After hearing Heiyan's words.
The three young boys were first surprised, then gradually grew indignant.
Making them gang up on one opponent? Who did he think they were? It should be remembered that they are the proud heirs of the legendary "Ino–Shika–Cho" Trio, destined to become powerful aces for Konoha on the battlefield.
However, though they felt underestimated, the three didn't grow arrogant. Instead, they gathered closely together, discussing seriously in hushed voices.
"How about Kushina? She once called me 'Fatso.' I've been wanting to teach her a lesson for a long time," Choza Akimichi said, stuffing his potato chip bag away and wiping his mouth with his sleeve, visibly excited.
"If I recall correctly, wasn't it you who insulted her first, calling her 'Tomato Head'?"
Shikaku Nara shot Choza an unamused glance, then glanced toward Kushina.
Crack!
Right there, Kushina rolled up her sleeves, cracking her knuckles loudly while grinning like a battle-crazy maniac, shouting energetically at them:
"Pick me! Come on, pick me!"
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, Shikaku Nara turned to his companions and said, "Kushina is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. From what my elders told me, she's already capable of controlling part of its power. Although I hate to admit it, we probably stand no chance against her."
"I agree with Shikaku."
Inoichi Yamanaka nodded in support, adding, "Then our only opponent must be Minato Namikaze."
So the three exchanged glances, after which Shikaku stepped forward and pointed at Minato. "We'll fight him."
To these three youths, although Minato might be considered a genius, he was still merely a civilian ninja lacking experience and background. However skilled he might be, how strong could he truly be?
Pfft, so boring. Total cowards.
Kushina expressed disappointment, looking down contemptuously at Shikaku and his friends. Then she slapped Minato's shoulder and suspiciously asked him:
"Hey, can you handle this? You won't lose, right?"
"I'll do my best," Minato replied modestly, scratching the back of his head with his usual gentle smile.
Before long, both sides lined up on the training ground and politely bowed to each other.
"Give it your all," Heiyan called out. Since he was present, any danger could be stopped immediately. There was nothing to worry about.
Now!
With a quick nod exchanged among the Ino–Shika–Cho Trio, Shikaku gave a low command. Together, they launched into action simultaneously, working seamlessly as a team, attacking Minato in unison.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Minato held a kunai in hand and engaged them in combat. The metallic clashing sound echoed across the training field.
Unexpectedly, despite being surrounded, Minato showed no disadvantage—he maneuvered effortlessly using his agility and experience, moving about the battlefield as if taking a casual stroll.
Minato had fought on real battlefields and had also received guidance and rigorous training from Heiyan. Compared to when he had just graduated, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
There was absolutely no way that the Ino–Shika–Cho Trio could defeat him with taijutsu alone simply due to their numerical advantage.
Quite the opposite, they were seized the opportunity by Minato and defeated one by one.
So ended the first round of exchanges between them. The Ino–Shika–Cho trio gained no advantage at all. As the side with superior numbers, they were actually suppressed throughout the entire fight.
It was time to stop holding back and go all out.
On the open ground, the trio formed a formation, with Choza Akimichi at the front while the other two took positions—one on each side—behind him, forming a solid triangle.
[Expansion Jutsu!]
Choza Akimichi shouted loudly, unleashing the Akimichi clan's ancestral secret technique. His entire body inflated like a balloon, growing to over three meters tall.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After transforming into a mini giant, he charged directly toward Minato. Every step caused tremors on the ground, as if an earthquake had occurred.
Minato's expression turned surprised. Realizing he couldn't confront the opponent head-on, he activated the Shifting Body Technique, nimbly dodging and maneuvering away.
Just when both sides were locked in a stalemate, unable to overpower each other—
Xiu.
A subtle pulse of mental energy zipped silently through the air and headed straight for Minato.
In the distance, Inoichi Yamanaka tightly closed his eyes, maintaining his hand seal posture.
[Mind Body Disturbance Technique], a signature Genjutsu of the Yamanaka clan—an unexpected attack aimed at disrupting an enemy's mind and actions. Even if the target remained conscious, it could force them to act against their will.
If Minato fell victim to this technique, he would surely be captured by Choza.
However, much to Inoichi Yamanaka's surprise, his hidden attack was sensed by Minato anyway.
Swoosh.
Minato seemed to have eyes behind his back; without even turning his head, he quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the Genjutsu blast.
