First Battle

"So you came to assassinate me?"

"I had no choice before... Now I want to be a good person."

Kushina glanced at Minato, then turned her gaze to Uchiha Xian, feeling a little itch in her head.

She couldn't understand how the two of them could discuss such a serious topic in such casual tones.

Since she couldn't make sense of it anyway, she simply focused on the grilled meat in front of her, trusting Minato to handle things.

Xian picked up a piece of grilled meat, coated it in sauce, and put it in his mouth.

The savory aroma of the meat mingled perfectly with the sauce, exploding across his palate and teasing his taste buds with shameless delight.

He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

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

Minato pondered for a long while. If this matter caught the attention of someone with ulterior motives, they might make a great deal of it.

That was something he didn't want to see.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had said, Minato was born to be Hokage.

"Why are you telling me? If I remember correctly, this is the first time we've met, right?"

Xian swallowed the food in his mouth.

He picked up his cup and washed it down with a sip of water. Hmm, a little bland.

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

Minato was taken aback and studied the boy in front of him again. His thinking was far too mature.

Still, in the Ninja World, where children could wield knives and chop people down at the age of four, mature kids weren't uncommon.

His gentle smile returned. The little sun was back.

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

Minato accepted Uchiha Xian's goodwill, and put his repayment on the table.

Working with a clever person was always a pleasure.

No wonder he'd grow up to become Hokage.

He was offering a grand promise right from the start.

Since Minato had put it that way, Xian wouldn't hold back.

"Be my teacher, Lord Minato."

The private room fell silent. Kushina froze with a piece of vegetable between her chopsticks and stared at him, while Minato's smile turned a little strained.

"Um... Could you ask for something else? I'm not planning to take on a student."

Xian wasn't disappointed. His outrageous request had only been a test.

He also understood that, given the Hokage faction's line of succession, they couldn't possibly choose someone with the Uchiha name.

Xian immediately made a second request.

"Then teach me Sealing Jutsu."

He said it so casually that even good-natured Minato nearly cursed. Did the kid even hear himself?

"Kid, I taught Minato all his Sealing Jutsu. You've asked the wrong person!"

Kushina had finally had enough. She eyed Xian dangerously, as if she might leap at him at any moment.

Uchiha Xian's hand remained steady as he picked up another piece of grilled meat.

He said calmly, "Is this request out of the question too?"

"What do you think?"

"Fine, I shouldn't have said anything."

He tossed a piece of grilled meat into his mouth. Xian had more or less gauged their attitudes.

Only then did he steer the conversation back on track.

"Lord Minato, Lady Kushina, look... Since the Great Elder ordered me to assassinate you, shouldn't I at least make it look like I tried? After all, if I take the initiative, I won't be so passive going forward."

He didn't believe Uchiha Yashiro had no backup plan. Xian had to disrupt his enemy's rhythm.

Minato's intelligence was beyond question. He immediately understood what Xian had in mind.

"Go on. What do you want to do?"

"Let's have a fight."

Uchiha Xian had already made up his mind. This was the perfect chance to find out where his strength stood. Could he ask for a better sparring partner than Minato?

While Kushina stared at them in confusion, Minato readily agreed.

"Training Ground 23 should work."

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

The training ground was only open to the ninja clans, and few people came here to train. At the moment, only a handful were moving around the field.

Even if something unexpected happened, the news would only spread among the clans.

"Let's begin, Lord Minato."

"Xian, show me everything you've got."

As soon as Minato appeared on the training ground, he drew the attention of those nearby.

No wonder he was known as the man who shone like the sun. The moment he showed up, the few people on the field stopped training.

Three or five people gathered together and watched from a distance without coming too close.

Kushina didn't quite understand why Xian had made the request, but she didn't stop him. Instead, she watched the two men with interest.

A gentle breeze swept past.

A fallen leaf drifted between them.

The instant Minato's gaze settled on the leaf—

Uchiha Xian moved!

His afterimage hadn't yet faded from where he'd been standing.

The leaf suddenly split in two.

Clang!

The sound of a short sword striking a specially made Kunai rang out.

"So fast!"

One of the onlookers blurted out, having lost sight of Xian in his shock.

The two figures on the field darted together and apart, sparks flashing wherever their weapons met.

Xian's speed far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

For a moment, no one could keep up with their movements. All that remained was the continuous clang of metal against metal.

"Is he really still a student at the Ninja Academy?"

As a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina could make out more of the details.

Though Xian's speed posed no threat to Minato, Xian hadn't even used the Body Flicker Technique. That meant... he was relying entirely on his physical strength to fight Minato.

This was exhilarating!

Uchiha Xian hadn't felt this good in a long time. For three years, everyone had watched a genius fall.

Who could understand how stifled he'd felt?

Now that he'd finally broken free, he felt as if he'd shaken off his chains.

Xian moved faster and faster, his body following his will as his attacks grew more ferocious.

Meanwhile,

his opponent, Minato Namikaze, was secretly amazed.

