Except in moments of true crisis—or when rescuing his students—Yellow Flash never arrives late.
Not long after Uchiha Ran set Pakura down, just as he was eating roasted meat—
A kunai suddenly whistled past him!
In the next instant, a golden flash appeared before his eyes.
"Did I come late, Ran-kun?" Minato Namikaze asked with a gentle smile.
"No, Minato-senpai came very fast," Ran replied honestly.
And he truly meant it.
Worthy of the nickname Eternal Yellow Flash.
From Tobirama Senju's Space–Time techniques, to Hiruzen Sarutobi's Hokage-era speed, and now Minato—this man was simply fast.
"Minato-senpai came in such a hurry… did the Third Hokage give new instructions?" Ran asked.
Minato glanced at Pakura lying on the ground, her eyes still blinking but her body completely unresponsive.
Inwardly, he couldn't help but marvel.
This junior really has grown terrifyingly fast…
Genjutsu at this level already?
Trained by Yūhi Kurenai, refined under Orochimaru—this result almost felt inevitable.
"Ran," Minato said, "although you worked hard bringing Pakura back, she still needs to be returned to the border. You carry her—I'll use Flying Thunder God to take us there."
"Sounds good. I've always wanted to experience space–time ninjutsu firsthand," Ran said eagerly.
He kicked dirt over the fire to extinguish it, hoisted Pakura onto his shoulder with one hand, and picked up his half-eaten roasted meat with the other.
"Honestly, it tastes pretty good. Minato-senpai, you sure you don't want some?"
"…No, I've already eaten," Minato replied politely.
"Now, Ran-kun, place your hand on my shoulder. I'll use Flying Thunder God to jump."
"So it's based on Flying Thunder God kunai?" Ran asked curiously as he finished the last bite and placed his hand on Minato's shoulder.
"Doesn't that slow things down? You still need to throw kunai, right?"
Minato smiled patiently and began explaining—without avoiding Pakura at all.
The Flying Thunder God formula, once engraved, never disappears.
Ever since mastering the technique, Minato had marked key transportation routes and strategic locations across the ninja world.
However, over extremely long distances, even if he could sense the formula, he couldn't jump directly—so his movement consisted of chained, segmented jumps.
"Namikaze Minato… the greatest enemy of Sunagakure."
In barely ten minutes, Minato had already brought Ran and Pakura back to the Fire Country border.
That speed made Pakura realize something deep in her bones:
If war ever broke out… this man would be Sunagakure's greatest nightmare.
If Minato had Flying Thunder God markers spread across the Wind Country, how could Suna possibly defend?
Almost impossible.
Only large-scale space-sealing barrier formations might counter him.
"Ran, hand Pakura over to me," Minato said.
"I'll take her to the Suna shinobi stationed at the border and present our conditions."
"No problem, Minato-senpai."
Ran carefully lifted Pakura from his shoulder and handed her over.
Minato, however, froze for a moment.
This is… awkward.
Pakura was dressed extremely lightly—her smooth back and long legs completely exposed.
Minato hesitated, finally choosing to support her legs with one hand while cautiously reaching for her waist with the other—
"Eh…?"
Despite being careful, he still felt his hand brush against Pakura's bare back.
Normally, Minato wouldn't care—after all, they were shinobi.
But ever since he started dating Kushina Uzumaki, he'd consciously avoided close contact with other female ninja.
The nickname 'Red-Hot Habanero' exists for a reason…
Startled, Minato immediately adjusted his grip, quickly moving his hand to Pakura's waist.
Ran watched the entire scene and grinned.
"Minato-senpai really loves Kushina-senpai, huh? You won't even touch Pakura's bare back."
"H-ha… haha… y-yes," Minato laughed awkwardly.
Ran clicked his tongue lightly.
"What a strict wife guy."
"Minato-senpai?" Ran suddenly called out.
"Hm?" Minato responded reflexively, already preparing to activate Flying Thunder God.
"You don't want Kushina-senpai to find out… that you touched Pakura's smooth back, right?"
"R-Ran-kun—!"
Minato's face turned red instantly.
Seeing that the joke had landed, Ran waved his hand.
"I'm just kidding, Minato-senpai. Don't mind it. Honestly, I really envy Kushina-senpai—having someone who loves her this much."
"…I'm leaving now!"
Not waiting another second, Minato activated Flying Thunder God and vanished.
If he stayed any longer, he was sure Ran would keep teasing him.
Watching Minato disappear, Ran silently confirmed two crucial things.
First:
Fushō no Yume's near–complete hypnosis works even on sensory-type ninja like Minato—as long as they aren't actively using perception techniques.
Minato's sensory abilities were active-type. Without deliberately invoking them, he still relied on the five senses.
And once those were manipulated, Fushō no Yume could distort reality itself.
That's why Minato thought he was grabbing Pakura's waist—yet felt her back instead.
In short:
When the five senses are controlled, reality itself becomes controllable.
Second:
The illusion space created by Fushō no Yumecannot block spatial perception.
Minato escaped simply by using Flying Thunder God to leave the space altogether—instantly breaking the illusion.
From this, Ran realized his Shikai still had room to grow.
Only by fully mastering Shikai would he attempt Bankai.
As for what enhancements Shikai might gain—or what terrifying power Bankai would bring—
Ran already had his suspicions.
"Minato-senpai should be back soon," Ran muttered, glancing around.
"This place isn't bad. I'll camp here for the night."
With that, he began preparing a new fire, settling in to wait.
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