Practical Combat Test, "Narrowly Defeating" Minato Namikaze

The Ninja Academy's first practical combat test of the new semester began.

The Class A students gathered on the south side of the training ground, forming a circle.

They took turns undergoing practical combat tests according to Sakamoto Midorikawa's list.

The first few fights were nothing worth watching.

For those students from ordinary backgrounds who did not work hard enough, being able to throw a Kunai with a little accuracy and knowing some basic taijutsu was already considered decent.

Who knew where they got the confidence to want to graduate early?

The practical combat tests were mainly based on taijutsu, supplemented by the wooden Kunai distributed by the Ninja Academy.

As long as a Kunai struck a vital area, it counted as a loss.

Soon, it was Shiraha's turn.

"Yagami Shiraha, Minato Namikaze."

Hearing his name called, Shiraha stepped into the field and took his position. Minato Namikaze walked over to stand opposite him.

Among the commoners, Shiraha and Minato Namikaze had improved the fastest.

Minato Namikaze in particular had grown up in the Konoha Orphanage and ranked in the lower middle when he enrolled. Yet after just over a year, he had already stabilized his position among the top ten in the class.

One had to know that the top ten students in the class all came from powerful clans. Many had received clan training before enrolling, and many were both talented and hardworking. They were not easy to catch up to.

The class's number one student was Hyuga Toma. In the second semester of his first year, he refined enough Chakra to activate the Byakugan. Combined with the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, he directly claimed first place in the grade.

Second place was Sarutobi Keita, who belonged to the same clan as the Third Hokage and excelled in taijutsu and swordsmanship.

Before Shiraha received Kushina's medicinal herb support, he probably could not have defeated either of them even with the Knight Breathing Technique.

The top ten spots were basically monopolized by ninja clans such as the Hyuga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara.

Shiraha and Minato Namikaze were the odd ones out.

Sakamoto Midorikawa often had the commoner students spar with each other, so Shiraha was already very familiar with the routine.

The two entered the field and formed the Seal of Confrontation.

"Go, Shiraha!"

"Go, Minato!"

The girls in the class began screaming, and even girls from other classes noticed.

There were geniuses at the school every year, but ones like Shiraha and Minato—excellent in academics, incredibly handsome, and gentle and considerate—were far too rare.

"Shiraha—" A voice that was clearly half a beat late but full of energy rang out. Kushina shouted, "Go!"

"Begin."

Sakamoto Midorikawa was clearly used to it.

Shiraha noticed that after Minato Namikaze turned to glance at Kushina, his gaze became noticeably more serious.

Students without backing could not access any ninjutsu besides the Three Body Technique before graduation.

The main reason Minato Namikaze could enter the top ten was that his reaction speed far surpassed that of his peers.

Shiraha had fought Minato Namikaze last year. Even using the Knight Breathing Technique, he had still been a little slower.

He strongly suspected that Minato Namikaze possessed some special bloodline or talent.

That was why, after Shiraha deliberately approached him, the two had developed a fairly good relationship.

Of course, his previous inability to defeat Minato Namikaze was not because the Knight Breathing Technique and Meditation Method were ineffective. It was because Shiraha's level had been too low, his diet had been too poor, and his progress had been slow.

Things were different now.

After cultivating the Advanced Warlock Meditation Method and advancing to a First-Class Apprentice again, Shiraha's physique had increased by 0.15, and his strength had risen along with it. His overall combat ability had improved considerably.

Combined with the progress of his Knight Breathing Technique, Minato Namikaze was now a good opponent.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Minato Namikaze pulled four wooden Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and threw them at Shiraha.

These Kunai had little killing power, but getting hit still hurt.

The instant he threw the Kunai, Minato Namikaze swiftly closed in on Shiraha.

Seeing this, Shiraha adjusted his breathing rhythm, lowered his body, and rolled across the grass to dodge the Kunai.

Before he could get back on his feet, Minato Namikaze attacked, launching a side kick straight at his chest.

Shiraha dropped to one knee on his left leg, slightly turned his body, and crossed his hands before him. He grabbed Minato Namikaze's lower leg, pulled in the direction of the force, and kicked at Minato Namikaze's ankle with his right leg.

Minato Namikaze immediately lost his balance and was thrown several meters away by Shiraha.

