Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

"That's a kunai?"

The children standing side by side outside the training ground blinked, curiously examining the weapon Minato had pulled out. They had never seen such a uniquely shaped kunai before.

Having regained some of his strength, Fugaku straightened up, his eyes filled with envy as he curled his lip.
"That Minato kid actually kept such a cool weapon in his possession."

Looking at the familiar Flying Thunder God kunai, Uchiha Gin gave a barely perceptible nod.

The Flying Thunder God Kunai is Minato Namikaze's exclusive weapon, containing a trace of spacetime power.

Note: Wearing this item can accelerate the mastery of space-time ninjutsu.

No wonder Minato was able to awaken his spatial talent at such a young age; it turns out he always carried this thing with him.

On the field,

Minato held a kunai in one hand in front of his chest, his gaze fixed on the motionless training dummy before him. As time ticked by, the seriousness in his eyes deepened.
too weird!

It was clearly just a lifeless mannequin, so why did it exude a strange aura that made him extremely tense?
This aura seemed to possess a certain mocking quality, subtly guiding him to launch an attack.
"At the bottom of the Watergate prison, don't hesitate, just go for it!"

Nakamoto, who was queuing outside the stadium, noticed that Minato was not moving and, eager to train, immediately called out to remind him.

"Ah."

Hearing Nawaki's shout, Minato nodded gently, slowly lowered his body, and a sharpness, never before seen in anyone's gentle eyes, flashed in his gaze.

It's time to test the results of the months of training I did with my father before starting school!
Swish!
A golden light flashed, and Minato's short figure disappeared from the spot. The Hyuga brothers and Fugaku, watching from the sidelines, narrowed their eyes and quickly activated their respective family bloodlines to track his movements.
"there!"

In terms of reconnaissance, Byakugan still held a slight edge; Hiashi was the first to spot Minato's whereabouts.

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that Minato, who had just disappeared, had reappeared above the dummy, his body shrouded in a faint blue chakra, his hands gripping kunai tightly as he plunged them fiercely into the dummy's head.
"Pfft!"

The sharp blade did not disappoint Minato; a deep wound was quickly added to the dummy's wooden head.

But this is not over yet,
With a successful strike, Minato spun around before landing, his grip tightening, and precisely pierced the vital sign on the dummy's chest. The entire sequence was fluid and highly entertaining.
"What superb movement skills!"

This was the first time anyone had witnessed Minato in action, and everyone was stunned into silence, especially Fugaku, whose eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
They had assumed that when they were bullied last time, Shuimen had only gotten away with killing the fat man by luck.
Now it seems they were overthinking things. With just that unpredictable movement technique, the three rooster-haired guys were no match for Minato.

Minato's elegant attack continued, and in just a few breaths, several more wounds appeared on the dummy's body.

His movements were quick, but from Hizashi's perspective, there were still clues to follow.

However, compared to the movement techniques that everyone was focusing on, the observant Hizashi was more concerned about the faint blue aura surrounding Minato, which was accompanied by a mysterious and unfamiliar chakra.
"Big brother, what kind of chakra is that on Minato?"

"I don't recognize it either, but it's definitely not ordinary chakra."

Hiashi shook his head, the seriousness in his eyes clearly visible.

"It must be some kind of speed-enhancing ninjutsu, right?"

Fugaku, who was also paying close attention to Minato's movements, interjected, the three tomoe in his scarlet eyes slowly rotating, the chilling aura emanating from them making it difficult for those around him to breathe.
"Speed ​​up? Wind Release?"

Nara Shikaku stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought as he guessed...

According to conventional understanding, wind-type attributes do indeed have the characteristic of acceleration, but he was wrong this time.
Hearing the chattering of the kids around him, Gin Uchiha, who had seen through Minato's abilities at a glance, turned his head and lazily answered their questions.

"No, it is the power of spacetime."

"Is it that extremely rare spacetime power?"

Everyone present was from aristocratic families, possessing a vast knowledge and experience far exceeding that of ordinary children. They had some knowledge of the mysterious and unpredictable power of space and time, an ability that heavily relies on innate talent.
"Yes."

"Haha! I really do have a keen eye for talent; I was able to discover a genius like Minato, who is one in a million."

The person most pleased to have Minato's abilities confirmed by Uchiha Gin was none other than Fugaku. His underling's success indirectly proved that Fugaku himself was even more formidable.

"A blind cat stumbles upon a dead mouse."

Rope Tree, standing to the side, pouted slightly, a hint of jealousy in her eyes, though she couldn't hide the envy in them.
"Same ability as my aunt!"

When it comes to understanding the power of spacetime, he is probably the most authoritative among them, without a doubt.

Because his aunt, Senju Hisa, who was in charge of his daily training, was a user of space-time power, he gained a clearer understanding of this ability through constant exposure.
"Aha!"

