Meikyō now has his own unique understanding of Breathing Technique and swordsmanship, and has developed his own Thirteenth Form, integrating the essence of the previous twelve forms into one sword.
If we were to use an analogy, it would be like the final move of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, "The Regretful Dragon," which combines the previous seventeen moves.
"Boom!"
Another powerful shockwave struck.
The surging air currents knocked Kakashi and the others, who had finally managed to regain their footing, to the ground once again.
Beads of cold sweat trickled down Minato Namikaze's forehead.
Uchiha Meikyō, on the other hand, seemed to be doing alright.
His physical abilities are even stronger, and he could withstand fighting for a whole day and night. Moreover, his Chakra reserves are much larger.
Minato Namikaze's Chakra reserves were already at the Kage Level, but they were far inferior to Meikyō's.
Meikyō was confident that the only person in Konoha who could consistently out-queen him in terms of Chakra reserves was Kushina Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Kushina.
Even Tsunade, who possesses both the Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines, Chakra than Meikyō.
Because Chakra is essentially a one-to-one combination of Mental Energy and Physical Energy.
In terms of Mental Power, only Dan Katō in Konoha is stronger than Meikyō. Now that his physical strength has been replenished, his Chakra reserves are naturally enormous.
Once Minato Namikaze Senjutsu Chakra, it will be difficult for him to maintain a fair fight against Meikyō.
"Alright, Minato, Meikyō! Stop! You've practically destroyed the Training Ground 3. If you keep going, are you trying to tear down the entire Konoha?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly rang out in the training ground.
When Meikyō and Minato Namikaze heard this, they realized that the surrounding area had become a mess, and a large group of Konoha Ninja who had been attracted by the commotion were standing behind the Third Hokage. Only then did they stop fighting in unison.
In the past, the training ground would cause quite a commotion, and other people usually wouldn't come over.
But this time the commotion was too great. Not only was the entire training ground demolished, but it also caused some impact on the surrounding areas.
"Um... Third Hokage-sama, and everyone else, I'm so sorry!"
Minato Namikaze somewhat embarrassedly.
A sheepish look appeared on Meikyō's face as he apologized repeatedly, joining Minato Namikaze in apologizing.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the two of them a disapproving look, then glanced around.
The entire training ground had been plowed up, with deep craters from the Rasengan and sword marks from the sword energy everywhere.
Especially the deep, bottomless ravine, more than ten meters wide, created by the Sun Halo Dragon Dance, which divided the entire training ground in two, and the crater that resembled a small meteorite crater when Minato Namikaze used the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan to fight Meikyō.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already witnessed that scene when he arrived.
The Third Hokage was certain that even he himself would find it difficult to separate the two combatants, and could only let Meikyō and Minato dispel their Ninjutsu on their own.
"Alright, I'll punish you two by making you each do an S-rank mission, and all the rewards will be used to repair the training ground. Does anyone have any objections?"
Instead of directly asking for answers from Meikyō and Minato, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the group of Konoha Ninja and villagers who had come to watch.
"Of course I have no objection, Third Hokage-sama!"
"I support the Third Hokage-sama's decision!"
The villagers behind the Third Hokage answered in a clamor.
Uchiha Meikyō and Minato Namikaze are now the icons of Konoha's younger generation. They are handsome, strong, have good personalities, and are very popular. The villagers naturally have a good impression of them, and they are very tolerant as long as their interests are not infringed.
"Ahhh, Lord Meikyō and Lord Minato are so handsome!"
"I heard that Lord Minato already has a girlfriend, so does that mean Lord Meikyō is the only one who still has a chance?"
"Who says that? As long as you swing the hoe well, there's no corner you can't dig down!"
These are women whose focus is a bit off.
Other ninjas focused their attention on other things.
"The entire training ground has been almost completely destroyed!"
"Is this the power of legendary ninjas like the Golden Flash and the Meikyō the Body Flicker?!"
"So powerful! I sense that their Chakra reserves are enormous, especially Lord Meikyō's!"
This is also the key point that Hiruzen Sarutobi was focusing on.
