"I really am meant for a life of toil," Qiyun sighed.
He had clearly already decided to just lie back and coast. After toiling away for his entire past life, he had ended up dying in battle only to transmigrate into another world. Transmigration was one thing, but couldn't they at least wipe his character sheet clean? He had actually kept all his memories—did he somehow skip drinking Meng Po's soup?
And moreover...
Qiyun held out his hand. His supernatural abilities refused to activate; the only thing circulating through his body was the unique energy of this world—Chakra.
Generating energy from one's own cells and guiding it through hand seals to unleash various ninjutsu—this was the hallmark of this world. It was a completely different style of combat from superpower users, yet the same in that there were still ability matchups and an extreme reliance on gathering intelligence on one's opponents.
In duels between superpower users, understanding or not understanding the enemy's intelligence was critically important, because even a very weak superpower user could potentially win if they held a favorable matchup.
The most suitable power for Qiyun was naturally the spatial ability he had used for the better part of his life, but right now his abilities wouldn't trigger, and the only thing strongly connected to them was...
Qiyun's eyes unconsciously shifted to gold.
[Herrscher of the Void Awakening Progress — 12%]
He stared fixedly at the words "Herrscher" for a long moment, and finally sighed. Even if something went wrong in the end, there was no help for it; right now, he needed power.
Although his conversation with Obito was a catalyst, Qiyun knew he would walk this path sooner or later. Having once stood above ten thousand people with only one person above him, he was naturally unwilling to serve someone he looked down upon.
"Anija, it's time for the training ground," Kakashi's voice drifted in from outside.
"Coming." The brilliant gold transformed back into blue.
Qiyun tucked Qiyun, the fine blade Sakumo had given him, into his waistband, and pushed open the door.
Kakashi's gaze locked onto Qiyun, and his right hand unconsciously drifted behind his back, where his Chidori was sheathed.
"Looks like we thought alike again," Qiyun smiled.
"Yeah, Teacher Minato will definitely test our limits. I'm going all out," Kakashi said earnestly, eager to find out how far away he still was from becoming a Jonin.
"Then let's both do our best," Qiyun said easily.
The moment the two brothers stepped out of the house, they spotted a conspicuous spiky head.
Hearing the commotion, Obito immediately turned around and flashed a radiant smile. He hurriedly stood up, stamped his slightly numb feet, and eagerly bounded over to Qiyun's side.
"Are you guys going to get taught by that golden-haired Jonin today? Can I come along?"
If Obito paid even a slight bit of attention to Konoha's upper echelons, he would have known that Qiyun and Kakashi's teacher was the Third Hokage's grandson-in-law. For an Uchiha like him to pull a stunt like this would easily be mistaken as having ulterior motives. But Obito clearly knew nothing of these intricate politics; his mind was entirely occupied by the thought of not wanting to be left too far behind by Qiyun and Kakashi. Of course he wanted to know what they were going to learn, and by the way—*ahem*—spy on their lessons. Obito cherished every single opportunity to grow stronger.
Kakashi frowned. He and his brother becoming Minato's disciples was an arrangement born from a trade-off between the White Fang and Konoha's higher-ups, and Obito naturally wasn't part of that deal. Would bringing Obito along end up causing trouble for their dad?
Just as Kakashi was about to refuse, Qiyun interrupted him.
"Sure."
Kakashi opened his eyes slightly wide. "Anija, but..."
"It's fine. You probably didn't know, but the Uchiha clan head and Teacher Minato are friends," Qiyun said with a smile. "He won't mind."
"Is that so? Anija's intelligence-gathering skills are amazing as always," Kakashi couldn't help marveling.
"That's probably the advantage of being a sensory ninja," Qiyun raised an eyebrow.
Yes, although he couldn't use his supernatural abilities, his sensory perception had been massively enhanced. Every ninja's chakra was different; if you could match their chakra fluctuations to their identities one by one, you could indeed track the whereabouts of every ninja.
This was why Qiyun had been able to deduce so many things without ever deliberately gathering intelligence. His sensory range had long since covered the entire village of Konoha, and thanks to his formidable mental strength, Qiyun hadn't felt any discomfort at all.
"A sensory ninja can even do that?"
"What's a sensory ninja?"
Kakashi and Obito asked back at the exact same time, then simultaneously shot each other a look of speechlessness.
"Idiot dropout, you don't even know what a sensory ninja is?"
"Idiot Kakashi, you're actually doubting Qiyun's abilities?"
"..."
"..."
"Who's a dropout?!"
"Who doubted Anija?!"
