The air over the training ground seemed gripped by an invisible force, even the cicadas falling quiet as if they knew better. When the teacher refereeing the match announced, "Minato Namikaze versus Kushina Uzumaki," a brief, deathly silence fell before the crowd erupted into an irrepressible buzz. This was not the final, but it was unquestionably the match of the year group, one that had even drawn the attention of older students-Konoha's brightest rising star against the red-haired transfer student whose chakra and temper were equally explosive.
In the crowd, Shinji Uchiha gave a small yawn and muttered so quietly that only he could hear, "Here we go, the historic meeting... But aren't those fond, matchmaking smiles showing up a little too early? What kind of teenage rom-com are you people expecting, anyway?"
On the eastern side of the field, Minato stood still and straight as a pine. His short golden hair gleamed like flecks of gold in the afternoon sunlight, setting off his calm blue eyes. Dressed in clean, dark blue training clothes, he stood tall yet relaxed, his gaze fixed intently on his opponent without a trace of condescension.
On the western side, Kushina's long, bright red hair danced like flames, a banner impossible to miss.
Her hands were clenched into fists, and pure fighting spirit burned in her green eyes. Yet deep within them lay a hint of nervousness that even she might not have noticed-this was her first time facing the boy hailed as a genius, Minato Namikaze, before so many watching eyes.
"Let's have a good match." Minato dipped his head slightly, his voice clear and gentle.
Kushina pressed her lips together, suppressing that flicker of nerves, and answered in a voice firm as iron, "I'll give it everything I've got!"
"Begin!"
The instant the referee's voice fell, both figures blurred.
Minato attacked first, moving with ghostlike speed. Three shuriken tore through the air in a precise triangular formation, instantly cutting off Kushina's escape routes to either side. It was a classic Minato Namikaze opening: restrained, efficient, and mathematically precise.
Classic efficiency above all else. Even a programmer would give that a thumbs-up, Shinji silently noted.
Kushina's response was far more direct and fierce. She neither dodged nor retreated. With a sweep of her right arm, she knocked the shuriken coming straight at her aside with her metal wrist guard. A clang rang out, sending sparks flying.
The other two skimmed past the edges of her clothes and buried themselves deep in the wooden post behind her. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes-Minato's control over force and angle was exquisite. He had forced her to respond without the slightest intention of actually hurting her.
"Just what I'd expect from you, Minato," she called, her fighting spirit rising like fire in her chest. "But that's nowhere near enough!"
She drove off the ground so hard that fine cracks spread beneath her feet, launching herself at Minato like a bolt from a giant crossbow. Her straight punch held no fancy tricks, but it carried the terrifying strength the Uzumaki Clan was born with, stirring a low, menacing rush of air.
Minato still chose not to meet her head-on. Just as that fist packed with explosive power was about to strike him, he slid half a step sideways like drifting willow fluff, neatly slipping past it. At the same time, his left hand darted out like a snake from its den, caught Kushina's wrist with perfect precision, and used her forward momentum to pull her aside-
Oh no! Alarm bells rang in Kushina's mind. She hurriedly sank her hips and lowered her center of gravity, putting everything into absorbing the force. Only then did she barely avoid being hurled straight out of the field by that deft Taijutsu: Pull-Down. She stumbled two steps and quickly spun around, her red hair whipping through the air in a blazing arc, her gaze sharper than before.
Minato had already withdrawn several meters to a safe distance, his manner as composed as ever. "You're very strong, but your attacks are too straightforward."
Kushina secretly gritted her teeth. She had long heard about Minato's speed and tactical mind, but only by facing him herself did she truly understand the frustration of striking cotton, unable to find anything solid to hit. He was like an elusive breeze-visible, yet impossible to grasp.
"Then how about this!"
Her hands flashed through a complex sequence of seals utterly unlike the Konoha Style Minato knew. An immense surge of chakra roared through her, and even the air seemed to thicken. The next instant, three solid golden chains materialized out of empty space behind her. Like ancient spirit serpents with lives of their own, they twisted and danced through the air, radiating unsettling pulses of energy.
"That's..." In the stands, Shikaku Nara, who had been leaning lazily against the railing, opened his eyes a little wider. "The Uzumaki Clan's secret Sealing Jutsu?"
"She used that to break my Multi-Size Technique instantly in our last match." Beside him, Choza Akimichi paused in the middle of stuffing chips into his mouth. His voice was muffled and still held a trace of lingering fear.
With a piercing shriek, the golden chains shot toward Minato at a speed far beyond ordinary ninjutsu. Ancient runes flickered along them in the sunlight, radiating sealing power that targeted chakra.
Minato's expression finally grew serious. He could clearly sense that the chains were not merely fast and unpredictable in their trajectories; they also contained a dangerous power capable of sealing and binding chakra.
Without hesitation, he rapidly retreated, both hands sweeping across the ninja tool pouches at his thighs. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-six standard kunai flew out in a fan. But their target was not Kushina herself. Instead, they embedded themselves with flawless precision in specific spots on the posts surrounding the field and along its edges.
The first chain was already hurtling toward his face. Minato neither dodged nor ducked. Just as its tip was about to touch his body-he vanished into thin air!
"What?!" Kushina's pupils contracted sharply, and she hurriedly redirected the chains to search for him.
Minato appeared like a phantom on the left side of the field. This was not Space-Time Ninjutsu, but a burst of taijutsu movement at such tremendous speed that he left a lifelike afterimage where he had stood!
"So fast! Is that the Body Flicker Technique?" Cries of surprise rose from the stands.
"No, it isn't the Body Flicker Technique!" a student from the Hyuga Clan said intently, veins bulging around the student's white eyes. "That's pure physical speed, fast enough to leave a visual afterimage! The chakra in his footwork... What incredible control!"
Shinji laid Minato's secret bare in a single explanation. "Those six kunai weren't thrown at random, either. They serve as markers. By using the carefully positioned kunai as reference points, Minato can maintain absolute control over distance even while moving at high speed!"
Minato did not pause for an instant. As the second chain pursued him like a shadow, he burst into motion again and dodged away. His figure flickered from place to place across the field, his short golden hair tracing dazzling streaks of light, making the deadly pursuing chains strike empty air again and again.
Kushina bit her lower lip. Her three chains wove an impenetrable web, like a golden storm raging wildly, yet they always fell one fatal beat behind Minato's movements. In a match at this level, the absolute speed Minato displayed was almost impossible to counter.
"Is dodging all you can do, Minato?!" she could not help shouting, trying to break his rhythm with her words.
Minato reappeared beside one of the kunai, his breathing now slightly hurried. Repeated bursts of maximum-speed movement consumed enormous amounts of stamina and chakra. "Your chains have too much reach and binding power. A head-on clash would put me at a disadvantage."
"Then I'll force you to face me head-on!"
Kushina abruptly changed tactics. Two chains continued their pursuit like raging dragons, while the third suddenly reversed direction and plunged hard into the ground before her. She poured a tremendous torrent of chakra into it. The ground shook violently, and web-like cracks spread rapidly from the chain toward Minato's feet.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains: Earth Bind!"
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