Who Was Faster?

"Are you deliberately isolating me? Yugao and I grew up together. She'll listen to my explanation." A trace of madness flashed across Gekko Hayate's face as he said urgently, "Let me in. Yugao will forgive me."

"Gekko Hayate, that's enough." Uzuki Yugao's voice rang out from inside the cave.

Before long, two figures emerged.

"This time, it has nothing to do with me." Qin Yu shrugged helplessly. "He's the one who insisted on explaining himself to you. You can deal with it."

As Qin Yu, the one who had started all this, turned and walked away with easy confidence, Uzuki Yugao froze for a moment, her brows drawing together.

"Qin Yu, could you stay a little longer?"

"Me?" Qin Yu looked at Uzuki Cangwu in confusion.

He immediately understood what was going on.

"Yugao, why are you asking him to stay? Come over to that patch of grass. I'll explain everything to you in private." Gekko Hayate hurriedly reached for Uzuki Yugao.

But before he could touch her, she dodged him.

"Gekko Hayate, please don't make a scene in front of my boyfriend. Otherwise, I'll have to end our friendship." Uzuki Yugao suddenly spoke up.

Everyone present froze at her words and looked toward Qin Yu.

Qin Yu was instantly at a loss.

He finally understood what it meant to get hit by a stray bullet while lying down.

"Yugao, what are you saying? Who's your boyfriend?" Gekko Hayate panicked.

"It's Uchiha Qin Yu. My father has already agreed to let Qin Yu and me date, so please don't bother us anymore." Uzuki Yugao spoke coolly.

"Him?" Gekko Hayate froze. "That's impossible. I don't believe you. You're only saying this to make me jealous."

"You and Uchiha Qin Yu don't even know each other."

The younger generation had always been taught that the Uchiha Clan was the root of rebellion.

To avoid suspicion, many people went out of their way to keep their distance from the Uchiha.

"Gekko Hayate, that's enough." Disgust showed on Uzuki Yugao's face.

In the past, she had seen Gekko Hayate as a considerate, talented young genius with a strong sense of responsibility.

She had never imagined that she would run into something like this the first time she left the village.

"No, it's not enough! Give me a chance to explain!" Gekko Hayate pleaded urgently.

"Desperate simp." Qin Yu rolled his eyes helplessly. "If she explains everything, will you stop making trouble?"

"Yes. Once Yugao has explained, I'll leave quietly." Gekko Hayate looked stubborn.

"Fine. Watch closely." Qin Yu slipped an arm around Uzuki Yugao's waist and pulled her into his arms with a sudden tug.

Without the slightest hesitation, he kissed her in front of the stunned onlookers.

It was only a brief kiss.

Still, Uzuki Yugao's mind rang, and everything went blank.

"You—what are you doing?" Gekko Hayate suddenly snapped out of it.

He had spent seven or eight years pining after her, yet never gotten the chance to steal her first kiss.

And now Qin Yu had taken it in the blink of an eye. How could he possibly accept that?

"Wasn't that an explanation?" Qin Yu spread his hands. "Are you convinced now?"

"If there's nothing else, I'm going back to rest."

Watching Qin Yu turn and walk away as if nothing had happened after stealing a kiss, Gekko Hayate's face twisted in an instant.

Without the slightest hesitation, he drew a kunai from his waist and thrust it at Qin Yu's back.

The distance was so short that everyone's expression changed.

They had never imagined Gekko Hayate could go this far.

Yet Qin Yu seemed completely unaware.

Thud!

The kunai plunged into Qin Yu's body, which immediately erupted in a cloud of white smoke. Gekko Hayate, looking like a madman, froze.

"Idiot. I'm behind you." Qin Yu's right hand became a knife-hand and chopped toward Gekko Hayate's neck.

Gekko Hayate's expression changed drastically, but in that situation, he had no time to dodge.

He could only wait for the blow to land.

Whoosh!

A golden flash suddenly appeared.

Before anyone could react, an unexpected figure had already appeared in front of Qin Yu.

He reached out and grabbed Qin Yu by the wrist.

The sudden arrival made everyone's pupils contract.

Seeing that golden hair, Qin Yu smiled faintly. "Minato, you've been hiding for so long. I thought you weren't going to come out."

"It's the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze! He actually made it here!"

"Only Space-Time Ninjutsu could let him cross between two battlefields in such a short time."

"Tch, you might as well say only Minato Namikaze's speed could stop Qin Yu's attack. Otherwise, that kid Gekko Hayate would've been in for a world of hurt."

"Hmph. That brat deserves to suffer a little. No one can swallow his anger after that. But let's leave it for now."

Many people were unhappy with Gekko Hayate for abandoning his comrades on the battlefield.

His selfish behavior just now had earned him even more enemies.

This was a battlefield, not a place for acting on impulse or letting personal feelings get in the way.

"To be honest, I didn't want to show up either. When I saw you repel the Cloud Ninja's attack, I thought about returning to the Land of Earth. But if I hadn't stepped in just now, this kid would've gotten hurt." Minato Namikaze smiled wryly.

"Lord Minato, it was him! He was the one who teased me in the forest just now, making Yugao misunderstand me. You have to stand up for me!" Gekko Hayate said urgently.

Qin Yu smiled and shook his head. "Minato, you saw it yourself. If you want him to calm down, he'll have to take a little punishment."

"Besides, you can't stop me from teaching someone a lesson."

Bang!

A cloud of white smoke rose from Qin Yu's body, and the next moment, he vanished.

"Shadow Clone Technique?" Minato Namikaze's expression changed.

Without a moment to spare, he turned around.

At the same time, he flicked his right hand, sending a kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God Seal flying.

Qin Yu had just appeared behind Gekko Hayate. He smiled, then shifted sideways by half an inch as if he were a ghost.

The Flying Thunder God Kunai narrowly missed him, and the attack went wide.

"He's about to do it!" someone cried out.

Everyone tensed, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

Minato Namikaze barely moved, yet the next moment he vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already above the Flying Thunder God Kunai.

He reached out and grabbed for Qin Yu's shoulder.

"I've got you." A smile appeared on Minato Namikaze's face.

It had been a long time since he'd met anyone bold enough to challenge him in speed.

Qin Yu's move had undoubtedly stirred his competitive spirit.

"Have you?" Qin Yu smiled. "You're being too naive."

His quiet words rang out.

The next moment, crackling arcs of lightning burst across Qin Yu's body.

As the violent Lightning Bolt raged, Qin Yu, who had been within Minato's grasp, vanished into thin air.

He reappeared behind Gekko Hayate.

Qin Yu's right hand, shaped like a knife, came down like a bolt of lightning toward the back of Hayate's neck.