Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer

*Swish!*

*Bang, bang, bang…!*

In the depths of the Forest of Death, golden and red flashes tore through the trees like wild lightning bolts. Each collision of kunai rang out with a shower of sparks, lighting up the forest like a thunderstorm of chakra.

*Huff, huff…*

Standing on a branch, Namikaze Minato shook out his arms and let out a soft sigh, a hint of a bitter smile playing on his face.

"Is this the raw power you've acquired recently?"

Across from him, standing lightly atop another tree, Uzumaki Sora smiled faintly. "It's only been one day. I haven't had enough time to master it yet. But even so, I can now concentrate chakra and unleash it with this level of control."

Minato gave a slow nod. "I see… Then I suppose I should show you my true strength as well."

Sora raised his hands casually. "I was planning to grab some barbecue and be on my way. But you insisted on sparring."

Shaking his head slightly, Minato pointed to the kanji on the back of his white cloak—'Fourth Hokage'.

"As the Hokage, I have to at least try to stop you. If I don't, others might get the wrong idea."

Both of their gazes shifted toward the shadows deep within the forest. A few chakra signatures hid there—not suppressing themselves enough for either combatant to miss. They weren't here to greet Minato, nor observe an ordinary spar.

"Root..." Sora muttered, his tone dipping slightly.

Danzo's personal shadow troops. Watching but not acting. A pity that the old relic himself hadn't come—Sora might have turned this spar into something much more productive.

*Swish!*

In a sudden blur of motion, golden and red afterimages crisscrossed through the trees once again. Each clink of kunai, each crack of displaced air was nearly indistinguishable from the last.

With both combatants using the Flying Thunder God Technique, the kunai scattered across the battlefield were more than tools—they were anchors, coordinates, and weapons all at once. The Flying Thunder God Second Stage brought out its terrifying potential.

The same technique. The same level of reaction speed. A perfect deadlock.

"Rasengan!"

Minato's voice rang out. In a blink, a swirling sphere of blue chakra—enhanced with wind-nature—descended from above.

Sora didn't dodge. Instead, he planted his feet and brought his fist forward.

*BOOM!!*

The explosion from the clash echoed for miles, a rolling rumble that made birds flee the trees in flocks. Minato was blasted backwards, skidding through leaves and bark before landing hard against a tree trunk.

The crater where Sora stood now yawned into the earth, still crackling with residual energy. Tree roots had been pulverized. The entire area around the blast zone looked like it had been stomped on by a giant.

"It's over…" Minato muttered.

"It's over." Sora echoed at the same time.

Minato rose to his feet, slightly staggered, and looked at the glowing Flying Thunder God seal on his arm. The marking shimmered—and in a blink, the characters changed from "Uzumaki Sora" to "The Sword of Endurance and Love".

The same happened to Sora's arm. Both seals had been overwritten.

They both smiled knowingly.

Minato limped closer, eyes glancing at Sora's hand—the same one that had caught the full force of his Rasengan. The skin was already regenerating at a rapid pace, closing up cuts, burns, and bruises in seconds.

"Strength of a Hundred Seal? No… there's no Yin Seal on your forehead. This regenerative power… it's from the First Hokage?"

Sora gave a casual wave. "Your Rasengan is still the most efficient technique for pairing with Flying Thunder God. Instant release, unpredictable angles. It caught me off-guard. But now you've felt the force of that punch, haven't you?"

Minato gave a wry smile and lifted his arm.

"Seal of Self-Karma Binding!"

At his words, black ink patterns spread like veins across Sora's skin, encircling his limbs and chest. For a brief moment, Sora's body froze.

"From the moment our chakra clashed, the seal began embedding itself. You and I both know Flying Thunder God is useless against each other. But your physical strength and regeneration—that was something I had to seal."

He took a breath. "I didn't expect you to harness the First Hokage's chakra so quickly. That punch… I haven't seen that kind of raw power since Tsunade-sama."

But Sora didn't panic.

He looked at the seal spreading across his torso, then slowly flexed a finger… then another.

With effort, he began to raise his arm.

Minato's eyes narrowed. "Still moving…? Even with that seal?"

The next moment, the ink-black curse marks began to recede—slowly but steadily—crushed beneath the mounting pressure of Sora's chakra and will.

*BOOM!!*

With a loud blast, the curse seal shattered, dissipating like dust in the wind.

"Let me tell you. The power that can turn a desert into a forest in an instant can't be contained by mere seals." Sora said coolly. "I haven't even fully adapted to the elemental chakra changes yet. Once I do, I'll show you what a slap from a tailed beast really feels like."

Minato swallowed dryly.

He had seen the Nine-Tails. He had stood in the very chamber where it was sealed inside Kushina. To compare anyone—anyone—to that level of power was madness.

And yet, here Sora stood, casually brushing off a sealing jutsu that should've immobilized even a Jinchūriki.

Sora raised his hand again. This time, chakra began spiraling in his palm, mimicking the form of Minato's Rasengan.

Minato's eyes widened. "Wait… that's…?"

*Bang!*

The chakra sphere collapsed in on itself, dissipating with a burst of static energy. Sora frowned and looked at his hand, which was already healing from the backlash.

"No good yet. The contact earlier gave me insight, but I still need more time. Once I refine it, though… the resulting ninjutsu will be very dangerous."

He turned slightly and looked into the shadows.

"You two Root rats can come out now."

There was no response, but both Minato and Sora could sense them freeze.

"Pass a message to Danzo." Sora said, his voice cold. "If he wants to keep living, he should stay underground where he belongs. The next time I catch him lurking, he won't walk away."

As the last word left his lips, Sora vanished in a streak of red light. One by one, the specially marked kunai scattered across the forest were retrieved, until nothing remained but a few of Minato's own.

Minato looked at the few kunai still embedded in the earth and sighed. "This stuff's not cheap…"

And with that, he too disappeared into the canopy.

…

Later, at the forest's edge…

"Sensei."

Minato turned to look at the two figures approaching—Kakashi and Kabuto.

He smiled faintly. "He's actually quite friendly, don't you think?"

Kabuto nodded with a bright smile. "Sora nii-san is a good person. Just like the dean."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "That's… a very loose definition of a 'good person'."

Kabuto frowned and replied immediately, "He's strong but never bullies the weak. He dared to stand up to Danzo, to challenge even the highest authority in the village. That's a good person, in my eyes."

*Pah*

Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder before he could argue.

"What Kabuto said is true." he said softly. "That's why I trusted him."

*****

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