Minato smiled warmly as he looked toward the elite students of the Ninja Academy in the distance.
Aside from the ten people personally named by Hiruzen…
He was, in fact, the hidden eleventh Konoha shinobi being commended.
First, they had emphasized how he saved Kushina.
Then, such a grand stage had been entirely reserved for him alone…
Although Minato had a personality like a little sun, that did not mean he was insensitive to the affairs of the village.
On the contrary, Minato understood things very clearly…
A true genius was all-round.
As long as he performed well today, his name would spread throughout the village in an instant.
Like a rocket soaring upward, and when a vacancy appeared among the "Konoha Committee," it would not be impossible for him to secure a place within it.
'I really have to thank the Third for his guidance. He's truly treated me well!' Minato sighed inwardly: 'Jiraiya-sensei is also very good, but compared to the Third, well…'
A trace of crimson was reflected in his eyes.
It was Kushina, wildly waving a banner and cheering for Minato.
Her voice was loud enough to drown out the noise of the training ground…
'So, I'll first give the children room to display themselves, then wrap it up cleanly and decisively.' Minato set the main tone for this battle.
"Then, shall we begin?" Minato asked softly.
Opposite him, about fifty elite Ninja Academy students stood in formation.
At the front, Asuma stared at him intently and said in a low voice, "Three seconds from now, we start automatically!"
Minato nodded.
Both sides silently counted in their hearts. When the time was up, they immediately began to move.
The elite students of the Ninja Academy scattered in place, dividing into one three-man squad after another.
According to what Sakumo had instructed, they split into separate teams.
Ninja tools, genjutsu, ninjutsu, close combat, support…
Mirroring battlefield configurations, they seized advantageous terrain in an instant.
The arena was not empty.
There were artificial hills, patches of mud, and other terrain features—many factors that could interfere with or be exploited.
"In front of everyone, boldly display the results of your training. Don't worry about me…"
"If I get injured, then I lose," Minato said softly.
Asuma's expression froze.
That should count as taunting, right?
But looking at Minato's gentle face, it instead felt considerate.
"Damn blond, are you already trying to wage psychological warfare with words?"
Asuma took a deep breath and shouted, "All team leaders, follow the established plan! Establish fire suppression, and once the enemy reveals an opening, the spearhead squad and I will advance!"
"Yes!" the Ninja Academy students shouted loudly.
And this neat, uniform stance made the spectators on the stage light up with admiration.
It really looked the part…
Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!
Obito took the lead, drew in a deep breath, and spat out a massive fireball!
Beside him, several other kids who were also adept at using Fire Release combined their efforts…
'Yes! It worked…' Obito rejoiced inwardly. This time he didn't drop the ball—he didn't get stuck at his throat, and he didn't just spit out a tiny flame.
'That method the old man taught really works!" By "old man,' Obito meant the student's parent who had taught him hand-in-hand.
The huge fireball shot toward Minato at high speed.
'Interesting…' Minato's mind stirred, but his movements were extremely fast as he shifted behind an artificial hill.
Earth Release: Stone Pillar Spear!
Another ninjutsu squad launched its attack with Earth Release.
Beneath Minato's feet, sharp stone pillars erupted from the ground.
A flash of golden light flickered again, and as his figure moved, the ninja-tools squad followed up with sustained fire.
Kunai, shuriken, and the like all tore through the air, densely covering the area at a considerable speed.
Among them, Shisui stood out the most.
The Fūma Shuriken he hurled was linked to steel wire; with a sweeping swing, he sealed off a large area.
"These students are something…" Danzō's eyes lit up.
Every single one of them was a top-notch seedling suited to join "Root."
It was a pity that unit no longer existed…
Kakashi's gaze sharpened. Their tactics were actually advancing.
But the problem was that Minato's speed exceeded their expectations, and his reactions were somewhat inhuman.
In the gaps between ninjutsu and ninja tools, he always managed to dodge at the critical moment without changing expression, as if these attacks were in slow motion to his eyes.
Shisui stared hard at Minato.
This guy, with that head of blond hair—at a glance, he wasn't from the Uchiha Clan, was he?
So what was with this dynamic vision that rivaled a three-tomoe Sharingan, and that superhuman neural reaction speed…?