When it came to perception ability, Inoichi was already outstanding among his peers. But against Minato—a true prodigy—it was like comparing a child to a master.
Still, the trio's relentless assault hadn't ended yet, proving even more difficult to defend against.
"Hm?"
Minato had barely dodged Inoichi's sneaky Genjutsu when he surprisingly realized that his own body suddenly wouldn't move.
He looked downward and saw a shadow extending from his feet far into the distance, connected with Shikaku Nara's shadow.
Got him.
Maintaining his hand seal, Shikaku Nara revealed a smile on the corner of his mouth. When Minato was controlled by Shikaku Nara's Shadow Imitation Technique, the outcome of this battle had effectively been decided.
"Surrender now. Otherwise, you'll end up hurt," Choza Akimichi loomed over Minato, saying in a muffled, heavy voice.
Minato shook his head.
Frowning slightly, Choza had already warned Minato once. Since the latter refused to accept the generous offer, then he could only blame himself.
"Haaa!"
Roaring loudly, he leapt high into the air. His red hair hardened and extended, covering his body like the spines of a porcupine. Then curling his body inward, he transformed into a giant sphere.
Xiu.
From midair, Choza plummeted downward like a meteor, rolling rapidly as the Human Bullet Tank barreled down, attempting to crush Minato completely from above.
The next moment— *BOOM!*
With a deafening explosion, the Human Bullet Tank blasted a huge crater right where Minato had been standing. Dust burst skyward from the training grounds, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Is it over?"
Shikaku let out a breath of relief, retracting his Shadow Imitation Technique while glancing at Heiyan.
Minato had been directly hit by Choza's Human Bullet Tank. Shikaku wondered whether Heiyan would be angry and think that the three of them had gone too far.
Just then,
"Shikaku! Watch your back!" Inoichi suddenly cried out.
Huh?
Startled, Shikaku reacted quickly, extending his shadow behind him. Unfortunately, it was still a little too slow.
Boom!
A tremendous force came from behind, kicking Shikaku straight into the air. The heavy blow left him briefly dazed and knocked out of the fight.
Minato Namikaze, rather than being defeated, somehow managed to circle around behind Shikaku without anyone noticing.
This isn't good!
Seeing this, Inoichi panicked and hurriedly formed seals, preparing to use Mind Body Switch Technique to take control of Minato's body for a decisive showdown.
But Minato wouldn't allow that opportunity.
Whoosh.
His figure flickered and vanished right in front of Inoichi. In an instant, Inoichi followed his companion's fate—receiving a solid kick to the back and flying through the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Seeing his companions fall one after another, Akimichi Choza grew anxious and charged forward with large steps.
However, it was already useless.
Minato moved like a ghost, continuously appearing and disappearing around Choza. By the time he realized what was happening, he noticed several explosive tags stuck on his body.
Terrified, Choza froze and immediately raised his hands in surrender. No matter how strong his Expansion Jutsu defense was, ultimately he was still flesh and blood—he couldn't withstand explosive tag blasts.
Thus, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio—Konoha's legendary alliance of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans—versus Minato Namikaze—the outcome had been decided.
"Ugh..."
Shikaku and Inoichi awakened from their unconsciousness.
"Why can he teleport? That speed definitely isn't possible with just regular Shifting Body Technique," Inoichi asked in shock and confusion.
"It's the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Looking dejected, Shikaku replied belatedly. "Back when Minato first fought us using taijutsu, he left Flying Thunder God Seals on us during the fight."
Minato Namikaze… had actually mastered the Flying Thunder God.
When the trio realized this fact, they finally had to admit defeat—and accept it wholeheartedly.
The Flying Thunder God was among the most difficult jutsu in Konoha history. Up until now, only the Second Hokage and Uzumaki Heiyan had ever mastered this technique.
Now, there was one more—Minato Namikaze.
In this moment, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio no longer harbored any thoughts of looking down on Minato, because they knew—just with Flying Thunder God alone—he would surely become legendary someday.
Kushina, having watched the entire battle unfold, couldn't resist feeling excited.
"I'll fight you next!"
She shouted at Minato and sprang into the air without hesitation. With powerful gales swirling around her fist, she launched a punch directly at him.
Minato's eyes narrowed. Once again, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade.
Boom!
Kushina's monstrous punch struck the ground, creating a spiderweb of cracks radiating from her fist. Chunks of rock lifted into the air, forming a deep crater several meters wide at its center.
