After the battle between Uya and Setsuna Hyuga ended, the head examiner announced the participants in the second match.
Minato Namikaze happened to be one of them.
After taking the field, Minato Namikaze did not finish his opponent with a single domineering, brutal punch as Uya had, but he still ended the battle cleanly and decisively.
With a simple Substitution Technique and a C-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu, he likewise won with the ease of an instant knockout.
Minato Namikaze's flexible use of ninjutsu drew a hint of admiration from Uya.
Moreover, judging by how completely unaffected Minato Namikaze looked after using a C-rank ninjutsu, his chakra reserves were definitely beyond an ordinary Genin's.
Even if they had not reached Chunin level, they were at most one step away.
Although he seemed somewhat inferior in this respect to the future prodigy Kakashi Hatake, who would become a Chunin at six, he was unquestionably outstanding among his peers.
In the next few matches, the ninja from the Aburame Clan used insects to win easily.
Then the young genius from the Senju Clan easily crushed his opponent.
Soon, all five matches between the ten winners had ended.
The battles in the main arena differed from those in the side arenas.
Besides combat strength, the side-arena battles tested endurance, choices made in battle, control, and various other aspects, which was why four consecutive wins were required to qualify as a winner.
Maintaining stamina and strength through four consecutive victories was no easy task.
The main arena, on the other hand, was purely a contest of talent and strength.
Thus, after each battle, there was a long rest period to allow everyone to recover to peak condition.
And if anyone was injured, Tsunade, Konoha's finest medical-nin, was there; even broken bones could be treated with ease.
After the first round of battles ended.
Setsuna Hyuga and the other four losers withdrew to have their injuries treated and rest. Their battles would move from the main arena back to the side arenas.
Only the winners remained in the main arena.
Everyone was given roughly two hours to eat lunch and rest. Some people in the side arenas had even finished all their battles before the second round began here.
As it happened, since there were five people, one would receive a bye, and Uya happened to be the one.
The four in the arena were Minato Namikaze, Shibi Aburame, Hiraha Kazama, and Shinra Senju.
At this time, the Senju Clan had not yet fallen into the miserable state it would later reach, with only Tsunade, one of the Sannin, remaining.
Among the students Uya's age alone, there were several members of the Senju Clan. Besides Shinra, there was another particularly familiar one: Senju Nawaki.
He was none other than Tsunade's younger brother.
He was also Uya's classmate, though he was even more of a dead last than Uya had been before obtaining the Quake Release Kekkei Genkai.
Minato Namikaze faced Shinra Senju.
This battle was not quite so easy, but Minato Namikaze gained the upper hand simply by using the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique, then won effortlessly with a Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
It was as though the entire battle had been completely under Minato Namikaze's control.
From beginning to end, Minato Namikaze wore an utterly calm expression, as though he had long since seen through everything and knew how to fight and win this battle.
This brought a look of admiration to the face of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat at the very top.
For Minato Namikaze to possess such exceptional mental maturity and combat talent at this age, his future growth was almost impossible to estimate.
The more Jiraiya watched Minato Namikaze, the more he liked him. He was practically just waiting for Minato Namikaze to graduate from the Ninja Academy so he could take him as his disciple.
Just then, Danzo, who had been studying Minato Namikaze all along, suddenly took a sip of tea and spoke calmly.
"This child is very mature mentally and suited to Anbu work. I think he should be entrusted to my Root for training."
"Absolutely not!"
Danzo's words nearly made Jiraiya jump to his feet.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and snapped, "Jiraiya, stand down!"
Turning back to Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi said evenly, "A child like Minato has the potential to become a Kage. He cannot simply be trained as an assassin."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words immediately caused everyone's expressions to shift slightly.
Kage undoubtedly referred to the Hokage, the highest position in the village, and the position Danzo desired to the utmost.
Those words made even Danzo struggle to remain calm.
Slamming his teacup down on the table, Danzo said darkly, "Hmph! Sarutobi, where do those words leave Orochimaru?"
Minato Namikaze had yet to mature. When it came to succeeding the Hokage, Orochimaru was undoubtedly more qualified.
At the side, Orochimaru merely watched calmly upon hearing Danzo's words, as though it had nothing to do with him. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Orochimaru can also succeed as Kage, but I'm not old yet. There is no need to decide such matters now," Hiruzen Sarutobi said mildly, though his tone carried a trace of warning.
He was the Hokage, and a Hokage in his prime at that.
Danzo, whatever you're plotting, you'd better keep it firmly in check!
That was what Hiruzen Sarutobi really wanted to say.
Danzo naturally understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's meaning, and his expression turned very ugly. In the end, however, he could only snort and say no more.
Minato Namikaze defeated Shinra Senju, while Shibi Aburame defeated Hiraha Kazama.
Uya gave Shibi Aburame another slightly curious look. If he remembered correctly, wasn't this fellow apparently the father of Shino Aburame, one of the Konoha 12 in the original story?
The future head of the Aburame Clan?
Calculating the timing, it did indeed seem about right.
This time, the top three places would undoubtedly be decided among the three of them, including Minato Namikaze and Uya.
There was another rest period of roughly two hours.
By this time.
The battles in all four side arenas had finished, since their rest periods were very short, only ten minutes.
Most of the students had left, too exhausted to stay.
Some who still had a little stamina remaining came over to the main arena out of curiosity.
No one stopped them, either. Spectators were not prohibited from watching the main-arena battles in the first place.
To no surprise of Uya's, that girl Kushina ran straight over after finishing her assessment there.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, she had an excellent constitution. Even though she had yet to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she had nothing to fear from this sort of sustained fighting and could recover quickly.
Besides, even if Kushina were utterly exhausted, she probably would not feel at ease without coming to the main arena to watch Uya fight.
"You've already made the top three! That's wonderful!"
Noticing that only Uya, Minato Namikaze, and Shibi Aburame remained in the main arena, Kushina's little face immediately lit up with boundless happiness.
Without even caring about the stunned looks from the many people around them, she threw herself straight at Uya and hugged him.
The faint scent of a young girl filled his embrace, stirring a slight ripple in Uya's heart.