The blazing flame blade came crashing down toward Minato, and the ground shuddered violently as a golden light shot into the sky.
The Yellow Flash—after the death of Konoha's Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, he was rightfully known as the fastest shinobi in the ninja world. An attack like this wouldn't normally slow him down.
But as he leapt into the air, a cold gleam cut through the sky—a Zanpakutō slashing straight toward him from the front.
At the same time, Itachi's Fire Release and Kakashi's Lightning Cutter closed in from both sides, trapping him completely.
"These three kids… really troublesome."
Minato gave a wry smile and, with no other choice, used the Flying Thunder God to escape again.
Yet just as he reappeared at the mark he had prepared earlier, a shadow descended before him.
That unmistakable, unbalanced greatsword—the one that looked far too big for its wielder—appeared right in front of him.
"Hakken?"
When did he—?
He could match the speed of the Flying Thunder God?
No… not match it.
He had predicted where Minato would teleport!
How was that possible?
Minato's expression hardened. To test his theory, he caught Hakken's blade with a kunai in one hand while lightly tossing another marked kunai with the other.
As the blade traced its arc, Minato's body vanished instantly.
"Flying Thunder God: Second Stage!"
The same technique he had used in that fated master-disciple battle in the original tale—
the move that had caught Obito completely off guard.
Forming a pale blue sphere with one hand, Minato thrust the Rasengan toward Hakken's back, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
What was he expecting?
The next moment—
Boom!
The massive blade caught the Rasengan with its flat side, the clash sending a shockwave that hurled both of them backward.
Below, Kakashi's jaw dropped beneath his mask as his Lightning Cutter dissipated in disbelief.
"How… how is that possible?"
"Sensei's Flying Thunder God—did it not work on him?"
Such a thing had never happened before.
Even when fighting the Kumo Village's A-B combo, Minato's teleportation had always overwhelmed his opponents.
"So it's just as I thought."
Minato looked at his student, his expression a mix of pride and unease.
Hakken had truly seen through the direction of his teleportation.
Being surpassed by one's student should have been a proud moment—yet he had never actually taught this one anything.
"Can you tell me… how you discovered the Flying Thunder God's weakness?"
Minato asked with a faint, self-deprecating smile.
It was hard to believe, but the truth stood before him: every time he teleported, Hakken was already there, perfectly predicting his destination and ready to strike.
That last exchange—Hakken had turned his blade sideways, avoiding a direct cut.
If they'd clashed head-on, Minato would have been sliced in two, though Hakken would have taken a Rasengan in return.
A trade of mutual destruction.
But in that scenario, Minato would die, and Hakken would survive.
It was only a spar, so both had held back.
Still, the fact remained—the Flying Thunder God had been read.
"The Flying Thunder God has no weakness," Hakken said, shaking his head as he sheathed his Zanpakutō.
The technique was one of the strongest spatial jutsu ever created. If it had any flaw, it was the immense chakra consumption. That was why Minato, aside from the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God, rarely used other techniques that would waste chakra.
Just as Hakken said—the technique itself had no problem.
"Then how did you see through where I was going to teleport?" Minato asked, his face tense with confusion.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was a space–time ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and later perfected by him. He himself would never admit that such a powerful technique could possess a flaw this significant.
After all, it was this very jutsu that had earned him his name on the battlefield during the Third Great Ninja War—the Yellow Flash of Konoha.
"Intuition… or maybe instinct would be a better word."
A faint red light flickered in Hakken's eyes before fading away, and his needle-like pupils slowly returned to normal.
Lifting his blade, he became like a wild beast.
This strength came from his second template, the mysterious power known as White Hollow.
Instinct!
When fully immersed in battle, he completely locked onto his target, attacking in the most effective way possible—purely by instinct.
Once an enemy was caught by this instinctive intuition, he could predict their next move even before they acted.
To describe it more vividly, it was much like the Observation Haki in the world of One Piece.
However, this instinctive form of combat was even more profound than Observation Haki.
After all, he had barely unlocked even one percent of the second template, White Hollow.
Instinct, huh?
This could no longer be called genius—it was monstrous.
Minato rubbed his forehead, unsure what to say.
He was speechless, yet also somewhat relieved.
At least for now, the only one capable of sensing the direction of his Flying Thunder God teleportation was Hakken.
Otherwise, his title of "Yellow Flash" might not last much longer.
"Jingle, jingle."
A crisp ringing sound echoed. Hakken extended his hand, revealing the small bell that had been hanging from Minato's waist—he had somehow taken it without anyone noticing.
"Sensei, do you understand us well enough now?"
"Then perhaps you can tell us the real purpose of today's test."
"The real purpose?"
Itachi and Kakashi froze, glancing at Hakken in confusion.
Wasn't this supposed to be a teamwork exercise?
Hakken shook his head slightly, offering no explanation.
The man before them, the Yellow Flash, was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.
Did they really think the Hokage had the leisure to personally conduct a simple training test for three students?
No—Minato must have had a deeper reason for this.
...
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