"Huh? This kid's punch is surprisingly fast!"
Tsunade's eyes lit up in the crowd of spectators.
To be honest, she hadn't actually held much hope for Minato.
Although his displayed talent surpassed Shinnosuke's, Shinnosuke was, after all, the Hokage's son, personally tutored by Hiruzen since childhood.
In contrast, Minato clearly lacked practical combat experience.
This was evident from both his previous assessments and the way he had just thrown his punch.
Yet this inexperienced child had managed to land a punch on Shinnosuke, who had been trained by the Hokage himself...
The punch left Shinnosuke momentarily dazed.
But he quickly regained his composure, dismissing it as overconfidence on his part.
He lightly slapped his cheek, now far more cautious. His eyes fixed intently on Minato's every move, he swiftly circled behind him.
"Sigh..."
Seeing this, Hiruzen couldn't help but slap his forehead, his face a mask of exasperation.
He had always felt that Shinnosuke was too naive and lacked natural combat talent. Consequently, he frequently emphasized the importance of tactical thinking in his training.
Seeing Shinnosuke's earnest expression, it was clear he was listening, but he clearly didn't yet grasp the significance of tactics.
Without understanding, he couldn't possibly apply them correctly.
"Flanking... He's trying to get behind that kid to attack and force him to reveal a weakness?" Jiraiya muttered.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as if he'd spotted a rare specimen. "Hm, flanking someone faster than himself..."
"Hey, hey, leave some dignity for the old man..." Jiraiya's lips twitched, and he gently elbowed Orochimaru.
Orochimaru fell silent, but Tsunade beside them burst into laughter.
The ninja in the crowd shook their heads inwardly; Shinnosuke's strategy was as foolish as it could get.
Sure enough, just as everyone expected, Minato merely turned around, and Shinnosuke's tactic crumbled.
Watching Minato maintain his composure, Shinnosuke was momentarily bewildered. Where did I go wrong?
This isn't how it's supposed to go!
Every time Dad and the others flank me, they always end up behind me!
And then they deliver that flashy roundhouse kick...
Why isn't this working for me?
Looking at Minato's calm face, Shinnosuke suddenly felt immense pressure.
Gritting his teeth, he abandoned any tactical considerations and charged toward Minato at full speed!
"Phew, that's more like it..." Jiraiya sighed in relief. No matter how hopeless Shinnosuke was, he had at least learned the basics of combat.
In contrast, while Minato was incredibly fast, his combat experience was undoubtedly lacking. For Shinnosuke, who had systematically studied Taijutsu, even if he took a few punches in a head-on clash, his chances of winning were still overwhelmingly high.
Just as he was thinking this, there came another sharp crack.
Shinnosuke staggered backward, clutching his other eye. In front of him, Minato maintained his punching stance.
"This! Can't! Be! Possible!"
Unlike his previous daze after being hit, Shinnosuke quickly snapped out of it this time. Gritting his teeth, he charged at Minato again.
He swore that this time, even if Minato unleashed a Fireball Jutsu, he wouldn't retreat a single step!
Fuelled by burning resolve, Shinnosuke felt his blood surge, as if an infinite power was exploding within him!
"Haaaaah!"
A fiery punch crashed toward Minato's face. As the fist nearly touched Minato's cheek, Shinnosuke could already see the dawn of victory.
He envisioned his triumph, his father's approval, and then watched Minato vanish before him at a speed he couldn't comprehend.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shinnosuke glimpsed a fist shooting toward him. Feeling the raw power surging from the punch, his head snapped sideways, but a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Using the momentum, he spun and threw his own punch—only to miss.
The moment Shinnosuke attempted to turn, Minato had already anticipated his move based on his shifting stance.
Like a sleek cheetah, Minato flipped over Shinnosuke's head, landing behind him the instant he finished his spin.
Not good!
The instant his punch missed, Shinnosuke lunged forward without thinking.
Just as he threw himself forward, Minato's punch whistled through empty air.
Phew... That was close!
Rolling to his feet with practiced ease, Shinnosuke finally let out a relieved breath.
"Oh, that was impressive! That blonde-haired kid..."
"Even many upperclassmen lack this level of adaptability."
The observing parents buzzed with chatter, and hearing their praise for Minato only intensified Shinnosuke's pressure.
He charged again, only to be evaded once more. Shinnosuke completely ignored Minato's counterattacks, focusing solely on closing the distance and preventing Minato from utilizing his speed.
Yet... from his face to his abdomen, and every limb, Minato had struck him everywhere except vital points. Despite this, Shinnosuke still couldn't even graze Minato's clothes.
At that moment, he finally understood what his father meant by "there are always those more skilled than you."
"Um... isn't that enough?"
Seeing Shinnosuke's face swollen like a pig's head, Minato rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
The significant gap in their mental ages and innate talent made him feel like he was bullying a child.
"Grrrgh! Never! I will never admit defeat! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage! Aaaaah—"
"Oh! Not bad, kid! Keep at it!"
"Haha, right! Keep going! Now that's the spirit of a ninja!"
