"The final match… Namikaze Minato versus Yuya!"
The chief proctor raised his hand and announced the last bout.
The atmosphere instantly surged to its absolute peak. Under the gaze of countless expectant eyes, Namikaze Minato stepped onto the field and came to a stop in front of Yuya.
Minato first smiled at Yuya, then said warmly,
"I didn't expect my final opponent to be you… but I'm really glad I get to fight you."
Minato's expression and mannerisms made Kushina, watching from the stands, instinctively pout—coming to the same conclusion as Yuya.
A bit too gentle.
Though incredibly talented and handsome, with a refined aura about him, he somehow gave off a slightly soft, almost delicate impression.
"I'm honored as well," Yuya replied with a faint smile, nodding back at him.
Minato laughed openly. "Calling it an honor feels a bit much, doesn't it?"
What Minato didn't know was that Yuya's "honor" referred to the future version of him—
The Yellow Flash. The Fourth Hokage.
To cross fists with the future Fourth Hokage was, to Yuya, genuinely exciting.
And Minato's strength also made him a truly formidable opponent.
As such, Yuya focused completely, taking the battle with absolute seriousness.
"Final match—begin!"
In the next instant, as the proctor sharply waved his hand, the battle that would decide who was the true number-one genius of the Ninja Academy officially began!
The moment it started, Yuya showed no intention of holding back.
He burst forward at full speed, charging straight at Minato and throwing a punch at him.
Against a genius like Namikaze Minato, underestimating him would be nothing short of suicide.
This wasn't an attempt at a cheap instant kill—it was the mindset of a lion hunting a rabbit, still using its full strength.
The instant Yuya unleashed his full speed, a wave of shocked cries erupted.
This was the first time since the practical ranking exams began that Yuya had revealed his speed.
Previously, he had crushed every opponent purely with overwhelming power.
But now—
To the Ninja Academy students watching, Yuya's speed was simply absurd.
In their eyes, his body nearly turned into an afterimage—his true position impossible to track!
"So fast!"
"He's not just strong?! His speed too—?!"
Not only the students—even the jōnin wore deeply astonished expressions.
This level of speed was already comparable to that of a chūnin!
Yuya wasn't wearing any weights.
At this moment, his speed was nearly on par with Rock Lee without weights—after all, Yuya had opened the First Gate of the Eight Gates.
The explosive output from his heart alone granted terrifying power and speed.
"Fast!"
Even Minato's eyes flashed with shock. Facing Yuya's charge, his hands flew through hand seals.
By the time Yuya's punch engulfed his figure, Minato had already completed them.
Boom!!
A thunderous explosion echoed as Minato's body was blasted apart—
Only to instantly turn into a wooden log.
Substitution Jutsu!
Yuya wasn't surprised in the slightest. Without even turning his head, his other fist clenched tightly and smashed backward.
Crack—!!!
The air shattered like a mirror, thin fractures spreading outward in all directions.
Behind Yuya, a volley of shuriken Minato had thrown midair froze in place!
With a loud buzz, every shuriken was violently shaken apart—none of them even qualified to withstand Yuya's shock force.
"…Just as troublesome as I thought."
Appearing behind Yuya, Minato's expression had already turned extremely serious.
Minato's reaction speed was nearly unmatched—so sharp that even the Fourth Raikage would later admit inferiority.
So he could react to Yuya's speed.
Even so, the situation made his head ache.
If Yuya were only strong, Minato had countless strategies.
But strength and speed together?
That was dangerous.
The most troublesome opponent so far… worse than anyone else.
That fist—absolutely cannot be taken head-on. One hit and it's an instant defeat.
As he thought this, Minato produced another shuriken.
Yuya turned calmly to face him.
No matter what Minato tried—
As long as Yuya got close, as long as even one punch landed—
It would be over.
Even chūnin struggled to withstand Yuya's shock force. Minato was powerful, but he was still short of that level.
Whoosh!!
In the next instant, Minato hurled the shuriken at Yuya while simultaneously forming hand seals.
As the shuriken flew through the air, it suddenly blurred—
One became two.
Two became four.
Four became eight.
In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with shuriken, pouring down like a storm!
The arena erupted in shock.
"That's the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!"
"He learned it on his own?! That talent is terrifying!"
Whether students or jōnin, everyone stared in disbelief.
Yet faced with the overwhelming rain of shuriken, Yuya remained completely expressionless.
He simply clenched his fist—
And threw a single punch.
No matter how many techniques you have.
No matter how many kunai or shuriken you throw—
One punch is enough to shatter them all.
BOOM—!!
Shock force erupted violently.
Every shuriken in the sky froze midair—then shattered one by one into nothingness.
It was a breathtaking scene.
Almost impossible to believe that such techniques were being used by two children who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy.
But it wasn't over yet.
Amid the shattered shuriken, several suddenly changed.
Hiss—!!
Explosive tags!
"So that's the move."
Yuya's expression didn't change. He didn't even withdraw his fist, maintaining the same punching stance.
No matter how many tricks you have, no matter how many variations—
I only need one punch.
Buzz—!!
Shock force exploded outward, enveloping everything in front of him.
Fine cracks spread through the air, as though the very space had been shattered into fractured ice.
BOOM—!!
The explosive tags detonated—
Yet the explosions were forcibly blocked by the shock force, unable to advance even an inch!
Even so, thick smoke and dust filled the arena, temporarily obscuring all vision.
Just as the smoke and remnants of the shuriken storm began to fade—
A violent gust suddenly roared through the field, blowing everything away.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
This Wind Release technique had been launched by Minato at the exact moment Yuya was dealing with the shuriken and explosive tags.
He had seized the perfect opening.
By the time it was noticed—
The jutsu was already right in front of Yuya!
There was no time to dodge.
And this was a C-rank ninjutsu!
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