Chapter 141: Sakumo Hatake's Disciple and Minato Namikaze's Rival
One Month Ago
"Huff, huff... Lord Hokage," Minato Namikaze panted, "I need a break."
But his only answer was an even more ferocious assault.
He gritted his teeth and squeezed out the last of his stamina, dodging and blocking. His dynamic vision and reflexes could keep up, but the constant, high-intensity focus was draining him, both mentally and physically.
The next moment, his defense failed, and a blade stopped just a centimeter from his forehead, the sharp airflow cutting a few strands of his hair.
"Not bad," Sakumo Hatake said, his voice low. "At your age, I was not as good as you."
Minato didn't know if he was being serious or not. He just replayed the last exchange in his mind. Sakumo had clearly held back. Otherwise, with the sharpness of his White Fang, he would have been cut in two, sword and all.
Nearby, the young Kakashi was a little jealous. A month ago, his father had started to train this Minato, and had even begun to teach him their family's sword style. Though he hadn't said it, it was clear that he was training him as his disciple.
This did not please Kakashi, who had always aspired to be the second "White Fang of Konoha."
What was even worse was that his father, with his busy schedule as Hokage, only had time to train him in the evenings, after work. This time had always been theirs. Now, his father was using that time to teach Minato.
He hated this golden-haired guy. He thought even his smile was fake. But there was nothing he could do. He could only train harder, to show his father that he, and only he, was the true heir to the White Fang.
He swung his sword with a little more force, as if the training dummy in front of him were Minato.
Sakumo sheathed his short sword. "Stay for dinner," he said. Though the Hatake clan was small, they still had servants to cook.
Minato scratched his head, a little embarrassed. Kakashi just "tched."
Besides Kakashi's sulking, the dinner was a pleasant one.
"Minato," Sakumo said, "the Joint Chunin Exams are next month. As the leader of the contestants, you must take care of your teammates."
"Don't worry, Lord Hokage," he said. "I will do my best to ensure everyone's safety."
Sakumo nodded. He didn't ask for too much. A ninja's exam was always accompanied by danger. And Minato himself had to strive for a good result for the village. He couldn't be expected to do everything.
Of all the contestants, Minato was likely the strongest, and one of the few who would have the spare capacity to look after his comrades.
"If you have any concerns, you can bring them to the village," he said. "I apologize for the inconvenience of having you demoted to Genin. The village will compensate you."
"There's no need, my lord," Minato said, shaking his head. "It is my duty to bring honor to the village. My only concern is that with all six parties gathered in the Land of Rain, the situation will be complicated. It's not impossible that someone might have ideas about the contestants."
"You're right," Sakumo said, stroking his chin. "There are many ninja with secret jutsu in our team. It's not impossible that someone might get funny ideas. I'll have the Military Police Force send one or two people. They will be responsible for the safety of the contestants."
After the Third Hokage's death, Sakumo's power had increased considerably. The Uchiha clan, who had always been at odds with Hiruzen, had extended an olive branch and had become one of his supporters. This support was different from that of the other clans. The Hokage's faction was still strong, but they were mostly supporting him out of necessity, because of the Third's death. They would support whoever was Hokage. The Uchiha, on the other hand, only supported him.
In the post-"Night of the Purple Moon" atmosphere of unity, no one had objected. And the Uchiha, with his support, had begun to participate in other village affairs, instead of being confined to the Military Police Force as they had been under the Third.
"Lord Hokage," Minato said suddenly, "who do you think the Cloud will send to the exams?"
Kakashi, at the dinner table, suddenly froze. He remembered the terror of that night.
"That man," Sakumo said, "he will certainly not be participating in an exam like this. Though he is still young, he is a powerhouse who has already made a name for himself in the ninja world. If the Cloud were shameless enough to have Yotsuki Dana participate in the Chunin Exams... my advice would be to just forfeit."
Minato was silent for a moment, a little dejected. "Not surrender," he thought, "but forfeit."
"But even if he doesn't participate," Sakumo continued, "the Cloud is not without opponents you need to be wary of."
"Who?"
"A red-haired boy," he said, trying to recall the memory. "An Uzumaki. You probably wouldn't recognize him. When the Third and I rescued you, he was still using a Transformation Jutsu."
Minato immediately thought of the opponent who had also used the Rasengan, the one with the twisted, evil smile.
"You were already unconscious," he continued. "Later, in the Four Violet Flames Formation, though he was not a main player, he held on until the very end. The Uzumaki constitution gives him a massive amount of chakra, and the power of his ninjutsu surprised even the Third. If you face him, you will need some extra skills to win. I will be giving you some special training on how to deal with powerful ninjutsu-type ninja."
Minato nodded. When he said he was an Uzumaki, he immediately thought of Kushina, whose whereabouts were still unknown, and of the anonymous messages he had received. But the matter of Kushina was a taboo topic among the Konoha high command after the "Night of the Purple Moon." Even if he asked the Hokage, he probably wouldn't get an answer. And with Sakumo being so generous with his training, he couldn't bring himself to complain. It seemed he would have to investigate on his own.
Present Day
Yusuke whispered the secret of the map to Kayo, who nodded in understanding.
Minato and Hiroto stared at each other from a distance.
This was the man who had defeated him in the "Night of the Purple Moon," his imaginary rival. Though their relationship was now complicated by the matter of Kushina, in this exam, Hiroto was the opponent he most wanted to face.
And as he was sizing him up, Hiroto was doing the same.
Kayo's sensory ability covered almost the entire canyon. Very little escaped her "eyes."
Sensing that Yusuke's team was in trouble, they had headed in their direction. And just like Minato, as the strongest of the Cloud's contestants, Hiroto was also responsible for supporting his comrades.
Before this, with Kayo's powerful sensory ability, they had already ambushed three teams. They now had four maps and were trying to solve the puzzle, while also roaming the canyon to support the other Cloud teams.
He was weighing whether he should fight Minato. In their last battle, his opponent's brilliant combat intelligence had left a deep impression on him. He was one of the few people his age whom he had to take seriously.
"Senior," Yusuke whispered from behind him, "should we attack? I'm great at support."
"Yes, yes," Ganseki and Akane nodded. "We can also provide support."
"Minato," Shikaku said, "do you know this guy?"
He knew Minato was strong, and seeing him be so cautious made him feel that this was a tricky situation. "How many maps do you have?" he asked. "We don't necessarily have to fight. This round is just about finding the escape point. Defeating an opponent might not be worth as many points as escaping early."
He glanced at the short sword on Minato's back. It was identical to the one used by the Fourth Hokage.
Just as a battle was about to break out, Hiroto turned to the people behind him. "Kayo," he said, "what's the status of the other Cloud teams?"
She closed her eyes for a moment. "Two teams were unlucky and have been eliminated," she said. "There are five left. Two here, and three on the western side of the canyon."
He nodded. "You stay here and solve the map," he said. "I'll drive them away."
"How do you plan to do that, senior?" Yusuke asked. "Do you need help?"
Hiroto shook his head and quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Earth Release: Mobile Core!"
A square section of the ground shot up, lifting him into the air. It grew higher and higher, like a skyscraper, reaching a height of a hundred meters in an instant.
Shikaku, his neck craned, his eye twitching, said, "Hey, hey, isn't the scale of that jutsu a bit of a cheat? A guy like this is in the Chunin Exams?"
Minato looked up at him, slowly drew his short sword, and regulated his breathing, ready for battle. He was also confused. Why was he going so high?
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three identical Hirotos appeared on the hundred-meter-high platform.
The next moment, three voices came from above.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!" x3
In an instant, a lake appeared in the sky.