Deep underground.
“Lord Danzo, during the practical combat test at the Ninja Academy this morning, Gekko Ryun defeated Minato Namikaze.”
“Hmm?”
Danzo frowned, his fingers tapping on his cane as he sank into deep contemplation.
As the leader of Root, the completeness of the information at his disposal was no less than that of the Hokage’s office.
Judging solely by paper strength, Gekko Ryun’s only advantage was a single Ninjutsu.
For Ninja Academy students, while Ninjutsu was powerful, it still had to hit its target to be effective.
In any case, based on his assessment, the likelihood of Gekko Ryun defeating Minato Namikaze was pitifully low.
“How did he win?”
“Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya were all at the Ninja Academy.
We couldn’t get close.”
Danzo’s frown deepened.
What were those three doing at the Ninja Academy for no apparent reason?
Even if Minato was Jiraiya’s student.
It shouldn’t have been enough to attract both Tsunade and Orochimaru.
“Tsunade is one thing, but Orochimaru…”
A flash of greed passed through Danzo’s eyes.
Over the past few years, all Wood Release experiments conducted on adults had failed.
The entire research project had been ordered shut down by Hiruzen Sarutobi, with all data and results completely sealed away.
This was intolerable to him.
To recreate the might of Wood Release, what did a few sacrifices matter?
They were merely numbers, after all.
As long as another First Hokage could be produced, everything would be worth it!
A First Hokage completely under his control, one who wouldn’t believe in that laughable concept of peace, a more perfect First Hokage…
The entire Ninja World would prostrate itself at Konoha’s feet!
Whenever he thought of this fantastical scene, his stagnant heart would surge with excitement.
It didn’t matter if he lacked top-tier scientific talent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had it.
He just needed to find a way to win Orochimaru over…
Danzo halted his train of thought.
Although he could see the darkness hidden within Orochimaru’s heart at a glance, the man’s status and strength were not to be underestimated.
He couldn’t act rashly.
His gaze returned to the Root member kneeling on one knee below him.
“Why wasn’t Gekko Ryun brought back?”
Danzo was well aware that, given the connection to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Hiruzen Sarutobi would most likely not permit him to recruit Gekko Ryun.
However…
By controlling Gekko Ryun, he could indirectly control the next Jinchuriki.
And now, it seemed he could also gain a genius no less talented than Minato Namikaze.
The benefits were simply too many.
The Root member remained silent for a few seconds.
“We were intercepted by Anbu.
It was Hatake Sakumo.”
….
The Gekko household.
During the noon break, Gekko Ryun visited his uncle at the hospital and told him about his victory in the duel.
Under his uncle’s gratified gaze, he hurried home, unable to wait any longer.
In his room, he sat cross-legged before a table and retrieved a kunai stained with a trace of blood from his Ninja Tool Pouch.
His gaze was complex as he gently stroked the handle of the kunai.
This was the first piece of equipment material he had found, obtained by trading a metal short sword with Minato.
It was also the “first piece of equipment” he had yearned for countless days and nights.
At the time, he had been filled with excitement, but he had never been able to obtain Minato’s blood.
Unexpectedly, by a stroke of luck, he had encountered Kushina Uzumaki, allowing him to acquire his first piece of equipment.
But he still couldn’t stop thinking about [Minato Namikaze’s Kunai].
Now, he had finally met the special conditions.
“Begin refining!”
He took out the silver coins.
Fortunately, the previous attempts had all succeeded on the first try, and with the living expenses his uncle had given him, he had just enough for one more refinement.
[Refinement Begins]
[Estimated Time: 10, 9, 8…]
His heart gradually tightened with the countdown.
He unconsciously held his breath.
His eyes remained fixed on the countdown without blinking.
If he failed, he wouldn’t have the money for a second refinement anytime soon.
The publishing house had just finished printing, and it would still be a while before the payment came through.
Borrowing money…
He dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared.
He still hadn’t repaid the money he borrowed from Kushina.
If all else fails, I can rely on Tsunade.
As her half-disciple, betting against the teacher’s choices—this is like keeping the benefits within the family.
[3, 2, 1]
As the countdown reached zero, four large characters appeared on the screen:
[Refinement Successful]
He let out a long sigh of relief.
With several pieces of equipment succeeding on the first try in a row, he was almost certain that the [Maiden’s Blessing] trait was at work.
Praise Kushina!
He hurriedly opened the inventory to examine the newly crafted equipment.
[Minato Namikaze’s Kunai]
[Quality: Green]
[Trait One: Extreme Speed]
[Effect: Speed increased by 60%]
[Trait Two: Neural Reaction Speed Enhancement]
[Effect: Neural reaction speed increased by 100%]
[Note: The swift are always one step behind.*]
He read the equipment description word by word, lingering on the two percentage figures for a long time.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.
Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed in the room.
It was even better than he had imagined—Minato Namikaze’s core attribute had finally been revealed!!
Trait One: Speed increased by 60%.
He recalled how, after obtaining [Kushina Uzumaki’s Red Hair] and gaining a 60% increase in strength, his uncle had praised him.
His uncle had also expressed regret that if he could address his speed issues, he would qualify to learn the White Fang Sword Style.
Now, the glaringly obvious trait was right before his eyes.
I can already give my uncle a small demonstration of what numerical beauty looks like…
He was quite satisfied with this.
If he were to fight Minato again, the combination of his strength and speed would elevate his threat level by another notch.
Unlike before, when he only had strength and had to design tactics around it, limiting his available methods.
But what truly made him unable to contain his excitement was the second trait.
Neural reaction speed increased by 100%!
He knew very well that while the speed increase made up for his shortcomings, the neural reaction speed increase shattered his limits.
Ninjas typically train in areas like strength, speed, hand seals, and ninja tool throwing.
It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the importance of neural reaction speed.
Rather, it was something innate—postnatal training could only improve it slightly, far from achieving a qualitative leap in strength.
At least in the current Ninja World, no one had a way to significantly enhance their neural reaction speed.
It all depended on winning the genetic lottery…
For example, in the battle that morning, Minato Namikaze had seized a fleeting moment to dodge the kunai and use the Substitution Technique.
Such reaction speed had made him extremely envious.
Now, I can do it too!
Moreover, he knew full well that the importance of neural reaction speed went far beyond this.
Minato became a Flying Thunder God practitioner and ultimately earned the title of “Yellow Flash.”
Both neural reaction speed and spatial perception were indispensable.
“So, I’ve already gathered one piece of the puzzle for the Flying Thunder God Technique?”
Thinking this, he nodded in satisfaction.
If possible, who wouldn’t want to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?
A top-tier Flying Thunder God practitioner could both fight and escape, making them the most troublesome and dreaded opponent for any Hidden Village.
“Equip!”
The kunai-shaped equipment vanished from the warehouse and reappeared in the Equipment Slot.
A tingling sensation spread through his brain, and he let out a soft hum.
He began to formulate a plan in his mind.
“With four pieces of equipment, I’m no longer inferior to Minato now.”
“The next step is to resolve the Chakra issue…”