Naruto, thanks to the Nine-Tails inside him, was naturally far more energetic than other children, but a two-year-old still needed plenty of rest.
Not long after dinner, the previously chirpy Naruto was already fighting sleep, his little head drooping again and again.
Seeing this, Kushina naturally took him back to their room to sleep. Hoshiyomi and Tsunade then shifted the conversation away from Naruto and onto the three years Hoshiyomi had been missing.
After hearing about Hoshiyomi's experiences in Rōran, Minato frowned:
"So, Sensei, you're saying you also encountered a mysterious person there who could use the Mangekyō Sharingan? I suspect the one who attacked you is the same person who attacked Kushina on the day Naruto was born."
At this point, anger was clearly visible in Minato's eyes. After all, that man was the one who attacked his wife and child. If Minato hadn't intervened in time, both Naruto and Kushina might have been in grave danger.
"When I fought him, the Mangekyō ability he used was exactly the same as the one you described—twisting space. If I wasn't especially sensitive to spatial fluctuations, I might've been killed by him in a single strike."
Although Hoshiyomi had already guessed the attacker was likely "Tobi," hearing Minato describe Annihilating Star, he instantly perked up. The thing he feared most now was Tobi—or more specifically, Danzō—wielding that pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
That bizarre spatial-lock ability was nearly unbeatable once it hit. Anyone weaker than super-Kage level practically had zero chance of surviving an ability like Annihilating Star.
What made it worse was that this was only one of the Mangekyō abilities. The second one was still completely unknown.
Thinking of this, Hoshiyomi straightened up slightly and said seriously:
"As far as I know, every Mangekyō Sharingan has two abilities—like Kuugetsu's Kagutsuchi and Higan. When I encountered him, I accidentally learned that the ability that twists space is called Annihilating Star. I just don't know whether you witnessed his second ability.
If we can figure out both abilities, the next time we face him he'll pose far less of a threat to us."
Minato fell silent at those words. After thinking for a long while, he finally spoke hesitantly:
"Something strange did happen during our fight. But I'm not sure whether it was his second ability or just another application of the first.
The first time Annihilating Star caught me, I sensed the spatial fluctuation in advance, so I avoided the assassination attempt. The second time he used it, I used Flying Thunder God ahead of time to dodge the warped space.
Thanks to the suddenness of my teleport, I managed to hit him with a Rasengan—but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to defeat him.
Just as I was about to repeat the tactic and finish the fight, something bizarre happened: he used Annihilating Star on himself."
"He used Annihilating Star on himself?"
"Yes. The same spatial distortion appeared around him, shredding his own body with no trace left behind. It definitely wasn't suicide.
But he truly vanished afterward. I think either this is a variant usage of Annihilating Star, or it's the second ability.
If it's the latter, then that second ability likely needs to be used in conjunction with Annihilating Star."
Hearing Minato's impeccable analysis, Hoshiyomi nodded in agreement, and also felt a small sense of relief.
If that was the case, then this pair of Mangekyō wasn't as powerful as Kamui. Kamui was both offense and defense—and, more importantly, granted the user that broken "intangibility" state.
Compared to that, this Mangekyō was clearly inferior. And if, as Minato suggested, the second, life-saving ability needed Annihilating Star to function…
Tobi would be unable to keep Annihilating Star active if he needed to use his second ability to save himself. Which meant that as long as the fight wasn't one-on-one, the threat level of that Mangekyō Sharingan pair dropped dramatically.
After discussing Annihilating Star for a while and concluding that these eyes were inferior to Kamui—and not too difficult to handle as long as the situation wasn't a solo fight—Hoshiyomi summarized:
"Right now, figuring out countermeasures to that Mangekyō is just precautionary. We probably won't run into that guy again for quite some time.
And he doesn't know that I have a way to counter his ability. As long as I don't reveal that easily, we just lay low and wait for him to slip up.
For now, have the Uzumaki clan research a more advanced barrier-style sealing jutsu that can block sensing.
As long as he can't gauge Konoha's internal strength or determine whether I'm here, the next time he shows up, we'll be ready."
Minato had already considered this once he learned that even someone like Hoshiyomi—who could hide his presence so well that he was nearly undetectable—could remain unseen by their foe. Hearing Hoshiyomi say it aloud, he naturally nodded in agreement.
...
When they left Minato's home, it was already quite late. Hoshiyomi and Tsunade returned to their own house for the night, and continued their rounds of visiting friends the next day.
Hoshiyomi saved the Uchiha compound for last. The first visit of the day wasn't to any of the future Konoha Twelve's families—it was to Hatake Sakumo.
After disappearing for three years, Hoshiyomi of course had to check in with his close friends first.
The Hatake compound was still as quiet as ever. Sakumo was no longer serving as the ANBU Commander; he had passed the position on to Kuugetsu and was now content to stay home with his wife and son.
When Hoshiyomi arrived, Sakumo didn't look surprised at all. He simply spoke lightly:
"I knew you wouldn't die that easily. Three years, huh? Want a drink?"
Beside him, Kakashi's eyes flickered strangely as he looked at Hoshiyomi.
Kakashi had grown up listening to stories about Hoshiyomi and his father.
To young Kakashi, his father was naturally the greatest, and whenever he claimed that his dad must be stronger than Hoshiyomi, his father would always show that "You'll understand when you're older" expression.
Kakashi had never accepted that, and a small seed had quietly been planted in his heart—a desire to one day see Hoshiyomi's true strength for himself.
As he grew older and eventually became an elite jōnin, Kakashi was finally strong enough to make that comparison… only for Hoshiyomi to mysteriously vanish.
Now, after three years, Hoshiyomi had quietly reappeared. Watching him sit there drinking happily with his father, Kakashi could no longer hold back his curiosity.
Seeing how good his father's mood was, and how Hoshiyomi looked just as bright and approachable as the stories described, Kakashi suddenly stood up. He bowed slightly toward Hoshiyomi and said:
"Uncle Hoshiyomi… would you have a match with me?"
...
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