Minato Namikaze had to admit—he was being overly cautious.
But ever since Jiraiya's first test, he'd been on constant alert for any real danger.
"There's no need to keep pretending. Your chakra might be a perfect match, but you're not Kaien."
Minato pressed his kunai even closer to the White Zetsu copy. A little more force, and he'd find that the "Uchiha Kaien" in front of him wouldn't bleed when cut.
The real Uchiha Kaien, currently disguised as a potted plant nearby, grew anxious about exposing White Zetsu's secret and took the initiative to dispel the genjutsu and camouflage.
[Alluring Gaze] – Activated at full power.
[Alluring Gaze: Your eyes have gained a mysterious allure. Prolonged eye contact may cause momentary disorientation in others. Your genjutsu is greatly enhanced, and your ocular power increases with time.]
With the power boost from [Alluring Gaze] combined with the strength of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Kaien successfully distorted Minato's senses.
During that brief window, he and White Zetsu switched places. Zetsu then took on the form of the potted plant Kaien had just abandoned.
Once everything was set, Kaien released the illusion.
Minato blinked in confusion. The "fake" Kaien he was holding suddenly felt... more solid, more real. And—
He sniffed.
That familiar scent hit him like a wave.
The sudden change made Minato falter. Wait... was this actually Kaien?
Still doubting his instincts, Minato subtly tightened his grip on Kaien's shoulder. The response was different—fleshier, softer—completely unlike what he'd felt earlier.
"Minato, how long are you planning to keep me hostage?"
Kaien's voice had a touch of guilt in it, and his tone lacked its usual sharpness.
The scent, the feel, the aura... crap. This was definitely the real Kaien.
Minato quickly let go, tossing his kunai aside like it was scalding hot. His face flushed red, the embarrassment creeping all the way to his ears.
What a blunder. Seriously. That was way out of line. He just hoped Kaien didn't start resenting him...
The genius prodigy who had never encountered a bottleneck in ninjutsu training now found himself completely tongue-tied.
But the expected scolding didn't come.
Instead, Kaien looked genuinely curious.
"How did you tell it wasn't me, Minato?"
It had been bothering him for a while. His genjutsu had been strong enough to fool even Minato—or so he thought. Yet Minato had seen through it almost immediately.
"Huh? How I figured it out?"
"So the one who opened the door at the start wasn't you, right?"
Minato's brain kicked into high gear. The person who opened the door definitely wasn't Kaien. That much he was sure of. Up until the moment he caught that familiar scent—it hadn't been Kaien at all.
"Oh, that was a shadow clone under a genjutsu. I was just curious, really. Wanted to see how you'd notice."
Kaien explained honestly. After all, no one likes being pranked at the doorstep when they're just coming to visit a friend.
"Scent."
Minato finally spoke, slowly and clearly.
"Kaien's scent is unique. Neither Transformation Jutsu nor shadow clones can mask that distinct fragrance."
Scent...?!
Kaien's eyes widened in realization. No wonder even White Zetsu couldn't fool this guy. It wasn't some super-advanced perception ability—just basic, absurdly keen smell.
What are you, from the Inuzuka clan or something?!
Kaien wanted to yell, but right now, hiding Zetsu's existence was top priority.
"So that means my genjutsu was still pretty strong, right? I managed to fool your nose, at least."
Minato had pieced it all together.
Kaien had cast a genjutsu on his shadow clone and had that clone answer the door. Then, after Minato broke through the illusion, Kaien swapped in his real body.
"So, what brings you here, Minato? You don't usually drop by like this."
Kaien smoothly shifted the topic, regaining control of the conversation.
"Oh! I actually came to tell you—I've figured out a concept for that unsealed ninjutsu technique you mentioned!"
"If I study it for a few more days, I think I can create a working prototype!"
At the mention of developing a new jutsu, Minato's mood visibly brightened.
After all, co-developing a jutsu meant he had real input—maybe even naming rights. If they pulled this off, he was definitely going to give it an awesome name!
Still, Kaien's genjutsu earlier had been crazy strong. He hadn't sensed a thing at the time. Minato asked,
"That genjutsu just now... what was it called?"
"The one that hit you at the door was a Transcription Seal. The second one was something I came up with on the fly—just a basic genjutsu."
Heh. The one that greeted you was Zetsu. No genjutsu involved. If you'd actually seen through that, that would've been the real shocker.
As for the second one, it was a basic technique—Kaien had just powered through with overwhelming ocular strength and trait enhancements to pull it off.
"And I'm calling that second genjutsu Veil. Don't go thinking up some weird name for it, alright?"
He cut Minato off before he could get any funny ideas.
"As for the first one, the Transcription Seal—if you're interested, I'll give you a scroll on it later."
Honestly, Kaien couldn't imagine what someone without a dojutsu could do with it, but if Minato wanted to research it, who knew what he might discover?
...
Once the ninjutsu talk died down, Minato still felt vaguely uneasy. The whole prank kept resurfacing in his mind.
What if Kaien had been kidnapped?
What if, next time, he assumed it was just another illusion and didn't act?
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. Eventually, he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Kaien... next time, could you not joke around like that?"
"...Sure."
Kaien agreed easily—but his tone was half-hearted.
Even after Minato left Kaien's house, he was still quietly fuming. It felt like trying to punch a cloud.
Kaien didn't chase after him or offer a serious apology either.
Because why should he?
If a sincere apology could patch things up later, why not let the situation stew a little first—and reap some extra affection while he was at it?
Peaceful, conflict-free relationships often led to rigid, fragile dynamics. Kaien knew that too well. That's why he chose to break the mold and deepen their bond in his own way.
Bonds without conflict were easily broken. But ones that were shattered and reforged—those were unbreakable.
Just like Sasuke and Naruto.
Uchiha Sasuke had tried time and again to sever his bond with Uzumaki Naruto, but Naruto clung on like a stubborn leech, turning their connection into something truly unshakable.
"I want absolute freedom."
Kaien's voice was soft—barely more than a whisper, meant only for himself.
No restraints. He didn't need to be the strongest, but he had to be among the strongest. Unbound by anyone, moving as he pleased—that was the life Kaien truly sought.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo