Chapter 37: Beginning Of The Legend

Haruki had originally planned to wait a few more days before checking in on his students. But that plan changed fast.

The slug he placed on Kushina had been triggered, activating only when the host received a fatal injury.

His expression darkened slightly. No matter how composed he usually was, that made him uneasy. She was his student. There was no way he could stay calm.

At the same time, he felt a bit puzzled.

With Minato already mastering the Rasengan and Mikoto having awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, there shouldn't have been any jonin capable of endangering them.

Still, he didn't hesitate.

Each of his students had been marked with his Flying Thunder God formula. Without wasting another second, he teleported straight to Minato.

It was nighttime. The river nearby shimmered under the starlight. As he arrived, the silence was broken by the soft crackle of leaves beneath his feet.

Minato jolted awake from his light nap. Instinctively, he leapt back, ready to defend, but when he saw Haruki's familiar figure, he exhaled in relief and relaxed.

"Sensei?" Minato blinked in surprise, then quickly added, "How did you… Flying Thunder God?"

Haruki gave a simple nod. "The slug on Kushina flared up. What happened?"

Minato fell silent, his face tense with guilt. "I got ahead of myself," he admitted.

Then he began explaining the events from the past two days.

After Haruki left, the three of them worked together to pinpoint where the Sand Village stored their supplies.

Initially, the plan was just reconnaissance and a safe return. But after a string of successful encounters, they began to realize just how far they'd grown.

Minato suggested they go all in and take out the supply depot entirely. It would count as a A-rank mission.

As luck would have it, they received an update from Sakumo that their unit was breaking into smaller cells. Seeing an opportunity, they drew up a plan and went on a sabotage streak behind enemy lines.

And for a while, everything worked out. Too well, in fact. The string of wins made them careless, even cocky.

So when they ran into two Cloud ninjas, they didn't back off. They fought head-on.

It was a mistake.

If Minato hadn't secretly been practicing the Flying Thunder God during his spare time, and pulled it off in the moment Kushina was nearly captured, they might not have made it out alive.

Haruki raised an eyebrow, genuinely taken aback.

Learning Rasengan in a week and Flying Thunder God in three days was just insane.

He couldn't help but wonder, if Minato had survived longer in the original timeline, just how terrifying would he have become?

He had no reincarnation boosts and no hax bloodline.

And yet, he was already surpassing most of the monsters in the series.

"No need to be depressed," Haruki said with a grin, ruffling Minato's blonde hair. "Do you even know who you guys ran into back there?"

Minato looked up, a bit confused.

Haruki raised two fingers. "One is the future Raikage. The other's the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. The fact that you three managed to escape from them, is on par with the Sannins' feats."

Minato blinked, stunned. He assumed Haruki was just trying to make him feel better.

'Us, like the Sannins?' He couldn't help but feel it was too much praise.

'We're still nowhere close to that level,' he thought to himself.

Haruki continued casually, "That rapper guy you fought is the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

Minato's eyes narrowed as pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "No wonder he kept targeting Kushina. Her sealing techniques would be dangerous to a tailed beast."

"Exactly," Haruki nodded, then smirked.

"Remember his name, Killer Bee. Since he hurt the girl you like, you better make him pay."

Minato flushed red but didn't deny it. He already made that vow the moment he saw Kushina collapse.

"I'm going to check on her," Haruki said, walking toward the tent and gently pulling the curtain aside.

Inside, Kushina lay peacefully on the bed, her small, pale face calm but obviously drained. She was sleeping deeply.

Nearby, Mikoto was curled up with her arms hugging her legs, head resting on her knees.

When she heard movement, her eyes snapped open, instantly alert, until she saw Haruki. Surprise flickered across her face, and she quickly got to her feet.

"Sensei, you're here."

"Shhh. Don't wake her," Haruki whispered, raising a finger to his lips. "Why didn't you get some rest?"

