Shff!
Bang bang bang…
In the Forest of Death, golden and red flashes darted back and forth, and each collision of kunai sparked bright showers of fire.
"Huff… Huff…"
Minato Namikaze shook his arm out and smiled wryly: "Is this raw power what you've gained recently?"
Standing on a tree opposite him, Ku smiled and replied: "The time was a bit short, just one day, really only enough for me to get used to it. But even so, I can already control burst releases of chakra pretty well."
"Is that so?"
Minato nodded. "In that case, I suppose I should start taking this seriously, too."
Ku shrugged. "I was planning to grab some grilled meat and be on my way, but you're the one who insisted on a fight."
Minato lightly tapped the large character on the back of his cloak. "As the Fourth Hokage, I have to at least try to see if I can make you stay. Otherwise…"
Their gazes turned to the nearby shadows, figures who hadn't even greeted the Hokage, instead silently observing from the dark.
It was obvious they were Root members, Danzo's shadow force from Konoha.
Unfortunately, the old snake Danzo didn't show up in person. If he had, Ku might've had some ideas…
Shff!
In the blink of an eye, the golden and red blurs flashed through the forest again.
Every collision was sudden, unpredictable. Under the Flying Thunder God Technique's second stage, every kunai served as a spatial marker, both showcasing high-speed teleportation.
With the same jutsu and similar reflexes, neither could gain the upper hand.
Rasengan!
A blue sphere spun violently with Wind Release chakra, crashing down toward Ku at lightning speed.
Ku met it head-on with his fist.
Boom!!
The explosion thundered. Minato was sent flying from the impact.
The residual force from Ku's punch slammed into the ground, cracking it open into a massive crater.
"It's over…"
"It's over."
They said the same words at the same time. Minato staggered to his feet, looked at the mark on his arm, and smiled as the characters "Uzumaki Ku" morphed into "Sword of Shinobi Love."
Ku's mark did the same. They both exchanged grins.
Minato limped over and looked at Ku's hand, the one that had taken the Rasengan. The injuries were already healing at a visible rate.
"Strength of a Hundred Seal? No… there's no Yin Seal. That's the First Hokage's…!"
Ku casually shook his hand. "Rasengan, being a no-hand-sign jutsu, really is perfect for Flying Thunder God. It came out so fast, I had no choice but to take the hit directly. But I'd say the recoil from that hit didn't feel too good for you either?"
Minato glanced at the marks the clash had left on him, then raised his head and smiled. "Seal of Self- Karma."
As he spoke, black markings spread in a patterned formation all over Ku's body.
In an instant, Ku found himself unable to move.
"You and I both knew from the start, using Flying Thunder God markers on each other is pointless."
"What I didn't expect is that you already possess the First Hokage's immense life force and chakra just one day after receiving it. That punch… isn't far off from Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength."
"The Seal of Self-Karma was placed the moment we made contact. That's why I said, 'It's over.' It won't last long, though. So if you leave now, I'll consider it a tie."
Looking at the black seal crawling over his body, Ku laughed. "So that little trick earlier was you sneaking this on me? Judging by how you based it on your own reaction speed, you really don't have much confidence, do you?"
Then, despite being sealed, Ku raised his arm.
Minato frowned slightly. "The First Hokage's power, huh? This regeneration and physical strength… It's a real headache. What was he thinking?"
Only Minato and Ku understood those words.
With the reveal of Hashirama Senju's strength, Minato understood where it came from.
What he didn't understand was why someone as powerful as the First Hokage would willingly give that power away.
Red hair. Uzumaki...
Looking at Ku's red hair, Minato seemed to grasp something, yet that only made things more confusing.
"The First Hokage, once hailed as the God of Shinobi by the entire ninja world, those who weren't alive then can't understand just how terrifying that title was."
As Ku spoke, he exerted strength through his arms, and the black curse marks started receding, inch by inch.
"Boom!!"
With a thunderous explosion, the seal shattered. Free again, Ku looked at Minato. "The power to turn deserts into forests in an instant, how could a mere sealing jutsu hold that back?"
"If I were more familiar with multiple chakra natures, you might've just gotten a firsthand taste of what a tailed beast's bite feels like."
Minato gulped. He was very aware of the Nine-Tails sealed inside Kushina and had even visited the seal site himself.
'Could this guy really punch something like that?'
'Just how far did the First Hokage's power go?'
At that moment, Ku raised his hand again. Chakra began rapidly condensing and spinning in his palm.
Minato blinked in confusion. 'Was that… Rasengan?'
'He could use it just from seeing it once?'
Boom!
The chakra sphere exploded. Ku looked disappointed and shook his head. The injury on his hand healed quickly.
"That last exchange gave me a lot of insight. I think I'm close. Once this jutsu is developed further, its power will be incredible."
Ku lowered his hand and looked toward the shadows. "You two Root rats over there, send a message to Danzo for me. If he wants to live, he'd better stay buried underground where he belongs. If I catch him out in the open again, he won't be so lucky next time."
With that, Ku vanished. Red flashes blinked throughout the forest.
One by one, the special kunai he had thrown earlier disappeared, recalled by Ku. Only Minato's kunai remained stuck in the ground.
"Those things are expensive…"
Leaving that remark behind, Ku vanished from the forest.
"Sensei."
Minato turned to the two who finally dared to approach and smiled. "He's actually pretty easy to get along with… don't you think?"
Kabuto nodded enthusiastically. "Big Brother is just like the director, he's a good person!"
Kakashi side-eyed him. "Your definition of 'good person' is really simple, huh?"
Kabuto glared back. "He has incredible power, but never bullies the weak. He even dared to go against Konoha's higher-ups. That's what a good person is, I really believe that!"
Smack.
Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, stopping him from arguing. "Kabuto's right. That's why I trusted him back then."