The academy students' demonstrations came to an end.
Compared to the original standard where mastering the Three Basic Techniques was enough to pass, naturally no one failed. Those of appropriate age who applied for graduation were awarded the genin headbands.
Kakashi, Asuma, and the others chose to remain in the academy for another year to consolidate their growth, so they were not awarded theirs.
As the graduation ceremony ended, the atmosphere in the training ground grew even more heated.
Because the grand finale had arrived!
A year ago, Minato's evaluation of the academy students had left a deep impression on Konoha's ninja…
A Flying Thunder God kunai appeared at the center of the field.
A flash of golden light—
And Minato appeared.
He smiled as he looked at the academy elites:
"Did you miss me? It's been a few months—feels like you've all gotten stronger…"
"Don't try to scare us. We're not afraid of you anymore…"
Asuma stepped forward like a duelist calling for battle: "This time, we won't bully you by ganging up on you! We'll send Seisui-nii as our representative—he alone is enough to deal with you!"
Kakashi and the others nodded along. Shisui and Obito moved closer to Tobirama and whispered: "Niisan, do your best—defeat that blond monster!"
"The others have already gathered Danzo's evidence, don't worry!"
The academy elites withdrew from the field in an orderly and rapid manner.
Only Tobirama remained, smiling as he looked at Minato standing before him.
He really had mastered the Flying Thunder God quite smoothly!
There was a successor!
"This Flying Thunder God Technique—did you create it yourself?"
Tobirama asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Of course not. It belongs to the Second Hokage…"
Minato narrowed his eyes.
Anyone skilled in the Flying Thunder God Technique was inevitably a ninja with powerful sensory ability.
Minato could feel it—
The chakra within Tobirama did not belong to someone of this age…
'At least you have some awareness of intellectual property. The academy kids really do love to talk nonsense…'
Tobirama chuckled inwardly. Asuma had even spread the rumor that Minato invented the technique.
"But I have confidence that I'll master it even more thoroughly than the Second Hokage, though I'm still refining it…"
"You're very strong, so I won't hold back."
Minato said slowly: "I won't treat you like I do those children…"
When facing Asuma and the others, Minato could still give them chances to showcase their results.
But "Seisui"—
Made him feel, for the first time in a long while, pressure from someone of the same generation.
"I should remind you—I understand the Flying Thunder God quite well. After all, I'm an Uchiha…"
Tobirama smiled, raising Izuna's blade, Tōenmaru: "You still have time to replenish your Flying Thunder God kunai."
As for Minato claiming he would surpass him in the Flying Thunder God—
Tobirama wasn't angry.
But since he said it, then it had to be strictly tested.
He would make Minato remember—
The Flying Thunder God was not invincible.
What Tobirama didn't know, however—
Was that Minato had already suffered multiple painful lessons from Hiruzen.
On both of their left arms, a gray cloth strip was tied.
Whoever had their strip cut or taken—
Would lose.
...
Mito sat on the high platform, watching the two with a faint smile.
One was the son-in-law of the Uzumaki clan; the other might have been as well…
Both were outstanding young talents of Konoha!
And it wasn't just one great figure from the Warring States era present at the scene.
A certain unnamed Shura of the shinobi world had also personally and meticulously controlled a White Zetsu to watch this classic spectacle—an Uchiha facing off against the Flying Thunder God…
"Come on, Seisui…" Madara murmured inwardly. "Don't lose to the Flying Thunder God!"
'How should I take Seisui as my disciple…' Danzo was still tirelessly thinking about this question.
His idea of earning military merit had been seen through by Hiruzen, shocking him into a cold sweat. Danzo could only think of other ways to launch another charge toward the position of Hokage…
The whistle signaling the match sounded.
In Minato's palm, as if by magic, Flying Thunder God kunai filled the gaps between his fingers.
Tobirama's brow lifted slightly.
At that moment, Izuna silently appeared within his body.
The fusion between the two of them had already become highly proficient…
So much so that when Izuna returned from the Pure Land, it was as if he had just woken from sleep—clear and unobstructed, without the slightest stagnation.
