Bad luck

A wry smile also appeared on Minato Namikaze's face as he said, "So it's you, Lan-kun. Looks like my luck really is terrible today."

He knew his own limits.

Just from Qianye Lan's performance in knocking his opponent unconscious with a single punch, Minato Namikaze knew there was still quite a large gap between them.

Seeing that the two seemed about to catch up, the examiner hurriedly interrupted them.

"Begin!"

As the examiner's voice rang out, both of their expressions turned serious.

Minato Namikaze chose to strike first, trying to seize the initiative with a side kick.

Qianye Lan chose to take the blow head-on with his arm.

Thud!

The deep, heavy impact made even the examiner beside them instinctively frown.

Yet Minato, the attacker, felt his pupils contract slightly as he stumbled back several steps.

He felt as though he had kicked not a human arm, but an incredibly hard piece of metal.

The powerful recoil left half his body numb.

After taking Minato Namikaze's kick with his arm, Qianye Lan rolled his neck and said, "Keep going, Minato. But this time, it's my turn!"

His figure shifted slightly, and he appeared soundlessly right in front of Minato Namikaze.

A heavy punch swept toward Minato Namikaze's face with a rush of wind.

"So fast." With his lightning-fast reflexes, Minato Namikaze narrowly dodged the blow.

Qianye Lan's punch landed right where Minato Namikaze had been standing.

The hard ground cracked outward like a spiderweb.

Without hesitation, Minato Namikaze drew a Shuriken and formed Hand Seals with both hands.

[Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique]

Since he could not gain an advantage physically, he would make up for it with weapons.

Expressionless, Qianye Lan drew the Ninja Blade from behind him, spun it in a flourish, and easily neutralized the attack.

The examiner watching this was already stunned.

Was this really a fight between Genin? This destructive power, this ninjutsu.

If Qianye Lan could have heard his thoughts, he would definitely have disagreed.

In a few decades, two Genin would fight even more fiercely, though they might not get the chance to appear.

Seeing his Shuriken easily dealt with, Minato Namikaze released a burst of chakra from the soles of his feet, drew a Kunai, and charged straight at Qianye Lan.

Qianye Lan began defending with ease, swinging his Ninja Blade and effortlessly neutralizing every one of Minato Namikaze's fierce attacks.

Then he began his counterattack. For a time, Minato Namikaze found himself in constant danger, barely holding on through reflexes far beyond those of ordinary people.

Finally, with a light flick, he knocked the Kunai out of Minato Namikaze's hand.

Finally, he lightly pointed the blade's tip at a vital spot on Minato Namikaze's body and said with a smile, "Thank you for the match."

Minato Namikaze gave a wry laugh and said, "As expected of Lan-kun."

Seeing this, the examiner announced, "Qianye Lan wins!"

Qianye Lan sheathed his blade and gave a slight bow.

Watching the two from the platform, the Third Hokage smiled in satisfaction. He pointed at Qianye Lan and Minato Namikaze and said, "These two children are promising. They are worthy inheritors of the Will of Fire and qualified to become Chunin."

The chief examiner beside him nodded solemnly and said, "Understood, Lord Hokage."

While the Third Hokage privately settled on two candidates for Chunin, Qianye Lan returned to Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto.

Looking at Qianye Lan with admiration, Kushina said, "Lan, how did you train your swordsmanship? Can you teach me?"

After saying that, Kushina looked at him expectantly with her bright eyes.

Qianye Lan turned toward Kushina and said, oblivious to the mood, "I remember someone wanting to learn a month ago, only to hide in her bedroom and refuse to come out after less than a day of practice. I'm sure that person wasn't you, right, Kushina?"

Hearing his words, Kushina's cheeks flushed slightly. She playfully stuck out her tongue, then lowered her head guiltily.

Qianye Lan merely reached out and ruffled her hair, without teasing her any further.

After all, Kushina was easily embarrassed.

As Qianye Lan tousled her hair, Kushina raised her head and muttered, "Show some respect. I'm older than you."

Hearing her mutter, Qianye Lan withdrew his hand, leaned close to her ear, and said, "All right, all right. Big Sister Kushina, are you satisfied now?"

His warm breath brushed against the base of Kushina's ear.

This time, even Kushina's ears turned red. She lowered her head and murmured, "Mm."

Qianye Lan's eyes brightened slightly, as though he had discovered something.

But there were too many people around for him to conveniently put his idea into practice.

Qianye Lan also moved back to his original position.

Feeling Qianye Lan pull away, Kushina first breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she felt a little sense of loss.

Uchiha Mikoto finally had a chance to get a word in. She gently patted Qianye Lan's shoulder and said, "Lan, you really were amazing."

In the next round of matches, Uchiha Mikoto also advanced easily.

This time, there were no byes in the draw.

And Kushina's lucky streak finally ended this time: she drew Qianye Lan.

Below the arena, Qianye Lan and Kushina looked at each other.

But unlike the grim atmosphere when facing other opponents, their eyes held only amusement.

In particular, seeing Kushina looking at him with such a serious expression made Qianye Lan want to laugh.

Still, he lightly pinched his own thigh to bring himself back to his senses.

Kushina was no better off. It was her first time exchanging looks with such a serious Qianye Lan, and she would have laughed aloud if the occasion had not been wrong.

Sensing this strange atmosphere, the examiner gave a light cough and said, "How about you two exchange some fighting words first?"

Hearing the examiner's words, Qianye Lan composed his expression and forced down the smile tugging at his lips. "Kushina, you've had good luck, but this is where it ends."

Kushina merely said, "Oh," without responding further.

Looking puzzled, the examiner turned to Kushina and said, "Don't you have any fighting words to say?"

Kushina shook her head.

The examiner could only take a deep breath and slowly raise his hand. "Begin!"

The two charged straight at each other and began a fight with every punch landing on flesh.

Their fight looked lively enough.

But Minato Namikaze, watching the match at the arena, and Shinki Yoruichi, who had just been revived by the emergency medical staff, both felt their mouths twitch.

Come on, man. Could you make it any more obvious that you're going easy on her?

When you fought us, you practically tried to beat us to death, but when you face your own teammate, you're this gentle?

After seeing Kushina send Qianye Lan staggering back with a single kick, Minato Namikaze was utterly dumbfounded.

Was this still the same Qianye Lan who had taken my kick head-on with his arm, then merely rolled his neck casually and told me to keep going?

As they exchanged blows, Kushina gradually realized that Qianye Lan was less fighting her than feeding her moves to practice against.

She gladly accepted Qianye Lan's kindness.

With an unspoken understanding, the two began trading blows back and forth.

After they fought for roughly another fifteen minutes, Kushina, feeling she had gained a great deal, stepped back of her own accord and said, "I concede."