklings that has no power. The worst is that instead of usurping the power, like what a good shinobi would do, they bow to a daimyo, a being that can be killed by a slight ripple of their bu??cheeks. At least if he was a useful being for society, like those guys in snow country that created the train to better their lives, it would have been acceptable. But daimyos are nothing of the sort, they are just lazy pigs that think they own the world.


    Sigh, I became so worked up for that, but I can''t accept people that don''t work hard to climb to the top, or at least even if their birth gives them the top position, don''t work hard to keep it...


    Well nevermind those negative thoughts, at least with seals as a safeguard, I could love people like Kushina, a kind but bubbly and energetic woman, and maybe have small daughters to dote upon''


    Thinking of having daughters, because sons are a no go he doesn''t want to raise a wolf inside his midst, Minato couldn''t help but smile foolishly and dream of pampering them, laughing joyfully while tickling them. And them calling him daddy while giggling with their pearl-like laughter.


    "Oi, what''s with the creepy smile Minato?" Teased Kaito


    Returning to the land of the living, Minato looks at his ''friend'', an insignificant character in the grand schemes of things that is the Naruto plot, and casually replied "Nothing Kaito, I was just thinking of some good food that I ate at the new Akimichi restaurant" While thinking ''Well, no need to become a prick, at least even if it''s childish I could spare some moments to fool around, I will have all the time of the world to become anew a dignified man. I never understood the people that pass 24/24 to improve their abilities, growing strong mustn''t be a goal but a mean to achieve it, because being the strongest with nothing more will just lead to an empty end road, like in my past life, where I was merely a shell of my former self, drowning myself in the alcohol and p???sur? of flesh to have a semblance of joy in my life.''


    "Oh yeah Yakiniku Q, it''s such good stuff. Unfortunately, it''s super expensive, with our allowance from the academy, we can''t afford to go there more than one time per month" Complained Kaito


    "Don''t worry" Patting his ?h?st Minato exclaimed "When I become Hokage I will treat my friends to eat all the good food of Konoha" ''Not that you will be my friend anymore at that time''


    "It''s me who will become Hokage, don''t worry though I will treat you a meal" Boasted Kaito, while putting his arm around Minato''s shoulder, and dragging him in the academy.


    ''Well, being Hokage can become one of my stepping stones to securing a lovely place to fester my love. Mother, watch me living a fulfilling life full of joy this time'' Thought Minato

 Chapter 5 - Ultra sixth-sense instinct

    Sitting in class, Minato was bored to death.


    The first hour was history. Well, at least that''s what they called it. It''s just a gospel on the greatness of Konohagakure and its Hokage. Seriously, the true history is distorted beyond belief, to make Konoha appear in a good light at all times.


    Konoha is a benevolent village? Utter rubbish, it''s just what Konoha looks like on the surface, but when something doesn''t work, Danzo with his roots must sweep in discretely. It''s just a hypocritical village. At least the others big 4 don''t bother to appear good to the rest of the world, especially Iwa and Kumo, that are known to rule with an Iron fist.


    The academy is a pure indoctrination, making the kids think they are heroes that protect their loved ones, instead of the cruel reality that they are just the tools of the village.


    The sad thing is that even the highest authority of the village is indoctrinated. Truly, Hashirama did a damn good job. With the creation of shinobi villages, he created a new cycle of bloodshed, bringing civilians into the fold. Like the clans were not enough, by authorizing civilians in the academy, he fueled the number of deaths even more.


    Let''s not even speak of giving the Bijuu to other villages for the so-called balance. It''s the most foolish thing that he did in his useless life. "You''re too weak to catch a Bijuu? Don''t worry I will do it myself and give 2 of them for each village. What? Other small villages? Eh, who cares about those small nations, they''re not humans like us of the big 5. Well, I will catch the strongest of them and imprison it in my wife, while sealing its power forever. Kyuubi power? Eh, no need Konoha has me and I can fend them off easily. When I die? Meh, I won''t die...Shit, Madara has screwed me hard, I''m short of lifeforce so I will soon die. But no problems, Tobirama is here, and I gave 2 sentient beings to each village as slave chakra battery, with a gift like that there is no way that they will trouble Konoha by attacking with my gift. Eh, Tobirama, what are you doing here in the pure lands? You what!? You died during the 1st shinobi war. Aaaah, why did it happen, were they not happy about my gift? Maybe I should have given them more... Madara remark that if I created a big government that controls the world there would be no conflict anymore? No way, I will not control the world, it''s better to have different governments, that will enter in conflict between each other, at least I could die in peace passing the will of fire, and recreate Konoha in the pure lands with the young Konoha shinobi that died an early death...


    The second hour was about chakra theory when they hammered into your head for 1 hour per day that spirit + physique = Chakra. Not that Naruto knew what the base of shinobi was even after 6 years at the academy.


    He didn''t bother to listen to the sensei(teacher), after all even if they see him not listening, he already knows all the curriculum so they can''t do anything.


    So, he passed the whole class shifting through his memories and examining himself, and he discovered a lot of good things.


    First, he has all Minato Namikaze 21 years old memories, so all his abilities. Kage Bunshin, Rasengan, Hirashin no Jutsu, Wind and Lightning Jutsu, Swift Kekkei Genkai, Swift Taijutsu, all sorts of different seals that beg to be recreated. He truly married a maniac of Fuuinjutsu and soaked into it. And also, all the knowledge and experience of Minato. Where he comes from, people fight wars with electromagnetic guns, not with kunai and fist, so it''s extremely valuable for the current him, to have the battle experience of Minato. He did not even think one second of recreating guns, he very much enjoys nature, no need to destroy it here too with technology.


    And not only that, through the last memories of Minato, he saw the resilience of his soul. Even the soul of a Kage was absorbed by his normal human one. He didn''t know what the black hole did to him nor how he survived, but it sure did a damn good job.


    Unfortunately, the Soul is different from spiritual power. So even if he possesses a strong soul, it doesn''t affect the amount of chakra. The chakra is a mix of physical energy and mental energy, also called spiritual energy. And from what he could deduce, the soul is the essence of life, what attached his mind to his physical body, or a thing like that. Truthfully it''s super complicated, he doubts that even Kaguya understands how souls work despite having an immortal soul.


    Well, at least it seems that he gains a good thing from it. A super-strong sixth sense. With the flower pot this morning and a brush that his sensei threw to him because he thought that he was dozing off, he confirmed that he has a sort of intuition power, capable of sensing danger. It''s like instinct but different. Instinct corresponds to the body moving on his own when it perceives danger, but here he perceives danger and it''s up to him to move.


    The Ultrainstinct of Goku is a state that allows him to move without thinking. If he can recreate it, and merge his instinct and sixth sense, he truly would be untouchable... Well, it''s what the Logia users in One piece say, so he must not become complacent. Not even talking about the difficulty of doing that.


    ''Ultra sixth-sense instinct, it''s a good ability to learn. Well, it will be useless if my body is weak and has no muscle memories of a good combat style''

 Chapter 6 - Classmates recognized from the Naruto plot

    Don''t ask him how, even if he was unconscious in the black hole, Byron has fragments of memories from his time in it. Well, at least he now knows that anything that happened around him is captured by his soul, so if he pierces its secrets he could learn things he never knew because he was asleep.


    A truth on the black hole is that it is scary. He is glad that he didn''t endure this darkness and loneliness while being conscious, if not he would have gone mad. He didn''t know how he survived, but at least he knows that his soul conserve a part of his DNA in the form of a drop of blood. Don''t ask him why, if he was conscious he would never have done it. Maybe his subconscious thought it was useful so it did it. Well, from the clues he has gathered, this drop of blood was tempered by the black hole, so it must have super abilities.


    High regeneration is a high possibility, and maybe like his soul absorbed Minato''s, he could absorb other people''s DNA? It would truly be useful, with all those bloodline abilities. It''s a pity that he has no control over souls, if not he could learn all the Jutsu in the world while having experience in them by just plucking them. He would have done it, to his enemies of course, so to a lot of strong people. After all, to become immortal he will have to clash with a lot of legends.


    ''Well, nevermind I will test things later, making guess is of no use''


    Looking around in class, Minato confirmed the presence of some important people from the plot.


    Sitting alone in the front row, was a small but dignified girl. With fair skin, long straight black hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and black eyes. She wore a brown blouse with a red and white fan on its back representing the Uchiha clan, a dark purple skirt, and blue shinobi sandals.


    ''Uchiha Mikoto, future wife of Uchiha Fugaku, future mother of the absolute genius Itachi and Indra''s reincarnation Sasuke. She is super cute, that jerk Fugaku truly has a screw loose to attempt a coup d''¨¦tat instead of cuddling with his wife. Not just him, the only pervert in this world are the Icha Icha readers, but they don''t act with real-life women, they are all whipped.


    Well, she is a potential love interest. I must see her temperament by myself, if I dislike her then there will be nothing between us. I don''t want to have s?x only relationship, already have a lot in my past life, it doesn''t interest me anymore.'' Thought Minato


    Looking around, he spotted only 3 others that he recognized from the Anime.


    A girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail with bang framing her face and onyx eyes. She wore a long-sleeved purple shirt, baggy blue pants, and black shinobi sandals. She was chatting excitedly with her friends, profiting from the small break between the 2nd and 3rd hours.


    ''Hazuki, no surname. She is the replica of Izumi Uchiha, it must be her mother. All Uchiha has black hair, so I always wonder why Izumi was different, she must have inherited her hair''s color from her mother. I remember that mixed blood are frowned upon, Izumi must have suffered a lot of bullying during childhood, or not because she was close to the patriarch son''


    Sitting in the back row, was a girl with long, dark brown hair kept in a low ponytail with three strands framing her face, with fair skin and dark eyes. She was wearing a pink blouse and a dark-colored skirt.


    ''Yoshino Izuki. Future wife of Shikaku Nara and mother of Shikamaru Nara. I always thought that she was a Nara. Now that I think about it, of the Ino-Chika-sho none of them married somebody from their clans, they are not as obsessed with their bloodline compared to the Uchiha and Hyuuga. Well, their so-called bloodline isn''t really one, apart maybe the Shadow Jutsu of the Nara, but I don''t remember it being mentioned as a Kekkei Genkai, more a technique than anything.''


    And finally, Minato looked over a loud and boisterous girl. She has long, spiky, untamed, brown hair, vertical slit-like pupils, elongated canine teeth and nails. She wears a brown t-shirt and baggy pants, with dark blue ninja sandals.


    ''Tsume Inuzuka, the heir of the Inuzuka clan. Her husband apparently couldn''t support her anymore so he left, clash of 2 alphas maybe? She has no clan mark, so it must be a graduation ritual. She is truly a wild girl, pretty interesting if I say so myself. I wonder...Even if I grow strong it will take a lot of time to do that, and in this world, without power or support, it''s dangerous to live. Even more so in Konoha, with that creep Danzo and his roots, and the snake scientist Orochimaru. I should maybe stealthily take control over the big clans of Konoha by the intermediate of the clan heirs. I already passed the prime to be a hot-blooded youth that rushes head first, I should consolidate my power while hiding in the shadows. The only battle that makes my blood boiling thinking of is with Madara Uchiha during the 4th shinobi war, it will be truly earthshaking. I have a bit more than 30 years to prepare, and with my knowledge it will be enough.


    And if I developed a good seal that can ensure that they will not betray me, I will see if the love interests (canon beautiful AND interesting girls) can be trained in strong shinobi. After all, before Madara was introduced, no shinobi was able to flatten an army by himself. Even the 3rd Raikage fell to the might of number, it''s better to have some help for the future.''


    ''Well, their future husband must be 1 or 2 years older if they are not in class with us. I should begin to find a way to control them. Nara Shikaku, Yamana Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, Hyuuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, Aburame Shibi, Inuzuka Tsume. Those eights are the key to control Konoha, but it will be hard to control them. If not, Danzo would have already done it long ago.''


    The door of the classroom opened, and their teacher entered "Follow me to the academy''s training grounds, today we will begin the practical lessons of Bukijutsu" And with that, he walked out again, followed by a bunch of excited kids, that would have been bored to death with all the theoretical knowledge. They came here to learn cool tricks, not to study history or mathematics.


    ''Sigh, what a waste of time. Beginning tomorrow, I will send a Kage Bunshin to the academy when there is no Taijutsu lesson, it''s truly a waste of time but if I want to become a shinobi and have a chance to travel to different parts of the world, it''s necessary.'' Mentally grumbling, Minato still followed after his classmates.

 Chapter 7 - Training plan (Edited)

    "Faaaaa" Slumping tiredly on his bed, Minato sighed "Doing useless things is far more tiring than working hard"


    "Apart from Mikoto and Tsume, the rest of my class if only so-so. Well, it''s not like I care or anything.


    Nevermind them, the 2nd Great Shinobi War will take place in 2 years, Minato and all non-clans children were forced to graduate early and brave the dangers of the battlefield as genin supplier.


    I must become strong enough to survive it. At least Jonin-level.


    Currently, I have high-genin level of chakra, and with all Minato experience, I can fight some weak chunin. I must integrate combat experience in this body and transform it into muscle memory and instinct to be able to fight better."


    ''I must make a training plan for the long run, I intend to train in all the ninja arts, and with the Kage Bushin no Jutsu and Minato that was pretty good at all of them, I will be a waste if I can not surpassing Kage Level in all the disciplines. The training ground with a waterfall behind the Hokage mountain where Naruto trained his Rasenshuriken is a good place, nobody goes there. It''s the training ground of the Hokage but with all the wars to come, he has no time to go train himself anymore, and even if he sees me, it''s not like I will pop out S-class ninjutsu, so he will maybe just ask me to scram or even allow me to stay here because my will of fire burns brightly, or so he will think if I train like a madman.


    First and foremost, I must grow my chakra. Even if I have godly skills, if I''m weak as hell it will amount to nothing. To do that there are 4 possibilities.


    Becoming the Jinchuriki of one of the tailed beast, but it will only hinder me, in the long run, to rely on an external source to become powerful.


    The second way is to use all my chakra every day, and it will grow progressively. I will do it anyway, but it is insufficient if I want to grow quicker.


    And the final way is to raise my mental energy. To do that I must exhaust my mind. There is no training for that mentioned in the anime, but if it was as easy as learning all the books inside a library, scholars would have been Kage-level. Jonins are said to have multiple affinities. By that, I think they mean understanding of an element. So, the comprehension of an element should grow mental energy.


    Kage Bunshin''s feedback too must strain the mind, with a lot of information coming in one go. I will begin with one and progressively up the number, I don''t have Kyuubi sealed inside of me to repair my mind if a thing goes wrong so I must do it step by step. The fact that it''s a jonin technique is rubbish, it just halves the chakra so even a genin can do it, but a kid would have his brain fried. Luckily my soul is pretty strong so I can stock a lot more information than others, but I must beware to not fry my brain by being ???ky thinking I can take 1000 Kage Bunshin at the same time.


    Speaking of understanding, I think trying to decipher the secret of chakra, aka understanding the Ninshu, could too yield unexpected benefits. Here they take chakra for granted, but for me, it''s an otherworldly thing. Instead of concentrating on killing with it, I should concentrate on the essence of Chakra. It''s thanks to Ninshu that the failure Asura repelled his brother Indra, and well thanks to his father Sage Body...Fuck, he was really a failure to need 2 differents help to battle his brother.


    Oh, I know! The mindscape is the key. I must learn how to access my mindscape...Well, Minato already knew how thanks to going in and out of Kushina''s. I will see mine later, first construct my training plan.


    Now that I know how to increase the quantity, I will do some chakra control exercises, and learn how to sense it. The so-called sensor must have a part of their brain activated that allow them to sense chakra, I must find how they do it.


    For Taijutsu, I must create my own style. I think mixing all the best Taijutsu styles should create an OP one. After all, it''s the understanding of multiple generations of clans, I''m not arrogant to think that I can create one better than theirs, so why not mix all the good parts from all their fighting styles. For now, I will just stick with Minato''s swift style and completely master it first before mixing others in it.


    For Ninjutsu, hmm... Elemental Ninjutsu, for now, is pretty much useless. I mean the so-called chidori can be replaced with a kunai, the fireball jutsu with paper bombs etc etc... It''s only at Kage level of chakra that it begins to be useful, like the Raikage Lightning Armor. Well, understanding elements will take a long time, that I don''t have for now, so I will only do it during the 2nd and 3rd Ninja war, there should be around 8 to 10 years pause between them.


    I will focus on shape transformation, Rasengan is a good technique, but what if I made my chakra sharp...It will become Wind chakra. Strange, it should be a shape transformation so why did it change elements? Is it an instinct of the Chakra? When it''s sharp it becomes Wind, when it''s piercing it becomes Lightning. It''s like Chakra has its own mind, well it comes from the Divine Tree so it''s no surprise. I should find a way to cut the connection between the 2 of them, and truly appropriate the Chakra myself, if not I will never be able to understand elements, it will just be my chakra that change. I must find and understand Indra''s work, it''s him that found the way to change chakra into elements. Well, I''m far from it so let''s forget for now.


    Shunshin, Kawarimi, and Henge no Jutsu. Also called shave, replacement, and transformation techniques. Those 3 Jutsu are a must, they are the base of a ninja, I don''t understand why they are so underdeveloped with all the potential they possess.


    Shunshin no Shisui, with this Jutsu he became one of the fastest ninjas alive. Sure it''s thanks to his high perception with the Sharingan that he could use it in battle, but with my ''sixth sense'' perception that warns me of danger, it could become a deadly weapon for me. He used it circularly while creating a lot of afterimages to counter the side effect of the unidirectionality of this technique. If I could do the same, or even changing it to make it a multidirectional one, it could be a deadly Jutsu. And if I can blend it with my Taijutsu, let''s not talk about Maito Guy, I could become the best Taijutsu user of all times!


    In the anime, the shunshin was used as a ''teleportation'' technique, it''s such bullshit, it doesn''t work like that at all, it''s just a Jutsu that boost the speed to the maximum. If not the Hiraishin would not have been so revered. It should have been for the visual of us folks, with the leaf appearing out of nowhere and all to add some style.


    Then there is the Kawarimi no Jutsu, replacing oneself with a log... What a waste of potential! Just because it was invented with a log, people just use this as a replacement. It''s true that it needs a good deal of concentration, and that it''s often used when there is a high danger, so a high concentration of the shinobi due to the feel of death, but with my strong soul, I could implement it in battle. In the end, this Jutsu can become another Hiraishin no Jutsu, and possibly a better one. To replace oneself with something, we must soak it with our chakra, so if someone has more chakra than another, the latter can be suppressed and used as a replacement, enlarging the scope of possibilities during battle.


    Such a good potential hidden forever because people prefer cool tricks. Well, even the so-called genius Orochimaru was obsessed with Ninjutsu so much that he forgot the basics. Just the Shunshin and Kawarimi if exploited profoundly could make a Kage-level shinobi, it''s their loss.


    And the Henge no Jutsu, more especially Tsunade transformation and Naruto Oiroke no Jutsu. It''s a heaven-sent technique! You can change your body into anything. You could grow scales on your skin that could absorb a large amount of damage, create wings for flying, tail for smacking, claw for clawing, ameliorate your eyesight and even protect it from flash bomb with a layer of chakra that will allow you to not be blinded... So much potential but they use it for gender bend or regressing the skin age, truly a waste. The 3 basics of a ninja possess so much potential that was overlooked because of flashy Jutsu. "If you can''t breathe fire you''re useless", utter rubbish. Sigh...


    The goal of Genjutsu is to alter the perception of the target with Yin chakra, aka spiritual base energy. Minato knew some of them. But the perception that they alter is just the basic 5 senses. In this world, they don''t think outside the box. Itachi Tsukuyomi could be reproduced by anyone that attempts to alter the target time''s sense. Not that it will be easy to reproduce it, but nobody even tried it. Well, it''s a thing to train into. After all, even a small ??pse of concentration can be fatal in battle, it''s far more useful than ninjutsu. And speaking of that, maybe killing intent can be trained too, it can become a deadly weapon of distraction against strong opponents, and it could kill all the weaklings with a heart attack if trained enough.


    Iryoninjutsu aka medical ninjutsu is a must, but Minato has no knowledge of it, and academy students have no way to learn it. Oh well, I will have to earn the attention of Tsunade and learn it from her later, it''s not like I can steal scrolls, if I''m caught red-handed I''m doomed, it''s not worth the risk. Note to self, exercise stealth and all the things that go with it (Suppressing chakra, breathing, scent...)


    For Fuuinjutsu, I have all Minato and Kushina seals, basically the inheritance of Uzushio. All the Fuuinjutsu scrolls of Mito were given to Kushina, Tsunade had no use for them. I just have to train in Calligraphy and I will be a seal master in no time with the knowledge and experience of Minato. Speaking of experience, I will have to accumulate battle experience on the battlefield to train my instincts, because the memories are good and all but the body has no memories of battles.


    And the last ninja art, Bukijutsu. Kunai, shuriken and senbon throwing are pretty easy, I just have to train my body in throwing them. The only weapon that was exploited is the sword, with the Konoha sword style, Kiri sword styles, Kumo sword style, and the Iron Samura sword style. For me it''s just flashy, I should better use the basics of Kenjutsu with the insight of One Piece. To be one with the sword, to cut steel but not cut a leaf etc etc... No use making complicated movements and shouting ''3 Beautiful Moon slashes!!''.


    Well, now with all of that I must make a training plan...I must try to see if I can absorb bloodlines, it could really help me. Then I will not even need the Juubi to ascend, just the Ootsutsuki bloodline.


    First thing first, let''s go to my mindscape. I must find a way to hide all my knowledge in case a Yamanaka Yamanaka''d me.''

 Chapter 8 - In my mind

    Sitting crossed legs on his bed, Minato was breathing in and out gently, and ever so slowly his consciousness grew faint as he meditates. His consciousness was drifting in his chakra, slowly merging with it.


    Sensing that his surroundings have changed, Minato blinked his eyes and opened them slowly.


    "What the fu?k??!" He was shocked beyond belief that the eyes of his mental projection nearly pop out of their sockets. His mind was... Not at all like the sewer of Naruto.


    It was in the form of white gas, with some colored bubbles that represent his memories, but that''s not what shocked him. In the middle of his mind, a gigantic black hole was spinning quietly.


    Seeing that it didn''t take any action, he was finally relieved. Even his mental body was soaked in sweat, demonstrating the deeply ingrained fear that he has for this monstrous phenomenon.


    "Now I understand how I absorb Minato''s soul, it was this boy job. Luckily it''s on my side if not I would have been ripped apart already. Well, there is no better defense than this monster here, if a Yamanaka comes he will never leave again. Even if it''s scary it may have unexpected benefits, but I won''t probe it for now, I am still at the base of the food chain, not one that can mess with such scary thing."


    "It''s bothersome in the middle of the mindscape..." He enveloped the black hole with his mental energy, and breathe in relief when it did not act. With that he sends it hovering over the ''entrance'' of his mindscape and sets a door behind it where he will enter the next time he comes here. "No way I will enter the black hole because of a blunder"


    With that done, he explored his mind floating around, but apart from the black hole and the bubbles, there was nothing more.


    "Well, the memories of the 8 years old Minato are useless to me because the 21 years old one has them too, so goodbye" Having browse through the memories, he threw those specific bubbles to the black hole, gulping when it devours them, reaffirming his decision to not mess with it for the moment and just using it as a guard dog.


    "Now I will have to arrange my mindscape, can''t have a boring white space for it now can we?"


    First, he created a shelf out of his mental energy "Eh, it replenished itself instantly. Hm, maybe it''s the benefit of a strong soul? In the beginning, I thought with such a soul I would have a ton of mental energy, but in the end, it was not linked. If it replenished my mental energy, it means there is more to it. At least I won''t even be tired, it''s an unexpected boon"


    He created a nameplate on the top of it, on which he wrote ''Byron''s Life''. He then arranged multiples compartments on the shelf, ''Cooking'' ''Technology'' ''Mother''s moments'' etc ... which he placed in the respective bubbles.


    He repeated the motion with Minato''s memories but did it differently this time. He made a shelf for all the daily life memories, but all the ninja arts were not included in it.


    He created a building where he put all those daily life memories, where he could refer to later and made it disappear under the white brume.


    After that, he then created 4 pillars. One white, one blue, one red and one green.


    He placed the white one in the middle, on it was written ''Soul'', where he put the findings that he had on the soul, like his sixth sense or intuition ability. He put it in the middle because it is the essence of his life.


    Around it, but far enough he put the other 3 pillars in a triangle formation. The red one with ''Body'' on it, where he wrote all the exercises that he learned by reading novels to train it. Nourishing it with natural energy, tempering it under a waterfall or with lightning, how to increase his agility, endurance, toughness, instinct...


    The blue one with ''Mind'' on it, with exercises on how to increase it (Kage Bunshin feedback, Elements Understanding...)


    The green one with ''Chakra'' on it, with all the exercises to control it and to shape it.


    Around the red pillar, he created 3 more pillars, named ''Taijutsu'', ''Bukijutsu'' and ''Sword''.*


    For Taijutsu, he put all the style of the Naruto world that he was interested in:


    -Uchiha Interceptor Fist also named counter fist consisting prediction and counter.


    -Hyuuga Gentle Fist, closing the target tenketsu with small chakra taps.


    -Goken (Maito Dai), a style made to break bones. (8 Gates by Maito Dai)


    -Uzumaki Whirpool Taijutsu, consisting of moving around like a whirlpool to redirect the enemy attack (Kushina)


    ¨C Snake Style, making the body go soft like a snake allowing attack to unexpected angles and good evasion ability as well as protecting the skull and organs (Hokage Library or Orochimaru)


    ¨C Swift Style, fast attacks on all the soft parts of the targets (Minato)


    He lightened the Swift Style, signifying that he already has it mastered, only his body has not.


    For the Bukijutsu, he inscribed all the weapons that Minato knew to use: kunai, shuriken, and senbon.


    For the Sword, he inscribed all the basics sword moves, and all the tips that he learned from the novels, now knowing that there were real and not just an author rambling.


    The second pillar was on the Intent. Sword Intent, Killing Intent, and even a Lust intent, if Kaguya could be distracted by the Oiroke no Jutsu, why not blasting her with Lust? He slept with thousands of women in his past life. If he succeeds in projecting it who knows if the opponent will not ?r??sm and be weak on his/her knees. "At least they would die happy"


    On the door of the chamber was the nameplate ''Battle Experience'', where he could replay all Minato and his future''s battle, and perfect his fighting style without danger.


    Finally, around the Chakra pillar, he created 3 other pillars. The ''Fuuijutsu'' pillar: On it was all the seals that Minato learned in his life, and all the ideas of new seals. The most prominent one was the anti-betrayal seal, an art of Fuuinjutsu that make the target unable to think of betraying the caster. ''With this, I could finally love again without the fear of being backstabbed'' Thought Minato.


    And under it the Hirashin no Jutsu, the best jutsu of Naruto world, allowing one to teleport anywhere as long as one seal is created at that place.


    Another pillar was on Iryoninjutsu, with nothing on it for the time being.


    And the last one ''Ninjutsu'', with the Henge, Shunshin, Kawarimi, Kage Bunshin, Rasengan, and some elemental ninjutsu that Minato learned in his life, wind and lightning style.


    "Now for elemental ninjutsu...hmm...I know, I will create a river of each element around all the pillars, that will grow with my understanding of them. A small ember in the beginning to an ocean, in the end, I will have the best mindscape of the universe" Thinking of the beauty of such mindscape, Minato was excited.


    "The only thing missing is the Six Path chakra, the Rinnegan, the Sharingan, the Rinnesharingan, the Byakuugan, and the Tenseigan. Without omitting all the Kekkei Genkai and Tota bloodline."


    "My soul can absorb others, so I''m pretty sure that the drop of blood in my body that came with me is the same, and can absorb others'' bloodlines. Even my sixth sense tells it to me.


    For the Elements, it''s as simple as finding the clans members, Yuki, Kaguya...


    For the Sharingan, the most talented of the current generation is Uchiha Fugaku. And for the different Mangekyo, I will just have to take some of their DNA from them or even the hospital, but I doubt they will let things like that to the village, with Danzo and Orochimaru around. Well, they don''t have the technology to separate DNA, luckily I just have to absorb blood and my body will do the job without risk of exploding...I think and sense.


    For the Rinnegan, I need Hashirama and Madara blood, or Asura and Indra chakra. If I can absorb Indra and Asura chakra just before they reincarnate in 16 years, maybe I will obtain unexpected benefits. And it''s not like that will count as killing babies, after all, they''re grown men that fu?k?d up the world. Not that I will not kill babies if I need to, I''m not really a saint. Speaking of Asura, because he has inherited his father''s sage body, he can use his lifeforce in form of Mokuton, it has nothing to do with the Senjus. The only thing that they have is a strong lifeforce like their cousins Uzumaki. And not only that, if I remember right, the Sage body allows one to absorb natural energy to refine the body. If not for that perk, Hashirama will not dominate Madara. The only difference between Indra and Asura was the fact that Hagoromo gave his youngest son his Sage chakra that changed his body into a Sage body. If not for Asura being a fool, he will have been stronger than Indra on his own like Hashirama and Madara. Indra is the Yin of Hagoromo and Asura the Yang. With Asura chakra, I will be able to have a Sage Body, just under the Sixth Path Senjutsu body.


    The Hyuuga clan''s most promising youth is Hiashi, so for the Byakuugan, I will go with him. For the Tenseigan, one needs to mix the Hyuuga clan Byakuugan with Hamura''s bloodline. And the most talented is Toneri of the moon, well there is a long time before I can go there.


    For the Six path chakra, there are multiples ways. One is to become Juubi jinchuriki, and obtain the Six Paths Yin and Yang chakra. There is no way I will do that. Juubi is a mix of Shinju and Kaguya, even if I''m confident in the black hole, I will not be ???ky and risk it when there is another way. And I want my chakra to become mine, if I absorb the Shinju it will be harder to separate it from the Shinju will.


    The second way is to become one by breaking through the barrier of mortality with a higher quality chakra.


    An example is Hagoromo''s chakra, which will appear when Indra and Asura chakra is reunited in one body because it''s the prelude of the rebirth of Kaguya. So my chance will come when Madara will be reborn during the 4th Ninja war. I have to be strong enough to absorb Hagoromo''s chakra and transcend.


    Another one is Hamura chakra that will appear when the Tenseigan is born... No, even if Hamura has surpassed mortality it will not work with him.


    When Asura and Hagoromo are reunited, the Rinnegan is born, but it is not on the level of the Six Paths. It is merely the incomplete Six Path Yin chakra of Hagoromo. The Rinnesharingan on other hand has transcended mortality and is obtainable when one obtains Hagoromo Six Paths Yin chakra, which augments the destructive power.


    Meanwhile, the Six Paths Body, the one obtained by Madara in the anime, that can regenerate from anything, is the Sixth Path Yang chakra, which comes with healing power by the use of vitality. Hm, if one transcends with a weak body, it will stay fragile even immortal. If it was Hashirama, his body will not have been partially destroyed by Maito Gai, the proof is Naruto. The 2 of them had the same body, but the latter being an Uzumaki was capable of taking more hit without losing a part of his body. And I think Kaguya hit harder than Gai.


    So if I use Hamura chakra to fuel my ''breakthrough'', it will be only my spiritual energy that will transcend and not my body. Hm, maybe that could at least prepare me for my battle against Hagoromo, even if he is dead, I doubt it will be easy to snatch his chakra. And I don''t think I can ascend on my own, if it was that easy, there would have been an Asura or Indra reincarnation that would have done it. Well, it would have been possible with the Ootsutsuki bloodline, but I will not be able to snatch it from Kaguya if I''m weak as hell, aka under Six Paths power.


    And coming with the Sixth Path chakra, are the truth-seeking balls, a nice ability, combining the 5 elements, Yin and Yang and the natural energy.


    I hope absorbing another chakra will not taint mine, well I will just use it as fuel to break through the barrier between mortal and Six Path, I''m sure it exists. And with the Ootsutsuki bloodline of Kaguya, I could go even higher than that, after all, who knows what monstrous power must have the Ootsutsuki clan Boss.


    Well, no use of daydreaming about it, I will just store this in a corner of my mind, it will be a long time before I can think of that. For now, let''s begin my training!"

 Chapter 9 - The redhaired arrived

    3 weeks later


    "Okay class, calm down. Today we have a new classmate, coming here from another village to study in Konoha''s academy" Said the first-year class 1-A academy''s teacher


    "Oh, is it a guy or a girl?" "Hmph, coming here to leach off the strongest village, this new classmate is impudent" "True, true, we don''t need an outsider in our village" The teacher''s declaration caused a ruckus among the students.


    "SILENCE!" Shouted Amato. He took a deep breath, calming himself. Even if he thinks the same thing as his students, it''s an order from the Hokage, so he can only let it be. And it''s not like it will change anything for him, so he doesn''t really care about it.


    Meanwhile, Minato looks at this scene with disinterest ''They truly are pitiful, Konoha is the strongest village? It isn''t the case anymore, they think we still have that monster Hashirama as a Hokage? The Sandaime is just one human, even if he is really strong in the end the third Raikage can take him down. The worst is that the civilians think they are big shot just because they are part of Konoha, I''ve never seen such a ridiculous misplaced pride. At least the clans have kekkei genkai to be proud of, but they are just weakling... Sigh, human stupidity''


    "Minato, do you think the new student will be strong?"


    "Hm, who knows. I just hope she will not be boring" Answering to Tsume, Minato unconsciously smiled. During those three weeks since coming into this world, his clone became a good friend with her. She was truly interesting, thanks to her he was never bored even during those dull lessons, she always does something amusing. Hanging out with her is thousands of times better than with the ''true'' Minato''s friends, a boring bunch of boastful kids.


    ''But today is Taijutsu class, so I''m forced to come here. Even if there is no way that my clone will lose against them, there is no harm in taking precautions. The term ''lucky shot'' doesn''t exist for nothing''


    "Bark bark" Looking down at Tsume ninken, a cute dark grey and white dog, Minato petted him and asked "You think so too Kuromaru, maybe he or she will be able to outprank Tsume"


    "There is no way!" Argued Tsume.


    "Tsume Inuzuka! What do you not understand in the word silence?!" Exclaimed a fuming Amato sensei


    "Sorry sensei" Tsume glared at Minato, and turn her head the other way with a huff.


    ''Cute'' Thought Minato


    ''This girl Tsume give me a headache with all her pranks, and she even ropes in the good student Minato, sigh... A teacher life sure is hard'' Thought Amato "Kushina, you can enter"


    The door opened, and a cute, round redhaired head peeked through the door. Her purple eyes blinked and analyze the class that she will be for the years to come. The rest of her body followed. She then walks to the teacher''s desk and stopped near it.


    "Introduce yourself to the class" Urged the teacher


    "I''m Kushina U-U-U...I''m Kushina Uzumaki and I will become Hokage dattebane!"


    Silence reigned for a moment before a series of laughter rang out in the class "HAHAHAHA"


    "A girl Hokage, what a joke" "An outsider wanting to be Hokage, she is foolish" "Return where you come from outsider!" "Look at her hair, she looks like a tomato!" "Tomato hair!" "Tomato hair!"


    "Tomato hair! Tomato hair! Tomato hair!" A chorus then ensued, with nearly all the students taking part in it.


    Kushina was mortified, not only she said her verbal tic aloud, but those people were mocking her. Fuming, her face began to redden, and when she was ready to explode and pummeled them, a huge "Silence!" from Amato sensei stopped their ruckus.


    Pinching the bridge of his nose, Amato sigh internally, and exclaimed "Go take a seat Kushina, we will review the theoric lesson on the Academy Taijutsu before going outside to practice mock battle" Seeing that the prospect of a battle made them overlook the new student, the teacher sigh in relief ''Even if I want to do nothing with an outsider, she is somebody that was here on the Sandaime''s recommendation, I can''t have her complained on the first day, if not I will be fired''


    Meanwhile, Kushina cooled herself ''When I become Hokage they will be forced to respect me, even if I have a different hair color and am an outsider'' Talking of outsider, she missed her home already. Since she came here, people have been mean or indifferent to her. Compared to her home where all of them were kind, it has been a too sudden change.


    Looking around the class, she decides to go with the seat behind the blond effeminate boy and the feral woman ''At least I didn''t see them openly mock me, maybe they will accept me''


    Seeing Kushina seating behind the 2 troublemakers, Amato hoped that they will not rope him her in, unaware that she will be the true terror of his class, and began his class.


    "Hey new girl, are you good with pranks" Whispered Tsume to Kushina, still a bit peeved that Minato thought that somebody is better than her at them. ''And what''s their problem with her hair, this girl is super cute, truly others guys are just a bunch of idiots. Compared to them, Minato is pretty wild'' Thinking of that, a soft blush crept on her cheeks. The beginning of a mini child crush starting to show.


    Startled that somebody talked to her without mocking her, Kushina answered her nervously "Ye-Yeah, from where I come from we do a lot of prank practice. The shinobi there said that it''s good for stealth, so we have an annual prank competition in which all the village participate, and the best earn a prize" At the end of her explanation, she beamed sunnily, thinking of all the goods moments that she had at home.


    Tsume opened her mouth in shock. A prank competition! Looking at Kushina in jealousy, she exclaimed "You''re so lucky, I wish there was something cool like that in the village. But with all the stuck up clans here, there is no way we can do that" Thinking for a bit, she continued "Ok, I challenge you in a prank contest, for the title of the best pranker of Konoha!"


    "Hmph, I won''t lose dattebane!" Puffing her ?h?st, Kushina hurriedly put her hands on her mouth, with her heart sinking thinking that the only person that talked to her will dislike her because of her verbal tic.


    Tilting her head, Tsume didn''t understand why Kushina was horrified. Looking at where her eyes were directed, it was on her. Scratching her head, she looks puzzled. "Do I have something on my face Minato?"


    "Hm..." Minato knew why Kushina looked horrified, after all he has a basic grasp of her character from the anime. But putting up a front, he put his head just in front of Tsume''s with their noses nearly touching and analyzed her carefully.


    ''Too close'' Tsume began to panic, her heartbeat speeding up because her animal instinct deemed him worthy sensing his power. At the same time, her alpha pride came out and clash with her instinct, balancing her feelings. She was at loss at what to do, never having felt those different sensations.


    Retrieving his head, Minato exclaimed innocently "Nop, there is nothing on your face", while inwardly thinking how cute she was, unaware that she blushed not because of her crush but because her instincts screamed at her to pounce on him.


    "Yo-Yo-You two" Having witnessed the scene, Kushina was blushing a storm, not of anger this time.


    "Oh, the newcomer with beautiful red hair. Don''t listen to those morons and don''t cut your hair because of them, it will be a loss for such magnificient color to disappear because it''s different from theirs." Exclaimed Minato, thinking exactly what he said. Compared to the brown color that the majority of Konoha citizen has, red is exotic and a good change of pace.


    Smoke came out of Kushina ears, her mouth opened and closed unable to utter a word, while in her head a storm took place ''He called my hair beautiful, he thinks red is a magnificent color''


    Seeing the 2 girls in their thoughts, Minato scratched his head ''I hope they will not become useless fangirls for such a simple thing, if not I will have to find somebody else to hang out with in school'' Shrugging his shoulders, he began to brainstorm on different training possibilities.


    Meanwhile, Amato-sensei observed them since the beginning, and was glad that the new arrival put a stop to those little monsters pranks ''They''re so calm, I hope that it will last''

 Chapter 10 - Kushina vs Mikoto

    In the courtyard of the academy, students of the class 1-A were excited. Today, they will finally begin their true ninja training, with taijutsu battle. The guys look at each other with fighting spirit, hoping to impress the girls. While the latter were gossiping between each other, not at all interested in all of this.


    "So Kushina, is the Uzumaki a clan?" Inquired Tsume, disgruntled from looking at all those girls that have nothing to do in a ninja academy.