Minato raised his arm, and the Flying Thunder God kunai flew precisely in all directions, embedding themselves firmly into the ground like formation flags.
"You really kept your word, Seisui!"
"Just a mere Flying Thunder God Technique—I'll make him suffer a crushing defeat…" Izuna's eyes lit up. Having just returned from the Pure Land and immediately taking on such a major fight—it truly stirred his blood…
He had long agreed with Tobirama to test the caliber of this Flying Thunder God user!
He could barely count as a substitute for Tobirama…
Until the moment of his death, aside from thinking of his brother, Izuna had been focused on figuring out how to counter the Flying Thunder God.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have awakened "Ankotsu no Mikoto."
"Can I expose my dōjutsu? Has Mito come?"
"Show your chakra boldly, it's fine! Hokage-sama won't care about such things—as long as it's power that can be used for Konoha, it's good power!"
Their exchange took place in the span of a single instant within their minds.
As for Mito, Tobirama understood her extremely well.
Izuna's power would be noticed by her sooner or later.
He was bound to enter the village's official structure eventually.
But Tobirama had also come to realize—
Was Hiruzen the only one allowed to use his and Hashirama's reputation?
He could also make use of Hiruzen's reputation!
With Hiruzen's name backing him, at worst he could truly accept the identity of a supposed descendant of "Tobi-Izuna."
It could even count as achieving the feat of "deceiving Mito."
And at this moment—
Minato silently appeared behind Tobirama.
Several Flying Thunder God kunai were thrown upward in a silent arc using a special technique, while his own body was instantly activated to its peak condition—
Charging fiercely toward Tobirama's arm!
"Izuna!"
"I know!"
Izuna grinned fiercely, smoothly taking control of "Seisui's" body. A pair of three-tomoe Sharingan, infused with overwhelmingly strong ocular power, cast a faint sideways glance at Minato.
That gaze—
Was like an impassable boundary line, domineering enough to repel Minato outright.
In close combat, one of the most fundamental principles is:
Even if the enemy is about to stab a kunai into your eye, you must not close your eyes—you must gather information until the very last moment…
But when fighting a three-tomoe Uchiha, that rule was broken.
Minato did not dodge or evade.
Instead, he closed his eyes, further unleashing his chakra, charging forward like a sword with unstoppable momentum!
He was different from others…
With his speed and explosive power, the information captured in a single instant was already enough to launch an attack!
At this distance, even forming hand seals would be too late.
Minato did not believe that "Seisui" could, like Hiruzen, casually form a single seal and release a ninjutsu…
At the very least, two or three would be needed!
Izuna let out a cold laugh. Tōenmaru ignited with gray flames as if it were an extension of his arm.
The origin of this blade stirred emotions within Izuna.
His "bloodline," by a twist of fate, had obtained the sword he wielded in life—
Truly a matter of destiny!
Wrapped in chakra, Minato surged forward with a piercing sound cutting through the air, his afterimage trailing into a faint streak of golden light.
Izuna did not move at all, the long blade held lazily at an angle.
Gray flames burned quietly along the blade, casting a ghostly glow that made the cold light in his eyes all the more chilling—
As if he intended to let Minato crash straight into the blade.
This style of combat—
Though Izuna had only experienced it once, he had replayed it countless times.
Just as they were about to collide, Minato's figure flickered.
The Flying Thunder God kunai above Izuna's head became the coordinate for his teleportation.
In the instant he transferred, Minato forced through the stiffness of displacement, and both Flying Thunder God kunai and ordinary kunai once again filled the gaps between his fingers.
Ninjutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
Like a sudden barrage, both real and fake Flying Thunder God kunai rained down on Izuna from all directions.
Tobirama's heart stirred. Within the mental space, he crossed his arms, sensing the seals on the kunai and precisely calling out positions for Izuna: "Front three, left four—he'll definitely attempt another probing shift. I'll prepare genjutsu for you!"
For this match, Tobirama had no intention of fighting fairly.
