Minato inherited abilities from the figurines he possessed.
This left him with a twinge of regret. If he'd known this would happen, he would have stuffed his suitcase with a Kakarot or Superman figurine.
But upon reflection, he felt a glimmer of relief.
After all, if you transmigrated into the character you cosplayed, he was lucky he hadn't dressed up as Kaneki Ken or Eren Yeager...
Had he not awakened his memories from his previous life, he would likely have met a swift end before the Hokage storyline even began, left with the eternal stigma of "the sister-obsessed one" and the misfortune of being the village's bullied son.
But fortunately, he had his cheat!
Kizaru's figurine granted Minato a Devil Fruit ability from the neighboring pirate universe.
The Glint-Glint Fruit's power needed no explanation: its user could transform into photons, and its passive elementalization allowed them to ignore nearly all physical attacks in the world.
In this Shinobi World devoid of Haki and Sea Stone, while he couldn't claim invincibility, self-defense was certainly guaranteed.
Hashirama Senju's figurine awakened Minato's Wood Release, while Madara Uchiha's unlocked his Sharingan.
After six months of training to control his abilities, Minato was certain that the two figurines had granted him more than just their respective powers. They had also triggered deeper, more profound changes within him.
For instance, his chakra reserves had been rapidly increasing daily, and the power of his eyes had grown stronger with each passing day.
Or take the time he suppressed the Glint-Glint Fruit's passive elementalization ability, sliced a wound into his hand with a knife, and watched it heal in the blink of an eye.
Then there was the fact that his eyes had evolved into Mangekyō Sharingan the moment he opened them. Even Indra, the son of the Sage of the Six Paths himself, hadn't experienced such a remarkable phenomenon. Beyond the power of All Things in Creation, Minato couldn't think of any other explanation.
All these signs pointed to one conclusion: he had likely inherited the chakra of both Ashura and Indra through the two figurines.
(Note: The original story doesn't actually mention Sage Physiques or Sage Eyes. A detailed explanation will be provided in later chapters.)
Though he currently knew no Wood Release techniques and his Mangekyō still carried the risk of blindness...
Possessing the power of both abilities meant he had already secured a ticket to becoming the strongest.
Even before Minato had fully grown, the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit protected and guided him.
Influenced by the values from his past life, the current Minato shared similarities with his original counterpart in personality, but their core beliefs were fundamentally different. At the very least, he would never follow the same path as the original.
With his gaze shifting away from Tsuchiya Naoto, Minato's determination to become stronger intensified.
The freshman assessment consisted of four tests: Chakra Refinement, Shuriken Technique, Physical Coordination, and Taijutsu Combat.
The primary purpose wasn't scoring; after all, most civilian students couldn't even refine Chakra. The main goal was to observe each student's innate talent, though high scores were naturally desirable.
The Physical Coordination test involved an obstacle course, which posed no challenge for Minato.
Rolling, leaping, or sprinting, he moved like a yellow flash, effortlessly completing the assessment.
"That child has exceptional physical coordination..." Nearby, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had long been observing Minato, his eyes lit up slightly.
"Heh heh heh, and his speed is remarkable—both running speed and reaction time."
Orochimaru snorted, his voice raspy. "No sign of training, yet he broke Shinnosuke's record purely on raw talent. How does it feel, Teacher Sarutobi, to see your son so easily surpassed?"
"Hahaha, I actually hope this sense of falling short becomes more common," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied with a hearty laugh. He knew better than anyone that his son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, possessed only average talent.
This world never lacked for geniuses, a fact the Hokage understood all too well.
For years, Konoha hadn't seen a prodigy capable of outshining their generation.
Over a decade had passed since the First Shinobi World War, and the Shinobi World grew increasingly unstable.
Considering a generation to be ten years, the village was beginning to show signs of a talent gap after his three disciples.
Among the new generation, the Hyuga brothers, Hiashi and Hizashi, showed decent talent, but their clan's rigid traditions confined them to the Gentle Fist style, severely limiting their potential.
Uchiha Fugaku was competent, but not exceptional. Besides, at his age, he should technically be considered part of Jiraiya's generation.
Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki, was full of energy, but his talent was unremarkable.
To ordinary people, these individuals might be considered geniuses. But when you think about it, the great battle at the Valley of the End had only occurred about twenty years prior.
Without delving into how he earned the title of "Greatest Hokage" decades later, at this point in time, Sarutobi Hiruzen still understood the meaning of reverence.
Recalling that epic clash between the two great figures, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a hint of regret as he looked at Minato.
