"Hey, you two! Quit lying around and get the grill going!" Akimichi Choza waved a tray of prepped meat at them.
"On it!" Yuki Seisui got up from the ground with a grin and replied cheerfully.
"Come on, we've been preparing all this time, wouldn't it be right not to enjoy the grilling process," he added.
Nara Shikaku thought for a moment, then nodded and stood up too.
By the afternoon, everyone lay sprawled on the grass, bellies full and content.
Seisui rubbed his stomach and gazed up at the sky, so blue and untouched by industrial smog, and couldn't help but sigh. "Choza, your cooking is amazing."
"Hehe," Choza let out a sheepish laugh. "It's nothing, really. My family runs a barbecue restaurant. I just picked up a few tricks from the shop."
"I'm still nowhere near the level of the real grill masters."
"No way, you're great!"
Minato gave him a thumbs-up from nearby and praised, "That was the best I've ever tasted."
Praise about his cooking was always a surefire way to make Choza, a true foodie, smile with joy.
After a while, lying there in the grass, Shikaku was the first to speak.
"So, time for training now?"
"I told my family I was going out to train. That's the only reason they let me come."
"That's just because you're always slacking off," Yamanaka Inoichi chimed in with a helpless expression. "Aunt Yoshino's just keeping you in check."
"What the heck! That's not fair!" Shikaku shot back. "I just like to sleep, that's all!"
Everything after that was conveniently framed as: "I sleep to train better, being a ninja isn't something you can call laziness."
The whole campsite was filled with cheerful, easygoing energy.
"Well then, let's get training!" This time it was Seisui who spoke up.
But a faint grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he quietly brushed his fingers along the hilt of his sword.
After all, his duel mission for the day still hadn't been completed.
"How about we test our strength a bit?" Seisui asked with a mischievous smile.
Shikaku stared at his gleaming expression and felt something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what.
"Sure!" Inoichi agreed readily. "I've been wanting to see how strong you really are, Seisui."
As he spoke, he cracked his knuckles. "Are we doing one-on-one?"
"Nope. You three versus me and Minato."
"A fair 2v3 match."
With that, Seisui activated the Duel Arena.
Choza and Shikaku, who had entered it before, didn't react much, but Inoichi's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked around.
"This is the special kekkei space?" Inoichi muttered.
They were all in the same class, so he'd heard about Seisui's unique ability, but didn't expect to witness it so soon.
"Let's do one warm-up match first!" The three looked at each other, then Shikaku said, "You two better be careful!"
Even though they'd just started at the ninja academy, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio were from clans renowned for their secret techniques. They'd been soaking in herbal baths since infancy and refining chakra since they were three.
Though they hadn't fully mastered their clan techniques, they were already capable of using them in combat.
Seisui and Minato exchanged a glance, and both saw a flicker of excitement in the other's eyes.
For Seisui, it meant he could now complete his daily Duel Arena mission.
For Minato, it was the thrill of finally having ninja tools and the chance to test them in real combat.
"Then let's begin!" With a thought from Seisui, a countdown appeared in midair.
As soon as the countdown hit zero, Minato charged forward, holding his triple-bladed kunai in reverse grip.
Inoichi immediately formed a hand seal, using Mind Body Switch Technique to link the trio's thoughts.
Shikaku moved to control his shadow, aiming to restrain Minato.
"A perfect opportunity!"
Seeing this, Seisui's eyes lit up and he dashed straight toward Inoichi.
The Ino–Shika–Cho trio was not to be underestimated, even though he and Minato had only recently crafted their chakra tools and grown significantly stronger. These three clans had cooperated since the Warring States era.
They had been training in coordination for generations. Even at just six years old, with the help of their clans, their teamwork was already razor-sharp.
Still, Seisui smirked. Inoichi couldn't move while activating his secret technique.
"I won't let you through!"
Choza stepped in to block Seisui's charge, he was the trio's offense and defense, while Shikaku was the brain.
Seisui wasn't surprised, as if he'd expected it all along.
Iaijutsu: Water Severing Strike!
In the next instant, he unsheathed his blade, no feints, just a clean slash aimed at Choza's neck.
The blade wasn't fast, but Choza had just thrown a punch and had no time to dodge.
"Choza, dodge to your left!"
Shikaku's voice rang out in his mind. Choza didn't hesitate and immediately shifted sideways.
But it didn't help, Seisui's blade was shrouded in a mist of water that clung to Choza and pulled him back toward the edge of the slash.
"Mind Body Switch!"
Just then, Inoichi's jutsu activated. With Choza's head tilted slightly, the attack trajectory changed and shot toward Seisui.
"Trickery!"
Seisui shifted his body and narrowly dodged the attack, but that moment of distraction weakened the binding effect of his Aqua Sever technique on Choza.
"Now's our chance!" Shikaku's voice rang in Choza's mind. "Hit him with a full-power punch to the chest!"
Choza broke free of the water binding and hurled a powerful punch at Seisui's chest.
In that moment, the long blade suddenly shifted, and with one clean swing, Seisui severed Choza's arm.
But the punch still landed squarely on Seisui's chest, knocking the wind out of him and making him cough up blood.
Both of them staggered back.
"Choza! Are you okay?!" Shikaku's voice was anxious. Even though he knew there'd be no lasting injuries inside the Duel Arena, seeing Choza's arm get sliced off made his heart race.
"Sorry, my attack missed."
"It's okay. Don't worry."
Even at their young age, they'd been taught never to give up easily.
Choza reassured the two of them. Though his arm had been severed, he felt no pain. Instead, his fighting spirit surged. Maybe he always looked silly, always munching on snacks, but that was just the surface.
Choza looked at Seisui. The three of them had thought the two opponents might cause a little trouble, but now they realized they had underestimated them.
Seisui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, slid his blade back into its sheath, and grinned.
"As expected... you guys aren't to be taken lightly."
"Let's go again!"
"Bring it!"
Choza charged at Seisui again, but this time, Seisui smiled and began forming hand seals.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
In a flash, a formless blast of wind shot toward Choza.
"Damn it! Choza, fall back!" Shikaku shouted, but at that moment, Minato suddenly appeared next to Inoichi, his triple-blade kunai aimed straight at Inoichi's chest.
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