Minato took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. A sudden gale swept across the training ground, catching Lock off guard. His small frame was lifted from the ground, tumoring helplessly in the wind.
"Not good—!"
He tried to stabilize his fall, but Minato's Wind Release was too strong, and his body too light. Before he could adjust, a golden blur flashed before his eyes. A crushing impact struck him midair, slamming him into the ground with a heavy thud.
"Tch… too fast."
Lock muttered under his breath, wincing as he rolled to his feet. Without hesitation, he pulled a smoke bomb from his pouch and smashed it against the ground.
Boom!
A thick cloud of smoke engulfed him. When it cleared seconds later, the Lock was gone.
Minato's eyes narrowed. "He vanished…?"
The crowd erupted in confusion. None of them had seen where Lock had gone. One moment he was there, the next he had disappeared as if swallowed by the earth.
"What happened? Where did he go?"
"Did he… run away?"
Even the jōnin referee frowned, unable to track the boy's movements. If Lock didn't reappear, he couldn't declare a result—and that uncertainty left the entire training field restless.
From the stands, Jiraiya gawked. "What the hell—? I didn't see a single sign of him moving! Did any of you catch that?"
Tsunade remained silent, her brow furrowed. Orochimaru, however, leaned forward with interest, his serpentine eyes glittering. "Interesting… such concealment, even I cannot sense him."
The Third Hokage, arms folded, looked equally unsettled. His first thought was a comparison. The Moonlight clan's Phasing Technique? But this is different… no hand seals, no trace of chakra leakage.
Behind him, a masked Anbu operative closed his eyes, focusing on sensory ninjutsu. Moments later, he whispered something into Hiruzen's ear. The Hokage's expression deepened.
"So that's where he is… I see. But how? This boy… he's unlike any other."
Not far away, a Hyūga clansman quietly activated his Byakugan. His eyes widened instantly, shock spreading across his features. Incredible… he's right there, and yet, hidden so deeply…
The majority of the spectators were far less impressed. They grew impatient, restless. "Is this a graduation exam or hide-and-seek?" some muttered. They had come to see sparks fly, not silence.
Danzo, seated among his Root operatives, watched keenly. At first, he hadn't cared much for Lock—his earlier bravado hadn't impressed him. But now, after seeing this ability, his expression sharpened.
"This power… perfect for assassination. Perfect for Root. This boy must be mine."
Meanwhile, the Hokage chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Smart little one. He knows his strengths and plays to them well. If nurtured, he could rival even White Fang's son."
On the battlefield, Minato stood still, kunai in hand, scanning his surroundings. Though not a sensory-type shinobi, he wasn't about to sit idly by. His hands blurred into signs.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
A series of powerful gusts blasted across the field, ripping through trees, dust, and stone. But no matter how far his jutsu spread, Lock didn't appear. The boy's concealment was too deep—chakra suppressed, presence erased, movements silent.
He's not just hiding. He's waiting. Watching.
Minato's sharp eyes studied the terrain. He noticed the tiniest details: shifting dust, the absence of movement in a single patch of smoke, the faintest unnatural silence. His instincts screamed the truth.
"There!"
He spun toward a seemingly empty corner of the training ground, golden hair glinting under the sun. Without hesitation, he launched forward, kunai raised for a strike.
The audience gasped. Only the sensory ninja had located Lock, yet Minato had already pieced it together.
Just as he closed in, a sharp voice rang out from the stands:
"Wait—!"
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