Was this what talent was?!
"Water Release, cut him off!" Kakashi swept his hand and shouted in a deep voice.
Kamizuki Izumo formed seals rapidly, coordinating with classmates who knew Water Release as he began to release the technique centered on himself.
Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!
This viscous water spread across the training ground. As long as Minato touched it, it would firmly pin him to the ground.
Izumo still wasn't very proficient, but with other partners helping him use other Water Release jutsu, they expanded the area of effect.
At this point, Minato fell into a passive position.
Although his speed was extremely fast, the Ninja Academy kids were numerous enough, and their composition was reasonable enough.
When one wave grew tired, the next wave immediately stepped in.
They truly achieved what Sakumo had described: "staggered deployment" and "phased interception"…
All for the sake of exhausting Minato's stamina.
It was just that Asuma, Kakashi, and the others hadn't expected Minato's athletic ability to be so astonishing. At their ninjutsu casting speed, they couldn't effectively form meaningful pressure.
They could only pursue a wider strike area through coverage.
"No, wait… they've used all five nature transformations, haven't they?" the Iburi Clan leader said in shock.
"These kids look only seven or eight years old, and when you add up all the techniques they're using, there are already so many…"
"And that chakra volume…" The Iburi Clan leader pointed at Obito.
At that moment, Obito was secretly glancing at Nohara Rin, who was using various ninja tools to block Minato's path, while continuously releasing Fireball Jutsu.
As if he would never get tired…
Seeing this scene, Uchiha Madara let out a cold laugh. "He really is an idiot…"
"Still, that's fine. Izuna once said that idiots have potential! If this brat can awaken the Mangekyō…"
Thinking of his younger brother, Madara shook his head in sudden disinterest.
In Madara's view, scheming to make Obito his successor would not be difficult, even though he had no concrete plan yet.
After all, he was Uchiha Madara…
But at the thought of teaching such an idiot to become the mastermind behind the scenes, Madara felt exhausted.
It was nothing like the tacit understanding he once shared with Izuna, where a single exchanged glance was enough.
It would be like dealing with another White Zetsu—only this one carried Uchiha blood…
"These brats, although far inferior to us back then!"
Madara continued watching, occasionally offering comments with the authority of the Shinobi World's Asura: "Still, they've got something. We didn't have conditions like this in our time…"
He was referring to the physique of the Ninja Academy students.
Clearly, they were in better shape than shinobi of the Warring States Period. Though still half-grown children, it was obvious they had built a solid physical foundation.
Moreover, in terms of tactics and coordination, they were well-structured—clearly guided by someone who knew what they were doing.
"Hey, Madara-sama! Should we think of a way to stop them…"
A White Zetsu accompanying Madara asked curiously, "If even the children are this strong, will they hinder our plan in the future?"
"Strong? How strong can they be…" Madara scoffed.
"Let them be. The more warmth they experience, the stronger the backlash when they encounter despair…"
"In this hell-like shinobi world, sooner or later they'll understand what reality truly is."
White Zetsu nodded as if half-understanding.
But it had a faint intuition that this was not Madara's entire line of thought.
The old man seemed a bit stubborn with his words…
In fact, White Zetsu's foolish instinct had indeed guessed a little correctly.
Seeing these children—somewhat stronger than those of the Warring States Period—Madara was reminded of Hashirama.
Hashirama once said that the village was created so that children could grow up.
Now, had that been realized, even just a little?
Controlling White Zetsu, Madara looked toward Mito on the high platform, who was smiling faintly.
His thoughts could not help but wander…
If, back then, there hadn't been that damn Senju Tobirama, was there a possibility…
That the ones sitting on the high platform now would be him and Hashirama…
Shoulder to shoulder, joking and commenting on the children's performances?
"Hmph…"
"It's meaningless. The eternal world I will create will be ten thousand times more peaceful than this…"
"When the time comes, I'll tell Hashirama—it was I who reached the other side first. I was the one who won."
Madara shook his head, casting these stray thoughts out of his mind.
There was no meaning in making such assumptions anymore.
Tobirama was long dead. Izuna was as well. Hashirama too.