Qiyun gave them a deadpan stare. "If the two of you only had this kind of tacit understanding when it came to bickering elsewhere, that would be great. Also, if we don't get to the training ground soon, we're going to be late."
"Let's go, Anija." Kakashi, who was always serious, couldn't bear the thought of being late for Minato's very first lesson, and hastily grabbed Qiyun and bolted.
"Huh? Wait for me!" Obito quickly followed.
With the two kids racing, the three of them finally arrived at the training ground right on schedule.
"Good afternoon, Qiyun, Kakashi," Minato smiled and greeted his young disciples, then shifted his gaze to the uninvited Uchiha in tow.
"Ah, you must be Qiyun and Kakashi's friend, Uchiha Obito, right? I'm Namikaze Minato. Remember me? We've met before."
Obito looked at Minato's sun-like, warm smile and nodded earnestly, "Of course! I remember you, Uncle Minato."
"L-Little... Uncle?" The flawless smile on Minato's face instantly froze. He stared in disbelief, opening those pretty azure eyes wide, and pointed at his own face, which was practically bursting with youthful collagen. "No matter how you look at it, I haven't reached an age where I should be called 'Uncle', have I?"
He was only in his teens, after all! Minato thought with a grievance.
Faced with Minato's handsome face, Obito scratched his head and said awkwardly, "But... but you're Qiyun's teacher, so calling you 'brother' would feel super weird."
"I suppose that's true." Minato blinked, seemingly convinced by Obito. "But I'm only in my teens! By no means am I old enough to be an uncle figure, right?"
"R... Right?"
"Right."
Kakashi had a massive vein throbbing on his forehead. "Why are you two obsessing over a completely meaningless form of address?"
"It's not meaningless at all!" the two people who had just been earnestly debating exclaimed in unison.
Kakashi: ...
So boring!
Just as Qiyun had said, Minato showed no aversion to Obito whatsoever. The two of them were actually getting along quite harmoniously, hitting it off remarkably well.
After chatting for a bit, Minato wrapped up his conversation with Obito. The reliable future Fourth Hokage hadn't forgotten today's original purpose.
"All right." Minato placed a hand on Obito's shoulder. "Obito, you can go sit over there for a bit. I've got work to do."
"Yeah!" Obito clenched both fists, his eyes shining as he said expectantly, "I know! Teacher Minato is going to spar with Qiyun and Kakashi, right? I'll watch closely!"
Minato curved the corners of his mouth. Looking at the energetic Obito, he recalled that in their few encounters, Obito had always naturally blended right in among the Hatake brothers without a shred of alienation.
Perhaps... this kid would be the turning point Fugaku had been longing for.
"Are we all going together, or one by one?" Qiyun gripped the hilt of Qiyun, slowly drawing her out of the scabbard, his eyes curving slightly. "Either is fine with me."
Kakashi also silently drew Chidori, his dark eyes fixed firmly on Minato, brimming with fighting spirit.
"You're teammates in the same squad, so let me see how well you coordinate," Minato said, holding a special kunai between his fingertips.
Logically speaking, a spar with Genin shouldn't require the Flying Thunder God, but Minato had a premonition that this duel would give him a surprise.
"I hope you two can bring out your full strength," Minato smiled and said. "That's the only way I can understand your strengths and weaknesses. Do you need time to discuss a strategy?"
Only by fully understanding his disciples could he make appropriate decisions in sudden emergencies to protect them.
Qiyun glanced at the kunai in Minato's hand. Although he hadn't learned this technique called the Flying Thunder God, he more or less knew it was a spatial teleportation jutsu based on markers.
He himself was a spatial superpower user, so he naturally knew combat capabilities in this area like the back of his hand, but Kakashi didn't. He needed to give his younger brother a heads-up.
"Alright, give us a moment," Qiyun said unceremoniously and straightforwardly.
"Anija?" Kakashi walked up to Qiyun and asked in confusion.
"Before we spar, we still need to share what intelligence we have," Qiyun said. His solemn expression made Kakashi unconsciously grow serious as well. "To put it simply, the Flying Thunder God is a spatial teleportation jutsu. That means Teacher Minato will be fast—so fast your reactions won't be able to keep up. So for this fight, I'll launch a feint, and you look for an opening."
Qiyun was worried Kakashi's reflexes wouldn't be enough to keep up with Minato's speed.
"Me..."
Qiyun patted Kakashi's shoulder and lowered his voice, "I believe in you."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Kakashi immediately agreed, saying earnestly, "I won't let Elder Brother down!"