He was pleased that the village had produced a civilian genius, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that he was merely a civilian genius.
"Hey, you're Namikaze Minato, right?"
As Minato was warming up for his final Taijutsu assessment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke suddenly appeared beside him.
"I reviewed your assessment. You seem pretty strong. How about a fight?"
He stood with arms crossed, chin slightly raised. His tone carried a hint of arrogance, but it wasn't overly condescending, making it seem like he wasn't looking for a fight.
Minato was somewhat surprised. He didn't know much about Shinnosuke beyond that he was Hiruzen's eldest son, a former Anbu captain under Hiruzen, and like himself, had moved to the Pure Land with his wife before the story began.
"Me? I suppose I could..."
"I'll go tell the teacher."
Before Minato could finish speaking, Sarutobi Shinnosuke eagerly rushed off to find his teacher.
The prospect of a Taijutsu sparring match between the two top-scoring newcomers immediately drew a crowd of onlookers.
The murmuring crowd's reactions didn't escape the notice of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
"Not bad," Hiruzen remarked, a wry smile playing on his lips. "I was afraid the boy would only be good at getting drunk on others' praise."
Seeing Shinnosuke and his teacher approach, requesting a Taijutsu match with Minato, Tsunade's initial impatience gave way to curiosity.
"Hmm..."
Hiruzen, pipe clenched between his teeth, continued with a hint of amusement, "Let him see the disparity between their so-called talents. Shinnosuke's always been coddled; that's no good for a ninja."
Tsunade countered, "True, but didn't the boy say he lacks sparring experience? And Shinnosuke was trained by you, old man, and he trains hard..."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin, unconvinced by Hiruzen's words. He firmly believed that the gap between talents could be bridged through sheer effort.
"If effort were enough, there wouldn't be any geniuses in this world," Tsunade scoffed.
"Want to bet on it?" she challenged.
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up with a mischievous grin. "I was a little unsure at first, but since you put it like that, wouldn't it be rude not to join in?"
"To be honest, I was thinking the same thing..." Orochimaru said with a faint smile. He had high hopes for Minato, but since Tsunade was betting on him, he needed to give it serious thought. Her gambling luck was downright uncanny.
"You two..." Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, a vein popping on her forehead. She turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen. "What about you, old man?"
The corner of Hiruzen's mouth twitched. "Well... I still lean towards Shinnosuke. After all, as a father, wouldn't it break his heart if he found out I bet against him?"
"Fine, fine, fine..." Tsunade snorted in exasperation, her anger turning to helpless laughter.
It was said that people tend to be most sensitive about what they lack. If someone criticized her strength or ninja skills, she might brush it off with a smile.
But if someone were to suggest she had bad luck, that would really get under her skin...
"I'll bet on the little guy with the yellow hair! The loser treats everyone to barbecue!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru chimed in unison, "You're on!"
With the advantage of having a Hokage as his father, the Taijutsu assessment instructor immediately agreed to Shinnosuke's request to challenge Minato without hesitation.
As the two formed their stances, a crowd gathered to watch the spectacle. Noticing Hiruzen's presence at the front of the crowd, Shinnosuke took a deep breath, his eyes burning with intensity as he locked gazes with Minato.
"My apologies for interfering with your entrance exam."
"It's fine. I had to fight someone anyway. Though I must admit, I'm curious as to why you specifically want to face me."
Minato's gentle, courteous demeanor sent the hearts of the watching girls fluttering, eliciting a chorus of excited screams.
"Of course, it's for the position of top student!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke declared. "You and I are the only two with the highest scores among the new students. Defeat you, and I claim the title of top student for this year—and I intend to maintain that position for years to come!"
Minato tilted his head slightly. "Is this really that important to you?"
"Uh, not too much, really. My dad's always telling me that there's always someone better out there, but I want to prove to him that I, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, am no less than anyone else! And one day, I'll surpass him and become an even greater Hokage than he was!"
Minato nodded. As long as he wasn't deliberately nitpicking, he didn't care about the reasons.
"I'm ready."
"Then let the match begin!"
The teacher overseeing the match waved his arm, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke charged at Minato, throwing a punch aimed at his face.
The punch wasn't particularly fast or powerful.
Despite having no real combat experience, Minato saw nothing but flaws in Shinnosuke's movements.
He easily dodged the punch by tilting his head slightly, then thrust his fist forward in a swift, jab-like motion!
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out. Shinnosuke grunted, covering his eye and staggering back two steps, his gaze filled with confusion and bewilderment as he looked at Minato.
How fast was that punch?!