"Oh, I didn't expect my disciple to win again. It's just luck, pure luck!"
Jiraiya said to the Sand Shinobi Jōnin beside him.
The joy on his face was unmistakable.
Of course, the Sand Shinobi Jōnin wasn't about to back down. After all, they still had a competitor in the tournament.
"Hmph, just wait and see. Baki will definitely defeat that kid from Konoha."
However, reality had other plans, and the Sand Shinobi Jōnin was forced to eat his words.
Minato surprised everyone from Sunagakure.
After a fierce battle, he actually defeated their ace, Baki.
At the start, Baki kept Minato at bay with Wind Style ninjutsu, forcing him into a defensive position.
But what Baki didn't realize was that, during the fight, Minato had already placed several Flying Thunder God marks throughout the arena.
When Baki sliced through the ground once more with his Wind Style jutsu, a piece of rubble marked with the Flying Thunder God formula happened to bounce near him.
What happened next was simple.
Minato teleported there and finished the match with a direct Rasengan.
The Rock Shinobi watching from the stands looked livid.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya burst into laughter, slapping the table in delight.
"Oh, what a dilemma! My two students are meeting in the finals. This is so embarrassing!"
"How could they fight each other when they're from the same school?"
Jiraiya feigned distress, making everyone around him grit their teeth in frustration.
No one had expected that this Four Nations Joint Jōnin Exam would turn into Konoha's personal showcase!
If word spread, Konoha's reputation would soar, and their commissioned missions would skyrocket in the short term.
But even more important than that was…
Everyone had witnessed the emergence of two rising stars from Konoha.
One was incredibly fast and wielded the only known Bloodline Elimination ability—[Light Release].
Powerful, yet eccentric and irritating.
But Simu's performance was undeniably astounding—defeating two tailed beast Jinchūriki single-handedly.
He had even suppressed the half-unsealed Matatabi!
The other, equally fast, had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, originally created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Though Minato was usually mild-mannered, on the battlefield, even the gentlest ninja became a lethal weapon.
Not to mention Uchiha Fugaku's impressive showing and the new generation of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio...
Konoha was overflowing with talent.
Many shinobi from other villages couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Some smaller vassal states were already considering whether they should reevaluate their stance on Konoha after this tournament.
Perhaps it was time to switch allegiances.
Mifune, the tournament's referee, looked at Simu and Minato with deep appreciation.
But regardless of their shared allegiance, there could only be one winner.
"Oh man, what a hassle. I really didn't expect to go up against you, Minato," Simu muttered lazily.
He just wanted to hurry back to Konoha and sleep.
Minato gave a wry smile.
"One move."
"Hm?"
Simu glanced at him in confusion.
Minato's expression turned serious.
"I know my strength isn't on par with yours. I only need one move."
"If you can take it, I'll concede defeat."
Understanding dawned on Simu's face.
Minato didn't want to reveal too much in front of so many outsiders.
If they fought seriously, both of their abilities would be completely exposed to the other villages.
And if their weaknesses were studied, enemy villages could develop strategies to target them.
On the battlefield, this could mean trouble—or even death.
As Minato's comrade, Simu naturally understood.
Minato was well aware of Simu's special ability—Elementalization.
So far, Simu had kept it a secret.
The only ones who had seen it were the Cloud Shinobi during the operation to retrieve Kushina…
But most of them were dead now.
To everyone else, it remained a mystery.
Simu nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Honestly, Minato is terrifying," he thought.
He pulled his hands out of his pockets, ready to fight.
He was also curious—just how serious would Minato get?
Minato smirked.
"Should I feel honored that you're actually taking this seriously?"
"Not really..." Simu scratched his head.
But before he could finish, Minato had already pulled out seven special kunai from his pouch and hurled them toward Simu.
"You chose to start with a sneak attack, huh?"
With Observation Haki, Simu easily knocked the kunai away.
The moment they were deflected, Minato grabbed another one in midair.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
He teleported instantly, launching another kunai at Simu from close range.
Simu instinctively stepped back and raised his foot for a sweeping kick.
As expected, Minato reappeared in front of the airborne kunai.
But only for an instant.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished again.
Simu's attack missed completely.
"As expected of the man who will become Hokage..."
Simu thought to himself.
In the next moment, Minato reappeared behind him, a kunai aimed at his back.
Simu instantly transformed into a flash of light and disappeared.
As he re-materialized, his Observation Haki tingled with an ominous premonition.
At some point, Minato had left a Flying Thunder God seal at his landing spot.
"You were preparing for this move from the very start..."
Simu realized.
Blonde hair streaked through the air.
A familiar buzzing sound filled his ears.
Minato held a kunai in his left hand, and in his right, a swirling Rasengan had already formed.
This was the best he could do at such speed.
"As expected of you, reacting this quickly," Minato remarked.
The light blue chakra sphere crackled violently as it descended toward Simu.
But Simu simply grinned.
In an instant, his left fist was enveloped in Armament Haki.
"Light-Speed Fist."
A golden flash erupted.
His Haki-infused fist crashed directly into the incoming Rasengan.
"Om—!"
A massive force exploded from the Rasengan.
But Simu's Armament Haki was powerful enough to withstand it.
The result?
The entire battlefield cracked open beneath them, massive fissures spreading like a spiderweb.
Even the barriers surrounding the arena trembled, on the verge of shattering.
"Boom!"
As the immense energy was fully unleashed, the entire stadium was swallowed in a blinding white light!
"What happened?!"
For most ninjas in the audience, all they saw were streaks of golden and blonde flashes colliding at impossible speeds.
They couldn't make out a thing.
By the time their eyes adjusted, Minato and Simu had already exchanged their final blows.
The entire sequence had lasted no more than fifteen seconds!
"Hurry up and reinforce the barrier!"
The on-site sealing ninjas rushed forward, pouring their chakra into the barrier.
Finally, they managed to stabilize it—just barely.
As the dust settled, the battlefield quieted once more.
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