"Tsunade, want to make a bet?"
"On what?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "On which of our students will win."
At that, Tsunade looked at Jiraiya as though he were an idiot.
As long as Minato Namikaze summoned Gamabunta, whose size wasn't far short of a tailed beast's, she honestly couldn't imagine how Moonlight Ruyun could win.
What a joke!
Bet on a guaranteed loss? Did he really think she loved gambling that much?!
"Well, what's the stake?"
Orochimaru pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply. That was Tsunade for you.
Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Whoever loses treats all of us and our students to a meal at Yakiniku Q. How about it?"
Tsunade nodded. It was only a meal at Yakiniku Q.
"Sure. I bet Minato Namikaze will win."
"Great, then I... wait, Minato is my student. What do you mean, betting on my student?"
Jiraiya was dumbfounded.
Tsunade burst out laughing.
Helpless, Jiraiya turned to Orochimaru. "I'm betting Minato will win too. What about you, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru paused. "What does this have to do with me?"
"We can't both bet on Minato winning. Help us out, come on."
"Fine, then. I'll bet on Ruyun."
Orochimaru didn't care about the cost of Yakiniku Q. He rather enjoyed the three of them getting together and bickering.
"It's settled!"
Beaming, Jiraiya waved toward someone nearby. "Nawaki, get over here! Your future teacher is going to treat us to Yakiniku Q!"
It was the practical combat assessment class.
The teacher responsible for recording their combat performances kept his attention on the stands a short distance away.
Unless he was mistaken, those were Lord Hokage's three students.
For an ordinary Chunin teacher, each of them was someone he rarely got to see.
And today, all three had shown up at the Ninja Academy together?
He scribbled absently on his form, glancing at the two boys who had already stepped onto the field.
Moonlight Ruyun and Minato Namikaze.
"If anyone could draw those three here, it could only be those two."
He shook his head and said firmly, "Get ready!"
Their classmates split into two distinct groups, each cheering for one of the boys.
Among them, the red-haired Kushina waved her hands enthusiastically and shouted loudest of all. "Go, Ruyun!"
He smiled faintly.
He glanced at the three figures nearby, feeling a little puzzled.
Perhaps the only thing he hadn't expected was that an ordinary sparring match would draw Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru all at once.
Ah, that's how it is being a student. The teachers only have to watch, while the students have so much more to consider.
Thoughts swirled through his mind.
A moment later.
He and Minato Namikaze stood facing one another and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
He had waited a long time for this day.
"Under real combat rules?"
Minato paused, then readily nodded. "All right."
"Wait!" The teacher was about to stop them, but something caught his eye, and he swallowed his words. "...All right, real combat rules it is. Be careful."
"Real combat?" Kushina's heart rose into her throat.
Ruyun casually tossed aside his Wooden Sword.
He held his Metal Short Sword in his right hand and a kunai in his left.
Minato Namikaze drew a short sword as well.
Now, the two had eyes only for each other, and a terrifying silence settled over the field.
Their classmates, who had just been quietly discussing the real combat rules, grew tense. They fell silent, staring fixedly at the pair in the center.
"Begin!"
Before the teacher had finished speaking.
Clang!
The two figures had already collided hard, producing a shrill clash of metal.
A flicker of confusion passed through Minato Namikaze's eyes. Something was wrong with the force coming through his blade.
The web of his hand went numb, and he nearly lost his grip.
Seeing this, Moonlight Ruyun swept the kunai in his left hand upward.
The kunai sliced through the air, but he felt no contact.
Minato Namikaze reacted even faster than he had imagined, swiftly pulling back.
His sudden strike had failed, and he sighed inwardly.
That ridiculous reaction speed...
He steadied himself and stopped pinning his hopes on surprise attacks.
"Konoha-Style: Triple Slash!"
He charged forward. After one powerful downward stroke, three successive slashes drew a muffled grunt from Minato Namikaze, whose wrist trembled uncontrollably.
Before the next stroke came, Minato Namikaze seized a split-second opening and abruptly abandoned his defense.
He formed hand seals in an instant. "Substitution Technique!"
With a poof, only a wooden log remained in his place.
Moonlight Ruyun looked at Minato Namikaze, who had appeared two meters away and was panting for breath. The corner of his mouth twitched.
The Substitution Technique was essentially a trick of misdirection, not an all-purpose solution.
It required not only preparing a substitute object beforehand, but also exceptionally fast reactions to anticipate an attack and form hand seals instantly.
It had plenty of limitations, too, and was ineffective against experts and those with ocular bloodline abilities.
As it happened, Minato met both requirements.
And Ruyun had no ocular bloodline ability.
"You prepared another log for your substitution in advance?"
Minato Namikaze smiled gently. "Of course. You're too strong, Ruyun."
"..."
He's far too cautious.
The classmates watching from the sidelines snapped out of their daze, cries of astonishment rising one after another.
What they had just witnessed went far beyond the earlier matches. It was like watching two real ninja.
The teacher had already set down his assessment sheet and was staring at the two without blinking.
As a Chunin, he could see more than the students could.
For instance, Moonlight Ruyun's strength far surpassed Minato Namikaze's. Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze's astonishing reaction speed had allowed him to seize a split-second opening amid that relentless assault and execute the Substitution Technique.
Disbelief filled his eyes as he murmured, "Don't tell me they've already surpassed me?"
Minato Namikaze had no time to worry about what the teacher was thinking.
In previous practical combat assessments, his speed advantage had made him practically unstoppable.
But now, Moonlight Ruyun's strength was almost unnatural, and his Konoha-Style Swordsmanship was more polished than Minato's.
Every slash carried staggering power. Having already lost the initiative, Minato found his speed advantage greatly diminished.
Master Jiraiya said Ruyun had learned ninjutsu too, but he hasn't used any yet. Can I not even force him to use it?
Do I... really have to use that move?
Minato Namikaze's expression grew serious, and he lost focus for an instant.
An opening!
Moonlight Ruyun's eyes suddenly lit up. Though he didn't know why Minato had become distracted during their fight, he acted without hesitation.
The kunai in his left hand darted out at a tricky angle.
Rip!
Fabric tore, and a shallow line of blood appeared on Minato Namikaze's arm.
At the sight, Ruyun's pupils contracted.
He decisively halted his Konoha-Style Swordsmanship assault, retreated two steps, and glanced down at the kunai in his hand.
[Minato Namikaze's Kunai] [Estimated quality: green] [Refining cost: 30,000 ryo per attempt] [Special condition: stain this kunai with Minato Namikaze's blood] [Condition fulfilled. Begin refining equipment?]
"No!"
Joy rose in his heart, as though a great weight had finally been lifted.
Before you continue