First Battle

"So, you've come to assassinate me?"

"I didn't have a choice before... but now, I want to be a good person."

Kushina looked at Minato, then shifted her gaze to Uchiha Sen, feeling a slight itch in her brain.

She couldn't understand why the two of them could discuss such a serious topic in such a flat tone.

Since she couldn't figure it out anyway, she simply focused her energy on the grilled meat in front of her, trusting that Minato could handle it.

Sen picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it thoroughly in sauce, and popped it into his mouth.

The savory aroma of the meat blended perfectly with the sauce, exploding in his mouth and teasing his taste buds with extreme flattery.

He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

If there was anything in this world that could still satisfy him, grilled meat was certainly one of them.

Minato pondered for a long time; if this matter fell into the eyes of those with ulterior motives, they would surely make a mountain out of a molehill.

This was something he did not wish to see.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had said, Minato was a natural talent for the position of Hokage.

"Why tell me? If I recall correctly, this is our first time meeting, right?"

His Adam's apple bobbed as Sen swallowed the food in his mouth.

He picked up his glass and took a sip of water to wash it down—hmm, a bit bland.

"Do you think I have any other choice, Lord Minato?"

Minato was taken aback, re-evaluating the youth before him; the boy's thinking was far too mature.

However, in a ninja world where four-year-olds could already wield blades to kill, mature children were not exactly rare.

His gentle smile returned, and the "Little Sun" was back online.

"What do you want? Or is there something I can help you with?"

Minato chose to accept Uchiha Sen's goodwill, placing a reward on the table.

Dealing with smart people was always pleasant.

Why else would people say he was destined to be the Hokage?

He started right off the bat with a grand promise.

Since the other party had put it that way, Sen didn't stand on ceremony anymore.

"Be my teacher, Lord Minato."

The booth fell into a sudden silence; Kushina stared at him blankly while holding a vegetable, and Minato's smile became slightly strained.

"Um... why don't you choose a different condition? I don't have any plans to take on students yet."

Sen wasn't disappointed; his bold request just now had merely been a test.

He also understood that, given the traditions of the Hokage lineage, it was impossible for them to choose someone with the surname Uchiha.

Sen immediately proposed his second condition.

"Then let me learn Sealing Jutsu."

He said it so casually that the good-natured Minato almost cursed out loud—did he even hear what he was asking for?

"Kid, Minato's Sealing Jutsu was taught by me; you're asking the wrong person!"

Kushina finally couldn't take it anymore, eyeing Sen with a dangerous look as if she might explode into action at any moment.

Uchiha Sen's hand remained steady as he picked up more meat.

With a calm expression, he said, "Is this condition not acceptable either?"

"What do you think?"

"Fine, I spoke out of turn."

Tossing a piece of meat into his mouth, Sen had pretty much gauged their attitudes.

Only then did he steer the conversation onto the right track.

"Minato, Lady Kushina, look... since the Great Elder ordered me to carry out this assassination, shouldn't I at least put on a show? After all, if I hold the initiative, I won't be too passive later on."

He didn't believe Yashiro Uchiha had no backup plans, and Sen had to disrupt the enemy's rhythm.

Minato's intelligence was beyond doubt, and he immediately understood Sen's intent.

"Let's hear it. What do you want to do?"

"Let's have a fight."

Uchiha Sen had planned this for a long time; he might as well use this opportunity to gauge his own strength. Was there any better sparring partner than Minato?

Amidst Kushina's bewildered expression, Minato readily agreed.

"Training Ground 23. That place should be suitable."

Once the three of them arrived, Uchiha Sen finally understood what Minato meant by "suitable."

This training ground was only open to ninja clans, and since not many people came here to train, there were only a few scattered individuals active in the area.

Even if an accident were to occur, the news would only circulate among the ninja clans.

"Let us begin, Lord Minato."

"Sen-kun, please bring out your full strength."

The moment Minato appeared at the training ground, he drew the attention of everyone nearby.

He was truly worthy of being called the man who shone like the sun; the few people in the field stopped their training the moment he appeared.

Groups of three or five gathered together, watching the trio from afar without getting too close.

Kushina was a bit puzzled by Sen's request, but she did not stop him, instead watching the two in the field with great interest.

A gentle breeze blew by.

A fallen leaf drifted between the two.

The instant Minato's gaze rested on the leaf.

Uchiha Sen—moved!

The afterimage left at his starting position had not yet dissipated.

The fallen leaf was suddenly split in two.

"Clang!"

The sound of a short blade clashing against a specialized kunai suddenly rang out.

"So fast!"

The onlookers spoke instinctively, their shock deepening as they lost sight of Sen.

Next, only two shadows could be seen gathering and dispersing in the field, with sparks from clashing weapons flickering like stars.

The speed of Sen's movements far exceeded everyone's expectations.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang..."

For a time, their eyes could not keep up with the speed of the two, leaving only the continuous sound of metal striking metal.

"Is he really a student who hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet?"

As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina saw much more detail.

Although this speed posed no threat to Minato, Sen had not even used the Body Flicker Technique yet; in other words... at this moment, he was relying entirely on his physical strength to trade blows with Minato.

Exhilarating!

It had been a long time since Uchiha Sen felt this satisfied; for three years, under the witness of everyone, a genius had fallen.

Who could possibly understand his bitterness?

Now that he was liberated, he felt as if he had broken free from his shackles.

Sen's movements grew faster and faster, his body following his will, his attacks becoming increasingly sharp.

