At the teacher's command, Yueshu and Minato Namikaze began forming hand seals at the same time. Their hand-seal speeds were evenly matched, and they unleashed their jutsu almost simultaneously.
A strong gust collided with a Great Fireball, then dissipated. In its place, the surrounding air grew noticeably hotter.
The remaining flames blocked both their views. A series of sharp whooshes rang out, piercing through the flames and scattering them.
Yueshu and Minato watched the kunai flying toward them. They shifted lightly, dodging every one with ease.
"Wind Style: Wind Blade."
The instant Minato dodged, he began forming more hand seals. Yueshu was surprised, but only for a moment.
Minato was definitely holding back some of his strength. This time, he seemed intent on showing everything he had.
Thinking this, Yueshu put his hand on the Kusanagi Sword at his waist.
"Iai Slash!"
Yueshu's eyes sharpened in an instant, and he drew the Kusanagi Sword.
Minato's Wind Blade came straight at him. A single slash cleaved through it and continued toward Minato.
Minato dropped into a deep crouch, nearly flattening himself against the ground. He narrowly dodged Yueshu's slash.
"Earth Style: Earth Mud Swamp."
Minato's eyes were calm. He showed no trace of panic, despite having barely dodged the slash.
"Impressive!"
The people around them cried out in amazement. Their battle had lasted barely ten seconds, yet it had already left everyone stunned.
This wasn't a battle between Chunin or Jonin, but a fight between two children still studying at the Ninja Academy. Yet it looked as if two long-famous ninjas were battling.
By the time they graduated, most Ninja Academy students could use the Three Basic Jutsu and handle kunai. The more talented ones could use a C-rank jutsu. But Minato and Yueshu were in a league of their own. And they were only a little over eight years old, still years away from graduating at twelve.
Back to the fight: Minato's jutsu had made the ground in front of him, including the spot where Yueshu stood, turn sticky, greatly hindering Yueshu's movements.
"Sorry, Yueshu."
Minato charged forward with a kunai in hand, while Yueshu was stuck in place.
"Don't lose, kid."
Tsunade's voice came from the side. Yueshu looked at Minato in front of him and smiled.
This duel was a big deal. Not only Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake were watching; even Orochimaru and the Third Hokage were there.
The kunai pierced Yueshu's body, and a puff of smoke appeared. Minato had stabbed a log.
"Substitution Technique?"
Minato's eyes widened slightly, then he grinned.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu."
Yueshu had already appeared behind Minato.
He formed hand seals, then breathed a straight stream of fire directly at Minato.
Boom!
The flames crashed down and swallowed Minato.
The people around them gasped, unable to help worrying about Minato inside the flames.
Of course, most of them were civilians. The ninjas didn't show their concern, but they watched just as intently.
In a ninja battle, unless you personally witnessed your opponent's death, they might still be alive. The same held true on the battlefield. After a battle, you always made sure to finish off your enemies.
The most famous example was Obito Uchiha. Everyone thought he was certain to die, yet not only did he survive, he eventually became one of the biggest villains in the story of the Hokage.
Yueshu landed on the ground and watched the flames. They hadn't died down yet.
"Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique."
A trace of unease lingered in Yueshu's heart. The next second, a pair of hands suddenly burst through the ground beneath him.
The hands that emerged from underground grabbed Yueshu's legs, then yanked him down with a hard pull.
"Whoa!"
Everyone around them cried out. The fire Yueshu had breathed had died down. There was nothing there, only a hole in the ground.
"Nicely done."
The Third Hokage couldn't help but exclaim as he watched. He knew Minato well; he had long been familiar with this civilian genius from Konoha.
Now it was clear that Minato deserved his reputation as a genius. His battle sense and techniques were every bit as good as those of a trained ninja.
"Sorry about this, Yueshu."
Minato emerged from the ground nearby, kunai in hand, and charged toward Yueshu, whose head was the only part above ground.
Yueshu smiled, not the least bit panicked. Minato sensed that something was wrong.
With a sudden burst of force, Yueshu broke through the technique and sprang right out of the ground.
"Kotetsu!"
Yueshu gripped the Kusanagi Sword, his gaze sharp.
He drew the Kusanagi Sword and bent his body, poised like a tiger ready to hunt.
Minato froze for a moment, but quickly came to his senses.
Just then, Yueshu's attack came down.
Like a streak of light, Yueshu's sword flashed down with a whoosh.
Minato didn't just stand there. He tightened his grip on the kunai and channeled his chakra into it.
A longer blade of light extended from the kunai's tip: a Chakra Blade.
"Come on!"
Minato watched Yueshu closing in without a trace of fear.
