A week later, on the school training ground.
"Bang!"
Qian Ren and Minato's figures separated, each retreating a few steps.
Minato shook his slightly numb arm, looking at his friend opposite him with surprise.
"Qian Ren, are you a monster? A week ago, we were still evenly matched. How is it that after only a few days, your strength and speed have increased so much?"
Qian Ren glanced at his status panel; the number in the [Physique] column had already changed to [12].
A week of sparring with Kushina had earned him a total of 6 Physique attributes.
Now, purely based on physical fitness, he could subtly overpower Minato.
Qian Ren chuckled, "That's definitely because of my supreme talent and all my hard work. It has nothing to do with any stat-adding system!"
While Minato was still pondering what "stat-adding system" was, a spirited cheer rang out from the sidelines.
"Qian Ren, what are you dawdling for? Beat him up! Beat him up like you beat me yesterday! You're the genius of our class!"
Everyone looked over to see Kushina waving her small fists, her red hair practically aflame. Even the instructor helplessly massaged his forehead.
Ever since she became familiar with Qian Ren, this little firecracker's lively nature had been completely unleashed. Now, even if someone called her a nickname, she would directly beat them back.
"Minato, beat him up! You're the best! I'll always support you!" A discordant voice rang out from the crowd.
"What did you say, Shimura Saburo?!" Kushina immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, running over furiously and threatening with bared fangs, "Change what you said right now! Otherwise, I'll beat you myself later!"
"Stinky tomato! What's it to you?!" Shimura Saburo, emboldened by two clan members beside him, retorted without backing down, "I can't beat you, but can't the three of us beat one of you?"
Instructor Murashita Ryukawa felt a headache coming on.
The Third Hokage had specifically instructed him to take good care of Kushina, the future Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki. Now, it seemed he needed to worry not about Kushina being bullied, but whether she would demolish the class… On the field, Minato's words brought Qian Ren's thoughts back.
"Still fighting? It's been almost fifteen minutes, and it's still the same; neither of us can do anything to the other. How about we call it a draw today?"
Indeed, without getting serious, it was difficult for the two of them to determine a winner.
Qian Ren shrugged, indicating his agreement.
Just then, the system's prompt sounded in his mind:
[You drew with Minato Namikaze. Please choose the entry to absorb: Physique +1, Physique +1, Physique +1]
Qian Ren frowned, looking at the three identical, uninspiring entries.
He couldn't help but look at Minato and grumble:
Minato Namikaze, are you even trying?
He was feeling annoyed when he heard the chattering taunts from Shimura Saburo's group on the sidelines, and a surge of anger immediately rose within him.
Qian Ren straightened his body, his icy gaze sweeping over Shimura Saburo's group.
He called out each name:
"Shimura Saburo, Shimura Kasa, Sarutobi Kawa, and the two hangers-on behind them.
Stop buzzing like flies in the back. I'll give you a chance; let me take on all five of you!"
The entire field fell silent.
Shimura Saburo, who was currently arguing with Kushina, poked his head out and turned to question his companions with his eyes.
"What are you hesitating for? He's been fighting Minato for so long; his stamina must be at its limit! This is the best chance to teach him a lesson!" Sarutobi Kawa, the chubby one, was always bold and made the decision directly.
The five immediately stepped forward.
Shimura Saburo's small eyes darted around, and he shouted to the teacher, "Teacher, he asked for this himself! If he gets hurt later, don't make us call our parents again!"
It had to be said, this kid not only resembled Danzo but had also learned seventy to eighty percent of his cunning. Five against one, and he still made it sound like he was in the right.
Murashita Ryukawa saw Qian Ren's confidence and nodded.
He also wanted to use this opportunity to discipline these brats who were arrogant due to their family backgrounds.
It was better to suffer a little now in school than to lose their lives on the battlefield.
Seeing the five enter the arena, Kushina immediately became excited, clenching her fists, an angry symbol seemingly appearing on her forehead as she shouted with all her might:
"Qian Ren! Beat them to death! Beat them within an inch of their lives! I'll cheer you on!"
