After defeating Hyūga Kagami, a silver treasure chest suddenly appeared in the middle of the arena with a soft poof.
Of course, no one else could see it—only Leo. He quietly retrieved the chest, then left the field to rest.
In a corner of the arena, Leo sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, adjusting his breathing. Beside him, Kushina was talking a mile a minute, her pretty face flushed red with excitement.
Behind her, her little gang of followers shouted in unison:
"Boss Leo, you're awesome!"
"Boss Leo, unbeatable!"
"Boss Leo, the coolest!"
Leo, however, remained unmoved. As he meditated, he opened the silver treasure chest in his system space.
Inside was a single card.
[Soru – One of the Navy's Six Styles. A high-speed movement technique achieved by explosively stepping on the ground more than ten times in an instant. A master of this art can move faster than the eye can see. Requires immense physical strength.]
In the next moment, all the principles and movements of Soru flooded into his mind.
Seeing this ability, Leo couldn't help but think of the Body Flicker Technique from the world of Naruto.
Both techniques allowed instantaneous movement, but the Body Flicker—one of the Three Basic Techniques—required hand seals and had a limited range, making it relatively weak at lower levels.
The higher forms, however—such as Shunshin Shisui's legendary speed, or Might Guy's movement when opening the Eight Inner Gates—could be considered advanced versions of the same concept.
Their essence all came down to one thing: a ninja's physical strength.
Leo couldn't help but wonder—what would happen when Soru met Shunshin? Which was faster?
"Comprehend—Soru!"
With a single thought, the knowledge of Soru turned into a streak of light that merged into Leo's body. The technique's intricacies became perfectly clear to him.
The essence of the Navy's Soru was pure physical explosiveness—it scaled directly with stamina and strength. The greater one's vitality, the faster the movement, the stronger the impact.
He opened his system panel:
Host: Leo
Abilities:
– Conqueror's Haki Lv.2
– Observation Haki Lv.2
– Armament Haki Lv.3
– Tornado Secret Art Lv.2
– Soru Lv.1 (Next Level: 10,000 EXP)
Fruit: Flame-Flame Fruit Lv.2 (Next Level: 1,000 EXP)
Experience Points: 420 / 10,000
Defeating Hyūga Kagami had earned him nearly 300 experience points. Combined with his remaining EXP and passive daily gain, he had accumulated 420 total.
"Upgrade Soru!"
At his command, 100 EXP vanished.
Soru Lv.1 → Soru Lv.2
Instantly, his body felt lighter, faster—his speed had increased several fold. At Level 2, his instantaneous movement range extended to about twenty meters, with far greater explosiveness.
However, since this was the world of Naruto, Soru still drew upon chakra as its energy source, just like the Body Flicker Technique.
That meant as long as he had chakra, he could theoretically use Soru indefinitely—though his body would have its limits. The strain on his muscles would be immense.
Still, to Leo, this was good news. Every improvement meant survival.
He came out of his meditation just as Namikaze Minato finished his own match. From the looks of it, facing an illusion-type opponent like Yūhi Daispring had been tricky even for him.
After stepping off the field, Minato ate a soldier pill, quickly recovering his chakra to return to peak form.
Time passed slowly. After only a few dozen breaths, Minato turned toward the proctor and said:
"Examiner, I've recovered."
The chūnin proctor gave him a careful look.
"You don't want to rest a bit longer?"
"Thank you, sensei, but my last match was mostly genjutsu. I didn't use much chakra."
Minato smiled, that gentle, healing smile that would one day earn him the name Konoha's Yellow Flash.
"Very well."
The examiner nodded, then raised his voice.
"The final round of the Academy Combat Exams is about to begin—Leo versus Namikaze Minato! Contestants, prepare yourselves!"
"Ooooh!!"
The announcement sent the entire academy into a frenzy. Students and teachers alike buzzed with anticipation.
Under countless expectant gazes, Leo stepped into the arena and faced Minato.
"Didn't expect that kid to make it to the finals," said Jiraiya with a grin. "But he's no match for Minato."
His tone brimmed with confidence—his faith in Minato was absolute.
Minato might still be in the Academy, but his ability already matched that of a chūnin; only his youth and inexperience kept him there.
"Tch. You're getting a bit ahead of yourself," Tsunade scoffed, folding her arms across her ample chest. Her gaze lingered on Leo, filled with curiosity.
"Heh, Tsunade—you seem pretty confident in that kid," said Orochimaru with a sly smile. "His monstrous strength reminds me of yours."
"Wait, don't tell me you've been secretly teaching him your monster strength techniques behind our backs!" Jiraiya suddenly accused, pointing at her dramatically. "No wonder that brat's so freakish! That's cheating!"
"Idiot!"
Tsunade's brow twitched. In one smooth motion, she grabbed Jiraiya's arm and twisted—
Crack!
His shoulder popped out of its socket. His face contorted in agony as tears welled up in his eyes.
"As if I have the time to teach that annoying brat! And you—Orochimaru—stop stirring trouble!"
Orochimaru wordlessly stepped back a few paces, eyes glinting as he watched Jiraiya suffer.
At this point in time, the Three Legendary Sannin had yet to experience the horrors of the Second Ninja War. Their friendship was still strong—pure, even.
Even Orochimaru, for all his eerie demeanor, was not yet the man he would become. After all, Tsunade's younger brother Nawaki was still his student.
"Ow ow ow…"
Jiraiya crouched in the corner, nursing his arm, muttering under his breath.
Damn it, Tsunade's as violent as ever. Who'd dare date her in the future…?
Watching them, the Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen—couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"They are the future of Konoha… the village's pillars."
He gazed at the three of them with quiet pride.
"May their bond never fade."
Back on the field, Minato gave Leo a friendly smile.
"Leo-kun, it's an honor to face you. I knew from the start you weren't ordinary."
"The honor's mine, Minato."
Leo smiled faintly.
Of all Konoha's shinobi, Minato was one of the few he truly respected. His sacrifice to save the village—sealing the Nine-Tails within his own son—was an act of pure courage.
A man worthy of being called Hokage.
But respect or not—Leo had no intention of holding back.
"Are both of you ready?" the examiner asked.
"Yes," Leo and Minato replied in unison.
"Leo! Smash him!"
From the stands, Kushina's voice rang out like a bell, startling both fighters. Minato's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"The final duel of the Ninja Academy's Combat Tournament—begin!"
The chūnin's voice boomed across the arena.
The match to determine the Academy's strongest was finally underway.
Out of respect for Namikaze Minato—future Hokage or not—Leo chose not to hold back in the slightest.
The instant the signal came, he moved—his body blurring as he exploded forward at full speed, a punch already flying straight toward Minato's chest!
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