Orochimaru's Reminder
Chi Yu retrieved the seventeen Flying Thunder God kunai that had pinned Minato Namikaze in place with chakra threads.
Minato's expression darkened.
Chi Yu hadn't been on the offensive—only defending. And now Minato realized the truth: his opponent had simply been biding his time, waiting for him to exhaust all of the marked kunai in his pouch.
He had been careless. Far too careless.
Minato Namikaze regretted not maintaining stricter discipline in this battle.
Since mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato had never known defeat. Against any enemy, he had always secured decisive victories—swift, clean, and overwhelming.
So even though he had repeatedly reminded himself not to underestimate Chi Yu, the latter's passive stance throughout the fight lulled him into thinking he'd taken control. That illusion led to a critical lapse in judgment.
Minato inhaled deeply.
There was no point in dwelling on regret. Not now.
He glanced at the single remaining Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand. His gaze turned razor-sharp.
Just as Minato prepared to hurl the kunai at Chi Yu, the latter moved first.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Chi Yu gathered chakra in his chest and expelled a massive ball of flame toward Minato.
As the fireball exploded in a blinding flash, a Flying Thunder God kunai shot out from the flames, aimed straight at Chi Yu's face.
"Thunder Breathing: Fourth Form – Distant Thunder!"
Lightning surged around Chi Yu as he burst forward at blinding speed, aiming to intercept the kunai midair.
But Minato didn't appear.
Instead, his figure re-emerged at the site of the previous pile of kunai—seventeen in total—still embedded in the earth and strung together by chakra threads.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique!"
Minato exhaled, shaping wind chakra into a sharp horizontal blade, slicing toward the threads anchoring the kunai.
Chi Yu's lips curled into a smirk.
"I anticipated this."
His shadow clone immediately drew its ninja blade.
"Thunder Breathing: Sixth Form – Electric Rumble and Thunderclap!"
Centered on himself, the clone unleashed a flurry of rapid, electrified slashes in every direction.
The wind blade was instantly shredded, scattered into harmless wisps by the assault of lightning-fast strikes.
Minato frowned.
Now he couldn't safely teleport. His only marked kunai was guarded by Chi Yu's original body. And the seventeen pinned kunai were under the shadow clone's protection.
Moreover, he couldn't afford to take the clone's technique head-on. Even minor paralysis from the electrical discharge could prove fatal—especially when facing such relentless attacks.
Minato was forced to dance at the edge of a blade, relying solely on his reaction speed to evade the barrage of slashes.
After narrowly dodging the Electric Rumble and Thunderclap, he leapt backward, putting distance between himself and Chi Yu.
Minato panted slightly, scanning both the main body and the clone.
The original Chi Yu twirled a Flying Thunder God kunai between his fingers.
The clone remained stationed, guarding the other seventeen.
Minato frowned again.
With Chi Yu's current formation, he wouldn't be able to use the Flying Thunder God Technique freely—not without risking teleportation into a trap.
Just as Minato began to consider countermeasures, Chi Yu made a surprising move.
He dispelled the shadow clone, dropped the kunai onto the ground casually, dusted off his hands, and turned away.
Minato's eyes narrowed.
"Chi Yu, where are you going? The fight isn't over."
Chi Yu's voice echoed from another direction.
"It already is."
The Chi Yu standing in front of Minato shimmered—and vanished like mist.
Minato's eyes widened. A genjutsu?!
When had it been cast?
He had taken care to avoid eye contact during the entire fight. There shouldn't have been an opportunity.
Minato thought back.
After several moments, he let out a dry chuckle.
"So that's when it happened…"
The only moment he could recall dropping his guard… was when Chi Yu had casually said:
"There are only eighteen Flying Thunder God kunai, right?"
Minato had been caught off guard—shocked by how accurately Chi Yu had tracked his arsenal. In that moment, he had subconsciously looked at him. That single lapse had opened the window for a genjutsu.
"It's frightening how precise he is. I can't afford even a second of inattention against Chi Yu," Minato muttered. "And truthfully, even without the genjutsu, I might've still lost."
But he didn't feel defeated—only invigorated.
Because in this battle with Chi Yu, he had learned something critical:
Never reveal the number of marked kunai.
If the enemy gained control over the Flying Thunder God anchors, the advantage could turn into a fatal vulnerability.
Minato exhaled softly.
After collecting all the scattered kunai, he vanished into the night.
---
Later, in his quarters, Chi Yu sat quietly, reviewing the battle in his mind.
Unless someone could match—or exceed—Minato Namikaze's reaction time, fighting him head-on was suicide.
For now, Minato's deadliest weapon was his Flying Thunder God Technique. He lacked powerful supplementary attacks.
It was evident that Jiraiya had trained him, but Minato's elemental nature didn't align with his teacher's. He wasn't well-suited to Fire Style, and while he could use Wind Style, his repertoire was still basic.
If Minato ever mastered Sage Mode, however… he would become significantly more troublesome.
And having lost this time, Minato would certainly learn and adapt. He would never fall for the same tactics again.
Facing him in the future would be far more difficult.
---
Two days later.
Chi Yu stood in the war council chamber.
Orochimaru glanced at him and said, "Your transfer order has been approved. Once you return to Konoha, report directly to Lord Hiruzen. He'll give you your appointment letter. After that, you're to head to Kusagakure."
Chi Yu nodded. "Understood. Thank you, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's tone shifted.
"One more thing—you should already know this. As a jonin, you're expected to lead a team of genin."
Chi Yu's face immediately twisted in distaste.
"I'd rather refuse. I don't have time to babysit rookies on the battlefield."
But Orochimaru shook his head and smiled that familiar, unsettling smile.
"I know you don't want to. But since you've now aligned with the Hokage faction, you'd do well not to reject this."
His voice became colder.
"Even if you find that surviving Uzumaki you're searching for, it won't be easy to get Konoha to replace Kushina with your candidate as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Kushina is already embedded within the village's plan."
Orochimaru stepped closer.
"So you'll need more than just strength. You'll need status. Influence. Favor. And most importantly—obedience. Or at least the illusion of it. Appear loyal, appear cooperative."
"Only then," he continued, "will the higher-ups even consider your candidate. They'll only take that risk if you are valuable enough to justify it."
Chi Yu's casual expression faded. He straightened, his gaze sharpening.
He understood Orochimaru's meaning now—and the path laid before him.
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