The meeting attendees dispersed.
Inside Training Ground 3, Minato's fight was also coming to an end.
He couldn't reveal his elemental phasing or the Sharingan. A five-year-old creating the Rasengan would be too shocking, and Wood Style didn't have any specific Jutsu he could use yet. He had shown almost everything he could safely show.
"Hmm... without firing the laser, I don't really have any better attack methods. I'll use this move to wrap things up."
Minato extended his right hand. Light gathered in his palm, and in the blink of an eye, a dazzling sword made of light appeared in his hand!
"What is that move..."
Nawaki stared blankly, drooling a little. Abba abba.
Honestly, when Minato beat him earlier, he had felt a little unconvinced.
After seeing Minato fight Jiraiya, he realized Minato was truly stronger, and he felt a little jealous of his talent.
Then, when Minato revealed the Light Style, he calmed down. Bloodline Limits were luck; the gap between them was just too big.
But when Minato whipped out Wood Style and revealed he had two Bloodline Limits? Nawaki couldn't even summon the energy to be jealous anymore. Simply put, he was numb.
Watching the light sword in Minato's hand, Jiraiya got interested. "Oh? He can even form weapons? I wonder how strong it is."
"I think I'll use this move... on Senior Orochimaru."
Minato swung the long sword, pointing the tip toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Oh? Does this mean that in Minato-kun's eyes, I am more reliable than Jiraiya?"
"Nani?! Minato, do you really think that?"
Jiraiya instantly felt like he'd been cheated on. His eyes were full of shock and disbelief.
The Great Jiraiya sparred with you for so long, almost got neutered by you, and you think Orochimaru is more reliable than me?
"Both... both of you are very reliable, haha..."
Minato laughed awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
He just thought Orochimaru was better at not dying than Jiraiya...
Looking at the whole Naruto series, who was the strongest is debatable, but who was the hardest to kill? Orochimaru wins that title, hands down!
"A light sword, huh?"
Tsunade rubbed her chin, looking at the sword in Minato's hand with interest. "If we're talking about sword skills, that is indeed Orochimaru's specialty."
"Tsunade, even you..."
"Shut up! Stop being noisy!"
"Okay."
Jiraiya shut up immediately.
Under their expectant gazes, Minato held the light sword and flickered, appearing instantly in front of Orochimaru and slashing toward his waist!
Here it comes!
Orochimaru retreated instantly, creating a two-step distance. He pulled out a kunai to counterattack, but suddenly saw Minato pause, pointing the sword tip at his stomach.
"This is... not good!"
Noticing Minato's unnatural movement, Orochimaru twisted his waist violently.
Just as he dodged the direction the sword tip was pointing, the tip of the light sword suddenly flared brightly. It extended instantly, shooting out a long blade of light that scorched the side of Orochimaru's Chunin vest!
"I knew it..."
Jiraiya shook his head and laughed, clapping his hands. "Dirty. Too dirty!"
"Bastard! Is that how you talk about a child?"
Tsunade punched Jiraiya in the head, making him stumble.
On the other side, seeing Minato stop attacking, Orochimaru quietly sighed in relief. Looking at the ten-meter-long light sword in Minato's hand, he was speechless. He didn't know whether to be angry or laugh.
"Minato-kun has a very high combat IQ."
Low EQ: Dirty!
High EQ: High combat IQ.
"Haha..."
Minato laughed sheepishly.
"Hmph. In the end, it's just your lack of experience."
Tsunade pulled Minato to her side and ruffled his soft blond hair. "Since it's a sword made of light, isn't it perfectly logical that it can extend?"
"Makes sense. I was bound by common sense."
Orochimaru chuckled, not angry at all. "Minato-kun, can you show me the intensity of your light sword?"
Minato nodded. He took out a kunai and clashed it against the light sword.
The moment they touched, the edge of the kunai turned red hot. Within seconds, it melted from the high temperature of the light sword!
"Subarashii..." A glint of excitement flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
"Phew..."
Minato dispersed the light sword and exhaled.
Maintaining the sword drained his stamina continuously—much faster than the laser. With his current small body, he couldn't keep it up for long.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
Tsunade looked at Minato with a beaming smile. "Good performance. I'm very satisfied! To celebrate, we're going to get barbecue! My treat!"
"OH!!"
Hearing "barbecue," Nawaki got excited immediately.
Minato's eyes lit up, too. He hadn't had barbecue in a while. Thinking about it made him hungry.
"By the way, weren't you supposed to treat us to this meal anyway?"
Jiraiya rubbed the bump on his head and muttered.
He and Orochimaru had come specifically for this barbecue.
"I said I'd treat you to barbecue, but I never said which day."
Tsunade smirked and waved her hand as if shooing a fly. "Isn't it the same if I treat you in six months?"
"Then you'd have to pay interest..."
"Huh? You got a problem with that?"
"No, no, no... Hahaha, ah, eating barbecue is such a wonderful thing~"
Jiraiya laughed it off. The group chatted and laughed all the way to the barbecue restaurant.
Minato and Nawaki sat on either side of Tsunade, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru sat opposite them.
Soon, plates of meat were served. The fresh meat sizzled on the grill, releasing a mouth-watering aroma.
"Itadakimasu!"
The first piece of meat was done. Nawaki and Jiraiya reached out with their chopsticks impatiently.
They dipped it in sauce, blew on it twice, and shoved it into their mouths, hissing from the heat. Tsunade chuckled at their funny faces.
Minato watched quietly, a small smile on his lips.
Suddenly, a piece of meat was placed on his plate. Minato turned to Tsunade. She smiled gently. "What are you thinking about?"
Minato shook his head. "Nothing. It just feels like it's been a long time since things were this lively around me."
"Is that so..."
A soft, pale hand gently covered Minato's head. Tsunade's gaze was warm. "It will be like this from now on."
Minato nodded and smiled.
It was the same sunny, gentle smile as before, but Tsunade keenly sensed something different.
It was more real, and more tender...
"Oh my..."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and grinned.
Orochimaru had a faint smile on his lips. He looked less cold than usual and a bit softer.
When he first saw Minato, he felt like he was seeing his past self.
Handsome, talented, and with a heart as elusive as a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water.
But now it seemed that while they were similar, they weren't the same.
Minato not only had greater talent, but in some ways, he possessed qualities completely different from Orochimaru's own.
This made Orochimaru even more curious—and full of expectation—for Minato's future...