Battle Against Minato

"Hmm, his name is Minato Namikaze, and he is one of the top powerhouses in the Ninja Academy," the principal said.

"Minato Namikaze? It's him." Qingyun felt a jolt of shock in his heart, followed by a surge of excitement. A young Minato—he was about to fight the future Fourth Hokage; he couldn't be happier.

"By the way, I haven't asked yet, what is your name, little one?" the principal asked.

"My name is Qingyun. Principal, may I ask for your name as well?"

"Just call me Teacher Ikkaku," the principal replied with a smile.

Ring-a-ling-ling! The Ninja Academy bell rang. The students didn't leave; instead, they gathered around the playground. During their classes, an announcement had been made: a three-and-a-half-year-old child was going to challenge the Ninja Academy's top graduating talent—Minato Namikaze!

Everyone flocked to the playground to watch the spectacle: students, teachers, and even some parents.

Standing on the playground, the blond youth already stood his ground. There was no arrogance in his eyes, only caution.

"Hello!" Minato Namikaze was very refined. Without a hint of condescension toward Qingyun, he bowed politely, ensuring his etiquette was perfect before preparing to strike.

Seeing how polite the other boy was, Qingyun naturally couldn't be too blunt. He returned a slight bow, then readied himself for combat.

"Begin!" Teacher Ikkaku didn't waste any words. Seeing that both were prepared, he announced the start of the match.

The moment Teacher Ikkaku finished shouting, Minato Namikaze moved.

Although Minato Namikaze had not yet mastered the heaven-defying Flying Thunder God at this stage, his ninjutsu and combat style were still shockingly fast.

As Qingyun charged toward him, Minato threw a kunai.

With no other choice, Qingyun raised his own kunai to deflect the incoming blade.

Minato Namikaze dictated the rhythm of the battle, using the kunai as cover before throwing a punch.

However, while Minato Namikaze was fast, Qingyun was no slouch either.

Qingyun finished his hand seals and shouted, "Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Technique!"

Suddenly, two more Qingyuns appeared. The surrounding children and teachers were stunned by the sight.

"No way! Is this really a fight between kids? He can actually use such a high-level ninjutsu!"

"This kid really is a prodigy! No wonder the Third Hokage allowed him to fight Minato Namikaze!"

"It's terrifying. He looks like he's not even four years old, yet he can use the Shadow Clone Technique so skillfully?"

"What!? Is he not running out of chakra!?" Minato Namikaze felt a flicker of panic.

Although he was the strongest in the Ninja Academy, he had never seen a student capable of using Shadow Clones before.

"Haha! This is interesting!" Minato Namikaze quickly shook off his panic, feeling delighted instead. He was thrilled to have finally encountered such an interesting opponent.

"Here I come!" Seeing Minato distracted, Qingyun gave a quick warning before charging at him alongside his shadow clones.

"It won't be that easy! Watch out!" Minato Namikaze threw several more kunai at Qingyun, but this time, it wasn't so simple.

Minato performed a set of seals and declared, "Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

This technique was equivalent to the Kunai Shadow Clone, using chakra to create physical kunai that could inflict real damage. It was a difficult move, and Qingyun hadn't expected Minato to have mastered it.

Minato Namikaze's genius was beyond doubt. Even Qingyun hadn't anticipated that a student who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy could use such powerful ninjutsu with such ease.

Countless shadow-cloned kunai blasted toward Qingyun. At that moment, almost everyone watching felt the outcome of the match was decided.

"Terrifying! Minato Namikaze is worthy of being the strongest in the Ninja Academy! A genius ninja whose talent rivals that of Orochimaru!"

"To master such a high-difficulty ninjutsu at such a young age! It looks like this kid named Qingyun is going to lose."

"Sigh! It's a pity, but a loss is a loss. Even genin or chunin wouldn't necessarily survive unscathed under the Shuriken Shadow Clone!"

Hearing the crowd, Qingyun couldn't help but want to laugh.

Who am I? I am Qingyun. I haven't even used my ultimate moves yet!

However, Qingyun naturally wouldn't reveal all his trump cards; that would be foolish.

I'll use this! Qingyun quickly made his decision.

"Armament Haki!" Qingyun channeled the power from the world of One Piece.

Although his Armament Haki was far from reaching the level of full-body hardening, it was more than enough to tank these kunai.

Furthermore, Minato Namikaze wasn't actually trying to kill him, so to everyone's shock, Qingyun took the attacks head-on.

Bang! Bang! Two sounds rang out as Qingyun's shadow clones vanished. Being shadow clones, they couldn't handle the strain, which was normal given Qingyun's current chakra levels.

However, Qingyun's real body remained standing there, or perhaps "holding firm" was a better description.

"What!? How is this possible!?" Just as everyone thought the match was settled, the tide turned once again.

Qingyun dashed rapidly toward the stunned Minato Namikaze.

Minato immediately swung his fist, but he was a step too late.

Taking advantage of Minato's momentary lapse, Qingyun landed a heavy punch reinforced with Armament Haki.

With a loud thud, Minato Namikaze's slender body was sent flying like a cannonball.

"So strong. Such a hard fist! I lost! I am convinced of my defeat!" Sent flying by the blow, Minato finally managed to stand up slowly with the help of the others. He looked at Qingyun and conceded with great difficulty.

This result naturally shocked everyone present, especially the principal and teacher Ikkaku.

Teacher Ikkaku was very worried about the physical condition of the two and immediately called for a medical team.

"Quick! Send them both to the Konoha Hospital!" Ikkaku ordered.

Qingyun, however, spoke up: "Teacher Ikkaku, don't be in such a hurry. What about the result? You haven't announced it yet."

"I announce that in this match, Qingyun is the winner! As per our previous agreement, you may now study at the Ninja Academy!" Ikkaku said the first part to the crowd, and the latter part directly to Qingyun.

At this very moment, the heart Qingyun had been holding in his throat finally settled.

Qingyun was somewhat dissatisfied with his own performance in this battle; his initial Shadow Clone had been almost useless, as Minato had countered it with a single Shuriken Shadow Clone technique.

Qingyun had won due to Armament Haki; if he hadn't possessed that special ability, he certainly would have lost. Therefore, Qingyun began to think seriously, summarizing the situation of this battle.