    "Hm yeah, I come from Uzushiogakure, the village Hidden in the Whirpools. And it''s a village exclusive to my Uzumaki clan, nobody else can enter it thanks to the bloodline Kekkai(Barrier)"


    "Wow, an entire village just for your clan" Tsume began to imagine what would it be if the Inuzuka were the only clan of Konoha, with only them and the ninken playing all around the village. "But, what do you mean by bloodline barrier? And how did you create a barrier? Is it a kekkei genkai?" Catching on an unfamiliar term, she bombarded Kushina of questions in quick succession.


    "They use Fuuinjutsu" Interjected Minato. Seeing that he has their attention, he continued "It''s a ninja art allowing one to do nearly anything. The basics are that you write particulars words in special symbols imbued with chakra, and the representation of the meaning of those words appear in the physical plane. For example, if you write ''barrier'', a barrier will appear. And if you put your blood when you write it, the barrier will only be accessible through your blood. Well, it''s more complicated but this summed it up."


    "Your clan is amazing Kushina, for mastering such a cool ninja art! If used well it can even be more powerful that some Kekkei Genkai" exclaimed Tsume in awe.


    Meanwhile, Kushina was astonished, she didn''t think that a non-Uzumaki will be interested in Fuuinjutsu because it''s extremely complicated to learn it without their blood that contains a special affinity to fuuinjutsu, like the Sharingan with genjutsu. She could even teach him. She will do anything to not lose her new friends, after all, they accepted her without prejudice ''Maybe it will not be so bad to live in Konoha after all, I will miss my clan but I can''t return for now so let''s enjoy life with those 2''


    Nearby, Uchiha Mikoto was standing aloofly under a tree, but she was eavesdropping on their conversation, thinking that this bunch was pretty interesting. The rest of her class was unable to enter the eyes of the Uchiha princess, after all, they don''t even seem to know what the ninja life entails.


    "Ok class, we will now begin the taijutsu lesson, I will call you in pair and you will battle inside the circle. Weapons or lethal shots are unauthorized. To win, you need to make your opponent give up or make him step out of the circle. First match, Zito Kamari and Keito Meguri"


    The 2 of them entered the circle, and carry out the confrontation seal, indicating that despite this battle they will not become enemy, but still comrades of Konoha. Then, they lunge at each other, sending disorganized punch and kicks, fighting like street brawlers with a minuscule hint of academy taijutsu.


    ''The past Minato must have been slapped by Madame Shinji left bu??cheek to hang out with such a boring and useless guy. At least if his character was decent the uselessness could be overlooked, but he is just a sheep. And then his fighting style...He truly fights like a thug. At least thugs appear threatening. And he and the others were harassing Kushina with that level? She will pummel them easily. Well, maybe it will be useful. After she instills fear in them they will not approach her, so I will cut my ties with them without appearing suspicious. Because if I changed my character I could finish in the TI dungeon with the predecessor of Morino Ibiki'' Thought Minato, while Kushina and Tsume began to chat their prank contest, not interested in looking at such an unsightly battle.


    The following battles were not better, the girls being even more aggressive pulling on the hair, biting, scratching. At least they have the ruthlessness of a ninja.


    "Uchiha Mikoto and Uzumaki Kushina" ''At least I will remind the outsider of her place, even if the Uzumaki clan is famous, in front of the Uchiha they are nothing'' Thought Amato sensei


    "Good luck" "Good luck" Minato and Tsume encouraged Kushina, the latter being interested in seeing if her new friend could somehow put a fight against the Uchiha heiress.


    "Thanks" answered Kushina a bit nervously, because the sheep-classmate began to cheer on Mikoto while booing her. Even if she appears strong on the outside, in the end, she is still a child so it affects her.


    "Are the two of you ready?" Seeing Kushina and Mikoto nodding, Amato-sensei declared the beginning of the battle "Begin!"


    The 2 girls took their poses, but none of them took the first step. After all, the Uzumaki Whirpool style consists of redirecting the opponent attack while the Uchiha Interceptor fist consists of countering the opponent.


    Kushina, the more impatient of the 2, decide to rush at Mikoto. Arriving in front of her, she lunged at her with her fist ???ked back and delivered a powerful punch at Mikoto''s nose.


    Mikoto crouched down, evading the fist, a bit impressed by the power behind it. Just the wind carried by the punch made her hair flutter a bit, if she had received it she would have chances to be knocked out, or at least suffer a bloody nose.


    By crouching down she entered Kushina guard. She then delivered a sweeping kick while crouched; making Kushina tumbled down.


    She pursued with a punch to the now wide open Kushina that was falling, preparing her next move anticipating that she will block with her two arms. Unfortunately, she was completely caught off guard when Kushina made a strange movement of rotation with her two arms instead of blocking, redirecting her punch making it completely miss. This unexpected move made her mind goes blank, unable to believe that her taijutsu, the pro of counter was countered so easily.


    Seeing that Mikoto was a bit dazed, Kushina took the opportunity and entering into a handstand, twisted her waist while sending a kick with the heel of her right foot in her stomach, sending Mikoto outside the circle.


    A huge silence descended on the training ground, the people here unable to believe what they saw. The Konoha''s strongest clan princess lost to an outsider? Some rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they saw.


    "Woohoo, that was so cool Kushina!" Tsume shout reverberated on the training ground, waking the students, sending them into an uproar.


    Looking at Tsume and Minato''s direction, Kushina sent them a sunny smile, not paying attention to her classmate that thought that she cheated. Even if she did not know why Mikoto was dazed, it''s her problem, not her.


    "Well, did I win sensei?" Seeing that the teacher didn''t declare her win, Kushina asked him impatiently. Even if she is not the sharpest tool in the shed, she knows that Mikoto can be considered one of the most powerful student, and with the look in his eyes, it''s not difficult to put Ramen and Ramen together, and that''s it was made to take her down.


    "Aa-Ah yes, winner Uzumaki Kushina. Perform the seal of confrontation"


    Kushina looked back at Mikoto that has regained her composure, and seeing a glimmer of respect in her eyes, she sent her one of her trademark smiles, making two dimples appear on her cute chubby cheeks ''At least she didn''t say I cheat, maybe she could become a good friend''.


    Mikoto replied with a small smile, thinking that she was worth socializing with. Her father kept pestering her about socializing with others clan, but she has no d?s?r? to be seen as a class clown if she hangs out with Tsume, and the others from clans are not heirs, so not really useful in politics.


    The 2 performed the sign of confrontation, returning to their respective places, with Minato and Tsume, and under a tree.


    Having regained his composure, Amato-sensei declared the last match of the day "Inuzuka Tsume versus Namikaze Minato" ''If they are as good at Taijutsu as troublemaking, it could be an interesting match'' Thought the teacher, a bit excited at the prospect of having good students, not at all impressed by the rest of his class, thinking that the Uchiha heiress wasn''t so strong if she entered in shock just because she misses her punch, unaware of the true reasons behind this ??pse of concentration.

 Chapter 11 - Minato enters the light to hide himself

    Standing in the middle of the training ground, Minato was glad that he decided to come by himself. Thanks to the month''s training he has done, his chakra reserves have gone up to that of a low chunin, and he now can endure the backlash of 4 shadow clones. It means that each of them has the power of a b?r?ly decent genin. And there is a high chance to be touched by Tsume with that level of power. With her nails like claws, his clone will have gone ''puff'', and all the village will know that he mastered a jutsu that he should have no way to.


    ''Well, if the shadow clones were more durable they could have won pretty easily, she is still pretty young and weak. But it can be a chance for me, the more I try to hide, the more suspicious I will be. After all, the darkness needs its lights, and the more brightly the light shines, the deeper the darkness is concealed. If I appear as a genius, all the feats that I will achieve will be attributed to the label ''genius''. With it, I could have far more freedom, and I could have public access to things that I will use but should not have known ''


    "Are you two ready?" The 2 of us performed the confrontation seal, then "Begin!" Shouted Amano-sensei"


    As soon as she heard the teacher finished, Tsume crosses the distance between her and Minato and sweep at him with her claw-like hand.


    Minato just sidestepped. He was already far more powerful than her, but with his sixth-sense that he named ''Hyper intuition'', it became a complete overkill. All things could be perceived by him, danger, the flaws in her stance than he can take advantage of, her weak points...


    He then began to dodge and weave through Tsume attacks, not striking back, content on just avoid for the time being.


    Meanwhile, Tsume was a mix of angry and awed. Angry because he didn''t take her seriously, and awed because she came full power but he was dodging without breaking a sweat! You must know that orphans were different than clan members. Since she was 4, she was trained by her family in the Inuzuka Taijutsu style, but he must have attained such a high level on his own. ''A pure genius''


    Stopping herself, she asked Amato-sensei if it was okay for her to battle with Kuromaru.


    "If Minato is ok with it there is no problem" Minato nodded at that, and the battle resumed.


    Unfortunately, even the presence of Kuromaru didn''t change a thing, Minato seemed to evade her with the same ease as before. Not willing to be beaten like that, Tsume activates her ace in the hole.


    Standing on all fours, with Kuromaru near her, she executes her clan Taijutsu technique "Gatsuga(Wolf Bite)!" She launched herself, rotating at high speed, making her look like a mini tourbillon. Kuromaru did the same, unfortunately, no Jutsu is authorized so she couldn''t have him transform into her, and with his size, his gatsuga was even smaller.


    Minato finally decides to act. When Tsume came just in front of him, his hyper intuition indicated him the path to break her technique, which he was unable to do with just his eyes. After all, if it was that easy, the Inuzuka clan will not be this renowned.


    Lashing out with his arm, he took hold of her right arm, and with a jerk, spun her in the other sense that she was rotating, and let her go while sidestepping. This sudden motion made her completely lose control of her body, and she collided with her ninken, sending the two of them tumbling down out of the circle.


    "Ooooh!" Cheers reverberated in the training grounds, with all the students impressed by this match, and even more with the cool way that Minato finished it. Shouts of "Minato marry me!" "Minato I want your baby!" were mixed in the ruckus, making the mentioned one smile wryly. ''Fangirls... before today they just look at me because I was more handsome than other guys of the class, but when I show a bit of talent they all seemed to be in heat. Poor future clones of mine, I give you my condolences for all the suffering that you will have to endure, may the Gods protect your ears from their screeching.''


    "Winner, Namikaze Minato!" Even Amato sensei was in high spirits, a genius appeared in his class! Maybe he will even get a small promotion. And even if not, in the future if Minato becomes a good ninja, he could brag that it was him that taught him.


    Giving a hand to Tsume and helping her up, Minato smiled "Good work, you were pretty good"


    Scratching her head, Tsume mumbled for a bit before exclaiming "Thanks, you''re strong but I will train harder and beat you" She even thundered her ?h?st with her small fist to emphasize her declaration.


    "Hee, good luck with that" joked Minato good naturally. Tsume was not offended, after all even if she is prideful, she knows that there is a big gap between them and she will have to work extra hard to close it.


    At the same time, at the center of the village, in the highest office of the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching the scene in his crystal ball contently.


    "A good seedling indeed, he has reached the level of a high genin on his own. If he continues this way, maybe he will be the one to take my hat. Orochimaru could be the one to succeed me but he worries me, he seems too invested in his research... Well I will have Jiraya keeping an eye on the kid, I would have preferred to have him develop his potential peacefully, unfortunately, there is no time"


    Reaching in his drawer, he retrieved his pipe, and lightning it up with a small katon(fire style) jutsu. Taking a deep puff, he breathed out the smoke and looked on the village through the window.


    "The world begins to be turbulent, a war is on the horizon. And I have a bad omen, that something that will change the shinobi world will take place. The only thing I can do is to protect Konoha, sigh... the goodwill that Hashirama-sensei showed did nothing to bring peace to the elementals nations unfortunately."


    Meanwhile, in an underground facility near Konoha, Danzo Shimura was listening to the report of his subordinate. After dismissing him, he began to mule over the information.


    "Minato Namikaze, a genius huh. I would have loved to have him in my roots, unfortunately, I''m sure Hiruzen will keep an eye on him too. I will have to observe him and see if there is a way to take him under me. I need seeds like him, only then could the roots grow and pierce through the earth to attain the light. The Hokage position is rightfully mine, not for the soft Hiruzen."


    A fierce look appeared in his eyes when speaking of the Hokage position, he still has not digested the fact that Hiruzen was chosen by Tobirama-sensei and not him, only because he hesitated a second too much.

 Chapter 12 - Art is an ingurgitation, Katsu!

    "Slurp...Slurp...Ah, that hit the spot after such a tough battle" Exclaimed Tsume, patting her stomach, satisfied.


    "You''re...slurp...right...slurp...slurp...It''s the best ramen of my life!" Kushina was crying waterfalls while eating. She finished her bowl, and adding it to the gigantic mountain that she formed, she then begun another one. Such a good ramen, even Uzushiogakure, which was surnamed the Ramen Civilization, has no ramen of this level. She was truly glad for having come to Konoha.


    Minato, Tsume, and Mikoto sweatdropped at Kushina. The latter two wondering how can she eat this much, while the former thinking that the anime truly didn''t exaggerate some of the characters'' reactions.


    ''And how was she able to eat this fast without making it flying everywhere? Is it what they called opposites always exist ''Art is an ingurgitation, Tsu-Ka''?''


    Mikoto...Yes, Mikoto. After finishing school, Minato proposed to try the new ramen stand that opened not long ago ''Ichiraku ramen''. And Kushina, considering Mikoto her friend already, and as good to her friends, dragged her by force with them even if she said having some clan matters.


    Mikoto was sneaking glances at Minato, thinking of asking him how did he became so strong. He, of course, sensed them and knew what she was thinking, but he has no intentions to train them yet. After all, even if he wanted to think that they will not betray him, his already hardened heart will not falter in front of some ''ifs''. Let''s not even talk about that, even if they didn''t want to betray him, the mentality of this world is clan and village first, oneself later. Even if it means suffering from his wrath, they will still report all things to their clans head or Hokage if asked, just because society is like that.


    So teaching them some things that will let them really improve is super complicated. He must add a failsafe in case of betrayal, and make them accept it. After all, he doesn''t want to have a relationship based on secrets and control, if not he will just have chosen to become the strongest and enslave the female population creating a gigantic harem for his p???sur?.


    And he must hide said failsafe from the higher authority because if they discover it, he is screwed. Furthermore, he must trust they will not remove the seal behind his back... Even if he has the knowledge of a fuuinjutsu''s master, he just has low chunin chakra level, so everything that he creates could be broken with a bit of power.


    ''Aaah...Being a good guy sure is complicated. In my old life, because I was a loner that didn''t have to care about anything, I did whatever I wanted. But, well...Being in their company isn''t so bad, at least it''s far more amusing than brooding and plotting hidden in the darkness'' Looking at Tsume and Kushina arguing and which pranks they have done is better, and Mikoto amusedly watching and interjecting sometime, Minato couldn''t help but smile. It has been far too long since he has enjoyed a real friendship with no benefits hidden behind it.


    "Hey Minato, what''s with that womanly smile and faraway look. Are you a maiden in love?"


    Kushina''s comment brought him out of his thoughts. Now was not the time to reminisce his past, it''s all behind him, he has a whole new life ahead of him, and he must profit off this second chance!


    "Hm, yeah. I''ve fallen for Tsunade Senju, the Hokage disciple. She sure is an eye candy, I hope she will not find anyone before I grow up"


    Seeing Kushina and Tsume face stiffened, he couldn''t help but explode in laughter.


    Understanding that he fooled them, they couldn''t help but fly in rage and they began a cursing contest. (They try to hit him as a good anime girl would do...but unfortunately for them, he doesn''t like being hit)


    --


    Later that evening, in his apartment, Minato was having multiples emotions. Opening his fox wallet, his lips were twitching. There was nearly no more money! He has just enough to buy groceries for 1 week, far from enough to finish the month with. And recalling what happened back there, his lips twitched involuntarily.


    (Mini Flashback


    Minato: Hey Tsume I don''t have enough money to pay up this time, could you lend me some.


    Tsume: Sure


    Minato: I''m such a good friend. A friend in need is a friend indeed)


    "Who would have thought that one day, I will become poor. Why didn''t I think about it before? Hm, maybe because having money was a fact of my life, since small I didn''t even need to count it, there was always some for anything I wanted. Sigh..."


    Tiredly sinking into his bed, he began to think as to how to make money without bringing technology to this already war crazy world


    "..."


    "How do normal people make money?" This time, he was truly stumped, he never experienced any of the ''normal'' works, and even if he had, it would have been inefficient and a huge waste of time.


    "Hm, what does this world lack? Technology, no thanks. Showbiz, need technology to be efficient. Entertainment, the sam...No wait! That''s it. Even the third-grade smut that Minato read ''Icha Icha Paradise'' became a best-seller. If people want stories I will give them some!


    One Piece...Wait, I can''t do that. There are a lot of strange Jutsu in this world, if people can reproduce Haki and Logia powers based on what they read, I don''t want to think of the consequences. Strengthing enemies I don''t know of yet? There is no way I will do that.


    I need a cool story that doesn''t rely on power...Hm, I know, Inazuma eleven. This football anime was pretty neat, with their so-called super techniques and all of that, it was truly entertaining. It''s a pity that they chose to create a new generation instead of concentrating on the maturation of the people we came to love.


    Well, now I need to write it and publish it. There should be some publishers in Konoha. The question is, should I hide my identity with a Henge?


    If I hide it, I could remain anonymous, but it doesn''t really matter to me if I am or not. And if people become curious and investigate, they will easily find it was me, and it could lead to complications if they decide to send a good spy capable of evading my senses. I don''t dare to say that my hyper intuition and my senses are infallible.


    On the contrary, if I do it publicly with a pen name, Danzo will underestimate me, thinking that I don''t take the whole shinobi thing seriously and that I fool around. It will balance my title of genius, making people wary of my talent, well...less wary. For the pen name...Let''s go with Genesis!


    Yosh, I will do that. I must first change the setting, removing all futurist knowledge, making it like the story took place in the 1400-1500s. And also changing the location from earth to elemental nations."


    Having decided on his course of action, Minato decides to take a day break for his training, shopped all the necessities for his book creations and began to work tirelessly with his clones.

 Chapter 13 - Super sayajin brown

    During the next week, apart from training and hanging out with his friends, (Tsume, Kushina, and Mikoto. The latter being coaxed into their small band of misfits by Kushina, the bubbly and energetic girl has pretty a good charisma. ) Minato focused on drawing the manga. He decided against writing it as a book, it''s far better with images.


    So, here he was, in front of the manager of ''Konoha Times'', waiting bored out of his mind as this plebeian read his manga in awe.


    Having finished the last page of the chapters drawn by Minato, Saito was trembling excitedly. "This...This...this is sensational. No, it''s a revolution! A true breakthrough in the literature field! I''ve never seen a piece like that, not only the plot is interesting, but the images you draw are sensational."


    "So, will you published it?" Asked Minato a bit disinterestedly. For a world with superpower, they sure are country bumpkins. Being astonished for merely this level of plot.


    "Publishing it, of course, I will do it. But..." Coming here, Saito forced a smile.


    "But what?" Raising an eyebrow, Minato was now a bit interested, thinking that this guy was quite good, being able to resist the temptation to sign a contract directly.


    "Well, you''re still an academy student. So you''re considered a child by Konoha laws, you will need the accord of the Hokage if you want to publish it and earn money as a writer. But don''t worry! I will immediately book an appointment with Hokage-sama and will vouch for you, I will help you spread your piece of art " Speaking to here, Saito couldn''t help but become emotional. People that work in the literature field truly have a hard time in this world, so seeing such a book that could transform his life, he did not hesitate and will give his all to latch on this piece of fat meat.


    "Oh" It''s been a long time that somebody said he is a child. Kids here are far more m?tur? than where he comes from that he completely forgot that he is now 8 years old in body "Well, let''s do it now" ''I really need my money, I hope the geezer will not make me wait too long. Knowing him I don''t think so, after all a visit of a cute and genius child is far better than entertaining some paperwork. Without forgetting that an even older geezer than him took over said child, ugh now that I think about it it''s pretty disgusting...Meh, it''s just mere details.''


    The 2 set off for the Hokage tower, where they booked an appointment with the Hokage at the secretary desk.


    When they were going to go back, a masked man appeared out of nowhere and spoke coldly "Hokage-sama is expecting you" Without saying anything more, he disappeared.


    ''Oh, I hope this geezer was not peeping on me with his crystal ball and that he just has good senses''. Looking at Saito, he saw that he was sweating buckets, with a hand on his heart. ''Poor mind, he will not achieve anything great in his life. He can''t even take a surprise masked man popping out of nowhere''. It''s just that his hyper intuition became an everyday thing for him, that he forgot what it is to be surprised.


    The Hokage''s secretary led them to his office and went back to work. The door was already open, with the Sandaime expecting them.


    The first thing that he noticed when he entered the room is the middle-aged man behind the desk, with brown super sayajin hair and a small brown goatee. But it''s not his appearance that grabbed his attention, it''s his hyper intuition going haywire because of the huge presence of the Hokage, making him a bit dizzy. Thankfully, With hundred of something years with perfect control of his emotions, it was not hard to hide it even from the Hokage, but he was a bit shaken by his presence, reminded that he is still far too weak for this world standards.


    Taking a closer look, Hiruzen Sarutobi''s face was a bit haggard, like he has suffered some huge setback, making Minato heart skip a beat ''So Uzushio has indeed fallen it seems, it''s the only big event around that time. Poor Kushina...Well, it''s not like I could have done anything, and even if I could it would have depends if the risk outweighs the benefits. After all, Kushina is my friend, not them.''


    "What can I do for you, Minato?" Asked Hiruzen in a gentle fatherly tone, not yet to the point of grandfatherly tone. He was truly glad that something popped up that could distract from the news that he learned. And when he was going to check on the good seedling, he saw that he was booking an appointment so he made him come here.


    Nodding to Saito, Minato let him do the explanations.


    After skimming through the chapters Hiruzen was a bit astonished, this child unexpectedly has such a good talent too. He is hardworking but is not single-minded like Orochimaru, he is more and more pleasing to the eye. And from the reports, his will of fire burn brightly since the orphanage, with his dream being becoming Hokage.


    After listening to the explanations, Hiruzen of course accepted. It was just a small matter to him.


    They decide to whip out the contract on place, with Saito company taking care of publishing and printing the books, and receiving only 10%. Even if it will be a loss for him in the beginning, he is willing to gamble it all on this genius kid, and by forgoing benefits, for the time being, he will secure Minato''s next books.


    Meanwhile, Minato decided to take 50% of the profit and give 40% to Konoha. He did not do it because of a silly thing like wanting to help the village. First, if he gobbles up all the benefits, he will appear like a greedy kid, making the Hokage displeased. And by giving 40%, he forgoes the future headache known as the council. After all, because he has given Konoha benefits, even when his book will become popular and he will rack money, they will not have the opportunity to force him to cough up more money, because of today''s generosity. And finally, he chose 50% for himself to paint the image that he is still a kid, and it''s normal for a kid to be a bit greedy. Like that, the higher-ups will lower their guards.


    Of course, the Hokage could have shut up and not tell anyone that it was him that wrote it. But truthfully, Minato knew that it will do more bad than good. The greedy elders will be looking left and right on who Hiruzen was hiding. So, it''s better that he tells them and protect him. And he doubted that the Hokage would have a fall out with the council for such a silly thing like that.


    Hiruzen was even more satisfied with Minato, even as a child he thinks of Konoha betterment. And like Minato thought, he completely buy it. For him, it''s normal for a kid to be a bit greedy so he was not displeased by the fact that Minato took 50%, but even more pleased. If he had inversed the numbers, he would have thought that the kid was looking for something, and small suspicions would have begun.


    Like that, in this room, all the future problems of money of the geezer soul young body Minato were resolved.

 Chapter 14 - At Kushinas

    Exiting the Hokage office, Minato was refreshed. From now on, he will not have any more money problems, which will save him a lot of trouble. Between buying weapons, chakra papers for fuuinjutsu, and food, he will need all the money he can get.


    ''Well, I should at least show them my work before it''s published, if not they will nag at me''


    Having decided what to do, he walked in the direction of the closest house, the Uzumaki-Senju compound, where Kushina resides with one of her last kin.


    Arriving in front of her compound, he whistles in surprise, it was big, with a wall that spans for kilometers surround it. ''At least they don''t treat their future jinchuriki shabbily...I''m kidding, it''s all thanks to Mito, if not she would have to live in a sewer. And what with those gates, do they not have any guards...Ah, my bad, it''s true that nearly all the Senju are dead so they don''t have the manpower to do it. Well, with a seal Master like Mito in it, even the Hokage could not enter if she does not want to let anybody in.''


    "Minato." "Minato!" Tsume and Mikoto arrived seconds later, with panicked looks on their face. Minato was surprised, but soon regained his composure ''They are clans heir, it''s expected that they learned the news so soon''


    "What the deal with your panicked faces?" Minato inquired, feigning ignorance. After all, with the Anbu and the Root that he is sure are tailing him, thanks to his hyper intuition all the week sending warnings to him, he can''t expose that he knows such confidential information. ''Speaking of them, they sure love to peep on others. Luckily the training of my main body, for now, is a pretty normal one, with no secrets involved so it doesn''t matter if they see me. It''s better to let Hiruzen know that I''m already about chunin level in taijutsu, it will make him value me more without real danger. An 8 years old chunin is nothing really outrageous, a bit spectacular at most. And with my kage bunshin training all chakra related stuff at another place at the same time, they will never know that my main point is not taijutsu.''


    "Kushina...Where is Kushina!?" Asked Tsume, breathing heavily, indicated that she ran all the way to here. Mikoto was a bit better, clearly demonstrating a more solid grip on her emotions, well for an 8-year old that is.


    "I don''t know, I just came here, I was going to show you all a thing and I was nearby so I decided to pick her up first. What happened?"


    Tsume was too preoccupied so ignored him and went straight to banging on the door, while Mikoto explained that she learned by her father the demise of Kushina clan.


    "A peaceful clan exterminated because they could pose a threat if they decide to act, the other villages sure are ruthless" remarked Minato.


    Mikoto nodded at that, agreeing with him. She can''t understand why they will do such a horrible thing to people that didn''t even want to take part in the ninja world, content of staying in their own places. She knows that the ninja world is not all rose and sunshine, but to exterminate a peaceful clan to the roots...


    5 minutes of tense silence later, the door of the compound opened, and a Kushina with red eyes and tearstains appeared from it. Seeing her friends and their anxious looks she couldn''t help but bawl her eyes out and threw herself in Minato arms.


    The latter was a bit awkward in the beginning, never having consoled someone. Even the true Minato was pretty bad with this sort of thing, so he has no experience with it. He decided to do what his mother did to him when small, rocking her while whispering sweet nothing to calm her down.


    Taking her bridal style, Minato was ready to enter the compound to put her in her bed, but he saw the gobsmacked expressions of Tsume and Mikoto.


    "Uh, did I do something wrong?"


    "Father hen" "Cute" was the reply that he got from Tsume and Mikoto respectively. He shot a weirded out look to the latter, making her realize that she said it out loud.


    Blushing in embarrassment, Mikoto quickly recovered her Uchiha composure and with the temperant of a true heiress, led the way and ask him to hurry up and carry Kushina in.


    ''What a weird girl, where is the gentle milf Uchiha Mikoto? I see just a strange brat. Meh, never mind she is still cute''


    Entering the compound, numerous houses entered their sight, none of them awed by the display. After all, 2 of them are from reputed clan, and one of them was an intergalactic emperor that saw far more imposing things. Not knowing which one does Kushina reside at, they were at loss of what to do. Fortunately, a brown hair kid with a big smile a bit taller than them appeared.


    "Yo, I''m Nawaki Senju, the future Hokage!" Seeing Kushina asleep in the arms of Minato, he scratched his head, mumbling how did Mito-baachan(grandma) was right "Follow me I will lead to you to our house" and he turned tail leading the way


    Catching up to him, Minato presented his group "I''m Minato Namikaze. And this is Mikoto Uchiha and Tsume Inuzuka" With the 2 mentioned nodding in greeting. "You said our mansion, do you live in the same house?" Inquired Minato curiously.


    "Yeah. I live with Mito-baachan and Tsunade nee-chan. And since Mito-baachan is an Uzumaki like Kushina, and so they are family, she decided to let her live with us. Family should stick together is what she said"


    "Hm, I see" ''What a shitty husband this Minato, he didn''t even know the past of his wife. Or maybe Kushina hid it from him, because if not for me and Tsume talking to her the first day, she would have been excluded by other kids and live a pretty lonely and shitty life. That means Tsunade abandoned her all alone in this village. Well, can''t blame her, she lost everything that she cherished''


    During the walk to Kushina''s house, Nawaki was silent, and so unlike his Naruto''s self in anime. ''Well, the Uzumaki can be considered family to him too. Now that I think about it, he will soon die, should I prevent it? Nah, there is no way I can do it without casting suspicions on me, and this type of guy is too stubborn to be reasoned, I will just let him be Hokage in the afterlife while I take the post here''

 Chapter 15 - Emotions are a pain in the ?ss

    Arriving in the center of the compound, they entered a traditional house. It was not necessarily bigger than others, proving the fact that Hashirama and Mito were humble people, and found no joy in ostentation.


    "Nawaki, is that you?" A young woman''s voice carried on from a nearby room, with the sound of the cooking instruments.


    "Yeah it''s me nee-chan, I brought Kushina friends too" Answered Nawaki, leading us to the owner of the voice.


    Entering the kitchen, they saw a beautiful fair-skinned woman of curvaceous frame with above-average height and noticeably large br??sts, with brown eyes and straight blonde hair that parts over her forehead. Her hair has shoulder-length bangs that frame her face and the rest reaches her lower back. She wore them in a high ponytail. She wore a grey mesh shirt and over it a teal-colored kimono with short sleeves and red-lining around the collars which she secured with a blue sash. She has red nail polish on both her fingernails and toenails and uses a soft pink lipstick. She wears a necklace, which Minato recognized as the First Hokage''s necklace.


    "So you''re little Kushi-chan friends" She was looking at them curiously and seeing Kushina sleeping, she smiled softly. Taking her from Minato arms, she asked Nawaki to bring them to the living room while she went to tuck Kushina in.


    Entering the living room, there were only some cushions on the floor surrounding a table. ''Fuck, I truly miss my sofa. What is their deal with sitting on the floor in seiza position, do they not know how to be comfortable even at home, sigh...'' Minato grumbled but sat nonetheless. The atmosphere quickly warmed up, with Mikoto and Tsume a bit more relaxed now that they saw Kushina, and they began chatting softly, for fear of waking up Kushina even if there was no way that her room''s walls were not soundproof.


    Meanwhile, Nawaki was fidgeting, sneaking glances at Mikoto while blushing. Catching onto him, Minato couldn''t help but internally snicker and agree with the taste of this guy, after all, she is one of the most beautiful girls in this world, just behind Tsunade and Mei.


    A bit later, Tsunade joined them with some tea and snacks, and they began chatting, with the 2 girls excitedly asking a lot of questions to Tsunade. It''s not every day that they have the chance to talk to the legendary Tsunade Senju, one of the 3 disciples of the Hokage.


    Minato was bored, he dislikes passing time with people that he doesn''t like, basically everyone apart from Kushina, Mikoto and Tsume for now. And he was not really in the mood to befriend Tsunade for the time being, worried about Kushina. It''s not like Tsunade would have taken him seriously.


    An hour after they came, they were ready to live seeing that Kushina will not wake up before hours when Tsunade suddenly let out a gasp, surprised.


    "What happened Tsunade-sama?" Inquired Mikoto


    "I already told you to drop the sama Miko-chan" Reprimanded Tsunade "And Mito-baachan wants to see Minato" Saying that, she tried to see what did her grandmother saw that she did not see on him. Sure, he was a pretty good looking kid and look not too weak for his age, but nothing really special. Failing to find anything, she shrugged.


    "Oh" A chill went down the spine of Minato ''Why does she want to see me, I did nothing noteworthy. What did she glean of me at distance and without even seeing me up close? I was careless, I never thought that she will catch on something even if I didn''t do anything...Well, no use thinking about that, I will know what she wants soon enough'' "You guys go ahead and go back, Kushina will not wake up anytime soon. Let''s visit her again tomorrow, there is no academy so let''s come here at 8 a.m. What do you say?"


    "Okay" "Let''s do that" Mikoto and Tsume agreed, and they were lead out by Nawaki, while Tsunade led Minato a bit farther in the house.


    "How did you know that she wanted to see me?"


    "Oh that, there are seals everywhere in the house that Mito-baachan uses to communicate with us. She rarely leaves her room anymore"


    "Seals can do anything uh"


    A bit surprised that this kid knew of Fuuinjutsu, Tsunade nodded with a proud smile. Even if she didn''t dab into sealing, she was proud of her grandmother.


    They traversed a corridor and arrived before a door at the end of it at the back of the house. Knocking on it, Tsunade announce her arrival while ushering Minato inside, closing the door behind him, knowing that her grandmother will want to talk to him alone ''I wonder what does she want of him, well nevermind Mito-baachan can do strange things at times''


    Entering the room, Minato took a quick look around it. It was a bit darker than the rest of the house, with the red curtain blocking most of the sunlight. There was nothing much in the room, just a wood bed, surely made by Hashirama, with a normal mattress and quilt. Behind it, a blackboard with a golden Uzumaki symbol inscribe on it. Near the bed, there was a small wood nightstand with a tree origami, and at the opposite of it, a wood closet. All in all a pretty humble room.


    But what grabbed his attention was the person sitting on the bed. The old woman had long marron hair arranged in buns with hairpins in them and three clips in the front, with some hanging into her back, and large pupilless eyes. She wore a simple loose-fitting kimono held closed by a simple dark-coloured obi and had a rhombus marking reminiscent of the Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead. She also wore tags with kanji written on them on her frontal hairpin on each bun.


    But it was not the fact that even she looks younger than her true age (Doctor Kureha number 2) that grabbed his attention, but what his intuition told him. ''Dangerous!!!'' It''s the first time that it has such a strong reaction, making him awed at the difference between her and the Hokage.


    "Oh, you''re a sensor?" The first words of Mito made Minato stiffen, and for the first time, a shocked look not faked appeared on his face.


    "Wh-Why do you say that?" Minato cursed his stuttering internally, berating himself for being caught off guard and revealing weakness. ''Fuck, does she sense my Hyper Intuition, but how is it possible? Can an intuition been even sensed by others?''


    "Oh, don''t worry. Because of a certain condition of mine, I can glean on the emotions of others. And when you saw me a bit of wariness was emitted by you, not what you would expect somebody to feel for an old woman like me"


    "And what I want to know is why such a young one has such restraint on his emotions. Or rather, lack the emotion that a child should have?" Looking at Minato with a profound smile, Mito was looking at this anomaly curiously, never before has she seen such a strange phenomenon. The ROOT of this kid Danzo lacks emotions completely, but with him it''s different, and she wants to know why so.


    Meanwhile, Minato froze. He felt like he entered heaven but slipped and fell again into hell. He did not know whether to laugh or to cry ''Express emotions and she will see through you and don''t express them and she will still know something is up, gaaah what an annoying ability.''

 Chapter 16 - Talking with Mito Uzumaki

    "Ok, I give up" Minato surrendered, knowing that with this type of person at the end of their life, the more you lie, the worst the situation is. It''s better to say the truth without revealing anything compromising. After all, he once was this type of person.


    "And as for your question, hm..." He was a bit stumped, never having thoughts of his emotions. Now that she said it, it''s true that he is far too calm, it''s been such a long time since he felt his heart beat out of excitement or anger. "Well, you could say I chose to be this way and am trying to reopen my heart slowly"


    "Hm" She was interested in his story, but knew that he will refuse to divulge it. Of course, she could force him, but it will be counter-productive. It could worsen his relationship with one of the last of her kin, and it will be a pity to lose such an interesting young man that was pretty sure to become powerful.


    "You seem to cope with the demise of your clan pretty well compared to Kushina" exclaimed Minato, testing the waters.


    "If I don''t show it, that doesn''t mean that I don''t feel the same as her"


    "Even if it''s a big part because of your husband?"


    "What do you mean?" Mito raised an eyebrow in curiosity, not at all angered by this young man, after all, she has lived for far too long, such emotions were left behind since a long time ago.


    "The Bijuu. Hashirama Senju slave them away to other villages for the so-called peace between countries. And the only way to seal them is Fuuinjutsu. So what will those villages think if there was a clan capable of restraining their new ultimate weapon? Even if the Uzumaki were considered neutral, you can''t possibly be at ease if your strongest weapon can be taken out by hundreds of people"


    "Oh, I never considered it like that, it''s not a bad deduction. And what do you mean by slave them away" She was really curious about this part, does he know that the Bijuu have mind, and if he knew it where did he learn that from?


    "I''m pretty sure that they are being with conscious like us. Mindless beasts, utter rubbish. If they were truly the monster that we describe them as, humanity would have perished long ago. After all, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara don''t pop up from trees."


    Minato remark made Mito laugh, calming herself she replied "Nevertheless, it''s impossible for us to ignore them. Such monsters could destroy the village easily, so it was safer to do it that way"


    "You''re right, humanity will always try to get rid of anything too powerful and what they are unable to understand. Even if it''s allies..."


    "Oh, so you insinuated that Konoha has a part in my homeland destruction?" She was even more interested in the fact that his emotions did not waver, there was not even an ounce of disgust directed towards Konoha


    "Like you already know, I can be considered a sensor. And two different groups of people are tailing me all the time and everywhere. After what I displayed at the academy, I can understand that Hokage-sama would want to protect me, but what of the other? It signifies that there is another group of people hidden in the shadows of Konoha that the Hokage can''t control. Furthermore, Uzushio is the holy land of Fuuinjutsu, an art that I''m extremely interested in, so I did some research. It''s basically an impregnable forteress, if you attack by the exterior that is. And the only ones authorized in it are Konoha people and the natives. I doubt that an Uzumaki will be suicidal enough to doom himself and his whole clan, so it means that Konoha weakened the barrier internally. And from what I saw of the Hokage, he held the teachings of Hashirama-sama highly, so I doubt that it''s his work. From what I can deduce, the hidden darkness of Konoha did it, deeming the Uzumaki clan too strong to be left alive"


    This time Mito couldn''t help the surprise to show in her eyes. What a sharp kid, do the kids these days possess such a deduction ability?


    "You''re right, it would have been impossible to take down Uzushio without some intern betrayal" admitted Mito


    "So, are you not angry at Konoha?" Inquired Minato curiously


    "As you said, it was the work of the darkness, not Konoha. Even if it was the case, I can''t possibly have any nefarious thoughts against what my husband constructed now can I?"


    ''Heh, so this the extent one can go through love. It''s truly stupid, but...I would even have been fine to die if I knew that I will still be a priority in somebody''s heart even after death. Is that why you died smiling, mother?''


    Sensing turbulent emotions coming from Minato, Mito was surprised. If it was disgust or disdain for her, she would have understood, but yearning and loss? This kid was truly strange.


    Calming himself, Minato regained his composure. "Do you love your family or this village more?" asked Minato, curious to see the extent of love.


    "Hm" Mito made a complicated face "I can''t choose, I love the 2 of them equally"


    "Let me rephrase it. If there is a war and your family is forced to participate in it. Your grandson Nawaki have 95% chance of dying. Will you let Konoha send him even if it would cost them nothing to let him live his life here in safety?"


    Furrowing her brows, Mito thought about it. Finally loosening them, she couldn''t help the fond smile speaking of her grandson "Even if I wanted to protect him, Nawaki will not listen and rush headfirst in battle to protect his comrades of Konoha. There is no way that he will willingly choose his own safety over his comrades. He is like his grandfather during his youth, a hot-headed fool."


    Minato has nothing to retort to that. Hashirama, Nawaki and Naruto, the three of them have more or less the same personality, that of an idiotic moron that thinks that they can save the world, even if the human will in the end never change their nature. If not, why would they wage war in the first place?


