Naruto follows the saga of young Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja in training who embarks on a lengthy quest to become the Hokage – the undisputed leader of his village. Minato Namikaze is Naruto’s father. A veteran warrior, Minato uses a special weapon in battle – the fearsome kunai.

In Japanese history, the kunai was originally a tool used by peasants for building, until someone hit upon the idea of turning it into a deadly weapon. Kunai are short daggers that can be thrown or used in close combat. In Naruto, Minato has become a master of the kunai and can easily dispatch multiple enemies at once. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he is able to teleport to any previously marked location, making him one of the deadliest warriors to have ever lived. Entire armies have been known to run when seeing him.

Eagle-eyed fans have noticed writing on the handle of his signature weapon. The Kanji on the dagger reads, “忍愛之剣.” When spoken aloud, this would sound like, “nina oken you ha shinobiai noken.” Manga experts have translated this inscription to mean, “Sword of Shinobi’s Love.”

In Feudal Japan, a shinobi (or ninja) was a covert agent and guerrilla warfare expert, specializing in ambush and infiltration. They also acted as spies and assassins, priding themselves on evading capture. Most shinobi were from the peasant classes, and hired themselves out as professional mercenaries to whatever lord was willing to pay the highest. Shinobi were looked down on by the noble samurai, who believed that covert operations were inherently dishonourable.

Whatever the true meaning behind the inscription, Minato certainly uses the weapons to great effect against his countless enemies.

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