Unaware of the gossip circulating outside, Minato remained focused on beating the dummy, the sharp kunai in his hand gleaming coldly, his eyes fixed solely on the mannequin.
"Pfft!"

As they passed each other, more wounds were added to the mannequin.
After landing, Minato didn't rush to attack. Instead, he moved his hand in surprise, his azure eyes filled with astonishment.

So smooth!
This feeling of unimpeded movement was something he had never experienced in his usual training.

Furthermore, he discovered that not only were his techniques becoming increasingly skillful, but the power within him that enhanced his nerve reflexes was also showing an increasing trend.
The prison warden hadn't lied to him after all!
Having truly experienced the improvement in his own strength, Minato suddenly turned his head to look at his mentor, Fugaku, his eyes filled with uncontrollable surprise and gratitude.

"Haha, the bottom of the Watergate prison, I wasn't kidding you, was I?"

Sensing Minato's burning gaze, Fugaku, who was still bragging to Nawaki about his underlings, turned around, waved, and smiled.

"Thank you, prison guard!"

Minato bowed respectfully to Fugaku, then turned and raised his kunai again, continuing to beat the unremarkable training dummy, thereby furiously increasing Fugaku's proficiency in space-time manipulation.

"Huhu."

Ten minutes later, exhausted, Minato collapsed in front of the dummy. Soaked to the bone, he gasped for breath, but a joyful smile graced his face.
The improvement he gained from this one sparring session alone was equivalent to a week of arduous training.

"Back in jail, can you still move around?"

Seeing that Minato's sparring session was over, Fugaku leaped down in front of him and helped him up with a concerned expression.
"Feel sorry."

Minato, his body aching all over, shook his head sheepishly. He only had enough strength left to grip the Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand.

"It's okay, I was like that the first time too."

Fugaku recalled his own embarrassing moment when he first practiced using a dummy, a scene almost identical to Minato's.
He immediately smiled, helped him up, and led him back to the rest area.
"Finally it's my turn!"

Seeing an empty spot in the dummy training area, Rope Tree immediately jumped in, afraid someone would beat him to it and grind for skill points.
"Little Minato, how's it going?"

Uchiha Gin approached Minato, who was resting, and casually picked up the Flying Thunder God kunai that Minato had placed beside him, and began to play with it.

"great!"

Without hesitation, Minato, having received a tangible improvement, nodded firmly. From that moment on, he became a staunch supporter of the training dummies.

"I'll come every day from now on!"

"Welcome~ Welcome~"

Smiling, he returned the kunai to its rightful owner, and Uchiha Gin nodded in welcome.

He needs diligent and quick-witted "leeks" (a term for inexperienced individuals) like Minato, only then can he max out the training dummies' points in the shortest amount of time.
"Minato-kun, you've kept this from us for so long. Don't you consider us your friends?"

The three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio gathered around Minato, and Shikaku, feigning displeasure, spoke up.

"I've only been practicing with my father for a short time, and I'm still far behind you all."

Upon hearing this, Minato looked embarrassed and scratched his head with a wry smile, explaining...
"You're too modest, Minato. I couldn't even see those two moves clearly!" Choza shook his head with admiration, the envy in his eyes genuine.
"Space-time talent is very rare."

Even Haiyi, who is usually timid and taciturn, surprisingly spoke up in amazement.

"Haha, Father said the same thing. Maybe I'm just lucky."

With a simple smile, Minato nodded. He could sense that the three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were speaking to him without any negative emotions, only pure amazement and envy.

"By the way, Minato, is that dummy really as amazing as they say?"

Seeing that Minato had regained much of his energy, Shikaku consulted him, who had just had his first experience.

Upon hearing this, Minato stroked his chin, recalling the strange feeling he had when sparring with the dummy. He carefully chose his words and slowly began to speak.

"How should I put it? From the moment I faced it, it was as if I entered a magical state. Every move I made became exceptionally easy to use, and the problems I encountered during training were easily solved."

"Zun Du Fake Du?"

Shikaku looked incredulous after hearing this, but Minato was a well-known honest man, and his words carried a certain authority in terms of both reason and logic.
"You'll know once you go up and try it."

Seeing that Shikaku was still frowning and deep in thought, Minato smiled and pointed to Nawaki, who was punching and kicking the dummy in the center of the arena.

"Ok."

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Shikaku nodded and began to look forward to sparring with the dummy.

"boom!"

In the arena, Rope Tree, who had been unilaterally beating the dummy for several tens of minutes, finally stopped after delivering a powerful punch, collapsing to the ground panting heavily.
“Improvement again.”

