Minato's Tactics

"Whoosh—"

Minato opened with shuriken! Several wooden shuriken fanned out like scattered celestial flowers, covering the area around Mirai Uzumaki.

Toriyama Kazunari nodded. Minato's throwing technique was comparable to that of a chunin.

Unfortunately, his opponent was Mirai.

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!" Mirai swept out a hand, and two chains shot from his sleeves before whipping through the air.

The chains became his weapons instead, easily batting away every shuriken.

Minato wasn't surprised by this outcome at all. While Mirai was blocking the shuriken, he had already begun forming hand seals.

"Ninjutsu: Clone Technique!"

A blond clone identical to him appeared, and the two charged Mirai Uzumaki together.

The spectators began to cry out in surprise!

"He even learned the Clone Jutsu? That Minato!"

"Wasn't the graduation test just choosing one of the Three Body Technique? Doesn't that mean Minato has already met the graduation requirements in only his second year?"

"Damn it! Minato Namikaze usually keeps such a low profile, but he's actually stronger than me!"

As Mirai watched Minato's clone rush toward him, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes as well.

Minato, is this your tactic?

Unfortunately, just like Zhili, you don't know that tricks like the Clone Jutsu and Transformation Technique are useless against me!

A flash of appreciation for Minato flickered through Mirai Uzumaki's eyes, but when it was time to strike, he had to strike!

Minato's clone threw a wooden kunai.

Mirai twisted aside to evade it, and everyone assumed that attack was over.

The next instant, the kunai that had missed him suddenly transformed into Minato's real body!

"Th-That's... the Transformation Technique! When?" Toriyama Kazunari's eyes widened. He had watched the entire fight, yet he hadn't noticed when Minato had transformed himself into a kunai.

He had even used a clone to throw himself.

Could it have been when he cast the Clone Technique? Minato hadn't merely created two clones—he had secretly used the Transformation Technique to turn himself into the weapon in his clone's hand?

But Mirai had seen through it long ago. Under Kagura Mind's Eye, every deception was laid bare.

What kind of normal wooden kunai was packed full of chakra?

The corner of his mouth curled upward. With another sweep of his chains, he blocked Minato's close-range attack again.

Is this the end, Minato? The thought had only just surfaced in Mirai's mind when—

A sudden change erupted!

From within the clone Minato had left behind, a shuriken abruptly shot out!

The distance was extremely close, and it flew even faster.

By the time Mirai reacted, he could only tilt his head slightly!

Whoosh—

The wooden shuriken skimmed past his face and struck a tree beside him.

A streak of crimson appeared on his face. Mirai touched it—it was blood.

No wonder it stung a little!

A smile appeared on his face. What could he say? As expected of Yongdai Mei!

First came the shuriken feint. While Mirai's attention was elsewhere, Minato used the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique, having his clone throw the shuriken that was actually his transformed body. After it was dodged, he closed in, reverted to his true form, and attempted an assassination.

It resembled Minato's future signature move—Flying Raijin: Second Step!

It was simply much more immature.

But that still wasn't all Minato had prepared. More precisely, even the real body's assault had been a feint.

The true killing move was a delayed trap Minato had planted within the visual deception of his Transformation Technique.

Traps had no chakra fluctuations, so even Mirai's Kagura Mind's Eye couldn't detect them.

This entire chain of moves formed Minato's tactic!

"Mirai, you aren't hurt, are you?" Minato asked, his gaze full of concern.

Mirai Uzumaki shook his head. "I'm fine. Minato, you've got some skills!"

"In terms of tactics, you won."

Minato scratched his head awkwardly. "Haha, not really. If we kept fighting, I wouldn't have any moves left."

He was already out of tricks, while Mirai still had all sorts of methods at his disposal!

Mirai Uzumaki shook his head. "No. A win is a win. If this had been a fight to the death and you'd coated that shuriken with poison, I'd already be dead."

Toriyama Kazunari was startled too. He looked at Minato Namikaze as though he were looking at a ghost!

After a long while, he finally announced, "The winner is Minato Namikaze!"

"Wow! Mirai actually lost to Minato!"

"How is that possible? Wasn't Minato Namikaze just a nobody? I heard he came from a civilian ninja family?"

"Looking at it this way, Minato's actually pretty handsome too!"

"Two handsome guys making the Seal of Reconciliation—wow! That scene was so cool!"

"Mirai's so handsome! He even looks handsome when he loses, and he's so graceful about it! He's nothing like those little brats who can't stand losing."

The eyes of the surrounding students had begun to sparkle with little stars.

Nearby, Kushina and Izumi Uchiha ran over as well. After seeing Mirai injured, neither had any mood left to continue their standoff.

"Mirai, are you okay?" Concern filled Kushina's eyes as she pointed at the wound on his face.

"I'm fine, Kushina." Mirai Uzumaki rubbed Kushina's head, a gentle smile on his face.

If he hadn't forcibly suppressed the restless chakra within him, this tiny wound would have healed long ago.

After the God Tree had fully awakened the Uzumaki Clan's talents within him, handsign-free self-healing had become one of Mirai Uzumaki's passive abilities.

Watching Mirai and Kushina interact so intimately, Uchiha Zhili's expression grew complicated.

Envy, jealousy... and within her worry, a trace of shock—

Mirai had actually lost. He had lost to Minato Namikaze, someone she had never paid any attention to?

Could it be that she wasn't even as good as Minato?

Zhili drifted through the rest of the practical combat class in a daze.

Her agreement to fight Kushina was left unresolved as well.

Mirai was a little disappointed that Kushina hadn't gotten a taste of suffering.

Kushina had worried so much about him, too. What a scumbag.

Time gradually passed, and Mirai's life became full and orderly.

He attended class during the day, and while he was at it, he trained Kushina a little. Watching the girl blush bright red while forcing herself to endure the embarrassment and letting him fuss with her felt... pretty nice?

During practical combat classes, Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Zhili took turns challenging him.

But once Mirai Uzumaki got serious, he never lost again.

He rarely used Adamantine Sealing Chains or the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu. Most of the time, he settled fights with Taijutsu.

His battle with Minato had taught him what it meant for a lion hunting a rabbit to still use its full strength!

Ninjas were all high-attack, low-defense fighters.

Once killed, they died.

Being cautious was never wrong, no matter the situation.

As a result, Minato and Zhili were often beaten so badly they could hardly bear it.

Later, even when the two joined forces, they still weren't Mirai's match.

Three years passed like that.

Time gradually arrived at early spring of Konoha's thirty-sixth year.

The snow had yet to fully melt. Mirai Uzumaki stood in the corridor watching it fall. "Kushina, we're going to be late. Why aren't you up yet?"

"Wait a second! Mirai, I can't find my hair clip."

"What a hassle! Didn't you put it on the bedside table after taking it off last night?"

"Eh... it really is there! Thanks, Mirai, hehe."

After arranging her long red hair, Kushina walked out of her room with a radiant smile.

She boldly linked her arm through Mirai Uzumaki's. "Let's go! Mirai!"

Three years had passed, and the two had long since become inseparable.

They had also shot up in height, both reaching around 1.4 meters.

Kushina had developed twice over, her budding figure beginning to show.

As for why Mirai knew Kushina's hair clip had been left on the bedside table last night...

Don't misunderstand. Kushina had merely begged Mirai to help blow-dry her hair last night. After all, her hair had gotten very long.

When fully let down, her red hair almost reached her butt.

They were only ten years old, after all. Nothing the readers wanted to see could possibly have happened, okay!