— — — — — — —
"Oh! Right!"
At that moment, Renzo raised a finger.
"I also engraved the Flying Thunder God seal into the mark. So if things really go south, don't worry—I can teleport over in an instant!"
It hadn't been long since he got the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he had already mastered it.
After awakening his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and gaining the ability of Omniscience, he had used his eye's analytical powers to break down the technique, perfect it, and push it to a higher level in a short time.
At the very least, he was confident he wasn't any worse than Minato at it.
And in the future, he'd refine it even more.
With his Omniscience, it was only a matter of time.
Fast, effortless—this kind of cheat ability felt amazing.
"Wait, what?!"
"Flying Thunder God?!"
Minato, Kakashi, and Rin were all stunned.
"Isn't that our teacher's jutsu?!" Obito blurted out in shock.
Kakashi and Rin were equally dumbfounded.
Had Renzo really mastered that technique too?!
"Heh… I should've known." Minato gave a helpless smile and shook his head.
"I heard from Jiraiya-sensei that you chose the Flying Thunder God as your reward for your last mission's achievements. But I didn't expect you to master it so quickly!"
"No, actually… 'master' isn't even the right word." Minato sighed. "You can already imprint the seal on any object or living being at will. You even managed to integrate it into your sealing techniques. In terms of Flying Thunder God, you've already surpassed me."
Even Minato hadn't reached that level yet.
"Minato-sensei, you're too modest!" Renzo waved it off with a smile.
"Everyone knows how accomplished you are with the Flying Thunder God. I just followed in your footsteps."
Minato, however, shook his head with a wry smile.
"If that's the case, then I'm just following in someone else's footsteps too. This jutsu was originally created by the Second Hokage, after all. I had his notes and experiences to learn from. Without them, I wouldn't have mastered it this fast."
It was clear that Minato deeply respected and admired the Second Hokage.
"The Second, huh? Yeah, he was a legendary figure."
Renzo nodded.
Though… he died way too early.
Of course, the Second Hokage's hostility toward the Uchiha clan was also well-documented.
Back when Renzo watched the anime in his past life, many tried to defend the Second Hokage's stance.
But after witnessing the Edo Tensei scene where Orochimaru revived Hashirama and Tobirama, and hearing Tobirama's words, it was obvious—even at death's door, he was still wary of the Uchiha.
To be fair, his experiences shaped his views.
But still—compared to Hiruzen and Danzo, at least Tobirama wasn't as extreme.
Hiruzen and Danzo?
They took Tobirama's ideology and pushed it beyond its limits, taking it to the extreme level.
Rather than improving on his legacy, they doubled down on all the wrong aspects.
Renzo didn't even know whether to mock them or pity them.
---
"Whatever, let's drop this topic. I'm leaving! See you back at the village!"
With that, Renzo vanished in a flash, using the Flying Thunder God to teleport across hundreds of kilometers back to his underground base near Konoha.
This was what made Flying Thunder God superior to simple teleportation.
As long as he had a marker, he could teleport across distances far beyond his usual sensory range, with minimal chakra cost.
"Red Queen! How's the recovery process for the Grim Reaper Gundam and its components? Have the energy system diagnostics come back yet?" As soon as Renzo arrived, he called out into the air.
A moment later, a holographic projection of Red Queen appeared before him.
"Master! The diagnostics are complete! All components have been successfully dismantled and are currently undergoing repairs and maintenance."
"However, both the Grim Reaper Gundam unit and the components have sustained varying degrees of damage to their energy transmission systems. I recommend replacing the entire system—it would be more cost-effective than repairing them."
Renzo frowned slightly.
"It's that bad? So Chakra-Conductive Metal still isn't strong enough, huh? Looks like I'll need to find another solution."
Chakra Metal was a unique material native to the ninja world.
It had excellent chakra transmission properties, making it an obvious choice for building mechas that could integrate chakra-based abilities.
But clearly, it wasn't durable enough for his needs.
"Maybe I'll need Gundam Bro and the others to help me come up with a solution…"
Renzo sighed in frustration.
"Oh well. Red Queen! Let's focus on fully restoring the mecha first. Same for its components. You never know when we'll need them—better to be prepared."
"Yes, Master!"
Immediately, man and AI got to work.
— — —
Renzo's battle with Madara had been massive.
Even hundreds of kilometers away, the shockwaves had been felt all the way to Konoha. It didn't go unnoticed.
