"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Uchiha Tekka felt a force as overwhelming as a mountain crashing into his chest.
Before he could even react, he was sent flying back several meters like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Amidst the dizziness and humiliation of defeat, he still stared with wide, unwilling eyes, veins bulging on his forehead as he desperately channeled the Chakra in his body, fantasizing about awakening the Uchiha Clan's true power in this desperate situation—the Sharingan.
However, he was still young, and the battles he had experienced and the intensity of his emotional fluctuations were far from reaching the threshold for awakening it.
In the end, he could only be helped away by his classmates, filled with resentment and shame, as the Teacher announced, "The match is decided, Akimichi Ryoko wins!"
After several rounds of competition, the Combat exercise finally reached its final showdown.
Ryoko was somewhat surprised to find that his final opponent was actually the future Fourth Hokage, the yellow flash, Minato Namikaze.
Seeing Ryoko look over, Minato Namikaze showed no sign of nervousness; instead, he returned a warm, sun-like smile.
That warm aura stood out remarkably among the group of children who were either nervous or arrogant.
"Interesting, I wonder how capable the childhood yellow flash is?" A hint of curiosity and anticipation rose in Ryoko's heart.
This was the protagonist's father, the future world-renowned Yondaime who would shake the entire Ninja World.
At the Teacher's signal, he stepped onto the training ground once more, standing opposite Minato Namikaze.
The two of them formally performed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Start!"
With the Teacher's command, this highly anticipated final duel officially began.
In this final duel, one side was the commoner genius Minato Namikaze, who had distinguished himself through talent and hard work, while the other was the dark horse Akimichi Ryoko, who had shown astonishing strength since his arrival.
To be fair, most students acknowledged Ryoko's bizarre defense and terrifying strength.
But at the thought of his "dark history" of openly throwing a match for a lunch box, everyone felt that this guy was quite unreliable, and his competitive spirit seemed pitifully weak.
Thus, as the two took their positions in the field, the cheering from the surroundings was almost entirely one-sided:
"Minato, go for it!"
"Defeat him, Minato, you're the best!"
"Show him what we Commoner Ninjas are made of!"
Hearing the thunderous support for his opponent, Ryoko couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Great, with this atmosphere, he felt exactly like a villainous demon king obstructing the protagonist's progress.
"Ryoko-kun," Minato Namikaze's voice remained gentle, but his eyes had turned sharp, "Your strength is great; I must give it my all."
Before his voice had even faded, his figure dashed forward like a bolt of golden lightning.
Unlike the classmates who had attacked recklessly before, Minato did not engage in a direct close-quarters assault. Instead, utilizing his superior speed and agility, he began moving at high speed around Ryoko, constantly changing positions, his Kunai appearing and disappearing as he sought the perfect moment to strike.
He had carefully observed Ryoko's previous battles and knew that the defensive power of the other's bulk was extremely abnormal, and his strength was staggering.
Therefore, he adopted the most cautious and clever tactic: probing with hit-and-run maneuvers, never easily getting caught in a close-quarters brawl.
Standing in place, Ryoko watched Minato's figure flitting like a butterfly through flowers and couldn't help but admire him.
The other's grasp of the battle's rhythm, control of distance, and keen intuition for timing far exceeded his peers, even surpassing some Chunin from the Root.
Even the most basic Taijutsu or Throwing techniques seemed to be imbued with a soul in Minato's hands, always launching attacks from the most awkward angles and retreating immediately after a single strike, never overextending.
"As expected of the guy who will shine in the Third Great Ninja War and earn the title of 'yellow flash'," Ryoko thought to himself, casting aside his last bit of disdain.
Facing Minato's slippery tactics, Ryoko thought for a moment and realized he had two choices.
One was to be a bit more serious, using the energy and Chakra accumulated in his body to force a close-quarters confrontation with explosive speed and power, ending the battle quickly.
The second was to rely on the Akimichi Clan's powerful endurance and energy reserves to fight a war of attrition.
After all, no matter how much of a genius Minato was, his current Chakra capacity couldn't possibly be more substantial than that of a "glutton" like him.
However, just when everyone thought this would be a fierce clash between a dragon and a tiger, Ryoko made a third choice.
He suddenly raised his right hand and shouted to the Teacher on the sidelines, Teacher, "Teacher, I forfeit!"
"What?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shocked.
Even Minato Namikaze, who had been moving at high speed, suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face filled with shock and confusion.
No one expected that this dark horse, who had "crushed" his way through, would voluntarily surrender in the final battle while clearly not yet at a disadvantage.
The Teacher was also stunned for a moment and confirmed, "Ryoko, are you sure you want to surrender? You haven't shown any signs of losing."
Ryoko lowered his hand, shrugged, and said calmly, "Yes, I surrender."
"Minato-kun's speed and tactics are very impressive. Fighting him consumes too much mental and physical energy, and I don't see any possibility of victory."
Of course, those were just the reasons he gave offhandedly; his true thoughts were:
You've got to be kidding me. It's not a life-or-death battle. Why should I consume a massive amount of the fat and energy reserves I worked so hard to eat for the sake of some empty title?
There's no prize money for winning, and I'd end up starving. Who would do such a losing deal? With this energy, it's more practical to save it for catching a few more fish tonight.
Seeing Ryoko's determined look, although the Teacher felt it was a bit hasty, he still respected his choice.
"Very well... Since Akimichi Ryoko has voluntarily surrendered, the final winner of this Combat exercise is—Minato Namikaze!"
With the Teacher's announcement, Minato Namikaze won the victory just like that.
But he looking at the chubby figure opposite him, who appeared relaxed and unconcerned, his heart was filled with doubt.
He couldn't understand Ryoko's logic for surrendering at all.
In his view, it was impossible for Ryoko's strength to be only what he had shown, and it should have been impossible for him to be unable to defeat himself.
Filled with confusion, Minato Namikaze walked up to Ryoko, who was about to stroll off to rest, and asked sincerely, "Ryoko-kun, I believe your strength is far above mine and your chances of winning were greater. Why did you choose to surrender?"
In his heart, a Ninja's match should be fought with all one's might; giving up victory so casually was difficult for him to comprehend.
Ryoko waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't underestimate yourself, Minato-kun."
"Your speed and tactics are very troublesome. To defeat you, I would have to pay a significant price, and it's just not worth it."
But he immediately leaned in closer and added with a grin, "But... if you're willing to treat me to a big meal, I might consider fighting you seriously!"
Minato Namikaze opened his mouth, but the thought of Ryoko's terrifying appetite instantly flashed through his mind, and he swallowed the words he was about to say to agree.
His family background was ordinary, and it was already hard enough to support himself; how could he afford such an enormous expense?
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)