Izuna's POV
A week had passed since Kakashi got his official team. Everyone in the village kept whispering about him — Kakashi Hatake, the youngest genius to ever graduate. I wasn't jealous. Not really. Maybe a little.
I didn't have a team yet. Hokage-sama said it was only a matter of time — that they'd find the right squad for me. But for now, my training was my mission.
Every morning, I trained with Father and Uncle Kayami. Father pushed me harder than ever — taijutsu drills at dawn, shuriken practice until my arms ached, then chakra control exercises until my head spun.
Sometimes, Kayami showed me his illusions — genjutsu so deep I'd get lost in a world of obsidian dreams if I wasn't careful. He said, "One day, your mind will be your sharpest blade, Izuna."
When I wasn't training with them, I found time for Shisui. He was smaller than I by two years, but his eyes burned with the same Uchiha flame. I showed him a new substitution trick last night — he got it on the first try, then grinned like he'd just stolen my lunch.
"Izuna-san! Show me again! I want to surprise Father!"
His smile made all the bruises worth it.
——————————————-
Since I didn't have my squad yet, the mission office sometimes called me when another genin team was missing a member. It wasn't much — a few D-rank chores: chasing stray cats, helping an old lady carry boxes. Once, I helped protect a merchant cart — my first C-rank. The bandits were idiots, but they taught me one thing: real kunai don't care if you're six or sixty.
I've done three D-ranks and two C-ranks now. Enough to feel the taste of the real shinobi life — not enough to call it my own.
Sometimes, when Kakashi and I cross paths in the training grounds, he brags about Minato-sensei, about how Obito keeps messing up, about Rin being the only one who can keep them sane. I nod, smirk, pretend I'm not dreaming of my team.
But until then, I train. I grow. I teach Shisui when I can.
Because someday soon, I'll need all of it — and more.
The next morning, Shisui waited by the gate again. "Izuna-san! Teach me the water step! Please! Please!"
So I did. Again and again, until he nearly sank himself trying to run across the river's surface.
I dragged him out, coughing and laughing, his hair dripping into his eyes.
I felt it — the future. It wasn't clear yet. But it was mine to carve. One step, one mission, one promise at a time.
A few days later, the sun peeked over the rooftops of Konoha as I tied my forehead protector and stretched my arms.
Something had been bugging me for days — Kakashi's team. Or more like, Minato-sensei.
Minato Namikaze. The Yellow Flash. The man who mastered the space-time element.
If there was one person in this village who could help me unlock something special, it was him. Maybe, just maybe, he'd teach me how to bend space like he did — or at least point me in the right direction.
So, I decided: today, I'd visit them. No invitation needed.
I found them at Training Field Three. Kakashi stood with his arms crossed, looking as smug as ever. Next to him was a boy with messy black hair and goggles slipping down his nose — Obito Uchiha, my cousin, technically. He was busy arguing with a girl with short brown hair — Rin Nohara, if I remembered right.
I stepped out from behind the tree. "Yo."
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough. Stalking us now?"
Obito spun around. "Huh? Who's this?"
Before I could answer, I heard a bright laugh and suddenly — WHUMP — arms wrapped tight around my shoulders, nearly lifting me off the ground.
"Kushina!" I wheezed. She smelled like fresh herbs and trouble.
"Aww, Izuna! Look at you! So cute and serious! And you're friends with Kakashi, huh?" She ruffled my hair until it stuck up in every direction.
"Kushina! I can't breathe—!"
Behind her, Minato Namikaze smiled like sunshine breaking through clouds. His calm blue eyes watched the chaos fondly.
When Kushina finally let me go — with one last pat on my cheek — Minato stepped forward.
"Visiting your friend, Izuna?" he asked gently.
I nodded. "Minato-sensei… I was wondering. You know, you're the Yellow Flash, right? The whole village says you bend space like it's nothing. I thought — maybe one day, you could teach me?"
Minato chuckled softly. "Ambitious, aren't you?" His eyes twinkled. "How about a small test first?"
He pulled out two tiny silver bells and tied them to his waist. Kakashi groaned. "Not this again…"
Obito paled. Rin hid a smile.
Minato turned to me and winked. "You're welcome to join them. If you and Kakashi can take the bells from me… I'll consider it."
I grinned. Perfect.
The air grew tense as we spread out. Obito was already panicking, fumbling with a kunai. Rin whispered strategies to him that he promptly ignored.
Kakashi and I locked eyes and nodded once. No words needed.
When Minato gave the signal, we darted forward — Kakashi from the left, I from the right. He was fast, but I matched him step for step.
Kunai clashed with kunai. Minato dodged everything so casually that it made my teeth grind. But every slip of his foot, every flicker of his eyes — we read it all.
At one point, Kakashi nearly snatched a bell — but Minato vanished in a blink. Reappeared behind him.
I spun low, aiming for his belt — I felt the cold metal brush my fingertips — so close —
But then air twisted, and he was gone again, like a ghost in sunlight.
An Impossible Duo
Minutes turned into an hour. Obito and Rin mostly stumbled around, setting up traps that Minato walked through like he was on a pleasant picnic.
But Kakashi and I… we kept pushing him harder and harder. Our attacks were sharper, our chakra control tighter.
We even swapped sides mid-charge, confusing him for half a second.
Almost!
When Minato finally caught our wrists mid-air, he smiled — but his eyes were wide with surprise.
Inside, I could feel it — we'd forced him to try.
Minato's Thoughts
As he tied the bells back to his belt, Minato thought to himself, These two… Kakashi and this Uchiha boy… monstrous talent at their age. If they keep this up, they'll surpass me one day.
He ruffled my hair like Kushina had, then did the same to Kakashi, who scowled and brushed his hand away.
