"I suppose we can call it... Light Style? Hmm... maybe 'Glint Style'?"
Minato thought about it, but none of those names felt quite right.
Suddenly, he remembered where the power came from, and his eyes lit up. "How about: 'The Hope of the Leaf: Dimensional Flash Descent'—"
"Chotto matte! Stop right there. Let's just go with Light Style."
Tsunade held up a hand to cut him off, rubbing her temples with a headache.
This kid... what is up with his naming sense?
I guess nobody's perfect.
Minato laughed awkwardly. His past life's memories had a strong influence on him, but he had lived in this world for a while, too.
Honestly, he thought his naming skills had improved thanks to his modern culture "buff."
"The name isn't important. The ability is what matters, right?"
Tsunade sighed, helpless against Minato's natural airheadedness. "How much do you know about this Bloodline Limit?"
Minato nodded. "I know the basics. It's a very powerful force, but I haven't had a good chance to develop it yet."
"What does it do?" Tsunade asked.
"Exactly what it sounds like. It's light."
Minato chose his words carefully. "The specifics are still a work in progress."
Minato wasn't a physicist, but luckily, Devil Fruits operated on "dream logic."
For example, sunlight and lasers work on totally different principles in reality, yet Kizaru could use both.
By that logic, he could probably develop things like auroras or even X-rays, since they technically fall under the concept of "light." He wouldn't try to stretch it to abstract concepts (like saying the Milky Way is a "river"), but Devil Fruit powers definitely allowed for some conceptual flexibility.
The Glint-Glint Fruit would be his main combat method early on, so he had to show it off eventually.
But how he showed it off was up to him. He wasn't going to tell anyone about his ace in the hole: the elemental phasing that made him intangible.
Since awakening his memories six months ago, he had been training at home non-stop.
He mastered tree climbing and water walking—skills Team 7 didn't learn until after graduation in the original story—in just ten minutes.
The first thing he did after learning to walk on water was train the Rasengan.
It was the only Jutsu in the original series with a detailed, step-by-step training guide, and technically, his original self invented it.
The Rasengan training had three stages:
1. Spin the chakra inside a water balloon chaotically until it bursts.
2. Spin the chakra harder inside a rubber ball until it bursts.
3. Combine the first two steps but keep the chakra stable inside a balloon without popping it.
In the original story, Naruto used Shadow Clones as a shortcut, but that sacrificed mobility. However, thanks to Naruto's idea, Minato found a trick, too.
He used a Shadow Clone to help form the sphere, but he dismissed the clone right at the last second every time. This forced his single hand to adapt to the feeling of chaotic rotation. By practicing this way, he mastered the one-handed Rasengan in three months.
During this time, Minato also confirmed that chakra attacks couldn't hit him when he was in his elemental state.
Physical attacks didn't work. Chakra attacks didn't work. For Genjutsu, he had the Sharingan. The only things he had to worry about were Sealing Jutsus and Senjutsu (Sage Art) chakra from the Three Great Sage Regions.
"Two Bloodline Limits... and one of them is Wood Style. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."
Tsunade sighed deeply.
Knowing the village higher-ups, the moment they found out Minato had Wood Style, their first thought would be how to control him.
If Minato were a hot-blooded idiot like Nawaki who just wanted to be Hokage, it would be easy. But Minato clearly wasn't the type to be manipulated.
Just from their short interaction, she could tell: this kid was independent, mature, and shrewd enough to see through things. You couldn't brainwash him.
The Third Hokage's usual "Will of Fire" speeches wouldn't work on him at all. After all, he already dared to question the Hokage. He didn't have that natural filter of reverence for authority that normal people had.
As for forceful brainwashing...
It wasn't as scary or powerful as people thought.
Forced brainwashing usually only worked on people with weak egos or little understanding of the world—mostly kids or uneducated people.
And you couldn't leave the victim alone for long. Once they found their sense of self or started questioning the logic, the brainwashing would break.
For someone clear-headed like Minato, unless you used a powerful Genjutsu to rewrite his mind, trying to brainwash him would only backfire.
"Whatever. Come with me. Since this involves Wood Style, Grandma will want to see you."
Tsunade stood up and beckoned him. Minato paused, looked at the dirty dishes, and left a Shadow Clone behind to wash them.
"You really love using Shadow Clones, huh? Careful you don't exhaust yourself."