"Ah!"

Several girls cried out in alarm.

Minato Namikaze's body flew toward the grass ahead. He planted both hands on the ground, preventing his face from getting intimately acquainted with the grass.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As Shiraha threw Minato Namikaze away, he also pulled Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and hurled them at him.

Minato Namikaze used both hands against the ground to disperse the force. Facing the incoming Kunai, he bent his right arm, causing his body to tilt sharply to the right as he shifted into a one-handed support.

Four Kunai skimmed past his waist.

Immediately afterward, he shifted from his right hand to his left, spun through the air, and landed firmly on his feet.

"Minato is so cool!"

"Shh—" Seeing the girls shout excitedly, Sakamoto Midorikawa hurriedly motioned for silence.

Minato had the fastest reactions in the class!

But what surprised him even more was Shiraha's improvement. His taijutsu movements and reactions were faster than they had been at the start of the semester.

According to the intelligence from Konoha Hospital, Shiraha had a strong talent for Medical Ninjutsu.

It seemed his control over Chakra had also improved greatly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Shiraha threw Shuriken again and charged toward Minato Namikaze. The two instantly began close-quarters combat.

What knights excelled at most was explosive power at close range.

Shiraha first exchanged blows with Minato for a while, then quietly activated the Knight Breathing Technique. A warm current rose from his lower abdomen alongside Chakra and flowed into his limbs, enhancing his strength and speed.

Minato immediately noticed something was wrong.

Shiraha seemed to have become faster.

Originally, the two had hit each other about the same number of times, but now he could no longer land a blow on Shiraha.

Moreover, Shiraha was incredibly strong. After taking several punches, Minato was beginning to struggle and was forced into a passive defensive position.

"Go!"

The watching students were enthralled. Both boys displayed exceptional taijutsu.

Smack!

In the end, Minato Namikaze slowed due to exhaustion. He could only use his elbow to block a punch he failed to evade in time, and his arm immediately went numb as he staggered back several steps.

"Wait, I lost, Shiraha." Facing Shiraha, who still had the strength to attack, Minato Namikaze vigorously shook his numb arm and conceded with a smile.

After saying that, his legs gave out and he sat down on the grass, panting heavily.

Shiraha paused, then pretended to be completely exhausted as well and panted, "Minato, if you had held on for another minute, I would have been the one surrendering."

This was exactly the effect he wanted—barely defeating Minato Namikaze through a battle of endurance.

"The battle is over! Shiraha wins. Both of you were excellent. What a wonderful fight." Sakamoto Midorikawa's face showed approval.

Though neither of them knew ninjutsu, their foundations were extremely solid, and their taijutsu was better than that of ordinary Genin.

"Shiraha is so cool. But Minato is cool too. I like them both."

"Yeah, it's so hard to choose."

"Shiraha is the strongest! You can have Minato."

"Get out of the way! Shiraha is mine. I want to train with him."

The girls screamed excitedly.

Sakamoto Midorikawa felt rather helpless.

As Minato Namikaze formed the Seal of Reconciliation with Shiraha, he said with feeling, "Shiraha, you're really amazing. You improved so quickly."

At the beginning of the semester, Shiraha had still been some distance behind him. Yet after only a few months, he had caught up. Minato accepted his loss wholeheartedly.

"I trained day and night just to catch up a little. Let's work hard together." Shiraha smiled faintly.

Not many children their age could be as composed as Minato Namikaze after losing.

"Mm." Minato nodded with a smile.

When Shiraha returned to the group, he went to Kushina's side.

When it was her turn to fight, Shiraha clenched his fist and said, "Go!"

He wanted to see just how strong Kushina, with such powerful Chakra, truly was.

"Mm." Kushina looked greatly encouraged.

However, the result was beyond Shiraha's expectations. She was easily defeated by one of the top three students.

"Her practical combat ability is way too poor." Shiraha was speechless.

The battles continued.

However, halfway through, Shiraha suddenly sensed something strange.

Affected by an unknown Energy Field

PS: Thanks to Afraid of Your Eyes for the 1,000-point donation; thanks to Mo Zhouxu, Tang Xiaomu, and -Mo Yuchen- for the 100-point donations. Thank you for your support.