Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

What reflected in Minato's azure eyes at this moment were countless black shuriken shadows, as dense as a storm forming an inescapable net, sealing off every possible path of retreat.

Although he couldn't fully comprehend this technique, he could tell that Yan Uchiha wasn't just randomly launching his shuriken. The hundreds of blades flew in intersecting patterns, making it nearly impossible to determine their exact trajectory toward him.

Against such a wide-range shuriken assault, even the Body Flicker Technique might not guarantee survival.

Minato had never imagined that shuriken techniques could reach such a level. In comparison, all previously seen skills paled in contrast—like fireflies beneath the radiant full moon.

No wonder the Uchiha clan—one of the two great families that founded Konoha during those turbulent times—boasted such legendary shuriken mastery.

It was amazing that Yan Uchiha had mastered such skill at his young age.

[Shadow Clone Jutsu!]

On the second-floor observation platform, Kushina formed a cross seal with her hands. But instantly, someone moved so fast that no one could follow, appearing directly in front of her and halting her hand seals with a single hand.

The attacker was Sakumo Hatake.

"What are you doing?"

Kushina struggled with all her strength, but Sakumo's grip felt like iron clamps—no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't complete the seals for any ninjutsu.

"This is their fight. You'd better stay out of it," Sakumo calmly explained.

But driven by deep concern for Minato, Kushina disregarded Sakumo's authority, her young face filled with anger.

"This is only a test! Those are real shuriken! At this rate, he could die!"

Unlike the other students at the Ninja Academy, Kushina had witnessed real death before—even though those memories were now hazy, she knew they were real.

When someone dies, everything ends—just like that.

"You clearly don't understand much about this boy, Minato Namikaze," Sakumo replied gently with a small smile. "Don't forget I'm right here, and there's absolutely no way I'd allow anything to happen to him… Just look at the expression on that boy's face. Does he look like someone who can't handle this?"

All around Kushina, everyone remained frozen at the sight of Yan Uchiha's extraordinary shuriken technique. Mikoto stood beside them, gripping her hands tightly until her palms were soaked with sweat.

Nearby, Nawaki also prepared to intervene, but after exhausting himself battling Ao Sarutobi earlier, he lacked both the energy to use Wind Release techniques and the speed to respond properly.

Only after Sakumo's reminder did they refocus their attention. Those first few shuriken were already within thirty centimeters of Minato, yet not a hint of panic showed on his face.

Instead, he wore a calm expression completely unfathomable to them.

Minato himself understood well—only through staying composed in the most critical moments could one survive. It was basic ninja discipline, yet human nature made such self-control extremely rare.

Even Sakumo wondered why Minato could remain so collected. After all, despite being exceptionally talented, Minato Namikaze was still merely a child.

Mental toughness has nothing to do with natural talent—it builds up through real experience.

To Minato, this feeling of facing imminent danger seemed almost second nature, as if deeply ingrained in his subconscious.

At the very last moment before the shuriken arrived, Minato pulled a black rope from his jacket pocket...

No one could understand his actions—not even Sakumo, who couldn't figure out his intent either.

"Scared stiff?" Yan Uchiha's eyes flickered slightly, then he sneered coldly.

At that exact moment, however, he noticed Minato smiling back at him.

[Instant Flash!]

Whoosh!

In a flash, Minato's presence completely vanished from the spot, his bright yellow hair resembling a golden beam of light.

"Trying to escape using Body Flicker Technique?"

Yan Uchiha scoffed again. He had practiced the Body Flicker Technique himself and naturally understood how the jutsu worked. Whether it was Taijutsu Body Flicker or Ninjutsu Body Flicker, both ultimately relied on a sudden burst of power.

The former used the hidden strength within the physical body, while the latter depended on chakra.

But since it relied on a sudden burst of power, the effect was necessarily brief. Therefore, each movement of the Body Flicker Technique covered only a limited distance.

The straight-line distance between him and Minato was well within the range of this technique, but attempting a direct shift in that direction would unquestionably be suicidal.

If he tried to go around instead, both the difficulty and required distance of the Body Flicker Technique would become major obstacles. Yan Uchiha had predicted this scenario early—he was certain Minato couldn't escape.

Just as he was about to track Minato's movement as planned, something unexpected happened.

The golden streak didn't disappear briefly like expected. Instead, it maintained a speed so extreme that no one's eyes could follow, circling around from the left side.

Yan Uchiha's pupils constricted. With such speed, his shuriken were simply too slow to keep up!

Still, he immediately adjusted his direction and hurled another shuriken. Even with his ultra-fast throwing speed, however, he couldn't match that streak of light.

Shwip!

A sharp whistling sound reached his ears. Before Yan Uchiha could react, golden light flashed before his eyes—and suddenly, both his arms froze in place.

Yan Uchiha quickly looked down. A length of black rope had tightly wrapped around the crooks of both arms. Under normal circumstances, someone with his strength could easily snap such a rope.

However, stopping mid-throw after launching high-speed shuriken left his arms temporarily weakened, making it impossible for him to break free.

Before anyone—including Yan Uchiha—could react, Minato circled back in front of him again. The black rope coiled tightly twice around the opponent's arms, its end secured firmly around Minato's left hand.

Having previously exhausted a great deal of physical energy, Yan Uchiha could no longer respond effectively. Minato raised his right palm and struck him straight in the chest, instantly shattering that Chakra Mark.

A stunned silence blanketed the battlefield. No one understood exactly what had just happened. Even the countless airborne shuriken, which had failed to hit their target, continued flying along their trajectories without falling to the ground yet.

"This young man… his speed is unbelievable…"

Even Sakumo was taken aback by Minato's speed. Naturally, he could follow every move Minato made, but even so, admiration rose in his heart.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

As the sharp clinking of countless shurikens hitting the ground echoed around them, those on the Observation Platform started to snap out of their trance and respond. Yet the shock on their faces hadn't faded at all.

Rina Takeuchi's eyes widened in disbelief as she instinctively blurted out, "It's like… the Golden Flash!"

...

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