Chapter 84: The Hokage's Grace; Will the Uchiha Produce a Teleportation Master?
En Uchiha stood frozen.
Slowly, he looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How did you do it? You yellow-haired brat—"
Minato Namikaze flashed a gentle smile and tossed two cartons of cigarettes to the old veteran. "En-sama, thank you for spar. Your constant pursuit helped me master the final nuances of this technique."
"Your pressure was the catalyst I needed."
Even for a genius like Minato, mastering the Flying Raijin wasn't something that happened overnight. Constructing the formula and sensing the spatial anchors was easy enough with Kushina's help—that was just a matter of repetition and precision.
But actually anchoring himself to the fabric of reality and performing an instantaneous transfer in the heat of a duel—especially to the point where it was viable for S-rank combat—was a different story entirely.
In high-level CQC (Close Quarters Combat), the Flying Raijin was like dancing on a razor's edge. It relied on "Selling the Opening"—baiting the enemy into a committed strike, then using the teleportation to counter-kill.
But a Flying Raijin user had zero margin for error. If the transfer was a millisecond late, the "bait" became a death sentence. You didn't just get bruised; you got run through.
To train his reflexes, Minato had used En. He had set a personal goal: every time En saw his back, Minato had to trigger a transfer to a new anchor. If he was spotted for more than a second, he considered it a failure.
After weeks of this "lethal hide-and-seek," Minato could finally perform consecutive jumps.
En caught the cartons with his one good hand. His lip curled into a smirk, but his brow remained deeply furrowed. "How, brat?" he barked. "Don't think a bribe can buy my silence. The Patrol Net has standards! Explain the breach!"
"Then brace yourself, En-sama—" Minato scratched his head. He knew the old man hated the Second Hokage, but a jutsu was a tool, and he intended to use it.
"Let's see it!" En's two-tomoe Sharingan began to spin at its absolute limit.
Suddenly, Minato flicked his wrist. A handful of kunai sprayed from his hand, whistling toward En.
En let out a cold snort. He swung his standard-issue blade in two clean arcs, batting away the projectiles aimed at his center. His aim is off? This is just a mindless spray— En grumbled internally.
Several kunai landed far away from him, embedded in trees or the dirt at odd angles. The kid can't even throw a straight line...
But then, the air pressure changed. En saw Minato's expression turn clinical. The boy's eyes were darting between the fallen kunai, calculating vectors with terrifying speed.
A surge of primal, ancient dread washed over the Uchiha veteran.
A memory he had tried to bury for forty years screamed in the back of his mind. En whirled around, but he was a heartbeat too late.
A golden blur flickered. The cold, biting edge of a three-pronged trident kunai was already resting against his jugular.
"The Flying Raijin..." En hissed, his voice sounding like it was being squeezed through his teeth. His face turned a ghostly shade of pale. "You... you mastered that silver-haired bastard's jutsu!"
Minato's ears twitched, politely filtering out the insult to his Grand-Sensei. He retracted the blade and smiled like the morning sun. "Lord Hiruzen's orders. He said I might have a knack for it. I didn't think I'd actually pull it off—it's quite the challenge!"
The kunai vanished back into Minato's pouch.
En's single fist clenched until the knuckles turned white. A massive wave of impotence crashed over him. Forty years ago, it was this jutsu that took his arm. Today, it was this jutsu that took his pride.
Why is it always the teleportation?!
In his rage and shock, the two tomoe in his eyes began to spin with a violent, frantic energy. Suddenly, a third black dot manifested in the crimson iris.
The influx of chakra hit his system like a physical weight. By sheer, accidental coincidence, the trauma of seeing Tobirama's ghost in Minato's movement had forced En Uchiha to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at his advanced age.
"Kid, again—!" En was surging with a strange, frantic joy. He wanted to try his new eyes against the legend.
But Minato reached down and picked up the two cartons of cigarettes he'd dropped. He handed them back to En with a polite bow. "I'm afraid that's all I've got for today, En-sama. I'm responsible for your 'logistics' from now on."
"Thank you for the hard work. I'll need you to spar with me again soon—your experience is a treasure!"
En's shout died in his throat.
According to the "Uchiha Script," he was supposed to activate his three-tomoe, let out a villainous laugh, and demand a rematch. He was supposed to use his new ocular perception to track every anchor and pin the blonde brat to the dirt to avenge his clan's honor.
But Minato had just called the fight. He had been respectful. He had called him a "treasure." He had even offered a gift.
En swallowed his boast, his chest tight from the suppressed adrenaline.
"Hmph. Fine. Since you're being so persistent, I'll let you off this once. I wouldn't want to bully a child."
Minato nodded happily. "Of course! I'm out of chakra anyway—thank you for going easy on me, En-sama!"
"Did you really hit your limit?" En asked, his eyebrow arching.
"Oh, absolutely. Completely empty," Minato lied through his teeth, his "Little Sun" persona acting as a perfect poker face.
"What's going on here? Is there a conflict?"
A cold, authoritative voice boomed from the forest path. Hizashi Hyūga appeared, moving with a stiff, professional gait.
En groaned. Talk about bad luck.