Adding to the power of the latter half of the fight between Meikyō and Minato that we just witnessed, and considering their speed, which is already among the top tier in the Ninja World, even the Third Hokage himself felt that he didn't have much confidence in facing them. The only option was to continuously use large-scale combination Ninjutsu to bombard them from all directions and take a gamble before running out of Chakra.
Because in the many years since Tobirama Senju, until the rise of Meikyō Minato, the entire Ninja World has never seen another ninja with such Godspeed and strength. White Fang and Hanzo can only be considered half of that.
"These young people nowadays are really something else. I'm afraid it won't be long before you surpass me."
The Third Hokage silently took out his pipe, waved his hand, and ordered the members of the Anbu present to evacuate the crowd.
"Lord Third, is there anything else?"
Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was still standing in the same spot, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but ask.
"I have something very important to discuss with you."
While smoking his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a folded document from the pocket inside his Hokage Robe and handed it to Meikyō and Minato.
"According to the results of the Anbu's investigation, Kirigakure has been mobilizing resources and gathering troops recently, and it is very likely that they will send troops."
Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze frowned after reading the document and then handed it to Uchiha Meikyō beside him.
"If Kirigakure sends troops to Konoha, the already gradually clearing situation will likely undergo many more changes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.
Based on the previous momentum, Orochimaru and Jiraiya are dealing with Kumogakure in the northeast, while Dan Katō and Tsunade are dealing with Iwagakure in the northwest. The situation is gradually becoming clear, and victory in the war may be achieved in less than a year.
However, if Kirigakure, another of the Five Great Ninja Villages, were to intervene, Konoha would be caught in a three-sided attack. Sunagakure's attitude was ambiguous; even though its strength had been weakened by previous defeats, as long as it made a show of force, Konoha would have to devote a significant portion of its energy to dealing with Suna.
"However, due to Kirigakure's closed-off policies, even the best spy ninjas find it difficult to obtain accurate intelligence from them. It's possible that they will target Konoha, which is fighting on two fronts, or Suna, which is declining due to its defeat. So right now, Suna is actually more panicked than us."
The Third Hokage, puffing on his pipe, spoke slowly.
"Therefore, I have made a suggestion: Konoha and Suna should jointly hold the Chunin Ninja Exams. This would not only demonstrate the war potential that both villages still possess, but also leverage the momentum of the alliance between the two villages to deter other major powers."
"Sunagakure has agreed to my proposal, but the specific details still need to be discussed by both sides through sending envoys."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to Minato Namikaze.
"Since En is now in charge of Root in place of Danzo, I intend to send you, Minato, as the envoy to Sunagakure. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, you can escape in the shortest possible time even if something unexpected happens."
"As for Meikyō, during the war between the two villages, you and Dan made enemies with many ninjas from Sunagakure. Although you are not suitable as an envoy, with your status and abilities, you are very suitable to be the chief examiner for this Chunin Ninja Exams. You can also mobilize the power of the Police Force to better prevent spies from other villages from sabotaging the Chunin Ninja Exams."
Chunin Ninja Exams?
The examiner?
"Third Hokage-sama, I will make arrangements for this exam."
Uchiha Meikyō nodded in reply to the Third Hokage.
It was just Chunin Ninja Exams a slightly larger scale.
What might be a big deal for those Genin is no longer important to Meikyō; he just needs to do his job.
If Kirigakure was determined to send troops, they wouldn't have given up just because of a Chunin Ninja Exams.
The Third Hokage and Fourth Kazekage couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle; more likely, they wanted to leverage the alliance between the two villages to exert strategic pressure on other ninja villages.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued speaking:
"Minato, before you leave the village, go see Yan. He will tell you some things to pay attention to in diplomacy. You can also learn more from them in this regard."
"I understand, Third Hokage-sama."
Minato Namikaze nodded slightly, and together with Meikyō, watched the Third Hokage leave after finishing his business.
For Minato Namikaze, the only thing that was hard to accept was having to leave Kushina for a while.
"Meikyō, I'll leave Kakashi others to you while I'm gone."
"Leave it to me."
Meikyō waved his hand and said.
