Three days passed in a flash… Honestly, Kirito felt like he was going crazy from training these past few days.
For three days straight, he basically sat on the ground without moving.
He had been constantly and frantically refining Chakra, yet he didn't feel even a hint of mental exhaustion.
Whenever he felt hungry, he would spend a short moment hunting wild game in the nearby forest to roast and eat. Aside from eating, drinking, and using the bathroom, all of his remaining time was spent relentlessly refining Chakra without rest or sleep.
If anyone asked why, Kirito felt it was because the feeling of rapidly growing stronger was simply too addictive. He couldn't stop.
He opened his eyes and sensed the tremendous changes in his Chakra.
In three days, he had likely accomplished what others would take more than a month of dedicated training to achieve.
How much Chakra did a Chūnin usually have? Kirito wasn't certain.
But he was sure of one thing—his own Chakra reserves were now dozens of times greater than before.
His Five Elements Release Techniques had also undergone dramatic changes.
[Metal Release: 9.06%]
[Wood Release: 9.91%]
[Water Release: 9.11%]
[Fire Release: 10.04%]
[Earth Release: 24.32%]
Now it wasn't just Earth Release; the other elements had also increased significantly.
Kirito formed hand seals, and his palm rotated.
"Hoo!"
A fireball half a meter in diameter suddenly appeared, suspended above his palm.
It looked somewhat similar to the Uchiha Clan's Great Fireball Technique.
The difference was that the Uchiha fireball was a single attack fired outward—and then it ended. But Kirito's fireball hovered in his hand, fully under his control, and he could strike in any direction at will, and even create multiple fireballs one after another.
Similarly, his Water Release could create large spheres of water even with no external water source nearby.
These were all the results of his frantic cultivation.
Kirito wondered if he should continue pushing himself beyond the limit.
But just at that moment—
"Shu! Shu! Shu!..."
A series of rapid sounds came from the front.
As a shinobi, Kirito instantly recognized that this was the unique movement sound of ninja traveling quickly.
Moreover, the rhythm told him they were moving across tree branches, not flat ground.
They weren't many, but they were rushing toward him with great urgency.
Anyone racing straight toward him at this time…
Was most likely an enemy!
In a flash, a figure appeared in Kirito's field of vision.
He wore a Konoha flak jacket, had a well-built frame, fair skin, and eyes filled with clarity—but also a razor-sharp killing intent.
His most noticeable feature was his golden-yellow hair.
Minato Namikaze.
A distance of 200 meters was like a few steps to Minato Namikaze.
Rushing forward, he likely never expected to encounter a Cloud-Village Genin in this remote wilderness.
This young Ninja didn't look older than thirteen, and his headband clearly belonged to Kumogakure.
Minato didn't know why Kirito was here.
But Minato believed in one principle:
Konoha and Kumogakure were at war.
When shinobi from opposing villages met on the battlefield, it was always life or death.
For the sake of Konoha, Minato—famed as the Yellow Flash during the Third Great Ninja War—had earned countless achievements over piles of enemy corpses.
Regardless of why this Cloud-Village Genin was here, Minato could not ignore him.
Minato flipped his wrist and threw a Flying Thunder God kunai.
The three-pronged kunai tore through the air at frightening speed, flying straight for Kirito.
In the blink of an eye, it was only three inches from Kirito's forehead.
Just before it could pierce Kirito's skull, Minato appeared instantly before the kunai, catching it with one hand while forming a fist with the other.
He was just about to land a non-lethal strike on this Cloud Genin's abdomen—
But the next moment, the Cloud shinobi vanished.
"—!"
Minato's pupils tightened for a brief instant, then returned to calm.
Lowering his hands, Minato could sense without even turning that Kirito had reappeared diagonally behind him.
"Your Body Flicker Technique is impressive. To dodge my Flying Thunder God kunai in that instant…"
"No matter how you did it, that move was quite good."
Even though they were enemies, Minato didn't spare his praise.
Kirito's sudden movement was surprising, but Minato didn't overthink it.
Even the strongest jutsu could fail, and sometimes enemies got lucky.
In Minato's eyes, Kirito's movement was nothing more than an extremely well-timed Body Flicker.
Meanwhile, Kirito stood behind Minato, looking at the man he had seen countless times in the anime.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't panicking inside.
He had barely begun training his Five Elements Release Techniques, and now he was face-to-face with Minato Namikaze.
Minato might seem kind in the anime, but that kindness was for Konoha and those he cherished.
Toward enemies, Minato was an efficient and decisive killer.
Still, Kirito understood one thing—
He absolutely could not show fear.
If he acted timid now, he would be doomed.
When the Flying Thunder God kunai approached earlier, Kirito had instinctively used his Earth Release.
What shocked him was that despite being at less than 25% mastery, Earth Release had been fast enough to evade Minato's attack.
It wasn't equal to the Flying Thunder God Technique, but the fact that it could dodge Minato's assault meant its speed was approaching a frightening level.
Minato slowly turned.
He looked at Kirito.
"I don't sense any Cloud ambush here. I came to attend a scheduled meeting."
"You look very young. Perhaps you got separated from your unit."
"I won't kill you, but I won't let you walk away either. Do you understand?"
Minato raised his kunai again, preparing to fight.
His meaning was clear.
He didn't intend to kill Kirito, since he was still a child.
But he would not let Kirito escape. He would capture him, extract information, and render him unconscious for several days.
"Let's not."
"Being captured by the enemy is never a good thing."
Given Minato's character, if he said he wouldn't kill him, he probably wouldn't.
But being taken prisoner by the enemy was absolutely dangerous.
Most importantly, Kirito was from Kumogakure—famous for its harsh military culture.
If the Raikage learned that Minato had captured him alive…
Kirito would be subjected to torture and interrogation for "shamefully getting caught."
"Then I apologize."
The moment Minato spoke, he threw his Flying Thunder God kunai again.
Minato's speed was astonishing.
But Kirito was no longer a helpless Genin.
Facing a monster like Minato, Kirito gave everything he had.
His hand seals flew rapidly, and Earth Release activated even before Minato's words faded.
How else could he face Minato?
The only option—
Run.
Minato's kunai grazed past Kirito's cheek.
Minato's hand reached out to seize him—
But Kirito activated Earth Release again.
He instantly shifted ten meters away.
Minato frowned.
Suspended in mid-air, he threw another Flying Thunder God kunai at a different angle.
But Kirito remained on full alert.
The moment he completed one Earth Release, he immediately used another to dodge sideways.
Clang!
The Flying Thunder God kunai embedded itself in a nearby tree as Minato appeared beside it.
This time, he failed again to catch the mysterious Cloud Genin.
End of the chapter.