Satori Hyūga gave her a look like she was an idiot, which made Kushina furious.
"He's from a civilian background, so most of what he knows about being a ninja comes from formal classes."
"We still have our elders guiding us, but he has to study and train entirely on his own—without room for any mistakes."
"For him, those ninja techniques and training methods are truly rare treasures."
A flash of surprise flickered across Kushina's eyes. This was the first time someone had told her something like this.
Having been born into the Uzumaki clan and raised as a noble princess, after arriving in Konoha, she had received guidance in ninjutsu and sealing techniques from Lady Mito.
That led her to believe that practicing ninjutsu was easy for everyone else too.
She gazed at Minato Namikaze, who helplessly nodded in response.
"Well, it's actually really useful knowledge. It helps me a lot right now."
"The Three Body Techniques and shuriken throwing are basic, but they're practical. Even if I learn more advanced techniques later, I won't be able to use them at my current level."
He wasn't lying either.
At his age, his chakra reserves weren't particularly abundant.
Mastering several basic jutsu and taijutsu was already enough for him to handle things for now.
Kushina pulled Minato close, slinging her arm over his shoulders and leaning into him.
"Minato-kun, do you want to become my little follower? I can teach you some other ninja techniques."
"I know you're really talented and pick things up fast—you could even help me take down Satori Hyūga."
As she spoke, Kushina cast a proud glance at Satori.
A flicker of movement crossed Satori's eyes before he smiled at Minato.
"Minato, I'm not like certain stingy people who only teach you if you become their follower."
"Why don't we just be friends instead? I'll teach you a technique for free—my very own taijutsu style."
Minato wanted to refuse, but Satori interrupted him.
"If you're worried about owing me, just think of it as a debt you can repay someday."
After thinking for a moment, Minato couldn't resist and ended up nodding.
At this point in time, he hadn't yet become Jiraiya's disciple, nor had he become the legendary Golden Flash.
As a civilian-born ninja, he couldn't bring himself to turn down a free technique.
Seeing Satori giving away his technique for free, Kushina immediately felt competitive and wanted to one-up him.
"Minato, don't listen to that annoying guy! I can teach you too! My sealing techniques were taught by Grandma Mito!"
"That's hilarious. My martial arts are unbeatable under heaven; learning them is way better than wasting time with seals."
"Brat from the Hyūga house, stop bragging! Sealing techniques are sacred knowledge passed down in my Uzumaki clan! Ordinary people wouldn't even get the chance to learn them—they're eight hundred times better than your pathetic taijutsu."
They went back and forth, locked in a heated competition.
Of course, all of this had been intentionally guided by Satori.
He didn't want anyone suspecting how interested he was in Kushina's sealing techniques.
However, if people thought this was just childish rivalry between kids, then everything would sound reasonable.
Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wouldn't dare call him out on it afterward.
Trading a self-created taijutsu for a sealing technique was an undoubtedly profitable exchange.
"Minato, let's go. I'll teach you my taijutsu so this arrogant guy will finally see my strength."
Satori Hyūga grabbed Minato Namikaze by the arm and dragged him off, leaving Kushina clenching her teeth in frustration as she followed close behind.
Sandwiched between them, Minato wore a helpless expression on his face. He wanted to refuse, but Satori had already moved too quickly for him to protest.
The trio arrived at a small grove near the Ninja Academy.
Konoha was surrounded by mountains and rivers, lush greenery everywhere, with many trees boasting thick branches and dense foliage. The forest was eerily silent—an ideal spot for training.
It was common practice for ninjas to hone their jutsu deep in these woods.
"Minato, I'll teach you my taijutsu. This is a technique called Steel Fist that I developed based on the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist. Unfortunately, I can't show you the true Gentle Fist—clan law forbids its teaching to outsiders."
"But even if it's only half of it, it's still extremely powerful—strong enough to easily defeat several Genin." Satori said proudly.
Minato replied, "Are you sure about this?"
"You actually created your own Steel Fist—that's pretty impressive. Even many Jonin struggle to accomplish that. No wonder you're known as a genius from the Hyūga Clan."
"If you keep improving like this, maybe people will stop calling you the dead last at the Academy," Minato added.
At first, Kushina felt somewhat resentful hearing Minato praise Satori. But when she heard the title "dead last," she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! The dead last of the Hyūga Clan!"
"There's no way you created anything truly powerful—I don't believe it!" Kushina scoffed, arms akimbo, staring defiantly at Satori.
Satori curled the corner of his mouth into a slight smirk.
"I'm not the kind of person to hoard knowledge or hide techniques. Why don't you stick around and watch me demonstrate the power of my Steel Fist?"
"And if you ever want to learn, I won't stand in your way either."
"Hmph! As if I'd ever learn anything from you!" Kushina snapped angrily.
Satori pulled Minato closer and began teaching him patiently.
His main objective was to obtain Kushina's sealing techniques, but cultivating a solid friendship with Minato was just as crucial.
With the future Fourth Hokage as an ally, he could easily coast through life or pursue other ambitions without worry.
"My Steel Fist doesn't require Byakugan support. It allows one to generate tremendous explosive power while simultaneously strengthening the body—training muscles, tendons, bones, and enhancing overall strength. Once mastered, even a single punch can unleash a visible burst of energy."
"And once you've trained enough, you'll achieve a balance of force and fluidity—even without the Gentle Fist."
Satori demonstrated the effectiveness of his Steel Fist to Minato.
He planted his feet firmly, focused all his strength into his fist, and punched straight through a tree trunk nearly half a person in thickness.
[Iron Fist: Piercing Blow!]
"What do you think? Not bad, right?" Satori turned and asked Minato with a grin.
Minato nodded slightly, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
Though young, he wasn't yet the legendary Golden Flash.
Facing such an impressive display of taijutsu, he was genuinely intrigued.
"Steel Fist emphasizes brute strength and does not rely on the Byakugan. However, once refined to a high level, it can reach a point where true strength is revealed under pressure, just like how only in fierce winds can one truly appreciate the resilience of grass."
Satori borrowed some overly dramatic lines straight from novels of his past life.
As for whether it could be achieved, he had no idea. After all, even the Founder himself hadn't reached that level yet. The point of saying that was merely to provoke Kushina into demonstrating her sealing techniques.
And Kushina, with her fiery, lively, and competitive personality, was indeed provoked by the eight hundred scheming eyes of Satori Hyūga.
She curled her lip in disdain. "Your Iron Fist is just like Lady Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength. It's not that impressive."
"My sealing technique is different though—it's a secret art from the Uzumaki clan, powerful enough to seal even the legendary Tailed Beasts."
"Minato, come here. I'll teach you my sealing technique and let you see what real strength is all about."
"Isn't that inappropriate? As an outsider, I shouldn't really be learning a secret technique from your clan." asked Minato Namikaze.
He never expected to be so lucky—people were practically lining up to teach him Taijutsu and now sealing arts too. That's pretty much how it went in the original story too.
He performed well at the Academy, but he really took off after becoming Jiraiya's disciple. Back then, he learned the sealing techniques only after rescuing Kushina from Cloud ninja and winning her heart, which eventually led to their marriage.
Right now, he was still just a gifted student ninja known for his ordinary Ninjutsu skills. Even without any chances, he could still make it on his own.
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