As soon as the class bell rang, the students in the classroom all rushed in the same direction.
Through the small interlude in the morning, they knew that soon it would be the showdown between Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Takeshi.
Both were highly talked-about campus figures, attracting a large number of students to watch the battle.
"Who do you think will win?" a little boy with a spiky ponytail suddenly asked.
He was Nara Shikanao of the Nara Clan, one of the few who hadn't pursued Kushina.
Therefore, he hadn't been threatened or beaten by Takeshi.
"That goes without saying, of course it's Kushina!"
Minato leaned his head back, looking at him through his nostrils, a smug expression on his face as if he knew everything, utterly pleased with himself.
Nara Shikanao was slightly stunned, not expecting him to give such an unexpected answer.
Logically speaking, Uchiha Takeshi clearly had a greater chance of winning.
After all, he came from a prominent clan and was the clan leader's son, so the resources he received were definitely far more than those of ordinary people.
How could Kushina, a commoner from who knows where, possibly compare?
"Why?" Nara Shikanao asked, somewhat unconvinced, eager to know how this guy came to that conclusion.
"Hmph hmph!" Minato raised his head, one hand on his hip, the other stroking his sunglasses, looking profound: "Of course, it's because Takeshi likes Kushina!"
"That's it?" Nara Shikanao was speechless. He had thought the other party would reveal some astonishing information, but after waiting so long, it turned out he was just following a trend.
"I didn't think you'd believe those rumors."
"Of course not."
"Then why do you still say Kushina will win?"
"Because I have absolutely reliable first-hand information here!"
"What information?"
"First-hand information that proves Takeshi likes Kushina!"
Upon hearing this, Nara Shikanao's eyes immediately widened, looking at Minato in disbelief.
Seeing the other party's shocked expression, Minato felt a sudden satisfaction. He had been holding it in for a long time and had wanted to share it with someone.
So he immediately spilled everything about how Takeshi had sent him to keep an eye on Kushina, speaking with pride as if knowing this matter made him very proud.
After listening, Nara Shikanao was greatly shaken. He truly hadn't expected those rumors to be more than just baseless, but to have a real and reliable source.
He now strongly suspected that the guy in front of him was the one who had set up Takeshi, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.
He just silently looked at the two in the center of the arena. Now, he truly didn't know who would win.
"Are you two really ready?"
Sarutobi Hidehito, standing between the two, was completely numb.
He genuinely hadn't expected that these two prodigies in his class would actually want to duel.
One was the young clan leader of the Uchiha Clan.
The other was someone specially looked after by the Hokage.
If either of these two sustained serious injuries, he, as their homeroom teacher, would be held accountable.
Originally, he wanted to stop them, but they insisted on fighting, and both little ancestors were beyond his ability to offend.
That's why he reluctantly agreed to be the referee for their duel.
He thought that if they got carried away, he, as their homeroom teacher, could intervene in time, and it shouldn't lead to a major disaster.
"Ready!" Kushina, standing on the other side, excitedly exclaimed.
She had been impatient for a long time, wishing she could beat Takeshi up right now.
"I'm fine too." Looking at the eager Kushina, Takeshi also nodded in agreement.
An Uchiha dueling the future Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki—with Hiruzen Sarutobi's old man's temperament, he must be observing through his Telescope Jutsu right now.
Just as Takeshi expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed watching with a crystal ball.
Originally, upon learning of the conflict between the two, he didn't approve of their duel.
He even hoped that Kushina wouldn't have too much contact with that Uchiha named Takeshi.
But he had just been called over and lectured by Lady Mito yesterday, and was warned not to interfere too much.
Lady Mito, after all, was the First Hokage's wife and his teacher's family member, a person he deeply respected.
So he could only obediently listen and let them handle it themselves.
But he still didn't intend to give up on necessary backup preparations.
"Good." After hearing their replies, Sarutobi Hidehito raised his hand: "Form the Seal of Confrontation."
Both complied, raising their hands to form the seal.
After Sarutobi Hidehito left, the duel officially began.
"Bastard, take this!" Kushina could no longer hold back. As soon as the homeroom teacher left, she pulled out several shuriken from her ninja pouch and swiftly threw them at Takeshi without hesitation.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The shuriken flying through the air locked onto Takeshi from different directions, with extremely tricky angles, all aiming for his lower body.
Takeshi's mouth twitched at the sight.
But this was still too childish for him; he even felt it wasn't as vicious as Minato's dirty tricks.
Perhaps due to the influence of the Uchiha, Minato was not the warm little sun he was in the original story.
His heart was already completely black. Every time he sparred with him, he would use some disgusting moves.
Monkey Steals the Peaches, Groin Kick, Thousand Years of Death—he used every trick in the book.
So, facing Kushina's incredibly gentle shuriken, Takeshi was only briefly surprised for a moment.
It wasn't until the shuriken was about to hit Takeshi that he slowly threw out an equal number of shuriken, knocking them down one by one.
But Kushina had already used that brief time to circle behind him.
She knew, of course, that Takeshi could easily deal with shuriken, so that was just to buy time; her real trump card lay within herself.
The Uzumaki Clan possessed powerful physiques and vast Chakra reserves, a standard type with high blue and thick health. Even if severely injured, they could endure for half a day with their tenacious vitality.
Learning Taijutsu was perfectly suited for them.
So, these past few days, she had specifically learned the Strength of a Hundred Seal from Big Sister Tsunade. Although she hadn't fully mastered it yet, she had grasped some tricks, and now was a good time to test them on Takeshi.
"Hehe, you fell for it... What!"
Kushina swung a full-force punch at Takeshi's lower back, expecting to land it, but it was blocked by a hand that suddenly appeared.
Takeshi caught her punch with just one hand, not even retreating half a step.
Although she hadn't fully mastered the Strength of a Hundred Seal, due to her Chakra control, this punch could easily shatter a five-meter-high rock.
But Takeshi seemed completely unaffected, how was that possible!
"Hmm, the force isn't bad." After feeling the impact of the punch, Takeshi couldn't help but gently squeeze Kushina's tender white little fist, giving a sincere evaluation.
In his opinion, he possessed his strength due to his talent traits, while Kushina, through her own efforts, had reached this level in a short time, which was truly impressive.
Therefore, there was no mockery in his words.
But when Kushina heard it, it took on a different meaning.
She didn't care about talent traits or anything else; she only knew that her Strength of a Hundred Fist, which she had diligently trained for so long, had not only been caught by the Bastard but also mocked and teased by him.
Her temper flared up instantly.
Her red hair billowed, and terrifying Chakra was released.
"Damn it, Bastard, die, die~!"
This time, her punches were faster and fiercer, and her body movements constantly changed as she punched, making her difficult to pin down.
Takeshi also made his move, but each time he only deflected Kushina's punch power and then didn't attack further, not harming her in the slightest.
Kushina's offense was fierce, and Takeshi's deflections were swift.
The two thus wrestled together, beginning an intense Taijutsu competition…