First, he needed to establish his reputation quickly, displaying overwhelming strength to enter the core of the village.
Second, he wanted to teach Minato a lesson—to make him more cautious in the future and avoid repeating his own past mistakes.
Izuna smiled knowingly.
Back then, when he fought Tobirama, if someone had given him such precise callouts…
No matter how many Flying Thunder God kunai there were, it wouldn't have worked!
Izuna swung the blade so fast that only afterimages remained, forming a fan-shaped barrier.
Gray flames spread along the arc of the blade, like wings of fire unfolding!
At that moment, both Mito and Madara's expressions subtly changed.
Looking similar was one thing—after all, intergenerational resemblance among ninja clans was common.
But fighting the same way?
Even the aura and posture seemed carved from the same mold…
Was this right?!
Madara and Mito simultaneously heightened their sensory perception.
Gray flames surged with the blade's momentum, carving a razor-sharp arc straight toward Minato!
The overwhelming advantage of the Flying Thunder God lay in this:
If the user's reaction speed exceeded the opponent's, then the moment the enemy initiated an attack—
It became an opening!
There was always a recovery window…
Minato suddenly drove his chakra, appearing behind Izuna.
But what surprised him was—
"Seisui" seemed to possess a second pair of eyes.
A mouthful of fire had already been gathered without him noticing, and the moment he turned, it erupted outward!
At the same time, a pair of Sharingan gathered ocular power, searching for Minato's next landing point.
Clearly—
The moment Minato landed, genjutsu would follow immediately!
Sharingan genjutsu did not require direct eye contact to function—
It was simply more effective that way…
Normally, combining dōjutsu with ninjutsu or taijutsu would disrupt chakra flow.
It was even more difficult than combining elemental releases…
But for "Seisui," what ordinary ninja found difficult—dual casting techniques—was not difficult at all.
And he didn't even need to worry about compatibility between combined techniques.
Because at this moment, "Seisui" was not composed of a single person!
He was a composite of Izuna and Tobirama—essentially acting as perfect mutual Jinchūriki, operating on dual threads!
What surprised Izuna was—
Minato seemed to have sensed the danger. Instead of transferring rashly, he spread his hands!
This was thanks to Hiruzen's usual instruction.
The relentless bombardment of dual-thread and even triple-thread Five Element ninjutsu had taught Minato that unless the Flying Thunder God Technique was used for large-scale transfers, even an infinite-firepower turret could pose a major threat to the user…
The same applied to dōjutsu—long-range sniping techniques.
A dense network of black sealing patterns unfolded instantly before Minato!
The raging flames and even the ocular power were blocked by the sealing technique, swallowed into a different space, and temporarily compressed into the kunai in Minato's hand.
Using the isolation provided by the sealing technique, Minato once again retreated via teleportation, pulling away to create distance.
He panted lightly, showing a trace of fatigue.
Aside from Hiruzen, this was the first time his compound Flying Thunder God attack had failed.
'If it weren't for the Hokage's training, if I had treated him like those academy students, I'd already have lost…'
Minato's expression turned extremely serious.
When he had performed the second-stage Flying Thunder God transfer above "Seisui," he had felt an illusion—
The Uchiha boy before him seemed extremely familiar with his combat style, responding with perfect precision. The blade had remained locked onto him the entire time…
Even through multiple teleportations, his emotions and movements had remained steady, without exposing the slightest opening.
Steady—as if he had lost something before…
"Mito's handiwork!" Izuna froze, recalling some unpleasant memories.
"He stored unstable spatial distortions inside the kunai! Be careful…" Tobirama immediately warned.
"Even more troublesome than Tobirama!"
"The Tobirama of the same age didn't have this level of neural reaction speed…" Izuna narrowed his eyes.
"Even with my incomplete power and your body not yet fully matured, the two of us combined still couldn't take him down immediately…"
"This is no ordinary Flying Thunder God user. His combat instincts rival those of a Warring States ninja. Logically, he shouldn't have experienced that much real combat…"
Recently, Izuna had become quite familiar with shinobi history.
