Whoosh!
After releasing the first small fireball from her mouth, Mikoto continued spewing flames in rapid succession, like a storm of fire raining down.
The roaring flames engulfed all of Yan Uchiha's shuriken, incinerating them before the fiery rain fell to the ground. The remaining fireballs kept surging toward Yan Uchiha without losing momentum.
Yan Uchiha glanced around and gritted his teeth while stepping backward. He certainly had ways to counter Mikoto's ninjutsu, but this space was too confined. If he used the Great Fireball technique again, it would cause the same disastrous consequences as last time...
Just as he considered responding with the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Mikoto predicted exactly that move. The densely packed fireballs left Yan Uchiha practically no time to form hand seals.
"I didn't expect Misao to use ninja techniques too. During our regular sparring sessions, I've never seen her use any." Kushina opened her mouth slightly in surprise, then puffed out her cheeks. She did know some techniques... but none meant for combat.
"It's only a practice session, so of course there's no need to use ninjutsu."
Minato smiled. This Phoenix Sage Fire Technique was also recorded in The Third's ninjutsu scrolls.
As long as chakra wasn't exhausted, one could continuously produce fireballs. Clearly, Mikoto valued this technique's continuity. Right now, Yan Uchiha had already been forced into a position where he couldn't defend himself with ninjutsu.
As for shuriken, compared to the roaring flames, they seemed relatively weak.
Mikoto quickly seized the upper hand, leaving Yan Uchiha trapped in the center of the arena, unable to perform any hand seals.
But his physical agility and speed were impressive, allowing him to repeatedly evade Mikoto's Phoenix Sage Fire attacks.
Gradually, he started moving toward the crowd.
Minato saw through his intention—just like Mikoto, Yan Uchiha also hesitated to use the Phoenix Sage Fire within this confined space for fear of possibly injuring classmates.
And at that moment, Yan Uchiha would have his chance to counterattack.
Mikoto realized this as well. As she spat out more fireballs, she simultaneously threw several shuriken.
Whoosh!
The flames wrapped around the shuriken, not only increasing their speed but also significantly enhancing their power.
This was Mikoto's last-ditch effort. Yan Uchiha, who had nearly reached the edge of Mikoto's technique range, was forcefully pushed back by these flame-encased shuriken.
"Great job, Mikoto!"
Minato couldn't help but laugh. Now Yan Uchiha's only escape route had been cut off.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique] wasn't particularly chakra-intensive among Fire Release techniques. While classified as C-ranked, given Mikoto's current condition, maintaining it until Yan Uchiha fell should pose no problem.
But Minato knew it wasn't over just yet. What Yan Uchiha currently displayed was merely improved taijutsu movements much faster than a year ago.
Still, Minato didn't believe his progress had been limited to just this during the past year.
Just as he contemplated this and shifted his gaze toward Yan Uchiha, Yan Uchiha simultaneously looked straight at him.
"This guy actually dares to be distracted during battle?" A cold shiver shot down Minato's spine.
The next moment, sudden chaos erupted.
Swish!
Suddenly, Yan Uchiha—who had been dodging Mikoto's relentless barrage of phoenix fire across the battlefield—vanished from sight.
Minato recognized that speed well.
"It's the Body Flicker Technique!"
In an instant, Yan reappeared beside Mikoto, his fist stopping just half an inch from her temple. Throughout the entire exchange, she hadn't even managed to react.
"What incredible speed!"
Only after clearly seeing Yan Uchiha's figure did she regain her composure and stop moving entirely.
Because in that moment, if Yan had truly wanted to strike, she would've already been knocked out cold.
Such near-instantaneous movement was beyond what she could handle right now.
It was only at this moment that Moto Kouda finally came to his senses, because the battle between Mikoto and Yan Uchiha was clearly not an ordinary sparring session between academy students.
In fact, it was even more intense than the fight between Minato and Yan Uchiha from a year ago.
Yan Uchiha is the victor!
Moto Kouda immediately announced, though the other students remained stunned, unsure of what had just happened.
The tide of battle shifted in the blink of an eye.
Minato narrowed his eyes slightly because Yan Uchiha was staring straight at him.
Clearly, during the past year, he'd learned the Body Flicker Technique specifically to erase Minato's speed advantage.
This was definitely a formidable rival!
Soon after, Mikoto and Yan Uchiha performed the [Reconciliation Seal] before returning to their respective positions.
"I'm sorry… I lost," Mikoto said with some guilt upon rejoining Kushina, though there was no resentment in her eyes.
She had employed every technique she possessed. Losing to Yan Uchiha simply meant she wasn't strong enough yet.
Kushina naturally held no ill feelings toward her and offered a few encouraging words. Seeing Mikoto smile again, Kushina finally felt at ease.
The sparring class continued. Soon afterward, Minato's name was called as well, and his opponent was one of the top students from the third class—second only to Yan Uchiha.
Still, the outcome was obvious. Minato easily defeated him. He noticed that throughout the match, Yan Uchiha had been closely analyzing his every move.
What Yan had said a year ago—that he'd beat Minato—wasn't just empty talk.
Based on today's match against Mikoto alone, it was clear Yan had undergone targeted training.
His strength had certainly far surpassed what it had been a year ago.
After the sparring concluded, it was already noon. Normally, Minato and Kushina ate lunch together, but today, for some reason, Kushina pulled Minato toward a secluded corner of the school.
Finding themselves completely alone, Minato looked at Kushina with puzzlement, while she appeared slightly flushed.
"Kushina, is there something you need?" Minato asked gently, thoroughly confused.
Kushina hesitated for quite a while, and Minato waited patiently.
"Um… after school today, can you help me with my training?" Kushina blurted out, as if it had drained all her energy. Hearing this, Minato was momentarily taken aback.
"That's all? But won't your family worry if you don't go home after school?" Minato smiled kindly.
Kushina puffed out her lower lip and said, "Worried? Like they'd actually care about me."
Minato knew absolutely nothing about Kushina's family background. It seemed Kushina herself hadn't even realized yet that she was already under the watch of the Anbu, who reported directly to the Hokage.
She wanted to wander off on her own without permission, but the Anbu members wouldn't likely ever give their approval.
But when he saw the hopeful look in Kushina's eyes, Minato found himself completely unable to say no.
However, he didn't agree right away. Instead, after pausing for a moment and stroking his chin in thought, he looked at Kushina and said,
"Alright, I promise!"
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