Naruto: The Clanless Prince

Sora arrived at the Hokage Tower, planning to invite Namikaze Minato to his wedding with Uzumaki Kushina.

Kushina initially wanted to handle the invitation herself, knowing that Sora and Minato didn't get along well.

But after thinking it through, Sora decided it would be better if he delivered the invitation personally.

Kushina wasn't particularly close to Minato, and because of Sora's influence, she didn't have a high opinion of him.

However, now that Minato and Uzumaki Miyuki were in a relationship, and Kushina and Miyuki were friends, inviting only Miyuki would put her in an awkward position.

If it weren't for the fact that Kushina absolutely wanted to invite Miyuki, Sora wouldn't have considered inviting Minato at all.

Although Minato was the Fourth Hokage, his status didn't need to be considered in such personal matters. After all, almost everyone in Konoha was aware of the conflict between them.

But since Miyuki had been invited, Minato had to be invited as well.

Otherwise, if word spread that they had invited the Hokage's lover but not the Hokage himself, who knew what rumors might circulate.

At the same time, inviting Minato could send Sarutobi Hiruzen and Minato the wrong impression that Sora was actively trying to reconcile with him.

Now that the war was over, high-ranking officials like Hiruzen and Danzo had plenty of time to address internal issues.

So the more misleading signals Sora could send, the more beneficial it would be for him.

Sora knocked on the door of the Hokage's office.

Soon, Minato's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Sora pushed the door open.

Minato was visibly surprised to see Sora, because without a mission assignment, Sora would never voluntarily seek him out.

The moment he saw Sora, Minato's first reaction was disbelief, as if he might be seeing things.

Minato asked, "Sora, what brings you here?"

Sora handed the invitation to Minato: "Lord Fourth, Kushina and I will be having our wedding in seven days. We would like to invite you to attend."

Minato looked as if he had heard something unbelievable: "Sora, your wedding... you're inviting me?"

Sora nodded and said, "Yes, I've brought the invitation. If it's inconvenient for you to attend, please don't feel obligated."

Sora placed the invitation on the desk.

Once Minato was certain he hadn't misheard, he quickly replied, "I will definitely attend your wedding on time."

Minato was genuinely confused.

It felt like the sun was rising from the west. Sora, who clearly disliked him, was actually inviting him to his wedding.

At the same time, Minato felt somewhat hopeful, wondering if this meant there was a chance to improve his relationship with Sora.

Sora's current strength was undoubtedly among the best in Konoha. If Minato could improve his relationship with him, it would greatly benefit his position as the reigning Hokage.

After delivering the invitation, Sora said, "Then I look forward to welcoming you, Lord Fourth. I'll take my leave now and not disturb you from your work."

Sora left the Hokage's office.

Minato looked at the invitation in his hand and murmured, "It seems the time has come for me."

After leaving the Hokage Tower, Sora found Kakashi sitting on a bench, lost in thought.

Sora sat next to Kakashi and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Startled by Sora's voice, Kakashi came back to reality, his visible eye flickering as he said, "Sora-sensei, I wasn't thinking about anything in particular."

Sora leaned back against the bench and sighed, "Are you thinking about Obito and Rin? Since I haven't experienced what you have, I can't truly empathize with your feelings, but some things are beyond your control and cannot be changed. What can be changed is only what happens from this point forward.

I've always hoped for you to become stronger so that you can shape and control your own destiny in the future, and not find yourself in situations where you feel powerless.

I won't try to comfort you by saying that Obito and Rin wouldn't want to see you sad. How could you not be sad about the death of friends? But you can't let this emotion consume you. Instead, you must use these feelings to make yourself stronger."

Kakashi replied in a low voice, "I understand, Sora-sensei."

Sora handed the last invitation in his hand to Kakashi: "Kushina and I will be getting married soon. As my student, you'll have responsibilities on that day."

Kakashi smiled and nodded, "Of course, leave it to me, sensei."

Sora asked, "How is your Sharingan doing now?"

Kakashi lifted his forehead protector and revealed the eye, "Since the last time I collapsed from overusing the Sharingan, for some unknown reason, the original Two Tomoe Sharingan has inexplicably evolved into a Three Tomoe Sharingan. It consumes more chakra now.

Although it uses more chakra, I can now easily see through genjutsu and copy taijutsu and ninjutsu techniques with this Sharingan."

Sora nodded, as he had been contemplating how to solve Kakashi's chakra problem.

He had thought of three possible solutions.

The first was the Yin Sealing Technique.

The Yin Sealing Technique was not the same as the Strength of a Hundred Seal.

The Yin Sealing Technique was a sealing jutsu unique to Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools.

The Strength of a Hundred Seal was a derivative ninjutsu created by Tsunade based on the Yin Sealing Technique.

The Strength of a Hundred Seal wasn't a pure sealing technique but rather a medical sealing jutsu that could achieve instant healing, enhance attacks, and increase speed.

Skilled users like Tsunade could rely on the precise control of chakra stored in the Strength of a Hundred Seal to maintain a youthful appearance, improve bodily functions, and keep the body operating at peak performance.

The Yin Sealing Technique, on the other hand, was simply a method for storing chakra, and its function was obviously different from the Strength of a Hundred Seal.

If Kakashi learned the Yin Sealing Technique, he could store chakra. With enough skill, he could use the chakra stored in the seal to enable prolonged combat.

The second option was the Cursed Seal developed by Orochimaru, who would in the future study Jugo, a person born with the ability to absorb natural energy.

However, the survival rate for those receiving the Sage Transformation was low. After all, the Cursed Seal was another form of Sage Transformation, but recipients couldn't absorb natural energy by their own will or control it properly.

Moreover, the process was very complicated and required the use of a drug called the Mind Awakening Pill, which could forcibly activate the power of the user's Cursed Seal to reach the second state.

Entering Cursed Seal State 2 would cause the seal to erode the user very quickly, and those who used the Mind Awakening Pills would go through a stage known as "temporary death."

People who used the Cursed Seal Transformation State 2 would experience physical changes, their appearance would alter dramatically, and they would develop organs that normal humans didn't possess.

Sora found these transformations difficult to describe, and the Cursed Seal had many serious drawbacks.

----------------

You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion