Outside the Daimyo's residence.
Minato subtly handed out three slips of paper.
"One for each of you."
"What's this?"
Kakashi took his. The slip bore an unfamiliar seal formula.
Kyohiko didn't recognize it either.
His foundational studies hadn't covered sealing techniques, but he guessed—this was Minato's Flying Thunder God mark.
Has Minato already developed his Flying Thunder God technique?
Does that mean he's mastered it?
Kyohiko concealed his surprise.
Minato whispered, "Think of it as a marker that lets me teleport to you instantly if you're in danger."
The situation was unclear.
The Daimyo had dismissed them to "explore," but Minato wasn't taking chances.
The three tucked the slips into their clothes.
Enishi genuinely led them on a casual tour, but Kyohiko's intermittent sensing revealed—
Four individuals tailing them from two kilometers back.
Guardian Ninja?
Or…
Danzo's remnants?
Kyohiko doubted Danzo would concede defeat to Hiruzen, especially with his forces still intact.
Enishi's small talk, however, revolved entirely around the Daimyo and the village—probing their loyalties.
Minato sweated nervously, avoiding direct answers.
Might Gai, meanwhile—
"The Daimyo? A great man! Governing a nation is admirable!"
"And the Hokage?"
"Also great!"
Gai answered earnestly.
Enishi smiled, steering the conversation toward Kakashi and Kyohiko, but neither took the bait.
After hours of this, the Daimyo hosted a banquet in their honor.
"Kyohiko-kun, I heard your grandmother was from the Senju clan?"
"Yes. Her name was Senju Touka."
Kyohiko nodded.
The Daimyo shifted his tone.
"Then your genjutsu must be exceptional?"
"My parents lacked genjutsu talent. I inherited their mediocrity—my strengths lie in water-style ninjutsu."
Kyohiko replied evenly.
Kakashi, shoveling rice into his mouth, rolled his eyes internally.
Mediocre?
His "mediocre" is another's mastery. Bet he's already terrifyingly proficient.
Fool me once…
He didn't buy it.
The Daimyo seemed satisfied, his questions probing but neutral—testing all of them, not just Kyohiko.
When Minato's turn came, he seized the moment.
"Daimyo-sama, if you have a mission for us, we'd gladly accept. If it's beyond our scope, we'll relay it to the village."
"A mission? None at present."
The Daimyo chuckled.
Then he clapped.
Four figures entered from a side chamber.
One elder, around thirty.
The other three were younger—two visibly older than Kyohiko's group by four or five years.
The youngest, a monk, was unmistakably Chiriku.
Their gazes locked onto Kyohiko and Kakashi.
"These rōnin recently entered my service. This is Ishimi, here are Kazuma and Takemasa, and this is Chiriku, a monk from the Fire Temple. They safeguard my person."
The Daimyo introduced them.
Kazuma and Chiriku—so it's them.
Then the chakra I sensed earlier belonged to these rōnin, not Danzo's men?
Kyohiko frowned.
But—
If their numbers were this high, why only a few remain later?
"They're close to your age and wished to spar—to witness Konoha's genius firsthand."
Enishi explained.
Ishimi bowed. "Indeed. Minato-san, might we have the honor?"
"Of course."
Minato agreed.
A friendly match couldn't hurt.
Kazuma and Takemasa stepped forward, hostility simmering. Only Chiriku bowed politely, forming the Seal of Confrontation.
Kyohiko mirrored it.
Kakashi and Gai followed suit.
Reluctantly, Kazuma and Takemasa complied.
Then—
Shink!
Kazuma's iron claws lashed out—
But a blade intercepted them mid-air.
Sparks flew as Kakashi's sword deflected the strike, then—
Boom!
The sparks ignited, exploding into a fireball that engulfed Kazuma's face.
Kakashi smirked.
New sword technique…
Success!
Kazuma recoiled, extinguishing the flames with his sleeve—unharmed but humiliated.
His confidence had been his downfall.
Gai engaged Takemasa, whose earth-style defenses held firm without Gates.
Kyohiko faced Chiriku.
"Honored guest!"
Chiriku bowed.
Kyohiko nodded, then struck with one-handed seals—
Demonic Illusion: Willow Transformation!
Chiriku's eyes glazed, then sharpened in alarm.
This is "mediocre" genjutsu?!
Had Kyohiko been faster, or wielded a blade…
He countered, driving Kyohiko back, sweat beading on his brow.
Kyohiko's sheathed sword and tanto told the truth—
He's holding back.
A single draw could've maimed or killed me.
No wonder he's a jonin.
Chiriku abandoned pride, clasping his hands.
"Beware—this technique is incomplete, but formidable."
"Understood."
Kyohiko's eyes gleamed.
Welcoming Approach: Thousand Hand Strike!
He's really mastered it!
Chiriku's chakra erupted, his face paling from the strain.
Kyohiko attacked—
First at half-speed.
Draw!
Clang!
An invisible force repelled his blade, then pummeled him airborne.
Pain.
Kyohiko hadn't been battered like this in years.
It only fueled his curiosity.
He accelerated.
Chiriku sensed the approach—
Too fast!
Thud!
Kyohiko soared again.
Chiriku was stunned.
I didn't even see him move!
Without Thousand-Armed Murder…
Others gaped at Chiriku's prowess—few could challenge Kyohiko so fiercely.
"It's absolute defense. Until my chakra depletes, you cannot breach it. Mastery would allow offensive variants."
Chiriku admitted.
"Impressive!"
Kyohiko acknowledged.
He closed his eyes, amplifying his senses.
Chiriku's chakra formed a Thousand Hand Strike—
A shield impervious to brute force or genjutsu.
Solution?
Overwhelm him with ninjutsu, exploit gaps in his defense.
That's how Hidan and Kakuzu did it.
But victory wasn't Kyohiko's goal.
He sought the technique's secrets.
Hand seals flashed—
Water Dragon Bullet!
One hand maintained the jutsu; the other touched the ground.
Boom!
The dragon clashed against the shield, each collision met by invisible fists.
Yet the dragon reformed—
"Proficient" mastery allowed Kyohiko to sustain it indefinitely.
Finally—
Splash!
The water dispersed, flooding the hall.
Minato shielded the Daimyo, blowing the deluge aside with a wind jutsu.
The Daimyo watched, enthralled.
Chiriku is strong.
The Fire Temple's sincerity is evident!
Minato, too, marveled at the technique.
But Kyohiko had already pieced it together.
Welcoming Approach: Thousand Hand Strike.
A unique natural energy application.
Unlike Sage Mode, it's channeled externally, shaping chakra into autonomous defense.
Understand the principle…
With Sage Mode, I could replicate it.
Kyohiko noted the ongoing "spars" and turned to Chiriku.
"What's this technique called?"
"Welcoming Approach: Thousand Hand Strike."
"But its full combat form is Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder."
"Remarkable!"
Kyohiko praised.
No system, yet mastering this at his age…
Chiriku's talent rivals ours.
Pity he's a monk—harder to learn from.
Unless he becomes a Guardian Ninja.
But why trade a forest for one tree?
Kyohiko smiled.
Soon, Kakashi and Gai wrapped up their matches.
The Daimyo was pleased.
Though outmatched, Kazuma's group had held their own—proving their worth as protectors.
Money well spent!
Minato seized the moment to request their return to Konoha.
The Daimyo relented.
After they left—
"Father…"
"They won't be Guardian Ninja. Forcing the issue risks conflict."
The Daimyo sighed.
Then to Ishimi—
"Keep your elites here. I'll fund you and… point you toward opportunity."
"Daimyo-sama, I seek more than money—"
The Daimyo waved him off.
"Regardless, I only need a few. The rest are redundant."
"But—"
"I'm weary. Enishi, see them out."
That night, Ishimi led twenty rōnin from the capital, seething.
Rejected!
Foolish!
Yet Kazuma and Takemasa remained—seeds planted for the future.
"Where to, sir?"
"Tea Country, per the Daimyo's suggestion."
They marched—
Until a figure blocked their path, cane planted in the earth.
Ishimi froze.
"You recognize me."
Danzo turned, his gaze sweeping them.
"A band of rōnin who know my face? Suspicious."
Moonlight paled Ishimi's skin.
Danzo sighed.
"I overlooked you—until your goals aligned with mine."
You think you can destabilize the Land of Fire?
Hand seals flashed—
Wind Release: Vacuum Blades!
The rōnin's earth walls shattered.
The forest became a slaughterhouse.
Danzo retrieved his cane, limping toward the capital.
—
Elsewhere, Kyohiko's finger touched the ground, eyes shut.
His chakra pulsed outward—
Then his eyes snapped open.
"They're dead. All of them—slaughtered in moments."
Minato tensed.
Who could do that?
"Can you sense the killer's chakra?"
"No."
Maybe at "Expert" level…
Minato rubbed his temples.
Hiruzen's intelligence network is weakened.
We must report this.
But—
"I'll guard the Daimyo. You three return to Konoha."
"I'll stay—"
"No. My Flying Thunder God can evacuate him instantly—but I can only carry one. You'd hinder me."
Minato was firm.
"I'm the captain. This is an order."
"Yes!"
A flash—
Minato vanished.
Gai gaped.
Not the Body Flicker!
Kakashi murmured, "Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
"Likely. We'd only slow him down."
Kyohiko turned.
"Let's move."