"Good work, both of you," Minato said warmly. "I'll keep my promise, Izuna. One day, when you're ready, I'll teach you about space-time ninjutsu."
I felt my chest swell. One day.
Then, with that calm teacher smile, Minato turned back to me.
"Izuna," he said, reaching into his vest. "You asked about space-time jutsu, right?"
I straightened. "Yes, Sensei."
He pulled out a small scroll — black ink, tiny sealing runes coiled across the paper like vines. "This is a basic affinity test. Not many people can handle the space element. Even fewer can learn how to bend it."
I took the scroll carefully. It hummed faintly in my hands, like it was alive.
"What do I do?"
"Simple," Minato said. "Sit down, hold it steady, and send your chakra into it — slowly. If you have an affinity, the scroll will react and open itself."
Obito peeked over my shoulder, eyes wide. Rin watched too, curious.
Kakashi just muttered, "Show-off."
The Test
I crossed my legs and placed the scroll in my lap. Closed my eyes. I imagined my chakra — the same burning power I'd honed with Father, Uncle Kayami, even with Kakashi and Shisui. I felt it flow through my palms and into the paper.
Seconds passed.
The scroll trembled.
There was a click, like a lock turning. Then the seal lines lit up — faint blue sparkles dancing on the paper.
With a quiet rustle, the scroll unfurled completely on the grass.
I opened my eyes. Done.
Minato blinked. Once. Twice. Then he crouched beside me, eyebrows lifted so high they nearly vanished into his headband.
"How… how long did that take you?" he asked.
I shrugged. "About three minutes?"
Minato laughed softly, but I could hear the shock under it. "Three minutes… It took me ten when I first tried."
Obito's jaw dropped. Rin gasped. Kakashi just muttered, "Figures."
Minato clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Izuna, you have a huge natural affinity for the space element. But… that also means you'll need a strong foundation in sealing techniques first. Without that, you can't control teleportation or time-space safely."
He tilted his head toward the trees. "Lucky for you… There's one person here who knows more about seals than anyone else."
Before he could say her name, a streak of red hair barreled toward me — I didn't even get a warning. Arms wrapped around me like iron chains.
"Kushina!" I squeaked.
She squeezed me until my spine protested. "Izunaaa! Minato told me you want to learn Fuinjutsu? My special Uzumaki arts, huh?"
I squeaked again. "Yes… Can't breathe… please teach me—!"
She loosened her hold just enough so I could talk. I felt her grin against my hair. "Fine! But only if you promise to let me hug you whenever I want! Deal?"
I don't have a choice, do I? I thought. But aloud, I managed a tiny smile. "Deal."
Behind her, Minato laughed softly.
She is a master in Fuinjutsu and will soon Grandmaster.
Kakashi just shook his head — even he couldn't argue with Kushina's death hugs.
As she finally released me (after one last squeeze), I held the open scroll in my hands. Space-time jutsu… Fuinjutsu… teleportation. All that power — if I could master it, maybe no one could ever corner my clan again. Maybe no one could hurt the people I cared about.
I glanced at Kakashi. He gave me a tiny nod — as if to say, Don't slack off.
I looked at Minato-sensei, who smiled proudly.
And Kushina — arms crossed, ready to drag me into training tomorrow at sunrise, whether I liked it or not.
——————————————-
A Few Weeks Later
It's funny how time moves when you're training under an Uzumaki. I thought I'd seen hard work before — training taijutsu with Father, sparring with Uncle Kayami, learning kunai tricks with Kakashi. But Fuinjutsu? That was a whole new world.
Every morning before dawn, Kushina would knock — no, bang — on our front door. If she thought I was sleeping in, she'd just walk inside, toss me over her shoulder, and drag me out to the clearing behind our house.
"An Uchiha genius, huh?" she'd tease, hands on her hips as I rubbed sleep from my eyes. "Then your brain better handle these seal patterns, Izuna!"
We'd sit under the big old maple tree, scrolls spread all around us. The ink smelled sharp and metallic. The patterns twisted in ways that made my head spin at first — spirals within spirals, tiny runes that danced if you pushed chakra into them the wrong way.
Chakra Control Like a Razor
Kushina started simple: storage seals, explosive tags, containment barriers. She showed me how even the tiniest slip — a flicker of chakra too strong or too soft — could break a seal or worse, make it backfire.
She made me redraw each seal again and again until my brushstrokes were perfect.
Sometimes, when my hand cramped up, she'd flick my forehead with her finger. "No slacking, Izuna!
In the breaks between training, she'd tell me little stories — how the Uzumaki clan once built entire temples of seals, how her mother used to seal rain into jars just for fun. How, when she was a kid, she'd prank villagers by trapping snacks in tiny barrier seals that only she could open.
Sometimes, her eyes would grow sad when she talked about the clan she'd lost. So I'd listen carefully. It felt right — like her stories were lessons, too.
My Little Experiments
After two weeks, I could draw a perfect storage seal blindfolded (Kushina's idea — she made me do it in the dark). I could make a barrier big enough to block three grown shinobi. I even learned how to weave simple chakra suppression tags, which Kushina said would be useful if I ever had to sneak away from enemies.
One evening, she found me practicing behind our house alone — brush in one hand, three half-finished tags stuck to my forehead like dumb paper hats.
"You look ridiculous," she laughed, but her smile was proud.
Of course, Kakashi didn't make things easier. When we met after my seal lessons, he'd watch me with that lazy stare of his.
"More paper tricks?" he'd say, poking my scrolls with a stick.
So I made it my mission to surprise him. One afternoon, I trapped his favorite lunch in a barrier seal he couldn't break — not without me undoing it.
He tried to look annoyed, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Fine, Uchiha. Teach me that one."