Kizaru carefully controlled both the size and the power of the lasers, firing one thin beam after another from the tip of his index finger.
Each beam was only as thin as a strand of hair.
Their power was deliberately kept low. As long as they didn't strike a vital spot, they wouldn't truly injure the four little ones—at most, they would feel a sharp sting.
There were two reasons Kizaru had chosen this dodgeball-like training method.
First, he wanted to test Namikaze Minato's reaction speed and see for himself whether it really was as exceptional as he remembered.
Second, he wanted to train the reaction speed, physical coordination, and stamina of all four children at once.
Under Kizaru's rules, none of them were allowed to use cover. They could only remain out in the open and rely purely on movement to dodge.
By now, all four looked thoroughly used.
And among them, the one Kizaru had "taken special care of" the most—Namikaze Minato—looked the worst on the surface.
Still, Kizaru, who had been paying closest attention to Minato from the start, noticed something interesting.
Even with that extra pressure, Minato had actually been hit the fewest times out of all four.
So it was true.
When it came to raw reaction speed, Namikaze Minato's talent really was outstanding.
The dodging training went on for half an hour.
By the last few minutes, all four were visibly reaching their limit. Their movements had slowed, their breathing had grown ragged, and exhaustion was written all over their faces.
Among them, Minato's fatigue was the most obvious.
His stamina had almost run dry.
At last, Kizaru lifted his glowing index finger to his mouth and gave a light blow, dispersing the golden light at the tip.
"That's enough. Game over."
The moment they heard him say it, all four children dropped to the ground on the spot, gasping for air.
Kizaru walked over calmly and pulled each of them back to their feet one by one before returning to the center of the field.
Then he began the post-training review.
"Shimura Yoshihiko."
The moment his name was called, Yoshihiko instantly straightened up and looked at Kizaru eagerly.
"You were hit fifteen times."
The excitement immediately drained from Yoshihiko's face.
He lowered his head, clearly feeling his performance had been terrible.
"Shimura Yuki. You were hit twelve times."
Yuki smiled at Kizaru after hearing it, though she wisely refrained from turning to show off in front of Yoshihiko.
"Shimura Tannin. Fifteen times."
Disappointment flickered across Tannin's face as well, and he lowered his head just like Yoshihiko.
"Namikaze Minato—"
When Kizaru called his name, he looked at him with a small, encouraging smile before continuing.
"You did well. Only nine times."
The moment they heard that, Yoshihiko and Tannin both looked up again and turned toward Minato.
Minato, now under everyone's gaze, gave a gentle, embarrassed smile and scratched the back of his head.
Yuki, meanwhile, clenched her small hands silently.
She didn't look at Minato.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Kizaru.
After hearing him praise Minato, she made a firm vow in her heart—
next time, she would take first place and earn Kizaru-nii's praise for herself.
After announcing the results, Kizaru swept his eyes over the four small faces, each wearing a different expression, and gave his overall evaluation.
"You all did well just now."
Then he looked at Minato first.
"Especially you, Minato-kun. Your reaction speed is excellent. You should focus on developing that more from now on. But your stamina's a bit weak, so you'll need to work on that too."
Hearing Kizaru's evaluation, Minato nodded gratefully.
"I understand."
Next, Kizaru turned toward the other three boys.
"Yoshihiko and Tannin, even though your scores were tied for worst, the problems aren't actually the same."
He looked at Tannin first.
"Tannin, your reaction speed isn't slow. Your main issue is your physical condition—especially your explosiveness. You'll need to work on that more."
Then he shifted to Yoshihiko.
"As for you, Yoshihiko... your body's fine, but your reactions are a little too slow. Focus on improving that."
"I'll train harder, Kizaru-nii!" Yoshihiko replied at once, looking determined.
"I understand, Kizaru-nii," Tannin said as well, nodding obediently.
After going over the boys, Kizaru finally turned toward Yuki.
Among the four, Yuki had the strongest will.
And she usually trained the hardest too.
Kizaru knew that very well.
So instead of addressing her from a distance, he walked over to her directly and gave her shoulder a light pat.
"Yuki, you did really well just now."
He praised her gently first, then continued,
"But like Tannin, your explosive power is a little lacking. The two of you can work on that together from now on."
Yuki nodded.
She said nothing, but the determination in her eyes only grew firmer.
Once he had finished with her, Kizaru returned to the center and faced the four of them again.
"Alright then," he said lightly. "Now go do your own training."
Then, after a pause, he looked specifically at Yoshihiko and added,
"Yoshihiko, train together with Minato-kun."
A faint twist of reluctance passed through Yoshihiko's heart, but he didn't argue.
He nodded obediently.
"Got it, Kizaru-san."
Then he walked over to Minato on his own and invited him to train together.
Once Kizaru saw the four of them begin their individual practice, he stretched lazily and started his own training as well.
Meanwhile, over in the Uchiha clan district, the atmosphere was unusually lively.
The reason was simple.
Uchiha Inari, who had just turned six, had awakened the Sharingan.
Even in the history of the Uchiha clan, awakening the Sharingan at only six years old was rare.
The moment the news spread, clan members and elders alike began making their way over to the Inari family home.
At the center of all that attention, Uchiha Inari stood surrounded by elders, opening his Sharingan again and again for everyone to see.
"Our Uchiha clan has produced another genius!"
"I said it before, didn't I? That child had talent."
"Inari's future is bright!"
Hearing the elders praise him like that, while his parents laughed happily behind him, filled Uchiha Inari with a joy so pure it nearly made him float.
To a six-year-old child, there was no gift greater than praise from one's parents and elders.
His little face was glowing.
The corners of his mouth lifted higher and higher.
In all his life, Uchiha Inari had never felt this happy or this satisfied.
Then, one of the elders asked the question everyone was curious about.
"Inari, how exactly did you awaken the Sharingan?"
"I..."
Inari opened his mouth—
and stopped.
How had he awakened it?
Because that bastard Hyūga Tōda had pissed him off so badly he nearly exploded.
The moment that truth surfaced in his mind, embarrassment hit him hard.
That reason was just too humiliating.
He didn't want to say it.
But under the expectant, curious gazes of all the elders around him, Inari hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.
"This morning... Hyūga Tōda from our class mocked me. I got so angry that my eyes awakened."
The moment he finished, a faint flush spread across his little face.
Unable to bear their eyes any longer, he lowered his head.
He awakened it... from anger?
The surrounding Uchiha all looked at one another.
A few of them clearly hadn't expected that answer.
Then someone asked the obvious follow-up.
"What exactly did that Hyūga child say?"
Inari took a breath and continued.
"He first started talking about Kizaru-san. He said our Uchiha clan wasn't worthy of being Kizaru-san's opponent, and that only he was."
The moment those words were repeated, quite a few of the proud Uchiha present showed immediate anger.
Clearly, Hyūga Tōda's words had struck a nerve.
"I got angry and stood up to question him," Inari continued. "Then he activated his Byakugan and said that since I was already six and still hadn't awakened my eyes, I wasn't qualified to talk to him."
As soon as Uchiha Inari finished speaking, the surrounding Uchiha all went quiet. Even they were momentarily speechless at how vicious that Hyūga brat's mouth was.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 200 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.