NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 86: "Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Four figures dashed forward at speeds beyond the limits of normal human vision, showing no signs of fatigue.
"Not bad," muttered Junko Watanabe as she glanced sideways. Behind her and Sakumo, Minato and Yan Uchiha were closely following. Sweat had begun to form on their brows, but their breathing remained steady, showing no sign of falling behind.
At first, she was slightly surprised—Sakumo had set a pace far beyond what a typical genin-in-training could manage.
For Junko, although she had heard about Minato and Yan Uchiha from Sakumo before, she always believed in seeing it with her own eyes. Having worked in Anbu for so long, she had grown accustomed to verifying everything firsthand, treating secondhand accounts with skepticism—even when they came from someone like Sakumo, whom she deeply admired.
But now, these two "genin-in-training" had far exceeded her expectations.
Minato had already become accustomed to this level of high-speed, high-intensity travel over the past year. Unlike in training, he could occasionally channel chakra to relieve physical fatigue. With his current chakra reserves, nothing short of non-stop, twenty-four-hour high-intensity travel would pose a problem.
What amazed him more was that beside him, Yan Uchiha appeared to have mastered this same technique he'd painstakingly refined through practice.
The Uchiha clan was renowned throughout the Ninja World—not just for their mastery of the Sharingan and Fire Release techniques, but also for the elite warriors they produced.
High-speed travel demanded not only raw physical power, but also precise control of chakra. Jiraiya hadn't directly taught Minato this; instead, he had let him discover it naturally. Yan, however, had received formal instruction from senior members of his clan.
In the short term, Yan's progress outpaced Minato's—he had managed to match the other's speed in just one year.
Yet this method also carried disadvantages, since borrowed paths seldom suited individuals perfectly.
That was one reason why Jiraiya chose not to teach Minato specific techniques directly—leading to the creation of [Instant Flash].
This continuous-effect body flicker technique wasn't exclusive to Minato alone. Within today's Ninja World, its most renowned master wasn't from the Yagura Clan known for their ninja body techniques, nor was it the Third Raikage.
Rather, it belonged to the leader of Amegakure—the Hidden Rain Village—located at the tri-border area between the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth: Hanzo.
Hanzo of the Hidden Rain, known as "Semi-Deity Hanzo"—nicknamed for his summoning beast Sanshouo, the giant salamander!
His name resonated throughout the Ninja World, and countless shinobi revered him as the "Semi-Deity." Clearly, a large part of his fame and power stemmed from his mighty summoned creature.
Beyond that, though, stood his ghost-like body flicker technique—a ninja whose abilities ranked S-level, rivaling even the Hokage himself, armed further with superior body flicker skills and enigmatic summoned beasts...
Among all the shinobi in the Ninja World today, only the Third Hokage of Konoha Ninja Village could rival his fame and authority.
It was said that the Third Hokage had perfect control over all five chakra natures.
Minato had now also mastered the manipulation of two chakra natures and could release combined techniques, already demonstrating considerable power.
As for the so-called "Professor of Ninjutsu"—a man who mastered all five chakra natures and wielded his ultimate summoning beast Enma—it was no wonder he was likened to a demigod.
These names that once left an indelible mark on the ninja world filled Minato with excitement every time he thought of them.
Perhaps one day, he would have his own title—one that made enemies fear him, allies respect him, and earned him fame across the ninja world...
But that day still seemed far away. For now, he needed to focus on completing this mission successfully. This was, after all, his very first ninja mission—and an S-rank one at that.
They moved quickly until dusk approached, passing through a small town without stopping, the four of them rushing through as fast as possible before continuing onward.
Deep into the night, deep within a remote forest where no people dwelled, the group finally slowed their pace and stopped.
"Let's rest here for a moment."
After briefly scanning the surroundings, Sakumo looked at Minato and Yan Uchiha, both slightly out of breath, and said.
Quickly lighting a fire, he watched as Yan Uchiha and Minato sat in separate directions. A subtle smile flickered across his face.
"Too excellent? Or maybe just too inexperienced?"
Ordinary ninja, even average travelers, usually carried food supplies when going on a long journey. But these two kids must have considered the special nature of this mission, so they came out completely empty-handed.
And since Sakumo hadn't let Minato and Yan Uchiha stop at any towns or villages along the way, there hadn't been any chance for the two to get food either.
Still, he'd already anticipated this.
From the pouch behind him, Sakumo pulled out a portable scroll. He unrolled it and performed a hand seal—the scroll expanded to about half a meter wide and one meter long. From it, he then retrieved several pouches.
"There."
He handed out water and food rations. Junko Watanabe, however, declined hers, still absorbed in reading the intelligence report on Tachiyama Shinsaburo by the firelight.
Anbu operatives never wasted time on unnecessary actions—a discipline hard to break. Conversation among them was minimal, and Junko rarely interacted with anyone else.
"Thank you."
"Thanks."
Minato and Yan Uchiha responded in tones quite unlike each other, then began eating. Maintaining peak physical condition at all times was essential for a ninja operating in the field.
To ordinary people, eating was about flavor. To a ninja, it was just about fuel.
Sakumo walked up and lightly patted Junko's shoulder. She stood up immediately and turned around, asking, "Senpai Sakumo, do you need something?"
Only then did she notice Sakumo's gaze fixed intently upon her eyes, causing Junko—who hadn't experienced even a ripple of emotion for years—to flush slightly.
She wasn't used to being stared at like this.
"You've sorted it out now, haven't you?" Sakumo said with a gentle smile.
"Huh?" Junko blinked, momentarily confused.
Sakumo said, "Didn't I mention it earlier? There was something off about your gaze. I originally planned to help you through this phase, but it seems there's no need now. Truly not surprising for a genius to recover so quickly."
As he spoke, Junko Watanabe just nodded quietly. Minato and Yan Uchiha stood nearby, slightly taken aback. Previously, Junko had left both of them with the impression of being an extremely powerful and independent kunoichi.
And yet, there she was—acting like a timid little girl in front of Sakumo.
Everyone—Sakumo, Yan Uchiha, and Minato—stared in astonishment.
What exactly was going on with her?
...
...
(The author interjects: Minato, let me tell you—you're destined for a truly legendary title! As for Junko Watanabe, I believe many of you have already figured out who she really is. Though she never existed in the original tale, for certain morally gray characters like Konoha's infamous Copy Ninja technician, her presence is absolutely essential.)
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