If he could designate one jutsu to enable an "auto-trigger" function,
then Mikami Yuu would definitely choose Substitution Technique.
Because even though a 0.2-second cast time was short, it wasn't truly instantaneous. Against an enemy with fast enough reactions, there was still a chance they could notice it and interrupt him. And Substitution Technique was heavily dependent on your condition—if the main body was under crowd control, or if there was a wall blocking the way, you couldn't activate the technique at all.
That was the most fundamental difference between Substitution and true space-time ninjutsu like Flying Thunder God or Amenotejikara.
If Substitution could "get on and drive itself"…
that would be convenient.
It seemed the galgame system still had some hidden functions it hadn't explicitly stated—things left to be discovered and explored. Once he got through this busy stretch, he could study it properly.
As for right now…
Mikami Yuu just wanted to hurry home, take a shower, and collapse into bed.
"Uncle Duy, let's stop here for today."
Mikami Yuu rubbed his aching temples and spoke.
He really had been squeezed completely dry by the Eight Gates. Even though Healing Technique had patched him up, the chakra he'd burned wasn't fully restored—he was only back to about thirty to forty percent of peak.
And Might Duy and Might Guy weren't mindless training machines either. They knew that since Mikami Yuu was trying a forbidden technique for the first time, he couldn't rush it. So after Mikami Yuu rested a bit, they tidied up and ended the session.
By then the sky had already darkened.
The three of them each dragged their exhausted bodies home, accompanied by Might Duy's slightly hoarse roar—"The burning of youth never ends!"
The rest at home and dinner went without saying.
After they ate, Mikami Aoi took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash them.
Mikami Yuu, meanwhile, took a thorough shower, then took out the Nara clan ointments and rubbed them over all his joints. After that, he did two rounds of the stretching routine Yakushi Nonō had taught him in his room, and drank the freshly warmed milk.
During that process,
he also tried massaging himself with Healing Technique, but he couldn't recreate that smooth, warm feeling from when "Healing Technique herself" had appeared earlier. He could only chalk it up to his own lack of proficiency—Healing Technique understood healing better than he did.
He needed more practice.
Given Healing Technique's special nature, maybe he should bump its "romance priority" higher—above Great Fireball and Water Wave…
"Goodnight, Three Basic Jutsu… and everyone…"
…
"Minato, you're back."
It was morning.
Location: the Hokage Building, inside Hiruzen Sarutobi's office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, reading mission reports.
Across from him, a young Minato—still not even twenty—stood respectfully. Beside him were Akimichi Dōtō of the Akimichi clan and Inuzuka Gaku of the Inuzuka clan. All three looked travel-worn, clearly having been running around outside for a long time.
"So it's true—Kumogakure is already preparing for war. With supplies on this scale, their ambitions probably aren't small… A storm is coming."
"Minato, Dōtō, Gaku—thank you for your hard work."
Hiruzen finished reading the report, looked up, and said as if casually, "Since the mission is complete, go rest for now. I'll discuss this intelligence with the advisory council."
"Yes, Third Hokage."
Just as Minato and the others acknowledged,
Hiruzen added, "Minato, stay a moment. I have something to discuss with you."
"Yes."
Minato nodded to his two teammates, then stayed behind.
After the door closed, Hiruzen continued, "Minato, do you remember what I told you about serving as a jōnin squad leader?"
"…Ah, right. The Ninja Academy should be nearing graduation season. Please rest assured, Third Hokage—I will fulfill my duties as a teacher and lead this batch of children well."
Minato understood immediately and promised.
To be honest, being a squad leader wasn't a great assignment.
Raising kids was troublesome and seriously dragged down operational efficiency. You couldn't freely take high-difficulty missions. If the kids in your squad got hurt, you were responsible. So many experienced jōnin didn't want the job.
But if the Hokage personally appointed you, that was another matter.
Especially since Minato was Hiruzen's grand-disciple and had ambitions to compete for the next Hokage seat—he couldn't refuse this responsibility.
However…
That wasn't the only thing Hiruzen wanted to say.
"The squad leader assignment can wait. We'll distribute those after the graduation results are out.
"But among this class of Academy graduates, there's a somewhat special individual. Like you, he's civilian-born, background clean. But he has a unique understanding of the Three Basic Jutsu and developed an improved version of Substitution Technique… I tried reproducing it, but failed."
"Oh?"
Minato's eyelid twitched. "An improved Substitution that even you can't reproduce, Hokage-sama? Does it incorporate space-time nature transformation? But…"
But how could such a technique come from the hands of an Academy student?
It was hard to believe.
"That's exactly the issue."
Hiruzen lit his pipe and took a pull. "The Academy teachers suspect this child has the potential to train space-time ninjutsu. A few days ago, Hyūga Hizashi sparred with him privately. I happened to see it, and his technique truly did look unusual.
"So I want to ask you—as an expert in space-time ninjutsu—to go take a look. If there's truly another person who can learn Tobirama-sama's technique, it would be a huge benefit to Konoha."
"…Understood. I guarantee I'll complete the task."
Minato grew serious and promised solemnly.
Hiruzen smiled, his tone loosening. "It's just a confirmation. No need to be so tense. Think about how you want to confirm it, and I'll have the Academy cooperate with you."
"Alright."
Minato replied.
"Oh, and one more thing—I'd like your opinion."
Hiruzen sighed. "That child Kakashi… he's been complained about by teammates again lately…"
…
Minato's return didn't cause much of a stir in Konoha.
After all, the future Fourth Hokage had not yet earned the title "Yellow Flash," and among ordinary civilians, he was far less famous than the Sannin—or even the late White Fang.
And the intelligence about Kumogakure preparing military supplies was top-secret. It could never be made public.
But…
Mikami Yuu and Nohara Rin, who frequently went in and out of Konoha Hospital, had already caught an early whiff of something unusual in the air.