At the moment their fists were about to collide.
Perhaps sensing the power in Kushina's punch and realizing he couldn't match it, or perhaps fearing he might hurt Kushina if they clashed fists directly, Namikaze Minato suddenly pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping high into the air.
He changed his fist into a palm, pressing down on Kushina's fist while using the force to flip over her head.
'Truly worthy of the title "Yellow Flash." Such reflexes... No wonder he can master the Flying Thunder God Technique, a space-time jutsu of extreme speed!'
Seeing this, Uchiha Ryun, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but smile.
"But he might be underestimating Kushina a little too much..."
Minato wasn't from the Hyūga Clan, so he couldn't see the chakra coating her fist. He thought a direct clash would hurt Kushina, which was why he leaped up at the critical moment to avoid it.
In reality, if they had clashed directly, Minato would have been the one injured, not Kushina.
This accidental dodge allowed Minato to narrowly avoid a minor crisis.
However, now that he was mid-air with no way to dodge again, Kushina wouldn't let such a perfect opportunity slip by.
The next moment, Kushina quickly turned around. Bending her knees, she stomped two visible footprints into the ground, clearly using chakra to enhance her speed as she lunged at Minato with terrifying momentum.
Minato was startled by Kushina's sudden burst of speed. He barely had time to react, hastily raising his arms to protect his neck and head.
But Kushina seized this chance. The moment Minato was about to land, she delivered a ferocious "Adamantine Arm" strike.
'What incredible strength!!!' Minato's expression turned to shock.
The next second, he was sent flying by the tremendous force.
He tumbled several times in the air before barely stabilizing himself. When he finally landed, his feet dragged two long trails in the dirt.
"So strong!" Minato shook his numb and aching arms.
Now, he finally realized he could no longer underestimate Kushina.
"Hahaha, impressive, right? This is the result of my training during summer break. Ryun taught me!" Kushina laughed triumphantly.
Seeing her so proud and excited, Ryun couldn't help but facepalm with a smile.
"Truly remarkable. In that case, I'll have to get serious too!" Minato smiled and drew a kunai.
"Bring it on!" Kushina immediately pulled a kunai from her pouch, her eyes gleaming with confidence.
"Go, Minato!!!"
Many of their classmates cheered for him, especially the girls, their voices completely drowning out the boys.
Seeing so many classmates siding with Minato and no one supporting Kushina, Ryun immediately stepped up to back his little tomato, shouting loudly to cheer her on.
His voice, amplified by chakra, was just as loud as the girls'...
"..."
"What a bootlicker..."
"Yeah, a grown boy always following Kushina around. Isn't he embarrassed? Shouting so loudly..."
Some of the girls, jealous of Kushina, felt a hot-tempered tomboy like her didn't deserve a handsome protector.
They also despised Ryun for being Kushina's loyal simp while ignoring them... So they couldn't help but mock him, venting their frustration.
"What's wrong with shouting loud? If you can shout, why can't I? If you can cheer for Minato, why can't I cheer for Nana?"
"Aren't you always crowding around Minato? A bunch of fangirls, and you have the nerve to call me out?"
Ryun wasn't about to go easy on them just because they were girls.
"Stupid simp! Shameless!!!" one girl outright cursed.
"Takes one to know one. A bunch of ugly freaks, always drooling over guys... Who's more shameless?"
Ryun engaged in an epic war of words with the girls.
While Kushina and Minato fought fiercely in the distance, he waged a verbal battle against multiple female classmates, firing off rapid insults.
"Zero manners, cursing at girls. Are you even a man?"
Satō sneered, seizing the chance to stir the pot and criticize Ryun from a moral high ground.
"Yeah, absolutely no manners!"
Kameda also jumped in, looking thrilled, as if he'd finally found a chance for revenge.
"Ohoho, and you two crybabies dare call yourselves men? What kind of man bursts into tears so easily?"
"And you, Satō, when I gave you that new haircut last time, not only did you cry, you even wet your pants, right? With that kind of guts, you have the nerve to call yourself a man?"
Facing multiple taunts and provocations, Ryun remained unruffled, countering each one.
"You're lying! Who wet their pants?!" Satō, hit where it hurt, immediately lost his temper.
"Whether you did or not, you know the truth."
"And you girls, all fat-faced ugly freaks, just jealous because Nana's cute, jealous because we're close..."
"Even without Nana, I'd never be into you. Minato wouldn't either. Take a look in the mirror..."
Ryun activated his savage tongue mode.
"Liar! Who'd simp for you? Shameless narcissist!!!"
"Who are you calling fat-faced? You bastard, I'll rip your mouth off!!!"
The girls shrieked in fury, ready to charge at Ryun.
For a moment, the spectators were in chaos. Many stopped watching the fight to enjoy the verbal brawl...
Soon, the commotion caught Instructor Koda's attention.
"You troublemakers want a rebellion? Shut up, all of you!"
After a stern scolding, the crowd finally quieted down.
Ryun casually stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching the battle ahead as if he hadn't been the one arguing earlier...
His nonchalant attitude only infuriated the girls he'd insulted. But with Instructor Koda nearby, they didn't dare make more noise.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Kushina formed hand seals, unleashing a powerful technique she'd mastered over the summer.
With several poofs, three shadow clones appeared beside her.
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu?!" Instructor Koda exclaimed in shock.
The surrounding students gasped in disbelief.
None of them expected Kushina to have mastered such a high-level jutsu, creating multiple solid clones in one go.
Now, four Kushinas surrounded Minato.
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