At that moment, Satori Hyūga's eyes lit up as he spotted two familiar figures.
"Minato, Kushina."
The golden-haired Minato and the red-haired Kushina stood out easily on the busy street.
Hearing someone calling their names, both of them immediately turned around.
Kushina blinked in surprise upon seeing Satori and turned to Minato. "Minato, do you know that guy? Why is he calling our names?"
Minato, on the other hand, stared intently at Satori, his eyes revealing 30% confusion, 30% curiosity, and 40% disbelief.
"That voice and posture… It really sounds like Satori Hyūga."
As Minato spoke, his tone was firm with certainty.
Kushina's mouth dropped open as she pointed at Satori in bewilderment. "This incredibly good-looking guy is Satori? Did he use a Transformation Jutsu?"
This era hadn't yet seen the Sexy Jutsu or the Harem Technique. Otherwise, Kushina would definitely suspect Satori of using the Sexy Jutsu.
Satori's adult form was graceful and refined, exuding an elegant nobility, like a prince stepping out from an ancient painting.
A peerless beauty among men.
His features had always been decent, but combined with the Gene Completion Serum, his entire appearance had reached a whole new level.
Walking down the road, Satori seemed like a high-definition character—so outstanding and captivating.
Seeing the pair so stunned, Satori stepped closer and laughed heartily.
"What? Did I change so much that you didn't recognize me?"
Hearing Satori's recognizable laugh up close, Kushina and Minato finally confirmed it was indeed him.
Their eyes widened in shock, and Kushina even reached out to pinch his face.
Feeling the tangible sensation beneath her fingers, she exclaimed in amazement, "It feels real! Are you a Shadow Clone?"
"No way. A regular Shadow Clone Jutsu wouldn't be this convincing. Could it be you've improved the technique?"
Shadow Clone Jutsu distributes chakra evenly across all clones, allowing each clone to have the same combat power as the original. Its realism was also astonishingly accurate, leaving no distinguishable traces.
But unlike normal Shadow Clones, which are exact copies of the original, Satori clearly looked older now.
That led Kushina to suspect he must have modified the Shadow Clone Jutsu somehow.
Satori chuckled, "Wrong. It's not a Shadow Clone, nor any kind of Ninjutsu. This is just my actual appearance now."
"In this form, my Taijutsu and overall strength will be greatly enhanced."
Hard-earned growth like this—how could Satori resist showing off a little, especially in front of Minato and Kushina, two of his few close friends in Konoha?
"How did you do it?" Kushina asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "I want to grow up too. Ideally, looking prettier!"
All women secretly wish to become more beautiful.
Minato cautiously stopped Kushina and said, "Could this be a special jutsu from the Hyuga Clan? If it's a secret, then forget it."
Satori calmly waved his hand. "No, it's not a Hyuga Clan secret. It's something rather unique—a technique that allows control over physical development to induce accelerated aging."
"If you two want to try it, I can help you with that."
Hearing about such a unique jutsu, Minato's eyes flickered with surprise. He couldn't quite decide whether it was good or bad.
Accelerating physical growth—Minato saw both pros and cons.
On the positive side, it could help child ninjas quickly boost their strength.
Most ninjas began intense training as children, before their bodies had fully matured.
But if they physically became adults in a short time, their muscles, flesh, and bones would be fully developed, significantly enhancing their power.
However, this also brought a problem.
If such a jutsu fell into the hands of someone ambitious, wouldn't it turn children into military weapons?
Thankfully, the jutsu was in Satori Hyūga's hands. From Minato's perspective, he didn't think Satori would do something like that.
"Still, I think we should just pass naturally. After all, we'll grow up eventually—it's only a matter of time."
"And growing too fast might actually lead to aging faster."
When Kushina heard that, she immediately shivered and stepped back a few paces.
At her youthful age, blossoming like a flower, she certainly didn't want to wilt so soon.
Thinking about it this way, Satori's jutsu suddenly didn't seem so appealing anymore.
"I agree with Minato. Let's grow up slowly together."
Satori grinned. "Growing old together with Minato does sound kind of romantic though."
"Just the two of us, sitting on a park bench beneath the sunset glow, our faces covered in wrinkles."
"You're the one who'll grow old!" Kushina snapped, her eyebrows furrowing angrily, her fiery red hair flaring wildly as she entered an enraged state.
As a young girl in her prime, she was especially sensitive about age and appearance.
Satori had unknowingly triggered all of it, instantly angering Kushina.
Kushina reeled back and swung a punch at Satori, but he sidestepped effortlessly.
Zipping like lightning, Satori darted behind Minato, using him as a living shield.
"Minato, quick! Reason with her!"
Caught in the crossfire, Minato gave a helpless, wry smile.
Looking at the furious Kushina with her flaming red hair and glaring expression, Minato felt a bit scared inside.
"Satori," Minato said, "maybe you should apologize first."
"I'm sure Kushina will come around."
Satori clicked his tongue twice, teasingly saying, "You won't survive like this. Sooner or later, you'll end up under Kushina's thumb."
His words were way too suggestive. Minato seemed to have thought of something, his handsome face instantly turning red.
With a loud smack, a huge bump popped up on Minato's head—caught in the crossfire again.
"You idiot Minato! What stupid thoughts are you having?!" Kushina blushed furiously and shouted.
Minato scratched his head, laughing awkwardly while begging Kushina for mercy.
After some chaos, Satori asked, "Minato, where's Professor Jiraiya now? Hasn't he gone off peeping in the bathhouse again?"
Minato shook his head. "No, Professor Jiraiya was summoned to Mount Myoboku's sacred land by the Great Toad Sage. Something to do with a prophecy."
Regarding prophecies, Minato had followed Jiraiya long enough to know a little about the situation.
Mount Myoboku's Great Toad Sage probably foresaw something else about the future again.
"Mount Myoboku, *a* prophecy?"
A chill of unease crept into Satori Hyūga's heart. Could it possibly be about *him*?
As for the Toad Sage's prophecy, Satori had no idea whether it was true, but there had to be some basis for it.
To Satori, it might just be the Toad Sage's unique gift—the ability to glimpse fragments of the future.
In the original series, prophecies had never changed.
Now that things were changing, it was probably because of him.
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