What Does Minato’s Teleportation Kunai Say in Naruto?

Everyone who has watched the series Naruto is familiar with what the standard kunai in the anime looks like. Minato Namikaze’s kunai stands out due to its unique design and the talisman wrapped around it. But what about the writings in the custom kunai?

The Kunai actually says 忍愛之剣 (nin-ai-no-ken), which is roughly translated to “Sword of Shinobi’s Love.” While most of the time it looks unreadable due to Minato’s handwriting, fans actually get to see the characters properly later in the manga. You can see it in chapter 673 in the manga and episode 424 in the anime.

The writing in the kunai plays a massive role in how Minato’s teleportation technique works. In fact, it’s the reason why Minato can even use the technique in the first place. Let’s take a look at why the inscription is so important?

Why Are the Words Important to Minato’s Technique?

Minato is known as Konoha’s Yellow Flash due to exploiting and improving the Second Hokage’s Flying Thunder Technique. An important part of this technique is the formula or the symbol used to mark a target. In Minato’s case, instead of a symbol, he wrote the words you see in his kunai as the formula.

The formula is written on all of Minato’s kunai, allowing him to teleport to wherever any of his kunai are located. However, the formula is not limited to just any kunai. It can also be attached to different objects and living beings. By the looks of it, the creators never stated a limit to how many targets the technique will affect.

What is the Flying Thunder God Technique?

The technique is a type of space-time ninjutsu created by Konoha’s Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique is used by attaching a formula to a target. The formula can be applied simply by touching the target and cannot be removed even after the user has died.

The technique allows the user to enter a dimensional void where the user can teleport to anywhere the user’s formula is located. Anything that the user is in contact with ends up teleporting with them. A user can also choose to teleport to a different location from the object or can teleport the object without teleporting themselves.

How Does Minato Use the Formula in Combat?

 He is usually seen marking the opponent’s body, allowing him to teleport near them. In addition, he also makes use of several kunai marked with the formula. He scatters several of these kunai around the location, effectively making them teleport destinations. This allows him to escape and attack from several areas in a blink of an eye.

What Else Makes Minato’s Kunai Special?

This custom-made kunai was special enough to have its own name. It was called the Flying Thunder God Kunai. In the series, they become the signature tool of the Fourth Hokage since he often uses them for his Flying Thunder God Technique. Unlike the usual kunai you would be familiar with in the series, these kunai have three blades on a single handle. The handle is also slightly thicker, so Minato’s formula can be marked there.

Minato also mentions that these kunai are heavier than the standard ones. In addition, the kunai’s prongs also make it more dangerous when used in melee fighting.

Who Else Has These Kunai?

Minato gave one of his custom kunai to one of his pupils, Kakashi Hatake. He meant to give it as a celebratory gift for his pupil’s promotion to jonin. In addition, this allows him to teleport to his team when needed.

Why Did Naruto Have Minato’s Kunai in His Mouth?

At this point, Minato and the second Hokage were revived. The two of them connected each other’s technique so they could teleport and teleport other objects to any location where both their formulas are found. 

During Naruto’s fight with Madara, Naruto knew the second Hokage would teleport Sasuke to his location. So, just as Naruto declares that he will defeat Madara with the aid of someone, Sasuke teleports beside him.

Does Naruto Ever Learn His Dad’s Technique?

Naruto has never learned the Flying Thunder God Technique as far as the releases go, and there’s a good chance that he’ll never bother learning the technique. While it is an extremely useful technique to have, it seems like the writers have no plans of giving this technique to the Seventh Hokage.

The writers probably thought Naruto might be too overpowered with the technique. Perhaps for plot purposes, they decided to leave this technique just for the Second and Fourth Hokage.

While a point in the series looked like he used it to teleport Sasuke over to fight Madara with him, the actual user of the technique was Tobirama. Naruto only kept the kunai close to him so that Sasuke would be teleported to his location.

The team behind Naruto puts so much thought into their weapons and seals. I’m sure eagle-eyed fans can spot important details from the anime and manga. Regardless of how small those details are, they are bound to have a purpose and a story in manga and anime.