"Hey, you think Minato's gonna win this one?" Akimichi Choza asked, crunching on a bag of chips while glancing at Nara Shikaku beside him.
Shikaku shook his head. "Hard to say."
"Seisui's strikes are all aimed at vital points," he added. "If this were a real duel, Minato wouldn't stand a chance. But it's just an exam, Seisui's power is being held back."
Shikaku's analysis was reasonable. But only reasonable.
Because the Yuki Seisui standing in the arena now, having fused with three different templates, was terrifyingly strong.
"Well, if Seisui messes up, it'll be fun to watch. Minato might just take the top spot," Shikaku added with a slightly mischievous grin as he continued observing the two.
Uzumaki Kushina, standing nearby, overheard their conversation and glanced at the two boys facing off in the arena.
They're fighting for the top student spot?
Tch. That spot's mine, she thought stubbornly, narrowing her eyes as she focused intently on the showdown.
She wanted to see just what kind of skills these two had that made them think they were worthy of the title.
Most of the other students, however, were simply watching with casual interest. They didn't know Minato or Yuki Seisui very well, and they'd never seen them in a serious fight before.
Naturally, they had no idea how strong they really were.
Meanwhile, Yuki Seisui stood across from Minato, clearly with the upper hand, but not daring to relax.
Minato's reflexes were insane. Not only that, but his body could actually keep up with those lightning-fast reactions.
It was absurd.
More than once, Seisui had nearly been countered by Minato's split-second responses. That kind of ability made it impossible to let his guard down.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Seisui quickly formed hand seals. In a flash, three puffs of smoke appeared beside him, forming three additional Seisuis, four in total now on the battlefield.
"Ninjutsu!"
"I know that one, it's the Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"That's a B-rank jutsu!"
"Damn it, I just managed to extract chakra, and he's already using full-on ninjutsu!"
Minato tensed up as he faced the four Seisuis. He knew better than anyone how strong the real Seisui was.
"Not going to attack?" Seisui smirked. "Then I'll go first!"
With a synchronized movement, the real Seisui and his clones all drew their blades. Not a single opening could be found in their formation.
Then, in a blur, three of them lunged forward, slicing in from different directions.
Minato went into full battle mode. He'd seen this tactic before, he remembered how badly it had beaten him the last time.
Seisui used the smoke from his shadow clones to constantly switch positions, making it impossible to tell which one was real. Three visible strikes from different angles, and one hidden, lethal blow waiting for a slip-up.
Minato knew the strategy. But knowing it didn't help. It was a trap laid out in the open, and the clones were all solid, capable of dealing real damage.
But Minato's reflexes weren't just good, they were extraordinary. Twisting his body mid-air, he managed to dodge all three strikes. And just as the fourth Seisui lunged in with a finishing move,
Minato smirked. "Gotcha!"
He quickly formed hand seals. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A sudden gust of powerful wind exploded outward, blasting across the arena toward Seisui.
Yamanaka Yukio, who'd been observing from the sidelines, stiffened. Even he hadn't expected this level of battle.
In his mind, Minato had always been a bit of a genius with no real ninjutsu skill, while Seisui was a prodigy with a Kekkei Genkai. But now, seeing their tactics and the intensity of their attacks, these two were clearly in a league of their own, even among the best Genin.
"They're amazing!"
"Are they even human?"
"Damn that Seisui, stealing my spotlight!"
"So cool…" Some of the girls had already turned into fanatics, swooning over the fierce clash.
Should I go for Minato? Or Seisui?
What if one of them proposes to me?
Naturally, neither of the boys noticed the chaos in the crowd.
Yamanaka Yukio muttered to himself, unable to hold back: "Their talent is terrifying…"
Just then, a new Seisui suddenly appeared from the side, while the one caught in the Wind Style jutsu burst into a puff of smoke. Another shadow clone.
The real Seisui charged in with his blade aimed directly at Minato.
"Minato, you're still too young."
"Minato! Let's see if you can dodge this one!"
"Seisui! I won't lose to you!"
They shouted each other's names as they clashed once again, sending shivers down Kushina's spine.
These two… why are they yelling each other's names like that?
So weird!
Iaijutsu: Water Severing Strike!
Seisui's speed spiked, he reappeared right in front of Minato in the blink of an eye. Mist gathered along his blade, encircling Minato's neck.
"This… this is what youth looks like!" Seisui grinned, holding his blade at Minato's throat triumphantly.
"…Seriously?" Minato was at a loss for words.
Seisui's grin froze.
Wait a second… was he turning into Guy?
Yamanaka Yukio, seeing that the match was finally over, called out: "Seal the duel with the reconciliation sign!"
The fight had left everyone dazed. It was hard to believe people their age were already capable of such intense ninjutsu combat, especially when some of them hadn't even managed to refine chakra yet.
The gap in skill was impossible to ignore, and everyone began throwing everything they had into their own matches, some even getting knocked out cold.
Seisui couldn't help but feel speechless.
Seriously? Why not just surrender instead of getting knocked out? Are they brain-dead?
Live to fight another day, people!
Watching the rest of the sparring matches, Seisui almost couldn't bear to look. If he didn't know better, he'd think this was some back-alley street fight and not a ninja academy exam.
Barehanded brawls, people wrestling and rolling on the ground, it was ridiculous.
"So boring," Seisui muttered, elbowing Minato, who hadn't spoken in a while.
He followed Minato's gaze and noticed a group of kids surrounding Kushina.
Clearly up to no good.
"What are you staring at?"
Minato blinked, snapping out of it. "Oh, nothing."
"Heh." Seisui sneered and leaned close to whisper in his ear, "What, not gonna be a hero and save the damsel?"
With that, he gave Minato a hard shove.
Now, Minato had top-tier reflexes when it came to battle, but at this moment… it was hard to say if he reacted late on purpose or not.
"You think that red hair of yours is cute? It's disgusting!"
"You wanna be Hokage? Dream on!"
"Anyone can be Hokage now, huh? What a joke."
"Let's just call you Tomato Head from now on!"
The crowd taunted her one after another, pushing Kushina's patience to the brink. Her face flushed red with fury.
That's when Minato stumbled in, pushed forward by Seisui. The moment he appeared, the hecklers fell silent and slowly scattered.
Minato didn't even look at them. He scratched his head awkwardly and said to Kushina, "Don't mind what they said. I believe you'll achieve your dream."
Kushina blinked.
Like I need your help, especially from this pretty boy…
From a distance, Seisui shook his head. "Useless… That's not how you chase girls."
"So how do you chase them?" a voice asked behind him.
It was Uchiha Haru.
"Obviously, you go right up, start a conversation, and build some chemistry!" Seisui replied instinctively, then froze. Slowly turning around, he saw Haru standing right behind him.
"So… you were chasing me back then?"
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