"L-Learned it?"
Minato Namikaze looked at Hikaru with a strange expression. He truly hadn't expected that answer.
Learning fuinjutsu in a little over a month wasn't unheard of—Minato himself had done it in about that time back then.
But the problem was this: Hikaru was ANBU, and for the past month he'd been constantly on missions.
First he spent time investigating intelligence, then he subdued a powerful lizard and made it his summoning partner, and after that he rushed to rescue the Third Division and helped them complete their operation.
In a schedule that tightly packed… he still managed to learn fuinjutsu?
Was this talent?
Minato didn't believe Hikaru had been slacking off either—the mission report was still sitting on Minato's desk. If anything, Hikaru had been running at full speed the entire time.
Other than "genius," Minato couldn't think of any explanation.
"Yes, I learned it." Hikaru smiled and nodded. "Even though I've been busy lately, your teaching was extremely effective, Lord Hokage. I spent a bit of time on it, and I understood a lot. I can already use some basic sealing techniques."
"Is that so…?" Minato still sounded a little dazed.
Basic sealing techniques?
The nature of fuinjutsu was that once you could successfully perform even one relatively simple technique, you could start drawing inferences to understand—and even attempt—others.
The true difficulty was entry and comprehension. Once you crossed that threshold, the road got easier… though not easy.
If you pictured it as a curve, fuinjutsu had high peaks at the beginning and the end, with a relatively flatter middle.
Minato himself had taken over a month to make that first breakthrough—and that was with Kushina's careful guidance.
Even now, despite his rapid progress, the deeper and more advanced layers of fuinjutsu still weren't something you could rush.
But Hikaru?
He had crossed the first wall—and said it plainly, to Minato's face.
Minato didn't know what to say.
"What sealing techniques can you do now?" Minato steadied his emotions and asked. "Have you learned the Three Talents Seal?"
"The Three Talents Seal?" Hikaru's smile widened slightly, and his chakra began to stir.
He raised both hands and formed seals quickly. Since he'd already used it the night before, the technique felt "very familiar" now.
In only a moment, he finished the hand seals. The strange power that had fused into his body flared quietly at the same time.
The instant he completed the sequence, Hikaru copied Minato's earlier posture and pressed his palm against a nearby tree.
Black, tadpole-like script spread rapidly across the bark.
When he pulled his hand away, a complete Three Talents Seal was clearly visible before them.
Minato looked at it and nodded.
Perfect.
The details were controlled with precision. Every step looked as though it had been hammered and polished countless times.
The only flaw—if you could call it that—was that Hikaru's hand-seal speed was a little slow. But that wasn't a problem. With enough repetition, he'd smooth it out.
This kid's talent really is terrifying… Minato couldn't help thinking. A true Senju descendant.
His gaze toward Hikaru subtly changed.
With talent like this—and the strengths Kakashi had described—Minato had no doubt Hikaru could learn the Flying Thunder God.
A powerful summoning beast as a partner… and the Flying Thunder God…
Minato suddenly paused.
Wasn't that… a little like himself?
Minato had also excelled at taijutsu, had sharp reflexes and coordination—qualities that helped him master the Flying Thunder God. And he had Gamabunta at his side.
Minato also knew something else about Hikaru: his temperament was gentle, and he was friendly toward comrades and villagers alike.
The more Minato thought about it, the more he felt as if he were seeing his own shadow in Hikaru.
The sense of déjà vu was strangely vivid.
"Alright," Minato said, pulling himself back before he got lost in the thought. "You really do amaze me. Since you've mastered a certain level of fuinjutsu, I'll teach you the Flying Thunder God now."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Hikaru bowed politely. "I'll be in your care."
With his system backing him, Hikaru didn't consider learning fuinjutsu something worth boasting about.
Even if he'd learned it normally, he didn't think he would have failed—but the truth was he'd relied on his "cheat" and the fruit to speed it up.
That wasn't something to brag about.
Besides, what Minato was about to teach him was the truly critical part.
Hikaru knew plenty about the Flying Thunder God. What he lacked was practical experience—lessons, habits, and pitfalls from a master who had actually used it successfully.
With that experience, plus Hikaru's ability to absorb techniques quickly, he could avoid a lot of dead ends.
Hikaru's attitude was focused and sincere, and Minato's instruction was meticulous.
Perhaps Minato really had begun to see Hikaru as "another version" of himself—he held nothing back.
Or perhaps it was simpler than that: Minato genuinely wanted to cultivate talent for Konoha. After all, he was the kind of man who would give his life for the village without hesitation.
"Ninja Art: Flying Thunder God Seal!"
The sun was sinking toward the treetops. Bathed in the orange light of dusk, Hikaru held his right index and middle fingers together, chakra swirling at his fingertips.
The next moment, a strange ripple of chakra spread from him—and a seal quietly appeared on the kunai in his left hand.
The Flying Thunder God Seal: sealing that unique spatial "coordinate" formula onto a medium, forming the essential first step that made instantaneous space traversal possible.
Hikaru had finally done it.
"…Incredible."
Minato stared at him, his expression nearly numb. He was genuinely stunned by Hikaru's learning speed.
One day.
Just one day—and right in front of Minato—Hikaru had completed the condensation and imprinting of the Flying Thunder God marking.
If you counted from the day Hikaru began learning fuinjutsu until now, it wasn't even 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," Hikaru said, staring happily at the mark on his kunai—yet he didn't let excitement cloud his mind. "Without your guidance, I could never have reached this step."
"No," Minato said with a smile and shook his head. "That's your talent. Keep going. I heard you want to become Hokage, right? Then you'll need to work even harder."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Hikaru's expression instantly became serious. "I'll remember your teaching. But before that…"
He paused.
"There's something I need to discuss with you properly."
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