Even though both were Yang Release techniques, Kushina's [Monster Strength] was at least three times more powerful than Choza Akimichi's [Expansion Jutsu].
"..."
The Ino–Shika–Cho trio turned pale upon seeing this spectacle, their gazes toward Kushina akin to staring at a monster.
Among their peers, they were undeniably the cream of the crop. Yet when compared directly with Minato and Kushina, they clearly fell short.
"Don't you dare run away!"
Meanwhile, after her punch missed, Kushina still wouldn't let go so easily, relentlessly chasing after Minato.
With no other choice, Minato ducked behind Heiyan for cover.
"Enough already."
Heiyan calmed Kushina down by patting her on the head like a mischievous animal, finally making her settle.
"Hmph, what a cowardly wimp who only dares hide behind Heiyan-sensei's back."
Kushina shot Minato a glance, crossed her arms, let out a mocking huff, and scoffed.
Minato scratched his nose, smiling sheepishly without showing any sign of anger.
Observing the Ino–Shika–Cho trio, Heiyan noticed that the three boys appeared somewhat dispirited, clearly having been shaken by what they witnessed.
After thinking for a moment, he comforted them:
"Although you lost today, there is no need to feel discouraged. Even jonin would find it hard to beat Minato and Kushina. It's perfectly normal that you couldn't defeat them."
Once the three had recovered somewhat, he continued speaking to them:
"Before officially accepting you as my students, I must make one thing clear—I have many requirements and expect quite a lot from my students. Some might even find it unbearable. If anyone among you doesn't wish to be my student, you may quit right now."
Having said that, he cast a deliberate glance at Shikaku.
Realizing his thoughts had been seen through, Shikaku blushed involuntarily.
Truthfully, he was naturally lazy and hated hassle, but being Heiyan's student gave him the motivation to push through those issues. Plus, if he refused to join Team Ten, he'd definitely be beaten within an inch of his life by his elders back home.
Thus, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio exchanged glances again before bowing deeply together toward Heiyan:
"Please, Master Heiyan! Take us under your wing!"
"Very well."
Satisfied, Heiyan nodded and promptly produced a Storage Scroll, retrieving three sets of living armor and handing them to the Three-Tails youths:
"This is a gift from me, your teacher, as a welcome gift."
These armors weren't nearly as complex as Heiyan's previous living armors—simpler and lighter in design, costing him far fewer Sage Cells.
However, in terms of crafting technique alone, they represented progress. Earlier ones were crafted using Terrestrial Release (Kun); these utilized a more advanced Yin-Yang Release.
After putting on the armors and testing them out, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio all felt astonished.
Akimichi Choza activated his Expansion Jutsu immediately, growing up to ten meters tall—equivalent to a three-story building. Such magnitude was achievable only by jonin-level ninja within the Akimichi clan.
Shikaku's Shadow Imitation Technique extended even farther with increased shadow speed. He performed ninjutsu effortlessly, and his consumed chakra recovered quickly.
Inoichi Yamanaka was no different either. After wearing the armor, his sensory range expanded significantly, with greatly enhanced mental power.
"Brother Heiyan, I want one too..."
Kushina looked longingly at Heiyan and whispered. Minato, standing beside her, remained silent, but it was obvious he also envied the Ino–Shika–Cho trio.
"Don't rush, everyone will get one."
Heiyan smiled, then took out two more armors, handing them separately to Kushina and Minato.
The common characteristic of these living armors was that they all bore a red "Immortal" character on their shoulders, which served as Heiyan's signature mark across his creations.
After everyone became familiar with using the living armor,
"Now listen to my command, remove your armor."
Heiyan said sternly to his students, "Starting today, during regular daily life and training, I forbid you from wearing this armor to prevent developing excessive reliance on external forces. The living armor can only be used when going on missions or encountering combat situations. Do you all understand?"
"We understand!"
The youths quickly nodded in agreement, earnestly accepting his teachings.
They also realized that their own strength formed the foundation. Only by becoming stronger themselves could they fully benefit from the armor's power boost.
"Well then, let's begin training," Heiyan declared.
Team 10 began their first day of collective training.
Just out of the academy, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio had a lot to learn. Their ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu skills all required urgent improvement.
During training, Heiyan decided to appoint Minato as Team 10's leader, not only because of his strong abilities, but more importantly due to his calm mind and sunny personality—he was a natural-born leader.
Of course, Kushina alone voiced her protest.
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