Chickens Pecking at Each Other

"Let's begin."

Teacher Takashima looked at Minato and Kushina, who stood on opposite sides, and said softly as he stepped out of the ring.

Minato and Kushina both extended their right hands, index and middle fingers together, forming the opposing hand seals.

"Hah!"

As soon as the salute was finished, Kushina shouted coldly, lunging forward like a ferocious tiger, her pink fists mercilessly aimed at Minato's handsome face.

"Tsk!"

Katsuki stood outside the training ground, clicking his tongue as he watched. Once his older sister got worked up, she really didn't care at all that she was a girl.

"Good spirit, just a bit slow on the speed."

Minato's feet slid, his body sinking at the waist. He dodged Kushina's punch with a sideward tilt of his head, slick as an eel. He then pushed his right shoulder upward, directly colliding with Kushina's elbow joint. With a slight yelp of pain from Kushina, her right arm felt numb and weak, temporarily incapacitated.

However, Kushina was quite stubborn. Enduring the numbness in her right arm, she bent her right knee and lifted her leg, charging towards Minato's face.

"Ah... aiming for the face, so ruthless!" Katsuki felt he couldn't watch anymore. Was his sister jealous of Minato's good looks? Why was she always going for his face?

Minato, however, remained completely calm. His reaction speed was incredibly fast. He crossed his arms in front of him, taking Kushina's knee strike head-on. He then seized the opportunity to deliver a sweeping leg kick. Kushina, caught off guard, sat down on the ground with a thud.

The battle ended in an instant!

"Are you okay? Your arm might be numb for a while, but it'll recover quickly." Minato smiled and extended his hand to Kushina, who was sitting on the ground. Kushina stared wide-eyed, sitting dazed on the ground.

Looking at Minato's smiling face, Kushina's eyebrows furrowed. She snorted coldly and stood up without acknowledging Minato.

"Alright, alright, don't worry about winning or losing. You lost this time, try harder to win next time. Let's do the handshake seal!" Teacher Takashima walked over, a wide smile on his face. Minato's strength was improving with every passing day, and he, as his teacher, felt honored.

Watching the two perform the handshake seal in the ring, Katsuki began to stretch his limbs. It was his turn next.

Minato was truly formidable. Katsuki and Kushina had sparred many times, and he knew his sister's strength well. He had initially guessed she might lose, but he hadn't expected her to lose so quickly.

"His speed has gotten faster again." The black-haired boy stared intently at Minato, as if talking to himself. "Minato's reflexes are terrifyingly fast. If you get even a slight opening in close combat with him, you'll face a storm of attacks, fast and fierce."

"Is that so!"

Katsuki stroked his chin, recalling the brief exchange. Kushina had rushed in too eagerly at the start, leaving herself too open. Then Minato had bumped and tripped her, easily taking her down, just as the black-haired boy had described.

"It's our turn." The black-haired boy quickly stepped onto the field. The smiling Minato and the grumpy Kushina had already retreated.

Standing in the center of the field, Katsuki looked at the black-haired boy opposite him. Looking at him face-to-face, he seemed increasingly familiar...

"Ah! You're the guy from the hallway earlier! Thanks for giving me directions."

Katsuki slapped his forehead, finally remembering who the person in front of him was. No wonder he felt so familiar.

"..."

The black-haired boy's face darkened, his brows and eyes filled with 'killing intent.' He was incredibly annoyed. Who was this guy, taking so long to recognize him? Was he that insignificant?

"Uzumaki Katsuki, please guide me." Katsuki smiled and formed the opposing hand seals.

"Uchiha Otoha."

The black-haired boy replied coldly, his face sour and displeased. He patiently returned the salute, determined to teach this guy a lesson.

Shadow Clone Jutsu.

In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Otoha completed the hand seals. Two identical figures charged towards Katsuki, one on the left and one on the right, their expressions and movements indistinguishable.

"This won't fool me."

Katsuki bent low, lowering his center of gravity. His hands clenched into fists like spears, and the muscles beneath his clothes bulged. He struck towards the left Uchiha Otoha, completely ignoring the punch coming from the right. As the fist touched Katsuki's hair, it vanished like a fleeting illusion.

Uchiha Otoha's reaction was also excellent. He hadn't expected to defeat Katsuki with such a trick.

Although it was when Katsuki was caught off guard, he had still been pinned by his shoulders in the hallway. This was a humiliation! He had to win back his honor with his fists.

Facing Katsuki's punches, he calmly stopped his forward momentum. His fists transformed into palms, fingers together like a blade, slashing diagonally towards Katsuki's wrist. The momentum was like a long sword cutting through the air. If it had hit his wrist, Katsuki wouldn't have been able to use his hand for three to five days.

"Tch."

Katsuki clicked his tongue. He quickly withdrew his fist, which hadn't yet landed, and dodged Otoha's palm strike.

After a brief exchange of probing attacks, neither of them had even touched the other's clothes. However, it had been far from easy. If either of them had been a fraction slower, the outcome would likely have been decided.

A bit tricky, Katsuki thought.

As expected, he's difficult to deal with, Otoha thought.

Outside the training ground, Minato watched the battle intently. Before Katsuki and Kushina, during the class's usual sparring sessions, only Otoha could match him. Now, it seemed Katsuki was not much weaker than Otoha. It looked like he would have another sparring partner in the future.

Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen and a young man with long white hair were hunched together, looking as if they were watching a porno. Well, it was similar to a porno, but not an ordinary one. The crystal ball showed the battle scene between Katsuki and Otoha.

"Jiraiya, what do you think of these little guys?" Hiruzen asked his disciple with a smile.

"Tch, a fight between weaklings, nothing more." Jiraiya scoffed dismissively, but quickly added, "Only that blonde kid is a bit interesting. He handles things with apparent ease, and there's something to watch."

"Haha, you truly are a fool to say that. You weren't much better than these kids back then." Hiruzen burst into laughter.

On the training ground, Katsuki and Otoha were still fighting.

Compared to the swift conclusion of Minato's match, their fight was dragging on. They engaged in constant probing, repeatedly touching and retreating, neither relying on brute force but rather a contest of skill and speed.

"Your reaction speed is quite fast. Are you a rabbit?" Katsuki gritted his teeth. Otoha's speed was a notch slower than his, but his reaction ability was excellent, always blocking his attacks and attempting to counter.

"Thank you for the compliment. After fighting Minato so many times, I can't afford to be slow! One step slow and I lose. As for you, your speed is terrifyingly fast, not inferior even to Minato."

Otoha focused his mind and intent, his movements unwavering even as he spoke.