Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

Kushina let out a surprised "Hm?" Usually unshakable, she had only now noticed Hiashi Hyuga's presence.

Hiashi, however, didn't acknowledge Kushina's murmur. His gaze fixed on Minato and Kushina carried deep apprehension.

With his Byakugan, he could clearly see that their chakra reserves surpassed even the strongest Genin. Among nearly three hundred participants, such chakra levels were extremely rare.

Especially that red-haired girl—her chakra capacity rivaled only that of Nawaki, the grandson of the First Hokage, who had already become a full-fledged Genin.

Nawaki possessed the Senju bloodline; the Senju clan was famous throughout the ninja world for its powerful vitality and chakra reserves.

This girl, whose age seemed even younger than Nawaki's, actually possessed such immense chakra?

And then there was Namikaze Minato. Because of his fight with Yan Uchiha a year ago, he had become somewhat of a celebrity at the Ninja Academy. Many students knew his name, although most—including Satoshi Miyazaki from Minato's own team—had long forgotten it.

But Hiashi hadn't forgotten. He observed that Minato's chakra was actually stronger than his own, despite being someone who inherited the Hyuga bloodline.

Through his Byakugan, he also noticed how Minato achieved that speed just now—he concentrated chakra into his legs, creating explosive acceleration.

[Shunshin no Jutsu] (Body Flicker Technique)...

The Hyuga clan specialized in Gentle Fist taijutsu, naturally mastering various forms of Shunshin as well, though Hiashi himself hadn't yet fully mastered it.

There were several types of Shunshin techniques. Unlike Minato's method—which focused chakra to achieve speed bursts—the Hyuga style relied purely on physical speed and strength for high-speed movement through taijutsu-based body flickering.

"Why is he staring at us like that?" Kushina whispered beside Minato. She noticed the boy's wariness in his gaze, although they'd just helped take out two enemies.

Minato explained, "In the Forest of Death, anyone is a potential enemy. Even if we're all students from the academy, we still must remain cautious. More importantly, he's at a disadvantage right now. If you and I decided to team up against him, he wouldn't stand a chance of escaping."

Kushina pouted slightly, replying, "Pfft, always thinking too complicatedly."

Minato smiled faintly. Those born into powerful clans inevitably thought differently from shinobi without elite bloodlines like them.

From birth, those from elite families were destined to become ninja. For this reason, they had to abandon certain useless traits—

For instance, the innocence typical of children their age.

Meanwhile, the Genin who had been defeated by Kushina and Minato picked up his unconscious partner and quickly fled the scene. Their arrogance and carelessness were what cost them the battle.

They underestimated Hiashi and his brother, allowing the pair to use darkness to easily defeat them both. And when they underestimated Minato and Kushina, they barely lasted a few moves before being taken down.

Ultimately, their defeat came entirely from underestimating their enemies...

Before entering the Forest of Death, their instructor had warned them of dangers exactly like this—but they'd completely ignored every word.

In fact, most of the Genin eliminated that day failed precisely because of such mindsets.

Seeing that man retreat, Hiashi immediately turned and left as well.

Watching his departing direction, Minato narrowed his eyes slightly. Though he didn't know whether this person could be considered a friend, at least he wasn't an enemy.

The reason he had stayed here all along must have been concern over them becoming careless. Even after elimination, their opponents might still retain combat capability. Under such circumstances, some narrow-minded individuals might retaliate against them.

Now that this person had withdrawn, there was no longer any reason for Hiashi to stay behind.

"Now there's one weird dude."

From Kushina's perspective, Hiashi wasn't just odd-looking—those pupil-less eyes—but also extremely peculiar in personality. His attitude of completely disregarding others reminded her of that guy Uchiha En.

Minato gave a gentle smile and turned to the other three, saying, "You guys keep resting. It's almost my shift now."

Regarding night watch rotations, Satoshi Miyazaki took first shift, Yu Akasaka second shift, while Minato was responsible for the final watch.

Everyone nodded slightly. Although what happened earlier made everyone uneasy once again, knowing that Minato would handle the last watch naturally brought a sense of security.

It was like a quiet charm that only he possessed...

Being kids, it didn't take long before both Satoshi and Yu fell asleep. Soon they were snoring with varying levels of noise.

"This is so damn noisy," Kushina muttered unhappily as she opened her eyes again.

Then she made her way over to where Minato sat by the fire and plopped down beside him, clearly annoyed.

Minato turned sideways and suddenly reached out, flicking her delicate nose before smiling and saying, "You weren't even sleeping at all."

Since Hiashi Hyuga had departed, Kushina had been leaning against a tree trunk, occasionally opening her eyes slightly to observe Minato.

Minato naturally noticed all these actions.

"Once again, you've seen through me," Kushina said, puffing her rosy cheeks before continuing, "Every single time, not a thing about me stays hidden from you."

Upon hearing this, Minato smiled faintly. "Of course, since I'm always watching you. Naturally everything about you remains transparent to me."

A wave of emotion passed through Kushina's eyes as she gazed at Minato's handsome face illuminated by firelight.

"What's wrong?" Minato tilted his head sideways. Immediately, Kushina's expression became evasive.

Uncharacteristically oblivious, Minato continued speaking, "Alright, go get some sleep. We still have two more days ahead. Without sufficient energy, things won't work out."

Right after saying this, unexpectedly, Kushina suddenly turned her head back, fixing her large eyes directly upon Minato's face. She asked, "Minato, will we always stay together like today from now on?"

For a moment, Minato appeared stunned. Kushina's voice echoed in his ears. Somehow, he felt like he had heard similar words before.

Unknown emotions creeping into his heart, Minato's eyes actually welled up with crystal tears.

"How come you're crying?" Kushina asked as she saw tears fall down Minato's face, quickly reaching out to wipe them away.

Feeling the soft touch on his face, Minato instinctively placed his hand over hers. He looked into her deep blue eyes and said firmly,

"I want to stay by your side forever. No one will ever take you away from me again!"

Touched by his words, Kushina smiled slightly and replied, "You're such a dork, what do you mean 'again'? Haven't we always been together though?"

Minato fell silent for a moment—he wasn't sure why those words had just come out like that...

"Yeah," he then responded, looking at Kushina and asking, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

She lifted the corners of her mouth and said, "I've got plenty of stamina. I just slept a little while ago, so I'm not even tired. And besides, you forgot already? We promised to always be together!"

Minato's expression softened, and he nodded firmly.

By the flickering firelight, their smiling faces glowed with warmth. This time, nothing or no one could ever separate them again!

...

...

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>