All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Minato Namikaze originally intended to attack Araki, but he never expected Araki to react so quickly, instantly making a move.
In an instant.
Minato Namikaze grabbed the Flying Thunder God Kun from the ground with his right hand.
Then it suddenly rose upwards.
He aimed the sharp blade at Araki's claws, directly meeting Araki's attack head-on.
Minato Namikaze's strategy was very clear: he needed to force Araki to back down through this kind of attack.
A hand cannot Kunai; if they were to collide like that, Araki would certainly not have a good outcome.
However...
Just after Minato Namikaze did all this, a hint of doubt flashed in his azure eyes, because he didn't see any panic in Araki's eyes. Instead, he noticed that the latter's lips were slightly upturned, revealing a smug smile.
"Wrong!"
There's a problem!
Something's not right!
Suddenly, Minato Namikaze realized something unusual. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it at that moment.
It has to be said.
The battle with Araki was extremely mentally taxing; one had to remain vigilant at all times and could not afford to be careless in the slightest.
certainly.
Minato Namikaze was able to have such a vigilant mindset.
It wasn't just because of the strength Araki had displayed in front of him.
Also, because of Kushina's incident, he took Araki seriously to some extent before the battle, and maintained a cautious attitude during the fight with Araki.
Almost the instant Araki disappeared, Minato Namikaze immediately began using Chakra to establish the Flying Thunder God Formula after traveling a distance. Immediately afterward, he felt a terrifying gust of wind sweeping towards him, and he immediately unleashed the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Whoosh!
Minato Namikaze's figure flashed by and disappeared instantly.
At this very moment.
Araki unleashed a powerful, sweeping kick, but it struck nothing but air.
At the same time, Minato Namikaze appeared a little further away, his right hand gripping the handle of a Flying Thunder God Kunai, and he cast the Flying Thunder God Technique for the second time.
Araki seemed to have anticipated that Minato would Flying Thunder God Technique to leave, and he didn't lose his balance at all. Instead, he immediately straightened his body and stood upright, facing Minato.
In an instant.
Neither of them moved again.
They simply gazed at each other, a distance between them, on the ground within that distance, where numerous Flying Thunder God Kunai lay.
The people at the scene were all incredibly shocked by what they saw. No one could explain what had happened; they just felt that the seemingly simple battle between the two people was not as simple as they had imagined.
"What just happened? Why can't I see clearly? Did Minato teleport?"
"It seems... he suddenly appeared in front of Araki from that far away!"
" Araki's speed is outrageous! He was already incredibly fast just now, and then he suddenly accelerated again, just like when he fought Boji!"
"This attack method looks very simple; it's just a sudden acceleration from an already high speed. We all understand the principle, but actually doing it is incredibly difficult. It requires pushing the limits of the body!"
"I understand Araki's reasoning, but what's with Minato? He just suddenly appeared in front of Araki!"
" Minato's strength is too great; in my heart, he is the number one in the Ninja Academy!"
"If that's the case, why haven't you managed to deal with Araki after all this time?"
"Hey, you know, Araki's a bit weird. From the moment he made his move until now, you haven't seen him use any Ninjutsu. He's been attacking and defending entirely through speed, but his speed is really fast!"
" Araki's speed is even faster than during the final exam!"
"Incredible! This person's progress is too fast. Almost a year ago, he was no match for Sora Hyuga, but now he can fight Minato on equal terms!"
"I suddenly realize that Araki's talent is terrifying..."
The students at the scene started discussing among themselves. When they witnessed the battle just now, almost everyone held their breath, and the tension in their hearts reached a certain level.
Although they didn't quite see the exact outcome of the duel, they could at least tell that Araki and Minato had engaged in a fierce battle of wits, though the result appeared to be quite simple.
People are watching what's happening at the scene.
This is deeply moving for everyone.
They all had different opinions about what was happening, but they were all very clear that both Araki and Minato had reached an extremely high level of strength.
" Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Suddenly, Ibuki-sensei's voice rang out softly, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
This immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.
Everyone's attention shifted from Araki and Minato to Ibuki-sensei.
Flying Thunder God Technique?
The students present were all filled with a big question mark. They didn't know what the Flying Thunder God Technique was, but some of them vaguely felt that it sounded familiar.
I feel like I've heard it somewhere before, but I'm not quite sure.
