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On Konoha's Fifth Training Ground, Genbu and Namikaze Minato stood at the center of the field. Everyone else watched quietly from the sidelines.
"Go, Genbu-san!!!"
Kushina somehow had a small flag and waved it enthusiastically, cheering him on.
"Go, Minato! Beat Genbu, and I'll buy you candy!"
Opposite the childish Kushina was the even more childish Tsunade, waving her own flag with even more vigor. The two women were practically competing over who could cheer louder—but their loyalties were on opposite sides.
Seeing Tsunade support Minato enraged Genbu. Meanwhile, Minato, seeing Kushina support Genbu, felt a pang of disappointment.
"Genbu-niisan, I'm ready," Minato said politely, announcing his attack before even moving.
Genbu drew a circle at his feet. "Come on. Give it your all. If you can push me out of this circle, you win."
I have to give my best… he thought, especially in front of Kushina.
Minato's expression hardened. His usual gentle demeanor vanished, replaced with absolute focus as he advanced toward Genbu.
They closed the distance. Minato thrust a kunai at Genbu, who blocked with his arm. "So difficult… is Genbu using his 'overwhelming power' right from the start?"
The kunai struck Genbu's arm but failed to penetrate his defense. Should I infuse Haki—or "overwhelming power"—into the kunai to enhance its force? Genbu considered. No… with my current stamina and mental focus, I can only channel a small amount for a short time. Using it now will drain me too quickly.
Abandoning the idea, he switched tactics. If a bare kunai couldn't break Minato's defense…
The kunai in Minato's hand shimmered with a thin layer of wind-natured chakra. A child not even seven years old had already learned how to change chakra nature—and could control it precisely so it only affected the weapon, minimizing chakra consumption. Incredible.
He attacked from all angles, but Genbu still fought empty-handed.
"Is Minato really only seven?" Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade beamed. "Of course! He's a prodigy. Regret not taking my bet?"
"I bet Genbu will win, hmph," Kushina said, frowning.
"No, it's Minato!"
"Yes, Genbu!"
"It's Minato!"
The two girls bickered back and forth, leaning closer until their foreheads nearly touched, eyes blazing. Kushina's hair fluttered slightly in the tension, the air around them practically crackling.
"Hmph!"
Just as everyone thought they'd start fighting, they simultaneously turned their heads, arms crossed, ignoring each other.
Jiraiya, unimpressed with the childish display, asked Orochimaru, "Could you do this at seven?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "Not just me. I don't think Sarutobi-sensei could either. But compared to him, I'm more interested in Genbu-kun."
"Yes," Jiraiya said. "He blocked a wind blade without a scratch. Sure, Minato's wind-nature chakra isn't strong enough to harm him, but even so… his physical strength is terrifying."
Genbu, clad in an orange training outfit reminiscent of Goku's, didn't appear to use Hardening Techniques despite his earth-natured chakra. While hardening could increase strength, it would drastically reduce flexibility.
"I feel there's an incredible power within Genbu-kun," Orochimaru observed, licking his lips.
The scene shifted back to the battlefield. Minato had attacked Genbu at high intensity for over ten minutes, but the results were minimal.
He stepped back, still in battle stance, one knee bent, arms crossed, kunai gripped tightly. His hot breath mingled with the cold air, forming a thin mist. High-intensity attacks were taxing for a child not yet seven.
"Oh, that won't do. Even with all your energy, this won't work. The woman who marries you in the future would have trouble," Genbu thought, tossing him two smoke bombs.
"Wind Release: Wind Slash!" Massive wind blades shot toward Genbu, sparking on contact, but still failing to pierce his defense—only leaving faint white marks.
Minato didn't stop. He created Shadow Clones, which dashed through the smoke, then unleashed "Wind Release: Beast Wave Palm." A high-intensity wind blade struck Genbu's abdomen, but caused no harm.
The clone was scattered by Genbu's counter, yet using the smoke and clone attacks, Minato moved behind him for "Wind Release: Vacuum Sword."
Chakra-infused kunai formed an extremely sharp sword, slicing toward Genbu's back. This time, Minato's attack finally broke through—but only left a faint red mark on Genbu's skin, without drawing blood.
"Genbu-san is amazing," Minato thought, frustrated that his attack had caused so little damage.
Dodging Genbu's massive hand, he retreated to a safe distance, utterly exhausted. At seven, he'd been fighting for so long, using several high-level techniques. His chakra was nearly depleted; not many his age could match Genbu's sheer power.
The smoke cleared, revealing Genbu. The attack had some effect—his shirt was torn, exposing his powerful physique.
Tsunade couldn't help but steal a glance. "Genbu-kun's figure is amazing."
"Hah, you couldn't handle such a simple challenge, hahaha," Genbu teased.
"Genbu-niisan, you're so devious! You said men shouldn't call themselves incompetent, explained it multiple times, and now you deliberately provoke me into wasting my chakra," Minato scolded.
"This is what it means to leave no stone unturned in battle. Are you nearly exhausted?"
"This is my final move. If it doesn't work… I'll have to admit defeat."
"Come on, brother. My body is invincible. Show me your strength," Genbu declared, ready for the expected Haki-enhanced strike.
He positioned himself, feet apart, front toes slightly inward, back foot angled outward, knees bent, arms relaxed but ready. Left fist in front of his eyes, right fist near jaw and neck. Clearly, he intended to face the final attack head-on.
Minato adjusted his breath, tossed his last smoke bomb at his feet…
"Mask your form?"