He was nothing more than a lone wandering soul.
As he continued watching, Madara also took note of another Uchiha—Shisui.
His performance, it seemed, could also be included on the list of potential spokespersons, though he required further observation.
The Asura of the Shinobi World was a picky man.
Even for a puppet, he had to choose carefully; he could not simply pick one at random.
White Zetsu rested its chin in its hand and glanced at Madara, sighing inwardly, 'Madara-sama's mental state seems to be getting more and more unstable. Why is he always thinking about those few people…'
'If you ask me, he might as well go take a big dump. I wonder what it even feels like?'
Meanwhile, in the training ground—
The match had already reached a fever pitch.
The Ninja Academy students' brilliant coordination and ninjutsu had the audience and parents cheering in delight.
Konoha's future was practically radiant with light…
But the elite Ninja Academy students could not accept this outcome at all.
According to their expectations, Minato should have already been taken down by them…
Yet this man's mobility was simply outrageous!
Even with most areas sealed off, he still relied on unreasonable speed and terrain to evade them.
At times, he would even charge into the crowd to avoid certain large-scale ninjutsu.
And so, whenever he could dodge, he dodged—passing by one opponent and casually knocking one down…
'If I hadn't used Lightning Release to stimulate my body, this would've been somewhat troublesome—if I didn't use Flying Thunder God…' Minato's eyes moved rapidly as he gathered information from the battlefield.
"This won't do!"
"If this continues, we'll keep losing more people…"
Asuma gritted his teeth, picked up the chakra blade he had borrowed from Shinnosuke, and roared, "Close-combat squad, with me! Genjutsu team, wait for the right moment before casting!"
Thus, Might Guy, Shisui, Kakashi, Obito, and Asuma charged forward.
"I'll take him head-on and control him with my Sharingan. He won't dare look at me!" Obito charged forward recklessly, his single-tomoe Sharingan activated.
The next moment, Minato slammed him into the ground with a punch. Obito cried out in pain, "Ow, ow! Why isn't he afraid of my Sharingan…?"
Kakashi's face darkened.
He had long heard that once an Uchiha awakened the Sharingan, they became very confident.
But he hadn't expected this level of confidence!
With just your single-tomoe Sharingan and that level of genjutsu skill, controlling him would already be a major hurdle—let alone this monster!
"Leaf Rising Wind!" Guy launched a powerful kick at Minato, only for it to be blocked with a single arm.
"You've got strength, young man. You have the potential to train in Lightning Release Chakra Mode…"
As Minato shifted and maneuvered, he drew out a Flying Thunder God kunai and engaged Asuma, Shisui, and Kakashi in close-quarters combat.
Cheers rose and fell from the spectator stands.
This had long surpassed the level of Ninja Academy students—even that of genin.
If not for their age and lack of experience, these outstanding children would have been more than qualified to serve as chūnin…
In the distance, Kurenai fixed her gaze on Minato, attempting to cast genjutsu to interfere with him.
Minato retreated several steps in succession, narrowing his eyes.
Farther away, the ninjutsu squad and support squad, aided by Nohara Rin's medical team, were recovering some of their condition by eating soldier pills and receiving basic medical ninjutsu.
"You're all truly impressive…" Minato stood atop a towering stone spire, one hand in his pocket.
"Just as Hokage-sama said, Konoha's future belongs to you…"
Asuma laughed between heavy breaths. "Don't talk like you're some old man! You idiot…"
"If you're going to concede, now's the time!"
Minato smiled faintly.
Suddenly, he pulled a large number of kunai from his pocket and scattered them across the field like a storm of pear blossoms.
Asuma and the others were momentarily stunned.
What kind of move was that? It hadn't hit anyone at all…
Had he lost his mind? But this blond had always been extremely calm…
Minato took out a tube of lipstick and slowly unsealed it as he recited: "Uzumaki—Descending Dark—Heart-Seal—Light-Wind—Third Form!"
Obito, still lying on the ground, couldn't help but look utterly speechless. How was this guy even more offbeat than him…
What was he even saying?!
In the next instant, golden light burst across the field, as if forming a winding path of radiance.
At the neck of every Ninja Academy student—
There was a deep lipstick mark.
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