After school.
“Sparring?”
Shichiya looked at the energetic blonde bean sprout in front of him, also eager to try.
In his family, besides training alone, he only sparred with Hyuga Sougen.
It’s not so much a sparring session as it was being fed moves.
And the result, needless to say, in the face of the incredibly experienced Hyuga Sougen, he was comprehensively crushed.
Of course, every time he finished sparring, Shichiya would reflect on his shortcomings and improve upon them.
Shichiya felt that currently, his strength should be among the top tier of his peers.
Minato, full of expectation, said, "Yes, I hope to spar with you, Shichiya-kun. Because only in a real fight can you discover the things you have overlooked during your daily training."
Shichiya chuckled lightly, "You don't have to be so polite, just call me Shichiya."
“Seems like your strength has increased a lot recently. Hmm? You’ve already condensed chakra?”
He sensed the chakra reaction emanating from Minato's body, his mind suddenly realizing.
This made Shichiya even more excited about the sparring.
Even if Minato wasn't the future Yellow Flash yet, his talent had already begun to show.
“Hee hee hee…”
Minato smiled brightly, confident but not arrogant.
Shichiya said, "Let's go to the training field."
Minato followed close behind.
By the windowsill of the office, Watanabe Shinichi noticed the actions of the two little guys, reading Shichiya’s last words through lip-reading.
"Training field? Are the two of them going to have a real combat sparring session?"
“Such nonsense…”
Before he finished saying "nonsense", Watanabe Shinichi had already disappeared from the windowsill, only the curtains swaying in the wind.
Children are careless with their movements, which is why the practical class has teachers watching on the side, just in case of accidents.
…………
Training field.
A light breeze blows, rustling the leaves.
Minato took out a kunai and casually tossed it.
“We start when this kunai lands.”
Shichiya nodded in agreement and stood opposite Minato, ten meters apart.
One, bare-handed, his body seemingly loose yet tight; the other, holding a wooden kunai, his eyes filled with battle intent.
In a position where the two couldn’t see, Watanabe Shinichi was crouching on an old tree.
He had just said it was nonsense, but now at the training field, he wanted to see how these two kids were doing.
“Clack!”
The kunai landed.
Boom!
Minato stomped on the ground, using the recoil to rapidly charge towards Shichiya.
His body leaned forward, his footsteps echoing as he moved, like a small cheetah.
The ten-meter distance was covered in a blink of an eye.
“His speed is much faster than before…”
Shichiya stood still, only raising his right hand into a palm shape.
Minato's kunai attacked, but it wasn’t just a straight thrust, it was slightly shaking, striking in a spiral arc, like a venomous snake emerging from its den.
Even though it was a wooden kunai, Shichiya could feel a hint of sharpness.
He slightly shifted his body to avoid the arc of the kunai, his right palm accurately stretched out, his fingers curled into a bird’s beak shape, he struck first in the back, pecking at Minato's wrist, his strength being unleashed.
“Hmm~”
Minato's wrist ached, instantly causing his strength to dissipate, the hand holding the kunai loosened.
Fortunately, his thumb hooked the round ring at the tail of the kunai. Minato used the momentum of his body, dragging the kunai to rotate, with a snap, he reversed his grip.
At the same time, Minato stepped back, leaping backward, creating distance between himself and Shichiya.
It was just a sparring session, so Shichiya didn't follow up with an attack, he calmly stood in place waiting.
Minato looked down, that part of his wrist had already turned red.
As he rubbed it, he said, "Is this the unique Hyuga clan's martial arts?"
Shichiya shook his head with a smile, "It’s not the Gentle Fist yet, I’m just using the techniques of it."
Minato's fighting spirit surged, "Then, Shichiya… I'm coming at you!"
Boom!
This time the speed was a few steps faster.
In an instant, he closed the distance, the kunai slashed down with an afterimage, the wind whistling.
Shichiya repeated his previous move.
But Minato suddenly changed his move midway, his body lowered, sliding in a spiral arc, stabbing towards Shichiya’s abdomen.
Shichiya’s feet slipped, as if he was going to fall on ice skates, his whole body leaned towards Minato, as if he was going to collide with the tip of his kunai.
He used “Shunshin” under his feet, Shichiya suddenly appeared to the side of Minato, kicking out.
Minato was shocked.
Because he only felt a shadow flash in front of him, Shichiya was already close.
Without time to think, he instinctively leapt forward, as swift as a leopard, then suddenly ducked, the kunai already thrown.
Whoosh! ~
Shichiya's leg technique changed agilely halfway through, kicking away the flying kunai.
But immediately after, he faced three shurikens in a “product” shape, and Minato following behind them.
"Shunshin!"
Shichiya didn’t want to take the hit head-on, he instantly shifted horizontally five meters.
He swiped behind him and threw three wooden shurikens as well.
“Ding! Ding! Ding!”
Minato used his kunai to deflect them one by one, he couldn't see Shichiya in front of him.
“Not good…”
Minato's heart skipped a beat, he was about to immediately leave his spot.
But the tense muscles immediately relaxed, because a hand was already pressed against the back of his neck.
“I lost…”
“Shichiya, you’re so strong…!”
Although he lost, Minato had no feeling of dejection, instead, he sincerely admired Shichiya’s strength.
Letting go of his hand, Shichiya had a faint smile.
“You're the one who’s made great progress…”
“I condensed chakra a year earlier than you…”
“Your change of move just now, I could only directly dodge it…”
Although he sparred with Minato for a short time, it gave Shichiya a different feeling, like a true ninja battle, quick and unpredictable, full of danger.
This also showed how high Minato's battle IQ was.
This was only the comparison of physical techniques and throwing techniques.
Later, when they learned the Three Great Ninja Arts, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu, it would be even more about tactics, including deception, psychological warfare, and so on.
Collecting the scattered kunai and shuriken, Minato gave himself a gesture of encouragement.
“Minato, come on!”
“Challenge him again next month.”
…………