Except in moments of genuine crisis—or when it came to rescuing his disciples—the Eternal Yellow Flash never arrived late.
Not long after Uchiha Ran set Ye Cang down—
A kunai suddenly whistled past him, slicing through the air right beside where he was eating grilled meat.
In the next instant, a flash of golden light descended in front of him.
"Am I late, Ran-kun?"
"No, Minato-senpai arrived very quickly," Ran replied.Even though Minato's line gave him an oddly strong sense of déjà vu.
But there was no denying it—Namikaze Minato truly had arrived fast.
Worthy of the title Eternal Yellow Flash.Following the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama and the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, he was the fastest "Kage" of them all.
Fast was fast.
"Minato-senpai came in such a hurry… did the Third Hokage give some instructions?"
Minato glanced at Ye Cang, lying on the ground with only her eyes blinking, and silently marveled at his junior's growth.
It hasn't even been that long since we last met…And his genjutsu has already reached this level?
As expected of a student trained by Yūhi Shinku and Orochimaru-sensei—truly outstanding teaching.
"Ran," Minato said gently,"I know carrying Ye Cang all the way here must've been exhausting, but she still needs to be returned to the border. You carry her—I'll use Flying Thunder God to take us there."
"Sounds great," Ran said brightly."I've always wanted to experience what space–time ninjutsu actually feels like."
He kicked dirt over the fire to put out the flames, hoisted Ye Cang onto one shoulder with one hand, and picked up his half-eaten grilled meat with the other.
"It's pretty good," he said cheerfully."Minato-senpai, you sure you don't want some?"
"No, I've already eaten," Minato replied with a smile."Now then, Ran-kun—place your hand on my shoulder. I'll use Flying Thunder God to jump us over."
"Using Flying Thunder God kunai?" Ran asked curiously as he finished the meat in a few quick bites."Wouldn't travel be slower if you still have to throw kunai?"
He placed his hand on Minato's shoulder as he spoke.
Minato didn't mind the question at all. As he prepared to move—with Ran and Ye Cang in tow—he explained openly, not even avoiding Ye Cang's presence.
"One key feature of the Flying Thunder God technique," Minato said,"is that once the formula is engraved, it never disappears."
"Ever since I first mastered it, I've engraved Flying Thunder God marks along the major routes and key locations throughout the shinobi world."
"However," he continued,"when two marks are too far apart, I can sense them but can't jump directly. That's why my space–time travel is done in segments."
"…Namikaze Minato," Ye Cang thought silently,"the greatest enemy of Sunagakure."
In just a dozen minutes or so, Minato had already brought Ran and Ye Cang back to the Land of Fire's border.
That speed alone convinced Ye Cang of one thing—
If war ever broke out, Namikaze Minato would be Sunagakure's greatest nightmare.
Terrifying.
In her mind, if Konoha and Sunagakure clashed—and Minato had Flying Thunder God marks scattered throughout the Land of Wind—how could the Sand possibly defend against him?
There was almost no answer.
The only solution she could imagine was setting a complete trap—using space-sealing barrier techniques to counter him.
"Ran," Minato said,"hand Ye Cang over to me. I'll take her to meet the Sand ninja at the border and present our conditions."
"No problem, Minato-senpai."
Ran shifted Ye Cang from his shoulder and carefully handed her over.
Minato hesitated the moment he received her.
She was… dressed far too lightly.
Her smooth, bare back.Her long, exposed legs.
Minato suddenly didn't know where to place his hands.
Carefully, he supported her legs with one hand, then tried to slide his other hand along her clothing to support her waist—
"Huh? …Mm?"
I was being careful, Minato thought.So why did I still touch her back?
Normally, Minato wouldn't have cared much—after all, they were shinobi.
But ever since he started dating Uzumaki Kushina, he had consciously avoided unnecessary contact with other kunoichi.
After all, Kushina's nickname—Red-Hot Habanero—wasn't just for show.
Realizing he might've brushed Ye Cang's back, Minato immediately shifted his hand to her waist, deliberately avoiding her exposed back.
"Minato-senpai really loves Kushina-senpai," Ran teased."You won't even touch Ye Cang's bare back, huh?"
"Ha… haha…"Minato laughed awkwardly."Y-you're right, Ran-kun…"
Watching Minato stumble over his words, Ran smacked his lips.
"What a classic henpecked husband."
"Minato-senpai?"
"Hm?"Minato answered instinctively, already preparing to activate Flying Thunder God.
"You wouldn't want Kushina-senpai to find out you touched Ye Cang's smooth back, right?"
"R-Ran-kun—!"
Minato's face visibly reddened.
Seeing that his guess had been completely correct, Ran stopped teasing and waved it off.
"I'm just joking, Minato-senpai—don't take it seriously. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of Kushina-senpai. You really love her."
"I'm heading out!"
Relieved that Ran had only been joking, Minato let out a huge sigh of relief and instantly activated Flying Thunder God, vanishing from the spot.
If he stayed any longer, he was sure Ran would keep teasing him.
Seriously…We're all fellow disciples now, and he still enjoys poking fun at people.
Watching Minato disappear, Ran confirmed two important things.
First—Dreamlike Mortal World's complete hypnosis can affect even sensory-type ninja like Namikaze Minato.
Minato's perception is an active form of sensing.If he doesn't deliberately activate sensory techniques, he can't avoid Dreamlike Mortal World's hypnosis.
As long as someone has seen Ran's Shikai, they are pulled into Dreamlike Mortal World's illusionary domain.
In simple terms—When the five senses are manipulated, everything perceived through them can be controlled.
Just like earlier:Minato believed he was supporting Ye Cang's waist, yet ended up touching her back instead.
Of course, if someone completely abandons the five senses and relies purely on sensory ninjutsu—essentially a "sixth sense"—they can break Dreamlike Mortal World.
That was precisely why Ran remained low-key.In the Naruto world, sensory ninjutsu was far too common.
Second—The illusionary space created by Dreamlike Mortal World cannot block spatial perception.
Minato directly escaped the space using Flying Thunder God, instantly severing Dreamlike Mortal World's control over his senses.
From these two points, Ran realized his Shikai still had room to grow.
Only after fully mastering his Shikai would he attempt to challenge Bankai.
As for how to strengthen Shikai—and what kind of ability Bankai might manifest—
Ran already had his own theories.
"Minato-senpai should be back soon," Ran murmured, glancing around."This place looks good enough. I'll spend the night here."
With that, Uchiha Ran began preparing a fire, ready to pass the night beneath the darkening sky.