If you had to describe it, it would be like the two least emotionally intelligent people in the world trying to solve each other's problems—one listening intently and the other explaining earnestly—yet neither had anything to do with the correct answer. In short, these were two complete blanks when it came to emotions. Even the nearby ninken was probably better than both of them combined. Didn't you see how that ninja cat kept looking down on them?
"Minato, what's wrong with you? Snap out of it," Shiyu Uchiha said after seeing the dispirited Minato practicing swordplay at the training ground. Then he slid his blade back into its sheath.
Minato then told Shiyu everything that had happened and looked his friend in the eye. "Shiyu, do you think I still have a chance?"
Upon hearing this question, Shiyu hesitated for a moment, feeling uneasy. He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for not being able to hide his pity when faced with Minato's earnestness.
But immediately, he remembered this was none other than Minato Namikaze—the capable one who could achieve the impossible and was renowned for creating miracles—and so he began encouraging him: "Of course! How could there not be hope? As long as you don't give up, there will always be a way. And having defeated her through sheer strength, you've certainly left an unforgettable impression on her—one that will last a lifetime. You're already very close to success now."
"Besides, didn't you defeat her? You've proven your ability to protect her. She definitely has a profound impression of you by now. Don't worry, Minato."
Shiyu thought somewhat irresponsibly that as long as Minato wouldn't give up, there'd always be some amount of hope, though just how much was uncertain. After all, if nothing else, at least his impressive strength could guarantee something similar to the classic "hero rescuing a damsel in distress" scenario from stories, right?
After pondering briefly, Minato found this extremely reasonable. Anyway, he would never give up on Kushina Uzumaki—that was decided the moment he first laid eyes on her.
Thus, Minato firmly replied, "I understand now, Shiyu. Thank you for reminding me; otherwise, I really would've missed my opportunity."
As soon as Minato and Shiyu finished talking, they nearly caused Mito Uzumaki's sensor ninjutsu to falter entirely. Even the Nine-Tails sealed within her let out a hearty laugh for the first time. She believed that if all Konoha shinobi were of this caliber, the Nine-Tails thought escape wasn't far away.
Although not a single word between the pair was correct, from the perspective of the two directly involved, they actually believed themselves to have grasped the core essence perfectly. Thus, Minato shrugged off his sorrowful mood and the two continued their discussion optimistically, dreaming beautiful dreams together.
Chatting along, Shiyu gradually ran out of topics, so he suggested sparring. Coincidentally, Minato also wanted to vent a bit, so naturally, the two began engaging each other in combat.
Originally intending to stop using her sensory techniques, Mito Uzumaki considered ending her observation. If things went further and she couldn't help laughing, Kushina would end up angry with her.
However, upon witnessing the imminent fight, she decided to keep observing for a little longer—to assess Minato's abilities. However, Minato's performance shocked her profoundly.
Even by her particularly demanding standards, Mito considered Minato a true genius—equal to, or even greater than, her granddaughter Tsunade. A wave of admiration welled up inside her, and simultaneously, she wanted to leave Kushina someone dependable and trustworthy.
But she had also seen Shiyu Uchiha's performance and started to pay attention to this Uchiha. Although she wasn't as perceptive as Tobirama Senju, she still decided to investigate discreetly. After all, having lived through the era of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, she felt she needed to stay cautious when it came to the Uchiha Clan.
A few days later, after confirming that Minato Namikaze and Shiyu Uchiha posed no threat, Kushina Uzumaki, following Mito Uzumaki's instructions, reluctantly invited Minato to her home. At that time, Minato still believed Shiyu's analysis was spot-on, thinking that he had already made a deep impression on Kushina, which explained the invitation.
Minato interpreted Kushina's coldness toward him as shyness, which made him even happier. Seeing through the misunderstanding completely, Mito noticed this misinterpretation, twitched at the corner of her mouth, barely managed to suppress a laugh—but she chose not to correct Minato, preferring to let things unfold naturally.
After all, aside from being somewhat slow-witted and naively innocent when it came to emotions, Minato was nearly perfect in every other way, which made Mito Uzumaki develop a mother-in-law's fondness for a future son-in-law.
Even more interesting to Mito was how Minato reminded her of Hashirama Senju, making her grow increasingly satisfied and inclined to give him a chance.
Through their subsequent conversations, Mito got to know Minato better and solidified her decision to invest in him. At one point, Minato had even started calling her "Granny," clearly showing just how pleased Mito was with him.
After dinner, Mito presented Minato with a Scroll detailing Tobirama Senju's Swordsmanship—a sword technique whose peak cultivation involved spatial manipulation, specifically created by Tobirama to test potential candidates for the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Receiving this martial legacy from Tobirama, Minato became busy again, diligently studying the technique. He discovered that it combined the Shifting Body Technique with swordplay, which significantly boosted his overall combat prowess once mastered.
After some intense training, he cross-referenced this with the Decisive Strike of Quick-learning Sword Technique taught to him by Shiyu Uchiha.
Eventually, he grasped the fundamentals—though only at an introductory level—which significantly enhanced his power. However, he still had a long way to go before achieving full mastery. Therefore, he thought of challenging Shiyu Uchiha again, hoping sparring matches could accelerate his progress; naturally, winning would be even better.
Fortunately, during his recent moment of enlightenment, Shiyu experienced tremendous gains. After thoroughly digesting them through rigorous practice over the past period, he was now ready. Wanting to teach Minato a lesson about forgetting his mates the moment a girl caught his eye, he was eager to make Minato understand the consequences.
Thus, without hesitation, both men once again arrived at their usual training ground during their free time. Coincidentally meeting there, they exchanged greetings with innocent smiles, pretending to be harmless. Under Saya's officiation, they began their duel—each brimming with self-confidence.
The moment Saya shouted "Begin!", Minato Namikaze immediately unleashed his newly-mastered technique—a lightning-fast fusion of kunai strike and Shifting Body Technique—aimed directly at Shiyu Uchiha. This move exceeded Shiyu's expectations.
However, the experienced Shiyu reacted in the most appropriate way in this critical moment. First, he used the tanto in his hand to deflect Minato's incoming kunai strike, attempting to alter its trajectory. At the same time, he sidestepped, narrowly evading Minato's stabbing attack.
This was partly because Minato Namikaze had only just perfected this technique and couldn't fully control it yet, failing to seize the opening created when Shiyu countered. Otherwise, if he had followed up with some additional moves in coordination, Shiyu Uchiha likely would have already lost.
Then Shiyu launched a counterattack, fully unleashing his sword techniques and enveloping Minato Namikaze within his blade work, hoping to prevent him from launching another attack.
However, Minato Namikaze cleverly used a newly-learned sword technique and managed to escape from Shiyu's sword coverage. The two once again resumed their stance opposite each other. But now, neither had the intention of determining a winner. Instead, they were eager to learn something useful from each other.
Over the following period, through continuous sparring, Minato Namikaze gradually grew more proficient with this new technique. Meanwhile, Shiyu Uchiha, facing Minato's relentless attacks, deepened his understanding of the Shifting Body Technique. His coordination between the Shifting Body Technique and sword techniques improved significantly, taking another small step closer toward the realm of Man and Blade Unity.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>