Ever since learning how skilled Yueshu was with a sword, Minato had stepped up his own kunai training, hoping to use it to counter Yueshu's formidable swordsmanship.
The next second, Yueshu's Kusanagi Sword collided with Minato's kunai.
Clang!
A clear ring rang out, and a gust of wind blew to the side.
Everyone around them stared, dumbfounded. They knew the two were geniuses, but this was far beyond anything they had imagined. What kind of genius could fight like this at the age of eight?
They had never seen anything like it. And it wasn't just them—even the Third Hokage admitted he had never seen anything like it. Though he had trained the Sannin, both Yueshu and Minato, standing before him now, surpassed Jiraiya and the others.
Even the Sannin hadn't been this monstrous at eight years old.
The crowd marveled, but Yueshu and Minato's battle wasn't over yet.
After clashing with Yueshu, Minato was outmatched in strength and technique, and Yueshu sent him flying.
Minato's whole body sailed backward, skidding along the ground and rolling over several times.
Minato gritted his teeth, twisted in midair, then forced himself to a stop with both hands and feet.
"Wind Style!"
Minato had no intention of giving up yet. This wasn't nearly enough for him!
"Fire Style!"
This would be the final strike.
Yueshu and Minato both understood what the other was thinking, and they began forming hand seals.
I have to win!
Minato wasn't the only one thinking that. Yueshu felt the same way.
The two geniuses' eyes burned with excitement as they formed hand seals at incredible speed.
Almost at the same instant, they finished their hand seals and completed their preparations for the jutsu.
"Hurricane Blade!"
"Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
Yueshu and Minato's shouts rang across the field, followed by a spectacular display of raging wind and fire.
A fire dragon burst from Yueshu's mouth, while powerful winds surged around Minato.
"What is this?!"
The Third Hokage wasn't the only one shocked. Every ninja stared at the two geniuses in disbelief.
Dragon Flame Song Technique and Hurricane Blade were both B-rank jutsu. Forget students—even Genin couldn't necessarily use them. And yet these two students had pulled them off.
"This victory..."
"Belongs to me!"
Minato, usually so mild-mannered, was fired up for once. Yueshu responded in kind.
Neither of them was usually the hot-blooded type. They were both calm, easygoing people, but now they were acting completely out of character.
Boom!
The hurricane and the fire dragon collided and exploded.
Gale-force winds spread in every direction, while flames were blown outward.
The people around them couldn't help being startled. Fortunately, the ninjas watching the battle reacted in time and stopped the flames from reaching the civilians nearby.
The flames had nearly reached the civilians, but they didn't panic. Instead, they grew even more excited and began cheering of their own accord.
The duel between students had them thrilled.
Every gaze turned to the field. They wanted to know who would win.
The flames died down, revealing a figure standing in the field. There was no second figure, only one.
"Who? Who won?"
Someone voiced the question. It wasn't just his question; everyone there wanted to know.
"The winner..."
The teacher seemed to have already spotted the person standing. Before anyone else could make out their face, he began to call out the result.
"Himeshima Tsuki!"
As the words fell, Yueshu raised his hand to the sky, striking a triumphant pose.
Yueshu smiled. Minato was kneeling on one leg before him, his chakra almost completely depleted. He had used every ounce of strength he had in the duel and brought out every trump card at his disposal.
Minato gave a helpless smile, then looked at Yueshu in front of him.
What did it matter that he had used up every last bit of strength? He still couldn't beat the person standing before him.
Like a victorious general, Yueshu held his hand high, basking in the crowd's cheers and applause.
Minato gritted his teeth. A flicker of light passed through his eyes, but in the next moment, determination shone in them again.
Minato wouldn't admit defeat, and he wouldn't fear failure. Anyone who gave up just because their opponent was strong was the worst kind of person.
Thinking this, Minato struggled to push himself up. The duel was over, but he still had to exchange the Seal of Reconciliation with Yueshu.
But Minato really had overexerted himself this time. After struggling for a while, he still couldn't muster the strength to get back up on his own.
"That was a great duel."
Minato froze for a moment. A hand had appeared in his line of sight. Looking up, he saw his opponent, Yueshu, standing before him.
Minato's lips curled up as he took Yueshu's outstretched hand.
"You too. I still couldn't beat you."
With one easy pull, Yueshu helped Minato to his feet.
"Next time!"
Minato held out his hand, and the two exchanged the Seal of Reconciliation.
"Next time, I'll beat you for sure."
Their fingers intertwined, and the Seal of Reconciliation was formed between Yueshu and Minato.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Yueshu replied.
And so, Yueshu and Minato's duel came to a perfect end!
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