At the same time.

As his opponent, Minato Namikaze was secretly marveling in his heart.

Although, given his current strength, Sen's attacks still appeared immature.

Yet, from Sen's swordsmanship, he truly saw something different.

How should he put it? Sen was still using the Uchiha clan's swordsmanship, but the underlying principles had changed.

Or rather, in terms of swordsmanship alone, Sen had already carved out his own path.

Little did Minato know that Sen was following a path of overwhelming brute force; as the fight progressed, all redundant sword techniques were discarded.

It was a process of simplifying the complex.

Ten minutes later.

Seeing that Sen was still relying on taijutsu and had no intention of using ninjutsu, Minato decided to end the spar.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Three kunai flew in a triangular formation, sealing off Sen's room for maneuver.

Minato chose his timing with extreme precision, striking exactly when his opponent's old strength was spent and his new strength had yet to arise.

At the critical moment.

Sen's movements were faster than his consciousness.

Relying on his 20 points in the "Life" attribute, he defied common sense and generated a second burst of strength.

The tip of his blade extended by an inch, just enough to deflect the kunai flying toward his face.

In truth, it was not the blade that extended, but his right arm.

Seizing the gap, Uchiha Sen dodged out of the kill zone, only to find that he had lost sight of Minato.

When?

The thought had barely surfaced when a fist struck his chest.

Minato had struck from his blind spot, landing a successful blow.

Now.

Sen formed a seal with one hand, channeling his jutsu.

"Poof!"

The body that had been struck transformed into a stream of water, while he himself had already appeared five meters away.

It wasn't over yet.

The bursting water seemed to possess a life of its own, coiling toward Minato in strands until it formed a water python, binding him in its center.

If anyone were to observe from up close, they would notice—

The water python was not a simple Water Style; its scales were rendered in minute detail, and the muscle texture within was no different from that of a real snake.

Minato tested it; the constricting force of the water python was not much less than that of a large summoning beast, and its strength was enough to restrain a Jonin for a short time.

What surprised him even more was... the water python was also absorbing his chakra to increase its own strength.

What a remarkable technique!

Minato marveled to himself.

Though it takes time to describe, the transition between offense and defense for the two had been completed in the blink of an eye.

Except for Kushina, the other spectators were all stunned into silence, four words involuntarily popping into their minds.

Technique approaching the Dao.

The "Water Python Technique" had appeared in the ninja world for the first time.

It was a new type of ninjutsu created through Water Element Mastery.

However, this technique had consumed the little chakra Uchiha Sen had left, and he felt a wave of weakness wash over him.

"Sen, you truly live up to the name of a genius."

A custom kunai was pressed against Uchiha Sen's neck, the biting chill of the blade causing his muscles to tighten involuntarily.

Minato's voice came from behind him.

Looking back, there was no sign of Minato; what the water python was coiled around was merely a wooden log.

"Is this the strength of an elite Jonin? The gap is truly despair-inducing!"

Although he knew defeat was inevitable, when Sen truly perceived the gap between them, a sense of loss was unavoidable.

One had to remember, Minato's two signature moves had not even been used.

There was no need to mention the Rasengan, and he hadn't even had the chance to witness the Flying Thunder God.

Minato put away his kunai and patted Sen on the shoulder in approval.

"You don't need to belittle yourself, kid. When I was your age, I didn't have your current strength."

The spar over, Kushina walked over gracefully.

"Sen, what was the name of that technique just now? Did you develop it yourself?"

"Water Python Technique."

Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance, their expressions unable to hide their amazement.

How should one describe this technique? It possessed both control and lethality, and its activation was ingenious, making it very difficult to guard against.

Overall, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to give it an A-rank rating.

If there were further development, this technique had the potential to become an S-rank ninjutsu.

One had to remember, Sen was only nine years old, and he had already perfectly displayed his talent.

Thinking of this, Minato accepted Sen from the bottom of his heart, and the shift in his attitude felt perfectly natural.

"Alright, we've eaten and we've sparred; it's time to get down to business, don't you think?"

At this moment, Minato was like an old friend of many years, the sense of estrangement completely gone.

"Fine, business comes first."

Sen straightened his clothes, his moon-white training outfit highlighting the elegance of his youth.

"Lord Minato, since the assassination failed, I... Uchiha Sen! Leave myself to your disposal."

He spoke very formally, and of course, very loudly—loud enough that every word he uttered reached the ears of everyone in the training ground clearly.

Minato understood Sen's intention and said with a smile, "You..."

[Reputation from Higashino Shin +1]

[Reputation from Mito Taro +1]

[Reputation from Kushina +1]

[Reputation from Minato +10]

Staring at the steadily increasing reputation points, the corners of Xian's mouth gradually curled upward.

As expected, just as he had envisioned, this was the correct way to farm reputation.

But why were there still a few who hadn't contributed any points? Could it be that he hadn't shouted loudly enough?

It wasn't until the three of them left the training ground that the surrounding crowd finally recovered from their shock.

"I didn't mishear that, did I? Assassination? Lord Minato?"

"It shouldn't be wrong; I heard it too."

"He seemed to call himself Uchiha... right, I think his name is Xian."

"He's an Uchiha? Put that way, it actually makes some sense."

While the explosive news that the Uchiha had sent someone to assassinate Minato spread rapidly among the various ninja clans.

Minato Namikaze was already standing before the Hokage, reporting everything that had happened today truthfully to Hiruzen Sarutobi.