Chapter 86: Changing Gaze

Swish! Swish!

Four figures moved at a speed exceeding normal human visual limits, tirelessly advancing forward.

"Not bad," Sakumo Hatake said with a slight sideways glance as they moved. Behind him and Jun Toriumi, Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Homura followed closely, with beads of sweat already forming on their foreheads, though their breathing remained steady, showing no signs of struggling to keep up.

Initially, Jun was slightly surprised because Sakumo had set off at an extremely fast pace from the start, far exceeding the level genin could typically endure.

Although Jun had heard some things about Minato and Uchiha Homura from Sakumo, she had never witnessed their abilities firsthand. During her time in the Anbu, she had grown accustomed to trusting only what she saw with her own eyes. No matter who it was, even her most revered senior Sakumo, she maintained a skeptical attitude towards hearsay.

However, as she observed now, the skills of these two "temporary genin" far exceeded her expectations.

Over the past year, Minato had grown accustomed to this kind of high-speed, high-intensity movement, and he could occasionally draw upon his chakra to alleviate physical fatigue, unlike during training.

Given his current chakra levels, as long as it wasn't a 24-hour, high-intensity long-distance assault, he would be fine.

What surprised him was that his companion, Uchiha Homura, seemed to have also mastered this technique, which Minato had only acquired through constant practice.

The Uchiha clan was renowned for producing numerous elite shinobi, famous for their Sharingan and Fire Release ninjutsu. However, within such an elite collective, it was unsurprising to find exceptional individuals of various types, including those with remarkable speed.

High-speed movement required a foundation of exceptional physical prowess, combined with certain chakra utilization techniques. Jiraiya had not directly taught these techniques to Minato but instead allowed him to discover them through experience. Uchiha Homura, on the other hand, had been directly instructed by his clan.

In the short term, Uchiha Homura's progress would likely surpass Minato's since he had managed to match Minato's speed within just a year.

However, this approach also had its drawbacks, as it involved following someone else's path of training, which might not be the most suitable for oneself.

This was one of the reasons why Jiraiya did not directly teach Minato these techniques, leading to the development of Minato's "Flying Thunder God" technique.

The "Flying Thunder God," a continuous instantaneous movement technique, was not exclusive to Minato or the Shikkotsu clan, known for their mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, or even the current Third Raikage.

Instead, the most famous practitioner resided in a small nation situated between the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth: the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, Hanzo of the Salamander.

Hanzo's name resonated throughout the shinobi world, with countless ninja revering him as the "Salamander Hanzō." His moniker derived not only from his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique but also from his formidable summoning creature, the Salamander.

Alongside his near-ghostly movement abilities and the immeasurable power of his summoning creature, Hanzo's overall strength was undoubtedly S-rank, on par with a Kage. In the current shinobi world, perhaps only the Third Hokage of Konoha could rival his fame and prestige.

It was said that the Third Hokage possessed perfect control over all five chakra natures.

Minato had already mastered the control of two chakra natures and could release ninjutsu combinations with considerable power.

The "Professor of Ninjutsu," who could manipulate all five natures and was known as the Third Hokage, combined with his strongest summoning creature, the Monkey King Enma, it was no wonder he was mentioned in the same breath as Hanzo.

Recalling these renowned titles that shook the shinobi world, Minato felt a burning passion surge within his chest.

Perhaps one day, he too would earn a unique moniker, spreading his name and reputation throughout the ninja world, commanding trust and respect from his comrades while instilling fear in his enemies.

However, that was still a distant goal. For now, he needed to ensure the success of this mission, which was not only his first assignment as a ninja but also an S-rank, high-risk mission.

They continued their rapid pace, passing through a small town as the sky grew dim without stopping, only to maintain their swift pace and continue onward.

It wasn't until deep into the night, in a deserted mountain forest, that the group finally slowed their steps.

"Let's take a break here for now," Sakumo said, observing their surroundings after noticing Minato and Uchiha Homura's heavy breathing.

They set up a simple campfire, and as Sakumo watched Uchiha Homura and Minato sitting in opposite directions, he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

"Too skilled for their own good?"

It was common for ninja, or even ordinary people, to carry some provisions when traveling long distances. However, these two youngsters had clearly considered the unique nature of this mission and had left without packing any food.

Sakumo had not allowed them to stop and replenish their supplies when passing through towns or villages along the way.

However, he had anticipated this.

He pulled out a portable scroll from his ninja tool pouch, unrolled it, and formed hand seals, causing the scroll to expand to about half a meter wide and one meter long. Sakumo then retrieved several bags from the scroll.

"Here," he said, distributing the food and water to them, while Jun did not seem to need any, as she was studying the intelligence regarding Kuriyama Shinzo by the campfire.

Anbu ninja never did unnecessary things, and this behavior was difficult to change immediately. There was little interaction between them, so Jun rarely communicated with others.

"Thank you," Minato and Uchiha Homura said with distinctly different tones of gratitude before starting to eat. Ninja on missions had to maintain their peak condition at all times.

For ordinary people, tasting the flavor was more important than simply consuming energy when eating. However, for ninja, only the latter mattered.

Sakumo approached Jun and patted her shoulder. She turned around, her face slightly flushed, and asked, "Is there something you need, Senior Sakumo?"

She had only just noticed Sakumo's gaze fixed intently on her eyes, making the usually emotionless Jun feel somewhat flustered, unaccustomed to such direct attention from Sakumo.

"Isn't it better now?" Sakumo smiled.

"Huh?" Jun blinked in confusion.

"Didn't I mention before that there was something off about your gaze? I had planned to help you change it during this trip, but you're a genius and managed to adjust it so quickly," Sakumo explained.

As he spoke, Jun silently nodded, while Minato and Uchiha Homura watched with slight bewilderment, having previously perceived Jun as an extremely capable and confident kunoichi.

Yet, in Sakumo's presence, she seemed like a shy young girl.

Both Sakumo and the two young shinobi were taken aback by her behavior.

What was going on with her?

(Author's Note: Minato, I'll tell you that you'll have a very formidable moniker in the future! As for Jun Toriumi, I believe many readers have already guessed her identity. While she doesn't exist in the original story, her presence is essential for a certain Konoha technician from the original work.)

(end of chapter)