Troublesome Flying Thunder God
Minato Namikaze saw through Senyu's intentions and refrained from recklessly using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport directly to his marked kunai to launch an attack.
From Senyu's perspective, the Flying Thunder God was indeed troublesome—but not invincible. It could be countered, given enough insight and preparation.
There was no doubt about the terrifying speed of the Flying Thunder God: it required no hand seals, and upon activation, it allowed instantaneous teleportation to any marked location. No delay, no wind-up—just pure teleportation, faster than the eye could track.
However, once Minato arrived at his marked location, he still had to rely on physical action to complete an attack.
And in that brief window—no matter how small—there was an opening.
But exploiting that window wasn't simple. It demanded reflexes fast enough to react to, evade, or parry Minato Namikaze's follow-up strike.
To counterattack Minato effectively? One would need reflexes faster than even his own reaction time—an almost absurd requirement.
There was one alternative.
Like what Senyu had just done: observe the Flying Thunder God kunai carefully, and predict where Minato would appear next.
But this strategy hinged on a critical condition—a limited number of marked kunai.
If there were too many on the battlefield, Minato could teleport at will, chaining jumps instantly. Even if a prediction was accurate, he could simply teleport again and alter his approach.
Minato calmly pulled more marked kunai from his pouch and hurled them toward Senyu.
Senyu subtly bent his knees, taking on a familiar stance—the starting form of "Thunderclap and Flash."
Minato narrowed his eyes. He guessed that Senyu intended to unleash his Thunder Breathing technique the moment Minato teleported in.
But Minato was confident. Extremely confident.
Even against Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed, the technique Senyu had used before, Minato believed he had the upper hand in raw speed now.
Without hesitation, Minato activated the Flying Thunder God, teleporting to one of the two kunai he'd previously embedded into the ground.
Then he teleported again, executing rapid successive jumps, and launched a flurry of shuriken from various angles mid-teleport.
Senyu's eyes sharpened. His Observation Haki flared to life.
He read the shuriken's trajectories instantly and avoided them with minimal movement—wasting no energy, no excess motion.
Then, in the next moment—
Minato teleported to a marked kunai still spinning through the air, caught it mid-flight, and thrust it toward Senyu.
But just before contact—
Minato teleported again, switching to another airborne kunai arcing near Senyu, and came down with a reverse slash—this was the real strike.
The thrust had been a feint, meant to bait Senyu into triggering Thunderclap and Flash.
Minato's calculation was precise: if Senyu committed to Thunderclap and Flash, he would overextend—leaving his back completely open.
But to Minato's surprise, Senyu hadn't used the technique at all.
He was still facing Minato, posture unbroken.
Clang!
Senyu's ninjatō met Minato's kunai in mid-air, deflecting the attack.
Before Senyu could follow up with a counter, Minato teleported away, retreating to a safer distance.
Gazing at Senyu across the battlefield, Minato praised with sincere admiration, "Senyu, your combat intuition is as sharp as ever. You realized my thrust was a feint and canceled Thunderclap and Flash just in time."
But Senyu just tilted his head and replied blankly, "Who said I was going to use Thunderclap and Flash?"
Minato blinked. "Huh? Weren't you? That stance—"
Senyu cut him off with silence, too lazy to explain.
He resumed his crouched posture.
In truth, that stance had nothing to do with Thunder Breathing. It was simply to enhance his reaction time while using Observation Haki. By lowering his center of gravity, his body could shift directions faster.
Thunderclap and Flash was undoubtedly fast—but in terms of mobility and adaptability, it still paled in comparison to Minato's teleportation. There was no point in using it recklessly.
Minato resumed the offensive, using the Flying Thunder God repeatedly to launch attacks.
Senyu, however, only defended. Not once did he strike back.
And no matter how Minato altered his angles—appearing behind, above, or beside him—Senyu reacted in time.
Each time Minato materialized, Senyu had already moved, either dodging or blocking with eerie precision.
He wasn't tracking Minato's speed with his eyes—he was using Observation Haki to sense where he would appear before the teleport completed.
Still, Senyu couldn't land a counterattack.
Minato's reactions were too fast—even if Senyu saw him coming, he couldn't be faster than the Yellow Flash himself.
So Senyu didn't try. He stayed on defense, patiently waiting.
And finally—his moment came.
When Minato stopped pulling new kunai from his pouch and instead began retrieving the ones stuck on the ground, Senyu's eyes gleamed.
His chance had arrived.
> "Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Eightfold!"
Lightning erupted from Senyu's body. He vanished in a thunderous flash, a streak of lightning racing toward Minato.
"He's finally attacking!"
Minato's blood rushed with excitement. He began teleporting repeatedly to avoid the strike.
But Senyu wasn't mindlessly charging—he was adjusting his trajectory mid-rush using terrain and subtle footwork. Every time Minato appeared, Senyu redirected and attacked again.
Yet despite his precision and speed, he couldn't even brush the edge of Minato's cloak.
Eventually, Senyu stopped.
He stood quietly, breathing calmly, watching Minato across the field.
Minato was thrilled. For once, he wasn't being overwhelmed by Senyu's Thunderclap and Flash.
No, he was adapting—dealing with it, evading it.
Finally, they were on equal footing.
Or so he thought.
> "Eighteen."
Senyu's voice echoed across the battlefield.
Minato frowned. "What... eighteen?"
Senyu looked down at the battlefield littered with glowing kunai.
"You only carry eighteen Flying Thunder God kunai total, right?"
Minato's heart skipped. He scanned the ground.
Seventeen marked kunai lay embedded in the earth. One remained in his hand.
Eighteen—the full set.
Then Minato noticed something else: a nearly invisible chakra thread extended from Senyu's fingers to the kunai on the ground.
Senyu tugged the thread. The seventeen kunai clattered together in a pile.
He formed a shadow clone. Two pairs of Sharingan spun to life—four tomoe-laced eyes locked on Minato.
A sly smile crept onto both faces.
> "Now, you only have two kunai usable for teleportation: the one in your hand, and this bundle I'm watching. You can't teleport freely anymore."
Minato's face darkened.
Now he understood.
Senyu hadn't been on the defensive out of fear.
He had been baiting him the entire time—studying his habits, tracking his arsenal, setting up this exact moment.
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