I Won, and You're Still Unhappy

"Hey? That kid's punches are really fast!"

Tsunade's eyes lit up as she watched from the crowd.

To be honest, she hadn't expected much from Minato.

Although he seemed more talented than Shinnosuke, Shinnosuke was the Hokage's son, after all, and had been taught by Hiruzen Sarutobi himself since childhood.

Minato, by comparison, clearly didn't have much practical combat experience.

That was obvious from both the earlier tests and the way he'd thrown his punch just now.

And yet, a kid with no combat experience had walked right up and punched Shinnosuke, who'd been trained by the Hokage...

Shinnosuke was a little dazed by the blow.

But he quickly regained his composure, telling himself he'd simply underestimated his opponent.

He patted his cheek and approached more cautiously this time, keeping his eyes on Minato's every move before darting around behind him.

"Ah..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help slapping his forehead, looking utterly helpless.

He'd always thought Shinnosuke was too earnest and lacked any real talent for combat. That was why, whenever he taught his son, he reminded him to pay more attention to tactics.

Judging by Shinnosuke's movements, he'd clearly taken that advice to heart. But he still didn't understand what tactics were for.

And if he didn't understand them, he couldn't use them properly.

"Circling around... Is he trying to get behind that kid and force him to leave an opening?"

Orochimaru stared as if he'd spotted a rare creature. "Mm. Trying to get behind someone who's faster than you..."

"Hey, hey, leave the old man some dignity..."

Jiraiya's mouth twitched as he lightly jabbed Orochimaru with his elbow.

Orochimaru fell silent, while Tsunade burst out laughing beside them.

The shinobi in the crowd shook their heads, too. Shinnosuke's move was about as foolish as it could get.

Sure enough, just as everyone had expected, Minato simply turned around, and Shinnosuke's tactic fell apart.

Watching Minato remain facing him, Shinnosuke couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go!

Dad and the others could always get behind me so easily!

And then they'd follow up with a stylish sweep...

Why wasn't it working for me?

Minato's calm expression made Shinnosuke feel the pressure.

He gritted his teeth, gave up on tactics, and charged at Minato!

"Whew, that's more like it..."

Jiraiya let out a quiet breath. Shinnosuke might not be much of a fighter, but he'd at least learned the basics of combat.

Minato was fast, but he surely lacked practical experience. Against Shinnosuke, who'd studied Taijutsu systematically, even taking a few hits in a head-on fight shouldn't stop him from winning.

Just then, another sharp smack rang out.

Shinnosuke stumbled backward, clutching his other eye. A short distance away, Minato still held his punching stance.

"Th-this can't be!"

This time, Shinnosuke recovered quickly. Gritting his teeth, he charged at Minato again.

He swore that even if Minato threw a Fireball at him this time, he wouldn't take a single step back!

Burning with determination, Shinnosuke felt his blood surge and endless strength well up inside him!

"Raaagh!"

He swung a powerful, impassioned punch at Minato's face. As his fist came within inches of Minato, Shinnosuke could almost see the light of victory.

He saw himself winning, earning his father's approval—and then Minato vanished before his eyes at a speed he couldn't comprehend.

He caught sight of a fist coming at him from the side. Feeling the force behind it, Shinnosuke's head snapped sideways. But a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he used the momentum to turn and throw a punch of his own—only to hit empty air.

The instant Shinnosuke began to turn, Minato had already read his intentions from the movement of his body.

Then, like a nimble leopard, Minato flipped over his head and appeared behind him just as he completed his turn.

Bad!

The moment his punch missed, Shinnosuke threw himself forward without thinking.

Sure enough, Minato's punch cut through empty air right after he dove away.

"Whew... that was close!"

Shinnosuke rolled neatly to his feet and finally let out a breath.

"Wow, that blond kid's amazing..."

"Lots of older students don't have reflexes like that."

The parents watching began talking among themselves. Hearing them praise Minato only made Shinnosuke feel more pressure.

He charged again, and Minato dodged again. Shinnosuke ignored the counterattacks and kept trying to close in, determined to deny Minato room to use his speed.

But... Minato struck him all over—his face, stomach, and limbs, everywhere except the vital spots—and still Shinnosuke couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

At last, he understood what his father meant when he said there would always be someone better.

"Um... don't you think that's enough?"

Looking at Shinnosuke's swollen, pig-like face, Minato awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

Their mental ages and natural abilities were worlds apart, and he felt like he was picking on a little kid.

"Not yet!"

Shinnosuke roared at the sky. "I absolutely won't admit defeat! I'm going to become Hokage! Aaaagh—"

"Oh! Nice one, kid! Keep it up!"

"Ha ha, that's right! Keep going! Now that's what a shinobi looks like!"

Perhaps moved by Shinnosuke's determination to keep getting back up after each fall, the onlookers began cheering him on. The atmosphere quickly heated up.