" The Flying Thunder God Technique is an S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. It belongs to the Body Flicker Technique and allows for instantaneous teleportation. Minato just used the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
A strong sense of shock flashed in Ibuki-sensei's eyes. He had only heard of the Flying Thunder God Technique before, and this was the first time he had ever seen its name. However, based on his experience as a teacher at the Ninja Academy, he was quite familiar with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Hiss..."
The students present couldn't help but gasp after hearing his words.
Space-Time Ninjutsu!
S-rank!
Created by the Second Hokage!
These labels were immediately attached to Minato Namikaze, making them realize even more clearly just how terrifying this Ninjutsu was.
Keep in mind that they are still students at the school.
He did not formally graduate to become a ninja.
The number of people who can learn it is very limited.
Among them, the vast majority have not yet fully mastered the Three Basic Jutsu Three Basic Jutsu, which include the Clone Technique, the Substitution Technique, and the Transformation Technique, enabling ninjas to master a set of basic Ninjutsu.
They haven't fully grasped the number of people yet, but Minato Namikaze was in the same cohort, has already mastered S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu —what a terrifying talent that is!
The students present already knew that Minato Namikaze was extremely strong and understood that his talent was one in a hundred years. In the past, they had always tried to overestimate Minato Namikaze, but now they realized that they had underestimated him all along. Minato Namikaze's talent was far more terrifying than they had imagined.
After Ibuki-sensei said these words, he was no less shocked than the students present. You see, Minato Namikaze was also his student. He knew at all times that Minato Namikaze was very strong and talented, but even he did not expect that Minato Namikaze could learn and master the S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Did you just learn that during this holiday?"
Ibuki-sensei's mind raced with these thoughts, but compared to the shock Minato Namikaze had given him, Araki's performance was in no way inferior.
Especially that fighting stance of taking every step with the aim of winning.
Ibuki-sensei was arguably the one who had the clearest understanding of the battle between the two. After all, apart from him, all the other spectators were ninjas, and the students at the academy had not yet graduated and were not ninjas. They could not compare to him in terms of analyzing battles and experience.
When he saw the two fighting, he began to think about the process of their battle. Although he didn't understand many things at first, he gradually understood what was happening after he discovered that Minato Namikaze was using the S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique.
The special Kunai on the ground were all Kunai with the Flying Thunder God Formula.
It can perfectly guide the target of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In other words...
If Araki were to enter these chaotic arrays formed by the Kunai.
That would almost certainly present a situation where defeat is inevitable.
However, Araki did not do that. Instead, he gradually eliminated the Flying Thunder God on the ground, thus preventing Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique from displaying too much power at this point in time.
At least in a simulated duel between the two of them, they don't have any particular advantage.
To some extent.
Teleportation is greater than speed.
These are not even on the same level.
However, when Araki used his speed to cut off the point of teleportation, he brought the two of them back to the same level. But at this moment, Araki's speed was greater than Minato Namikaze's, which ultimately led to the current result.
The two of them now looked as if they had simply completed three rounds of combat.
It seemed like they were testing each other, neither of them gaining any advantage, and there wasn't even any physical contact between them.
Or rather...
If we must look at it from the perspective of injury, there is a bloody mark on Araki's cheek.
However, the actual results were far from what was expected.
"These two people..."
When Ibuki-sensei looked at Araki and Minato, their expressions changed drastically. In his view, these two had already surpassed the original students of the Ninja Academy, achieving a leap forward by a significant margin.
From a traditional perspective, Minato Namikaze could easily defeat any opponent in a simulated duel, and it seemed like he didn't put in any particular effort at all.
Although the battle between the two just now, on the surface, was simpler than any of Minato Namikaze's previous battles, and there was nothing particularly special about their exchange, in reality, the outcome of their three rounds of combat could have been decided by the slightest carelessness.
In the Ninja Academy, this is a matter of victory or defeat, but on a real battlefield, it's a matter of life and death!
In an instant.
Almost everyone present turned their attention back to Araki and Minato. The two were still standing on the playground, with a large space between them, and neither of them made the first move.
It was as if both of them had pressed the pause button.
Among the crowd, perhaps the only one who wasn't so nervous was Kushina.
Kushina's beautiful eyes were fixed on Araki, never looking away, and she didn't even shift her attention to Minato Namikaze during the battle.