    "And you, young man, what is your dream?"


    Startled that she asked him such a question, he answered with a half-truth "I want and will become Hokage" ''Even if it''s just a stepping stone to my true dream''


    "Oh, it''s a bit unfortunate that I will not see it. I''m sure it would have been interesting"


    Minato made sure to repress his emotions this time, not willing to leak the fact that he knows that she is the Kyuubi jinchuriki, and that she will die because she passed it over Kushina.


    "For someone of your age, you still look young and healthy, and I doubt that anybody could kill you in your own home. So why do you insinuate that you will die soon"


    "Sigh..." Mito found nothing strange in the fact that he repressed his emotions, thinking it was a normal thing to do for him, already content from what she has gleaned from them during their conversation. "An old woman like me has no place in this era. I''m just a relic of the past, it will soon be my time to go. Even if I''m fine externally, things are complicated and I have not much time left. Kid, no, Minato, will you accept a request from an old lady on her deathbed?"


    "Sure, if I can do it that is."


    "I hope you will take care of Kushina, she is one of the last of my kin in the living, and I don''t want to see my clan going extinct, it will aggrieve me very much"


    "Oh, it''s just that. Don''t worry about it, I care for her so I already had in mind to take care of her" It was no big deal for him, even if he has known Kushina only for a week, she was already dear to him, even if he can''t fully trust her, it doesn''t mean that he will let anyone bring her harm.


    "I see, I''m relieved to hear that. You can go now, and if you have any questions about Fuuinjutsu or another thing, you can come to see me. I still have a bit of time, so I won''t mind using it to help you. After all, even if you chose to protect Kushina, she is my kin and I can''t do enough to repay you" Having said her part, Mito closed her eyes and began to rest.


    Taking it as a signal to leave, Minato exited the room, thinking that it''s a pity that she was fated to die, she would truly have been a good friend. After all, before occupying Minato''s body, he had more or less the same view on the world as her.

 Chapter 17 - AWLPS

    It has been six months that Minato has arrived in this world, and 5 months since the first visit to the Uzumaki-Senju compound. A lot has happened during that time.


    4 months ago, Mito Uzumaki died and passed the Kyuubi over to Kushina. Of course, it was a secret to only a selected few, but knowing the whole story already, Minato knows the true cause of Mito''s death. During the whole month before her death, Minato often went to speak with her, and they hit off well.


    Her death was hidden from the world. Speaking of that, her whole life she has been hidden in the shadows. People in the future all talk about the legendary kunoichi Tsunade Senju, not knowing that Mito was by far the most powerful woman of her time. Without her, Hashirama could have very well lost the battle against Madara, after all the Kyuubi has infinite chakra, and it could have killed a weakened Hashirama.


    Mito''s death caused some ripples. First Kushina was plagued with insecurities, and the Hokage forbade her to spread the world of her condition to her friends. But in the end, knowing the cause of it Minato made her crack and reveal it to him, and when she saw that he didn''t care about it, she was so relieved that she cried. They decide to not tell others about it for now because it could be dangerous for them to know it, and who knew if Tsume will spread it by accident, with a blabbermouth like her it could very well happen.


    Then, Kushina moved out of the Senju-Uzumaki compound, not willing to intrude anymore on the last members of the Senju clan. Tsunade and Nawaki don''t consider themselves Uzumaki, and even if they were friendly, Kushina knew that they have no real familial bonds between them.


    She was ready to live in a less than favorable environment, knowing that Konoha people dislike her, but Minato foresaw it and bought the whole complex where he resides. In just one month, his manga racked him a huge amount of money, people buy it left and right, having never seen such an interesting book. Speaking of it, he forgot that the purpose of his visit one month before was to show it to them, and when they learned that he didn''t share it with them, they were mad and pout for one week long. They would have loved to pummel him, acting by the ''Anime Woman Love Pummeling Syndrom'' (AWLPS), but Minato, not willing to submit knocked them down when they act on it, so they learned to restrain it when with him. Even the ever gentle Mikoto possess it, so Minato was sure that there was something wrong with all anime women.


    Kushina, of course, moved in the room near Minato''s, but she made a fuss when he said it was free for her. So he just added the rent money and some more to her allowance that the Hokage deposit each month, after all, money exists to be spent, he will not be stingy with his friends. And their small group have now a ritual of eating new delicacies of Konoha daily. When they refused to mooch off him in the beginning, he showed them his account and they shut up and ate, he has enough money to live his life in luxury civilian''s way.


    Apart from that, he found another canon character in the anime, that he didn''t recognize at all in the beginning: Mebuki Haruno, Sakura''s mother. She looks nothing like in the anime, she is far cuter than her old counterpart, and not as annoying as Sakura. Kushina has become friends with her, and she sometimes joins them, but she can''t be considered a part of their small group at all, more an acquaintance than anything. And even if he found her cute, Minato was not interested in her. She has no real personality proper to her like his three girl friends, acting more like a sheep in the herd of useless fangirls.


    Thanks to that discovery, he found that even if he has Minato''s memories, during the absorption some bit of it went missing, probably absorbed by the strange black hole in his mind, so to recuperate them he will have to enter it, a thing that he is not willing to do for the time being. And who knows if they still exist inside of it.


    After that, he decided to find more about the powers that came from him, aka not the one he acquired by taking Minato''s body: the ''Hyper Intuition'', ''Mental energy Regeneration by the strong soul'', and the blood that came with him in this world.


    For the first, ''Hyper intuition'', he found that it didn''t work only for battles. It can even help him localize concealed places, it''s like that he discovered the entrance of the ANBU headquarters, another thing that disappeared when he absorbed Minato''s memories. Not only that, it can even help him discern truth from lies and a lot of useful things like that. It acts like a detector: detector of danger, detector of weak points, detector of treasure, detector of lies...


    For the mental and physical regeneration, he confirmed that they were real, and it helped him train a lot more. For the physical regeneration, it''s mainly his stamina. His wounds healed a bit faster but it doesn''t work like the Namekian''s regeneration (Picollo of DBZ that can restore body parts), contrary to his mind that is thoroughly healed. He suspects that it''s because only a drop of blood came with him, and it''s insufficient to have multiple functions.


    He doesn''t even need to sleep anymore, but he still does it anyway. He is not like those wuxia protagonist that want to strengthen themselves 24h/24. He prefers giving 200% of himself during training and taking the rest of the day to do more relaxing things, with a good part of his relaxation time spent with Kushina, Tsume, and Mikoto doing all sorts of things (Not +18 mind you, he has no libido yet). Well, a clone of him does it the whole day at the academy already, and him after it. They usually gather after the academy for some small spars between them.


    Speaking of them, they all had become pretty close-knit, passing their whole time together. There is not a day when they don''t hang out with each other.


    Concerning the blood that came with him and merged with this body, giving him a high stamina regeneration rate, he confirmed that it has the ability to devour other bloodlines. He called it devouring affinity. He spared sometimes with Kushina, Mikoto and Tsume, and sampled some of their blood without them noticing, after all, everybody has their secrets, he will not reveal this one to anybody. But for now, he still didn''t discover if it had any other abilities.


    ---


    Flashback.


    "Thanks again, Nono-san" At the Konoha hospital, Minato, Tsume, Kushina, and Mikoto thanked the nurse Nono, which tends to them each time they finished a pretty rough sparring time where some small blood is shed.


    Yakushi Nono was a young woman in her twenties with shoulder-length light brown hair and emerald green eyes. She wore the standard Konoha Hospital nurse uniform, which includes a plain white dress and a hat as well. She also wore circular glasses.


    "Don''t worry about it, you can come to me anytime" She declared with a gentle motherly smile, giving off an odd vibe because of her young age.


    ''This crafty Danzo, he can''t approach me publicly because of the Hokage, so he found a way to approach me via Nono, a Root failure because of her inability to lose her emotions. But it allows her to blend completely in Konoha especially because of that. I wonder when will she take over the orphanage as the head matron, it''s not before years I think, and if she even takes over it. Maybe because of me she will not die this time around, being kept to monitor me instead of being sent to Iwa for intelligence and ultimately being killed by Kabuto. Nevermind, her fate doesn''t really concern me, even if she has a gentle soul, in the end, she is more or less the slave of Danzo, it''s far too dangerous to try something on her for the time being so let''s forget about it. I have to focus first on growing stronger, if something goes wrong I can''t even defend myself against her for the time being.''


    Exiting the hospital, Minato bade goodbye to the girls and returned home. Away from the prying eyes, he entered his bedroom and took out three vials of blood nearly full, placing them on a small table near his bed.


    ''It has taken me months to collect the right amount of their blood that my Hyper Intuition ability detected is needed without being suspicious or seen by those that stalk me. Will I really be able to absorb their bloodline. Well, there is no other way to find out than to try''


    Sitting crossed legged before the table, he began to even his breath and slow it down, to locate the ''source'' of his ability. Ever so slowly, his perception, following his blood network, came to the center of his heart, where the black drop of blood that came with him through the black hole was sitting powerfully in the middle, refining the already existing blood in the body, aka Minato''s, into blood possessing the characteristics of the two. To change all Minato''s body blood into the new one with only this small drop took months, but finally, the process was about to be finished. He was thankful that the blood that circulates his body is still red, it would have been a bother to have black blood and become closely analyzed.


    Yes, he discovered that thanks to his soul, not only he gained an amazing perception dubbed at Hyper Intuition, he can perceive everything inside of his body, from the organs to the tiny cells. And his perception alerted him that inside this small drop of blood hide the same frightening power than the black hole inside his mind, so he did not dare to inspect it closely for the time being.


    Boom


    Suddenly, inside his heart, the black drop of blood trembled then stabilized, signifying the end of the blood refining. It was finished, his whole body blood is now a mix of Minato''s and Byron, with Byron being the dominant and the other absorbed. But the drop of blood didn''t disappear, still sitting there quietly. Seeing that, Minato knew that it was not normal, and that his intuition was right. This thing works like a black hole, and maybe if he give it some blood with special ability, it will absorb those abilities.


    Tugging at it, with some effort, a small red drop of blood came out of it. But in no time at all, it was reabsorbed.


    ''It must be the source of Minato''s bloodline, well, I doubt that anyone has a ''source'' so to speak but my body is different than others. Now that all of this is finished, I can finally test to see if I can absorb others bloodlines''


    Uncorking the vial of blood containing Kushina''s, a pure Uzumaki with a noble bloodline, he gulped it down.


    Coming near it, the blood began to tremble like it was afraid of it. The frightfulness of the black blood could be seen from this if even an entity without a will can tremble in front of it.


    Not minding the shivering blood, the black drop of blood absorbed all of it. Seconds later, a thin strand of Kushina blood came out of it and merge with the blood inside of his heart.


    The new blood that pumped out of his heart gained a new ?uster, seemingly having changed a bit even if it was not too noticeable.


    Seeing that, he knew that it will take some time before all his blood acquired the qualities of Kushina''s. Maybe if he had absorbed more of it, it would have been faster? Maybe not, it could even have an adverse effect to suddenly increase the volume of the total blood in his body.


    It took exactly one week for the transformation to be completed, and another two for Tsume and Kushina''s blood.


    In the beginning, it was a bit hard to adapt to Tsume''s blood because of the amplified smells coming through his more developed nose. Thankfully, all of it didn''t come in one go but gradually during a whole week, allowing him to adapt to it and discover more smells that were always overshadowed habitually.


    ---


    So, after that, he finished with 5 sources, his, Minato''s, Kushina''s, Mikoto''s and Tsume''s, all mixed into one, or more precisely absorbed by Byron''s body blood that survived the tempering of the black hole. After experimentations, he discovered that:


    From Minato''s blood, he received wind and lightning affinity.


    From Kushina''s blood, he received water affinity and a boost of his vitality, that helped him heal his wounds a bit faster, and the increase in proficiency of Fuuinjutsu was welcomed. He deduced that the fact that if such a small quantity of blood gave him better regeneration power than the super resilient black blood, it''s because compared to the black blood that lives as a separate entity, Kushina''s blood merged with his, and so changed his DNA, adding the special abilities to it.


    He concluded that if he wants to acquire all the abilities of the black hole inside his mind and the black blood, he has to merge them with his mind and body respectively. Unfortunately, it will not be anytime soon, he doubts that they will comply and not resist. If that was the case, they would have already merged with his body and mind long ago. At least, the black drop of blood gives him bloodline abilities that he absorbed and the black hole in his mind memories of soul he absorbed.


    From Tsume''s DNA, he received earth affinity and an increase in his sense of smell, prompting him to train his other senses, discovering that they were far more useful than just for daily life.


    From Mikoto''s DNA, he received fire affinity and the Sharingan. It was foolish of him to have a fixation on Fugaku''s blood, after all, Mikoto''s talent doesn''t lose to him, and it''s far easier to acquire it. And thankfully, when all those different bloodlines merged, the black blood is the one prominent with the other absorbed by it, so there is no change in his eyes when he activates the Sharingan, they only flash a bit, which people could misinterpret as Minato pushing chakra into his eyes to see farther and clearer.


    It was pretty easy for him to activate it, he just had to remember then anguish that he had when his mother died, the only emotion that his frozen heart has never let go. He would have like to activate it another way, but unfortunately, he doesn''t know enough about the chemical reactions taking place in his brain when in anguish to reproduce them. But he will be sure to find them later for the Mangekyo Sharingan, there is absolutely no way that he will kill someone he loves for power, it would be completely against what he dreams of.


    He found that the Sharingan was a pretty useful tool. The eye of insight, allows one to see chakra, enhance perception and memories. For the first, it allows him to see what sort of reaction the chakra has inside the opponent''s body, allowing him to predict the Jutsu or anything chakra related that he will use.


    The second is a good mix with his Hyper intuition, predicting and sensing the danger at the same time could allow him to plan. It''s true that directly after dodging, his Hyper intuition will indicate him where to attack, but it''s far better to formulate a possible course of action before the action.


    The last was useless to him, having such a strong soul and control over his mind allow him to memorize anything easily. But if he has children, this ability will be passed down and useful to them, he doubts that they will inherit his strong soul, it''s not a thing that is passed from father to child, a soul is outside of the control of the cycle of reproduction.


    The ''Eye of Hypnotism'' of the Sharingan is truly useful too. It allows one to cast a genjutsu just by thinking about it. He was pulling his hair out thinking of how creating a genjutsu that alters the sense of space and time and emotions, but now he just has to visualize it and have enough chakra to execute it.


    Thanks to smalls vial of blood and his ability, he now has the 5 basic affinities, an enhanced perception of Fuuinjutsu, an enhanced sense of smell and the Sharingan. He would have loved to have the Byakuugan, unfortunately, it will not be easy to have access to the blood of a talented Hyuuga. He could probably take the DNA of a low ranked branch member, but he did not know if absorbing a low-quality one will have any adverse effect. Kushina, Tsume, and Mikoto were more or less royalty of their clans, so their blood was pure and strong, so he absorbed it without hesitation. Who knows if he could eject one DNA from his body. For now, he can''t so he won''t take the risk of absorbing another Hyuuga blood than Hiashi and Hizashi.

 Chapter 18 - Youth!

    Today was a Taijutsu training day at the academy, so Minato came by himself and not one of his clones. Speaking of clones, the number that he can produce increased a lot since the first time. He can now create how many he wants to, but not without a price.


    With all the training he has done, because of his small body and small chakra reserve, and with the fact he doesn''t focus only on raising his chakra level, he only has around mid-chunin level of chakra even after 5 months of intensive training. The more clones he creates, the less chakra he and they have. But the training he does not require him to burn through the chakra with a single jutsu, so he usually creates 10 of them, with each having around mid-genin level of chakra, any less and the training will become ineffective.


    He trains by himself all things that have to do with the body, including the reflexes and muscle memories, while his clones take care of the training for his chakra control, genjutsu, fuuinjutsu, shunshin, henge, kawarimi, Hyper intuition ... And even if he has discovered that he possess the 5 elementals affinity, he still decides to shelve them for later, because it would take too much time to train them now, with no real use to them with chunin-level of chakra.


    And today, instead of hanging out with the band, he decides to look for Maito Duy, having already completely mastered the Swift style body and mind, thanks to all the experience of Minato and the battle experience room in his mind, that work in conjunction with his body.


    To outsiders, it looks like he battles an invisible enemy, while for him, Minato past adversaries that he choose attack him. He just visualizes all Minato''s past battles, and recreate them in the real world. Unfortunately, such methods don''t train the instinct of the body, after all, his body knows that he is not between life and death, and doesn''t react like it would if he was in danger.


    After Minato left, Kushina, Mikoto and Tsume went to Ichiraku Ramen, the three have received a good amount of money anonymously for their birthdays, which all of them know from where it came but didn''t say anything. And so, even without Minato, they still have enough to pay for the ramen absorber Kushina. After finishing eating, they began one of their private girl''s chat, but this time it was different.


    "Minato is already so strong, but he still wants to master another Taijutsu style, compared to him my training seems pretty pathetic." said Tsume, ashamed of herself for the first time.


    "You''re right, call it a gut feeling but it each time I spar with him, I have the impression that the gulf between us becomes bigger and bigger ''ttebane. All the training I do seem worthless, the stronger I grow the bigger the gap between us widened" Sulked Kushina, even ramen was not enough to lift her mood today.


    After hesitating for a bit, Mikoto spoke "Even with my father, the Uchiha clan head training me, I have the impression that his training is less effective than Minato''s, even though he is an academy student like us."


    A light bulb went up on Kushina''s head "It''s the solution! We must become Minato students!"


    "But will he even agree? He must have some secret training method, and I doubt he will willingly spread it. After all, all our clans become stronger only thanks to some secret techniques" exclaimed Tsume, excited at the prospect of growing stronger but at the same time not expecting Minato to divulge his secrets to them even if they are friends.


    "Tsume is right Kushina, it would be improper to ask him to teach us. And even if he was willing, if the higher-ups of the village discover it, they will force Minato to hand it over, or will take it from us" interjected Mikoto. Even if she wants to grow strong, she is not willing to put Minato in harm''s way for it.


    A troubled look appeared on Kushina''s face. She doesn''t want to bring any harm to Minato, after all the things he has done for her, and her secret not so secret crush. Tsume was the same, just unaware of it, and Mikoto haven''t developed a crush on him but cherish him as a close friend.


    "Well, Minato is the genius between us, so maybe he will have a solution" Raised Kushina while blushing. Even she was not so thick-skinned to ask for help and ask the helper to find a solution for said help.


    "Hm, you''re right, it''s the only way to catch up to him anyway. If we don''t even have the guts to try it, we won''t even have the chance to stand next to him in the future, and I won''t be left behind!" Declared Tsume passionately. Kushina and Mikoto agreed, instead of seeing the back of Minato''s brillance, standing next to him and helping him is far better even if they have to suffer for it.


    Meanwhile, unaware of this discussion, Minato was touring the training grounds, searching for a youthful green spandex eyebrows super taijutsu expert man. And finally, on one of the usually unoccupied training ground, he found the man.


    Dai is a tall and well-built man with high cheek-bones, a somewhat bulbous nose, dark hair, thick eyebrows and noticeable body hair on his wrists and forearms. His hair is cut in a bowl style that is combed to his right and lifts slightly. He also sports a bristling moustache with a small goatee and stubble which made up the rest of his beard. He wears a green jumpsuit, orange striped leg warmers, and a yellow scarf around his neck.


    "Yooooooosh! If I can''t punch this log 10 000 times, I will be the one who changes Gai(Guy) diapers for the whole next month!"


    Hearing that, Minato stumbled and nearly fell comically, alerting Dai (Duy) of his presence.


    "Oh, what youthfulness! Coming to the training grounds at such age, let me dedicate my tears of youth to you!"


    During the time that he balanced himself, Maito Dai arrived in front of him and was preaching the youthfulness.


    ''Is there no one else that knows how to open the eight gates? Please, if somebody can do it, contact me immediately by messenger bird!''


    "Erh, hello, I''m Namikaze Minato"


    "Yooosh, I''m the majestic and youthful genin of Konoha, Maito Dai!"


    "Oh, the eternal genin?"


    Hearing that, Dai sulked, but with renewed vigor screams "Yosh, I will do 10 000 punches and kicks more each day to become stronger!"


    "Erh, no need Mister Dai"


    "Nonsense! If I can''t do that I will effectuate 10 000 squats and push up!"


    Minato was having a headache, nobody has contacted him by messenger bird, so it means that this youthful--er, this guy was the only one able to teach him it and the Goken... ''I hope I will not become more youthful that I''m already is, what the fu?k I''m even saying...''

 Chapter 19 - Youth, youth and youth!!!!

    "Ahem, Dai-san, the truth is that I saw your training and there is no way that somebody that train as hard as you is a normal genin. At least, if we speak of Taijutsu, with your level of training you should even be as strong as a jonin. So I would say that if you''re not promoted, it''s because you pass the academy without having learned the academy 3. Maybe because of your persistence they make you pass, and you''re a genin just in name that can only do D-rank missions?


    And with all the experience that you''ve accumulated in Taijutsu by practicing only this art for years, I dare to say that you should be Konoha''s number 1 expert and that you must have developed your own Taijutsu style. So I came looking for you to see if you''re willing to teach the Taijutsu style of the best Taijutsu master of Konoha to the future Hokage"


    Maito Dai for the first time since the beginning of time-ehem conversation, stopped fooling around and took a serious face.


    "What a youthful mind! Indeed, I developed my own taijutsu and I dare to say I''m well versed in the matter. I''m not against teaching someone but you must first pass my test!"


    Minato also grew serious, after all, opening the 8 gates is important to him. "I''m ready Dai-san!"


    "Yoooosh, question number 1: How do you flame your flames of youth?"


    "You must train hard, and train even harder when you don''t meet the requirements that you had set for your training!"


    "Indeed, what a youthful answer! Question number 2: What is the use of flaming your flames of youth?"


    " To have a strong mind in a strong body, and to become a better version of oneself the next day!"


    "Yooooosh, last question. Question number 3: At what end will you use the effects of your flames of youth?"


    "To protect those dear to me, Dai-sensei!"


    "What a youthful student I have acquired hahaha! Yosh Minato wear this green spandex, it will help you!"


    "Ahem, I can''t Dai-sensei, I have some skin problem and if I were to wear your magnificent spandex, it will cause irreparable damage. I''m sorry Dai-sensei! Your student has failed you!"


    "Don''t worry my youthful student, your clothing will not impede your flames of youth! Nevertheless, if you want to stroke them further you could reproduce my hairstyle, a long bowl cut, excellent for the aero dynamism of the head!"


    "I''m sorry Dai-sensei, my hairs are frail and s?ns?t?v?, so I can''t use them to stroke my flames of youth!"


    "Ah what a pity, but you should try to toughen and elongate your eyebrows, it could help you go a bit faster thanks to the wind caught by them"


    "I''m sorry Dai-sensei, my eyebrows have the same problem as my hair!"


    "Ah, what a pity" Maito Dai began to sulk, but suddenly his demeanor changed and he reverted to the serious form.


    "Minato, I passed 12 years into perfecting my taijutsu, and thanks to it I created a secret technique that became the base of my taijutsu. I will teach it to you on one condition, you must only use it to protect someone you cherish!"


    "I promise, word of the future 4th Hokage, Namikaze Minato!"


    "Yosh, you must know that in our body, there are eight gates. Kaimon (The Gate of Opening), Kyumon (The Gate of Healing), Seimon (The Gate of Life), Shomon (The Gate of Pain), Tomon (The Gate of Limit), Keimon (The Gate of View), Kyomon (The Gate of Wonder), Shimon (The Gate of Death).


    They exist in order to limit the flow of chakra within an individual''s body. Ordinarily, individuals can use no more than 20% of their body''s full potential, it''s the brain''s way of protecting the individual from harming their body through overexertion. With training, individuals can learn to remove these limiters, referred to as "opening" the gates. With each opened gate, individuals are given access to more and more of their body''s chakra, thus increasing their physical strength and speed.


    But although opening the gates does briefly give the user power greater than what they''re normally capable of, this increased power causes the user serious harm. At a minimum, the user will be fatigued, which can leave them vulnerable to attack if this occurs during combat. In more extreme cases, muscles can tear and bones can break from the strain, which can be treated with medical ninjutsu. When opening the eighth and final gate, users will die as a consequence, their bodies being unable to survive the immense amounts of chakra flowing through them.


    You must, therefore, remember that using the Eight Gates is a double-edged sword, empowering users by sacrificing their own health and safety; such risks have made me class it as a kinjutsu (forbidden technique)."


    After his explanation, Dai directly demonstrated it. He first did a full sprint in the clearing, then came back. "Kaimon Kai(Open)!" He sprinted a new time, and this time he was a mere blur.


    "Yosh, this was the opening of the first gate, it removed my mental inhibitions. I have the theory for the other gates but I have not perfected them yet." Taking a notebook, from his spandex? Taking a notebook from his spandex, Dai passes it to Minato. "In this notebook are all my notes on this technique, and some more on all my insights on Taijutsu"


    This time Minato was stunned, this guy, was his head hit by Marshall D Teach fart? How could he pass such an important thing to somebody he has just met? And so he asked him the question.


    Doing the nice guy pose, Dai exclaimed "Don''t worry about it, from now on you''re my youthful student. I intended to pass it to my son but you can do it and teach him in my stead"


    ''Eh, who says something about him being stupid. What a crafty guy, knowing that tensions between villages are high and that a war will son broke out, and that he has a chance to die in it, he is securing a good teacher for his son by teaching me''


    "Don''t worry Dai-sensei, when I become a Jonin instructor I will take your son as my student, word of the future best taijutsu master of the elementals nations!" ''Meh, why not humor him, after all, I lose nothing from this deal, and I will be forced to teach some brats anyway, why not teach such a talented taijutsu master, that could help me having a good sparring partner one day''


    "Yosh, what a youthful claim! For not having such a magni-youthful-cient dream, I will do 1000 ??ps under the sunshine of Konoha on my hands"


    "Erh, could you do them after you teach me the katas of your taijutsu style Dai-sensei?"

 Chapter 20 - Dreams

    The next day, after the academy, in Minato''s living room, their group was reunited. Apparently, the girls wanted to talk to him privately.


    "So, what do you want from me?"


    Having discussed it before, Kushina was the one who asked the question "Hum Minato, could you train us? "


    Furrowing his brows, he began to ponder if the time was riped or not.


    Seeing him brows furrowed in his thoughts, they thought that he will reject them and was searching an answer to not hurt them, and they became a bit depressed.


    Minato opened his mouth "I can train you..." Seeing their hopefuls faces, he added "But, there will be conditions"


    "We will do anything that you ask from us if we can, right girls" exclaimed Kushina, with Tsume and Mikoto acquiescing.


    Having made his mind, Minato made his chakra pulse in a small lotus tattoo on his right hand, and from it came out a paper full of Fuinjutsu symbols on it, signifying ''Soundproof''


    Using chakra to activate it, he placed it on the table between them, and a small invisible fluctuation occurred, making the surrounding 3 meters soundproof.


    Kushina gasped, and exclaimed "Was that a storage seal Minato? How did you do it?"


    "Well, like you already know I spent a lot of time with Mito-sama during that one month, and we didn''t just sit there while looking at the walls."


    "You''re so lucky, I wish I have such a cool tattoo storage seal" pouted Kushina, a bit jealous that Mito didn''t give her one.


    "Well, I could help you have one later" Seeing that she was going to bounce of happiness, he hurriedly continued "This is a silencing seal, nobody will hear us now."


    Mikoto was the fastest to catch on it "You''re saying that there are people watching us?"


    "Hm, yeah, but it''s not important, I just want to prevent the conversation that we will have today from leaking out. And if you leak it outside this room..." Minato made an ominous face, making them gulped down nervously "I will spank you to death."


    "Pfft...Hahahaha" Kushina and Tsume cackle loudly, rolling around the couch, while even Mikoto was shaking from laughter, with her hand on her mouth to not appear undignified.


    Letting them laugh and easing the atmosphere, Minato took a serious face "You have to promise me that you will not leak this conversation outside"


    "First, I will ask you, what are your dreams?"


    A bit bewildered, they still answered. "I want to become Hokage to be respected by Konoha people"(Kushina) "I want to make my father and clan proud of me"(Mikoto) "I want to become the strongest clan head that the Inuzuka clan has never seen"(Tsume)


    "I see, so your dreams are for others", said Minato a bit disappointed, but he did expect it. After all, they were brainwashed to give their everything since childhood.


    "What do you mean for others? And what is your dream?" questioned Tsume


    "Since my mother died, a lot of things happened, which caused me to lose bit by bit my emotions. More accurately, you could say I sealed them" Seeing that Minato was talking about his past, the 3 of them perked up and paid full attention


    "She was betrayed by my sister and brother because of my father''s family, so since then, I lost all my trust in people." Knowing what they wanted to ask he told them."Don''t worry about them, something happened and they died"


    "My dream, you can say is falling in love with someone that I know will never betray me and have one big happy family, and if I train so hard it''s for creating a safe environment for them. And well, maybe trying to regain my true self could be good too. I have too much walls and masks that I lost myself"


    "Waaaaaaaaah" "Sniff" Kushina and Tsume began to bawl their eyes out and jumped on him, touched, and even Mikoto was borderline crying. How hard was his life if he has lost his true self at such a young age?


    Patting their backs awkwardly, he began to console them to stop their crying. Seeing that, Mikoto was amused, the guy with the sad story must consol the listeners of said story. Having regained their calms, they sat back down and blushed embarrassingly.


    "What I want to say is that you should all focus on the people that you love instead of proving something to people you don''t care about"


    "Kushina, you want to become Hokage because you seek the acknowledgment of people that don''t care about you. In the beginning, it was just to make a good impression, but now that you don''t have a home anymore, you want those people to accept you. Me, Tsume, and Mikoto acknowledge you and love you, so instead of thinking of others, you should think on how to spoil us" Kushina lowered her head, a bit ashamed that she was wasting time to prove things to people that don''t like her instead of striving to help her friends.


    "Mikoto, it''s ok for you to make your father proud of you because he is your family. But tell me, does your clan care about you? Do they are worth your dream?" Mikoto began to mull over that, it''s true that apart from her father that loves her, the others don''t care about her. The elders even forced her father to marry her off to some talented guy for the future of the clan.


    "And Tsume, it''s the same as Mikoto. Do you really consider people that you b?r?ly know as acquaintances under the same name as your family?" Tsume began to think about it too.


    Seeing that they were at least considering his words, Minato was relieved. The concept of ''for the clan'' and ''for the village'' are deeply engrained in people of this world that they often lose themselves.


    "Do you know what a clan is? And what is a village?" Hearing the question of Minato, they were a bit clueless after what he has told them. Before, they would have answered that it''s a big family, but will a family despise them, or force them to do things they don''t want?

 Chapter 21 - What is a clan? What is a village?

    "A long time ago, the Rikudo Sennin (The sage of six paths) wanted to stop humans wars. For that, he gave them chakra in the form of Ninshu. Ninshu had for goal to connect humans on a spiritual level, to make them understand each other and cease their conflicts. Well, as you can see it didn''t work, and the humans transformed Ninshu in Ninjutsu, used to wage wars. But nevermind that, what I want to say is that the ancestors of your clan dated from back then. Rikudo Sennin chakra has thousand of properties: The Sharingan, The ability to enhance Fuuinjutsu, the Ice release... So when he transferred chakra to others, your ancestor gained not a neutral chakra like others but one with attributes. And Chakra and blood are interlinked, so this affinity passed from chakra to blood, and from father to son and mother to daughter." Seeing that he has their attention, Minato continued.


    "What I want to say, is that a clan is merely the descendants of those guys that have the same bloodline as you. Humanity as a whole came from two progenitors, a father and a mother, and from them, we arrived here today with millions of humans. The only difference between a human and a human of a clan is that the latter are ?ssembled between them because of an ability, not love or whatever."


    Mikoto, Kushina and Tsume were shocked, what he said made sense, even they have heard of the Rikudo Sennin, so this how their clans were formed.


    "I don''t say that it''s bad for people of the same bloodline to live and care for each other, the Uzumaki clan of Kushina was a prime example for this" Here, Kushina beamed with pride, her clan was truly one big family "But Mikoto and Tsume, the elders of your clan only care about their direct family, and I''m pretty sure that they will force you to marry to some dude whom they have a basic control on to control the main family and the clan, so you shouldn''t care about them"


    "Eh, it''s for that this annoying guy kept pestering me saying that we were made for each other?" mumbled Tsume, thinking back on it, it seems that her clan was forcing things between him and that annoying guy.


    "It''s true..." Mikoto began. The 3 of them hearing that focused on her. "The elders of my clan forced my father to marry me to Fugaku Uchiha. When my father will be considered too old to lead the clan, Fugaku will become the patriarch and I will become his wife, forced to be a housewife" Explained Mikoto in a complicated tone. In the beginning, she didn''t even have any intention of rebelling but hearing the words of Minato, she began to have second thoughts of selling herself for the benefits of others.


    "How dare they?!" Explode Kushina and Tsume fuming, ready to go to the Uchiha compound and pummel them.


    "Calm down." Said Minato sternly


    "But.." Seeing the serious look in his eyes, the 2 of them sat back down grudgingly.


    "Don''t worry, we will not let them use Mikoto like that, but for now we are too weak to do anything about it." A sweet feeling arose from the depths of Mikoto''s heart, and for the first time she felt some hope for her future, maybe she will be free. And the three girls were even more determined to train, knowing that without strength they could do nothing about it.


    "Now, let me explain what is a village" Here, Kushina perked up, after all her dream was to be respected by the villagers, so she wanted to know exactly what it was, knowing that the history books were distorted and that Minato was pretty mysterious and seemed to know everything.


    "The village concept began with Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, two youths that were fed up with losing their brothers to the war between clans. They became friends young thanks to their shared ideology, and even if they were from rivals clans and battle against each other, their friendship never ceased. After a lot of hardship, they finally established Konoha, a place where kids will not be forced to go to war anymore, and a world where war will not even exist. Taking example on Konoha, the clans from other countries began to ?ssemble to create their hidden village. Things happened and Madara finished to battle against Hashirama, and before killing Madara, he exclaimed "I will not forgive anyone who threatens the village, not my family, nor my brother, nor my best friend", and you know what Madara said?"


    Seeing them shake their heads, Minato continued " He said "You''ve changed, Hashirama. Ultimately, it shall someday lead the village to darkness", and he was right. In the end, what Hashirama did was changing battles between clans to battle between villages, even more destructive. And look at us, children forced to learn how to kill and sacrificing ourselves for those greedy higher-ups. In the end, even the mighty Senju clan perished, and the Uchiha clan became nothing more than a banal clan incomparable to what it was in the past. The village now is completely outside the hands of the Uchiha and Senju, and instead in the hands of Tobirama Senju students, full of corruption. I''m sure that Danzo Shimura the elder is plotting how to annihilate the Uchiha clan while harvesting the Sharingan power for himself, after all, he already kidnap children from the orphanage, a guy like him will do anything to control the village and become Hokage, even killing his former teammate and Sandaime Hiruzen Sarutobi."


    "As I said before, my dream is to have loved ones I can trust, and a family. But ultimately it will be my job to protect them, no use having one family and losing it because I''m weak. Kushina, Tsume, Mikoto, what I want to say is that Konoha is full of corruption, only your own power can protect you. If it benefits them, Konoha will even kill you and your family. Take example on Kushina clan, I''m pretty sure that Danzo has a hand in its destruction."


    "What?!" exclaimed a shocked Kushina, unable to believe that Konoha has a hand in her family death.

 Chapter 22 - Revelations

    "What!" exclaimed a shocked Kushina, unable to believe that Konoha has a hand in her family death.


    Minato then explained his reasoning like with Mito, and the girls were forced to admit that made sense. And when he mentioned that Mito approved his theory, they became sure of it.


    "But why Mito-sama did nothing?" asked Mikoto, not understanding why such a powerful woman will not do anything.


    "Because Konoha was created by her husband, and in the end her love surpassed her hate, making her unable to act. And she was not willing to continue the conflicts, already tired of this world." explained Minato


    Kushina fumed, but remembering that she was a weakling, she deflated. Even Tsume and Mikoto were at loss, what he said shattered their world views.


    "In the end, what I want you to understand is that you need power to protect what you cherish, and to choose what to protect, not following orders like mindless sheep and sacrificing yourselves for the village or the clan. Ask yourselves, who is worth dying for?"


    The three began pondering and were at loss. They don''t want to die, and they have nobody whom they love enough to sacrifice themselves. Seeing through it, Minato smiled.


    "I see, so you''re like me" Startled, they looked up to him "I don''t have anybody worth to die for, in the end, you three are people that I cherished, but I can''t say I love you enough to risk my life for you" A bitter feeling spread through the 3 of them, facing for the first time the harsh reality. And it''s now that it sunk in Kushina that her family, the people that will die for her, are gone for good.


    "But don''t worry!" Shouted Minato. "In the end, it''s totally normal. After all, love is festered, it''s not something that happens in one day. Maybe in some years, we will be willing to lay our lives for each other." Minato''s world swept their bitter feelings aside. He was right! The will of fire or love for the village is rubbish, it''s just an indoctrination that forced them to sacrifice themselves, why should they love people that they don''t even know? In the end, a village is merely a gathering of clans, not a place where everyone loves each other.


    "You should choose your family. Your clanmates or blood family doesn''t like you? So what! A family is a place where love is given without benefits, the friends and lovers that you cherish are your family! Konoha is your home? Rubbish! Your home is where your family is, if your family inhabit the oceans, become merwomen and go live in the ocean!" In the end, Minato was swept up by his feelings and shouted. Thankfully he placed the silencing seals, if not he would have been executed for high treason.


    Minato''s declaration made their blood boils, and Mikoto for the first time began to hate her clan that wants to control her for their benefits, and even more, she hated her weakness. If she was powerful she would not be a mere chess piece! Even her father is a mere chess piece controlled by the elders.


    "Gasp" Sensing something wrong, Mikoto looked puzzledly at the shocked looked that Kushina and Tsume directed her, and is it her or her vision was clearer?


    "Mikoto, your eyes!" Cried out Kushina in surprise.


    "The Sharingan" Mumbled Tsume


    Hearing that, Mikoto was shocked! She activated the Sharingan?! She immediately went to the bathroom, and upon seeing her red eyes with one tomoe spinning lazily, she confirmed it. Instead of being joyous, she had mixed feelings, knowing that only with pain and hatred could the Sharingan activate.


    Seeing Mikoto return with a sullen mood, the other two didn''t understand but Minato did. "Don''t worry about it Mikoto, even if you''re an Uchiha you''re one of the gentlest soul in this world. So even a small sliver or resentment could activate your Sharingan because it''s an emotion that you never had. Just take care of not letting this hatred control you. Everybody hate, it''s a part of ourselves. Listen, you must never, I mean never cast aside your negative emotions! It''s a part of yourself, so it will be like denying yourself, and it''s one of the most disgusting things a human being can do! Shinobi must not have emotions? Konoha citizens must be positive? Utter rubbish."


    Hearing that, the girls began to mull over it. Since childhood, they were told that things like hatred and greed were bad, but it''s a part of their nature, so is it really bad?


    "Kushina, you can tell them" Startled, Kushina began to panic "Don''t worry" Seeing his smile, and looking at Mikoto and Tsume, Kushina was reassured. They were her new family, it''s ok to say it to them.


    "I-I''m the Kyuubi jinchuriki" Kushina declaration shocked Mikoto and Tsume. They''re from nobles clan so they''re knowledgable. They know who is Kyuubi, and that a jinchuriki is a human that host the beast.


    Kushina was looking at them with some insecurities, and seeing that, they couldn''t help but be angry at the village for using their friends for such thing.


    "Don''t worry Kushina, we don''t care if you have a demon in your stomach, you will still be my prank rival!" Exclaimed Tsume, banging her ?h?st to emphasize it.