Because Tobirama would call him over from time to time just to chat—treating it as a way to test the consumption of "Yata Spirit Invocation."
Always hanging around academy students—there was no shared language.
It was only among peers that their thinking could truly align.
And when speaking with Izuna using "Seisui's" identity, Tobirama could always feel a faint sense of satisfaction…
"He looks like someone who's been through countless battles…" Tobirama pondered.
"Who would put this kind of pressure on a Flying Thunder God user? At this age, being tempered to this level—if I were the same age, I absolutely wouldn't be at this level…"
The answer was naturally Hiruzen.
"Seisui, your turn!"
"I can't keep using your body. You also need to gradually improve your real combat ability. After all, I'm already dead—there will come a day when we part…"
Izuna let out a long breath, speaking with reluctance.
The feeling of using a living body—was truly good. It was as if he had come back to life.
But the dead were dead.
That was a fact that had to be accepted.
"You're quite generous. You've only been in Konoha a few days and already learned Hokage-sama's essence?"
Tobirama chuckled teasingly, as the "Seisui unit" switched operators: "Water Release: Severing Wave!"
Tobirama quickly formed hand seals, releasing an extremely compressed, high-pressure stream of water from his mouth—razor-sharp!
Izuna frowned slightly.
Why was he using Tobirama's techniques now?
But thinking about the complicated relationship between Tobirama, Kagami, Shisui, and Seisui…
Izuna said nothing.
After all, one couldn't expect the child to deny his maternal grandfather, right?
That was… difficult to say.
Minato activated his body, suppressing the Flying Thunder God kunai that had absorbed Fire Release as much as possible.
The Severing Wave chased after Minato's movements, but its real purpose was cutting down the Flying Thunder God kunai scattered across the field.
'Good thing I left one on the ground…'
'His attack intent is obvious. I'll leave two Flying Thunder God kunai as feints, remotely control the marking to appear behind Seisui, and take his cloth strip in one move!'
'Not as extreme as Hokage-sama—his most excessive move was dissolving the entire training ground at once with acid mist!'
Minato rapidly organized his battle plan in his mind.
Thanks to Hiruzen's training, Minato had already developed a mature expectation regarding the destruction of his Flying Thunder God kunai…
Tobirama glanced at the marking on the ground.
'Only one…'
'It's time to end this!'
Tobirama accelerated instantly.
In his view, the moment Minato failed to deploy more Flying Thunder God kunai, he had already lost.
Tōenmaru and the tri-pronged kunai clashed.
The two engaged in close combat!
'What sharp taijutsu…'
'What ruthless swordsmanship!'
Both Minato and Tobirama felt sincere admiration inwardly.
Even as geniuses, they both recognized that the other was far beyond the level of an ordinary prodigy…
"Coordinate with me! I want to test the power and consumption of 'Ankotsu no Mikoto'…"
"Understood!"
The Mangekyō in Izuna's eyes slowly spun.
"We take him down in one move!"
A sinister black-purple aura emerged from the void, wrapping around Tobirama.
Under the enhancement of this aura, all of Tobirama's physical attributes surged explosively, as if possessed by a demon!
But what shocked both Tobirama and Izuna—
Was that even with this sudden doubling of strength, Minato did not panic.
Even as he was forced into retreat, it was as if he had undergone countless weighted training sessions—
Even at a disadvantage, he maintained his rhythm, his composure unbelievably steady…
"What is wrong with this brat? He can even withstand this?"
Izuna frowned, muttering: "Who does he usually spar with?"
'It's somewhat similar to the Boil Release chakra mode Hokage-sama recently developed…'
'The enhancement is greater, but Seisui's base speed and strength are still far behind Hokage-sama's…' Minato silently thanked his own caution.
If he hadn't been wary of failure—training with Mito on sealing techniques and sparring extra with Hiruzen—
He would have already lost within the first few exchanges against this "two-on-one" assault!
Watching from the sidelines, both Mito and Madara had expressions that kept shifting.
