Malphegor
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GSiN: Ch. 22
🕑 Added 2025-03-06 23:46:11 +0000 UTC---Ryouma's POV---
I habitually used my Rikugan to sense the surroundings of the camp.
What a nice surprise.
"Shiori, this time I'll go take a look around. You two go back to the tent and rest for now."
Heiji looked up. "You seem in a hurry. Did you detect something?"
"Want to check out something," I replied, already moving toward the tent entrance. "Rest while you can, tomorrow will be busy."
"Alright, stay safe," he said.
Shiori didn't answer but watched me as I ran off, her gaze flickering with emotion.
---
Like the wind, I sped toward the mission hall near the front-line camp. Sentries nodded as I passed, another ninja on some urgent errand, nothing unusual in a war zone.
I then stopped, adjusted my breathing, and waited for about two minutes before walking toward the entrance of the mission hall.
Timing was everything. Too eager would raise questions; too casual would miss the opportunity. The mission hall's rotation schedule meant teams typically depart on the hour.
At that moment, Minato's team had just stepped out.
"Yo, you're here too," I greeted them cheerfully, as if this meeting was pure coincidence.
"Eh, Ryouma!" Rin, who had just stepped out, immediately saw me.
Her radiant, sun-like smile shone unreservedly before me, dispelling the inexplicable irritation I had been feeling after seeing the tragic plight of the refugees along the way.
Cautiously, she approached me and then slowly circled around. Her gaze was like a scanner, carefully inspecting every detail of my body, afraid to miss any sign of abnormality.
"Ecchi," I teased with a playful smirk as she examined me so thoroughly.
Her cheeks instantly flushed pink. "That's not! I'm being professional!" She swatted my arm lightly. Kakashi sighed audibly in the background while Obito snickered.
"I'm fine, Rin. Not even a scratch."
After confirming that my body bore no visible injuries, Rin finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Obito crossed his arms behind his head in his typical casual stance. "Now that Ryouma is here, it seems like the only one missing at this camp is Guy. By the way, what were you doing, Ryouma? Why did you take so long to get here?"
"You know how it is with missions," I deflected. "Lots of stops, and other things."
"Yeah, but you guys were supposed to way ealier, right? Did something happen?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes at Obito. "Idiot, don't go prying into other people's missions."
"What? I was just asking!" Obito shot back defensively.
"Mission details are classified unless shared with authorized personnel," Kakashi stated coldly.
"Ah, it's not like I did it on purpose. I was just curious."
Minato's expression remained kind, but his eyes held the unmistakable gravity of a commander. He placed a hand on Obito's shoulder.
"You can't do that, Obito. No matter how curious you are, you must never eavesdrop on other people's missions."
"In war, information flows are strictly controlled. What seems like harmless curiosity could inadvertently compromise operational security."
Obito hung his head. "Understood, Minato-sensei."
Kakashi glanced around and asked, "Are you alone, Ryouma? Where are your teammates?"
"My teammates? They were too tired, so they've gone to rest. I still had energy, so I decided to come out and look around. Haha."
Obito seemed to smell a hint of deception. "Ryouma, you didn't sense that Rin was here and come on purpose, did you?"
Damn it, Obito. Sometimes your perception is too sharp for your own good.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment. My smile stiffened as I racked my brain for a redirect.
"Obito, Shiori recently awakened her three-tomoe Sharingan. The Uchiha clan's power really is unreasonable, don't you think?"
"What?! You mean that violent girl has already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan? Damn it!"
"I'll catch up. Just you wait."
"At your current rate, you'll get your Sharingan around the time you become Hokage," Kakashi said dryly.
"I WILL become Hokage!" Obito flared instantly.
"Kakashi, that's not helpful," Rin interjected. "Obito, everyone develops at their own pace."
"The Sharingan responds to emotional trauma," I added with amusement. "Maybe Kakashi should keep insulting you, it might help."
Just as the four of us were chatting animatedly, Minato suddenly interrupted. "Sorry to interrupt your reunion. Ryouma, I need to talk to you."