Looking at the faint blue light swirling around his fists, Rope Tree's face was filled with pride. He had finally grasped the essence of superhuman strength and could now control this power at will.
[Training dummy experience points +1]

Meanwhile, outside the arena, Uchiha Gin received a notification in his mind that the dummy's points had increased. It seemed that Nawaki had broken through again.

"The rope tree is finished, who among you wants to go up?"

Uchiha Gin glanced at the group of people beside him, his eyes filled with inquiry.

"Let them go first."

The Hyuga brothers, who were originally scheduled to compete, shook their heads and gave their training opportunity to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who were participating for the first time.

"Thank you, senior."

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio immediately expressed their gratitude politely. Then, the three exchanged glances, with Shikaku, as the leader, setting the example first.

"Dingzuo, Haiyi, I'll go test the waters for you first."

Having said that, he strolled over to the dummy. Seeing this, Nawaki tactfully made way for his underling, and before leaving, he patted Shikaku on the shoulder encouragingly.

"Go for it, don't lose to that bastard Fugaku's underling."

"Uh"

Shikaku, who always disliked trouble, pouted upon hearing this and promptly forgot about Nawaki's instructions.
"Grandpa Yin, is it okay to attack using any method?"

After examining the dummy for a while, Shikaku turned to ask Uchiha Gin outside the arena, since he was the one who made it.

"Either is fine, but as Fugaku said, you'd better use your best skills."

"Is that so? Then let's do it."

Shika nodded thoughtfully, then turned her gaze back to the mocking mannequin in front of her, focusing on its reflection at its feet.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Imitation Technique".

With a sudden clasp of his hands, the shadow beneath his feet seemed to come alive, rapidly lengthening and rushing towards the dummy.
"Huh? Shikaku is serious?"

Upon seeing this, Dingza and Hai were so shocked they couldn't close their mouths. They knew Shikaku's personality better than anyone else.

What exactly happened that made the usually cautious Shikaku unleash a powerful move right from the start?

Under the mannequin's mental manipulation, Shikaku recklessly used his most powerful ability.
"Successful!"

The moment his shadow entangled with the mannequin's reflection, the smug expression on his face froze.
After a moment of stunned silence, the elongated shadow receded rapidly. Shikaku frowned, his narrow, triangular eyes filled with a strange expression.
"Shikaku? What happened?"

With worried expressions, Dingza and Haiyi shouted loudly.

"It's nothing, it's just a little strange."

He gently shook his head, then clasped his hands together again, forming the same hand seal as before. His shadow lengthened once more.
He needs to confirm one thing.

Soon, his shadow intertwined with the dummy's reflection again; the silky smoothness of the spell made him momentarily disoriented.

Is it an illusion?

Why does it feel like the Shadow Imitation Technique I unleashed this time is much smoother than the last one?
Undeterred, he once again deactivated the family's secret technique. Then, under the questioning gazes of Dingza and Haiyi, he repeatedly performed his most skilled Shadow Imitation Technique several times.

"untie."

After countless experiments, feeling his chakra about to be completely depleted by the secret technique, Shikaku reluctantly lowered his stiff hands, looking at the motionless training dummy before him with a complex expression.
How exactly does this thing work? It can actually rapidly improve one's skill proficiency.

For example, the Shadow Imitation Technique he just used—he only recently learned this technique, and it still has some difficulty in executing it.

But after several sparring sessions with the dummy, he not only became more adept at releasing the technique, but also gained a deeper understanding of it. Although it wasn't much, it would normally require a long period of exploration to achieve.

"I'm done, change of players."

A euphoric Shikaku dragged his exhausted body off the field, and an excited Choji rubbed his hands together to take his place, instantly smashing a meat, egg, scallion, and chicken dummy at it.

"Take this, your crotch smells really good!"

Upon arriving at the rest area, Shikaku went straight to Uchiha Gin, hesitated for a moment, and cautiously inquired,

"Grandpa Yin, can this mannequin be used by people of any skill level?"

He wanted to know if there were any restrictions on the training subjects for the training dummy created by Uchiha Gin.
If there were no barriers to entry for users, this would be an invention that would drive the entire ninja world crazy.

"It's just a prototype, with limited potential. It's fine for you to play around with for now."

Having grasped the deeper meaning behind Shikaku's question, Uchiha Gin smiled and shook his head.

He was well aware that the dummy's effects were far too extraordinary for ordinary people, which is why he didn't publicize the training of the dummy extensively, but only selected a few trustworthy individuals to use it.

Fortunately, after Jiraiya and the others left, Ino-Shika-Cho and Minato were there to take their place; otherwise, the progress of upgrading the dummy would have been stalled again.
"I see."

Upon hearing this answer, the tense Shikaku immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Grandpa Gin isn't very strong. What if he gets caught training the dummies and is captured?
"So you'd better come and provide me with data every day. Whether this mannequin can be improved in the future depends on you~" (End of Chapter)