From Izuna's descent to the activation of "Ankotsu no Mikoto"—
Both of them were nearly unable to stay seated!
One was too familiar, the other possessed near-perfect sensory memory…
Both were intimately aware of Izuna's chakra and ocular power…
Yet before they could make sense of it—
Why had it now become entangled with Tobirama as well?!
The proficiency and execution of that Severing Wave were at least seventy percent similar to Tobirama!
How could the shadows of both of those men appear within a single boy?
What exactly was going on?!
Purple-black and golden light intertwined.
Tobirama and Minato's figures locked tightly together, clashing across the training ground like two streaks of lightning!
"Now!"
After distancing himself from the marking on the ground, Minato threw out the Flying Thunder God kunai that had absorbed Fire Release.
The flames instantly exploded in midair!
In that same instant, Minato transferred to the shifted marker.
But his whole body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, his chakra freezing for that moment!
He had touched the baleful aura clone Tobirama had left behind in advance.
Their close-quarters battle had caused the aura's traces to spread across almost the entire training ground.
Having endured Hiruzen's gravity field suppression before, Minato overcame the impact of the baleful aura clone with astonishing speed!
But at that very moment, Izuna activated a position swap with the clone!
Tobirama flicked up his long blade, and at last the gray cloth strip on Minato's shoulder was cut through!
A silence so deep that a pin could be heard dropping.
In this duel, even ordinary Special Jōnin could not clearly track the movements of the two of them at all!
Terumī Mei, Nakamaro, and the others watched the scene in silence.
Thinking of Genji's line about "while the neighbor stores grain, I store guns," they were starting to lose their composure a little.
Were they really going to fight Konoha ninja on the battlefield?
"Hiruzen, did you see that technique the Uchiha brat used?"
Danzo barked in a low voice, "Something's wrong here. There's definitely something fishy going on! He needs to be seized and questioned!"
"Ah…"
"It was just some enhancement technique. What's so wrong about it?"
Hiruzen watched Tobirama as the purple-black baleful aura gradually dissipated from him, and he too felt somewhat surprised.
What kind of kinjutsu had Sensei come up with this time?
But at this moment, Hiruzen had no time to bother with Danzo, nor did he care what Tobirama had developed...
Lately, Hiruzen had been thinking about how to deal with enemies who possessed control over space.
It wasn't specifically aimed at the Flying Thunder God—he was worried that other hidden villages might have similar techniques.
They might not have them now, but perhaps they would in the future. After all, ninjutsu was constantly evolving...
Perhaps his prestige had once again been converted into potential, and his performance rewards had been handed out...
As Hiruzen considered a spatial sealing technique framework he had recently been pondering, sudden inspiration struck, and it seemed he had found a breakthrough point that could actually be put into practice.
'I'll need to ask Mito-sama about it...' Hiruzen traced a rough diagram in the air with chakra, reinforcing the impression of that flash of inspiration.
He truly had no talent for spatial transfer; for now, there was nothing he could do about that.
But binding and stabilizing space was another branch entirely, essentially a major category of Fūinjutsu...
If it could be wrapped around the body...
Then against the Flying Thunder God—no, against spatial technique users—as long as he could ensure he himself could not be carelessly transferred away, he would already be able to reclaim a great deal of initiative.
"Stop practicing, Hiruzen! Why are you still working on that sealing technique at a time like this?"
Danzo shouted anxiously: "We're talking about the Uchiha! Even Minato lost—Uchiha Seisui is already about to become uncontrollable..."
Hiruzen shot Danzo a glance. "What are you afraid of? Aren't I here?"
Danzo wanted to retort, but after thinking about Hiruzen's godlike rate of progress, he still kept quiet.
He could only stew in silent frustration by himself.
Still, just as Danzo said, things really were about to get out of control...
Tobirama was just about to impeach him!
On the training ground, Minato stared at the cut sleeve of his clothes and stood there dazed for a moment.
Then he let out a sigh and said frankly, "I lost!"