    "Tsume is right, you will forever remain my best friend, it''s not the Kyuubi that will separate us!" Shouted Mikoto while pumping her fist, completely forgoing her Uchiha pride, now that she has no more pride in being one.


    Seeing them, Kushina couldn''t help but cry and embrace them. Minato smile contently while watching it.


    "I suspect one of the reasons Danzo wanted to destroy Uzushigakure was to fully control Kushina. She will be the last ''public'' Uzumaki, not counting those in hiding. And the only ones able to have the Kyuubi sealed inside of them are people with strong lifeforce, and whose more suited than the Uzumaki, who are known to live past their hundreds if not killed. By destroying the home of Kushina, she will forever remain here in Konoha, and will begin to form loyalty for this village, hereby making a Kyuubi container fully loyal to them, unlike Mito that they could not control." Explained Minato.


    "Tsume and Mikoto" Seeing that he has their attention, he continued "Your clans want to marry you to some dude to control you. And you Kushina, you became the host for the strongest tailed beast, where you will be controlled by the village. At least, the Sandaime is pretty soft so he will not use you as a weapon like other village jinchuriki, but you will be confined here for your whole life, unable to travel the continent and visit it. And even on missions, squads of Anbu, the Hokage private army will tail you to not lose you in an incident, not even speaking of Shimura Danzo special army, the roots that would want to snatch you to use the power of the Kyuubi. What I''m saying is that the 3 of you are merely chess piece for the higher up"


    Listening to Minato, they agreed. And seeing something Mikoto exclaimed, "You have a plan?"

 Chapter 23 - Welcome to the family

    Smiling at the sharpness of Mikoto, Minato nodded "Of course, even if you''re angry, revenge and destruction are useless. It''s true that what''s they did is bad, but in the end, all of this is a result of the village''s system. Instead, we should control Konoha, and later, all the other villages."


    "But how should we do that?" exclaimed Tsume, a bit perplexed.


    "For that, we must first control all the big clans of Konoha, and one of us should become Hokage. And if Danzo and those greedy elders had an accident, it would be for the best no?"


    A chill went down their spines, it seems that Minato truly has a plan to control all of Konoha. Here they were thinking of proving themselves while their own classmate was preparing some domination plans.


    "In the end, you''re not forced to help me. You''re my friend, if you want to back out, I have made some seals that will erase the last thirty minutes of your memories" Explained Minato in a serious tone. ''It was a hassle to make them. But I already asked Mito to help me with those anti-betrayal seals, if I were to ask her for more she will begin to suspect things. She only accepted because she knew I mean no harm to Konoha.''


    The three of them began to talk to each other, after all, it was no joke, a wrong move and they will all be branded traitors. But in the end, it''s better to control than to be controlled. And if Minato lied to them? He has no reason to do that at all, and they trust him. In the end, their small group of friends is more of a family than their own, so it''s hard to not trust each other. For his strange knowledge on Hashirama and Madara, they attributed it to Mito telling him. And for how he knew so much on the time before the Rikudo Sennin? Every family has their secrets, and from what he said earlier, his family seemed to be powerful if people schemed against his mother. So it''s not farfetched to think that he could have some records from that time.


    "We will do it" they exclaimed in unison.


    "Good, you know that even if I cherish you, I still have trust issues because of my past. My heart trusts you three but not my mind. And not even speaking of the fact that we''re in a ninja village where only sealed secrets can be kept. So here" Taking 3 seals outs of his lotus tattoo, he spread one before each of them "Mito helped me to do them, if you push chakra into those seals, you will be unable to betray me anymore. You will still have full liberty over your actions, but if you do or say anything in the goal of harming me, the seal will erase all your memories of me" ''And I will come to exterminate you, but you don''t need to know that'' "And if you''re caught and mind-raped by a Yamanaka, all the memories that you have of anything relating to my plans will be hidden till the person exit your mind."


    Kushina hesitated but still spoke, "It means we can''t even try to beat you?"


    Laughing, Minato replied "Don''t worry about that, I speak of a real threat, not fight between friends. Even if you beat me half dead, if you can that is, it will not do anything if you do not have real nefarious thoughts against me"


    Hearing that, Tsume and Kushina nodded at each other, thinking the same thing ''We will definitely beat him to the ground one day, we must have our revenge on all the pranks he played on us. All our acts of revenge till now were seen through by him, but with his training, maybe we could discover the secret to his intuition''


    "And can we still go against you if someday we disagree?" Mikoto asked this sensible question.


    Minato smiled "Sure you can. Like I said, the only thing you can''t do is harming me. If someday, you don''t agree with some of my decisions, you''re welcomed to do anything you want. From pounding some sense into me to leaving me. The only thing you''re not allowed is to expose me"


    The three then look deeply in Minato''s eyes, searching for something. Having found that he was saying the truth and that he indeed cherish them, they put chakra into the seal, activating it. They knew that it was their only chance to gain his full trust, and they will choose anyone of this small group before the village after what he had told them. And it''s not like Minato wants to destroy the village, so they have no real scruples in entering ''his care''. He won''t destroy their clans, so it was fine for them. Despite growing a dislike against them, Mikoto and Tsume still harbored some affections for their direct family, so if Minato''s plan was violent, they would have at least hesitated.


    Kanjis then began to climb up their arms, finally forming a small whirlpool tattoo in the center of their ?h?sts. The seal was in itself pretty simple, situated in the middle of the whirlpool. But to unravel it, one would have to have more chakra than Mito, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, or being a better Fuuinjutsu master than her. And there is only one such person, the Rikudo Sennin, a dead man looking over his sons'' reincarnation, so not a problem for the time being.


    Seeing the seals taking effect, for the first time in a long time, Minato''s heart skipped a beat. His guarded mind relaxed, choosing for the first time to follow his heart and placed his full trust on those 3 friends of his, that he is sure will finish in love with.


    "Welcome to the family, Tsume, Kushina, Mikoto" A warm smile broke out Minato''s face, stunning the three, having never seen such a pure smile. It''s like the innocent part that he kept intact by hiding it finally came out of his shell knowing that it will not be tainted.


    Looking at their faces, Minato laughed joyfully ''I still can''t believe all of this is real. I can finally love someone else and stop being lonely. Not only that, I now have a completely healthy body not sterile anymore.''


    Thinking of that sterility made him grow somewhat absentminded. It''s true that he lived in a world where all the mysteries were more or less resolved, but even then he never successfully had a child. He said he was sterile but it was not in the same sense at what others think. The baby was conceived, but each time no soul enters the body, making it just an empty vessel. Despite searching high and low, the doctors and scientists never found what was the problem, deeming him as another mystery of the soul.


    Knowing that Minato would have conceived Naruto later down, he was not really worried about not having babies anymore, and with chakra, even if he was still cursed he could somehow pull it off.


    He learned pretty soon that he could not have babies, and it was the final nail that drove him to a ruthless life. He did all sorts of scummy things, like using people and women for his benefits and growing his empire while indulging in vices when he was down.


    He searched through the whole entertainment industry to find something that could make him hope again, and it''s here that he discovered the mangas. One would think that two thousand years after it was invented, it would have flourished. But after the destruction of the earth, the highers-ups of the universe chose what to develop and what to bury. The mangas were in the category burial, deemed too dangerous because people could try to act like the protagonists with intergalactic weapons, and that could lead to the creation of some dangerous sects.


    Thankfully, it was easy for him to retrieve said buried things when he became the emperor, and since then he began to enjoy those anime, which lead him to the crazy plan of entering the black hole for a do or die gamble. It''s also thanks to those that he didn''t completely extinguish his ''light'', choosing to just hide it behind barriers, for the black hole was his hope that something out there exists, and that he could one day destroy those barriers and live a fulfilling loving life.


    Multiple times, his light was on the brink of collapse, because of the remorse and self-hatred that he had. He did a Kakashi, thinking that if he had done things differently, his mother would still have been alive. But now, having opened his heart a new time, he knew that his mother would never have wanted him to live such a disgusting life. He can''t nor want to shed who he became completely, but he can at least do it for those three cute girl friends future wives.

 Chapter 24 - Youre weak.

    A sweet feeling arose from the depths of their hearts, their own family, people that they love and can trust.


    For Mikoto, it was so unlike her clan that was full of coldness and formality. Even her father that loves her is willing to sell her to the clan to preserve his place.


    For Tsume, it was the same, her clan was full of rivalry, the strongest becomes the alpha and lead the pack. Knowing that people will respect and love her even if she is not the strongest made her smile sweetly.


    And Kushina...She bawled her eyes out and swept Minato in a hug. Since the news of her family''s death, she was sad and lonely, not knowing what to do with her life. But now, she has her own family!


    "I''m joking, those seals were slaves seals" Exclaimed Minato with a wicked smile and dark voice.


    Kushina exits his embrace and went back to sit, chatting with Mikoto and Tsume completely ignoring him.


    ''Oi oi, not even a reaction, and here I wanted to scare them a bit. Do they trust me that much? They''re pretty naive. Well, good for me. I will just have to protect them from the bastards outside...And for that, I will have to make them suffer first'' An ominous aura surrounded Minato, making the 3 girls shiver, feeling that they would be in for a world of pain.


    "Well, now that all the formalities are done, I''m going to train you"


    Hearing that, they stopped chatting and concentrated on Minato. This whole conversation began because of that but they forgot about it because of all the things that were said.


    "I will first train you all in the basics. You must train your body and mind first to accumulate chakra. For the next months, you will do all sorts of exercises to better your agility and endurance, and exercise your taijutsu katas while in battle between each other or with me. With that, you will learn to meditate and to access your mindscape"


    "What''s a mindscape?" Tilting her head, Kushina asked.


    "It''s a place where all your memories are stored, and where your consciousness resides. To find it you must ''fuse'' with your chakra, and it will guide you there"


    "And what is the use of accessing our mindscape?" questioned Tsume.


    "You will have full control over your memories, able to review anything easily. If you trained in your mindscape, your spiritual energy will grow and so will your chakra. And if one day you have full control over it, you could even slow the time there, training 1 year there for one night. One of the reasons I''m so good at fighting is thanks to the image training that I did, and you could unlock it when you can have access to your battles memories." Enticed Minato, knowing that they need to have concrete examples to understand the awesomeness of the mind.


    "Gasp" They were shocked to the core, there exist such a thing. They thought that is was impossible to train the mind, that their mental power will grow with age and experience compared to their physical power trained by stressing the body. But if they could train their mental energy, doesn''t it mean that they will have higher chakra reserves than others in the future?


    Seeing the doubt in their eyes, he knew what they were thinking "It''s true that the Yamanaka have access to people''s mind, but they use their technique only for attacking and taking over the bodies of their adversary. You must understand that chakra was not made to fight in the first place. The more you understand chakra, the better grasp of it you will have and only then could you hope one day become a true powerhouse, surpassing the Kages." ''And one day, we could even link all our mind together, becoming even closer''


    "As strong as the Kyuubi?" asked Kushina hopefully


    "En(Yes), one day you could even eject him from your mind where he was sealed if you become strong enough, without dying"


    Kushina made a joyful shout, happy that she could one day be the only one in her body


    "But for the time being, you should squeeze him dry. Even if I pity him a bit, in the end, he is not my friend and I don''t really care about him, so you should use his chakra to train yourself."


    "Pity him?" Asked Mikoto thoughtfully


    "Hm, yeah, don''t tell me you believe they are mindless beasts of destructions" Seeing them turned their head away bashfully, he sighed "They are thousand years old, if we still exist here it''s because they did not bother to kill us all and were minding their business before Hashirama came and capture them to ''protect humanity''"


    "So they were enslaved even if they did nothing, just because of fear" exclaimed Kushina in pity, and having the last respect that she had for Hashirama vanishing.


    "You can say that, but even if you''re not afraid anymore and try to befriend him, I doubt that will work, he should merely be a ball of hurt hiding behind a ball of hate. After all, if he did not wipe out humanity, it must be because he can''t do it. Maybe the Rikudo Sennin deemed him as a guardian of us or something like that. And from the stories I''ve heard, this guy is full of hate, who will not be? He was captured by the people that he protected."


    "Hm, I will still try ''ttebane, if we must share my body for the years to come I will prefer to be on good terms with him" Pumping her fist, Kushina was fired up.


    "Suit yourself, but to do that you must first learn to access your mind. And apart from that, you will only train chakra control and the basics of ninjutsu for the time being, because, with your pitiful level of chakra, it will be a waste of time to train other things. And with the Kyuubi inside of you, your chakra level will shot through the roofs Kushina, and you will have a headache with that"


    "Is that your secret training? It''s a bit banal and boring" exclaimed Tsume suspiciously


    "The basics are the fundamentals, what is the use of breathing fire where you could sneak in, slit a throat and escape without being seen by anyone? A true ninja does not need fancy tricks. The only ninjutsu worthy of being used is those powerful and fast. The fireball Jutsu of Mikoto''s clan can be evaded so easily that it''s pathetic and should be called ''Fire style: Distraction no Jutsu''" explained Minato


    Mikoto made an awkward face, her family ritual Jutsu was considered a distraction by Minato. But thinking about it, it made some sense, she never heard of anyone boasting about frying enemies with this Jutsu. A simple Kawarimi and it became useless because it takes far too much time to cast it with all the hand seals.


    "Well, you will only do that for the time being, with some kunai and shuriken throwing. Only when you become strong enough with the bases will specializing be useful. Even if you learn some Jutsu now, it will be so weak that it will be laughable." Remembering Kakashi being awed because Sasuke spit out a pitiful fireball at 12 years old was laughable to Minato. Itachi was considered S-rank with only his Bukijutsu, fireball technique, and Sharingan. And even then, the fireball technique was just used as a diversion.


    "You must take the full course of the academy and only graduate when you become 12 years old, even if you have to bu?? heads with your clans. But beware of changing your character too fast, if you do that there will be suspicions."


    "Do you intend to graduate early?" asked Mikoto, catching on it.


    "Yes, the Hokage and Danzo already have their eyes on me, so I must show the results befitting of a genius. The Hokage will surely have me graduate in the next graduation exam in 4 months and place me under a mentor, maybe one of his disciples, to keep tabs on me and at the same time grooming me for maybe being his successor. After all, the level of people at the academy is low so they have no choice but do that when somebody talented appear."


    "But why can''t we graduate early too?" Asked Kushina grudgingly, not willing to be left behind.


    "Because you''re weak, and a war is on the horizon. If you graduate early, you will have strong chances to die...Or not. You''re two clans heir and a jinchuuriki so they will not allow you to graduate early. So just act like the usual, Konoha is our base, we must not let them know that something is up"


    Seeing him calling them weak made them internally seethe in indignation, but unfortunately, he only said the truth. They must train extra hard to become his equal. And for the war mentioned, they can''t do anything about it, after all, if they fight in it they will be only canon fodders, and they are not willing to sacrifice themselves for the village anymore.

 Chapter 25 - At last the blood boils

    Months passed and in a blink of an eye, it has been 10 months since Byron came into this world and began his new life.


    Leaving his studio feeling refreshed, Minato stumbled upon Kushina.


    "Good luck with your graduation exam Minato, even if you don''t need it. The girls and I will come to cheer for you later."


    "Thanks Kushi, see you later" Giving her a kiss on the cheek as morning greeting, Minato continued on his way to the academy.


    While on the road, he began to think about what will happen after that ''I don''t think I will be placed on a genin team, with a war around the way those will be useless because the chunin or more will enter the battlefield while genin will act as a support. Well, I suppose I will finish under Jiraya as an apprentice this time around instead of being on a team under him. It''s better that way, I won''t have people slowing me down and I could begin challenge myself on hard missions to battle against real enemies and not just those in my mind. Well, of course not without insurance, I don''t want to die because I overestimated myself.''


    Arriving at the academy, he went to the classroom 4-a, where the examinations will begin. Entering the room, he looked around but doesn''t recognize anyone ''Well, the generation of Shikaku and Fugaku is 2 years older than me so they are still in the third year, and with a war around the corner, their clans will not be foolish enough to graduate them early and send them to the battlefield. A genin is a soldier of the village, the clans have little say in how the Hokage dispatched them. Not that he will kill them intentionally, but he can''t give them an obvious better treatment, if not he will lose the impartiality that he should have.''


    He took a seat in the back of the class and began to wait while listening to the chatter of the 4th year student.


    "Today I will graduate and will be on my road to becoming Hokage!" "I will finally be able to accept missions and do ninja stuff, my time to shine is near!"...Listening to all those silly talks, Minato scoffed internally, knowing that more than ninety percent of those guys will soon die and those that don''t will be scarred for life.


    "Hey Ito, did you read the new chapter of Inazuma eleven?" A sudden conversation caught the attention of Minato.


    "Yeah, I hope they will teach a lesson to those pricks of Epsilon soon! I''m sure that Inazuma eleven will win the next match against them"


    "You''re right, there is no way that they will lose with Shawn Frost from the Land of Frost''s academy training like a madman to score!"


    "I''m so frustrated that Axel Blaze was fired! But Tori, the daughter of the Fire Daimyo sure is cute!"


    "You''re right. But man, that guy Genesis sure is a genius to draw such an amazing manga. Since he introduced the concept of manga, people began to try drawing one but they''re so lousy. Not only that, he even wrote without discrimination against other countries. Even if the Inazuma team from Konoha''s academy is on the path of becoming the strongest, he was kind enough to make the Royal academy from the land of Whirlpool the strongest for a whole 40 years, even if everybody knows that Konoha has always been the strongest."


    "Do you think that he had a friend from there that died and dedicate this book to him?"


    "Hum, you may be right."


    ''Of course, they are lousy, in a world where they don''t even know the meaning of entertainment, trying to write a story from scratch with just imagination is not something that you guys can do. You use chakra just to wage wars instead of developing things with this amazing energy, so there is no way people will beat me on imagination'' Thought Minato, disdaining people that try to reap some benefits by copying him.


    ''And what dedication to a deceased friend, I just stated the truth. Uzushigakure were stronger than Konoha since the 2nd Hokage died''


    "Okay students quiet down, the writing test will begin!" The teacher of the 4th year came in class and began to distribute subjects.


    Minato answered all the questions in thirty minutes, all the knowledge already inside his brain. His thoughts then wandered, and he began to brainstorm on how to better his lifestyle without attracting too much attention on himself and without people using his ideas to wage even more wars ''Technology mixed with chakra could literally destroy the world, not even talking about the pollution. Sigh, it seems that I can only create things based on chakra, I don''t want to see a mix of Hiroshima and Juubi''s bijuudama.


    Hm, maybe some minerals could act as natural energy storage and could be used as energy sources. After all, people here pass their times to wage wars for territory without even unearthing the resources hidden in their own, so a thing like that should exist underground since it has been thousands of years that the Shinju stopped su?k?n? all the natural energy. Well, no use of thinking about it now, I can''t traverse through earth like those Iwa guys.''


    1 hour later, "Okay time is up, put your pens down and go to the training ground for your next test!"


    Following the students outside, Minato listened to some grumbling about ''lousy written exam''. ''Whichever the world, people dislike studying despite it being the only thing that can make us humans stand at the top of the food chain. People forgot that the human mind is our most powerful tool...Would have I been such a barbarian if I was born in this world?'' Thought Minato


    Arriving at the training ground, the students were fanshinobing, the Hokage came to see them! Even if they knew it already, they couldn''t stop themselves from being excited. While Minato was...


    ''Fuck, all this lineup just for me, seriously? Danzo, the 2 elders bats, the three future Sannin...Oi oi, times truly have changed. Even Itachi who showed more genius than me at my age was not able to have such a line up for his graduation exams'' All of them were situated on an elevated platform in the training ground, with the three still youthful elders and the Hokage sitting. And from Minato''s memories, only the Hokage should have been here for the graduation exams.


    Sensing the cold and hard gaze of Danzo, with the curious borderline creepy of Orochimaru''s, a chill went down Minato spine ''I hope all will go well, I''m not ready to battle those monsters. Hokage guy, protect me well!''


    Seeing that Danzo has his eyes on Minato and even came here to see him personally, Sarutobi frowned inwardly and decided that more measures have to be taken to ensure he did not die young. It''s not every day that such promising seedlings came by, and before his death, Tobirama made them promise that when one comes by, they should nurture them. He will not let him fall in Danzo''s hands, where he would just become a puppet against him.


    Standing up, the Sandaime coughed and gathers the attention of all students. "Each one of you possesses the will of fire. It is passed down by the Hokage to each generation. It helps us fight and protect the village even when things look bleak. It''s the will to never give up. As the Hokage, every one of the villagers is family. The will of fire is what binds us together. I hope to see you become fine shinobis, helping me protect this big family!"


    In a corner of the training ground, Kushina, Tsume and Mikoto were listening to the Sandaime speech, and couldn''t help but ask themselves how did they even think one time that the will of fire was all that mattered, and that people they don''t even know was considered their families ''Did we one time thought of dying for other people because of this speech?'' A chill went down their spines, if not for Minato they would maybe in the future sacrifice themselves for people that will not even care about it, thinking that it was normal for them to give their lives to strangers.


    Having finished his speech, he went back, and the battle graduation began, with one chunin going to the center of the training ground and battled with the hopeful genins.


    Looking at them, Minato was at least relieved of the intelligence of the higher-ups. They are far stronger than Naruto''s generation, so even if they''re weaklings, they will be useful cannon fodder and not burdens. ''I wonder what would Hashirama think? All that he worked for went to smoke since he died. Madara and Hashirama changed because of power, will I change too? I hope I will not become a melodramatic jerk one day. Well, if I become one Kushina will punch me to wake me up, it''s good to have people that you can count on. I understand slightly the power of friendship...Or not, even if I like them I can''t deny that if we fight together they will become big burdens. I hope that one day the will catch up to me, teamwork would only be useful by then''


    "Next, Namikaze Minato" Minato''s name made the higher-ups perked up, they were truly bored to death. If not for him, they will have never come here to look at those boring fights.


    Arriving in front of the chunin, Minato took a deep breath. To others, this action made them think that he was nervous, but Minato was calming his excitement, not his nerves, hoping that he will not be swept up by the fight and show too much. After all, it will be his first time that he fights a real shinobi, even if it''s a sparring match. ''Gosh, why am I so excited? Since when did I become a battle freak...But thinking of one day battling Madara truly makes my blood boil. It has been a long time since I''ve felt this alive.''

 Chapter 26 - Katon: Trick no jutsu!

    "Come" Said the no-name chunin.


    Taking the initiative, Minato lunged at him at low-chunin speed, and began to ?ssault the chunin with his still imperfect Goken. He prefers to fight with the swift style, but it''s better to show that he still has progress to make in Taijutsu.


    No-name was caught off guard, he never has thought that such a young kid could be this powerful, so he was on the backfoot during the first exchanges, dodging and blocking his attacks. Thankfully, he was slightly faster and stronger than Minato thanks to his size, so he began to counterattack and took back the upper hand


    Minato could have kept him on the backfoot thanks to his ''Hyper intuition'' and his experience, but he is only here to pass a test, not to show all his cards.


    The battle continued, with the chunin on the winning side mainly thanks to his size and longer appendages, and Minato seemingly having no choice but to dodge, and unable to retaliate because of his short reach.


    Instead of rejoicing, No-name became more and more restless, because he was unable to land the finishing blow, each time Minato will evade it at the last second.


    He was unable to believe that he showed such an unsightly sight to the Hokage, taking such a long time to beat an academy student. Instead of being a show of prowess of that student, it became a true battle. If his friends learned of it, he will lose all face in the ninja corps.


    Unfortunately, he was not thinking clearly anymore, he never asked himself why did the elders and the Hokage students come here?


    Because of his restlessness, he made an obvious mistake letting a big opening. Knowing that it was safe to take it without appearing to be an experienced fighter, Minato took advantage of it and deliver a powerful kick in the stomach of his adversary, making him stumble back.


    He then crossed the distance between them while doing hand signs (mudra). Seeing that, no-name was alarmed, ninjutsu was not authorized, what did that guy think he was doing? And where the fu?k did her learn one?


    "Katon (Fire style), Fireball Jutsu" Finishing the hand signs, Minato took a deep breath, seemingly gathering chakra into his lungs to expel a fireball.


    The chunin hurriedly rolled to the side, having no time to perform one himself because he was caught unprepared, unable to believe that this madman will use such a thing for a graduation exam.


    Not only him, even the spectators were caught off guard, with the Sandaime frowning thinking that because he was losing, Minato resorted to cheating.


    But against all the expectations, no fireball exited Minato mouth. Instead, he lunged at the rolling chunin, and punched him on the temple, knocking him out.


    A huge silence fell over the training ground, before a burst of loud laughter rang.


    "Hahaha, way to go kid. You even tricked us!" Jiraya laughter seemingly woke them up, and a burst of discussion explode on the training ground.


    Some students were awed that somebody three years younger than them won against a chunin, while others that were jealous of him said it was only because he used a trick in the end so it did not count.


    Meanwhile, the Hokage broke out in a chuckle, unable to believe that he has been had by a child. Truly, the new generation surpassed the old.


    "Look hime (princess), he is my student, isn''t he awesome? Well, having a teacher like me, it''s only a matter of fact. Why don''t you go out with someone as awesome as me?" Boasted Jiraya, trying to take credit for Minato feat.


    "Bullshit Jiraya, you taught him nothing since sensei ?ssign you to him, you b?r?ly went to see him only once a month. And I hope for you that you did not teach him your perversion if not I will beat you half-dead" Threatened Tsunade, waving her fist. What was left unsaid was that even her grandmother Mito was admiring the kid. But saying it to others will only attract trouble for him, a thing she was not willing. During the month that he came to her house, she has developed a soft spot for him, taking a liking to this little guy. ''Nawaki became even more motivated, not willing to be shown up by a kid younger than him'' Thinking of Nawaki, her face broke into a fond smile, sending Jiraya in his disillusions.


    Unlike his teammates and his sensei, Orochimaru sensed something in Minato, that he was hiding things like him and he was not what he displays. After all, Minato could be considered acting like a snake. ''Interesting, I will observe you Minato, maybe you could surprise me'' Licking his lips, he somehow sensed that when he will shed all pretense, he would be for a huge surprise.


    As for Danzo, nobody knew what he was thinking. Since coming here, his eyes were cold and unwavering.


    Suddenly, Minato Hyper Intuition sent him a horrible feeling, like he was a prey observed by a snake. Knowing who it was, he mustered all the will that he had to not display any signs of having sensed something, not willing to let Orochimaru know it. Even if Minato was stronger than Orochimaru at his peak, having the memories is far from insufficient to even survive against somebody of this caliber. He was thankful to not have hidden, at least now that he is in the light, Danzo and Orochimaru will not dare to touch him lightly. If he had hidden and one of those two discovered him, he would have been finished. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine, making him aware that even if he knows the events that will happen, he is still weak. He can still be killed by side characters that never appeared, and it will be his end. After all, he doesn''t have a second chance and plot armor.


    Going to his buddies, they congratulate him. Minato kissed them on the cheek as greetings, used to it thanks to his previous world. When he did it the first time, they blushed crazily and had all sorts of funny reactions, but they became used to it with the months, marking it as one of Minato''s quirks.


    Seeing Minato so close with them, pellicular lights passed through Hiruzen and Danzo''s eyes. The first was happy that the seed he was ready to nurture have a close relationship with Kyuubi jinchuuriki, while the latter was thinking that if he controlled Minato, he could control the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, or vice versa.


    The two of them didn''t really put Mikoto and Tsume in their eyes, knowing that they were merely chess pieces from their clans and that they would never hold any real power.

 Chapter 27 - Hitting a plateau

    After the end of the battles, the higher-ups quickly went back. If not because it would have been impolite, Minato reckons that they would have left directly after his battle.


    The students finally passed the last test: Ninjutsu.


    Bunshin, Henge, and Kawarimi were the three basics Jutsu taught at the academy from the second year onwards. Thankfully, Jiraya became the ''sensei'' of Minato a month after the first Taijutsu battle at the academy, and so he gave him the scrolls for those three Jutsu. Without knowing them officially, it would have been a pinch for Minato to graduate.


    Apart from the basics, he did not teach him anything more. The rest of the time he deigned to check upon him were spent with Jiraya begging to let him use Inazuma characters into his Icha Icha series. Even if there are no real author rights in this world, it would be unbecoming of Jiraya to steal without asking for permission. Minato was unwilling to let his personages play in a third rate p?rn book, but at the same time not willing to offend Jiraya by refusing him completely. Even if he appeared to be a good-natured guy in the anime, in the end, he doesn''t know him personally well enough to ascertain it. And he will not make such a rookie mistake as thinking that because he was a good guy on TV it was ok. Kakashi is a good guy...Kakashi killed hundreds. In the end, they were good to Naruto, not him, so he can''t confuse it.


    They came to a consensus. Minato will help him with character design while he promised to never use his manga characters.


    While waiting for his turn, Minato was thinking of his battle against the Chunin instructor.


    ''All those hours spent doing mental battles were truly useful. Even if I didn''t fight anybody in real, this battle allowed me to see that it was the same. I spent most of my time doing it, thankfully all this time was not wasted. In the end, battle experience is the most important thing, even Kaguya, who was by far more powerful than anyone lost. If she was good at fighting, she would have completely decimated them with her level of chakra. I spent the majority of those ten months on that, so the rest of my ninja arts did not improve so much, but at least the most important, my taijutsu is top-notch.


    Now that I have hitten a plateau in all things concerning my body, I can begin to truly focus on other things. My clones trained in those arts but it can''t compare to me doing it directly because my chakra is too thin when I make some. With my mental and physical regeneration, which means chakra regeneration, if I train myself it will be far faster. And a chunin training can''t compare to a genin. Using the backlash of numerous Kage Bunshin to increase my mental energy begins to lose its efficiency too. Even if it was still useful, now that I''m not in the academy and will do missions outside I can''t do this sort of training anymore''


    ---


    Later this day, having aced the last exam, Minato went to celebrate his success with his mandem at Yakiniku Q.


    "Haha, it was hilarious how you trick them all Minato, everybody was thinking that you were going to use ninjutsu out of frustration because you were on the losing end, but it was just a diversion!" Tsume laughed, banging on the table recalling the expression of the chunin, when he finally realized that he was tricked before being knocked out.


    "But how did you know the Fireball Jutsu?" Inquired Mikoto, he did not have a clan to teach him Jutsu, so he should not know any...Well, maybe it was from his clan records.


    "I don''t know it. I just know the hand signs because I saw them multiples time, it''s a widespread Jutsu here in Konoha. I don''t even have fire affinity, there is no way I will lose time to learn such thing" Denied Minato, waving his hand.


    When he will begin his elemental training, it will be with his affi...Er, now that he remembers, he has all the five basic affinities. He even forgot about it ''Should I have a clone learn them in the end?... Nop, it would not help me to save my hide in the war to come but just paint a bigger target. If people see that I don''t use ninjutsu, they will underestimate me. They did it for the Dai, Gai, Lee trio, some of the more powerful ninja of all times. For them, true shinobi must breathe fire, rubbish. A true ninja is stealthy, and kill without being seen. If I had Naruto''s chakra, I would have learned it long ago, each of his clones has more chakra than me when I don''t make any...''


    "Ne Minato, when do you think we will be as strong as you?" Sulked Kushina. Seeing him manhandled a chunin made her realize that even with all the progress they did with the harsh training regimen that he gave them, it was far from sufficient to catch up to him.


    "Truthfully I don''t know, the academy takes a lot of your day so you can''t train to your full potential. But if you graduate now it will be dangerous for you. I think after you graduate will be the time when you will make reals progress. Even I begin to stagnate, my body is already at its peak and it''s difficult for me to grow stronger with such a small body without harming my future" Explained Minato. In the end, he has the body of a soon to be nine years old, so he is limited. The best age for training begins at 12 years old, and finish at 20 years old. It''s during those eight years that people will do real progress, and catch up to the geniuses.


    Thinking up to that, he frowned internally. If he wants to progress now that he is at the peak of his natural body, he must stimulate himself with weights. But doing so could have a detrimental effect on his growth. Before the end of puberty, people''s bones are malleable. It means that if he forces his body to support weights, his bones will not grow well and he will forever be small. So, having a kage level body before the end of the puberty is just a foolish dream that could forever halt his growth, a thing he was unwilling to do.


    Having caught on the fact that he will not continue to pull far ahead of them because of his still-growing body, they were determined to catch up to him, so when their bodies have developed they could stand with him and grow stronger at the same time. Seeing him inside his thoughts, they decided to let him be for the time being and discussed between them.


    ''Even if Itachi was Kage level at thirteen, his body was b?r?ly Jonin-level. It''s just that the Mangekyo Sharingan gave him a ton of spiritual chakra, and that he had perfect control over it. In the end, my body has hit a plateau. The only thing I can train now is my spiritual energy.''


    Learning different elements will indeed help him increasing his spiritual energy, but he was unwilling to focus on it for the time being. It is better to focus on preserving himself during the war because he will only be at cannon fodder level. He could also kill one of the girls to have the Mangekyo Sharingan and gain a huge boost of mental energy, but this thought has not even crossed his mind once. If he must sacrifice people he loves for power despite all the knowledge that he has, he would faster kill himself than to live in such a disgraceful manner. People deemed him as a ruthless monster without emotions back then, but it was because he had no loved ones to act soft with.


    Seeing that Minato has stopped frowning and came back from the land of thoughts, Mikoto asked: "So, what will you do now that you''ve graduated Minato?" She was curious about this. Minato told them that a war was coming and that his perverted teacher that taught him nothing will be busy during it.


    When he was going to answer them, an Anbu appeared before them. "Hokage-sama is asking for you, follow me please"


    "Well, I must go, let''s catch up at Kushina''s later" Having said his piece, he followed the Anbu outside the restaurant. Said guy put a hand on his shoulders and body flickered them at jonin-speed to the Hokage tower. Thankfully he was used to that sort of speed because he is as fast as that when using the shunshin, if a bit linear. If not, he would have been for a rough travel ''What a bastard manhandling me like that, if not because I was abnormal compared to people of my age, I would have retch my meal'' Grumbled Minato internally, unaware of the surprise of said Anbu, who thought that Minato had a pretty good resistance for high-speed movements.

 Chapter 28 - Tsume

    Seeing the Anbu leave, Tsume exclaimed "Minato is far ahead of us. Even if he says he will not grow stronger, it did not mean that he will not be more skilled. We have to train our ?ss off if we want to at least have a chance to catch up to him"


    "Right dattebane! We can''t let him be the strongest all our life!"


    "You''re both right, but we can''t be too harsh on ourselves, after all, we have progressed by leaps and bounds since we came to know him" Interjected Mikoto wisely.


    Hearing that, Tsume and Kushina fell deep in thoughts. It''s true that so many things happened since encountering him, that they did not really saw their progress, with Minato always being far ahead of them.


    Thinking back of all the times passed with Minato, Tsume had a look of reminiscence.


    --


    Tsume was busy doing some last minutes revisions before the small exam of today at the academy, when suddenly


    "Ooooh, oi, that''s a nice dog that you have!"


    She was startled out of her thoughts and look up to see Minato. She was surprised that he was talking to her. Despite being in the same class for one week, he never said anything to her before.


    Registering what he said, she raised her eyebrows in surprise and took her dog from the table into her arms, while looking at him proudly "It''s my ninken, Kuromaru"


    "Oh, so you''re from that shinobi clan, the Inuzukas"


    She was going to answer yes when she was interrupted by Kaito "Oi Minato, what are you doing with dog breath? Come here, we were talking of who had the biggest chance to become the next Hokage. Who do you think it will be?"


    Hearing that Tsume fumed, and she looked angrily at Minato. ''I knew it, there was no way that someone as popular as him will talk to me if it''s not to insult me''


    Since day one, not a lot of people were willing to talk to her because of the dog smell that permeated her body, with her being always with Kuromaru, adding the fact that she lived in a place where dogs are everywhere.


    Instead of the insults she expected, she saw that Minato frowned and shot a dissatisfied look at his friend. He then turned around and smiled to her "Just ignore this guy, he has no tact at all. So, what''s your name?"


    She was a bit perplexed at what happened, this guy always ignored her when Keito insulted her but here he was talking to her casually, and even sitting next to her despite the smell. She regained her senses soon enough, and answered him fast, not willing to lose a chance to have a friend that doesn''t mind her smell.


    "I''m Tsume Inuzuka"


    "I''m Minato Namikaze, I think we were destined to meet, Tsume!"


    "Destined?" Inquired Tsume, not understanding from where it came from.


    Minato just smiled "Do you wanna turn the classroom upside down with me?"


    "Huh? The classroom?"


    "Your pranks are pretty renown between us students, so if we join hands, I think we could become the best in this class!" Answered Minato, gesturing grandly with his hands.


    "Joining hands for pranks? Why would I do that?" Tsume was at loss for words. Pranks are made to be done alone, the more people, the higher the chance to be caught red-handed.


    "Like I said, to turn the classroom upside down! Alright, let''s plan for our first joined prank, Tsume!"


    "And then, the guy said "Impossible, how can it be you, Johnny?""


    Tsume laughed, everyday Minato(clone) tells her a new joke, so she was never tired of hearing them, and more that one time thought of where did all his imagination came from.


    They were leaving the academy, having just finished today lessons. She was going to ask him if he was willing to train with her this evening when they were interrupted by someone.


    "Uhm, Minato, why do you hang out with Tsume and not me, I''m more beautiful than her and I put the best perfume in Konoha"


    Hearing that, Tsume complexion sunk. This girl Yoshino and she had nothing to do with each other, but here she came and tries to snatch Minato by belittling her.


    She did not explode directly but wait for Minato''s answer. Even if she often acts tough, all those piled-up insults took a toll on her self-esteem, so she was already imagining Minato ditching her to hang out with this girl, which she admitted was more beautiful than her. She even heard Minato saying that Yoshino was beautiful the other day.


    Instead of the yes that she expected, Minato just shot a look at Yoshino with the corner of his eyes "Who are you and where are you from? Go away" Making a shooing gesture, he grabbed her hand and dragged her away.


    "Let''s go train Tsume, today is a good day for shuriken training!"


    Instead of following obediently, Tsume exploded "Why did you say that? You know her, I heard you talk with your friends the other time, you even said that Yoshino was one of the most beautiful girls in the class. Why are you lying like that?"


    She saw Minato looking around, her outburst attracted quite a lot of people. He forcefully took her hand and dragged her to his home, not saying anything the whole traject. Even when she tried to shake him off, he didn''t let go of her hand, so she let herself be dragged.


    Only after entering did he spoke again.


    "She is beautiful? Hm, yeah, in the future, she will become one hell of a woman"


    Hearing that, Tsume heart sunk.


    "But even so what? I don''t care about her at all. It''s just her body that is beautiful, so why should I bother to try to remember her name. For me, she is merely a beautiful bag of flesh that could be used when she grows to relieve my stress. I don''t need to know her name to do that, all I have to ask her and she will do it willingly. You''re far more interesting to hang out with."


    Looking into her eyes, he declared "For me, you''re more beautiful than her Tsume. I wouldn''t hang out with you if I was only looking for physical beauty."


    ---


    Just remembering that one time can make her shudder. The intensity of his gaze made her speechless.

 Chapter 29 - Kushina

    Late in the evening, a red-haired girl was overlooking Konoha from the Hokage mountain, sitting on Hashirama''s head, the man that married the legend of her clan, Mito.


    It has been a week since she came to Konoha, and things here were not at all like she expected them to be.


    Konoha has a lot of darkness hidden in broad daylight. It''s the first thing that she learned after coming here. Just because she was not born here and looks different, people here despise her.


    "Oi, what''s with the long face, Kushina"


    When she was going to drown into the negative emotions, a voice broke her out of her thoughts. Recognizing it, she smiled. The voice owner was one of the reasons that she didn''t end up isolated and depressed.


    Looking back at her blond friend, she curiously asked: "Minato, what are you doing here?"