"Kushina couldn't sleep earlier, so I stayed to talk with her," Mikoto replied, glancing at her with a touch of sisterly concern.

Haruki nodded, then paused. He could tell Mikoto genuinely cared. Kushina may be rough around the edges, but she had a way of pulling people in. And Mikoto, a few years older, had naturally started to treat her like a little sister.

Still, he felt a pang of guilt.

Kushina was just twelve and was on the battlefield for the first time. She must've been terrified when she was attacked by a Jinchuriki.

Even if she'd become a powerful kunoichi in the future, right now she was just a kid.

A strong-willed one, but a kid nonetheless.

He walked over to her side, placing his hand gently over her chest. A soft green chakra flowed from his palm, slowly spreading through her body.

After a few minutes, he finished the healing process and nodded in satisfaction.

"She's stable. Mikoto, go rest."

"Yes, Sensei," she replied, visibly relieved.

"Minato," Haruki turned around, "you too."

"I'm not tired," Minato replied reflexively.

Haruki raised a brow. He could see guilt, worry and frustration on the kid's face.

He sighed.

"I get it," Haruki said softly. "But if you're not going to sleep, at least make yourself useful."

He tossed a kunai to Minato.

"Come on. Let's train."

The two walked to the riverbank, moonlight casting shimmering ripples across the water.

"You've already learned the Flying Thunder God. Honestly, that's beyond what I expected but it proves you have a great talent for it," Haruki held out another kunai marked with his formula.

"The FTG combined with Rasengan is insanely strong. But the chakra cost is steep. So I'll teach you something more efficient, a B-rank technique called Flying Thunder God Slash."

He casually tossed the kunai forward.

Minato instinctively moved to dodge, only for Haruki to vanish and appear behind him in a blur.

Before Minato could even blink, a blade was pressed against the back of his neck.

His eyes widened. 'So fast.'

There had been no warning, no hint, no time to react. The pressure of that blade sent a chill down his spine.

Haruki grinned, slowly pulling the kunai away.

"This is the first use," Haruki said, creating distance before pulling a short sword from his storage scroll.

"Watch closely."

Before Minato could respond, a sharp pain suddenly bloomed in his chest.

His eyes widened. Haruki was right in front of him, the tip of the sword pointed squarely at his heart.

It felt as if the blade had already pierced through, ready to draw blood in the next heartbeat.

"If you mark the enemy beforehand," Haruki said calmly, "you can kill him without warning. Silently. Instantly."

Minato wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Now, he truly understood the power of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Haruki stepped back again, his tone shifting. "The third use."

He pulled out a kunai and threw it, fast, but slower than before. Minato quickly formed a seal and used the Body Flicker Technique to evade.

Haruki lifted his hand, revealing the thin steel wire attached to the kunai. It flickered and transformed into a black stream of movement, like a spider web of death crisscrossing the battlefield.

Minato's pupils shrank. There was only one path. Now there were dozens. The air was filled with invisible blades.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Minato inhaled and released a powerful blue gust.

The sharp sounds of snapping wires rang out one after another. Steel wires broke apart and the kunai were scattered across the riverbank. Wind howled as the entire area was blanketed with scattered blades and upturned dirt.

But Minato didn't relax.

He remained alert, sensing that something wasn't over.

In the next second, flash. White light erupted in his vision, and Haruki appeared before him like a ghost. The dagger was once again pressed coldly against his neck.

Minato froze. 'But… I checked. There was no mark on that kunai!'

"How...?"

Haruki just smiled. "Numbers are just for distraction"

He reached behind Minato and picked up a kunai. With a flick of his wrist, he turned it over, revealing the hidden technique mark engraved on the inside curve.

"War isn't about fairness, Minato. It's about deception."

Minato stared at the kunai, expression solemn.

"I understand, Sensei," he said, nodding seriously.

"I still have a long way to go."

Haruki gave him a proud smile. "Good. That's what makes you dangerous."

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