Outstanding

On a large tree branch, Yang Xing saw Minato Namikaze approaching and simply raised both hands, calm and composed.

"Fourth Hokage, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Something to discuss?" Minato stopped a few meters in front of Yang Xing. His eyes were still wary as he glanced toward a nearby clump of grass, narrowing them slightly. A faint smile touched his lips as he muttered, "I didn't expect this kid to get an accomplice to help him."

Yang Xing seemed not to notice that Minato had realized there was an ambush. Still calm, he smiled and said, "I'd like to ask you for something."

"What is it?"

"It's simple. If I manage to get your bells without touching them first..." Yang Xing's gaze sharpened, and he looked at Minato seriously. "I want you to admit that you lost."

"Oh? Interesting." Minato had to admit his expression shifted. At that moment, Yang Xing stirred a strange excitement in him. "You've got a lot of nerve, claiming you can take my bells. Are you really that confident?"

Across the Five Great Nations, few ninja could keep up with his speed. Even the Lightning ninja of the Land of Lightning could barely touch him when he was serious. Yet this kid, with barely any chakra and no idea how to use it, claimed he could take his bells.

Minato was intrigued. His blood was practically starting to boil with excitement.

"Let's not worry about that yet. I just want you to agree first, Fourth Hokage. If I get them, you have to admit you lost." Yang Xing spoke slowly and clearly, his gaze solemn.

Minato had no reason to refuse. He also wanted to see what tricks the kid had up his sleeve and how he planned to keep up with Minato's speed.

"I agree. If you really manage to take them..." Minato touched the bells at his waist and replied just as seriously, "I'll admit defeat this once. After all, I don't believe anyone can take my bells. Kid, show me what you've got."

If someone really could do it, Minato wouldn't mind admitting defeat, whether it was a fight or a game.

"Then let's begin." A smile flickered across Yang Xing's lips. He formed Hand Seals and called out in an ordinary voice, "Clone Technique!"

His movements were smooth, but the technique itself was unremarkable. Minato's eyes grew more and more astonished as Yang Xing created a clone, just like him, and casually took out a Shuriken. The clone aimed it at Minato and flung it toward him.

Minato moved at once, charging forward without a moment's hesitation.

"At this distance, you can't possibly hit me. You're too naive, kid." Minato found it amusing. His eyes flicked toward the woods nearby, a hint of a smile on his face, while he kept Yang Xing in his sights. "Even with Rin helping you, you still can't touch me. Just give up, Yang Xing."

The projectile missed. Yang Xing stood completely still, without making a move. A trace of wariness flashed in Minato's eyes, and he slowed down.

"Now!" Yang Xing shouted. Minato halted for a moment, instinctively starting to dodge.

But then—whoosh, whoosh!

"Another projectile? Is this guy trying the same trick again? There's no way it could hit me. No, wait—the projectile's headed the wrong way. It's aimed at that kid!" Minato's expression changed in alarm, and he immediately moved.

Yang Xing was a gem, someone who might grow into one of Konoha's finest ninja. Minato couldn't just let him get hurt.

He lunged forward and caught the Kunai flying in from the side with one hand. His body was now completely turned sideways, exposing himself to Yang Xing. The instant he caught the Kunai, Minato's heart sank. This is bad, that kid...

Clang!

"Fourth Hokage—no, Minato-sensei, I win, right?" Yang Xing smiled, holding a bell in one hand.

"You little rascal." Minato was both frustrated and annoyed. He turned to snatch the bell back, but Yang Xing had already anticipated him and tossed it toward someone emerging from the woods.

"Hey, Rin, catch!"

"Oh!" Rin Nohara, still looking shaken, caught the bell. She looked at Yang Xing with a complicated expression.

Seeing there was no way to get the bell back, Minato grabbed Yang Xing. "Hey, do you have a death wish? Do you even know what you were doing just now?"

"Haha, Minato-sensei, I only know you should remember what I said. I won, right?" Yang Xing grinned.

Looking at the kid's smile, Minato felt helpless, with nowhere to direct his irritation.

"You..." Minato didn't know what to say as he studied Yang Xing's smiling face. He could only meet his eyes and say seriously, "Don't ever do something like that again."

"No, no, Fourth Hokage—no, Minato-sensei, you don't understand." Yang Xing's expression turned serious. His smile faded, and he spoke earnestly. "I really did win this time."

"How can you call winning with a trick like that?" Minato said, exasperated.

Yang Xing's serious expression didn't change. His voice was calm. "But wasn't this match meant to show what friendship is?"

Minato: "..."

Minato studied Yang Xing. The kid didn't seem like a child at all, but like a grown man. No, he seemed to have thought things through more thoroughly than Minato himself.

Just as Minato had thought, Yang Xing's words eased his frustration. "Minato-sensei, I got Rin Nohara, a medical ninja, to throw a projectile at me without the slightest hesitation. Doesn't that prove how much we trust each other? And wasn't the whole point of this match to deepen our friendship? Minato-sensei, doesn't that mean I won?"

That was right. Friendship was the whole point of the game.

Minato's expression softened. He couldn't help glancing at Rin Nohara. His face returned to its usual calm, and he let go of Yang Xing before straightening up again.

"Kid—no, Yang Xing, you're right!" Now that he understood what Yang Xing meant, Minato beamed. "I really hadn't thought of it that way. Hahaha! I can't believe you understood what I was trying to do. I really did lose just now—and I lost completely."

Minato shook his head with a smile, admitting defeat without hesitation.

A faint sound by his ear made Yang Xing happy, too.

Task completed outstandingly. Task rating: five stars, full marks!

"Good! A full five-star rating. The reward must be amazing! All that effort paid off. I really am an all-around genius, haha!"