    "Me? I stalked you after the class. I saw you were depressed so I thought you would need help or something" Deadpanned Minato


    Hearing his answer, Kushina was stunned. Regaining herself, she looked back at the village, and with a self-deprecating smile said: "Is it that obvious?"


    "Not really, I don''t think anyone else could see through you. You were cheerful for real, your mood was not faked. It''s more like something is weighing heavily on your mind constantly, and you hide it well enough"


    "Why I''m not surprised? Even if it has been only a week that I encounter you, I feel like you know everything on me. If I were not your friend, I would have been truly scared dattebane."


    "What can I say, I''ve got some good observation abilities... So, what happened?"


    Kushina sighed. "It''s nothing really, just...I miss home. In Uzushio, people were so bright and cheerful, but here people dislike me despite the fact that I''ve done nothing, it''s really depressing"


    "Hmmm, does it really matter?"


    "Of course it matters" Shouted Kushina "You don''t know what it is to have people look at you with such means eyes each time you walked through what you must now call home!"


    "You''re right, I don''t know" She was startled by his admission, but Minato was not finished "But like I said, why does it matter? Those people are stranger to you, you should not bother with them"


    "Hmph, you don''t understand! I''m tired, I''m going home, goodnight." Saying so, she huffed and went back to the Uzumaki-Senju compound, ''Stupid Minato, why can''t you understand that I want people to look at me like they look at you''


    It was nighttime in Konoha, in a soundproof apartment room, a "Who-is-louder-contest" was taking place. If not for the seals sealing the sound, all Konoha would have been woken up by now.


    "Just leave me alone Minato!"


    "Answer my question, Kushina!"


    "Why does it matter to you if I avoid you? You have other friends so stop bothering me and let me go! I don''t want to see your face anymore! I just want to be alone!"


    Hearing that, something snapped inside of Minato and his arm moved on his own.


    SLAP


    Touching her cheeks, Kushina looked at Minato in disbelief. And seeing his eyes, she trembled. It''s the first time that she saw him angry, and his icy cold eyes sent shivers to her spine.


    "You want to be alone? Stop spouting bullshit! You don''t know what it is to be all alone! Don''t say things that you can''t ?ssume!"


    The slap and Minato''s words sobered up Kushina, and tears began to leak from her eyes. ''He is right, I don''t want to be alone, I already lost my family, not him too''


    "What the- Why are you crying? I''m sorry ok, I acted without thinking because you brought such a s?ns?t?v? topic, here let me rub the pain away" Saying so, Minato rubbed her little chubby cheeks with his hands.


    Instead of comforting her as he expected, Kushina began to sob even more and buried her face into his stomach. But by this time, Minato remarked that she was not crying because of the slap. He let her do as she wants and she finished by crying herself to sleep


    Sometime later, having woken up, Kushina look around and blushed, realizing that she slept in Minato arms on her bed. Remembering what happened, she blushed even tomato-er, how could she have acted like that.


    "So, have you calmed down?"


    Startled, she looked up to see Minato watching her with amusement in his eyes. Pouting, she turned her head sideways, not having forgotten the slap that he had given her.


    "Sorry for the slap, but I promise that I will slap you again if you ever spout such nonsense as wanting to be alone"


    Hearing that, Kushina''s head dropped in shame.


    "So, can you say it now, what is bothering you?"


    Kushina hesitated a bit, she was forbidden to say it, and afraid that he will leave her if he learned about her true nature. But seeing the insistence in his eyes, and not wanting to lose him because of such secrets, she took her courage and unveiled her biggest secret.


    "I''m the Kyuubi Jinchuriki" Having said so, she closed her eyes ''At least, he will leave me because of the demon, not because I kept a secret from him'' She consoled herself


    "Pffft" Hearing a suspicious sound, she opened one eye and the strange face of Minato trying to keep his laughter greeted her.


    "Bwahahahahaha"


    Seeing him laughing at her like that, Kushina fumed and punched him on the torso. How dare this guy mocked her, she even said her biggest secret to him. ''Wait...Why does he laugh? Shouldn''t he be disgusted or something like that?''


    "Ha, ha, sorry about that, it''s been a long time since I had such a good laugh"


    "What is so amusing in me being the Kyuubi Jinchuriki?!"


    "Hm, oh that, I even forgot about it."


    "Uh?"


    "It''s just your face was so funny, you looked like a v?r??n turtle preparing herself for her big day"


    "Ah?"


    "I mean, did you see your face. Of course not, but it was so hilarious. Ah, I wish I could have taken a photo, it could have been such a good blackmail material for the future."


    Kushina''s mind gears came to a halt. She did not understand what happened at all. One moment she was speaking of her darkest secret, but not even second later he was speaking of blackmail photos.


    "Pfft"


    "Hm?"


    "Hahahaha" Kushina threw her head back and explode in laughter. She was so silly to even think he would care about such thing, Minato is Minato and he will never change. He is not the type of guy that will leave her for things like that.


    "Why do you laugh? I was mocking you. Oh! I see, you''re a verbal m?s??h?st. Eh, what a strange perverted girl, I didn''t know you were like that"


    "You''re the m?s??h?st! Your whole family is a m?s??h?st! Your bunny sleepwear is a m?s??h?st!"

 Chapter 30 - Mikoto

    Thunk, thunk, thunk


    On a training ground at the edge of the Uchiha territory, muffled sounds were emitted from thrown kunai that embedded themselves in the post.


    Mikoto concentrated on regulating her breath, a bit tired after today''s training.


    Looking at the kunai that were a bit off the mark, she frowned.


    "Not yet. If it was him, he would have reached the target perfectly each time" Muttered Mikoto in frustration.


    Rustle


    Hearing rustling sounds behind her, she instantly became alert and raised the kunai that she was going to throw in a defensive position "Who is it?"


    A blond kid came out from behind the trees, and raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture "It''s me Mikoto"


    "What do you want, Minato? It''s the Uchiha clan territory, you''re not allowed to come here" Remarked Mikoto


    "Am I not allowed to come and see my new friend?"


    "Who is your friend? We just ate a meal together and if I came it was because of Kushina"


    "Is what she said..."


    "So, what are you here for?" Repeated Mikoto, trying hard to keep her frustration in check. Even she didn''t know why she was this frustrated. She is of natural calm but seeing the difference between her and Minato made her a bit annoyed. No matter how much she trains, she doesn''t seem to catch up to him.


    Minato didn''t answer her with words but approached her. Not knowing what he wanted to do, Mikoto wanted to back away but doing so will be unbefitting of the Uchiha patriarch''s daughter, so she put a strong front and watched him with fake indifference.


    Not minding her look, Minato took her hand and inspected it "As expected"


    Flustered, Mikoto jerked her hand away and demanded "What are you doing?" while taking out the kunai that she put back in her pouch earlier.


    "Easy there, I was just looking at your hands" Seeing that it seems to incensed her even more, he continued "I previously saw that your hands were bandaged so I came here to check to see what you were doing to harm them. And it seems you train so hard that you finished by hurting yourself"


    "What does it matter to you that I hurt my hands?"


    "Because it''s my fault."


    Mikoto tilted her head, not understanding. It''s her that trained too much...Oh.


    Seeing the flash of comprehension in Mikoto''s eyes, Minato confirmed it "Since the beginning of the academy, I observed all the talented individuals in the class, and you possess one of the best potentials. Before we began training in bukijutsu, your hands were always perfect, but since I show that I was better than you at what your clan excel, I remarked that you often come in class with bandages on your hands"


    "So what, are you here to mock me?" asked Mikoto in a despising voice. Her impression of Minato plummeted, she would never have thought that he was this conceited.


    "Do you think I came all the way here to do that?" Quizzed Minato.


    Seeing the disdain in Minato''s eyes made her pause. It''s true that this guy was not the type to do pointless things like that. Even if she didn''t talk to him before, with all the pranks that he did with that dog girl during classes, she was involuntarily often looking at him and has a good grasp of his personality.


    "It''s good to train but forcing it will only worsen things. I know that your clan is the best at kunai and shuriken throwing, but there is one glaring mistake in what you''ve learned"


    Mikoto was going to rebuke him, how can this guy say that her clan teachings are wrong? He is merely an academy student like her. But Minato didn''t let her interrupt him.


    "It''s designed for men"


    "?"


    Seeing the puzzled look of Mikoto, Minato elaborated "The way to throw that you learned is for men. The Uchiha clan is a patriarchal family, so everything is made with men as a basis, including the training methods. Women are naturally more flexible than men, so the fact that you learn a more ''rigid'' way to throw kunai is why you feel awkward when you throw them and that you don''t progress"


    Mikoto''s thoughts stilled. It made sense...It may even be right. Each time she throws her weapons with the technique that her father imparted to her, she felt it''s out of place. She said it once to her father but he answered it was because of her lack of talent.


    "You can try"


    Mikoto shrugged and nodded, she has nothing to lose anyway. Doing as Minato said, she adjusted her grasp on the kunai multiple times till she felt that it was right, and threw it to the training post.


    Thunk, dead center.


    Not believing how easy it was, she tried again, dead center. And again and again, till she exhausted all her kunai. All her throws were perfect. She couldn''t believe it, all this time she was so obsessed to prove her father that she was talented in bukijutsu and tried to throw kunai as he said that she never once thought of trying to find a more suitable way for her...


    ---


    Recalling the first time that she met alone with Minato, Mikoto smiled softly. Since then, they sometimes train just the two of them in this small training ground, doing some sparring or weapon throwing contest, and other times with Kushina and Tsume present too. This particular training ground was not often used by Uchiha clans members because it''s at the edge of the Uchiha territory, with people not from the clan sometimes passing near it, so it was a perfect place for some of their sparring sessions.


    "What are you three daydreaming about?"


    Tsume, Kushina, and Mikoto were broke out of their recollections by the voice and looking at the source, it was a blond hair girl with a single bang which falls down into her face.


    "Mebuki" Beamed Kushina, happy to see her friend.


    Meanwhile, Tsume and Mikoto greeted her but less enthusiastically. They did not dislike her but are not fond of her either. Unlike them, Mebuki Haruno dislikes training and never once accept their invitations to train, and for them, whose goal is to become strong enough to be on par with Minato one day, hanging out with a girl with no real motivation is not their cup of tea.

 Chapter 31 - Jiraya-sensei

    Entering the Hokage office, Minato had an ''as expected'' look on his face seeing Jiraya.


    "You summoned me Hokage-sama?" Nevertheless, he still asked politely by formality.


    The Sandaime did not respond to him directly. Instead, he looked outside the window and over the village. Seeing the kids running through the streets always brought a smile to his face.


    "Minato, what is your dream?" Even if he knew it, Hiruzen still asked.


    "I want to become Hokage!" answered resolutely Minato. Adding in his thoughts ''To control the village, I don''t want anyone having power over me''


    Looking sharply in the eyes of Minato, and seeing him not back down nor sensing any deceit, because there wasn''t any, the Sandaime smiled "Hm, it''s a good dream. Maybe one day you will take my hat if you persevere and train hard enough"


    "He is damn right gaki (kid)! With the training of the great Jiraya-sama, the Gama sennin, you will be Hokage in no time. And if you write me more characters, I could even introduce you to a special training" Exclaimed Jiraya, with a perverted smile thinking of all the scenario he could write. Thanks to Minato, his Icha Icha series became even more popular.


    Even if he tried, Minato couldn''t stop his lips from twitching ''I''m sure the only reason he grew so strong is for wooing women, if not, with his s?x-filled brain, he would not have the will to do any training''


    Coughing embarrassedly, the Sandaime hurriedly changed the subject, afraid that this student of his will make him lose all the respect in front of Minato. "Jiraya here will become your teacher. You will not be placed into any team because you''re already too advanced compared to your fellow genin. Konoha indeed advocates teamwork, and if we had time, I will have placed you into a team. Unfortunately, times are turbulent, and war is near."


    Hearing that, Minato took a serious face. Knowing it and hearing it was two different things. He is not adverse of wars, knowing that it''s just one of the facet of humanity, but he would have preferred if it would have been reported to a few years later, where he would have been strong enough to survive nearly anything.


    "There should be around a year before the war begins, during that time Jiraya will teach you. I won''t hide it from you, the more you learn the less chances you will have of dying. So I hope you will take your training with him seriously" Declared Hiruzen. Cajoling him would be restraining his potential, so instead of doing that, he can only give him the cards to survive the turbulent time. He can only protect him fully in Konoha, outside of it, things are out of his jurisdiction. He can''t not send him to war, such favoritism is not befitting of his rank. If he can''t survive it, it means that he was not fated to become Hokage. Talent and the will of fire are not the only criteria to become one.


    --


    Exiting the Hokage office, Minato lost his polite demeanor and gave a side-eye look at Jiraya. "Don''t you need to train too?"


    "Mwahaha, don''t worry about it Gaki, I''m already pretty strong. If you''re thankful for the fact that I will train you, you can give me more characters to write"


    "Eh, I hope you will train me for real, not just giving me some scrolls and letting me train them by myself" remarked Minato sarcastically ''If I progress too much on my own, people will begin to be suspicious, at least I have to make me learn all the ninja related stuff like stealth and things like that. I already know it, but I can''t be careful enough. Who knows if people will catch on my real self''


    "Eh, don''t sweat it. Well, I got to go, I have some research to do. See you later gaki" With that he disappeared, letting Minato on his own


    "Well, I should visit Dai-sensei and tell him that I became a genin." mumbled Minato. Without knowing it, he has come to grow fond of this energetic father of Gai. He was so pure-hearted that nobody could dislike him.


    Konoha is divided into multiple districts: The civilian district, the ANBU district, the shinobi district, and the clans'' compounds.


    Civilians and shinobi don''t like to mingle with each other too much. The formers are afraid of the latter even if they protect them. After all, civilians are weak and could be killed easily by shinobi with a flick of their wrists. Multiple incidents already occurred, with shinobi in bad mood venting on civilians that look at them in fear and caution despite the fact that they risked their lives for them and accidentally using too much force and crippling them, sometimes even killing them. Those unfortunate souls that lost control for a bit were sent to the Kuja prison, rotting for all their life.


    The shinobi from clans live in their clan compound, but the majority are of civilian origin, or from small clan who doesn''t have their own compound because not meeting the requirement. They lived in what is called the shinobi district, with commerce opened by retired shinobi.


    It does not mean that some do not live in the civilian district, but rather, the majority of them dislike seeing looks of fear every day. Even if the civilians think it''s hidden, for a skilled killer, it''s easy to see through their facades.


    Unfortunately, it''s the way of the world. Weaklings fear the strong, even if said strong protect them. The reason Minato dislikes this world is that the strong are forced to protect the weak, not by a stronger guy, but to maintain a status quo. All the Kage could have easily killed Daimyo and created a flourishing society, but they bowed to the whim of those guys without an ounce of power. Maybe it didn''t even occur to them, already use to live like that. Even Naruto was nothing more than the ??pdog of the Daimyo and the Konoha council, despite his enormous power. If you don''t stand for yourself, people will always take advantage of you. All his life he painted himself as non-threatening to be accepted, so maybe he was happy to be walked on in the end.


    Finishing with his internal rant, Minato arrived at Dai''s house, in the civilian district, not far from his.

 Chapter 32 - Dai sensei

    Knocking on the door, Minato didn''t have to wait for long before somebody opened it.


    "Oya, if it isn''t Minato. How are you today?"


    "Hello, Madam Maito. Good day to you. And thank you for asking, I''m fine, in fact, I''m very well today, I just successfully graduated from the academy!"


    Ushering him inside, she asked, "I see, did you came here to say that to my husband?"


    "As sharp as always. Yes, unfortunately, I was ?ssigned to a new sensei so I won''t have that much time to train under Dai-sensei"


    Before his wife could respond, Dai appeared from a nearby room, but not in a youthful manner.


    "You can stop to call me sensei now young Minato-kun, we are of the same rank so I don''t have anymore the qualifications for this"


    Looking incredulous, Minato exclaimed "Are you a fool Dai sensei? Why should I care about the fact that we''re both genin? You''re still far ahead of me and I have a lot of things that I still have to learn on taijutsu from you! If you don''t have the qualifications to be my sensei, nobody has it!" ''All the things that Jiraya will teach me, I already know them. And Dai''s taijutsu is far better than even Minato as its peak, if I lose such a teacher it will truly be a big loss. Only with a guy like him could I successfully merge multiple fighting styles, he is the genius at Taijutsu, not me. Even if I have the knowledge, it''s useless if I can''t applicate it properly.''


    Maito Dai was moved to tears, even if people criticizing him didn''t affect him, having somebody looking up to him like that is really good.


    "Minato!" He lunged at Minato, embracing him while crying waterfalls. The latter was trying all he could to escape but he was physcially weaker than Dai, so he could not force himself out and accepted his fate. He could have escaped with some cheap tricks but he let Dai have his way for today, seeing that he was really touched ''Ah, I''m sullied. I''m sorry Kushina. I''m sorry Mikoto. I''m sorry Tsume. I lost my manly hug v?r??n?t? to eyebrows.''


    Looking over them, Madam Maito was glad. It has been a long time since her husband has shown such truthful emotions. Even if he often cried, it''s more a mannerism that anything, but here, those were reals tears of joy.


    "Yoooooosh! If we have two time less to train, I will train you two times harder. And if we have a hundred time less to train, I will train you hundred times harder! Let''s fan our flames of youth Minato!"


    "Hai! Dai-sensei!" ''It''s not possible though...We already train to my limit.''


    Knocking on the head of her husband, Madam Maito scolded him "Minato became a genin and the only thing that you can think is torturing him. Hmph, ignore him Minato, I will prepare a good meal so let''s celebrate it, you can play with Gai for the time being, he is in his room."


    "Aaaah! I forgot about my son!" Saying that, Dai bolted back from the room he came from, and from it, youthful sounds could be heard.


    Seeing that, Madam Maito couldn''t help but shake her head in exasperation, but with a fond smile not leaving her face.


    Minato took fresh ingredients from a sealing scroll in his kunai pouch, already having known in advance that it will happen.


    Looking at that, Madam Maito couldn''t help but sigh with a complicated look "You don''t have to do that you know Minato, helping us I mean..."


    Minato cut her mid-sentence "Don''t worry about it, I have so much money that I can''t spend it all. And with Dai-sensei only a genin, he doesn''t earn a lot, not even speaking of all the time that he helped me train and can''t complete missions. If I don''t help you with your money problems, I will truly be trash. Even if it''s unyouthful to pay for my teachings like Dai-sensei would say, if he doesn''t know it, there is no problem."


    Madam Maito couldn''t help but chuckle and gave him a grateful look. Because of the low rank of her husband, the ends months were truly hard, but thanks to this little guy, they now don''t have to struggle anymore. Even if she is a little guilty of accepting things from him, she didn''t reject his good intentions. With a son now, she doesn''t have any more time to work, so without Minato helping them, the first months they truly have been at their wit''s end. She would be a fool to reject his help when it could help her spend more time with Gai and let him grow healthily.


    While Madam Maito went to cook, Minato went in the direction where Dai left and entered the room, stumbling on a scene that would shock anybody, but he was already desensitized to it.


    "Gai! "Aga Bubu Dabu!" "Gai" "Aga Bubu Dabu!" "Gai!" "Aga Bubu Dabu!" An imaginary sunset appeared out of their bodies. Minato already determined that it was not a genjutsu or an illusionary trick but their aura.


    Aura is a formless energy that represents the temperament of somebody. Sometime, when people see kings and emperors, an illusion of a big castle could be seen. And it was the same with those two. Their aura of youthfulness affected the world and create an imaginary sunset, where the youthfulness of people is at its peak.


    Seeing Minato, Gai was happy and sent him a thumb up to express it. Seeing that, Minato knew that he did the right choice back then. He, at one time, wanted to take some of Gai blood to absorb his DNA and maybe acquiring his taijutsu talent, but he did not because he was not even sure if he could absorb people''s talent, or if their chakra pathway problem were genetics. And if it didn''t work and he becomes a youth believer because of this strange family DNA without earning anything, he would truly cry blood of youth.

 Chapter 33 - Leaving the village (Edited)

    The next day, Minato was summoned again to the Hokage office, with the order to be prepared. Knowing that it will be his first mission, and he doubts that it will be a foolish D-rank, he was excited to finally have a chance to leave the village and explore the world by himself and not through memories...Well with a perverted uncle in tow. He attached his new forehead protector on his left arm and prepared some sealing scrolls that he put in a backpack, not willing to let others know that his tattoo is a sealing matrix. He will only use this one if he is in a pinch and must defend himself without the time to take his weapons out of the scrolls.


    He first went to Kushina''s next door and said goodbye to her, Mikoto and Tsume. The latter two ended up staying the night here, knowing that he will go on a mission tomorrow and not willing to let him go without seeing him off. It was a good feeling to Minato, like having wives sending him off and taking care of the house while he went away.


    Arriving at the Hokage office, the Sandaime had Jiraya explain to him the basics of the mission. Jiraya has recently begun a spy network, and he must go to a small settlement in the Land of Stone to receive some news from his informant of the small hidden village of Ishi (Ishigakure no Sato). It would have been better for him to be alone, but the Hokage decided that because it was not super confidential nor dangerous, that it would be a good thing for Minato to see the outside world before the war.


    "I see, so we will go by the Land of Rain?"


    The Sandaime was surprised that Minato knew of the location of the Stone Country, it was not in the program of the academy. It shows that he went to the public library to learn some information on his own, a good quality for a ninja. But then, he showed a grave face. "Yes, but you must do exactly what Jiraya tells you to, a shinobi even stronger than I live in Amegakure, not even speaking of the fact that Iwa and Suna shinobi began to monitor this country that is between the three of us."


    Minato made a thoughtful face and nodded. Jiraya and Hiruzen thought that he was thinking about who could be even stronger than the Hokage, but he was not even bothered about that. After all, he knew Hanzo will not be foolish enough to attack one of the Hokage disciples and start the war ahead of time with Konoha''s full revenge focused on his country. ''Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. It''s during this period that they begun to become orphan and form their small group, I wonder how I could infiltrate the Akatsuki before even its formation, I can never be too cautious. Madara and the Rinnegan can''t be underestimated''


    "Let''s get going gaki. We have a week''s journey ahead of us." Sensing the doubts of Minato, Jiraya continued "If we were to go at full speed, we will be there in three days. But if we do that, we will be seen by the enemy forces. And I don''t want to deal with that during the travel"


    Minato made an ''Oh'' sound, having forgotten that this Jiraya was not yet the renown Sannin that was unafraid of anything.


    Jiraya and Minato set off directly, hoping to reach the border before night falls.


    The whole journey to Konoha''s border went by without a hitch. They arrived at a Konoha outpost, a preparation for the war to come, with spies of all nations stationed in Amegakure.


    "We will stop here tonight, from tomorrow onwards we will travel more stealthily so be sure to be in top form" Jiraya was surprised that Minato seems fine, but he thought that it was just him playing the tough guy like he did small (and even now) to impress Tsunade. He was unaware that Minato was a stamina freak, with blood that possesses a phenomenal resilience inside of him that gave him energy each time he tires.


    Minato just nodded and began to explore the surroundings. There was not really anything apart from some tents and stands, with shinobi running to and fro appearing very busy. ''It''s the fate of the weak. The higher-ups control everything while sitting comfortably while others must do all the menial work. I don''t anticipate the war to come, living here every day with b?r?ly edible food'' Just thinking about it made him frown, but it''s not like he can go rogue and abandon everything that he constructed in Konoha because of some discomfort. Not willing to spend any more time thinking about that, he went to sleep in a small tent that Jiraya reserved him. At least thanks to Jiraya there is some comfort, the others all sleep together in a cramped space.


    The next day, at the first hour of dawn, they set off again. Entering Ame, the weather completely changed, with torrential rain falling from the ever-present clouds.


    This time, they didn''t jump from tree to tree since vegetation was pretty sparse. The elementals nations are comparable to a barren land because of all the continuous wars for centuries. The only reason the Land of Fire has still so much vegetation is only thanks to Hashirama repopulating the trees with his Mokuton. And the Land of Rain, with all the flood happening daily is pretty much battered, with nothing able to grow with such a harsh rain coming down and striking heavily on the floor. The only thing noteworthy in Ame is their metal houses, they were forced to construct resistant ones, the rain would have eroded and destroyed their homes if they were made of any other thing.


    Like that, they passed four days to travel through the Land of Rain even if the distance is smaller than Konoha to the Fire country border, because of all the spies from Iwa and Suna. Jiraya could have taken them down and it would even have saved some shinobi from Konoha that would later be killed by them, but he was completely brainwashed by the toads and dislike killing people.


    He even began to preach to Minato that one day, somebody will bring peace to the shinobi world and that maybe it will be him...Peace in the killer world? Please at least say elemental nation instead of shinobi world and it would be more plausible, ?ssassins can''t bring peace. And if Shinobi exist in the first place, it is because those toads open their big mouths and manipulated Hagoromo into sealing his mother, even if she did nothing to them. After all, the shinju already absorbed natural energy even before Kaguya took the chakra fruit. Saving humanity? Rubbish, they just did it because they were afraid of her and that fool Hagoromo was a human lover and easy to manipulate.


    Thinking of that, Minato couldn''t help but hate Hagoromo. His mother loved him but he went against her for the benefits of strangers. Instead of helping her battle her inner demon because of the Shinju chakra corroding her mind, he went against her making her lose completely her rationality. All this time she kept the madness on a tight leash to protect her sons, but she was rewarded by betrayal, it''s completely normal that she went berserk after that and controlled Hamura.


    Not only that, Hagoromo even killed Hamura without too much hesitation. It''s true that he had the resurrection talisman from the sage toad, but willingly killing his brother no matter how short the time of death is, prove that he is not the good guy that he thinks himself to be. And he was incredulous when his brother Indra tried to do the same thing with Asura...


    All in all, a mother would never have harmed her son even if she became prone to madness. Unfortunately, Hagoromo was too blinded by his love of humans to see the love from his own mother. And she is now rotting in the moon for thousands of years, festering her madness even more in her loneliness.


    It was at this moment that Minato decided to save Kaguya. Even if she was dangerous, he can''t help but compared himself to her. A bit more than a hundred year compared to ten thousand years of loneliness can''t be compared at all, he doesn''t wish such ending even to his worse enemies.


    He has a lot of time to prepare for that. If it still is too dangerous, he will forget about it and kill her, but if he can, he will help her.


    Finished with his criticizing of Hagoromo, Minato woke up and made a self-deprecating smile ''It''s not like I''m any better than them. In the end, I''m far worse than them, I''m one of those scums that does everything for themselves. Compared to them doing things for others... Or at least I was like that. I try to change for the girls but it''s truly hard, having someone to care for. I don''t want to begin a journey of repentance like Sasuke but I must take extra care of them.''


    At last, after a 6-days long journey, Jiraya and Minato arrived in the Land of Stone where Jiraya informant was waiting.

 Chapter 34 - Land of Rocks

    After leaving the Land of Fire borders, Jiraya had Minato remove his forehead protector, unwilling to have any confrontation if a civilian spy from another village spot them and inform his village shinobi, not aware that his Mt Myoboku Sennin attire is an even bigger flag.


    Contouring shinobi is pretty easy thanks to their rather huge chakra...Yes, chakra sensing was a thing that Minato totally forgot about. He was so concentrated on exercising his hyper intuition that he completely omitted about using other senses. Thankfully, it''s a trick that the 21 years old Minato learned, so he was able to use it directly, even if it was a bit unrefined because of his lack of chakra control. Only the villages grunts were sent out this early to Amegakure, and they can''t suppress their chakra enough to escape his senses.


    Chakra sensing and sensors are completely different. People that have a good grasp over chakra can sense other people chakra if it isn''t restrained or if they have better control over chakra than the target hiding. Sensors can even sense hidden chakra thanks to a mind eye, that works a bit like heat sensors modern technology. All things in a certain distance that possess chakra can be seen by them, only with some Fuuinjutsu work one could evade their senses, or with strange Jutsu made for hiding.


    Civilian spies and normal civilians all have small chakra reserves that sustain their life, so shinobi are unable to distinguish one from another without looking at them. And Jiraya would rather run the risk to be recognized than sleeping in the wilds. Thankfully, nothing came up, nobody recognized him or rather nobody had the guts to attack him if they recognized him.


    As soon as they entered the Land of Stone, Minato was relieved that the rain stopped, but was instead greeted by a mix of a bit of the harsh weather of the land of Sand with the stony environment from the land of Earth.


    ''I now understand why Konoha is the center of the world. The strongest, of course, have to live in a better environment. If I were from other villages, I will, of course, want to live in the Fire country rather than those harsh environments. But from my understanding, even if they conquer Konoha I doubt they will live in the Land of Fire, taking too much pride in their own land, so in the end, war happens to destroy what they don''t have on their own territory...''


    After traveling a bit, they arrived at a small town, the third settlement that they discovered since the two hours long journey from the border.


    "I will go meet with my informant, you can go sightseeing around the town. But don''t lower your guard, the Land of Stone is the main battlefield between Suna and Iwa so there should be a lot of them in hiding" Warned Jiraya, losing his casual demeanor for the first time. Here, they are completely in the enemy territory, but he was not too worried about Minato. The kid was pretty strong, and nobody will recognize him because he just now graduated from the academy, so no one strong enough to threaten him should attack him.


    "Hai hai, just don''t wander searching for other information" Giving Jiraya a meaningful look, Minato left him behind and enter the town by the front doors. This town is just a small one, not the Hidden village of the Land of Stone, so anybody can come and go as they want. The guards are not willing to antagonize other people in those difficult times, knowing that their settlement could be razed if they angered a disguised Iwa or Suna shinobi.


    "This brat!" Meanwhile, Jiraya was fuming. Does he not inspire any confidence? He knows to distinguish between work and his research! More like the women here were not as beautiful as the Land of Fire because of the harsh environment and poverty.


    Touring the town, Minato was not impressed. Not only the settlement in itself was bland, with white stone houses and stores making the most of it, but it reeked poverty, with a lot of homeless people begging on the streets. Sensing gazes from alleys, he knew that thieves had targeted him. After all, he was dressed casually by the terms of Konoha, but here where people live shabby life, even casual is a luxury.


    ''The war has not even started and small towns are already in this state, I understand now why Nagato so strongly wished for peace. If I grew up in such a harsh environment since childhood I would have gone mad. Only...Naruto is the one who brought peace. He did not suffer from war but he was the one to bring peace. So in the end, his goal to bring peace was not really his own, just a foolish child doing it to gain acknowledgment from his mentor.


    At least if he were to become a justice man punishing the evil I would have understood because he suffered from human darkness since young'' Imagining Naruto in the Justice man attire of Son Gohan from Dragon Ball Z, Minato couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Seeing nothing interesting to do in this small town, and sensing that the people that followed him were weak and no threat, Minato decided to vent his boredom on them. He was so excited to leave the village but in the end, he finished in such a boring place. ''Ugh, I hate to say that but Konoha truly is one of the best places in this world even if it''s full of corruption. Maybe if I can one day have access to Hashirama blood I could create my own safe haven with Mokuton''


    Going into an alley, he waited for a bit, and as expected, in no time at all he was surrounded by... children?


    ''Should I beat them?... What with this question! Of course, they followed me and planned to rob me. Eh, I truly have grown soft since I came here, I don''t know if it''s for the best or for the worst.''


    "Hand over your belongings, if not we will take them ourselves" Threatened what appeared to be the leader of those guys, a skinny kid around his age with dark grey hair, that was waving a used kunai around to make himself more...threatening?


    ''Oh, why does he looks familiar?'' Looking at his face, Minato was sure that he has seen this kid somewhere, maybe he was a side character of Naruto. "What''s your name?"

 Chapter 35 - New kekkei genkai?

    Looking suspiciously at Minato, but not losing anything from saying it, he answered: "I''m Kajura, now hurry up and give me all your belongings!" He began to become impatient and looked at the entrance of the alley, seemingly aware that if he doesn''t hurry up, somebody else will come and snatch his loot.


    Meanwhile, Minato couldn''t help but laugh, this trip was not wasted at all! ''Lighting God Kajura from a Naruto filler, possessing the Magnet release kekkei genkai, able to control the iron sand like the third Kazekage! I thought that I will not have the chance to obtain this particular bloodline because by the time I grow powerful enough to kill the Kazekage stealthily, Sasori would have turned him into a puppet and there would be no blood to absorb, and here I find another one, today is my lucky day!''


    Thinking that Minato was mocking him, Kajura was enraged and rushed at Minato with his colleagues in tow.


    Seeing that, Minato lost his smile and look at those guy that came with Kajura in pity ''I should hurry up, I must wrap this up before Jiraya finished his things and looks for me''


    Minato took a kunai from his lotus tattoo, having lost his interest in sparing them the moment he knew that this guy was one of his prey, and entered the fray at full speed, disappearing completely from their views with just his body speed, without using chakra, not wanting to alert Jiraya.


    "Where did he go?" Shocked, Kajura and the others looked frantically around, knowing that this time they kicked an iron plate. And seeing the look of this guy before disappearing, they somehow sensed that something foreboding is going to happen.


    Slash


    Hearing a soft sound, Kajura turned around and was shocked to see the guy behind him beheaded, with his head still rising from the body with the same enraged expression as before, unaware that he died, and Minato disappearing again silently.


    Without allowing them to react, Minato used his speed again and slash two times, killing two more of them.


    Still not satisfied, he continued his onslaught, and before they could comprehend the situation, they all died apart from Kajura, with terror in their eyes, still stuck on the first victim.


    Bam, Bam, Bam


    By the time he reappeared before Kajura, all the bodies of Kajura''s comrades hit the floor, with their heads rolling around. Not even a small drop of blood could be seen on Minato. He killed them easily, after all, they were just normal civilians, cutting them is like cutting Buggy the clown.


    Does he feel guilty to kill children? Not at all, even if he somehow grew soft, the only people that really mattered to him are Kushina, Mikoto and Tsume, and maybe a bit Dai and his family. Even then if it comes to it, he wouldn''t mind sacrificing the latter if it''s beneficial to him. The only people that he will protect from anything are those three girls, nobody else for now. The rest of the world could all die for all he cares. Even if he became more and more soft for his loved ones, he doesn''t intend to make the error to be the same with others.


    And those guys had nefarious thoughts about him. If Kajura was not here, he would have taught them a lesson and be done with it, but he has some experiment of his ability that he always wanted to try, but was unwilling to do on the girls back at home because of the highs risks.


    He needs the guy alive to do it, and unfortunately for Kajura''s group, nobody could see him kidnap him, after all, the slightest clue that he left behind could become his downfall, and he will not let something silly like sympathy for strangers dictate his course of action. He lost those sorts of feelings long ago. This was the first time since coming to this world that he displayed his real personality for strangers, always constrained to act as a good kid in Konoha to not arouse suspicion.


    Kajura was scared shitless but nonetheless recuperate quickly, having already seen such scenes in those last few months. He was ready to use his special ability, thinking that if he could surprise this guy, he could somehow leave here alive.


    Seeing the movements of Kajura''s chakra with his now two tomoes Sharingan, Minato knew that this guy had activated his kekkei genkai and was fresh blood for the picking. He left him alive to see if that was the case, he did not know what will happen if he absorbed blood not unlocked. Having verified that, he has no interest in delaying anymore, and without bothering to trash talk, he put his kunai back in his tattoo to not have it used against him and disappeared. Reappearing behind Kajura, he knocked him out.


    ''Hm, I don''t have time to clean it alone, I need to use my clones without alerting Jiraya. Thankfully I came prepared''


    Thinking so, he took out some papers from his tattoo, on which were drawn chakra hiding seal. He place those seals around the ''scene'' in a rectangular formation and activated them. With that, everything he does will not be detected.


    Making multiple clones and having them clean the scene, Minato took Kajura on his shoulder, and applying a small genjutsu around them with his Sharingan to make them invisible while applying one such seal on his clothes to hide his chakra, sneak out of town in search of a small isolated place where he could begin his test while avoiding human presences.


    After Minato and his clones disappeared, some people entered the alley, but not seeing anybody here, they cursed. The leading man quickly has his guys dispatched to search for the small group of kids and snatch the loot, unaware that they will not find them anywhere in the land of livings. Sometime later, people will become aware that they disappear, but nobody will even bother to investigate the fate of street rats.


    Meanwhile, Minato successfully sneaked out of the village unseen, and after five minutes of wandering, found a hidden cave in some rocks. It was not his brightest idea to leave the small settlement, because the land outside was really barren with only rocks everywhere, not a really good place to hide. Thankfully he found that cave, if not he would have to return and run the risk to encountering Jiraya, who should have finished his task or be soon done with it and look for him in the village.


    Not willing to lose any more time, he dropped Kajura on the floor and began. First, he placed a stasis seal on his head, with it Kajura will not wake up anytime soon. He then made a cut on Kajura''s hand and pour the blood that comes from it in a bowl that he took from his lotus seal, in which he has put all he needs for all sorts of situations.


    Covering the bowl and setting it aside from the time being, he cut Kajura clothes, exposing his ?h?st.


    "Will his blood heart be different like mine? I doubt that it will be, but who knows? Kekkei genkai and chakra are supernatural, so maybe they are differences between body constitutions. I must at least verify it one time"


    He then cut open Kagura''s ?h?st, and following the sensation of his hyper intuition, stopped just before piercing his heart. Plunging his hand in the opening, he retrieved the heart in one swift move cutting apart the arteries, and dump it in another bowl that he prepared beforehand.


    Not wasting any time, he carefully cut open the heart, and observe the interior of it.


    Not seeing any floating blood, or even difference between the blood from the hand and that of his heart, he confirmed that other people don''t possess ''blood source'', and that it doesn''t matter which blood he absorbs. So killing his targets is not a priority.


    Having finished his experiment, he gulped down the bowl of blood that he filled earlier, a far larger quantity than he absorbed from the girls'' blood, trying to see if quantity make a difference if there is no quality difference.


    The habitual suction force that came when he absorbs a new bloodline came from his heart, and in no time at all, all of it was absorbed by the black drop of blood, that he decided to call Bloodline''s Devourer.


    A small filament of Kajura''s blood, the same size at last time, exited the black drop of blood and merged with the blood inside his heart, which was pumped out and traveled his whole body, changing the whole blood constitution inside of him slowly but surely.


    With that, he confirmed that it didn''t matter how much blood he absorbs, and can''t make a bloodline more dominant and present compared to another.


    Having finished with his experiments, he looks at Kajura''s dying body and ''emptied'' all his blood into vials, who knows if it will be useful for him later. Not finding any other use for this mummy-like corpse, he just disposed of it, having no intention of keeping a useless corpse on him.

 Chapter 36 - Blood clone

    After erasing all the evidence, instead of going back, Minato sat down and began to ponder.


    He was glad that he was able to absorb different bloodlines, but it will be a hassle to train them all without being seen. He could have his clones train them in secret, but it will hinder the development of those bloodlines, they will not come instinctively. Clones are not resistant enough to stimulate a true battle.


    Furthermore, if he trains in all of them, in battle sometime reflex take over rationality, and if one day he breathes magma while growing trees because of a reflex, he will truly be in a pinch.


    What he must do is having clones capable of surviving on their own, till he grows strong enough to use all differents bloodline without fearing the consequences, so when he becomes at least strong enough to fend off a revived Madara. Only then, will the clones die and give him all the memories and experience.


    "I must create a Kage Bunshin resistant and possessing only one bloodline. For the one bloodline thing, I can use the blood of the people I absorbed, because it''s now a part of mine. But to link a Kage Bunshin with it and make it resistant, I would have to use Fuuinjutsu and a lot of experiments. Thankfully, I acquire a ton of blood from Kajura, so I will use it to experiment with this idea of mine"


    If he successfully creates those blood clones, they will take the outer appearance of the person as who the blood belongs to, because DNA provides people appearances, with a Kage Bunshin inside of it.


