"Whoa-hoo! Let's do another eight-shaped maneuver, then plunge into an extreme dive and pull up sharply!"
Kei Yamanaka used chakra to anchor his feet firmly onto the eagle-falcon's back, spreading his arms wide to feel the powerful wind rushing against him as the sky and earth flipped upside down.
In that moment, he felt completely free.
The vast land, the dense forests, the remote villages, the river cutting through the jungle—
Never mind the giant green frog hopping down the main road on two powerful hind legs, moving faster than galloping horses and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Everything he saw was vivid and breathtaking!
After playing for over an hour, fully indulging in the thrill of high-altitude flying,
Kei finally returned to the giant frog's back by following the spatial coordinates inscribed on Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Kunai stored in Minato's ninja tool pouch.
"Why don't you use one of your own Flying Thunder God marks instead?"
Minato glanced at the Flying Thunder God Kunai hanging from his waist, then sighed and rubbed his temples helplessly.
He was genuinely happy that his dear friend had mastered the Flying Thunder God technique.
But constantly borrowing his Flying Thunder God marks
always gave him a strange feeling—like walking outside fully clothed, only to have someone randomly reach out and grab his bare butt.
"No way. The Flying Thunder God is such a deadly secret move—I don't plan to let anyone else know about it."
Kei casually slung an arm around Minato's neck.
He made no effort to hide his distrust of Konoha's leadership.
"You… you… And what exactly are you putting in the mission report this time?"
"Hmm... what do you think about this? For the Tea Country part, we'll say we completed our intel gathering and left right after, knowing nothing of what happened later. As for the Summoning Island, we'll report honestly..."
"A suicide Jonin?"
"Officially it'll be suicide, but off the record... well, I'll let the Third know, and hand over the Hozuki Clan's secret techniques along with Gengetsu Hozuki's inheritance. After all, I'm a true heir to the Will of Fire, devoted entirely to Konoha."
"Oh, I'm sure Lord Third will *really* appreciate this, on *your* behalf."
Minato rolled his eyes—an uncharacteristic move for him.
He wasn't stupid—he could clearly tell Kei was trying to dump all the responsibility straight onto the Third Hokage.
Was the Hozuki Clan's secret technique something ordinary people could even learn?
Whether it was the Hydrification Technique, the Water Gun Technique, the Suishō no Jutsu, or the Hydrification Healing Technique—
without the Hozuki bloodline, the learning curve alone was impossibly steep.
The same went for Gengetsu Hozuki's inherited secret arts.
It required not only mastery of Water Release, but also expert-level genjutsu skills, and even the rare ability to transform hydrification into oilfication.
How many years had passed since Gengetsu Hozuki's death, and how much effort had the Hozuki Clan put forth?
Yet had there ever been a second Gengetsu Hozuki?
For Konoha, these techniques were like the Wood Release scroll once possessed by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Throw them away?
What if a genius showed up someday? Wouldn't that be a waste?
Learn them?
Sorry, I'm just not smart enough.
Handing over such a technique scroll—knowing the Hokage's personality—he'd probably feel annoyed yet still accept it.
After all, it was once the legacy of Gengetsu Hozuki, the former Second Mizukage.
Enriching Konoha's resources could never be a bad thing.
But as long as he accepted this scroll, in the future when the Hozuki Clan discovered that Kei Yamanaka had mastered their clan's secret techniques...
Even if Lord Hokage felt bitter inside, he would still have to take responsibility and step forward.
And with the scroll going through official channels, even those two old blame-shifting bastards in the Elder Council wouldn't be able to use this point to accuse Kei Yamanaka.
"No need to thank me, no need to thank me. It's my honor and duty."
Kei Yamanaka wasn't bothered in the least by Minato Namikaze's teasing.
"Kei, I hope one day what you do can finally match what you say."
"Hey sunshine, where did you learn this sarcastic tone from?"
"Isn't it from learning from you?"
"C'mon, Honoka, back me up here..."
Beside them, Honoka Uzumaki covered her mouth, stifling giggles as she watched the two bicker.
Her original worries and unease about settling in Konoha slowly eased as she watched their playful arguments.
————
Two days later, inside the Hokage Office of Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi reread the mission report submitted by Kei Yamanaka and Minato Namikaze in his hands.
Then he looked at the nervous Honoka Uzumaki standing beside Minato, as well as the two secret technique scrolls and a sealing scroll on the desk.
He could feel his temples pounding like a drum, his breath catching in his throat.
Taking in a member of the Uzumaki Clan wasn't too bad—after all, during the previous High Council meeting they had already passed the resolution to accept surviving Uzumaki members.
Even if this girl named Honoka Uzumaki previously worked at a Mist research facility,
as long as she was an Uzumaki descendant with no hostility toward Konoha, the villagers would certainly welcome her with open arms.
But... what were the rest of these things?!
Samehada?
Secret techniques of the Hozuki Clan?
Techniques passed down from Gengetsu Hozuki, the Second Mizukage!?
Did they have absolutely no fear that Kirigakure's lunatics might attack tomorrow over this!?
"This mission is classified as top secret. The Hozuki Clan's secret techniques are to be sealed away in the archive room, categorized under techniques with extremely high training danger level. As for the Second Mizukage's techniques… seal them into the Scroll of Seals. You may each select two techniques from either the archive room or the Scroll of Seals as your reward."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, rubbed both temples.
At this critical moment when war was on the verge of breaking out, he really didn't want to get involved in such troublesome matters!
However, ninja techniques stored away were important foundations for any hidden village.
Could he really scold his subordinates for bringing back high-value inherited secret techniques?
If word of that got out, who would dare do this kind of thing in the future?
E=(′o‵)... sigh...
He was seriously impressed!
It was only meant to be a slightly risky reconnaissance mission—how did it blow up into something this big?
"Lord Hokage, then I'll take this blade now. I made a promise to Kushina that I'd bring her something special when I came back."
Smiling apologetically, Kei Yamanaka walked to the front of the desk.
Using Kushina as an excuse, he reached out and took the scroll containing Samehada.
Standing nearby, Minato Namikaze's cheek twitched imperceptibly.
Samehada as a souvenir?!
Whether it counts as "special" is debatable—but technically, it *is* a local specialty.
"...Mist still holds the Seven Ninja Swords in high regard. Don't go flaunting it around until Mist and Sand settle things."
Hiruzen Sarutobi considered for a moment, but ultimately decided not to confiscate Samehada.
War spoils a ninja obtains on a mission are rightfully theirs by right.
Taking your subordinates' loot… it just doesn't sit right.
Besides, Mist and Sand were already at each other's throats by then.
It's not like we're talking about one sword here.
Whether you look at the broader conflict or Sand's grudge,
They wouldn't dare challenge Konoha at a time like this.
Still, better to play it safe. Let's wait until they're truly at war before revealing this.
"Sure thing."
Kei Yamanaka's smile turned more sincere.
The Third really *is* a good guy!
Before returning to the village, he had been thinking that dealing with Samehada might take some effort.
But he hadn't expected the still-youthful Third Hokage to be so much bolder than he'd imagined!
Well done! Truly well done!
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