It was common for him and Minato Namikaze to help each other deal with students when they were on missions.
"I need to hurry up and consult with Elder Mitokado, and also say goodbye to Kushina, so I'll take my leave now."
After speaking to Meikyō, Minato Namikaze activated the Flying Thunder God and instantly disappeared from the spot.
"In that case, let's call it a day for today's training. Dismissed!"
Meikyō glanced at the time on his wristwatch and dismissed Kakashi and the others.
Because he has other things to do today.
Outside the gate of the Ninja Academy.
A large group of parents crowded around here.
Meikyō stood beside Uchiha Yu and Uchiha Tatsu, looking at the familiar scenery within the Ninja Academy.
Today is the day Uchiha Shisui graduated Genin, and the three of them came to greet him.
"I never imagined that Shisui would graduate so quickly, and I would grow old and frail. Time really waits for no one!"
Uchiha Yu watched as the young Genin, their faces beaming with joy and energy, walked out of the school gate one after another, and sighed.
He is eighty years old this year, making him one of the oldest people in Konoha, a veritable living fossil of the Ninja World.
"Grandpa Yu, please don't say that. At eighty years old, you are healthier than many eighteen-year-old boys."
Meikyō stood beside Uchiha Yu and said with a smile.
Uchiha Yu was a powerful Jonin in his youth, and he remains robust even now that he is older.
In addition, Meikyō used his abilities to help Uchiha Yu remove the hidden injuries he had suffered when he was young and helped him recuperate. It would be an exaggeration to say that he was healthier than an eighteen-year-old, but his actual physical condition was not much worse than it was ten years ago.
"Yes, Elder Hane, we will have to rely on you and Meikyō a lot for Shisui's growth in the future!"
Uchiha Tatsu stood beside Uchiha Yu, a faint smile also on his face.
He cherishes every day of his life.
However, despite being only in his thirties, his physical condition was worse than that of Uchiha Yu, who was eighty years old.
His problem is congenital; even with medical experts like Meikyō and Tsunade treating him, it can only be delayed, not cured.
However, Meikyō is already planning to see if he can find a Zoan Devil Fruit in the Pirate World to give to Uchiha Tatsu, thereby enhancing his physique and vitality.
"Shisui is very good now. Under my guidance, he may have already developed combat power no less than that of Chunin. Meikyō, didn't you say that the Third Hokage intended for you to be the chief examiner of the next Chunin Ninja Exams? You should arrange for Shisui to go and gain some experience."
Uchiha Yu tapped his cane and said.
"I'm afraid that won't work. The Chunin Ninja Exams test not only individual abilities but also teamwork. This will place demands on Shisui's teammates. Moreover, Shisui has just graduated, so it's estimated that he won't be able to reach the required number of missions to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams until the second half of the year."
Meikyō shook his head and said.
"Is there such a requirement? That's reasonable."
Uchiha Yu nodded slightly.
He had never experienced anything like the Chunin Ninja Exams.
More than forty years ago, when the First Hokage and Madara established Konoha, he was already a powerful ninja who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and he automatically became Jonin the establishment of the village.
"It's a pity that you're already leading a group of Genin. Otherwise, if you could serve as Shisui's Jonin Instructor, it would be more beneficial for him to learn and practice the application of the Sharingan."
Uchiha Yu sighed and said.
"It's alright. Just because he's not Shisui's Jonin Instructor doesn't prevent me from instructing him."
"Oh, right, speaking of which, who is Shisui's Jonin Instructor?"
"I asked the Third Hokage about it yesterday. It's Kurenai Yuhi. She has unique skills in both Genjutsu and swordsmanship. She's considered one of the elite among Jonin."
At this point, Meikyō immediately fell silent.
Because at the school gate ahead, Uchiha Shisui was already jogging towards them.
"Father! Grandpa Yu! Brother Meikyō!"
A bright smile spread across Shisui's face.
"Let's go to the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant to celebrate our Shisui's successful graduation as the top student!"
Uchiha Tatsu smiled, took Shisui's hand, and left with Meikyō and Uchiha Yu.