Naruto Card King

"Yes, if it belongs to you, I will naturally give it to you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he glanced at Koharu Utatane. Then he added, "Koharu, regarding the financial transaction with the Land of Iron, I'll leave that to you. Mifune and the others are already waiting for you. Go ahead!"

Koharu snapped back to reality, opened her mouth as if to ask something, but ultimately said nothing. She clasped her hands together, formed a seal, and vanished from the spot.

There was no need for her to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi directly; she could simply ask Mifune to learn about the specifics of the negotiation.

With Koharu gone, only Haruto Saito and Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office.

"Haruto, you have secured such great benefits for Konoha this time—three hundred million ryo! I must properly reward you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"Hokage-sama, perhaps you've misremembered?" Haruto grew alert and quickly said, "The price is indeed three hundred million ryo, but according to our prior agreement, I am entitled to half of any amount exceeding one hundred and fifty million ryo. That means seventy-five million ryo belongs to me!"

"I will naturally give you your share," Hiruzen Sarutobi affirmed, but then shifted the conversation. "Let's put the matter of money aside for now. The Land of Iron has yet to deliver the funds, so I cannot give you your share in advance. Instead, let's discuss what you originally wanted... the Flying Thunder God Technique!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the side. "There is something I must make clear to you in advance!"

"Please, Hokage-sama, go ahead."

"Do you know that mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique requires an exceptional talent for space-time ninjutsu? One must possess extraordinary spatial perception. Without such talent, it is impossible to master this technique in a lifetime!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he turned to look at Haruto. "What do you think? How much talent do you have in this area?"

"Hokage-sama, whether or not I have the talent should have no bearing on whether you give me the Flying Thunder God scroll, right?" Haruto replied immediately. "That wasn't part of our deal."

"True, it does not matter. I will certainly give it to you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi assured him. However, he added, "But I must prevent you from going down the wrong path and wasting your potential. You must understand, a ninja capable of mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique is one in ten thousand! Even I do not have the talent for it. Not only have I attempted to learn the technique myself, but I have also given parts of the scroll to Orochimaru and White Fang, hoping they could master it. In the end, they all failed."

"So…" Haruto sensed there was more to what Hiruzen Sarutobi was saying.

"So! I will hand you the Flying Thunder God scroll, but if you find that you cannot make progress in mastering it, you must stop immediately!" Hiruzen Sarutobi declared. "Let's set a time limit—three years! If you make no progress in three years, you must give up!"

Haruto understood now. Hiruzen Sarutobi was worried that he would waste time. The difficulty of mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique was extremely high. If Haruto lacked the aptitude but stubbornly pursued it, he would be wasting precious years and talent.

"Hokage-sama, please rest assured. If I discover that I have no aptitude for the Flying Thunder God Technique, I will naturally give it up," Haruto said.

"Good!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He walked around the office with his hands behind his back before glancing at Haruto again. "One more thing—you must remember! The Flying Thunder God Technique must not be passed on! If I find out you have taught it to someone else, do not blame me for being ruthless!"

"This…" Haruto hesitated. What Hiruzen Sarutobi said was reasonable, but his hesitation seemed unusual.

"What is it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing.

"Hokage-sama, here's the thing!" Haruto carefully chose his words. "I understand that the Flying Thunder God Technique is a forbidden jutsu, and I would never pass it on without permission. However, what if—just hypothetically—one day I take on a direct disciple, and this person possesses exceptional talent in space-time ninjutsu? Would I not be allowed to teach it to them?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback and looked at Haruto with a strange expression.

This kid sure was thinking ahead!

He was already talking about taking on a disciple in the future!

He was only twelve years old. Taking a disciple was at least ten or twenty years away!

"If it is your direct disciple, then yes, you may teach them!" Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed. "However, there is one condition—they must be a Konoha ninja, absolutely loyal to Konoha! Forbidden jutsu of Konoha must never be passed to outsiders!"

"Of course, Hokage-sama, you have my word," Haruto assured him, feeling a great sense of relief.

He knew that mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique on his own would be nearly impossible, so he needed to "cheat." He had to discuss the technique with someone else who had the necessary talent in order to obtain fragments of the Flying Thunder God scroll.

And Haruto was well aware that there was one such person in Konoha!

Someone who could help him master the Flying Thunder God Technique within a certain timeframe!

That person was none other than the future Fourth Hokage, the second ninja to master the Flying Thunder God Technique—a prodigy known as the Yellow Flash, who tragically died young: Minato Namikaze!

Although Minato was only eight years old this year, still a student at the Ninja Academy, Haruto believed that talent was innate and not tied to age. Since Minato was destined to master the Flying Thunder God Technique in the future, it meant that even now, at eight years old, he already possessed the necessary aptitude!

"As long as you understand," Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he looked at Haruto. "Wait here for me. I will return shortly." With that, he vanished into thin air.

He had, of course, gone to retrieve the Flying Thunder God scroll.

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