He truly had not expected "Seisui" to possess an ability similar to the Flying Thunder God!
"It doesn't count as a loss. My situation is special..." Tobirama shook his head. Both he and Izuna were very surprised.
"You're far stronger than I imagined! No wonder you're a ninja who inherited the Second Hokage's technique..."
Tobirama secretly praised himself a little.
Minato had actually withstood this many trials!
Interrupting and restructuring Flying Thunder God Second Step, responding to a sudden enemy enhancement and compound ninjutsu, saving himself after falling into a trap...
He had handled all of it extremely well.
'If it weren't for Izuna and me together, taking down Minato would have been difficult. I might even have lost...'
Tobirama mused inwardly.
Of course, part of that was an age-gap issue.
Minato was a few years older than Tobirama, right in the middle of the explosive growth period for a shinobi's strength. Every year made a difference...
But Tobirama was, after all, on his second run!
For Minato to be able to fight him to a draw was already an astonishing achievement.
"The Second Hokage's technique is one part of it. Honestly, it's mostly thanks to Hokage-sama sparring with me..."
Minato said seriously,
"Seisui, your fighting style has Hokage-sama's shadow in it!"
"Enhancement, Body Flicker, close combat, multiple layers of compound ninjutsu—it's just that your defense and strength are a bit lacking..."
"I can help talk to Hokage-sama for you. From now on, we can go ask him to guide both of us together..."
Tobirama silently nodded.
Internally, it was a bit hard for him to keep it together.
This was completely upside down!
And also, what did he mean Hiruzen could use enhancement too? And that his defense and strength were both very high...
You brat, can you use Susanoo too? Hiruzen, I'm the Uchiha here!
"Seisui..." Madara looked deeply at Tobirama, his brows filled with nostalgia.
Madara was certain—that was Izuna's chakra attached to Seisui's body!
It was just that afterward, it seemed to have dissipated again...
"I wonder what state Izuna's chakra is in inside Seisui..."
"Is it like being sealed, able to sense the outside world but unable to communicate? Or can he communicate with Seisui to some degree..."
"I really want to talk to Izuna!"
Madara almost wanted to rush out right then and there...
But he could not do that.
His reputation in the shinobi world was as solid as Hashirama's—just in the opposite direction...
If his identity were exposed, then with Hiruzen's methods, as long as he operated just a little, the Five Great Nations would instantly become peaceful again, at least until they confirmed he was dead...
All united against Madara!
Besides, before accomplishing something significant, although Madara never said it aloud, there was always a voice in his heart reminding him: if he met Izuna, what exactly would he say?
That he hadn't listened to his younger brother's words?
Madara let out a melancholy sigh. His heart had become chaotic again after a long time.
"With Izuna's ability, even if he can't communicate with Seisui, he can still sense the outside world!"
"He'll see just how hypocritical Konoha is, and he'll definitely understand the grandeur of the Eye of the Moon Plan!"
Madara's mental state grew even more wonderfully deranged as he muttered inwardly, possessed: "Yes, that's right..."
"But Konoha's hypocrisy alone isn't enough. I still have to prove that the chain of hatred cannot be cut! I have to make other hidden villages attack Konoha—and the kind where they've supposedly already formed an alliance with it..."
"I have to prove I'm right. I don't care about my younger brother's mistakes..."
"That way, I'll be able to meet Izuna again openly and without shame!"
"And even reunite with him!"
Madara fantasized about "one Seisui, two meals."
There was Seisui, and there was Izuna too...
On the other side, Mito rarely turned serious, preparing to speak with Hiruzen and "Seisui"!
The training ground erupted in cheers, thunderously celebrating Konoha's strength...
But at that very moment, the academy students poured into the training ground one after another.
Asuma, Kakashi, Might Guy, Shisui, Obito, and the others led the way.
The academy students behind them were all those whose clan members had once been forcibly abducted into Root!
"Hokage-sama!"
Tobirama drew in a deep breath, raised his hand high, and declared in a voice like a great bell: "I wish to impeach the advisor!"
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