Chapter 13 (Patreon)

On the back mountain of Konoha.

The wind brushed gently across the grass as two figures stood facing each other.

“Yujiro-san… are you really planning to test ninjutsu head-on?”

There was clear hesitation on Itachi’s face.

He knew Yujiro was strong.

Whether it was speed, physical strength, or swordsmanship, Yujiro completely overwhelmed him.

But ninjutsu was different.

Once a technique reached a certain level, its destructive power far surpassed ordinary taijutsu or kenjutsu.

“Hurry up and use it. Don’t overthink it.”

Yujiro smiled casually as he slowly drew the black blade at his waist.

Compared to kunai or shuriken, he preferred swords.

After all…

A longer blade simply had more advantages in a real fight.

And besides—

Yujiro wanted to test something new this time.

He possessed both Wind and Lightning chakra affinities.

Both were naturally suited for offense.

Lightning Release had stronger penetration and explosive power, but Wind Release possessed terrifying cutting force.

This time, Yujiro intended to coat his blade with Wind chakra.

If successful, the sword’s sharpness and destructive power would rise dramatically.

Of course, the chakra control required would also increase several times over.

“Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!”

Seeing Yujiro remain so calm, Itachi stopped hesitating.

His hands formed seals rapidly.

A massive fireball nearly ten meters wide roared toward Yujiro.

The surrounding air distorted from the heat.

Yujiro stood there quietly without moving a single step.

His eyes calmly watched the approaching flames.

At that same moment—

Minato and Kakashi had just stepped out from the forest nearby.

The moment Kakashi saw the giant fireball rushing toward Yujiro, his expression changed instantly.

“Yujiro! Move!”

Without even thinking, Kakashi rushed forward at full speed.

But someone moved even faster than him.

Minato.

The instant he saw the scene, Minato’s body had already blurred forward.

That was the Great Fireball Technique.

At this distance, taking it head-on was no joke.

Yujiro slowly exhaled.

Then—

He swung the black blade.

Wind Release chakra surged through his body and poured directly into the sword.

A second later, the giant fireball was already right in front of him.

Even Itachi noticed something was wrong.

“Yujiro-san! Get out of the way!”

But Yujiro remained unmoved.

His body lowered slightly.

Then his blade cut upward.

Shing!

A pitch-black slash burst forward.

The next moment—

An unbelievable scene unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

The enormous Great Fireball split cleanly in half.

The flames instantly lost cohesion and scattered apart before fading into the air.

But the black slash continued forward without slowing down.

Itachi’s pupils shrank as he barely avoided it.

Boom!!

Several massive trees in the distance were cut apart at the center instantly before crashing down one after another.

A single slash.

That terrifying black arc carved straight through everything in its path.

Ding.

Congratulations, Host. Physical limit broken.

Limiter progress increased by 0.2%.

Limiter: Level 1 — 33%.

Yujiro slowly lowered the black blade and returned it to its sheath before resting it over his shoulder casually.

At this moment, Minato had already stopped only a few meters away from him.

But strangely enough—

The Fourth Hokage did not speak immediately.

There was deep disbelief in his blue eyes.

Five years old?

Was this really the power a five-year-old could display?

That slash alone had already surpassed the level of most Chūnin.

On the other side stood Uchiha Itachi.

A genius capable of using the Great Fireball Technique at such a young age was already shocking enough.

But compared to Yujiro’s slash just now—

Even that genius seemed overshadowed.

Yujiro ignored Minato completely and silently analyzed the feeling from that attack.

After adding Wind chakra to the blade, the power had increased by at least ten times.

At the same time, the precision and chakra control required had also risen sharply.

But because of Yujiro’s monstrous physique and adaptability—

Once he broke through the limit once, his body would rapidly adjust to it.

Soon enough, he would be able to use it naturally.

“So strong…”

Kakashi arrived beside Yujiro, his face still full of shock.

If he had been the one facing that slash just now, he would have needed to dodge immediately or counter with ninjutsu.

Trying to block it directly would have been suicide.

Yujiro replied casually,

“Obviously.”

Then his gaze shifted toward Minato.

Elegant temperament.

Warm smile.

The famous Namikaze Minato.

But that was all.

Because in Yujiro’s eyes, Minato was still trapped by the system of the Third Hokage.

“Yujiro, this is my teacher—the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.”

Kakashi quickly introduced him.

Minato smiled gently.

“Yujiro, nice to meet you. I’m Namikaze Minato.”

This was technically their first real meeting.

Before today, Minato had only asked Kakashi to pay attention to Yujiro.

But now—

After witnessing that slash personally, Minato had already made up his mind.

This child absolutely had to be protected.

A genius like this represented Konoha’s future.

And that swordsmanship…

Given enough time, Yujiro might even surpass him someday.

After all, when Minato himself was five years old, he certainly had not reached this level.

Yujiro looked at him for a moment before smiling faintly.

“So should I call you Hokage-sama… or just Minato?”

The atmosphere froze slightly.

Even Kakashi’s expression stiffened.

Those words barely gave the Fourth Hokage any face at all.

But Yujiro truly did not care.

First, he did not need anything from Minato.

Second—

He wanted to see what kind of person Namikaze Minato really was.

Kakashi had obviously reported everything from earlier.

Which meant Minato already knew exactly what Yujiro had said.

Still, Yujiro did not particularly care.

Minato fell silent briefly.

Then he took a slow breath.

“Just call me Minato.”

His expression became unusually serious.

“Right now… I’m not worthy of being called Hokage.”

The moment those words were spoken—

Kakashi’s eyes widened.

Even Itachi, who had just returned to Yujiro’s side, froze in shock.

The Fourth Hokage…

Had openly admitted that he was not worthy of the title.