Hizashi had become a local legend in the Leaf—a "Rule-Lawyer" who seemed to appear whenever something interesting happened. He was like a tireless machine, using his Byakugan to scan the village on Hiruzen's behalf twenty-four hours a day. For Hizashi, "patrolling" was his version of a vacation.
"Hizashi-san! You've got the new uniform!" Minato greeted him warmly.
"Lord Hiruzen has assigned me a new jutsu, and I was just asking En-sama to help me calibrate it."
Hizashi walked into the clearing. The moment Minato mentioned the Hokage, the icy, robotic mask on Hizashi's face melted into a look of pure reverence.
"The Hokage's directive? I see. You're working hard as always, Minato!"
En Uchiha rolled his eyes at the display of fanatical loyalty. I know Hiruzen is a decent guy, but this kid is practically a cultist. And there are no witnesses around! Who are you performing for?
"This is the official High Commissioner's Mantle," Hizashi said, gesturing to the embroidered sleeves of his uniform. "I was recently appointed to the inner circle."
Actually, Hizashi was just like Hiruko—he was dying for someone to notice his new status. As a former Branch member, being at the core of the village's power was a dream he never thought he'd achieve. He was trying to be "low-key" about it, but the pride was radiating off him in waves.
"Congratulations, Commissioner Hizashi!" Ten and Shiga shouted, bowing instantly.
"Thank you," Hizashi smiled.
His gaze shifted to En's eyes. "A Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"
Hizashi felt a flicker of the "Uchiha Threat" propaganda Danzo was always whispering in the Anbu barracks. Even in a support unit, they're still evolving. If an Uchiha really wanted to rebel...
But then he looked at the two cartons of premium cigarettes in En's hand. He remembered the "Will of Fire" reports he'd filed.
"En Uchiha," Hizashi said, his voice returning to its official, cold register.
"Yes? What now?" En narrowed his eyes.
"Based on the Hokage's new policies, you are eligible for three separate disbursements."
"First: A Hazard Pay Bonus for the Patrol Net. Second: Retroactive Death Benefits for your family's losses in the previous wars. Third: The Elder Support Grant for shinobi without active-duty children."
"Even though it's hard to call someone with your... 'spirit' an elder, Lord Hiruzen was insistent."
"You will receive a one-time payout of One Million Ryo. Your death benefits will be structured over five years at another million total, and you'll receive a 500,000 Ryo annual stipend for household maintenance."
En froze. The math hit him like a physical blow. He had just been lecturing his subordinates about the "Kill-Line"—the financial wall that ends a ninja's career.
And here was the village, simply handing him the ladder to climb over it.
"Is this... just for me?" En asked a rare, stupid question.
"Are you special?" Hizashi offered a mocking smirk. "Every shinobi who bleeds for the Leaf receives the same. You aren't a tool, En. You're a citizen."
"But there is a specific note for you. Commissioner Tsunade has received a shipment of specialized biological materials from the Hokage. She's starting a clinical trial for meridian and limb reconstruction."
"If you're interested in having two arms again, I suggest you file your application at the hospital by noon. The listing will be public soon."
En rubbed his temples. He felt like he was trapped in a high-level Genjutsu.
Is this real? Is this still Konoha?
"I'm telling you this so you know you have resources," Hizashi added, turning to leave. "Stop making the boy buy your smokes. Cultivation is expensive. Good day."
"Hey! He bought them himself!" En yelled after the vanishing Anbu.
But as Hizashi disappeared, En's expression softened. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a thick stack of bills, stuffing them into Minato's vest pocket.
"Take it. Consider it a 'Grandpa's Red Envelope' for the new eyes."
"I've got the village's gold now. I don't need yours."
Minato blinked, then smiled, tucking the money away. "Thank you, En-sama! I'll tell everyone my Flying Raijin was perfected thanks to your 'Legendary Guidance'!"
En beamed. Teleportation is a sensitive topic, but... well, it's technically the truth!
"I suppose it's a good fit," Minato added thoughtfully. "Honestly, I think the Uchiha are the best candidates for the Flying Raijin. Your visual prowess is the perfect counter-weight to the spatial disorientation."
En offered a non-committal hum. He knew Minato couldn't teach him a forbidden art without the Hokage's permission. But the thought... A Flying Raijin Uchiha?
En couldn't help but laugh. If that ever happened, the other villages would probably just surrender on the spot.
"I have to go, En-sama. I have a mission."
"Already? It must be an A-rank hit," En noted, his tone turning serious. "Don't get cocky just because you can teleport. Stay alert."
"Don't worry," Minato said, his eyes glinting with a mix of mischief and focus.
"The mission isn't top secret. Lord Hiruzen is sending me to the Academy to 'exchange notes' with the elite students."
"I'm actually a bit nervous about losing. I waited until I mastered the Flying Raijin just to make sure I had a backup plan in case one of those kids is a monster."
En stared at him. You mastered an S-rank space-time jutsu just to go fight school kids?
The Hokage's faction is full of absolute freaks, En thought.
"Forget it. You two, follow me," En barked at Ten and Shiga. "The old man is buying! We're going to the Akimichi grill! Eat whatever you want!"
The youngsters cheered. As they walked toward the village, En looked back at the forest one last time.
I used to hate this place, he thought. But if you want to thank someone... thank the village.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you