I looked at Minato in confusion. "Me? What about?"
He glanced around, his eyes scanning the open area. "This isn't the best place. Let's go somewhere else."
With that, he led the four of us to his assigned living space in the camp.
As one of Konoha's elite jonin and a high-level combat asset, he naturally had some privileges, including his single-person tent.
Inside the tent, I looked around.
The space was modest but meticulously organized. A folding desk held neatly stacked mission reports and a half-drawn seal formula.
The tent wasn't large and was simply furnished with some basic necessities. Everything was neatly organized, reflecting Minato's nature.
No wonder he was the Yellow Flash, whose charm was maxed out. Whether it was in combat or daily life, he was practically perfect.
"So, Minato-sama, what do you need from me?" I speculated that it might have something to do with my father since I had nothing to do with the Yellow Flash otherwise.
"First, thank you for agreeing to this private conversation," Minato said sincerely.
Minato and Rin exchanged a glance, then both looked at me.
"We're sorry, Ryouma."
"We're sorry."
They bowed deeply in apology.
What's going on?
I grew even more puzzled. The tension in my shoulders built as I looked between them, still bowed, and Kakashi and Obito, who stood awkwardly to the side.
"Please, stand up," I urged. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not as serious as this suggests."
"It's a matter of honor and intellectual property," Minato said, remaining bowed. "Please allow us to explain properly."
Kakashi, standing nearby, started to explain, "Actually, earlier, we…"
Minato straightened up and interrupted Kakashi, "Let me explain."
The matter was simple.
Previously, his team had been assigned a mission to investigate a village because several enemy ninjas had mysteriously disappeared there. The front-line command suspected that the village might be hiding a secret Suna ninja base.
When his team reached the village, they decided to split up for efficiency. Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were assigned to the west, while Minato searched the east alone.
It turned out that Kakashi's group found a Suna ninja hideout in the west. It was a safe house, which meant it wasn't always occupied by Suna ninjas.
"We maintained observation until three Suna ninjas arrived," Kakashi added.
"By the time I heard the commotion and rushed over, the situation had escalated significantly," Minato continued. "One of the Suna ninjas had Kakashi pinned down, another was engaging Obito, and the third had cornered Rin."
"I was holding my own!" Obito said defensively.
"That's when I saw it," Minato said. "Rin formed a jutsu I hadn't taught her. It was a spiraling sphere of chakra in her palm."
"The Rasengan," I said, keeping my tone carefully neutral.
Minato nodded. "Yes. She struck the Suna ninja with it."
"Seeing the blue sphere in her hands gave me the insight I needed," Minato explained earnestly. "This was the path I had to take."
Minato's signature technique in the original timeline was inspired by seeing my version of it through Rin?
"And you recreated it based on observation alone?" I asked.
"Yes," Minato replied modestly. "The principles aligned perfectly with my theoretical framework."
"I understand that in the shinobi world, techniques are often learned through observation," he explained. "However, I believe that within Konoha, among comrades, we should maintain higher standards."
"The Rasengan is clearly your creation, Ryouma. I should have sought your permission before developing it further."
At that time, he had been struggling to develop a jutsu that could complement his Flying Thunder God. He had envisioned a technique similar to the Rasengan, a non-seal-based jutsu. However, despite his research, he had been missing the final spark of inspiration.
Even though he hadn't asked Rin for any details about the Rasengan, he still felt compelled to apologize and offer compensation.
It was then that Minato learned the Rasengan was actually invented by me, meaning he had another person to apologize to.
That's right, he didn't think he had made a mistake in apologizing to the wrong person. Instead, he felt he now owed an apology to an additional person.
On the other hand, Rin was also in a complicated mood. She discovered that before her teacher had even started teaching her anything, he had already "learned" the Rasengan she had been taught by me.
She wasn't worried that I would be angry at her. If anything, she felt it would be better if I got mad at her, it would ease her guilt.
Rin simply felt dejected because she had inadvertently revealed my technique without my knowledge.
And that was the full story. And I thought it was something important why they were now both bowing deeply before me in apology.
