"Y-You've learned it?"
Minato Namikaze looked at Natsuhiko with a rather strange expression. He had never expected such an answer.
Learning sealing techniques in a little over a month wasn't entirely unheard of—back in the day, Minato himself had also taken over a month to manage it.
But the problem was that Natsuhiko was an ANBU member—and during that same month, he had been constantly out on missions!
First he spent time gathering intelligence.
Then he subdued a powerful lizard as a summoning beast.
After that, he rescued the Third Division and assisted them in completing their mission.
Amid such a tightly packed schedule… he still managed to learn sealing techniques?
Was this talent?
Minato didn't believe the boy had been slacking off. The mission report from that operation was still sitting on his desk!
Other than talent, he couldn't think of any explanation.
"Yes, I've learned it," Natsuhiko said with a smile and a nod. "Although I've been busy lately, Lord Hokage's teaching was extremely effective. I just spent some extra time and came to understand quite a few things. I can already use some basic sealing techniques."
"Is that so?" Minato still seemed slightly dazed.
Able to use some basic sealing techniques?
The nature of sealing arts was such that once you could successfully cast even a relatively simple technique, you could draw parallels and begin to understand—and even attempt—other techniques.
The true difficulty of sealing arts lay in entry and comprehension.
Once you crossed that threshold, the path became smoother—though only relatively smoother.
To delve deeper into advanced techniques was still no easy task.
If depicted as a curve, sealing arts would have steep peaks at the beginning and the end, with a relatively flat stretch in between.
Back then, Minato had spent over a month under Kushina's careful guidance just to take that first step.
Even now, though he had progressed rapidly in sealing arts, learning the highest-level techniques was still difficult.
But Natsuhiko?
The boy had already succeeded—and admitted it openly.
Minato truly didn't know what to say.
"What sealing techniques can you use now?" Minato steadied his emotions before asking. "Have you learned the Three Talents Seal?"
"The Three Talents Seal?" Natsuhiko smiled upon hearing this, then allowed his chakra to surge.
He raised both hands slightly and quickly formed hand seals.
Having already performed it once the night before, he was now "very familiar" with the technique.
In just moments, he completed the seals. The strange power that had merged into his body bloomed once more.
The instant the hand signs were finished, Natsuhiko followed Minato's earlier example and pressed his hand against a nearby tree.
Black, tadpole-like inscriptions rapidly spread outward.
When he lifted his hand, a complete Three Talents Seal appeared before them.
Minato examined the seal and couldn't help but nod slightly.
It was perfect.
Every detail was handled impeccably. Each step seemed as though it had been refined through countless repetitions.
The only minor flaw was that his hand-seal speed was slightly slow—but that was hardly a serious issue.
With enough practice, once Natsuhiko became more proficient, this would no longer be a problem.
It seems this boy's talent truly is frightening… As expected of a descendant of the Senju clan.
Minato let out a quiet sigh in his heart, and the way he looked at Natsuhiko subtly changed.
With such displayed talent—combined with what Kakashi had said about his specialties—
Minato had no doubt that this boy could master the Flying Thunder God Technique.
A powerful summoning beast as a comrade… and learning the Flying Thunder God Technique as well…
Suddenly, Minato froze for a moment.
Wasn't this kid a little too similar to himself?
He himself excelled in taijutsu, possessed excellent reflexes and body coordination, which enabled him to master the Flying Thunder God Technique. And he also had Gamabunta fighting alongside him.
Moreover, Minato knew certain things about Natsuhiko's personality—he was gentle, and treated his friends and the people of the village with kindness.
The more Minato thought about it, the more he felt as though he was seeing his own reflection in Natsuhiko.
That strange sense of déjà vu felt almost surreal.
"Well then, you truly are astonishing," Minato said, steadying himself. He decided it was better not to dwell on those thoughts. "Since you've already grasped the basics of sealing techniques, I'll now teach you the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Natsuhiko bowed slightly and humbly. "I'll be in your care."
With the system's help, Natsuhiko didn't feel there was anything worth being proud of in mastering sealing techniques.
Though even without it, he believed he would have learned eventually.
Still, in the end, he had relied on his "cheat" and the fruit to complete the learning process. There was nothing to boast about.
And what Minato was about to teach him now—that was the truly crucial part.
Natsuhiko knew quite a bit about the Flying Thunder God Technique already.
What he lacked was experience—the experience and lessons of a successful user.
With that knowledge, combined with his ability to grasp things quickly, he could avoid many unnecessary detours.
Natsuhiko's attitude was serious and sincere.
And Minato's teaching was meticulous.
Perhaps Minato truly saw another version of himself in Natsuhiko—he held nothing back.
Of course, it was also very possible that Minato genuinely wished to cultivate talent for Konoha.
After all, he was someone who would give his life for the village.
"Ninja Art: Flying Thunder God Seal!"
The sun had already begun to dip toward the treetops.
Bathed in the glow of sunset, Natsuhiko pressed his index and middle fingers together on his right hand, chakra swirling at his fingertips.
In the next instant, a strange fluctuation of chakra emanated from his body—
And on the kunai held in his left hand, a marking silently appeared.
The Flying Thunder God Seal.
It sealed the unique spatial formula of the technique into a medium, embedding it as a carrier—allowing him to traverse space instantly to that location.
Natsuhiko had finally completed it.
"Incredible…"
Minato looked on with a slightly numb expression. He was genuinely floored by Natsuhiko's learning speed.
One day. It had taken exactly one day for this boy to manifest his own Flying Thunder God formula right in front of him.
Such astonishing talent was beyond anything Minato had expected.
Counting from the time Natsuhiko began learning sealing techniques until today—it probably hadn't even been a full week.
Learning all of this in under a week—
What kind of monster was this kid?
"Thank you for the praise, Lord Hokage."
Looking at the formula that had appeared on his kunai, Natsuhiko felt extremely pleased.
But he did not allow himself to be overwhelmed by joy.
"If not for Lord Hokage's guidance, I would never have reached this point."
"No," Minato said with a smile, shaking his head. "This is your talent. Keep working hard. I've heard you want to become Hokage, is that right? Then you'll need to strive even harder."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Natsuhiko's expression immediately turned serious. "I will remember your teachings."
"But before that…"
"There's something I need to discuss properly with you, Lord Hokage."
...
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