Tsunade smiled slightly, appreciating Minato even more.
If it were her, she'd probably let the dishes pile up until they smelled. But thankfully, she had a little brother to do chores for her.
Minato smiled warmly, tied up the trash, and followed Tsunade out the door.
They arrived at the base of the Hokage Rock. A red building appeared in front of them. Minato recognized it immediately—it was the Hokage Residence.
Minato's eyes went wide. "You live here?"
Tsunade shook her head. "Grandma lives here."
She pointed to a building next to the Hokage Residence that looked like a copper hot pot with a giant sphere on top. (Note: This is from the Minato one-shot manga; it's where Mito lived and contains seals to strengthen the Uzumaki clan's sealing barriers.)
As soon as they entered the building, two Anbu wearing masks appeared silently in front of them.
"Lady Tsunade."
The Anbu greeted her respectfully, then turned their gaze to Minato. "This is..."
"None of your business. Don't be annoying!" Tsunade waved them off impatiently.
The Anbu didn't argue and vanished silently. But Minato knew his file would probably be on the Third Hokage's desk very soon.
They arrived at a room. Before Tsunade could even knock, an aged voice came from inside.
"Is that you, little Tsuna? Come in."
Tsunade smiled and pushed the door open.
"Grandma!"
On the bed, an old woman in a kimono sat up, looking at Tsunade with loving eyes.
Then her gaze fell on Minato's face, and she smiled. "And this child is...?"
"Hello, Grandma. I'm Minato Namikaze." Minato greeted her politely.
"This brat is a genius who just enrolled this year. He came to me for help with something."
Tsunade gently patted the back of Minato's head. "This is my grandma, the wife of the First Hokage. You should call her Lady Mito."
"Just call me Grandma."
Mito looked at Minato closely, a nostalgic smile appearing on her face.
"This warm and familiar chakra... it really puts one at ease. Little Tsuna, you must teach him well and pass this power on..."
An ordinary sensor ninja might not notice Minato's Wood Style potential, but Mito was Hashirama's wife. She sensed the similarity to Hashirama's chakra instantly.
Combined with the fact that her usually flighty granddaughter had suddenly brought a strange kid to see her, it wasn't hard to guess that Minato had Wood Style.
Chakra doesn't lie. This child's chakra was warm. He was a good kid.
"But... I don't really have anything to teach him. This brat has another special Bloodline Limit, too..."
Tsunade sounded unsure. She had only been a Jonin for a few years.
Teaching a normal kid was fine, but teaching a genius like Minato—who had two Bloodline Limits and had beaten the Hokage's son in his first fight—made her nervous.
In her eyes, Minato's talent was far greater than her own. There wasn't much she could teach him.
"There are many conditions to being a strong ninja. Jutsu is just one part of it..."
Mito smiled and shook her head. "The key is whether you are willing to teach him."
"Teaching... it's just babysitting."
Tsunade pouted in disgust, but after glancing at Minato's cute face, she huffed. "Hey, kid. You want to be my student?"
"I'll be in your care, Sensei Tsunade." Minato nodded with a smile.
"Don't get too happy yet."
Tsunade was secretly thrilled to be called "Sensei," but she kept up her tough act. "I'm very strict! First, you have to respect your teacher! For example, you have to make delicious meals for your teacher every day! Of course, you don't have to worry about the cost of ingredients..."
"Okay, I'll do my best."
Minato nodded repeatedly. He had to cook for himself anyway; making an extra portion wasn't a hassle.
Mito watched the two of them, her gaze growing warmer. "I'll talk to Saru (Hiruzen) about this. You don't have to worry. This old lady is still tough enough to last a few more years."
"Grandma—"
Tsunade looked unhappy. "You're saying worrying things again."
Mito smiled but didn't reply.
As a top member of the Uzumaki clan with the Yin Seal (Strength of a Hundred Seal), she could restore her youth and return to her prime anytime she wanted, instead of being old and frail like this.
But ever since her husband, Hashirama Senju, died, she had never restored her youth. The person worth dressing up for was gone.
Now, she only had two missions left.
One: Watch Tsunade and Nawaki grow up safely.
Two: Train the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and safely pass on the power her husband left to the village.
Speaking of which, Tsunade was almost twenty, and Nawaki was graduating soon. It was time to put the training of the next Jinchuriki on the schedule...