Chương 179: Genma Squad’s Flying Thunder Formation Technique

Minato reacted almost immediately.

"Looks like I was too eager for results," he admitted with a rueful smile.

"The more people involved, the harder synchronization becomes. You're right, Zhen." Dongye zhen shrugged.

"It's only a theory. Whether it's correct or not, we'll know after experiencing it firsthand."

"True enough." Minato nodded, then looked at him expectantly.

"But your sensory abilities far surpass mine. You might be the only one capable of pinpointing the subtle flaws during activation. So I'll have to trouble you to join them and feel it out yourself."

"Sure. I'm curious too." The six members of Team Hayate and Team Genma clasped hands and linked seals once more, forming a circle around Dongye zhen. This time, the target of the Flying Thunder Formation Technique was Dongye zhen himself. They intended to transport him across the training field to the marked Flying Thunder God kunai waiting on the opposite side. Yugao looked uneasy.

"Zhen… are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course it's dangerous." Dongye zhen spoke solemnly.

"If the jutsu fails completely, that's one thing. But if it half-succeeds, I might end up stranded in some bizarre dimensional void." He sighed dramatically.

"And if there's nothing there, I'll probably starve to death alone."

"Eh?!" Yugao panicked instantly.

"Then absolutely not! I'm not letting you risk that!" Dongye zhen burst out laughing.

"I'm kidding. Flying Thunder God and Flying Thunder Formation only have two outcomes: success or failure. What I described only happens with blind Reverse Summoning. Relax." Yugao's cheeks puffed into an angry pout.

"…Give me back my concern, idiot." She'd only asked because she cared too much. Unlike Hayate, who knew Dongye zhen far too well by now. If there were any real danger, Hayate was certain he wouldn't have volunteered to stand in the middle. Genma sighed.

"Captain, that joke wasn't funny at all."

"Fair enough." Dongye zhen waved him off.

"What I actually wanted to say is this: Minato-senpai already reduced the risk of the technique significantly during development, so there's no need to tense up so much.

"The Flying Thunder God Technique has three stages. First, sensing the marker. Second, activating the formula. Third, summoning yourself through space.

"You all lack the ability to independently complete all three steps, each for different reasons. That's why the cooperative Flying Thunder Formation Technique exists in the first place.

"And now—" He spread his arms dramatically.

"—I'm your client. Time to prove yourselves. Send me to the other side of the field." The six immediately linked their chakra together and began the technique. Among them, Raido possessed excellent sensory perception. Iwashi had the easiest time activating formulas. Genma had a natural affinity for space-time ninjutsu. The Flying Thunder Formation Technique combined those scattered talents together, amplifying them through linked chakra and stabilizing the process with a sealing barrier.

Only then could they transport themselves—and any target within the barrier—through space. As the jutsu activated, Dongye zhen expanded his senses to their limit and observed everything in microscopic detail. At that moment, the six shinobi's chakra functioned as a single entity. Sensing the marked kunai across the training ground came effortlessly. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Then came activation. And naturally… failure.

A flurry of dramatic effort later, the seven of them remained standing exactly where they started. Dongye zhen immediately pointed out the issue.

"Yamato, Raido, Yugao—you three are off tempo. Some too fast, some too slow. You're not matching Hayate's group's rhythm at all. Especially you, Raido. You're the slowest." Though Yugao was the youngest present—and the only girl—she had trained under Dongye zhen since childhood. Her strength and chakra control were both excellent. Raido, meanwhile, was the weakest among them. Yamato possessed the greatest raw combat ability thanks to his ROOT upbringing, but his teamwork still lacked polish.

Minato's Flying Thunder Formation Technique dramatically lowered the talent requirement compared to Flying Thunder God, but in exchange, it demanded near-perfect synchronization from its users. Raido looked baffled.

"Captain, I honestly don't feel like my activation timing is different from everyone else's."

"That's because you can't perceive it," Dongye zhen replied.

"This technique demands absurd precision. Even a tenth of a second is enough to cause total failure. Again." They tried once more. Same result. Only this time Yamato synchronized properly… while Genma activated slightly too early. Minato rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

"So that's why it never worked. Looks like six people coordinating from the start was fundamentally flawed.

"The more people involved, the harder synchronization becomes. Repeated failure only breeds impatience, and that impatience ruins synchronization even further. We've been trapped in a vicious cycle this whole time." Dongye zhen nodded.

"Which is why they should split into two teams and train separately first. Just like learning any other technique."

"… Looks like that's our only option." — Ever since the war ended, Genma's old squad with Might Guy and Ebisu had disbanded as their paths diverged. Not long after Minato became Fourth Hokage, Genma was selected for the Hokage Guard Platoon and teamed up with Raido and Iwashi. The three had worked together ever since, so their coordination was naturally solid. Now the trio once again formed the Flying Thunder Formation around Dongye zhen. They had practiced as a three-man unit before—just never succeeded.

That was why Minato later tried combining both teams after Yamato joined the Guard Platoon. Unfortunately, more manpower had only created more chaos. The technique failed again. Dongye zhen closed his eyes, sensed carefully, then spoke.

"Raido, you're too tense. Stop overthinking it. Relax. Open your mind and feel your teammates' chakra flow. Follow the rhythm naturally instead of trying to force control. The harder you force it, the harder it becomes."

"… Understood, Captain." After several more adjustments, the moment finally came. Their rhythms aligned perfectly. The Flying Thunder Formation activated successfully. In an instant, the four of them vanished from where they stood and reappeared beside the marked kunai on the far side of the training field. The moment they materialized, all three collapsed onto the ground in different poses, gasping heavily from chakra exhaustion. Only Dongye zhen remained standing calmly in the center, perfectly composed.

But when the three realized where they were— They broke into wide grins. Success. They had personally completed a space-time transfer. The feeling was entirely different from merely being carried by someone else's Flying Thunder God. The accomplishment hit on a completely different level. Dongye zhen was equally pleased. In the original timeline, how many years had it taken these three to master the Flying Thunder Formation after Minato's death? No idea. But certainly a long time.

And now, thanks to his help, that future had arrived far earlier. That was often how ninjutsu training worked. Without guidance, people stumbled forward through endless trial and error, wasting years trapped at bottlenecks. But with a capable teacher, all that wasted time could instead be devoted to growing stronger elsewhere. That was the true difference a good mentor made. Minato flashed over instantly with Flying Thunder God, his face lit with excitement.

If it worked, then it proved his entire development theory had been correct. Yugao rushed over in disbelief.

"It actually worked?!" Iwashi looked uncertain.

"Does this really count as success? We completely lost balance during the transfer, and the chakra consumption is enormous. Continuous teleportation seems impossible." Dongye zhen explained patiently.

"This technique was never designed for combat in the first place, so there's no need for continuous teleportation.

"As for balance and chakra efficiency, those are easy fixes. When I first learned Flying Thunder God, I was about as clumsy as you three. More practice solves everything." Minato nodded approvingly.

"Zhen's right. The important part is crossing the first hurdle. Once you've succeeded once, improvement afterward becomes much easier." Only then did the trio finally relax. Logically, they understood that already. But when it concerned themselves personally, it was impossible not to worry. Yugao immediately grabbed Dongye zhen's arm.

"Quick, our turn now! Zhen-ge, I refuse to fall too far behind!" To avoid being outdone, she shamelessly unleashed her ultimate weapon: Acting cute. She was surprisingly competitive by nature. Team Hayate's division of roles resembled Team Genma's. Yamato possessed the strongest sensory ability and far greater chakra reserves than the others. Hayate had a certain talent for spatial affinity. Yugao had neither advantage.

Unwilling to drag the team down, she compensated by devoting the most time to mastering the formulas themselves. After all, there was one organ ninja never lacked: Their liver. Unfortunately, their teamwork simply wasn't as polished as Team Genma's. Even after multiple attempts, they still failed to complete a true spatial transfer. The three looked visibly dejected.