    "No, that won''t do. I must have full control of the body. If it''s controlled by the whims of a Kage Bunshin, who knows what it will do knowing that he could live eternally. I must add this when I draw the Fuuinjutsu matrix"


    With those clones that look exactly like the people from which he absorbed the blood, it will not be suspicious if they display their kekkei genkai publicly, because people already knew that they have it. He just has to make sure that nobody knows that he killed them if he wants to replace them.


    Like that, he could train those abilities in broad daylight without having to silence all the witnesses each time. Because, in the end, if he absorbed 50 bloodlines and must train all of them by himself, it will be far too suspicious and easy to be caught red-handed. Who knew what people will do if they know that he can absorb bloodlines?


    "And for that, I must learn to separate my consciousness into multiples parts.


    Let''s see all the mind techniques in this world...Yamanaka''s Shintenshin no Jutsu will not work, it''s transferring one whole mind into an opponent body, I don''t want to occupy just one ''body'' at a time, I just want to control the other body like a puppet.


    Orochimaru''s soul transfer technique will not work because what I want is to only transfer a part of my mind. If I transferred my whole soul, it would be like switching bodies, and it''s completely useless and disadvantageous for me. I can''t possibly separate my own soul...Oh!


    Fuka Uzumaki secret technique, the one with which she transferred her soul into her hair. If I remember right, she could place the soul of others under her control. And from what I gathered, Kage Bunshin possesses their ''own soul'', if not they will not be able to think by themselves. So if I use her technique and take control of them, it could work


    But she is not even born yet so I can''t snatch it. And even then, she was only able to control one soul at a time. What I need is her Jutsu coupled with the ability to control multiple bodies at the same time of the Rinnegan.


    For the former, I think it will be doable with Fuuinjutsu, after all, I doubt that it was her kekkei genkai but more a seal that she developed, and I''m sure that if she can do it, I can too. But for the latter, taking the Rinnegan now is far too risky, Zetsu will not sit by and do nothing, not even speaking of Madara that is still alive. Even after he died, if I take the Rinnegan, Zetsu will plot against me, and I have no viable way to track him down or kill him.


    Maybe it''s doable by Fuuinjutsu too, separating the mind into multiple parts? Well, it''s not like I could do it for now so I will research it when I return to Konoha''


    Making sure that he removed all the traces of what happened here, he began to make the trip back to the city. Even if Jiraya caught on him outside of it, it''s not like he would suspect that he snatched a bloodline and that he is a body snatcher. He never suspected his own teammate, why would he do that for a child that is far less creepy?


    When he was going to return, his Hyper Intuition hinted him on something. Following the feeling, he was startled, he was emitting some sort of ominous formless energy after having killed those guys. Searching through Minato''s memories, he likened it to Killing Intent. Hurriedly retracting it, he breathed a sigh of relief. If he went to Jiraya like that, it would definitely have been suspicious. ''It''s strange, Minato killing intent did not pass over to me, well, it''s for the best. On the battlefield, I will surely emit some of it, and for a person that has live through a war, he has killed thousands of people. If I emitted this kind of scary killing intent, even Hiruzen will be wary of me''


    Thankfully, it seems that killing intent can only be acquired by bathing into the blood of people. Even if he killed in his past life, it was not in a ninja way, but by vaporization. So no real traces were left on him. War never ends, even thousand of years after earth destruction, people still waged wars, and to come out of the top, Byron killed his fair share of people.


    Midway on his return, Jiraya caught up to him, and look at him curiously "Where did you go gaki? I thought that you would be looking around the town?"


    "I already look around, and there is nothing to see. The settlement is so poor that there are thieves everywhere, so I left the town because it was becoming annoying to beat them up" Replied Minato. If he didn''t leave early, it would truly have happened so it''s not like it''s a complete lie.


    "Well, I have all the information I need, and there is no material for research here. Let''s go back to Konoha"


    "Eh, so you went looking for research in the end"


    "Hmph, a brat like you can''t understand the grandeur of the task that represents my Icha Icha series..."


    Jiraya then began to brag about all the sacrifice that he did for the man''s gender, with Minato listening half-heartedly. Of course, they didn''t drop their guards despite that, but fortunately, the return occurred with no misshape. It''s then that Minato understood that just being the disciple of the Sandaime can scare the mass of mediocre shinobi, and that during the time he will be with Jiraya before the war, no mission will ever be dangerous if a super-strong shinobi doesn''t pop out.


    ''At least, the travel was not for nothing. I earned a useful bloodline. And it''s one I could train without being seen, controlling weapons of others could be super deadly in the war to come. And even if somebody finds about it, I could say it''s my own kekkei genkai. But I will be stuck with it for publicly for the next few years, till I grow strong enough that nobody can threaten me and I can display all I know without repercussions, so better to do all I can to hide it''

 Chapter 37 - Back to Konoha

    Back to Konoha, Jiraya directly went to the hot springs, claiming that he has lost a lot of time and was late in his research. Speaking of his book, Minato found it strange that he already began to write his Icha Icha series even if his first book ''The tales of the Gusty ninja'' was not coming for some years. Maybe it was a pre-Icha Icha that was just not specified in the canon (Author way to make up for the small blunder).


    Seeing Izumo and Kotetsu''s ancestors giving him looks of pity, he shrugged his shoulders and walked back home. He has no intention to do a debriefing to the Hokage, all the important information is in the pervert''s brain, so no use going there to say that he came back. And he doubts that he has to say it, already having sensed some stalkers.


    Climbing the stairs of the apartment, he knocked on Kushina''s door. In no time at all, it opened, and upon seeing him Kushina''s eyes lit up.


    "Minato!" Jumping into his embrace, she sighed in relief and donned a content smile, like a wife happy that her husband came back alive from the war.


    Seeing that, Minato''s lips unconsciously quirked up into a smile, and he began to pat her head.


    "Let''s go in and talk" Nodding to Minato''s suggestion, she took his hand and directed him to the living room, where they sat on the couch and Minato began to recount what happened, adding some touch of drama to his speech.


    "So Kushina, did you accessed your mindscape?"


    Hearing that, Kushina made a gloomy face and complained "Each time I sense the tugging sensation that you describe, I follow it but before I completely go through it a force rejects me" She couldn''t help but be downcast, already knowing that Mikoto and Tsume access to theirs, she was the only one left behind.


    "As expected" Seeing the look of shock and betrayal of Kushina, Minato continued "It must be the big furball sealed inside you that pushes you each time you''re on the brink to enter. After all, the only thing he wants is for you to take his chakra to one day take over your body, but your chakra coils are still not developed enough to contain his chakra, so he must not see any need to let you come in"


    Kushina began to shake in anger "How dare that fox! Not only he occupied a part of my mind, but he denied me access over it! Minato, I want to grow stronger to teach that guy a lesson, help me!"


    "Hm, ok. I will focus on the Fuuinjutsu part of my training for the time being, so what do you say we train together, just the two of us"


    Hearing that, Kushina asked him excitedly "Really? Just the two of us?" Seeing Minato nod, she shouted in joy. Even if she loved her friends, and loves when they pass time together, she never has been alone with Minato for a long time. She began to brainstorm furiously on when and where to declare her love for him to a better result.


    Easily seeing through what she was thinking, Minato chuckled. Kushina was wearing her heart on her sleeve and was not even attempting to hide her emotions. Or you could say that she did not even know how to do it and doesn''t seem to take conscience of the fact that everybody can read her.


    "Let''s begin Kushina!"


    "Yes!"


    Taking the Fuuinjutsu book that she was given by her clan, Kushina began to read through it and was drawing some seals from them. ''Fuuinjutsu is the art of sealing something into something else. An object, chakra, even information can be stored inside a seal. The most amazing thing in Fuuijutsu is that all things absorbed are stocked and can be released. If you have the chance to absorb some elemental attacks, you could whip them out like candy thanks to seals without even tiring...''


    From time to time Kushina asks Minato for some pointers, having long realized that he was more talented than her.


    In truth, it''s all but that. Byron now Minato has no real talent in the shinobi field. The only thing that he has is a good mind and a lot of knowledge. He was born in a world where money is power, so if he said he is number one thousand at making money, nobody will dare to say he is number nine-hundred ninety-nine. But he never has to develop his battle sense talent, because no matter how fast you react, against an electromagnetic laser, you will be nothing but ash.


    So, in the end, he has no real shinobi talent, or as Gai said, he has the talent of hard work. And the talent of cheat...the two mixed together will allow him to even surpass talents like Indra and Itachi.


    The human mind works in conjunction with the natural selection, the more time he will pass in this world, the more talented in this world''s arts he will become.


    While Kushina was beginning her road of Fuuinjutsu, Minato was appropriating himself the work of a top seal master that has mastered an eight trigram seal: a seal that combined two-four symbols seals. and from it began to create a seal that will allow him to have what he called ''Bloodlines Clones'', made to master the bloodlines without being caught.


    Some would say that a jack of all trades is weaker than somebody that concentrates and dedicate his time to only one art. And he will agree with them, but...If he successfully becomes immortal, he will not lack of time but of bloodline if he doesn''t absorb them when they still exist. It''s true that it will maybe slow him down a bit, but the end result will be far more outstanding.


    ''So first, I must make a seal that will allow me to separate my own consciousness into multiple parts and another one to make them control the Clone. If I want to control a body without being suspicious I must do it personally. There is not just a risk of having the clone rebelling, but if I take over a Hyuuga prick and only the part of my personality that was Maitoised take over the body, it would definitely be suspicious, and youthful. Every Kage Bunshin has different personalities if I remember right.


    What I want is... a bit like dark Naruto. But I don''t want to separate myself into positive and negative, just multiple equal parts of me that are all linked to my soul, and I want to control them all at the same time, I don''t really want somebody else in my mind, even if they are born from me.''


    On a blank piece of paper, he first drew the Kanji for ''consciousness'', the Kanji for ''separation'' and the Kanji for ''control''. He was attempting a seal at three symbols, a piece of cake for the future Minato but it was still hard for the current him. He then began to draw a sealing array connecting the three symbols, but each time he finished it, he found some problems so he began to draw it anew.


    ''It will take a long time, no wonder people said it''s a complicated art. Even if it''s pretty simple when understood, to link what we want is complicated''


    Seeing him so engrossed inside his work, Kushina puffed her cheeks. This guy said they were going to train together but here he was again in his own world. ''At least, I can pass more time with him thanks to that, take that Mikoto and Tsume!''

 Chapter 38 - Kurama

    It''s been a week since Minato came back from the mission in the Land of Stone, or rather what he preferred to call an outside world trip. He learned that he will not do another one anytime soon, with Jiraya having to go on some special ?ssignments for the war preparation.


    The Sandaime proposed to him another teacher, and he specified that he will like to have somebody good at genjutsu to teach him while waiting for the return of Jiraya. Maito Dai for taijutsu training is a must, Minato was good at fuuinjutsu and ninjutsu so no trainer is needed for them with all his experience. Unfortunately, he was not really good at genjutsu, so he was fumbling around. Having somebody teach him could be a great boon.


    He would have loved to have an Uchiha''s trainer, for he has the Sharingan too, but he finished with a Kurama clan retired elder, not too shabby if he says so. At least, it proves that Hiruzen truly put some effort and did not send him to some random dude.


    Speaking of that, from all the reincarnations stories that he read, he has it rather good. In all of them, people were hiding left and right, trying to hide from the Hokage, from Danzo, from Orochimaru, from Zetsu. But here he was nurtured by the Hokage, with those in the darkness unable to touch him. And with the Hokage having no intention to hinder his progress, on the contrary, doing all he can to help him.


    ''It''s good to be Minato. Thanks to his attitude during the orphanage, Hiruzen already had an eye of him. Show talent coupled with his will of fire and you will be given everything''


    So, here he was, in front of the Kurama clan compound, from where the Genjutsu monster Yakumo Kurama will emerge and have her potential cripple by Konoha because of the jealousy of the Genjutsu mistress.


    Seeing the guards looking at him, Minato saluted them and introduced himself "I''m Minato Namikaze"


    "Oh it''s you, follow me, Elder Kashio has been expecting you" Saying so, guard number one made a follow me gesture with his head and led him inside.


    Looking around the compound, it was still the same style as all the others he went to. ''Well, Kishimoto was Japanese so he prioritized his country culture...Is it because of Kishimoto that this world was created or rather that he dreamed of this world? A good question indeed. Maybe somebody is writing my story? Meh, no way. Even if that was the case he would be jealous and will wish to replace me at all costs. Ehe, take that you dream stalker.''


    Coughing, the guard brought Minato back to attention "We''re here". Having done his job, he went back to guard the front gate.


    Looking around the small garden courtyard, Minato decided that he should also buy a compound when he has the power to protect it, aka the power of a Fuuinjutsu master. It''s good and all to buy an apartment complex, but in the end, it will not suit him for the day that he will have a family.


    ''And the loss of money that I make by not renting all those rooms. But it''s not like I want anyone to intrude on my property, and I could make even more money if I wish. Unfortunately, I already drew some bad attention with my novel, if I add some more I will surely face a lot of headaches. Speaking of it, the Hokage shield is truly useful, the council has yet to summon me even if those greedy bastards must want my money. Now that I think about it, I wonder in what the Hokage did invest the share from my earnings in? Well, not my problem, 40 percent is not too high for such a quality shield, what he does with it does not concern me.''


    "Come here, child" Startled by the voice because he was once again inside his thoughts ''That will have to stop'', Minato looks at the direction where it came from. Near the pond in a corner of the courtyard, en elderly with a head full of white hair was sitting on a reclining chair, with his eyes closed


    Walking into his direction, he introduced himself even if he doubts that this younger than him geezer doesn''t know already "I''m Minato Namikaze, nice to meet you Kashio-sensei"


    Hearing the kid calling him sensei, Kashio opened his eyes and laugh "It has been a long time since somebody called me that. Hiruzen asked me a favor and I could not refuse him"


    Hearing this guy calling the Sandaime made Minato raised an eyebrow in surprise, but was not too shocked about it. After all, with his age, he should have known Hashirama and Tobirama, and maybe he was someone important when the Kurama clan came in Konoha, making him more important than Sarutobi at that time ''And those geezers are so stubborn thinking that young people should respect them just for their seniority, duh, as if I would call Madara grandpa.''


    "So, I heard that you have some problems with genjutsu"


    "Mh, yes it''s like that. I know that the art of genjutsu is to alter the target perception with our Yin chakra, a chakra made of a high quantity of spiritual energy. But how one exactly alter this quantity, lowering the Yang chakra while adding more Yin chakra?"


    "You don''t. We can''t separate our physical energy from spiritual energy, or add one more than the other. The only way is to transform our chakra into a Yin one, like you transform your chakra into a wind chakra by making it sharp."


    Hearing that, Minato was discouraged ''Fuck, all of them say the same thing. Sharp equal wind? Utter nonsense, sharp could represent a lot of things. This damn Shinju thinks that sharp is wind so our chakra thinks that sharp is wind. And here I thought it will be different from genjutsu, I expected too much from those dimwitted fools that can''t think outside the box. It means that I must reeducate my chakra like a child that understood the wrong thing, but how can I do that''


    Seeing the discouraged Minato, Kashio consoled him and began his lecture on genjutsu. Even if it''s not what he expected, Minato gained small insights on it. After all, the Kurama clan is a clan that focused only on genjutsu and nothing else, so they were not too shabby on it. Maybe if he finds someone with the same bloodline at Yakumo, the one that allows her to alter reality with illusions, he would take it.

 Chapter 39 - Ultimate Ninjutsu

    Minato discovered a truth of the Naruto world: Rasengan is nearly the only shape manipulation!


    When he tried to make his chakra piercing like a drill, it transformed into lightning.


    When he tried to make it cutting like a sword, it transformed into wind.


    When he tried to make it pressuring like a waterflood, it transformed into water.


    When he tried to make it impacting like an impact, it transformed into earth.


    When he tried to make it vibrating like a dildo, the high-speed vibration produced heat and transform the chakra into fire.


    The only thing that chakra doesn''t ?ssociate with an element is the swirling and grinding nature of the Rasengan.


    When he tried to make it flat and rotating at high speed like Krilin''s Kienzan, it didn''t work. This one could be attributed to his lack of chakra control. Maybe one day he could produce some pure chakra beam like in DBZ, after all, if you can create a Rasengan, why not a Rasen-Kienzan-beam?


    ''My dream of the ultimate ninjutsu ''Rasengan Kienzan Drilling Flood Impact Vibrating Sword Beam'' is more or less forfeited. It would mean adding 5 elements to three shape manipulation, nearly impossible...Just the Rasenshuriken was already super hard to make, let''s not even speak about that. I don''t want some half-assed jutsu like Naruto that require clone to make.


    Minato already took three years to develop the Rasengan, how long will it take for me to create such Jutsu, ugh, forget about it. First I must reeducate my chakra''


    Minato looked up to Mikoto and Tsume walking on water, while Kushina was still stuck on the tree walking exercise. There was a two months vacation from the academy, Mikoto and Tsume clans saw that they did some good progress on their own, so they allowed them to have some hours per day to do what they want, while the rest was spent on their clans'' training.


    Even if he doubts that they don''t know of him, for the time being, nobody complained about anything.


    If he was in a cultivation novel, the family of the girls would have harassed him to death, but here, it''s like people don''t even care about women. Mei and Anko, two Grade Antique Weapons beauties that finished fat because nobody tried to woo them...


    What he doesn''t know is that Mikoto''s father and Tsume parents were furious when somebody said to them that their girls were kissed by a boy, even if it was on the cheek. There are only two reasons why they didn''t say anything about it is. First, because he has the protection of the Hokage. And second, it''s because they benefit from him, and the stronger they become, the better for the clan. And maybe if they gained his confidence, they could learn some secrets that will benefit their clans.


    ''It''s better for me that way. But I doubt that this will continue. Fugaku will not yield Mikoto, she represents his chance to become a clan head. Well, he can come and try, he is not on my level anymore, and even the girls are catching up to him quickly thanks to their motivation to grow strong, unlike in the canon where they train only for the sake of training, without real goals.


    Kushina wanted to become Hokage for the attention, she never really put any real heat in her training like now.''


    He wanted to teach them the Rasengan for protection purpose, unfortunately, they don''t have enough chakra to create one or control in Kushina''s case. Even he can only create four normal size one for the time being before he runs out of chakra. Speaking of it, thanks to having the whole development process inside his head, he succeeded in only a few tries, without even needing the balls.


    ''But man, this Jutsu sure is underrated in the anime. When Naruto use it, it just blows back the enemy instead of destroying their insides as it should do. Even Kakashi''s Chidori: in the flashback of his Anbu time, he pierced his enemy like paper. Later, when he became team 7 sensei, his amazing jutsu was transformed into a slapping jutsu''


    Seeing that Mikoto and Tsume began to tire already, he sighed ''The downside of being young, all of us are Sakuras (small amount of chakra), Well...''


    Looking at Kushina this time that was still going strong after all this time, he was pretty much amazed at the potential of a jinchuriki, it has only been some months since she became one but her chakra reserves were already catching up to him. ''But because she was not one since birth, her potential is smaller than Naruto, and she doesn''t have Asura chakra too...''


    ''Let''s not even talk about her horrible chakra control, that doesn''t progress at all because each day her chakra grow a bit stronger'' He was having a headache with that, only with Kage Bunshin will she be able to truly grow fast, but in the end, he doesn''t want to risk it. Not only there is a high chance that she will finish brain-dead even with the Kyuubi healing her because of her stubbornness to catch up to him, but she is not nearly discreet as a normal human...So he is sure that the next day, all Konoha will learn that she knows of a B-rank ninjutsu.''


    Sensing an unpleasant feeling with his Hyper Intuition, with multiple chakra signatures around the clearing where they were, he couldn''t help but be a little annoyed. Thankfully his training, for the time being, is not s?ns?t?v?, but he can''t even train his Rasengan outside his house. ''The downside of being in the light, I should truly speed up the creation of the Bloodline clones, if not, I will never be able to train all those magnificent abilities. A relaxed mind is needed when one learn, if I have to check my back each time, it would be truly annoying''


    Annoyed by those pest presences, he grumbled a bit, but his annoyance flew away when he saw the three girls before him, panting of exhaustion but smiling brightly.


    "Walking on water is truly a blast!" Exclaimed Tsume happily. Her clan only focus on her taijutsu, if not for Minato, she would have not learned such an amazing trick for a long time.


    "You''re so lucky, I wish I could do it too" Grumbled Kushina, still vexed that her chakra control doesn''t go up, and she began to bicker with Tsume.


    Looking at them, Mikoto sported an amused smile, she was never tired of their antics.


    "You''ve changed Mikoto"


    ''Cute'' Thought Minato, his heart skipping a beat. The true him hidden behind the cold exterior, in the end, is still pretty much childish, he never experienced love, and he considered himself still a kid when he is around those three girls, so he saw nothing wrong at liking them, and a shota can''t be a lolicon. "Before Kushina came to Konoha, you would never have smiled so brightly in front of others, you even disliked the loudness and brashness of Tsume"


    "Mh" Mikoto didn''t deny it. Before, she was always trying to make her dad proud, even if it means to act like a true Uchiha, an attitude that she always disliked. Even now, she is still graceful like ever, but when with them, she lost the impassive exterior that she cultivated since small, because ''An Uchiha can''t smile to those beneath them, basically everyone that does not have the Sharingan.''


    Thinking of her father and clan, she couldn''t help but be melancholic. Since the speech of Minato, she opened her eyes and observed all their reactions more carefully, and she truly began to saw through their true nature.


    Startled at having her hand taken, she looked up to see Minato holding it. "Don''t worry, I will protect you. I will not let you be used as a sacrificial lamb sent to be married for politics"


    Seeing his sincere smile and filled with warmth from his declaration, her heart began to flutter.


    Unfortunately, this feeling didn''t last long before Minato explode from laughter "Haha, you believed I would say that. Baaaaaaka (Fool), if you can''t even beat them by yourself go play the princess in distress card, maybe somebody will help you" Rolling on the floor, Minato held his stomach, aching from all the laughter. Imagining Mikoto go "Kyaa, save me, my prince", he began to cry tears of laughter.


    Kushina and Tsume joined in "Princess Mikoto" "Save me Minato-sama!"


    A vein popped out on the temple of Mikoto, and she lunged at Kushina and Tsume, knowing that she had no way to catch Minato. They began to roll around the ground mock fighting.


    "Ah, it''s been such a long time since I had such a good laugh" mumbled Minato, satisfied.


    Sensing his heart hammering strongly, he couldn''t help but smile contently, it has been such a long time since he has felt such warmth in him, hanging out with those three truly make him content, and wishing that it could last forever. Unfortunately, he knew that it was just a foolish dream, in this world of bloodshed, if he wants to create his paradise, he must grow stronger than anyone.

 Chapter 40 - Wearing a green spandex?

    In a small clearing, a kid could be seen battling against a green monster...Ah my bad, it was a human wearing a green spandex monstrosity.


    In a small clearing, Minato could be seen battling against Maito Dai. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees, he was using all parts of his body with great power behind each blow. Nevertheless, Maito Dai was diverting each of them, and each time pointing a flaw.


    With the help of such an amazing teacher and his Hyper intuition, he progressed every day by leaps and bounds. And finally, after months, he more or less mastered his Goken style.


    "Yosh! Let''s stop it for today young Minato! Your flames of youth truly shine brightly, you have mastered my Taijutsu style in just short months, and thanks to you, I even discovered some flaws in it!"


    "Yes! Dai-sensei!" Stopping the spar, a panting Minato was trying to catch his breath, while walking around the clearing to help the blood flow. His regeneration was not all-powerful.


    All the training that requires to tear his muscle and repair them are limited. Byron''s blood regeneration didn''t repair muscles, it''s only here to rejuvenate him. And the Uzumaki vitality only repair them far faster than anyone else, but it''s not powerful enough to do it non stop during a training. If it was such a cheat, he would have created gravity seals and destroy his muscles while regrowing them indefinitely, earning a super-strong body in no time.


    And second, was his lungs. His regeneration didn''t apport any more air into it, so he can''t run indefinitely without running out of air. His lungs are not on the level of an aspirator yet. He could potentially walk until his death because it only needs a constant level of air his lungs, which is recuperated at the same pace that it burns, but if he wants to run longer, there is no other way than to train his lungs and breathing by running or swimming underwater.


    But it''s really useful for long battles, he could last longer than his opponents. If the third Raikage had this ability, he would not have died of tiredness during the 3rd great war ninja.


    Having recuperated, he walked by to Dai. "Sensei, I have a favor to ask you"


    "Oh, what is it? Have you finally decided to wear my spandex? Yoooosh, I knew that my disciple will one day accept it, so I prepared one for your size, here!" Saying that, Dai presented Minato with the jumpsuit.


    Looking at the hope in Dai''s eyes, Minato''s eyes wavered a bit. This guy has been good to him and even gave him his secret technique expecting nothing in return.


    "Dai-sensei" Tears gathered at the edge of Minato''s eyes, and he began to stretch his hands in the direction of the jumpsuit. Seeing that, Maito Dai was overjoyed! Finally, his disciple has been completely refined by the flame of youth.


    "Dameda."(Strong refusal/No way) Minato''s face changed from a kid at the edge of crying to one of stony indifference "There is no way I will wear that"


    Tears burst out of Dai''s eyes like a waterfall "What hip-coolness! I have so much to learn from you, my beloved student!"


    Having finished fooling around, Minato came to the point "You know my swift style right" Seeing Dai nodding his head, with some tears still leaking running down his cheeks, he continued "Do you think it could be possible to mix it with your Goken style, adding speed to power?"


    Hearing that, Dai made a serious face and began to analyze how such a thing could be accomplished. He never thought for a second that it can''t be accomplished, such unyouthful thoughts will not lead him to eternal youth.


    "Hm, yeah it could be possible. But it will not be easy, Minato"


    Hearing that, Minato was overjoyed! He knew that he could count and Bushy-brow sensei''s father. If he had to do it alone, he would have to sacrifice ninjutsu and genjutsu to completely concentrate on taijutsu. But he thought it was strange that this guy thought it was possible even if no one made it before, it''s not a thought that people here often have. And so, he asked him.


    "Oh, it''s because it would need one to master two styles that complement each other to near perfection. And it usually takes tens of years to do that. Not only that, where would you even find another style?" Coming to here, Dai scratched his head a bit


    Seeing what he was thinking, Minato continued "Not many are like you and accept to share their techniques is what you want to say, Dai-sensei?"


    Coughing a bit to hide his embarrassment, Dai hurriedly changed the subject seeing the starry eyes of his disciple.


    "Did you have any luck with the hachimon tonkou?"


    Hearing that, Minato made a gloomy face "I was only able to open one gate after all this time. I sense that it was my limit because of my small body, and if I go any higher, I could gravely injure myself"


    Listening to this 9-year-old kid saying that he successfully open a gate made Dai jaw drop and his eyebrows pop out of his temple. ''What a youthful genius, opening the first gate after only some months and at such a young age! Not only that, he mastered two taijutsu styles to perfection. Yoooosh, if it''s him maybe he could successfully merge two taijutsu style in one and become one if not the best taijutsu master of the world!''


    "My youthful student! Let''s not waste any more time and begin to work on creating a more powerful taijutsu!" Saying that Dai made an awkward face.


    Looking at Dai that was clearly wanting to ask something but seems unwilling at the same time, Minato smiled "Don''t worry Dai sensei! If this new taijutsu will see the world, it would be all thanks to you. So, even if half of it comes from me, I don''t mind if you learn it. I will even teach it to Gai!"


    "Yooooosh! My flame of youth burns even brighter with those words of yours, Minato! Let''s fuel them even more with our blood and sweat!"


    "Yes! Dai-sensei"


    And so, another ordinary day passed at the hidden leaf, with Minato''s stalkers cringing listening to such youthful words. Thankfully for young Minato, even if they saw his style, nobody could reproduce it without knowing the workings... or by having a Sharingan. Nor could they know that what Minato and Dai were doing was simply amazing and that the latter was becoming one of the most powerful men in the world...as an eternal genin of Konoha.

 Chapter 41 - Skirmiches before the war

    The months passed by, with Minato not doing any more missions because Jiraya became more and more busy since skirmishes already broke out between Konoha, Suna, and Iwa. Kiri and Kumo were only sitting on the sidelines for the time being.


    The main skirmiches'' battlefields are: the Land of River, between Konoha and Suna. The land of Stone, between Suna and Iwa. The land of Grass, between Konoha and Iwa. The armies were ever so slowly converging in the direction of the Land of Rain, where in around six months the war will truly begin at full blast.


    But all of that had nothing to do with Minato, that kept himself in the ''safe'' haven that is Konoha, and was training like a madman, to increase his chance of survival. Unfortunately for him, despite all this training that would have made a grown ?du?t into a powerhouse, he only increased his chakra from mid-high chunin to low special jonin level. Before his growth spurt in some years, his increase of chakra will be slow, his body already having successfully reached his peak.


    Thankfully, all this time was not wasted. All his capacities shot through the roofs, and he can now proudly declare that he can run through all the weak jonin, and with luck escape from pretty strong ones.


    He would have been even stronger if he could use the Hiraishin no jutsu, unfortunately, he somehow sense that his body will not take well the spatial leap, and that he could very well die from it. Not only that, even if he has the advanced formula improved by Minato and his experience, it did not mean that he can create it for the time being with his level of skills. It''s like having a legendary sword in a game but not being able to use it because of the lack of level. Or like having the recipe of the ''Gamabunta roasted meat accompanied by mushrooms ¨¤ la po¨ºle'' and the experience of making it, but not having enough oil to cook it.


    The area where he improved the most is of course Taijutsu. All the battles with Dai allowed him to have a certain mastery over the combination Hyper Intuition-Sharingan, making him more and more deadly.


    Minato had the foresight to do preparations before training with Dai.


    First, he created a resistance seal. It''s a seal that basically makes the air denser, so it''s like he was in water instead of air. He only kept it to the first level, that of water density, not willing to stunt his growth. It''s not like kids that run in the water would have their growth stunt, do they? And for him, it''s safer than using weights, applying even pressure on the whole body. He only used it sparsely, kids don''t play in the water all day.


    Then, he used it for the training with Dai, and asked him to put weights on during their spars. Dai, of course, thought that it was for a youthful training regiment, unaware of Minato''s true thoughts.


    In the anime, Dai was pretty much mediocre during day time, because all the training that he did in the night tired him. So, Minato asked him that to slow him down, to not make the Hokage and the stalkers aware of Dai''s true power. If they knew it, Dai will be promoted and sent to war, having high chances of dying.


    As it is, the Hokage probably think that Dai has a good eye for Taijutsu, and that he was helping Minato correct his form, but was still a weakling that needs Minato to restrain his true power to truly learn things.


    People like Dai are a great ?sset to Konoha, the Sandaime is probably thinking of putting Dai in the academy the moment Minato stops to train with him. Even if he is still a genin and people need to be chunin to become instructor, he already became genin by some sorts of machinations, a grade more is nothing for the Hokage, if it could help the future generations becoming stronger in Taijutsu.


    --


    "Gatsuga!" Tsume roared and spun at high speed with Kuromaru her ninken, in the direction of Mikoto. The latter, having already predicted the path that Tsume will take sidestepped easily, and struck Tsume with a sidekick, sending her rolling around the ground.


    Tsume was gasping for breath, too tired to stand up "Huff...Your Sharingan is such a cheat Mikoto. Since you awakened it, I have not won any of our battles"


    Mikoto too was gasping for breath, having exhausted herself during the battle. Her Sharingan deactivated himself, signaling that she ran out of chakra. Regaining her breath before speaking, she exclaimed "It does not mean that it''s easy for me to win, each time I progress, you progress too. If I were to slack off, Sharingan or not, I would lose."


    "You bet! If you don''t want me to beat you, you can only grit your teeth and train as hard as me" Hollered Tsume.


    "You were amazing girls!" Praised Kushina, bouncing on the balls of her feet, having still energy despite having trained all day. Looking at her, Tsume and Mikoto couldn''t help but smile wryly. Since she became the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, her chakra kept growing and she was growing stronger than them at a faster rate.


    What they didn''t know is that without Minato, she would only have been as powerful as them. Mikoto and Tsume have their clan to guide them and force them to train. In the canon, Kushina had no one to help her, nor having a goal to train for, so even the cheat that is being Jinchuriki is greatly restrained.


    So with the determination to not fall behind and some guidance from Minato, who already knew Kushina''s style from the Minato that was going to marry her and spent a lot of time with her doing anything and training, she demonstrated more and more of the potential of the strongest Bijuu Jinchuriki.


    Even so, the other two did not slack off and became far more powerful than their anime counterpart. They could not be considered geniuses at the level of Itachi, but they were far more powerful than the like of Fugaku or Hiashi at this age. Even if the latter two are two to three years older than them, Mikoto and Tsume could give them a run for their money, and Kushina can already trash them. The gap will only continue to widen, with Minato''s unorthodox training regimen.


    Finished with their training, they went back to Minato''s.


    "By the way, I forgot to ask you but what did your clan say for your Sharingan awakening Mikoto?" Inquired Minato


    Making a face of reminiscence, Mikoto sighed "Nothing. When my father learned of it, he only made me train harder to master it, not bothering to inquire where it came from. "You must become a dignified and powerful clan head''s wife", or so he said"


    "Your relationship with him seemed to have worsened" Remarked Kushina


    "Uchiha revered the Sharingan, they should have praised you" Added Tsume doubtfully


    Mikoto made a self-mocking smile "It''s true that awakening the Sharingan is an awesome feat. But I''m a girl. In my clan, only men are ''fit'' to rule, and the wife should be strong but only act as a support for the husband. No matter how powerful I am, those people will never accept me as my own person"


    Saying that she made a soft smile "But it doesn''t really matter, I have my own family here so who cares about them"


    "Ow, Mikoto loves us" The three of them took her into a group hug, that warmed Mikoto''s heart because despite what she said, her father acting like that hurt her.

 Chapter 42 - Preparations for war

    Minato received a notice, like all the other genin. The genin supply squad will finally be formed. In the beginning, it was handled by teams in form of missions, but the war will soon begin at full blast, so it''s impossible to spare jonin teachers from going onto the battlefield anymore.


    He was currently inside the Hokage office, summoned by the Sandaime.


    Looking over the village through the window of his office, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke "Minato, you know that I have big hopes for you. Not only you are talented, but your Will of Fire burns brightly too"


    "Yes Hokage-sama"


    "To tell you the truth, the fact that such a young genin appeared alerted the spies from the other villages in Konoha, and they already attempted to ?ssassinate you before you can grow"


    Hearing that, Minato raised an eyebrow. He was not surprised by the fact the other villages were trying to kill him, it''s a basic tactic of war, to kill a seedling before it can grow into a tree. What surprised him was the fact that he didn''t detect those ?ssassinations at all. It means that his stalkers took care of it without any disturbance. And for that to happen, even Danzo Roots must have a hand in it. ''Well, he wants to control me, not to kill me. He has no reason to think that I have other things at heart than Konoha''s best interest, because it''s partially true. It would be a bother for me if Konoha were to fall, it''s one of the best places to live on this continent, and if I become Hokage, I would control the most powerful village''


    "What I want to say is that outside Konoha, I can''t protect you. During the war, even Jiraya, your sensei, will not be here to protect you. You will have to depend on yourself. A shinobi true worth is shown on the battlefield. Don''t disappoint me, Minato"


    Minato understood the hidden meaning of those words. ''Even if you say that you will do anything for Konoha, if you act like a coward that wants to save his hide on the battlefield, it would prove that all of what you said was lies''


    "Don''t worry Hokage-sama, even if my strength is limited, I will give my all!" ''After all, instinct is forged on the battlefield. If I don''t take those occasions to hone it, it will be my loss. Even if Kakashi was pretty weak, he became Hokage thanks to all the experience that he accumulated from his thousands of battles. An exhausted Kakashi could very well kill an exhausted Six Path Naruto.''


    Seeing the determination in Minato''s eyes, Hiruzen nodded his head, satisfied.


    "Even if I should not do it, I will help you a bit. You are my only grand disciple, it will be my loss too if you were to die on the battlefield." Saying so, Hiruzen stood up and beckoned Minato to follow him.


    Not understanding what he wanted to show him, Minato shrugged his shoulders and followed the Sandaime outside of his office. They walked in the corridors for minutes, passing by a number of restricted rooms protecting Konoha''s secrets, and finally stop before one of them.


    "We''re here" Saying so, Hiruzen put his hands on the door. A barrier seal activated, and upon seeing that, Mr. Sarutobi transfer some of his chakra into it.


    Upon receiving the Hokage''s chakra, the Fuuinjutsu kekkai receded, and he opened the door.


    Entering after the Hokage, Minato stumbled on a room full of weapons. Even if he already knew it from the memories he absorbed, he still couldn''t help but be amazed by the number and diversity of the weapons. Axes, Swords, Sticks... All sorts of weapons were present, in different quality and quantity, with the number of swords in the form of tanto being the most present.


    ''Konoha armory uh''


    "You can choose a weapon of your choice" Declared Hiruzen.


    ''Well, it''s unexpected but not shocking. Weapons are here to be used, not to gather the dust.'' Thinking so, Minato began to look around. In the end, he was hesitating between two swords.


    "Oh, so you are hesitating between Tobirama-sensei''s ''Sword of the Thunder God'' and the poisoned blade ''Kokuto'', you have a good eye" Praised the Sandaime.


    ''The Sword of Thunder God could do much more damage and even cut the other party weapon, but at the same time, it will burn through my chakra reserves rapidly. On the contrary, with the Kokuto, just a nick could finish the battle, and I could use my chakra to create this opportunity. Hm, it''s decided'' "I will take this one" Saying so, Minato took the Kokuto, having chosen a weapon more suited for war. If there was only one strong enemy, the Sword of the Thunder God would have been more effective, but on a battlefield, it would be pretty much useless.


    "Oh, good choice. If you had taken the strong Sword of Thunder God, you would not have survived long, dying of chakra exhaustion on the battlefield before even being killed" Joked Hiruzen, pleased that Minato made a sensible choice instead of going for the ''coolest''


    ''This young geezer, is he trying to praise me or curse me?''


    Returning to the office, the Hokage put a serious face "It''s the only thing that I can do for you, any more and it will be detrimental to your growth. If you want to become strong, you must forge your own path. If you can''t persevere during the war, give up your dream of being Hokage. Weak-willed people are not fit for this job!"


    Seeing the serious Hiruzen made Minato tense internally. After all, even if he knew that in the future he will surpass this guy, for now, Sarutobi can kill him with a pinky. Nevertheless, he didn''t show any of that and only nodded ''One of the most charismatic kage, this guy is not the wizened old man of the anime, still full of youthfulness and grit.''


    "I will not disappoint you, Sandaime-sama!"


    "Good, you can go and prepare, your genin squad will depart in a week."


    Taking that as a sign of dismissal, Minato left the office.


    ''I will have to take pay extra attention during the war, even if I won''t participate in the big battles. Minato was meant to survive, but I have already changed the plot and could very well die''

 Chapter 43 - Alcohol is dangerous

    At Minato''s house, inside the living room, Mikoto, Kushina and Tsume were sweatdropping, unable to believe the scene before their eyes.


    "Bwahahaha, ah, that hit the spot" Patting his stomach that was on the point of bursting out, Minato sank into the sofa unable to move anymore after having eaten so much. Bringing the bottle in his hand to his mouth, he guzzled it down, with some running down his chin, making it obvious that he was not at the maximum of his capacity anymore.


    "Pssst, do you think that he went nuts?" Whispered Kushina to Tsume


    "Hm, maybe the fact that he will go to war broke him?" Replied back Tsume, with a touch of concern in her voice.


    The other two girls also made gloomy faces at this remainder.


    "Are you ok, Minato? Eating so much and drinking sake at such a young age, this..." Inquired Mikoto cautiously


    "Bwahaha, I have some chances of dying without grave, let me enjoy for a bit!" Exclaimed Minato, asking them to bring him another bottle, unable to reach the table anymore.


