In the midst of intense physical exhaustion, he still had to maintain his speed while staying alert for possible ambushes from all directions.
The very first training exercise Jiraiya assigned Minato was this high-difficulty mission. Even Jiraiya himself hadn't expected Minato to have much chance of completing forty laps before noon under these conditions.
It tested every bit of mental focus, willpower, and reflexes—a challenge rivaling even the Chunin Exams. It was undeniably too harsh for a seven-year-old child.
At noontime, Konoha's streets were sparsely populated; additionally, since Minato was running around the village itself, he mostly followed the outer perimeter, where very few people passed.
[Whoosh!] [Whoosh!]
Initially, the attacks aimed at him weren't particularly dense; Minato's body quickly adapted to this rhythm.
This was all thanks to his visual nerves being more developed than those of ordinary people. Although basic-level Genin and Chunin shinobi possessed speeds surpassing normal humans, rarely did anyone pay attention to adapting their perception to such speeds.
When everything around a person moved at high speed, visual perception would become slow and blurry.
Minato consistently adhered to this type of training, so with just his visual nerves coordinating with bodily movements, he could easily evade his teacher's obstructions.
However, the speed at which he adjusted was surprisingly fast—within half a lap, he could dodge various attacks while maintaining even greater speed.
Moreover, Minato's sense of fatigue was gradually fading, despite not using chakra to recover his stamina.
Jiraiya, hidden in the shadows, observed all this and gradually changed expressions.
"How strange."
Even Jiraiya began questioning his younger self because he'd also once undertaken similar training.
Yet after his first attempt, he had been flustered by the hidden attacks. Even someone as fast as his peer back then had significantly slowed down and ultimately failed to complete the task.
Now, although Jiraiya's skills might not quite rival the Third's, they weren't far off.
Back then, the Third was training three students at the same time—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—whereas now Jiraiya only had Minato.
Yet the difference in progress between them was simply too significant.
Minato thought he evaded attacks by consciously coordinating his visual nerves with body movement, but Jiraiya could clearly see that wasn't the main reason he succeeded...
Rather than relying on deliberate control over his body through conscious awareness, it seemed more like a reflexive response.
It was like how someone who'd lived through life-or-death situations could feel hostility coming off others—a skill built up over years.
But Minato was merely seven years old, and he had barely entered the Ninja Academy a year ago. Forget about him—even Yan Uchiha, a contemporary student who had been trained from childhood within the Uchiha clan's elite system, couldn't possibly possess such an ability.
"Master Jiraiya, your attacks seem slower now," said Minato.
"Perhaps it can only be explained as one of his innate talents?"
Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, finally settling on this conclusion—just like how he had instinctively learned the "Body Flicker Technique" by himself. In terms of speed, Minato Namikaze indeed seemed to possess a talent surpassing that of ordinary people.
This also proved that the training direction he had chosen for him was absolutely correct.
Perhaps he really could become the next "Fastest Ninja in the World," following in the footsteps of the Second Hokage!
Focusing himself once again, Jiraiya's attacks in the shadows resumed their former sharpness.
Although sweat streamed down Minato Namikaze's face, he kept smiling throughout, apparently enjoying the process thoroughly.
"Huff! Huff!"
Such high-speed evasion drills were far more exhausting than simple running. By the time he completed the thirty-ninth lap around Konoha, even though his stamina had somewhat recovered, Minato Namikaze began breathing heavily through his mouth.
Yet Minato Namikaze clenched his teeth tightly and maintained his pace. There were soot marks on his body because Master Jiraiya's attacks weren't limited to just shuriken—they included rocks scattered all over the ground as well.
Even with his quick reflexes, he had been hit several times. Although Jiraiya had held back much of his strength, the impacts still left Minato sore and aching.
Enduring this pain relentlessly, he kept going until finally, three minutes earlier than the time limit set by his teacher, he completed the forty laps around Konoha.
Minato Namikaze slightly lowered his eyelids, bowing his tired body forward and supporting himself with one hand pressed against the ground.
Though his body was exhausted, Minato Namikaze didn't allow it to relax completely right away; after intense physical activity, abruptly entering a resting state would cause discomfort.
Gradually easing his tense muscles, Minato looked up as Jiraiya emerged before him, taking hold of his arm and lifting him upright.
"You did very well," Jiraiya said with a smile, his eyes filled with admiration.
Looking weary, Minato gave a bitter chuckle in response. "I'm still far from good enough... You've been keeping up with me the entire time, helping me train, yet you're perfectly fine. I guess I'm still just not strong enough..."
His teacher had constantly attacked him secretly while concealing his presence, yet showed no sign of fatigue whatsoever—this level of strength was far superior to his current abilities.
"Hmph, is that so? Actually, your performance today made me feel an old sense of frustration."
Sighing, Jiraiya continued. His present achievements had taken over a decade of hard cultivation. Back when he first underwent such training, he had been far clumsier than Minato, and hadn't completed it successfully at all.
Hearing his master say this, Minato blinked in surprise, then smiled.
In Konoha, which Jonin or mentor would ever speak words like that while teaching students?
Probably only his own unique teacher would behave this way.
"Master, what about this afternoon's training?"
Minato didn't feel particularly proud about it. On the contrary, he was even more eager for the afternoon training, though he looked pretty worn out right now.
"Hehe, have you forgotten the three rules I set for you?"
Jiraiya said. Such a training load was incredibly intense for a child his age.
The reason he had spoken that way before the training was twofold: one, to spark Minato's curiosity, and two, to test whether he truly kept those rules in mind.
Minato gave an embarrassed smile—he had momentarily forgotten...
Noticing the lingering hope in Minato's eyes, Jiraiya gave a faint smile and said, "For today, training ends here. However, you can come with me to meet someone—a senior of yours, so to speak..."
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