The Third Hokage, Danzo, Ōnoki of Iwagakure, people in the Land of Grass, and other key figures had all dispatched scouts to investigate.
They all wanted to know: What the hell just happened? Who was fighting?
— — —
After spending over a day repairing the Grim Reaper Gundam, Renzo ran a quick test before returning to his house in Konoha.
Upon arrival, he dispelled his water clone and absorbed its memories.
Thankfully, nothing unexpected had happened in his absence.
Clearly, Renzo had been enjoying a relatively easygoing time lately.
The Third Hokage was more than happy for him to avoid taking on missions.
Of course, he was especiallypleased that Renzo was helping train Asuma.
Asuma had been improving at an impressive rate, and his temperament had matured significantly.
This only further solidified the Third Hokage's idea of grooming Renzo to be Asuma's right-hand man.
As for his eldest son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke?
There was no hope for that kid.
That useless brat had made it to Jonin rank, but his skills were still painfully mediocre.
He simply didn't have the talent that the Third Hokage had.
There were even times the old man wondered—was this really his own son?
But then, every time he looked at Shinnosuke's face—so eerily similar to his own—he dismissed the thought.
No doubt about it.
This useless son of his was definitely his own flesh and blood.
— — —
Another day passed
Finally, Minato and his team returned to Konoha.
His first order of business was to report the details of the Kannabi Bridge mission to the Third Hokage.
"You did an excellent job on this mission!"
"If not for you, who knows how much longer our war with Iwa would have dragged on?"
"The destruction of Kannabi Bridge means Onoki has no choice but to withdraw his forces. This will finally bring our conflict with the Iwa to a close."
The Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction.
His appreciation for Minato only deepened.
In his eyes, Minato was the perfect tool— A reliable warrior who executed every mission flawlessly.
Obedient, humble, and, most importantly, born a commoner with no political backing in the village.
That made him easy to control.
"Yes, compared to Orochimaru, Minato is the far more suitable choice to inherit the mantle of Hokage." The Third Hokage thought to himself.
"Oh, right."
The Third Hokage suddenly remembered something.
Minato's mission had taken him in the same direction as that massive disturbance two days ago.
He immediately inquired, "Minato, do you know anything about the huge battle that erupted northeast of Konoha two days ago?"
"Lord Hokage, I was just about to report on that."
Minato proceeded to relay his modified version of events.
He deliberately omitted Renzo's involvement, instead describing the person who fought Uchiha Madara as a "mysterious Uchiha warrior."
Additionally, he mentioned that Madara seemed to be targeting Obito, as though orchestrating some hidden scheme.
"WHAT?!"
"Uchiha...M-Madara?! Are you certain?!"
The Third Hokage shot to his feet in shock.
His expression turned deathly serious.
This was not a name to be taken lightly.
"Could it have been an imposter—someone merely using Madara's name for some kind of conspiracy?"
The Third speculated.
"No, that's impossible." Minato shook his head.
"I questioned Obito about it, and I even personally compared his face to Madara's statue at the Valley of the End. I'm certain—that was the real Uchiha Madara."
"Oh, and one more thing!"
"I saw him use a unique ninjutsu—a towering blue chakra giant, at least a hundred meters tall! Also, his Sharingan… it wasn't the usual tomoe pattern. It had a strange, unfamiliar design."
"And the battle between him and that mysterious Uchiha…"
Minato took a deep breath, recalling the devastation he had witnessed.
"Their fight was utterly terrifying. It was like watching gods clash, a battle capable of wiping out everything."
"Even though I was far away, I still felt… insignificant in comparison."
His voice was filled with genuine awe.
He wasn't exaggerating—this was exactly how he had felt.
Despite mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique to a high level, Minato had never before felt such an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
They were simply unbeatable.
That was the only way to describe the strength displayed by Madara and Renzo.
Perhaps that was also why he was so determined to protect Renzo and the Uchiha clan.
Though, he wouldn't admit it outright.
If Konoha truly pushed the Uchiha into becoming enemies…
If they forced Renzo onto the opposing side…
Minato didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
Would Renzo lose patience and eradicate the Third Hokage, Danzo, and every other scheming snake in the village?
Would Konoha be plunged into utter destruction?
For just a brief moment, a dangerous thought crossed Minato's mind— Maybe… if Renzo really did eliminate those people…
Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Maybe Konoha could be reborn.
The thought vanished as quickly as it came.
No!
He couldn't think like that!
That was the kind of thinking that led to disaster!
.
.
.