Two figures crouched high on a massive tree, peering through gaps in the leaves at the scene unfolding below in the clearing.
In the open space, Yu Akasaka and Rina Takeuchi looked totally beat up. Beside them stood another slightly older child, also in rough shape. Fortunately, all three still had their Chakra Marks intact.
Behind them, five kids who appeared to be first-year students trembled with fear. The marks on their foreheads and chests had clearly been wiped out.
Facing them stood a boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector tied around his arm. He smirked as he eyed them like a predator sizing up helpless prey.
"Pfft, they actually have some skill," the boy called Sakai said with disdain. "But after all, they're still students—total pushovers."
His cold, dismissive tone never wavered. Behind him stood two other boys, also wearing Konoha headbands. They were clearly his teammates.
Minato Namikaze, hiding in the tree above, felt a sudden jolt inside. When teams were assigned, everyone had been mixed up completely, yet these three managed to regroup within just a few hours.
Indeed, even for Minato—who had trained under Jiraiya-sensei for nearly a year already—the skills of real ninja were hard to imagine.
"Hurry up and finish this, Sakai," one of the boys behind the leader said casually, arms crossed over his chest while watching Yu and the others. In their eyes, only other Genin were worth treating as opponents.
A student's still a student, no matter how smart they are in class. Real fights were a whole other ballgame.
"I understand," Sakai replied seriously. Even against three opponents who seemed like helpless prey, he showed no sign of carelessness.
Whoosh!
He shot forward. Yu and the others clenched their jaws, ready to fight back with everything they had left.
"Back off now!" Suddenly, an unexpected interruption rang out. A furious voice cut through the air. Kushina could no longer stand the arrogance of these Genin who completely underestimated the Ninja Academy students.
She leapt from the tree and kicked straight toward Sakai with lightning speed.
Sakai, clearly a real Genin, barely sidestepped her attack at the last moment.
Kushina couldn't change direction midair, but she used the opening to dash forward, land swiftly, and spin around—positioning herself protectively in front of Yu and his companions, glaring fiercely at the boy before her.
"That girl's reaction is surprisingly fast," Sakai admitted, somewhat startled. Kushina locked onto him so quickly that she gave him no chance to counter.
"Kushina?!!!"
Yu Akasaka and Rina Takeuchi naturally recognized her signature red hair immediately and gasped aloud.
At that moment, Minato also jumped down from the tree and landed behind Kushina, stepping protectively in front of the three.
"Minato Namikaze?" His golden blond hair was equally striking.
"Do you know him?" the older boy standing beside Rina Takeuchi asked.
The two nodded. Rina said, "Yes, they're both classmates of mine and Yu Akasaka's."
"I see," the boy replied, his tone carrying a hint of shock because Minato and Kushina's skills seemed to be on an entirely different level from theirs.
In his opinion, within the Ninja Academy, only a few top students from their year could possibly match that level.
"Kushina, you're so reckless!" Minato said from behind her.
Hearing this, Kushina pouted, "I couldn't bear it anymore! These guys are just too arrogant!"
Minato naturally understood, then smiled as he said, "I know. What I meant was you were a bit too hasty. If you had waited just another second or two, that guy definitely wouldn't have been able to dodge."
When she heard this, Kushina looked suddenly surprised.
"Arrogant punk!"
Sakai, however, immediately flew into a rage. He felt completely disrespected by those two kids and was about to charge forward in anger.
His two companions, though, appeared beside him in an instant, blocking his action.
"Don't be rash. That kid is trying to provoke you!" one of them said, looking toward Minato. The latter's face wore a slightly regretful expression.
"What a shame," Minato murmured inwardly. He had originally hoped to use that fellow's restless mentality to lure him in, then act together with Kushina and eliminate him right away.
But Sakai was thrown off balance, while his teammates still kept their composure—indeed, worthy of being true ninja.
A real ninja mustn't let emotions cloud their judgment in battle—it affects their ability to make sound decisions.
"Whether it's us failing to detect both of them hiding here at first, or that kid's provocation, it shows these two kids aren't simple at all," another companion of Sakai's remarked. His eyes never left Minato for a moment.
Not only had they failed to detect both of them hiding there at first, but even after Kushina angrily charged out, they hadn't spotted Minato's whereabouts until he revealed himself.
With just one sentence, he'd nearly driven Sakai insane.
Clearly, his intention had been to take down Sakai instantly.
"To ensure our safety, we'll attack together!" Sakai's companion reiterated.
Meanwhile, Minato was already instructing Kushina: "They're a three-man squad. Compared to us, not only do they have the numerical advantage, but their teamwork also belongs to a completely different tier. So, we must strike first—we can't let them unite together."
"How should we do it?" Kushina asked.
"It's simple—you deal with Sakai, while I handle the other two. We'll separate them," Minato explained his plan.
Kushina immediately became anxious: "But those two opponents are both Genin… Are you sure you can handle them alone?"
Seeing how concerned Kushina was about him, Minato smiled slightly. "Don't worry. As long as you defeat Sakai quickly and come to support me, everything will be fine."
"Be sure to stay safe yourself. They're Genin—nothing like your usual opponents!"
Swish!
The moment Minato finished speaking, his speed skyrocketed. He had no intention of giving the three opponents any time to react.
Seeing him charge straight at them, Sakai and the others couldn't help but sneer.
Sakai in the center rushed forward head-on, throwing a punch aimed directly at the mark on Minato's chest.
That kind of speed might look impossible to dodge to a Ninja Academy student, but to Minato…
It was way too slow!
Moving at high speed, Minato twisted his body and effortlessly dodged Sakai's attack. At the same time, several shuriken appeared in his hands. With a flick of both wrists, he launched them, effectively restraining the other two opponents.
Sakai couldn't even follow Minato's movements. And right then, Kushina suddenly appeared right in front of him, her small face filled with rage. She reared back and smashed her fist straight into his chest!
Apologies everyone—the backend crashed last night, so I'm posting this now.
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