    They wanted to refuse but at the same time didn''t dare to, not willing to break his fun. As he said, he has a probability of dying.


    Taking the new bottle, Minato gulped it down, having already discarded the empty one. ''Ah, fu?k it. If it was the me of my past life, I would never have acted in such an undignified manner'' Thought Minato, looking at his trembling hands due to the toll that alcohol took on his young body.


    Remembering that he had a high chance to die, he couldn''t help but be afraid now that he has the perfect life he always wanted. No matter if it is a universe emperor or a lambda civilian, when one has the life that he had always d?s?r?d, the fear will come bursting out one time or another.


    When he was an old geezer on the verge of dying of old age, he was prepared to die in the black hole, not really expecting to survive. And even before that, living alone took a toll on him. But here he is young again, with the chance of being immortal. And looking at those three girls that show concern for him, he couldn''t help but smile.


    ''It sure is good having people that I care for. I must survive for them too. Sigh, I would never have thought of that, but if I had to choose between my immortality and them, I don''t know anymore what to choose.


    If in the beginning, I spouted love nonsense everywhere, now that I begin to feel it for them, it has nothing to do with what I imagine. I think I can understand all the foolish things that people do under this emotion.


    I befriended them only to have a child that I could love, but now I don''t want to lose them anymore. I don''t want to be alone anymore...''


    Despite having the experience of Minato in the shinobi war and his own in an intergalactic war, it did nothing to appease him. Unlike the original Minato, dying for the village is the furthest thing from his mind. Even if he had to ditch all pretense, he will run for his life ''Hopefully it doesn''t come to that, if not who knows how hard my life will become, and the girls'' too''


    Having begun to be affected by the alcohol because of the poor immune system of such a young body, Minato''s mouth became looser, and his inhibitions in acting his true self were undone. Of course, no s?ns?t?v? information will ever come out of it, even under the alcohol he was not foolish enough to do that, retaining some awareness.


    "You know girls, I think I begin to love you" Hearing that, they demonstrate different ranges of blush. From full-blown tomato for Kushina, to Kiba''s Akamaru on pill for Tsume, to the Uchiha fan''s red color for Mikoto.


    Not minding it, he continued "You know, I never thought that I will trust anyone anymore" Hearing that, the three girls thanked their lucky stars that Minato activated a silencing seal before babbling this sort of thing. If it was heard, it would have been dangerous.


    "Tsume, you were my first true friend. In the beginning, I saw that you were an interesting girl and that you could amuse me so I approached you, thinking that it will help to pass my boredom from the academy. But the more time I spend with you, the more I began to like you. All the pranks that we did together are some of my most precious memories, fooling around with you was truly a great time. Now, I can''t begin to think of what it will be to live without you. I mean, nobody could replace you in the role of my clown" Even a bit tipsy, Minato still had what it takes to tease her.


    Tsume, hearing Minato, had her faces changing multiples times of expression in just short seconds. From curiosity to fond smile, to joy, to love, and finishing with anger. She wanted to punch him (AWLPS) but Kushina restrained her, seeing that Minato was beginning to talk about her.


    "And you Kushina. When I first saw you, my first thought was that your hair was the most beautiful I''ve ever seen. I mean, red hair, where would people find such an amazing hair color? People said that you look a tomato? So what, tomatoes are far more beautiful than cucumbers! Not just that, your cutesy level shot through the roofs. Those foolish guys insult you instead of praising your cuteness, ah, what a foolish populace is Konoha citizens, not recognizing one of the future beauty of the shinobi world, too preoccupied on where do you come from. I wish I could have seen your clan too, they truly sound like amazing guys, compared to those fools here.


    My bad, I diverged. Your bubbly and energetic personality is truly great. Even if you''re beautiful, if you were boring I would have discarded you like a writer discarding the names of the side characters. But you didn''t disappoint, and turn to be such an amazing girl! Just seeing your smile and foolish pranks brighten my day, so I hope you will never change Kushina, and forever remain like that!"


    Kushina cried tears of bliss. If not for Minato, she knew that she would have hated her hair, but listening to him, she can''t even muster any ill will toward them anymore. Instead, every day she took special care of them, knowing that he loves them. And listening to him saying that her clan was amazing, she couldn''t help but smile, and internally said to her family in heaven that she found somebody that she loves. Her crush completed itself and digivolved into a lovemon.


    "Mikoto, you were part of our group since Kushina dragged you in. I know that you disliked me and Tsume in the beginning because of our foolish pranks, but in the end, even you finished by smiling at them. Since then, we spent a lot of time together, becoming great friends. But the thing that touched me is that despite having such a strong pride and love in your clan, you trusted all I said, never once doubting my words even if they had no real basis. You could have very well despised me and think that I did all of that to swindle you, but you took everything I said to heart. What can I say, you''re totally part of my family and I don''t want to see any harm befalling on you. The Uchiha clan wants to marry you? They would have to kill me before doing that!"


    Small tears began to gather at the corner of Mikoto''s eyes, but the enchanting smile that she sported indicated the sort of tears that she was leaking.

 Chapter 44 - Inazuma regret

    "You know of my dream of having a big loving family" Seeing them nod, Minato continued "Truthfully, in the beginning, I had for intention to marry a lot of women and having a lot of children that I could spoil. But the more I spend time with you, the more I see that love is far more complicated than marrying someone and having babies. I don''t want to force things anymore and want to let them take their course."


    The three girls beamed at his declaration and were sent to the lower heaven.


    "But good women are here to be cherished" ''A thing that I failed to do in my past life due to me losing all hope'' "There are a lot of them in this world that suffer and need my help. Hehe, I hope that you three, my future wives, will go along, with all those to come"


    Hearing that, Kushina, Mikoto and Tsume made dark faces. Minato continued to babble, his senses dulled due to the alcohol, unable to recognize the impending feeling of danger that saved him each time they pounce at him when he makes fun of them.


    Kushina sent a punch to his stomach, but without any real conviction behind it, already knowing that he will dodge it easily.


    Poom


    "Ale" Looking at her fist that made contact with Minato''s stomach, and at his face scrunching in pain, because just a single tap could hurt him with all that he had eaten, Kushina made a confused look, which transformed into a dark smile. Looking behind her at Tsume and Mikoto cracking their knuckles with equally dark looks, she began to chuckle evilly, it seems that because of the alcohol, he lost his ability to sense their sneak attacks.


    Meanwhile, Minato was still ignoring the reaction of his Hyper Intuition, too engrossed in his dream of having those three as wives spoiling him. And when he finally came out of it, he was greeted with three scary faces "Hm, what with those faces. Nevermind, I can''t move anymore with all that I''ve eaten, help me transport my body to my room please"


    Instead of the help that he sought, what greeted him were small punches to his bloated stomach, and even if he sensed them this time, he couldn''t move at all, let alone avoid them. They could have beaten his face black and blue but did not dare to do it, afraid of the revenge he could have on them if they did such a thing. And damaging his face is not a good thing for them too.


    "Itaaai!" Punch "Hey stop it!" Punch "Please" Punch "Why?" Punch "Okay!" Punch "Ninpo! Love style: Stealing your mouth v?r??n?t? no Jutsu!" Having regained a bit of himself, Minato gave them three pecks on the lips, stunning them.


    "Zeehahahaha, Kushimon, Tsumon, and Mikomon are affected by the move paralysis. Take that bunch of rookies, I stole your v?r??n?t?, you''re not fit to be married anymore. Become my harem members!" The alcohol began to affect him more and more, making his playful personality surface again after all those years.


    Regaining their senses because of his laughter, they exchanged quick looks between them, and while Minato was engrossed again in his fantasy, they lunged at him...


    "Axel Blaze super technique" Exclaimed Kushina


    "Byron Love super technique" Exclaimed Tsume


    "Shawn Frost super technique" Exclaimed Mikoto


    And kicked at his crotch, more particularly, the balls.


    "Fire Tornado!" "Supreme Knowledge!" "Eternal Blizzard"


    "Oof" A painful expression crossed Minato''s face, nearly of the level when he was disintegrated in the black hole "Wrong ball, girls. All I wanted to say is that I don''t see a life without any of you" ''If I knew it would lead to that, I will have introduced some romance novel and brainwashed them with it'' Was the last thought of Minato before he fainted from pain, alcohol, too much food, fear of not having kids...


    Seeing him knocked out, the girls couldn''t help but showing a fond and loving smile, completely different from their scary faces that they show him before.


    "I thought that the perfect lover will be a knight in shining armor on a Bijuu, but I ended up falling in love with such a jerk that declares that he wants multiple women before sleeping Dattebane!" Exclaimed Kushina with mock anger, unable to restrain her goofy smile.


    "An alpha male will have multiple mates, it''s the law of the pack!" Declared Tsume.


    Even Mikoto couldn''t help but smile. Sure, there was one time that she dreamed of having the perfect lover, but it was squashed at 5 years old when her future was decided because of the apparition of a small-time genius in the Uchiha clan.


    "Even if I would have preferred to have him for myself, I know it will never happen. It''s better doing an alliance between us as we agreed before and prevent another girl to enter the fold." Declared Mikoto full of determination, already knowing that she has no way to escape from this, having begun to fall for him. And she has already jumped into his ship anyway, it''s too late now to go elsewhere.


    "You''re right ttebane! It''s not like I would mind if it''s you two, after all, you''re my best friends! But I don''t want anyone else!" Agreed Kushina


    Tsume said nothing but agreed externally, while internally thinking ''I doubt that we will be the last, with all the time before us some other will surely find him charming. And if they play their cards right they could even enter our small family. It''s the fate of the strong. But they are right, we will just have to beat the other up and make them not interesting for Minato!''


    At least, they were relieved that Minato was not a Bijuu in heat like other guys. In the beginning, they saw that he was interested in Hazuki, Yoshino, and Mebuki because of their beauty, but he lost interest in them because of their temperaments. So, they just have to make the other girls uninteresting for him!


    If Minato heard them, he would have ridiculed them. Wanting to stop him from doing what he wants? Rubbish, if he restrains himself in this new life, it would have been better to die in the black hole.

 Chapter 45 - Leaving Konoha again

    It was finally the day of Minato''s departure. He and 31 other genins were to go to the Land of River to bring war resources to a camp of Konoha there. Furthermore, they were led by only a single Chunin, making the trip a bit risky. Unfortunately, Konoha could not spare more manpower to those supply tasks.


    Looking at the caravans, Minato''s lips couldn''t help but twitch. ''I forgot that before Kushina became proficient in Fuuinjutsu, people here were not good at it at all. Mito gave them the way to create those sealing scrolls, but they never bothered to learn it with Uzushio supplying them, so Konoha so-called seal masters are mediocre at best and can''t create a lot of them. If they were not so lousy, genins will not have to go to the battlefield to supply food and weapons, they could have brought scrolls full of them, but for now, they are far from enough of them to seal all those things. What an unsightly sight, they can smatch mountains but not create better transportation device''


    Thankfully, he put on a backpack like everyone, if he just came with scrolls, he would have been the odd one in the lot. Furthermore, he doesn''t want to become a sealing scroll factory for Konoha if people came to know that he was good at that. It''s only now that he became aware that if he was not loaded, Jiraya would have been suspicious as to how he acquired such scrolls, because of the high price for normal people to acquire one due to its rarity.


    ''Hopefully, they will not force anything on Kushina. If not, I will have to clash heads with the higher-ups, even if it blows my perfect Konoha citizen image, there is no way that I will let anything happen to her''


    From the ?du?t Minato''s memories, he gleaned that Kushina was coaxed with beautiful words to teach some Fuuinjutsu to some of Konoha''s shinobi. She thought that it was because of the Kyuubi that they gave her this teaching task instead of missions, but she didn''t see that all they wanted was her knowledge, not giving her the chance to prove herself and be useful to Konoha.


    ''I will not let Kushina give them some of her time, those people are too greedy for their own good. Give them an inch and they will take your v?r??n?t?. Well, it''s not like she is as naive as before so I doubt she will be tricked this time around''


    "Ok! The loading is complete, we''re ready to depart!" exclaimed the chunin in charge. The workers put the last box of provisions inside the last cart and closed it. The chunin Chisato then directed four genin to each side of the four different carts. The one behind pushing it, with the two on the side helping the caravan not derail from the road, and the one in the front helping clear the passage and slow it down in case of slope.


    They then set off at civilian speed, making it a minimum of a week''s journey. During the travel, the genins pushing the caravan were changed every two hours, making Minato aggrieved to have to be reduced to such a state. ''What emperor of the universe, I look more like a slave miner. Hiruzen, hurry up and promote me to Chunin rank''


    He passed the day working on his chakra sense, refining it and at the same time looking out for anything out of place, unable to count on the chunin in case of ambush, seeing his guard down just because they were still in the Fire country near Konoha.


    ''Aaah, Danzo doesn''t know how to quit. This unfeeling feeling that I sense with my Hyper Intuition... He has one of his agents to follow me. Well, it doesn''t really matter in the end. He wants me alive and not dead, and it''s not like the guy that stalks me can kill me if I give my all to escape.'' Ignoring his stalker, because it''s not like he could do anything about it, he continued to train.


    When his chakra was half of his total, he stopped using chakra sensing, unwilling to be defenseless in case of a battle breaking out, and instead work on his odor sensing that he acquired from Tsume, trying to distinguish odors of the surroundings.


    After traveling the whole day without break, and seeing that night began to fall, Chisato exclaimed "Ok, that''s all for today, we will camp by the roadside for tonight"


    Hearing that, the genins cheered, happy to be finally able to eat a true meal instead of the rations pills that filled their hunger during the day.


    In no time, tents were discharged from the caravan and set up, with a campfire going strongly, surrounded by all the travel party, with small rabbits caught in the surrounding vicinity roasting on it.


    The young shinobis began to talk excitedly while eating, taking this journey for a field trip. The chunin reprimanded them a bit, but was pretty relaxed too, having never experienced the horror of war. Even if he has learned it in the history books, humans don''t trust what they never saw, thinking it was exaggerated.


    Looking at them, Minato shook his head in disbelief. Do they not know that they have a great chance to be ambushed by enemies during the travel? Tactic number 23 of war: Cut the enemy supplies lines, weakening their soldiers.


    ''Well, I hope the ambush will not be strong enough to completely wipe us out. If not, the Hokage will become suspicious if I''m the only survivor, thinking that I abandon my comrades. Sigh, it''s so complicated to play the good guy, if I could I will just do some hit and run tactics to battle people and better myself, instead of pushing some shitty convoy''


    Grumbling, Minato finished his meal and went inside his tent. Having prepared his own, he was not forced to sleep with others.


    Seeing Minato leaving, the others began gossiping "Who is this young kid?"


    "Didn''t you heard of him? He is the genius of the academy that successfully became rookie of the year despite being only a first-year student"


    "Wow, he is amazing! But man, why didn''t he speak with us at all, passing all the travel reclused?"


    "He is only 9 years old, cut him some slack. If I were this young, even I would be afraid to enter a battlefield. Look at how alert he looked even if we were still near Konoha"


    "You''re right, he is far younger than us, we should protect him as his senpai haha"


    "But his sword was pretty cool" Suddenly exclaimed one of them


    "You''re right, maybe a family heirloom? I don''t think a genin have the money to buy such a fine sword"


    "But I heard he was orphan..."


    "Well, who cares about that? It''s not like we can snatch things from a Konoha comrade. Let''s just make sure his sword doesn''t fall into enemies hands"


    "Well said! We will protect him and the sword!"


    They began to laugh merrily, not realizing the gravity of war yet, nor the fact that the so-called kid doesn''t need their protection.


    Entering his tent, Minato didn''t go to sleep. Because he passed the whole journey traveling, he didn''t get any real training done, so he has no choice but to train the night. Thankfully, he doesn''t need to sleep, only doing it because he liked it or when he became mentally exhausted. But if he doesn''t train the night from now on, it will be years before he did some training again, so he has no choice but to cut his comfort time.


    ''I could only train my chakra sense and my odor sensing during the day, far from enough to progress. But even now, I can''t really do training that would completely exhaust me. It would be foolish of me to be exhausted during an enemy ambush.''


    Thinking that he began to review what could give him an edge for the war without exhausting him. ''I know! I will train in the sword. I have such a good sword but never train with one before, no better chance of learning than now. Unfortunately, I have to do that by myself, the swordsmen of this world are pretty lacking, training only in the form, not the essence of swordsmanship. Even if I use their forms, I have to first understand the sword by myself, for it to truly be useful. And for my clones, hm...''

 Chapter 46 - Ambush ambushed

    Minato reviewed his abilities and came onto one that could really help him in this war ''Jiton kekkei genkai that I acquire from Kagura. Even if I say I will not learn elemental ninjutsu, I said it for elements like fire, water... This ability could permit me to take control of enemies weapon if I developed it well, it''s completely different: even a minor mastery could become a big help.


    Even if weapons are made of steel, it doesn''t change a thing. From what I gathered from small experiments, the Jiton release is a magnetic power before all, it just depends on what one specializes. Sand, Copper, Iron, Steel...One has to choose his specialization and stuck with it. It has no specialty in the beginning contrary to what I thought. The Third Kazakage and Rasa chakra have the same properties, so even absorbing only the latter blood will not have changed anything.


    And what better than Jiton Steel release? The majority of weapons, kunai, shuriken, tanto, and others are made of steel.


    I don''t need the sand release of the Kazekages, Sharingan''s Susanoo is a better defense and the other elements do far more damage, with Mokuton having the ability to control the battlefield like sand. It''s far more useful to focus this magnetism on incapacitating my enemy''s weapon and use it against them.''


    Thinking so, he made only two clones, possessing a third of his chakra each, so around mid-chunin level, and gave one some weapons to try to move with the magnetism, knowing that it will take a good amount of time to have decent control over it, while the other focused on his Fuuinjutsu project ''Bloodlines Clone'', the faster he complete it the better.


    Having decided on what to focus during the war, he then began to ''play'' with his new sword, slashing and thrusting it to have a feel of it. The first thing to do in order to become a swordsman is to find a comfortable grip and posture with the sword. And to do that, only continuous grinding is the solution.


    --


    The next day, 2 hours before dawn, Chisato who took the night guard for the first night to let his subordinates acclimate a bit before doing difficult tasks was astonished to see Minato come out of his tent.


    "We will not depart anytime soon, you can rest a bit more if you want"


    "No need Chisato-san, even if I can''t do heavy training, I can still do some light training in the morning to not become rusty"


    Training? Chisato looked at Minato with strange eyes. This guy woke up early for training? No wonder he became genin at such a young age. With such motivation, everyone could become one.


    With a bit of respect in his eyes, he exclaimed "Okay, but don''t tire yourself nor go too far, if something happened it will be dangerous if you''re not near me"


    Nodding his head, Minato entered the forest and began to run in the vicinity of the camp, doing all sorts of acrobatics between trees to train his agility despite the poor visibility, using his Hyper Intuition and sense of smell to dodge the obstacles.


    Minato returned two hours later, when the sun began to rise, fresh after having taken a bath in a nearby river with some rabbits that he chased during training. At the same time that he arrived, his ''team'' members began to wake up and exit their tents.


    "Oh, look at all the food he caught! Not bad kouhai!" "A good night of sleep rejuvenated him!" When they saw Minato, the Konoha genins greet him amiably, like a... like a child?


    Thinking till that, Minato eyebrows twitched. In all those reincarnations novel, people that reincarnate and show talent were the target of jealousy, but here, because of the cute, innocent and charismatic face of Minato, and the fact that he doesn''t act like an arrogant and indifferent jerk, they treat him as a little kid to protect.


    Still, even if he doesn''t care about them, he has no intention to act like an aloof jerk. It will be suspicious if he suddenly went to act cold and distant, because his clone at the academy was anything but that. It''s true that his clone spoke no more with the previous Minato''s friends, but it was done gradually, with people thinking that he just changed friends, like a lot of kids do. Not only that, it''s better to have fake friends than enemies. At least, you could use them as shields when the time comes. Protagonists keep going solo from the beginning to the end, never using what is known as human resources.


    "Here, I hunted some meat for our breakfast! We can share it"


    Hearing such words made a lot of still sleepy young men rejuvenated. They slept too much and knew that if not for Minato, they would have to eat some scraps or ration pills.


    "Ha, you have a bright future ahead of you. Not only you''re talented, but you''re also generous" Praised the guy that was ready to criticize Minato yesterday because he didn''t talk to them and appeared a bit aloof.


    Hearing that, his friends direct him a look of disdain, making him rub the back of his head with a sheepish expression.


    They then ate breakfast and went back on their journey to the Land of River.


    The second, third and fourth day, nothing happened. But the fifth day, when they traveled two-thirds of the distance between Konoha and the Land of River...


    ''3 low Chunin chakra level, it''s a bit bothersome but I will have to demonstrate my abilities in front of these guys and have them worship me for the rest of the traject. Well, I can''t do anything about it, it''s not like letting them die will be favorable for me, our team leader can''t possibly take the three of them head-on.''


    When he was preparing himself for battle, he suddenly sensed that somebody engaged those three Chunin up ahead.


    ''1 Jonin signature huh, so Danzo agent didn''t think that I could take care of three Chunin by myself. He underestimates me, but it''s not like I can blame him, I never showed them what I''m really able to. Well, they will see soon enough what I can do... But it''s strange, I don''t remember Danzo doing this sort of thing. He would rather watch me suffer and then sweep in and save me, making me beholden to him, what is the thinking by saving me like that?''


    What Minato didn''t know is that Danzo wanted to do this sort of things, unfortunately, Hiruzen knew it and ordered him to have the guy he sent following the kid to protect him, knowing that even if Danzo will do anything for Konoha, sometimes what he chose is not the better way. So it''s better to act like that and make him give up on following Minato''s every move.


    And the current Danzo doesn''t dare to do anything against Sarutobi, fearing him greatly, not having lost his respect for him because the soft stance of after war version Hiruzen did not happen yet. So he was forced to tell his agent to protect Minato till he comes back to Konoha. Of course, he added a small order.

 Chapter 47 - Oni-kun is a sadist?

    When Minato thought that he will not have to do anything, the root agent came out of hiding after having taken care of the ambush, while donning a neutral attire and an oni mask.


    Seeing an enemy appear out of nowhere greatly alarmed Chisato, making him go tense. The genins behind him dropped the carts too and began to panic, they didn''t anticipate an enemy attack in the Land of Fire at all.


    "Calm down! I will protect you all with my life. I will not let anyone of you die!"


    Hearing that a Konoha Chunin was protecting them with his life, they relaxed. It was so sudden that they lost their composure.


    "Yeah, we''re thirty while this guy is alone, what is there to be afraid of?" "You''re right, it''s this guy who should be afraid of us" "Attacking Konoha shinobi in the Land of Fire, he sure has guts" Boasted the genins.


    The root agent was not affected at all by the boasting of kids, having long lost his emotions, so he paid them no mind and rushed in the direction of Chisato, with a kunai in hand.


    The Chunin took his own kunai from his tools pouch and clashed with the root agent.


    Clang


    Instead of seeing what they imagined, the genins were startled to see Chisato being pushed back in the first clash.


    The latter felt his arm go numb from just his small exchange, making his mind go heavy. He knew that he had no chance of winning, and even if his subordinates entered the fray, it will not change anything. The guy attacking them was strong, far too strong for them.


    ''What to do? If they escape like that, there are high chances that they will be pursued and killed after this guy takes care of me. Even without him, they will not survive long in the outside world if there is nobody to take care of them. But if they stay here, they will be slaughtered like chickens. Shit, why does it have to happen on my first big mission? I''ve got some lousy luck'' Grumbled Chisato internally.


    Paying no mind to what they were thinking, the root agent continued his ?ssault. He went for his opponent''s left arm this time or at least made Chisato believe so. Chisato blocked hurriedly but the root''s agent changed direction and went for his head at the last moment.


    Having no time to counter that because of the speed of the slash, Chisato tilted his head just in time to escape from the attack and only suffered a small nick on the cheek.


    In the space of three moves, the first blood was drawn.


    Looking at the battle, Minato knew that the root agent was not acting to kill, if not, Chisato would have been long dead. The root agent was only targeting non-lethal areas and was not giving his all.


    ''So that means he is here for me. It must be a test. Will I lose myself to fear and escape, or sacrifice myself for my comrades? Though luck, Konoha higher-ups, the answer is none of them. I will just battle him till he is satisfied and return home informing you of my loyalty''


    Not delaying anymore, Minato rushed to the battle at full speed. There is no use to hide his body speed, it''s only the result of his hard work, not of special training. He didn''t use the shunshin no Jutsu of course, he was not supposed to know it. And even without it, he will not be at a disadvantage in battles. Only Shisui successfully implemented it in battle situations, nobody else should know how to do it, let alone a lambda root agent.


    Chisato broke into a cold sweat. This guy was toying with him. He knew that he could have already died if this guy wanted, maybe they were attacked by a sadist that loved to play with his prey? Only people like him will wear this sort of mask. If that''s the case, it''s better to send the genins away. At least, some of them will survive and he could be avenged.


    ''I hope that my body will not be defiled by this psychopath...''


    When he was going to tell them, a figure passed by him and clash with his opponent. Startled, he looked back to see Minato clashing head-on with the sadist.


    He was going to reprimand him but stopped at the bewildering scene. The shivering genin, that lost all their boastful attitude seeing a Chunin of Konoha being harmed in a few seconds without even knowing how were so astonished that they forgot their fears.


    Minato was not pushed back, the two of them were on equal footing. With the Oni-guy being forced to retreat because Minato sword has more reach than his kunai.


    "I will stall him, guys. Escape while you can, I have no chance to kill an experienced opponent like him but I can at least give you some precious minutes to escape."


    "But.." "There is no way that we..." "No..."


    Seeing their unwillingness because of their pathetic pride, Minato shouted "Chisato-san! Hurry up and escape with my fellow genins! Don''t let my sacrifice be in vain."


    Hearing Minato calling him broke out Chisato of his stupor. He wanted to help him but knew that he will only be a burden after what Minato showed in just the first exchange. He had no choice but to grit his teeth. "Let''s go, guys. Forget about the convoy and just fall back! Don''t let him sacrifice in vain!"


    "But Chisato-san..."


    "If you want to repay me! Become Hokage and lead Konoha to greatness!" Exclaimed Minato, ready to go back to the battle.


    But when he focused back on his opponent, he was ''surprised'' (Hyper intuition, wink, wink) that his opponent was escaping. Minato didn''t bother to pursue him, after all, he will not earn anything from that. The root agent must have determined his job done and fell back. He knew that it will go like that. Danzo love Konoha, he will not let a bunch of supplies be lost on the road like that for tests that could be done anytime.

 Chapter 48 - Land of River

    Seeing the Oni-guy fleeing, the genins mistook it for fear and cheered.


    "Haha, Minato sure is modest. In just a small exchange he made the enemy flee" "True, true. He is a true genius, not knowing even the extent of his capacity because he grows too fast!" "You''re awesome Minato, willing to sacrifice yourself for us! Only a guy like you can become Hokage, not cowards like us!" "Who is a coward" "Us, we were willing to escape and use Minato as a sacrifice" "You!" The genins passed from praising Minato to bicker between them, with some of them boasting that they were going to help Minato and were just waiting for an opportunity. Nobody was jealous of him, he saved their lives so there was no way that they will have any negatives emotions against him. They never thought one instant that Minato cheated them, after all, they didn''t even see him move, so he is the real deal!


    Meanwhile, Chisato knew that it was not that simple and analyzed the situation. ''That guy must have fled fearing reinforcements. People will expect that a genius like Minato has shinobi guarding him, so he must have fled before they arrive.'' Looking around, he didn''t know if his deduction was right or not, but it should be more or less right. Even he was not informed of the power of Minato, so the higher-ups must have hidden it. If not for this unfortunate incident, nobody would have known that he was this strong.


    Walking to Minato and patting him on the shoulder, Chisato looked at him with respect and praised him "Your will of fire burns brightly Minato. If you become the next Hokage, I will not even be surprised! And thank you for saving us, even if in the end, the enemy fled"


    "Hehe, don''t worry Chisato-san. It''s my duty as a Konoha shinobi. But, can you not spread what you saw today. A shinobi that has his hidden card revealed is not a true shinobi. Of course, you can''t hide that from Hokage-sama, any small tidbit of information is important, let alone the fact that such a strong guy hides on this road" Asked Minato, acting as a good Konoha kid.


    Hearing that, Chisato raised an eyebrow in surprise. Kids of his age should want their glory spread, but here he was trying to hide it to surprise his futures enemies, truly a praiseworthy mind in such a young body!


    "Sure! You heard him, guys! Nothing happened during this travel! Minato was just a normal genin and I was the one to push back the enemy, am I understood?"


    Seeing their faces of unwillingness, and knowing that if he didn''t force it, they will want to spread Minato feats, he insisted "Am I understood?!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    Meanwhile, Minato went to the dropped convoy and began to push it.


    "What are you doing Minato! You saved our lives, we can''t let you do such task!"


    "It''s Chisato-san who saved you though"


    Hearing his reply, they became tongue-tied. This guy acts till the end so they can''t repay him even if they want to. They swore that when they became his subordinates later, they will lay their lives for such an amazing leader.


    Noting that Danzo''s dog was still following him, Minato fell into his thoughts. Seeing that, the genins didn''t bother him, acting like nothing happened as they were asked, even if they still look at his direction from time to time with gratitude and respect, not willing to antagonize Minato by acting otherwise.


    After the altercation, the rest of the travel to the border passed without any hindrance. The bandits lurking in the woods knew better than attacking some ninjas, and even if they could have beat them, in time of war, the smallest aggravation would finish in slaughter because of the tension of the higher-ups, so they know who to attack and who not to touch.


    Six days after having departed from Konoha, they finally arrived at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of River.


    Looking ahead, Minato could see a big barricade, with an opening near a sentinel where he sensed multiple shinobi of Jonin level. ''Probably Konoha''s Anbu guarding the border''


    "Identification papers." asked one of them curtly and coldly.


    Chisato took some papers out of his jacket, and give them to the guard. Looking at it a few seconds and seeing that they have the right to pass the border, the guard gave them back and make way, letting the convoy passing by.


    "From now on, it will become even more dangerous. Our destination is one day of travel from here, but we''re on a battlefield, so stay on guard!" Ordered Chisato gravely, knowing that they have a high chance to be ambushed again in the Land of River.


    Hearing that, the genins quieted down, not in the mood to chat anymore. They didn''t forget what happened back then, so they became even more cautious and only whispered between them.


    Seeing that, Minato was satisfied, at least they will not attract enemies with their loud noises.


    They walk on for hours, with people pushing the carriage changing every thirty minutes this time. Chisato didn''t want any of them to tire. If they are ambushed, they must be at their full capacity.


    Along the way, Minato sensed some chunin level enemy waiting in ambushes, but they were finished off by his stalker. And under the escort of said stalker, they successfully arrived at one of the bases of Konoha in the Land of River. It was a basic camp, with tents set up everywhere, and guards patrolling around it.


    When they were spotted, they were escorted inside of the camp, warmly welcomed despite the tension in the air. Konoha shinobi have a liking for their futures replacement, and adding the fact that they bring them food and weapons, it would be hard for one to welcome them coldly.


    Chisato went to talk briefly with a shinobi wearing a chunin jacket, and when he returned, he announced that they can do anything for today, they will only go back tomorrow. "But don''t wander outside, you will only be protected inside the base!" Warned the chunin in charge of them.


    Looking at the Konoha shinobi''s busy discharging the merchandise, Minato chose a direction and walked aimlessly, having nothing to do. The busy shinobi he passed by gave him curious glances, surprised to see such a young kid here, but didn''t bother with him, having better things to do.


    Unknowingly, Minato headed deeper in the camp, and before long, he was stopped by some guards that were guarding the center of the camp, where the higher-ups were situated.


    "Halt! You can''t go deeper, it''s a restricted zone." Coldly declared the guard.


    Broken out of his daydreams by this shout, Minato excused himself and was going to go back, when a voice called him.


    "Oh, if it''s isn''t Minato, what are you doing here?"


    Looking back, he saw Tsunade exiting the biggest tent, with some rather aged shinobi following her. ''Must be the higher-ups and their war room''


    "Tsunade-san" Minato nodded politely "I came here on an escort mission, bringing provisions for the war"


    "I see, come, let''s go discuss in my tent" Saying so, Tsunade ordered the guard to let Minato pass, and guided him to her personal tent.


    On the way, Minato could sense the curious gazes and whispers, with people asking who was he and what was his relationship with Tsunade.


    Entering Tsunade''s tent, Minato raised an eyebrow at the lack of luxury, thinking that for somebody that loves money, gambling, and alcohol, she sure can be humble sometimes. There was only a bed, a shower, a closet, a small table, and two chairs.


    "Pretty humble tent eh" Seeing Minato''s look, she guessed his thoughts. "Well, what I can say, everybody has it hard in war" Saying so, she took out a bottle of sake that she had hidden in her closet and sat down on a chair, gesturing Minato to do the same.


    Pouring herself a cup, she gulped it down and sighed in comfort. "Ah, after such a tedious talk with those annoying old men, nothing beat sake"


    "So" Bending down on the table and bringing her face closer to his, she asked him "How was your first escort mission?"


    "Pretty boring, apart from that small ambushed, but the guy fled" Complained Minato


    "Eh, you should rejoice instead, if you have been ambushed by someone strong, it could have been dangerous" Replied Tsunade.


    "And how did it go for you?" Asked Minato curiously. Despite not being bothered with her in their first meeting because he was worried about Kushina, the following month he often came to her house to talk with Mito, so he often saw her and the two of them hit off pretty well.


    Even if she loves her brother, he is often childish so having somebody else to talk to is a nice change of pace. Jiraya is a pervert, her other teammate is creepy, and the majority of people of Konoha treated her so respectfully that it made her head hurt. Minato with his blunt personality was a breath of fresh air. He knew that she dislikes too much respect so he simply respected her wish.

 Chapter 49 - Tsunade

    "You have no idea!" Tsunade then began to pour her grievances to Minato. For a princess like her, war can be truly hard. In Konoha, she had all she wanted, but on the battlefield, all people are the same in the face of death. "The worst is that I can''t even drink anymore without hiding! How do they expect me to live without my sake" Complained Tsunade


    "Hm, for a medic-nin of your level, flushing the alcohol out of your system should be pretty easy, but if they allow you and not the others, it will raise complaints and bring down the moral" Replied Minato


    "It''s their own fault if they can''t do it, why should I suffer because of their incompetence" Rebuked Tsunade with annoyance. As he said, she could very well pass from a drunk state to sobriety in a second. It''s true that a second is dangerous on the battlefield, but here inside the base, the enemy can''t possibly reach her in such a short period of time.


    "And my stubborn teacher didn''t accept my idea of having at least a medic-nin in a 4-man cell, it could have saved so many lives!" Even if the war was still at the level of some skirmishes, the number of death that she saw already marked her.


    "Hm" Making a thinking pose, Minato nodded "You''re right, a medic-nin should be indispensable on the battlefield. It could not only save lives but also change the tides of war, one life saved means one more shinobi in our camp, and the number can increase fast"


    Hearing that, Tsunade''s eyes lit up "Finally somebody agrees with me! It''s a pity that you''re too young. If you were older, with your help, I would have maybe a chance to change teacher mind about it"


    "I will still try to convince him the next time I go back to Konoha. Even if I have only a fraction of a percent of chance to persuade him, it cost me nothing" ''And it will be killing two Kakuzu''s hearts in one Rasenshuriken, not only will I improve my image in front of the Hokage, Tsunade will have a better impression of me too. It''s not like I care about Konoha shinobi dying''


    Hearing that, Tsunade smirked "Eh, if you were older, I believe that I could have fallen for you"


    "Is age that important? If you were to wait for me to grow up a bit, I won''t mind going out with you" Smoothly replied back Minato


    Tsunade laughed, talking to this kid is really refreshing. Seeing him inspecting her, she raised an eyebrow in curiosity "Like what you see?"


    "Yes, this light grey shinobi armor suit you well. It gives you an air of a heroic beauty, ready to take on the world"


    "Ah, at least you know how to compliment people. Your teacher should learn from you! If it was Jiraya, he would have only said some things about my br??sts" Just thinking of Jiraya made her head hurts. She didn''t dislike him per se, but he is so perverted that it can be considered a disease.


    "By the way, how is Nawaki? He should graduate this year, no?" asked Minato


    Just the mention of her beloved little brother made Tsunade smile "He is doing good, and yes, he will graduate..." Thinking of Nawaki being forced to do missions like Minato made her frown. Even if she was worried about Minato, she knew that he can protect himself pretty well, but her brother is a normal genin, not a little genius.


    Seeing through her worries, Minato declared "Don''t worry, I will try my best to have the Sandaime accept your idea on the medic-nin in the war before your brother graduate", thumping on his ?h?st.


    Minato''s gesture touched Tsunade and made her smile sweetly. Even if she knew that it''s probably not going to change anything, she was glad that he was doing this for her. Her teammates don''t really care about it and never help her on this front, with Orochimaru nearly unkillable and Jiraya thinking... not thinking, always being brash.


    ---


    Minato and Tsunade talked for some more time before she had to go for another to another war meeting, promising to catch up with him later in Konoha.


    Having nothing else to do, Minato went to the space ?ssigned to his escort team, and after installing his tent, he went inside of it to have some more training.


    "Merchants that were supposed to provide nutritional resources to Konoha were attacked by bandits, so our next shipment must be retrieved directly from the capital of the Land of Fire" Explained Chisato.


    This news made the excited to returned home genin sulk. It was cool to travel outside of Konoha, but the harsh living condition of the outside world and the ambush awoke them to the dangers outside the walls of their village. One time is fine and can be considered an experience trip, but they can''t imagine doing such missions for the whole war.


    Seeing that, Chisato encouraged them "Don''t worry, it''s just a small mishap. I doubt it will happen often"


    ''Duh, in time of war, madness spread quickly. It will not be the last time'' Thought Minato, wondering how can this guy be a chunin with such a brain. ''Must be a new one that didn''t go on any dangerous mission before and has yet to become a true shinobi''


    This time, the distance was longer, but the journey took around the same time because the weight of the carriages was far lighter without anything inside.


    Seven days later, they arrived in front of the gates leading to the Land of Fire capital, where reside the true ruler of Konoha.


    Looking at the city ahead of them, Minato team members were awed, having never seen such an ostentatious city. Compared to the practicality of Konoha, the Land of Fire capital''s lean more on esthetic, with all the nobles trying to outdo one another. They could even see the top of the Daimyo palace from outside the city.

 Chapter 50 - Warm shower

    The Land of Fire''s capital is separated into three sections: The outer section, with all sorts of things such as shops, civilians houses, warehouses... The internal section where the majority of nobles live, and the core section where is situated the Daimyo Palace.


    From the ex-Minato memories, our protagonist learned a lot of secrets of the Land of Fire, including the whole layout of the capital. Unfortunately for the hopeful genins, they were not here to visit but to restock their convoy with the resources in one of the warehouse, with the Hokage having already bought and stock them here, knowing that having merchants come to Konoha will be more and more complicated the more extended the war becomes, and it was better to have multiple supplies base to spread the danger of ambush so decreasing it. The Daimyo, of course, helped too, after all, if he didn''t help in times of war against other countries, he would have not lasted long on his throne. Even if Konoha doesn''t dare to go against their master, if said master takes too many liberties, who knows what can happen.


    Arriving in a warehouse and restocking the carriage of supplies, they departed directly to make another journey to the Land of River, decreasing a bit the good mood that they were in at seeing such a luxurious city. They would have at least love to eat in a restaurant and take a warm shower, but the Chunin in charge knew that doing that would be equivalent to insubordination. Their job was to bring the supplies at the fastest possible speed. If it was a normal mission, he could have done it, but in time of war, he didn''t dare to do anything out of place.