"Heh. Good spirit, but it won't do him any good."

Tsunade folded her arms, thrusting out her ample chest. "Looks like I've won this time."

Despite her words, there wasn't a trace of delight on her face. Instead, she looked rather troubled.

Hiruzen and Orochimaru were quiet, too. They knew all about Tsunade's luck at gambling: she always lost, and her luck was dreadful.

It wasn't that she'd never won. It was just that something bad happened every time she did.

The first time she won a bet, her grandfather Hashirama Senju died. The next time, her granduncle Tobirama Senju died.

Someone didn't necessarily die every time, but something bad did happen. How serious it was depended on how much she'd won.

"Come on, don't worry. It's only a bet over a meal of grilled meat..."

Jiraiya hadn't even finished reassuring her when Minato suddenly raised a hand.

"I give up!"

"Winner: Shinnosuke Sarutobi!"

"What?"

Shinnosuke had been charging at Minato, full of fighting spirit. At the announcement, he stumbled and fell flat on his face.

"Huh—?"

Tsunade's beautiful amber eyes widened, and her mouth fell open as she stared at Minato in disbelief.

When she finally came to her senses, her face darkened. She instinctively rolled up her sleeves. "What kind of joke is this? Are you kidding me? You little brat..."

"Calm down, calm down..."

Jiraiya hurriedly tried to hold Tsunade back, but she planted a hand on his head and nearly cracked his skull open.

Orochimaru chuckled. "See? You really won, and you're still unhappy."

That only made Tsunade angrier. But Orochimaru had already stepped behind Hiruzen, leaving her to take it out on Jiraiya.

Hiruzen shook his head with a laugh. He hadn't expected things to take such a turn, either.

Tsunade was furious, but someone was even angrier: Shinnosuke Sarutobi.

"Wait a second!"

Shinnosuke got to his feet and pointed at Minato. "Why did you give up? You were just about to lose to me!"

Minato nodded. "Isn't that a good thing? We should stop once the winner's clear..."

"That's not the point!"

Shinnosuke's face flushed bright red. "If you do that... it makes me look like I was badgering you!"

Wasn't he?

Minato was at a loss for words. A boy's pride was precious, and with his temperament, he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.

Shinnosuke seemed to realize that, too. His face grew even redder, but mostly from frustration. "Does winning this fight mean nothing to you?"

"Mm... I guess it really doesn't. I'm not like you. There's nothing I need to prove."

Minato smiled awkwardly. It was just a Taijutsu match; he hadn't taken it seriously at all.

He'd accepted Shinnosuke's challenge only to test his own Taijutsu.

There was no point in continuing to beat up a little kid.

Besides, Shinnosuke was the Third Hokage's son. If he lost too badly, it wouldn't look good for the Hokage, either.

Hiruzen's actions in the original story were hard to judge, and Minato couldn't say what kind of person he was.

So even with the Glint-Glint Fruit's power giving him the means to protect himself, he had no intention of needlessly making an enemy of Hiruzen.

"I've never studied Taijutsu, so I can only throw punches wildly. I don't have any moves that can take someone down in one strike. If we keep fighting, I'll definitely lose."

That excuse didn't make any sense!

He'd beaten me up this badly with wild punches. So what did that make me?

Shinnosuke let out a silent howl in his heart.

All that passion, all that determination, all that resolve—it was all an illusion!

The honor he treasured and the top spot he'd been certain of winning meant nothing to his opponent. Minato had just casually handed it over.

Didn't that make him look like a complete clown?!

"Damn it!!!"

Watching Minato walk away, Shinnosuke shouted, "I'll beat you next time!"

"Yeah, good luck!"

Minato waved over his shoulder without breaking stride.

His tests were over. He lived alone now, and had to take care of his own meals and chores.

His father had saved up enough from his years as a merchant to support him until he graduated from the Ninja Academy, but cooking and cleaning every day still took a lot of time.

As Minato left the school, wondering what to make for dinner, he suddenly felt himself lifted off the ground. A hand had grabbed the back of his collar and raised him until his feet dangled in the air.

"Well, well... kid!"

Tsunade held Minato by the collar with one hand and rested the other on her hip. Her beautiful face wore a rather gloomy expression. "You're Minato Namikaze, right?"

"Lady Tsunade?"

Minato nodded, confusion on his cute little face. "Can I help you?"

Tsk...

Why did a boy have to be so cute?

Looking at the sunny little boy in front of her, Tsunade's expression softened a little. She pursed her lips, and most of her anger over feeling like Minato had set her up by giving up on the match melted away.

She'd meant to scare the kid, but his looks were just too adorable. Before she could even do anything, an unbearable sense of guilt had welled up inside her.

But guilt was guilt. Everyone in Konoha knew Tsunade had no shame.

She loved scaring little kids!