Chapter 81
At this moment, Kushina suddenly said,"Haneda, thank you for saving me and Minato yesterday. If you ever have any questions about sealing techniques in the future, feel free to come to your big sister."
Seeing how Kushina just couldn't bring herself to be more direct, Kurama couldn't help but say:
"Kushina, don't forget our agreement!"
"I know, I'm working on it, aren't I?"
"You should be more proactive."
Kushina thought to herself, 'I already have a boyfriend, how could I be more proactive?'
Minato was standing right there, watching everything…
'Hmph, this fox has no tact!'
Suddenly, Minato spoke up:
"Why don't you and I teach Haneda together? I promised him I'd teach him the Four Symbols Seal."
Minato had noticed that something was on Kushina's mind, so he decided to bring it up for her.
However, Minato didn't realize that Kushina's actions weren't exactly what he thought they were—she wasn't just trying to repay Haneda.
Hearing Minato help her out, Kushina smiled and responded:
"Alright, Minato."
Then she loudly addressed the fox inside her:
"Did you hear that? I have my own way of handling things, Kyubi!"
Kurama fell silent, lowering his head and pretending to sleep with narrowed eyes.
...
An unexpected bonus?
Have I boarded the Uzumaki Clan's ship?
Have I really just gotten hold of the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques?
Haneda didn't believe that, with Kushina around, Minato would only teach him the Four Symbols Seal.
The Four Symbols Seal was something Minato had promised before, but Kushina wanting to repay him was something else entirely.
It seemed that Kushina had her own reasons for approaching him, though Haneda wasn't sure if it was because of Kurama…
In any case, he was about to receive the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques!
Haneda felt as though he had just completed an S-rank mission: teaching the Rasengan and saving Minato and his wife…
And then, everything fell into place!
It was an absurdly satisfying feeling.
A little surreal, too.
But...
'Getting this close to the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, hmm…
Wouldn't this provoke the nerves of the Third Hokage, Danzo, and other high-ranking officials in Konoha?'
...
Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office in Konoha.
The Third Hokage listened to the reports from the ANBU about what had transpired in Minato's hospital room.
His gaze silently shifted to the Hokage Rock, focusing on the statues of the First and Second Hokage.
Even Minato and Kushina had now acknowledged Haneda.
Tsunade and Jiraiya as well.
It seems Konoha's Uchiha Clan has produced another Kagami.
The Third Hokage took a deep puff of his pipe, put it down, tapped it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Wherever the leaves dance, fire burns ever brighter. The fire will continue to illuminate the village, allowing new leaves to sprout."
"First Hokage-sama, Sensei…"
"When the people of the village gather around him, perhaps an Uchiha could really become Hokage one day."
The Third Hokage reflected on the attitudes of his three disciples, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, and sighed deeply.
"Ah, I really might be getting old."
...
Deep in the Forest of Death, at the underground base of the Root division.
*Smack!*
The sound of a hand slamming onto a table echoed throughout the empty basement.
Danzo widened his left eye, listening to the report from his subordinates.
"Say that again?!"
"Namikaze Minato and the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki are going to personally instruct that inherently evil Uchiha brat Haneda?!"
"Danzo-sama, this information was intercepted from the ANBU. It is completely accurate," the Root ninja confirmed.
"Damn it!!"
Danzo banged on the stone table several times, pressing his hands against it, glaring toward the passage leading to Konoha.
"I knew it! Sooner or later, you'll regret your actions, Hiruzen!!"
"You didn't oppose it when Uchiha Mikoto got close to the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, and now it's the same with Uchiha Haneda, that inherently evil brat..."
"What exactly are you trying to do, Hiruzen?!"
Thinking about how the Third Hokage still openly limited his actions against the Uchiha, Danzo felt a growing frustration.
And now, knowing that Hiruzen planned to leave Uchiha Haneda unchecked, Danzo was even more agitated.
That inherently evil Uchiha brat should have been dealt with long ago!
...
Two and a half days later, Minato had mostly recovered from his injuries.
Team 7 members, along with Kushina, who wasn't officially part of the team, gathered at the Third Training Ground, and Haneda from Team 9 also arrived.
"Good morning, Kakashi, Rin."
Haneda and Obito walked over, greeting them.
When Minato and Kushina looked over, Haneda immediately abandoned Obito and walked up to Kakashi.
"You're here early to learn sealing techniques, Haneda?" Kakashi smiled.
"Of course. Didn't Uncle Sakumo tell you about this?"
"He did. He said there's not much left to teach you, so he's letting you figure things out on your own. I thought you'd be practicing something else this morning."
As the two were chatting, Minato said goodbye to Kushina and approached the four of them, saying:
"Rin, you'll go with Kushina to the lake to train, and Obito, you go with Rin to keep practicing water-walking."
"As for Haneda and Kakashi, you two come with me."
Haneda and Kakashi exchanged a glance, then followed Minato, chatting as they walked.
"So why are you learning sealing techniques, Kakashi? Not practicing swordsmanship anymore?"
"Like you, I've hit a limit, so I'm trying to make breakthroughs in other areas."
Kakashi thought of something and added:
"Besides, the Flying Thunder God technique requires mastery of sealing techniques."
Hearing this, Haneda smiled slightly.
Yesterday, he had tried practicing the Flying Thunder God again and realized he did have a talent for it, as he could feel the spatial nodes.
Although the sensing was still a bit vague, at least he could feel something, right?
As long as he could break through the "zero" stage, Haneda was confident that with persistence and effort, he could make the leap from zero to one.
At that moment, the information from the ten or so shadow clones that had been training all night flowed back to him as they ran out of chakra.
Haneda's head buzzed with confusion for a few seconds before he managed to regain his focus.
"What's wrong, Haneda? Was it your shadow clones?" Kakashi asked with concern.
"Yeah, the amount of information from the whole night is overwhelming... My head's a bit fuzzy."
"I guess I can't rely on shadow clones when learning sealing techniques later. Looks like I'll fall behind you a bit, Kakashi."
Based on his experience over the years, Haneda estimated that it would take at least half an hour before he could use multiple shadow clones again.
Otherwise, his brain would be in a mess for the next couple of days.
Balancing work and rest, training scientifically—this was the principle Haneda had learned through long practice.
"It's fine, Haneda. Besides using shadow clones to train, you have plenty of other advantages."
"I'm not as skilled as you in using Chidori, and my swordsmanship is half a step behind yours."
"And to be honest, I'm not that talented when it comes to learning sealing techniques."
Not that talented, huh…
'You learned how to create explosive tags in three days, and you're telling me you're not talented?
It's only in comparison to your ninjutsu skills, especially your expertise in lightning techniques, that you seem lacking.'
As for using Chidori, Haneda had the advantage of the three-tomoe Sharingan. How could he not be strong?
***
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