By his current standards, Xian's attacks were still somewhat immature.

But Minato could see something different in Xian's swordsmanship.

How to put it? Xian was still using the Uchiha Clan's swordsmanship, but the principles behind it had changed.

Or rather, as far as swordsmanship went, Xian had already carved out his own path.

Minato had no idea that Xian's approach was simply to overpower his opponent with brute force. As they fought, Xian discarded every unnecessary sword move.

It was a little like reducing complexity to simplicity.

More than ten minutes later,

Minato saw that Xian was still relying on Taijutsu and showed no intention of using a ninjutsu, so he decided to end the match.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three Kunai flew in a triangular formation, sealing off Xian's room to maneuver.

Minato had chosen his moment with great precision, striking just as Xian's old strength had run out and his new strength had yet to rise.

At the crucial moment,

Xian moved faster than he could think.

Relying on his 20-point "Life" attribute, he somehow managed to generate strength a second time, defying common sense.

The blade extended a full inch, just enough to knock away the Kunai aimed at his face.

In truth, it wasn't the blade that had extended, but his right arm.

Seizing the opening, Uchiha Xian slipped out of the deadly trap, only to realize he'd lost sight of Minato.

When had he—

The thought had barely formed when a fist struck him in the chest.

Minato attacked from his blind spot and landed a clean hit.

Now!

Xian formed a Hand Seal with one hand and activated his technique.

Bang!

The body that had been hit turned into a stream of water, while Xian himself appeared five meters away.

It wasn't over yet.

The burst of water seemed to come alive. Streams of it climbed toward Minato, finally turning into a Water Python that coiled around him.

Anyone looking closely would have noticed—

The Water Python wasn't a simple Water Release technique. Every scale was rendered in exquisite detail, and the texture of its muscles was indistinguishable from that of a real snake.

Minato tested it. The Water Python's constricting force was no weaker than that of a large summoning beast, strong enough to restrain a High Ninja for a short time.

What surprised him even more was that... the Water Python was also absorbing his Chakra to strengthen itself.

What an impressive technique!

Minato marveled inwardly.

The exchange had been over in the blink of an eye, despite how long it took to describe.

Everyone watching except Kushina was left staring in shock. Four words involuntarily surfaced in their minds:

Skill approaching perfection.

The Water Python Technique had made its first appearance in the Ninja World.

It was a new ninjutsu created through Water Element Mastery.

But the technique had also drained what little Chakra Uchiha Xian had to begin with. He felt weak now.

"Xian, you truly live up to your reputation as a genius."

A specially made Kunai rested against Uchiha Xian's neck. Its icy edge made the muscles all over his body tense instinctively.

Minato's voice came from behind him.

But when he looked back, there was no sign of Minato. The Water Python had only been coiled around a tree stump.

"So this is the strength of an Elite High Ninja? The gap is truly despairing."

Although Xian had known he was bound to lose, he couldn't help feeling disappointed when he truly sensed the difference between them.

After all, Minato hadn't even used his two signature techniques.

There was no need to mention the Rasengan, and he hadn't even gotten to see the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Minato put away his Kunai and patted Xian's shoulder in approval.

"Don't underestimate yourself, kid. When I was your age, I wasn't as strong as you are now."

After the match, Kushina walked over at an unhurried pace.

"Xian, what was that technique called? Did you develop it yourself?"

"The Water Python Technique."

Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance, unable to hide the admiration in their eyes.

How to describe the technique? It combined restraint and lethality, and its unusual activation made it difficult to defend against.

All things considered, an A-rank rating wouldn't be an exaggeration.

With further development, the technique could even become an S-rank ninjutsu.

After all, Xian was only nine years old, yet he'd already displayed his talent so perfectly.

Thinking of this, Minato genuinely came to recognize Xian. His change in attitude felt only natural.

"All right, we've eaten and fought. It's time to take care of the real business, don't you think?"

Minato now sounded like an old friend. All traces of unfamiliarity had disappeared.

"Fine. The real business comes first."

Xian straightened his clothes, looking every bit the dashing young man in his moon-white outfit.

"Lord Minato, since the assassination failed, I... Uchiha Xian! I submit myself to your judgment."

He spoke formally, and loudly enough that every word carried clearly to everyone on the training ground.

Minato understood what Xian was trying to do and said with a smile, "You..."

[Reputation +1 from Higashino Shin]

[Reputation +1 from Mito Taro]

[Reputation +1 from Kushina]

[Reputation from Minato +10]

Watching his reputation continue to rise, Xian's lips gradually curled into a smile.

Just as he'd expected, this was the right way to farm reputation.

But why hadn't a few people given him any reputation? Had he not shouted loudly enough?

Only after the three of them left the training ground did the people around them recover from their shock.

"Did I hear that right? An assassination? Lord Minato?"

"I think so. I heard it too."

"He seemed to call himself an Uchiha... Right, I think his name was Xian."

"He's an Uchiha? That would explain a lot."

As 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, truthfully reporting everything that had happened that day to Hiruzen Sarutobi.