Shimura Saburo listened to Kushina's shouts and whispered encouragement to his companions, "Don't be afraid! He's just a facade; his stamina is already exhausted! Otherwise, would I have dared to agree? Brothers, let's go!"
The five didn't even bother to form the hand signs for confrontation, charging forward with strange yells.
The first to reach Qian Ren was Shimura Kasa, a slender and agile boy. As soon as he approached Qian Ren, he put all his strength into his punch, as defeating a genius always made people excited.
So what if it was five against one? That was an honor!
However, just as his fist was halfway there, Qian Ren's figure flickered like a ghost, dodging the attack and circling behind him, delivering two light kicks to the back of his knees.
"Thud!"
Shimura Kasa's body uncontrollably fell forward onto his knees.
"Don't kneel!"
"Get down!"
Qian Ren's cold voice rang out, and a fierce whip kick landed squarely on his back, sending him flying directly, where he landed face-first in the dirt, drawing a burst of laughter.
At this moment, the remaining four had already surrounded him.
Three of them tangled with Qian Ren, while Shimura Saburo cunningly circled to the side, quietly grabbing a handful of sand from the ground.
"Shimura Saburo, you shameless bastard! Five against one and you're still using sand to sneak attack!" Kushina's sharp eyes immediately spotted his small movement.
"Disgraceful," Minato also commented.
In a Ninja fight, using small tools was generally acceptable, but using such tricks in a five-on-one situation was truly shameless.
"He really is shameless!" several classmates echoed.
"Tch, what do you know!" Shimura Saburo retorted, "A Ninja must use any means necessary to complete a mission! My uncle taught me that!"
Qian Ren caught a glimpse of Shimura Saburo's movement from the corner of his eye, a cold smile playing on his lips.
These guys, who couldn't even stand steadily, thought they could gang up on him?
With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Qian Ren seized the moment between their incoming punches and kicks, suddenly sidestepping and delivering a rapid succession of brutal stomps on their exposed toes!
For some reason, the shoes in this world all seemed to expose the toes, which now became the perfect target for attack!
"Ah!"
"Ow!"
"My toes! It hurts so much!"
Three screams rang out simultaneously, and the three instantly lost their fighting ability, instinctively bending over to check their injuries.
Qian Ren seized the opportunity, leaping up suddenly and delivering a powerful spinning kick, like a battle-axe, accurately hitting all three, sending them flying.
Watching his companions instantly defeated, Shimura Saburo stood frozen in place, the sand in his hand unconsciously slipping through his fingers.
How… could this be? Even if he was a genius, how could he still be so strong after such a huge expenditure of stamina?!
"Oh, there's still you."
A cold voice sounded in his ear.
Before Shimura Saburo could react, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, and he flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
Just as he tried to struggle to his feet, a large foot was already firmly planted on his chest, causing his insides to churn and leaving him unable to move.
Listening to the mocking laughter around him, Shimura Saburo's eyes were filled with venom, and he roared, putting on a brave front:
"Take your foot off me right now! My uncle is Hokage-sama's advisor! He already adopted me as his godson yesterday; you're finished if you offend me!"
"Oh? Are you talking about Danzo Shimura?"
"Hmph, good that you know!" Shimura Saburo thought the other party was scared. Looking at the raised sole of the foot, a hint of triumph appeared on his face, and he wanted to continue with his threats.
Unexpectedly, just as he opened his mouth, an even heavier foot stomped down on his face!
"Thud!"
This kick made Shimura Saburo see stars, almost making him faint.
Qian Ren continued to ask, "Speaking of which, you really do resemble Danzo. Does he not have a son, to adopt you?"
Shimura Saburo was already disoriented and subconsciously replied, "He… he was injured in the war… can't… can't have children…"
"Oh—" Qian Ren dragged out his voice, a brilliant smile appearing on his face, his voice not loud, but clearly echoing across the entire training ground, "So he's a eunuch!"