Perhaps moved by Shinnosuke's relentless determination—falling again and again, only to rise each time—the onlookers began cheering him on fervently, the atmosphere growing fervent.
"Hmph... Not bad, but it's useless," Tsunade said, crossing her arms and letting her ample bosom jut forward. "Looks like I win this time."
Despite her words, her face showed no trace of victory's joy, only a grave seriousness.
Beside her, Hiruzen and Orochimaru remained silent. They knew Tsunade's gambling history: she always lost, her luck abysmal.
It wasn't that she never won; it was just that whenever she did, misfortune befell those around her.
The first time she won, her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, died. The next time, her second grandfather, Senju Tobirama, met the same fate.
While not every win resulted in death, something invariably went wrong, the severity directly proportional to the magnitude of her victory.
"Ah, don't worry, it's just a win for some grilled meat..." Jiraiya tried to reassure her, but before he could finish, Minato suddenly raised his hand.
"I concede!"
"The winner is Sarutobi Shinnosuke!"
"What?!"
Shinnosuke, who had been charging toward Minato with fervent determination, stumbled and fell flat on his face.
"Huh—?!"
Tsunade's beautiful amber eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Minato, her mouth agape. When she finally regained her composure, her expression darkened, and she instinctively rolled up her sleeves. "What kind of joke is this? Are you kidding me? That little brat..."
"Calm down, calm down..."
Jiraiya hurriedly tried to restrain Tsunade, but she smacked him on the head, nearly cracking his skull open.
Orochimaru chuckled. "See? You're just as unhappy when you lose for real."
Tsunade's anger flared even more. Orochimaru, however, moved to shield Hiruzen behind him, leaving her no choice but to vent her fury by pummeling Jiraiya instead.
Hiruzen shook his head with a wry smile. He hadn't anticipated such a surprising turn of events.
Tsunade was furious, but someone was even angrier than her—Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"Damn it all!" Shinnosuke roared as he scrambled to his feet, jabbing a finger at Minato. "Why did you concede? You jerk! I was about to beat you!"
Minato nodded calmly. "Isn't that perfect? Enough is enough..."
"That's not it at all!"
Hearing this, Shinnosuke's face flushed crimson. "By saying that... aren't you making it seem like I'm being a persistent pest?"
Isn't that exactly what it sounds like?
Minato was momentarily speechless. A young man's pride is his most precious possession, and with his personality, he couldn't bring himself to utter anything unkind.
Shinnosuke clearly sensed this, his face growing even redder, though his stubbornness burned brighter. "Does this battle mean nothing to you? The victory?"
"Hmm... I suppose it doesn't. I'm different from you. I have nothing to prove."
Minato offered an embarrassed smile. To him, this Taijutsu spar was nothing more than a casual exercise. He'd only accepted the challenge to gauge his own skills. There was no point in prolonging this one-sided beatdown of a junior. Besides, Shinnosuke was the Third Hokage's son, and a humiliating defeat would reflect poorly on his father.
The Third Hokage's character in the original story was hard to pin down, and Minato couldn't quite put his finger on what kind of person he was. Even with the Glint-Glint Fruit's power giving him confidence in self-defense, he saw no reason to deliberately provoke someone he had no reason to offend.
"I haven't studied Taijutsu, so I can only throw punches randomly. I don't have any finishing moves, and if we keep fighting, I'll definitely lose."
This excuse was utterly unconvincing!
If random punches can leave me in this state, what does that make me?
Hearing this, Shinnosuke roared inwardly.
What passion, what willpower, what enlightenment? It's all an illusion!
The honor he cherished, the top rank he was determined to secure—Minato had casually dismissed it all, simply handing it over.
Doesn't this make me look like a complete fool?!
"Unbelievable!!!" Shinnosuke roared, watching Minato's retreating figure. "I'll definitely beat you next time!"
"Ah, good luck!" Minato called back, waving without stopping.
His assessment was over. Now he was the only one at home, and he'd have to manage everything himself.
Although his father's merchant business had accumulated a substantial nest egg, enough to support him until he graduated from the Ninja Academy, cooking and household chores still took up a significant amount of time.
As Minato left school, pondering what to make for dinner, he suddenly felt his body lift off the ground. A hand had grabbed him by the back of his collar, pulling him up until his feet dangled in the air.
"Hey, kid!"
Tsunade held Minato by the collar, her hand on her hip, her beautiful face darkening. "Namikaze Minato, isn't it?"
"Senior Tsunade?" Minato nodded, his adorable little face showing a hint of confusion. "Can I help you?"
Tsk...
Why was this boy so impossibly cute?
Looking at the bright, sunny little boy before her, Tsunade's expression softened slightly, her lips curling into a smirk. The irritation she'd felt at Minato's surrender, making her feel like she'd been set up, vanished almost entirely.
She'd intended to scare the little brat, but his modeling was simply too top-notch. Before she could act, a wave of guilt washed over her.
Still, guilt was guilt, and everyone in Konoha knew Tsunade had never had any shame.
Scaring little kids? That was her favorite pastime!