*Elder Brother?* Qiyun looked speechlessly at Kakashi, who seemed to have a raging inferno burning in the background. Did he have to be so formal? Kakashi was getting more and more polite by the day... As expected, he still preferred being called *Nii-chan*.
"Are you ready?" Minato asked, seeing the two of them standing before him.
"Alright, then..." Before Minato could even say "start," Kakashi tipped off his toes and rapidly vanished from his field of vision. Minato smiled and finished, "...Begin."
The moment the words fell, Qiyun bolted forward fiercely like an arrow released from a bowstring. Perhaps he didn't even realize it himself, but the slightly upturned corners of his mouth and his star-bright eyes were completely brimming with fighting spirit and excitement.
Minato's heart tightened; Qiyun's speed exceeded his expectations. He lightning-fast drew his custom kunai and blocked the aggressively fierce incoming strike.
*Clang—!*
The collision of weapons kicked up scattered sparks, also showcasing the sheer force behind both of their blows.
"Fighting a duel with this kind of seriousness is a first for this world," Qiyun flashed a wild, manic smile, ripping off his usual gentle facade, startlingly arrogant. "Teacher Minato, don't let me down."
Accompanied by Qiyun's surging fighting spirit, the golden light in the depths of his eyes grew hazy and dazzling. On the stats panel that no one cared about, the numbers slowly ticked upward once more.
The mild-tempered young man smiled, his blue eyes turning sharp for a split second.
"Ah... as you wish."
Minato vanished from the spot in an instant, the spatial fluctuation making Qiyun instantly snap to attention.
*Are you kidding me? When it comes to understanding space, I won't lose to anyone!*
He whipped around, locking eyes with Minato, who had suddenly materialized right behind him.
*Clang—!*
His first strike failing, Minato light-footedly leaped backward, his bright blue eyes staring at the boy who had blocked his attack with sheer amazement.
"Such fast reaction speed, and the power behind it is quite impressive too. You're an out-and-out genius!" he couldn't help marveling; even at this age, he hadn't possessed such strength.
"I'm not just at this level, you know," Qiyun said in a low voice, gripping Qiyun tightly as the light in his eyes burned even brighter.
Minato's pupils constricted. In the blink of an eye, he had already appeared several meters away, but Qiyun relied on his explosive burst of speed to instantly appear right in front of Minato.
*So fast... No, why did he know I would appear here?*
Before Minato could process it, he was reeled into Qiyun's storm-like onslaught.
The ceaseless sound of *clanging* rang out without interruption. The two of them were moving so fast that only afterimages could be seen, leaving Obito dumbfounded on the sidelines. In order to barely make out the details of this magnificent duel, he had to activate his Sharingan.
He found it unimaginable that a Qiyun like this was his exact peer. Even if he was ignorant of the wider world, he knew that a ninja like Minato was already at an unadulterated Jonin level, which meant one could easily imagine what level Qiyun—who was holding his own against him—must be at.
Sharing the exact same thought as Obito was Kakashi. He stood atop a tree branch, looking with complicated emotions at Qiyun's excited expression—a look of euphoria he had never once seen when Qiyun sparred with him.
Kakashi couldn't help gripping the short blade in his hand. Even though Qiyun had told him to look for an opening, he felt completely at a loss as to where to begin. He clearly realized that he and the two of them were simply not on the same level.
*...No.*
Kakashi gritted his teeth. Even if he couldn't keep up with their speed, he couldn't just give up. Big Brother said he believed in him; he couldn't let Big Brother down.
Qiyun's body was only five years old, after all. Under such high-intensity exchanges, he couldn't help but feel a trace of fatigue. At the same time, he could sense that Minato was gradually adapting to his strength and growing leisurely and at ease.
*This guy is no pushover either...*
Outwardly, Qiyun remained nonchalant, but internally he was scheming on whether he could pull a fast one on Minato.
Minato noticed that the force behind the blows coming from his hands was growing lighter and lighter, and the child before him was starting to display signs of exhaustion between his brows.
*Finally tired out? Well, that makes sense; Qiyun is only five years old, and the abilities he's shown so far are already astonishing enough. Let's wrap this up quickly.*
Minato was still quite green himself at this stage, and he fell right for Qiyun's act. Slightly lowering his guard, he was caught completely off guard by a sudden surge of strength from Qiyun, instantly throwing him off balance.
"Now's our chance, Kakashi!"
Minato reacted with extreme swiftness, knocking Qiyun away, but that was well within Qiyun's calculations.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
A pair of small hands reached up from beneath the ground and grabbed Minato's ankles.