When Reiji saw Minato grinning and giving him a thumbs-up, for a split second he felt like he was staring at a young man in a tight green jumpsuit burning with the flames of youth.
Of course, the Duel Arena's mechanics couldn't possibly be that simple. But all he needed to show was that it could be used for training—that alone was enough. Just the ability to pull someone into a private duel was already outrageous. The "Battle Mode" and "Summon Draw" features were his hidden cards—reveal a little, conceal the rest. That was how you stayed alive in the ninja world.
With that thought, Sarutobi Reiji also raised a thumb and grinned. "So, Minato, how about a tense and thrilling one-on-one match?"
Minato reached for the pouch at his waist and nodded. "Alright!"
He drew out a kunai, flipped it into a reverse grip, and leaned forward slightly, standing opposite Reiji in a ready stance. Reiji mirrored his posture almost exactly.
The two often trained together. Since they didn't have a structured taijutsu system, Reiji taught Minato the combat forms and conditioning drills he'd learned from his previous life—exercises and movements he'd seen in videos and games. Their current stance—coiled, ready to spring—was one of those. A perfect launch position: minimal movement, maximum burst.
Their kunai were wooden replicas sold at the village's ninja supply shop, modeled 1:1 after real ones. They were much lighter than steel, but perfectly fine for sparring—and far cheaper, which mattered to two orphaned kids.
Reiji glanced over. "Minato, ready?"
"Ready!" Minato replied.
With a thought, Reiji activated the arena. Between them, a floating number appeared out of thin air, counting down. An invisible force held them in place.
3… 2… 1!
At zero, Minato exploded forward like a cheetah, kunai in hand, dashing straight for Reiji. Reiji didn't move. He waited calmly, eyes sharp, his whole body taut like a drawn bowstring.
Minato closed in within a blink, slashing toward Reiji's chest. Reiji's eyes narrowed; he took a single step back, narrowly avoiding the strike. In the same instant, he lunged forward, his own kunai slicing toward Minato's arm.
Minato reacted quickly—rolling sideways to avoid the blow, then sweeping a kick across the floor. It missed, but he smiled through his panting. "Not bad! We may be opponents right now, but you're really good, Reiji!"
Then he rushed forward again—but suddenly stopped, a cartoonish patting-head emoji popping above him. Reiji froze, blinked—then burst into laughter.
So the Duel Arena even comes with emojis…
Seeing Minato pause, Reiji smirked and charged. "Leaf Secret Finger Jutsu — One Thousand Years of Death!"
The instant Minato heard those dreaded words, he shivered. He had experienced that move before and did not want to repeat it. But his eyes soon hardened in resolve.
"Reiji! This time I won't hold back!"
"Minato! Prepare to fall before me!"
Their shouts overlapped as their kunai clashed. Each strike aimed at the other's weak points, fast and fierce. But Minato hesitated slightly—and Reiji seized the opening. His kunai jabbed into Minato's side.
"Ow!" Minato yelped.
Even if the weapon was wooden, it was still sharp enough to sting—quality craftsmanship from the ninja supply store, after all.
Reiji followed up instantly, thrusting at Minato's neck. Minato tried to dodge, but too late—his vision went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in Reiji's room. He instinctively reached for his neck—no injury. Then he shot Reiji a wounded look. It had been his first time entering this strange "arena." Even knowing death wouldn't harm him, he'd hesitated.
That hesitation had cost him the match.
Still, after the fight, Minato finally understood the scope of Reiji's "special ability."
"What an incredible power…" he breathed.
He could feel it—Reiji's physical strength was far beyond what it was before. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost so easily. Normally, they were evenly matched: Minato had the speed, Reiji had the raw power. Their sparring sessions were usually fifty-fifty.
So this is the power boost of a special ability…
Minato wasn't stupid. He knew that some ninja possessed unique inherited traits—kekkei genkai. He just hadn't expected his own friend to have one too.
Meanwhile, Reiji could feel the fresh chakra flowing within him, and he couldn't help but grin. The Uzumaki Naruto (Academy Student) template didn't give him Naruto's chakra reserves—just his physique and basic jutsu. But every victory increased his chakra slightly.
The only condition? The opponent had to be a ninja featured in the mobile game's database. Thankfully, almost every canon character had been released as a unit at some point. In other words—defeating anyone from the original story would grant both chakra and progress. Beating anyone else? Just practice. People like Namikaze Minato or Uzumaki Kushina counted—win against them, and his chakra would rise.
From this duel, Reiji confirmed it: one victory increased his chakra by 1%. It wasn't much, but it stacked. And one day, he vowed, his chakra would rival that of a tailed beast!
Minato noticed Reiji's odd expression and asked curiously, "Did you use up too much chakra?"
"Nope." Reiji shook his head, flashing a grin. "Activating the arena doesn't take much—about one percent of my chakra."
"That's amazing…" Minato said, a hint of envy in his voice. "Such a small cost for such an incredible ability—and it trains real combat too." He looked briefly discouraged, but then his usual fire returned. "Next time, I'm definitely beating you!"
Reiji laughed, slinging an arm around Minato's shoulders. "Relax, relax. When I become Hokage, you'll be my right-hand man!"
Minato: "???"
Minato froze, then exploded, "Idiot! I'm going to be Hokage—you'll be my assistant!"
"Haha, fine, fine—you can be Hokage."
Reiji nodded solemnly, then suddenly straightened up, eyes distant as he reenacted a familiar scene. His voice turned low and hoarse: "Minato… leave him to me."
Then, imitating Minato's tone, he replied to himself, "Impossible, Reiji."
"What are you even talking about?" Minato frowned, utterly baffled.
Reiji waved a hand. "You wouldn't get it. It's a classic scene."
Minato didn't understand, but he was still moved somehow—then quickly decided not to think too hard about it. He was already used to Reiji's occasional weirdness.
The arena's HUD pinged—"Summon Draw unlocked: first pull now?"—as a crimson-haired silhouette began to resolve.