The journey back to Konoha was becoming more insightful than Minato had expected.
He had initially taken Arashi for an oddity, a wandering outlier with an unusual ability to seemingly shapeshift. But the more they spoke, the more Minato realized that this situation was something entirely different.
Arashi wasn't just powerful, he was unique in a way that didn't fit into any known shinobi category. And Minato wasn't one to let mysteries go unsolved, after all, he's the one that solved the second Hokage's flying thundergod formula and then proceeded to dominate the shinobi world with it.
His mind turned briefly back to Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, and the extensive notes written about his legendary Wood Style. The ability to grow forests, reshape battlefields, even suppress tailed beast chakra…
That last part made him pause.
Minato turned his head back toward Arashi. "Your jutsu… does it allow you to absorb someone's chakra?"
Arashi, walking lazily beside him, lifted a brow. "What? Nah, my plants can't do anything like that."
Minato blinked, slightly thrown off by how casually Arashi dismissed the idea. "So your vines, your roots… they don't have any capacity to drain chakra?"
Arashi snorted. "If they did, don't you think I'd be running around stealing everyone's chakra like some kinda parasite? Nah, plants don't work like that. They take nutrients from either the earth or me, not other people. My jutsu just allows me to speed up that process and choose what plant is manifested."
Minato's expression remained neutral, but internally, he was reevaluating his assumptions. 'So he was able to control all plant life, including wood and trees, but seemingly without the chakra-absorbing properties of the First Hokage's Wood Style.'
'He might not have realized that he could have the ability to absorb chakra though so it's impossible to know if his plant style does lack that property.' Minato mulled over the possibility in his mind and decided to store the question away for a later time when they were able to test it out.
Minato glanced at him again. 'The plus side to his whole situation is that he realizes, to a certain extent, how valuable his abilities are. The downside though is that he doesn't seem to fully grasp how powerful his powers could be as a shinobi. Or perhaps he does and his poker face is otherworldly.'
That lead Minato to think about why Arashi would put much more importance into the food aspect of his powers more so than the combat applications. 'Perhaps it's linked to his time surviving in the wild.'
'In the depths of the forest, food and hunger reign supreme, while in shinobi villages, power and chakra dictate everything. Having never lived within that system, he might not realize the true value of what he possesses in the eyes of the 5 great villages.'
Minato decided to explore this further after he had a little time to digest the things he had already learned, though this led him to another question he had on his mind.
"So, how does your transformation work? You never actually explained it," Minato said, glancing at Arashi.
Arashi shrugged. "Yeah, I just didn't think it was that important, especially after you looked like you saw a ghost when that flower grew out of my hand."
Minato resisted the urge to sigh. "Well, it is important."
Arashi glanced at him, then exhaled, looking up at the sky again remembering his childhood.
"Dunno. I've just… always been able to. It was one of the first things I figured out as a kid," he said, tone light but thoughtful. "I think I was around six the first time I did it. And the first thing I turned into…" He grinned, flashing sharp teeth. "That wolf you saw back in the forest."
Minato nodded slowly, taking that in.
"That sounds like a Kekkei Genkai then," he said, watching Arashi's reaction carefully.
Sure enough, Arashi blinked, looking genuinely confused. "A what?"
Minato frowned slightly. "A Kekkei Genkai. Bloodline abilities that give a shinobi unique powers that only certain clans possess, passed down through generations."
Arashi considered that, rolling the term around in his head. "Huh. Never heard of it before."
Minato wasn't surprised. Arashi had no formal shinobi education—since he wasn't raised in a village, wasn't trained by a sensei, wasn't groomed for battle. He had simply lived to survive.
Still, Minato was now almost certain that Arashi's abilities weren't just rare, they were hereditary at least to some extent.
Arashi scratched the back of his head, looking thoughtful. "So basically, Kekkei Genkai are just… abilities that you're lucky to be born with?"
Minato nodded. "More or less."
Arashi hummed. His gaze moved toward the trees, expression contemplative. If that was the case…
'Then does that mean all the other weird things I can do count as Kekkei Genkai too?'
He started mentally listing them off.
'The transformation? Probably.' It wasn't just an illusion as Minato had said before. 'The ability to speak with animals?' He had never met another person who could, so… maybe? 'The healing?'
Arashi glanced down at his hands, flexing them.
Over the years, he had noticed it, the unnatural speed at which his body recovered. Cuts sealed themselves within minutes. Broken bones set back into place in a matter of hours. He had never really thought about it before.
But if that was also a bloodline ability…
"Huh," Arashi muttered, looking at his own hands as if seeing them for the first time. "I guess I might be special then."
Minato snorted. "Took you long enough to figure that out."
Arashi grinned. "Look, man, just because you're freaking out about my natural abilities doesn't mean they're weird to me. If anything, your teleportation and nonstop interrogations are what seems off. You won't even give me a second to ask you anything."
Minato gave him a dry look. "That's because you haven't tried to ask anything. You're just taking everything I say at face value. You wouldn't even know if I was lying or not."
Arashi smirked, unfazed. "Wouldn't I? Besides, judging by the way you've been talking about me, I'd bet they're pretty different from the ones you're used to." He gestured lazily to the forest around them, his movements fluid, unhurried.
"Besides, in my opinion, people, shinobi especially, spend too much time questioning everything and not nearly enough time just watching. Give it time, let things unfold, and you'll find that most answers come on their own."
Minato considered that statement, his sharp mind dissecting it. 'That was a surprisingly wise statement from someone who is only 15.' For once, Minato found himself at a loss for a response.
But he also couldn't shake the feeling that Arashi was more than just a wanderer. He had the instincts of a predator, the adaptability of a survivor, and the bloodline abilities of someone who shouldn't exist.
And yet, here he was.
Minato let the conversation settle for a moment, allowing Arashi time to ask questions if he had any. Then he continued with something that had been on his mind since they first met.
"What do you want then?"
Arashi blinked, clearly not expecting the question. "What do I want?"
Minato nodded, giving him a pointed look. "You could go anywhere, do anything. So why stay in the forest and wander? Why decide to come to Konoha? And don't say it's just because I'm 'moderately interesting,' or I will punch you."
Arashi snorted. "Damn, you really know how to corner a guy." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Honestly? I wish I had some deep, life-altering answer for you about how I came upon my new curiosity about Konoha but thats really all it is, it's just curiosity."
"I've spent my whole life out in the wild, and yeah, it's got its perks, peace and quiet mainly, but it gets real predictable after a while. And you just so happened to find me when I had decided that it was about time I shook things up again and see what the rest of the world's got goin' on. Y'know, just… try something different for once."
Minato eyed him for a moment. "So, basically, you're bored."
Arashi grinned. "Now you're getting it."
"You're going to be a headache," he muttered.
Arashi laughed. "Oh, absolutely."