    Speaking of the city, nothing noteworthy happened in the capital. Despite being self-centered, this world''s nobles weren''t dumb enough to antagonize the main force of their country for nothing. Here young masters don''t go out of their homes to bully people. Why would they do that if they already have everything they want home?


    The whole journey to resupply another camp went without a hitch with their hidden stalker taking care of the ambushes, and with said ambushes being pretty weak for the time being, with only some chunin cannon fodder. All the villages have yet to reveal their hidden cards, like the hidden like a mole ambush team of Iwa that Minato knew of from the memories of the third world war or... Konoha and Suna don''t have a special type of ambush team.


    Finally, after around a month of harsh travel, their small group came back to Konoha, in the middle of the afternoon.


    "Ok guys, I will report to Hokage-sama so you can all go back for the time being, you will be summoned again when you''re needed" Exclaimed Chisato, dismissing the tired genin.


    Hearing that, they cheered, happy to finally go back home and take a nice warm bath, while not having to look at their back each time they heard a sound anymore.


    Minato went back home first, not bothered to bide goodbye to the other and took a much needed refreshing warm hot shower, displeased that he had to stink when there was no river nearby. The other genins didn''t complain though. They didn''t even notice him, too busy to run back to their homes to do the same.


    On the way back home, he remarked briefly that this time, nobody followed him. It probably means that the higher-ups don''t have the time and manpower to do it anymore, with Danzo and Hiruzen surely coming into an agreement because of the real war being near, with the battlefields slowly converging to Amegakure. If not, he was sure that this untrusting man will never leave him without surveillance.


    Exiting the shower, he sighed in content ''I miss my spaceship, I could have all the luxury of the world even when traveling everywhere'' Just thinking that he would have to pass years of his life filthily because of the lack of technology darkened his expression. But at least, it seems that for his next travel outside, there will be no more stalkers, and he will finally have the time to have some much-needed instinct training in dangerous battles.


    Seeing that he finally realized she was here, she turned her head to the side while pouting, hmphing (Not R-18) to express her dissatisfaction at the fact the first thing he did was not to come and greet her.


    ''Women sure are complicated. If I went to see her while stinking, she would have complained too. Sigh...'' Giving up of making any excuses, knowing it will be too bothersome to even argue, he just went to give her a hug "I''m home"


    Kushina tried to squirm out of his embrace, but she gave up after some time. Blushing, she replied "Welcome back"


    Looking at her like that, he found it hard to believe that this was Kushina, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero that the lucky-but-unlucky-to-have-met-him Minato was going to marry. She was more like a cute little tomato ''I will have to cultivate this tomato to not become a violent chili pepper with me''


    He took her to his small couch (Only traditional household don''t have them) and asked her "So, what happened during the time I was away?"


    Hearing that, she lost her shyness and came back to her bubbly personality, describing all the good things she, Mikoto and Tsume had done. From training to pranks, she explained all of them to him in great detail with a lot of exaggerations.


    Minato was listening with rapt attention. If it was anyone else speaking of those feats, he would have found them boring and doze off, but when it came to people he likes, even those meaningless conversation entertained him. ''Is it the power of youth...love?''


    The two of them were lost in their own world, and like that, time passed and the night began to fall.


    Seeing the luminosity of the room dimming, Kushina looked outside to see it was already night and panicked internally ''Crap! I talked too much and it''s already night. If Mikoto and Tsume find that I hogged Minato for myself the day of his return, it would become messy'' Sweating a bit, she looked at Minato with a begging expression, clearly asking for his help on this matter. She does not fear the bullies at the academy, but the thought of seeing an enraged Mikoto made her shiver. Kind people are always terrifying when enraged.

 Chapter 51 - Pride or love?

    ''Does she really expect me to read her thoughts each time?'' Thankfully Minato was good at reading people, women always want one to know what is in their heads. He wanted to agree, but recalling what happened before he left made him change his mind.


    ''You took my baby balls for a soccer ball. One time is ok, but if I don''t take some payback you would take it for granted.'' He was pretty soft that night, so he said nothing, but he has no intention of becoming somebody that is walked over. Even if he is a softy with them, he still has the pride of somebody who was at the top, so there is no way that he will take the abuse lying down.


    Thinking till here, he frowned. What the use of pride if he uses it on his loved ones? It''s ok to take revenge on people, but if he is at disadvantage against his loved ones and wants to take revenge for that, he will be no different than those over prideful geezer that make their pride pass over their family.


    He must be willing to throw away his pride for them if needed, and it''s his fault for being in a moment of weakness.


    ''But at the same time, it''s their fault for attacking me during my moment of weakness. Ugh, it''s so complicated to not think of only myself. Yosh (Roronoa Zoro''s one, not the youthful yooosh), I must change myself first before criticizing others, and I must tone down harmful substances until I have a way to flush them out in a matter of milliseconds. Furthermore, I must make them understand to not do that anymore naturally, without having to ask them directly''


    Ignoring her puppy eyes, he exclaimed exaggeratedly "Oooh no, I don''t have time to see Mikoto and Tsume now, what should I do? Your story took too much time!"


    Hearing that, Kushina flinched, and like a kicked, r?p?d, and trampled puppy that came upon the power of darkness, explode in a rage "It''s your fault too for listening till the end!"


    Saying so, she tried to punch Minato, but not being drunk and ''fooded'' this time, he easily caught her fist and gripping her arm, threw her across the living room sending her crashing on the wall.


    "Oomph" Kushina had her breath stuck in her throat from the impact and pitifully rolled on the ground like the puppy from before.


    She stood up and shakily pointed her finger at him "You-you! How can you throw a girl like that?"


    Minato gave her a sideways glance and replied "Sorry, it was a reflex", while he was smirking mischievously on the inside, thinking that such petty acts were good acts of revenge between shinobi love ones.


    If she was just a normal human, he would not dare to do such things, but he has no remorse in roughing her a bit, with the chakra protection and all. And it''s not like she will like it if he suddenly begins to treat her like a princess. Not only that, he prefers acting this childishly than like a heartless man with no emotions, it makes him feel alive to do such simple things, but it will be reserved only for his loved ones.


    Seeing the blatant lie, she trembled in anger. But realizing that she can''t do anything about it quickly deflated.


    "Hmph! Someday I will be stronger than you and beat you till you faint!" Having said so, she stormed out of the room, but not before hearing the "See you tomorrow" from Minato, making her stumble in her steps. How shameless can he be? Sending her flying and carelessly seeing her off like it was an everyday thing...Even if it''s a sort of everyday thing when she tries to attack him because of AWLPS, it''s the first time that he was this rough, making her think that maybe he did not appreciate her Fire Tornado.


    ''It must be because we took advantage of his moment of weakness. Now that I think about it, it was pretty low of us. I have to talk about it with the girls, we should not do that anymore. Hmph, it doesn''t matter anyway, I will train hard and quickly grow strong enough to beat him up without tricks. Just you wait Minato!''


    Seeing Kushina''s body language passing from sulking to determination, Minato smiled and compared Kushina, Tsume, and Mikoto to Mebuki, Yoshino, and Hazuka. Doing so, he was a hundred percent sure that if he acts as he did now with the latter three, they will wh?n? pitifully instead of striving to become stronger, making him sure of the fact that those three are not worth his effort.


    Meanwhile, in the Hokage office, a discussion was taking place between the light and darkness of Konoha.


    "I will send Minato on a special mission Danzo, you can''t have anybody following him this time" Exclaimed gravely Hiruzen.


    Danzo cursed him internally ''Do you really think I would still have sent somebody? I''m not a babysitter, what the use of sending someone if I can''t reap benefits'' Nevertheless, he didn''t dare to display this insolence outwardly and nodded.


    Knowing that he will not do anything anymore, for the time being, Hiruzen sent him off. Seeing Danzo exiting the office, he sighed ''Each time I see you, you''ve become entangled in another layer of darkness. I hope for you that you will never betray Konoha for your own benefits, my friend. I will not let anyone threaten the village. After all, Tobirama-sensei counted on me to protect it''


    His gloomy mood was swept away by thinking of the report on Minato. This kid was pretty good and his will of fire burns brightly, being willing to sacrifice himself for his comrades. And even if he was far stronger than anybody on the travel, he was still humble and helpful, not at all aloof or boastful. "I hope he will show some interesting results for that mission, letting him as a genin supplier is a waste of time now that I know all I wanted to know, it''s better to focus on grooming him"


    It''s a pity that because of those turbulent times, he couldn''t have him familiarize himself with teamwork. But it will not be too late later on. And in the worst-case scenario, Hashirama and Tobirama worked alone but still finished Hokage.


    --


    Alternate title: Vegeta or Cupidon?

 Chapter 52 - New mission

    The next day, Minato woke up refreshed, having his first nap in a month. Even if he can''t tire mentally or physically, sleeping always bring him a kind of comfortable feeling.


    Doing the morning rituals of a civilized human being, that he didn''t have the opportunity to do on his mission, he set out of his house full of vitality.


    Entering Kushina''s room without knocking, he found it pretty messy with all sorts of Fuuinjutsu scrolls on the floor, indicating that she worked hard during his absence, making him glad. Skipping in the direction of her bedroom, he entered, finding her sleeping with some drool leaking out of her mouth, mumbling "Beat...Minato...One day..."


    Ignoring her impossible to reach dreams, Minato tried to shake her awake, but she always responded with the legendary ''Five more minutes''. Being fed up with that, he decided to take things in his owns hands. But when he was going to act, he sensed a huge presence approaching his apartment.


    "Lucky girl" Mumbled Minato, deciding to see what this guy wanted before waking her up.


    Exiting Kushina''s apartment, he returned into his. If he waited for the presence in front of his door, he will appear suspicious, as if he knew that somebody was coming. He doesn''t really want to expose all of his cards.


    Not even a minute later, somebody entered by the window of the living room "Yo, Minato-gaki"


    "Jiraya-sensei? What are you doing here in Konoha? I thought you were busy spying in the Land of Rain." Exclaimed Minato in surprise but not really surprised.


    "Sensei asked me to come back, I have some other task to accomplish" Hesitating a bit, he continued "And skirmishes already broke out in Ame, the war will begin at full blast in some months. When the time comes, even you will be dispatched in dangerous places. I know you''re strong, far stronger than I was at your age, but you still must take care of yourself. A young genius can only be so much strong, no matter how talented he is" Declared Jiraya with all seriousness. Minato has chances to be the child of prophecy, he does not want him to die in this war. Or worse, be tainted and losing the qualities that could make him the savior of the world, letting him become its destroyer instead.


    Minato would have been a bit touched if he didn''t know that this guy said all of that just for a stupid prophecy. He doesn''t dislike Jiraya per se, but this guy lost himself long ago when the Toad Sage made him believe that without him finding the child of prophecy, the world will be doomed.


    "Nevermind that depressing stuff, sensei asked me to look for you, he has a special mission that needs someone like you"


    Minato smiled, it seems he will not have to do those useless escort missions anymore.


    ''But it''s a pity. Only Iwa and Suna will take part in the war. Apart from the Jiton kekkei genkai that I already have, there are very few useful bloodlines in those two villages. And there are some unattainable for the time being like the Tsuchikage Jinton, while others that have yet to manifest because their holders are still not born yet, and who knows if their parents have them too, and who are those parents.''


    He discarded those thoughts for the time being. If he can''t take them now, there is always the third ninja war later anyway "Well, let''s go, can''t have the Hokage waiting, Jiraya-sensei"


    ---


    "Minato, I know that you''re still a genin, and that with the war coming, you can''t pass the chunin exams. Even then, I think it would be a waste of your potential if you were to just do as the others genins. I have a mission for you, but it will be dangerous. You can refuse it if you sense that you''re not prepared to truly enter the shinobi world. But if you were to complete it, you will be promoted to chunin rank" Declared Hiruzen strongly.


    "I''m willing, Hokage-sama" Replied Minato confidently. Even if he fears for his life, if he let that impede his progress, it would make his past life a joke. He already suffered numerous hardships, what''s a bit more of them? If things turned south, he has a lot of hidden skills that could let him run for his life.


    "The only reason I survived the encounter with that man was that he retreated, not the other way around"


    "I know that, Chisato explained to me what happened back then. It was admirable of you Minato, to sacrifice yourself for them. You''re truly the embodiment of the will of fire! But I was not referring to that when I spoke those words"


    Minato made a confused expression, what was this guy talking about?


    Hiruzen smirked and took out a crystal ball from his Hokage gown, showing it to Minato. Putting chakra into it, he concentrated on the chakra signature of Minato, and a bird view of Minato was represented inside the ball. "With that"


    "What a useful ability" Exclaimed Minato ''Rubbish, it was because of the detailed report of yesterday by Danzo, Chisato can''t gauge the power I showed. And thankfully I knew of his crystal ball too, if not I would have been screwed. With seals, all my clones chakra signature were hidden when I trained in Konoha, so he only saw me inside of it''


    "Hmph, if sensei was willing to give it to me, my research could have been far more fruitful" Complained Jiraya in his corner. Hiruzen was willing, but he didn''t dare to, for fear of facing the wrath of his disciple Tsunade, that would truly be angry if he gave such miraculous peeping ability to Jiraya.


    When they were going to exit the office, Minato remembered something "Oh right, I forgot to ask you something Hokage-sama"

 Chapter 53 - Wild and soft dont match

    Exiting from the Hokage office, Minato bade goodbye to Jiraya and walked in the direction of the Inuzuka compound. He will only leave with Jiraya in two days, so he decided to visit Tsume, it has been a while since he spent time alone with his first friend.


    While walking, he thought back to his talk with the Sandaime. As he thought, even if he described all the good sides of having a medic-nin in a team, Hiruzen just brushed him off in the end and said he will think about it. It clearly means that he does not deem it as important, and he will only implement it when Tsunade will leave the village in a fit of rage, having lost her loved ones because the Hokage refused to allow her missive to pass. And Minato doubted that Tsunade will stay for him with how are things between them now. After all, their relationship is only at the level of a good friend, not family or lover, so she has no real reasons to stay here. ''Well, I still have my hidden card. I don''t want her to leave the village, life outside will be pretty harsh, even for someone as strong as her''


    Arriving in front of the compound, the guards at the entrance didn''t even bother to ask anything and one of them went to fetch Tsume. Minato often comes here to look for her so people were used to it, and the Inuzuka Clan follows the law of the Alpha pack, where the strong are respected, so a ''talented genius'' like him is pretty much welcomed here. He knew that if he were to go to the Uchiha Compound, people will look for trouble, so he let Kushina fetch Mikoto each time, or the latter came out by herself.


    ''I wonder where is the so-called suitor that harassed Tsume? If I were him, I would have come looking for trouble for ''stealing'' her'' Thought Minato. What he didn''t know was that the suitor was an elder''s son, not too shabby but not too talented either. And the biggest flaw is that he was a coward, so when he heard that if he wanted to have a chance with Tsume, he will have to defeat someone as strong as Minato, he did all the things necessary to hide from him, even fearing that Minato will come looking for him because he harrassed Tsume in the past. In the end, the kid was merely a chess piece for his parents, to acquire more power from the clan. Even in the anime, Tsume''s husband left her after some time because he couldn''t withstand the alphaness of Tsume anymore.


    Minato began to chat with the guard cordially, having nothing better to do, and in no time at all, a cry of "Minato" followed by a human missile colliding with him broke him out of that conversation. Thankfully, he was stronger than her so he did not fall down.


    Looking down at Tsume wide feral and infectious grin, Minato laughed and hugged her closer to his body "It''s been a while Tsume, I missed you"


    "So, how did it go? Your mission I mean." asked Tsume, not responding to Minato''s declaration.


    Not taking offense in that, Minato took her hand and walked with her to the Hokage Mountain, adding some false drama in the recollection of his boring mission, making Tsume excited.


    "You''re right, and even the elders have nothing to complain about. This kid is talented and strong, and more importantly, viewed highly by Hokage-sama. It may be a chance for our clan to become even more prominent" Answered the one that went to fetch Tsume


    Minato was unaware that a good part of the Inuzuka clan already considered him Tsume mate, and that the whole clan already prepared for such a future, with a possible Hokage husband for the clan head daughter.


    Overlooking Konoha from the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju head, one of the people that Minato respect the most in this world, for he was the one that invented all the useful Jutsu that appeared banal nowadays but that makes the foundation of a shinobi, he exclaimed: "I remember the first time I talked to you like it was yesterday."


    Hearing that, Tsume smiled fondly, remembering the time they spent fooling around at the academy when they were only the two of them. Thinking till here, she couldn''t help but show a melancholic face. It''s not that she dislikes Mikoto and Kushina, on the contrary, she loves them dearly, but since they came in the fold, she has little to no time with Minato alone, making her miss a bit those times.


    Seeing her face from the corner of his eyes, Minato exclaimed "I know. I too am nostalgic of that time, there were some of the happiest moments I''ve ever had. But you know Tsume, even if we can''t spend the days with just the two of us fooling around, it did not mean that we can''t reserve some days for just us two" Saying so, his hand holding Tsume''s tightened, and he directed her a bright smile.


    A sweet feeling emerged from the depths of Tsume heart, warming her, and a soft smile appeared on her face, making Minato chortle. She furrowed her brows seeing the laughter in his eyes and his body shaking, indicating that he was about to explode from laughter "What is so funny?"


    "Your face!" Exclaimed Minato, with tears forming at the corner of his eyes "Tsume, don''t ever do this soft smile of yours, it doesn''t suit you at all"


    Before she could respond, he quickly unentangled their hands and ran into the forest behind the Hokage mountain, escaping from Tsume.


    In no time at all, the enraged cry of a wild Tsume came from the spot he fled from, and the sound of running echoed from behind him. He could have stopped her if she wanted to attack him, but he is not so heartless as making fun of her and then beating her to the ground.

 Chapter 54 - Shangri-La

    Shangri-La was a village located in what was called the Valley of Lies. It was a haven for those with bounties on their heads who wanted to live their lives without worrying about being pursued by bounty hunters. To achieve this, villagers used the Transformation Technique to change their appearance and avoided thinking about or even discussing the past. There were few villagers that everyone knew everyone else, a useful way of identifying visitors and therefore possible threats, but nobody knew what anyone looked like without the Henge.


    This small village was also built to avoid notice. It was built in a cave in the side of a mountain, the village''s structure being carved from the mountain itself. Said cave has been expanded in order to accommodate the village, a large tree was planted in its center to support the mountain''s weight. No roads led to the village in order to avoid attention, meaning villagers had to scale the mountain on their own. A nearby river created a natural aroma throughout the area that the villagers used as a medium for genjutsu, rendering Shangri-la invisible to anyone affected by it. The genjutsu was quite complicated, requiring that several villagers constantly weave the hands seals needed to maintain it.


    Unfortunately for them, in this timeline, the Hokage took particularly care of finding small information like that to ?ssure that Minato would not die easily. Even if he said to him that without adversities, he will not progress, he gave his all to minimize the risk and control said adversities. Minato was a one in a hundred years genius, if he was killed, it would be an immense loss to Konoha.


    It''s then that he discovered the existence of Shangri-La, and because of the unusual movements of some of Konoha troops, Suna also discovered it, making this small village a hidden battlefield for the war. The side which can control those people could earn a small advantage. Even if it isn''t much, a small advantage is still an advantage.


    Some days ago, a Konoha spy that infiltrate the village was caught writing a report and killed on the spot by the villagers. Hiruzen would have sent another spy or even annihilate this small village but decided that this place was a good training ground for Minato, so he sent him there in order for him to learn infiltration and information gathering directly from experience. With Minato not using a Henge, people will drop their guards around him making the experience a bit easier. And from the intel he gathered, nobody there could kill Minato without giving him a chance to escape. Of course, he has chances to be killed if he is careless, but he was not willing to have a sheltered successor. If he died, it means that he was not fit to become Hokage.


    And so, Jiraya dropped Minato near the area and went by on his way to accomplish another mission in the Land of River, promising him to come back one week later to collect the information that Minato gathered. As for the genjutsu? He knew that Minato could easily see through it, and how to enter without appearing suspicious will be to his discretion. He already taught him all he needs to know for this mission during the mission to the Land of Rock, even how to suppress his chakra, so all the cards are now in his hands. Still, he has great confidence in his disciple.


    Looking at the departing Jiraya, Minato smiled and stretched. He was finally alone, with nobody watching him. Even if he became used to it, it took a toll on him to control what he says and how he acts to not cast suspicions on him. Even if he has Minato''s memories, he still has some mannerism from his time as Byron so it''s not so easy to act like a quick-witted child around others.


    ''But how to enter the village without appearing suspicious'' He mulled for a plan, and looking at the clouds gathered in the sky, indicating that it will soon rain, a light bulb went up to his head.


    "It will soon rain so it''s basic common sense to look for a shelter, and what better one than a cave"


    He then stored all his shinobi possessions in his lotus seal, while everything else was stored into his backpack.


    Going into the direction of the mountain, he arrived at the foot of it in a matter of minutes. When he reached there, he sensed some gazes on him with his Hyper Intuition, but could not pinpoint their exact locations with his chakra sense, because of the Genjutsu interference.


    He walked along the mountain, acting like he was a kid whose village suffered some calamities and was currently traveling, looking for a cave to take shelter from the rain. In no time at all, his Hyper Intuition flared up, indicating what he was looking for. He then activated his Sharingan and casually swept up the mountain with a look, without pausing even when he saw the Genjutsu array.


    To the villagers at the entrance on Genjutsu''s duty, it looks like Minato was looking around the mountain. Nobody would ever suspect that this kid has the fable Sharingan, able to see through the flow of chakra.


    Acting like he was tired of looking around, Minato then went on climbing the mountain, activating the resistance seal at the same time to make the act more believable, with the sweat beginning to build upon his forehead.


    From the foot of the mountain, people would have a hard time seeing everything, so Minato''s actions were believable. And so, when after fifteen minutes of looking around Minato stumbled upon the hidden cave, the guards were not suspecting anything at all taking Minato for a lucky kid having discovered the entrance to their villages by chance.

 Chapter 55 - Entering Shangri-La

    Looking at the guards in front of him executing hand signs continuously to not let the genjutsu fade, Minato blinked.


    "Are you what we call ''Cave dweller''?" asked Minato, tilting his head, with an innocent look.


    Hearing that, their lips twitched, this kid takes them for barbarians that don''t know how to live in a proper house and live in caves like their ancestors far in the past.


    One of the more hotheaded villagers was going to attack Minato out of anger, but the others quickly restrained him. During the commotion, unseen by anyone, Minato underfoot flashed a bit, before receding and returning to normal.


    "Ehem, my name is Daisuke. Please excuse this guy, he has always been hotheaded and acts impulsively, not knowing the meaning of the word ''Joke''" Exclaimed one of them.


    "And no, we''re not cave dweller, what you see here is only the tip of the iceberg." Pointing at the door at the end of the cave, he continued "Our village is situated behind this door, you can come in if you want, traveller from afar." He added an amiable smile as a finishing touch.


    Minato''s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly exclaimed "Really? I''m glad. My village was attacked by bandits and I was the only one that successfully escaped thanks to my parent''s sacrifice. I hope you won''t mind if I stay here a bit, this place is well hidden so I doubt that the bandits could ever find me there!"


    Hearing the world ''Bandit'', cold looks pass through some of Shangri-La villagers'' eyes. Not all of them have a bounty because they are inherently evil, some of them were unlucky and finished here because of successive events that all began because of those peoples, that sometimes act as slavers.


    Leading Minato to the village, Daisuke opened the door, and seeing the ''awed'' look of Minato, he exclaimed "Welcome to Shangri-La, a place where people like you and me who suffered calamity can live a new life"


    Seeing the sturdy tree in the center of the cave, with a multitude of houses surrounding it, Minato was a bit impressed at their ingeniosity. What he sees can be called a true hidden village. The so-called 5 Great Hidden Villages are all exposed for the world to see, completely losing the meaning of the shinobi, that must remain in the shadows.


    Looking at the departing backs of Minato and Daisuke, the other Shangri-Laiens began to talk between them.


    "So, what is your verdict, Shisho?"


    The hotheaded villager, Shisho grunted but still answered "He has only little chakra in him, he is truly a civilian, so I doubt that he is a spy. He should have come here totally by luck, and his story should not be false. If he was not forced, I don''t see why a weakling like him would have travel till the valley of lies, where there is nothing"


    "Hm, I hope for him that he will like it here and not choose to leave. I will feel bad for killing an innocent child like him, but our safety pass first. And with the new people that appeared since the beginning of the skirmishes between Konoha and Suna, I begin to think that our small village has already been exposed"


    "That may be true. But if they did nothing till now, it means that they don''t care that much about us. The new guys tried to steer our thoughts in the direction of Suna or Konoha, but they didn''t do anything violent. So if they don''t act like the other guy that blatantly acted like he owned this place and tried to contact someone with his messenger bird, I don''t see any reason to kill them. That would only anger their villages"


    At the mention of that event, coldness flashed through their eyes. They fear the Great 5, but the guy that they killed recently was too arrogant, thinking that because they were not trained by a true shinobi village, they will not see through his tricks. They couldn''t let something like this go unpunished, if not, their whole village will crumble.


    "Thankfully, it seems that the people he was trying to inform has no intention to retaliate, so that means that he was probably just a chess piece and not a shinobi of one of the greats villages."


    Meanwhile, Daisuke was presenting Minato to the other villagers and vice versa, while acting like a guide selling his village good points.


    "Those two here are Hohozuki and his retainer Ameyuki." This time, the introduced two were in their teens, probably around fifteen years old.


    But it was not what interested him, he sensed that this guy was made completely of chakra, and his Hyper Intuition told him that the two of them were linked far more profoundly than a retainer and his master.


    Activating his Sharingan, he observed the two of them.


    ''Hohozuki has a henge on, while Ameyuki seemed to be a clone, but not a Kage Bunshin, an elemental one maybe? It means that ''Ameyuki'' is the true image of Hohozuki, I can''t see any transformation on the clone, and from what I know, when one creates a clone, it has the main body appearance...But why would he do such things, everyone can know of his identity?


    Nevermind, I will look through the Bingo Book when I''m alone, he is surely inside of it if he lives here and is not a spy. And a spy would never make such a foolish thing.''


    Minato did not look at all the Naruto fillers, if not, he would have recognized this person and his history directly. Even an avid fan of manga like him couldn''t win the battle against the boredom of Kishimito''s manga fillers.

 Chapter 56 - Hohozuki

    "Hohozuki, this newly arrived one here is Minato, he lost his family to bandits and he stumbled upon our village. Can you guide him to the empty house and renovate it as he wants? I''ve got to return to the entrance" Requested Daisuke.


    "Sure thing Daisuke-san, I''ve got nothing to do anyway" Seeing the insincere smile and the dead eyes of this guy made Minato feel uncomfortable. It''s the face of someone that has lost everything. Only when the word bandit was mentioned did they regained some life. Ameyuki had the same eyes too, making Minato more sure of his earlier guess on them.


    ''No wonder this guy walks with a clone that shows his true face, he doesn''t have any will to live anymore and surely hope to be recognized and killed''


    And seeing the same look that he had one time with his heart not frozen anymore shook Minato a bit, more than he knew of.


    "Aya, you''re always helpful that I feel embarrassed to ask for your help again, but your ability is so useful. Thanks again, Hohozuki" Rubbing the back of his head with his hand, Daisuke ''praised'' Hohozuki, but the hidden look of disgust when he looked at his hands caked with mud didn''t escape Minato, nor Hozuki''s retainer if the eyebrow twitching was an indication.


    Daisuke then looked at Minato "Take care, Minato. I will come to see you in the evening when my guard shift is finished"


    "I present myself again, I''m Hohozuki, no last name" Smiled Hohozuki


    Tearing his eyes from Daisuke disappearing back, Minato politely replied "Minato. I''m an orphan too. Nice to meet you"


    "Come with me" Saying so, Hohozuki led Minato outside from the commercial area where everyone in this village was in this hour of the day shopping or taking a coffee to the residential area, with Ameyuki following behind but not saying anything from the beginning to the end.


    The majority of the buildings in this place were brown, constructed in earth from top to bottom, making Minato speculate their origin. ''Maybe this guy is a Doton user? So his job here is to create houses for newbies and shops for hopeful merchants with ninjutsu. It would explain his dirty hands''


    Seeing the pondering look of Minato, Hohozuki explained "I''m a user of the Mud release, a combination of earth and water chakra...Ah, but I don''t think you understand. In summary, I''m a shinobi and can manipulate the mud with an energy called chakra. My job here is to create buildings, and to do that I transform earth in mud and solidify said mud when I obtain the shape I wished"


    ''For a guy that has no will to live anymore, he sure is s?ns?t?v?. And what''s up with only the clone being offended for that and not him...''


    It was clear to Minato that Hohozuki was someone broken and wishing for death. Maybe his ''Hohozuki'' persona was someone that was precious to him but that he killed like Kakashi chidori-ed Rin? So he let his true self, ''Ameyuki'', do to the bidding of that persona as redemption to have some small peace of mind, which would explain why Ameyuki took offense of the nasty looks directed to Hohozuki. And recalling the sliver of hatred when Daisuke mentioned bandits before, they may have a cause into this as well.


    ''Nevermind that, I don''t care. The only thing important to me is his blood. His ability is super useful! If I can control the earth around me and soften it, I could go anywhere I want, and even travel inside the ground. Not only that, it''s a landscape changing ability, even more so than the Mokuton. After all, earth is omnipresent on the elemental nations. If pushed to the extreme, someone could destroy the continent with this bloodline limit!''


    Walking through the residential area and arriving at the end of it near the mountain wall, they stopped before a small house that was round-shaped with an inversed cone as roof, like the houses in Kirikou''s village, making Minato doubtful of the taste of Konoha''s spies. He also remarked that the more they distanced themselves from the tree at the center, the less luminous it was. Said tree was decorated like a Christmas tree with multiple lightbulbs.


    "This house was owned by someone that passed away some days ago, so it''s not inhabited anymore. You can live here from now on, nobody needs it anyway. Do you want some changes to it?"


    ''I was right, the moment I heard the ''empty house'', I was sure it was from the guy they killed the other day''


    What was left unsaid was that if Minato didn''t take this house, Hohozuki will be coaxed to construct another one. Even if people here don''t resort to violence for fear of breaking the status quo and making this town a lawless one, they were still criminals with bounties and not afraid of bullying that did not go too far.


    And with no will to live anymore, Hohoyuki will not defend himself if no physical harm or verbalized insults are directed to said persona. Of course, everyone was creeped out by his dead eyes, not daring to make him lose the last of his rationality. Internally dead people will do anything if coaxed a bit but will snap if you insult their sore spot.


    "Can you make it more squarish, please?" ''Let''s see his kekkei genkai''


    With his Sharingan, Minato caught some traces of chakra on nearby lodgings ''Those houses were constructed not long ago, surely for the new arrivals, more precisely Suna spies.''


    "Okay, finished" Clapping his hand with a fake satisfied smile, Hohozuki led Minato inside the newly renovated house.


    The interior was pretty basic, with only the b?r? minimum to live like a civilized person. Despite having been remodeled, it seems that the appliances for water and electricity of the house were not affected, clearly demonstrating the fine control of the user, making Minato almost want to battle this guy here and now, but he has to stick for his plan for the time being, his playtime will soon come.


    "Thanks a lot, Hohozuki-san"


    "Don''t worry about that, if you need anything, come and find me"


    ''I need your blood, give it to me?''

 Chapter 57 - Plan

    When Daisuke came to visit Minato yesterday, he gave him enough food to live for a week and explained to him that the villagers reached a consensus. He can live here from now on, without having to pay anything for the time being. He will just have to help them in odd jobs from time to time. He was surprised that a bunch of bounties will be such softies, but not all of them were ''bad guys'', so he was not shocked by such a decision.


    After eating breakfast, Minato began to review his plan for this mission.


    In the beginning, he was hesitating whether to attack this place or not. True, it could give him some real battle instincts against multiple vicious opponents, but at the same time, if for some reason Jiraya came back ahead of time, it could become tricky to explain.


    But the moment that he knew that Hohozuki, or rather ''1 million ryo Ameyuki'' from what he gleaned of the multiple villages bingo book that he bought, had the Mud release, he lost all his hesitation. Even if it isn''t a hundred percent sure foolproof plan, it''s worth the risk. He has to snatch this bloodline.


    He can''t possibly act only when he knows there is no risk. The job of the ''plot knowledge'' is to lower said risks to a maximum, not making him act just when there is none of them. Such a mindset will only hinder him. He must not mix cautiousness and cowardliness, bravery and brashness. Since coming to this world, he couldn''t act as he wishes anymore and had to hide everything he does, and his cautiousness reached scary degrees, nearly becoming cowardliness.


    ''Thankfully, it''s not too late to prevent that. I''m Byron, the intergalactic emperor that wishes to secure a paradise for myself and my loved ones. Fearing death is ok, but becoming a coward that is afraid of acting is unbefitting of my name!''


    ''And I mustn''t lose myself to the mask I wore in Konoha.''


    It''s at this time that he made the decision to lose the ''I''m Minato'' mask and slowly act like he did when he was eighteen, the time before he froze his heart. He feared that if he keeps the act for too long, he will truly think of himself as Minato. Even if his goals will never change, if his personality does, it will be a huge loss for him. If we force ourselves to express a certain thing, sometimes it will lead to truly feel it. And it isn''t like he had a bad personality by then, he was a bit like Minato, just more playful and easygoing, so the Konoha higher-ups will think it''s the war that made him change a bit, and that he acts like that to cope with the horrors he had seen. The only reason that he acted exactly like Minato till now was because of paranoia.


    Back to Minato''s plan, it consists of two parts: sealing this place and killing this place. He already placed a barrier seal at the entrance of the cave yesterday, so he just had to place three more to completely surround the village and erecting a barrier, forbidding anyone from fleeing when the battle begins.


    After that, he would have to rely on himself to battle against the entire village. It will be a challenge, but it should not be mortal for him if he doesn''t become ???ky. Worst come to worst, he could open the first gate and destroy everyone here, but it will lead to severe weakness when the gate close again. And with the Genjutsu wore off because of the death of the Genjutsu guard team, the longer he has to rest, the more chances he has to be caught in a tricky situation. He was still in the Land of River, in the middle of a war zone.


    The drawback of this plan is that if somebody passed by, they will see the barrier. And if it''s Jiraya that came back early for x reason, a lot of headaches will ensue. Thankfully, this village is pretty well hidden, so from afar nothing should be seen, and he doubted that Jiraya will have so much free time to come back here to check on him.


    "Let''s do this, I must place these seals without appearing suspicious. I will just have to pretend to tour the village, nobody should prevent me to do that. After all, there is no restricted place here, everybody is ''equal'' and there is no village chief"


    The first seal was at the entrance of the cave, so the second should be at the opposite of it. And in this mountain cave, it''s at the end of the residential area, which means near his house. Minato walked to the mountain wall some meters from his house and placed a second seal on the ground discreetly with his foot. He already placed the formula on his shoes before entering Shangri-La, so he just had to applicate some chakra into it, that will be undetected thanks to the seals hiding his chakra.


    Not a lot of residents were around, with the majority of the people still sleeping. Necessary things to do like hunting can be done in a jiffy by people that have chakra, so they have a lot of free time, which mean a lot of sleeping time for most of them, who are a bit depressed at life, forced to hide in a hole like that to survive. In Shangri-La, the most popular entertainment in the form of brothel doesn''t exist, which pr?st?tut? in her right mind would come in this hellhole where she would never escape from? And even if there was, it''s not like they can advertise their villages publicly. So, apart from sleeping, Shangri-Laiens don''t really have anything to do.


    Therefore, the next part of his plan was executed smoothly, without any hindrance in the form of talks with villagers. During the next hour, Minato contoured the village by sticking to the mountain walls and placed the last two seals. People that saw him didn''t find anything suspicious, thinking that Minato was just looking at the size of the village.


    Having finished his preparations, and having combed through the whole village to ?ssure that there were no enemies strong enough to kill him, Minato arrived in front of the door leading to the entrance of the cave.


    Opening it, he spotted Daisuke and some of the guards from yesterday.

 Chapter 58 - A week long hiatus

    Hello dear readers, I''m here to announce that I will stop posting chapters for around a week. Does it mean that I''m short of ideas and that this novel has chances to be dropped? Not at all!


    These days, I have a sort of mind or thought breakthrough if you would say, like a new world opened to me. With it came the realization that I was closeminded and a bit arrogant, and it is visible through my earlier writing of my protagonist, with him wanting to hog everything for himself while deeming the rest of the world as unqualified. All of this came back in the form of me writing them as unqualified, which they are not at all!


    So, I wish to take a break and consolidate my thoughts, before coming back to continue this novel.


    I know that it''s not cool for all of you, being myself a reader, but I wrote this fanfiction in the first place to better myself, and to one day write my own novel, so I think taking a small break is the most beneficial for my growth as an author.


    Thanks to those that will still stay here and wait for my comeback :)

 Chapter 59 - Question poll

    I know it''s not cool of me to come back to say I will rewrite my novel, but after all the research I did, I can''t for the love of me continue the aberration that I''m currently writing.


    Rule number one for every novelist: "Show, don''t tell!", is a rule that I completely butchered, by boring you out of your mind with the legendary info dump, which I mixed with a heavy dose of my protagonist thoughts, which gave nothing to the plot, nor his character development.


    Worst of all, there are no real conflicts in my story: My MC is so ''perfect'' and ''knowledgeable'' that it''s completely boring. I wrote the story as someone who writes a typical wish fulfillment, with everything going in the way of the MC.


    Furthermore, having every woman part of the MC''s harem is good and all (It''s every man''s dream), but it kills the story! Why? I will explain with those 2 situations


    1)They are wronged, and the MC kills everyone with his so-called revenge. Revenge is an extremely good concept to write, but multiple it by x100 (100 women''s harem), and the MC will appear as a prick. And too much ''romance'' kill the story, if the mc has to protect them each time, or kill everyone out of revenge.


    2)They are MC''s waifu, so nobody can touch them (Nearly what I was going to do, and it''s BORING! But we write it because it''s so cliche to have the girls of the MC wronged and him going on a revenge journey. I''m not even going to talk about how it is impossible to write such a thing while developing their relationships. I appreciate big harems novels, but my goal is to better myself to write my own novel, and it''s clearly not doing that that I will progress the way I want)


    And finally, MC power is... is a complete hax! Just some drops of blood can give him power, it''s completely rubbish! Not even speaking of the hyper intuition that I gave him out of nowhere because I thought it was cool...


    My first novel with my protagonist as a slime would have been far more entertaining if I continued it, with the mc having to gobble up someone to take their power.


    So, I now hesitate to restart my novel with a slime mc in Minato''s timeline, or creating a new one in Madara and Hashirama timeline. Like in the commentary section and I will work on it!


    And don''t worry, I will not abandon you dear readers, after all, if I don''t train my writing I will always be a mediocre writer :)

 Chapter 60 - Decision

    First, I want to thank you for all your comments and suggestions, they really helped me to clear my mind, and gave me some ideas.


    I want to say that I''m ashamed of having writing without bothering to open a book on learning how to write, and when I discover that fact, I panicked a bit. But in the end, I think it doesn''t really matter, practice is the solution.


    I will still continue to learn how to write a story, while creating a new plot. And when I finish outlining my plot and learn the basics of writing a novel, I will come back at full force! If I did not apply rapidly what I learn, I will not progress, so fret not, I will surely come back!


    As for what I will write: it will be an adventurous MC, that will be pretty smart, but not arrogant, and after reflection, I decide to go with a harem. BUT, his harem will not hinder him in any way, for he will have his own goal and they will have their own. I will try my all to make the girls, and the other people not one-dimensional.


    If you ever feel that other people lose their personalities because of my MC, I humbly ask you to tell me, because I am merely a small rookie in the art of writing.


    Thank you for your support, and I will try to come back and write the fastest I can! Don''t hesitate to unleash your ideas, and if I find some fitting in what I want to write, I will put them in. One mind cannot be equal to dozens of minds!