Hearing Iruka's call, Uchiha Sasuke slowly stepped forward from the crowd, making his way to the center of the training ground, where he stood before Namikaze Minato.
Without waiting for Minato to greet him, Sasuke bowed respectfully and said in a firm voice, "Hokage-sama, please guide me!"
Sasuke's tone was unwavering and filled with confidence, causing Minato to swallow back the words of encouragement he had originally intended to say. Seeing Sasuke's composed demeanor, it was clear that he had already prepared himself mentally. He showed no fear despite facing the Hokage—just this level of mental fortitude was enough to impress Minato.
"Good. If you're ready, then begin."
Minato nodded, pleased with Sasuke's composure.
At the judges' table, both Hyuga Hiashi and Nara Shikaku turned to glance at Uchiha Fugaku, who was seated beside them. They were both familiar with Sasuke and knew that he was Fugaku's youngest son.
Unlike his previously relaxed demeanor while watching Karin's assessment, Fugaku was noticeably more tense this time. His fists clenched slightly, and his full attention was locked on the match.
"So, he really does care about his son."
"Seeing him like this is making me nervous, too."
Nara Shikaku, who was usually calm, found himself growing slightly anxious after seeing Fugaku's expression. It seemed that no matter how composed one might be, when it came to their own child, their emotions were difficult to suppress.
In contrast, Hiashi maintained his usual calm, carrying himself with the dignity of a judge.
"It's Sasuke!"
From the sidelines, Uzumaki Naruto locked his eyes onto Sasuke's back, his attention fully focused.
On the field, Sasuke took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly to steady himself, then snapped them open. His hands moved behind his back, and when they reappeared, several smoke bombs rested on his fingertips. He instantly hurled them toward Minato.
A split second later, before the smoke bombs even landed, Sasuke reached into his ninja pouch, pulled out two shuriken, and threw them into the incoming smoke.
One advantage of fighting Hokage-sama was that the students could give it their all without worrying about injuring their opponent.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The smoke bombs exploded mid-air, filling the field with thick, blue-gray smoke. A moment later, Sasuke's shuriken sliced through the haze, vanishing into the dense fog. The only sound that followed was a soft "thunk-thunk-thunk" as the shuriken embedded themselves into something.
Hearing the impact, Sasuke's expression shifted slightly. Without hesitation, he leaped back two steps and pulled out a kunai, gripping it tightly.
A gust of wind swept through the field, gradually clearing the smoke. As the haze dissipated, Minato's figure emerged—completely unharmed. His clothes weren't even wrinkled, and his breathing remained steady.
However, at his feet lay a wooden substitution log, riddled with shuriken.
"As expected, it was a Substitution Jutsu."
Sasuke wasn't surprised. From the sound alone, he had already guessed what had happened. Without pausing, he dashed toward Minato, kunai in hand.
"Haaah!"
With a determined shout, Sasuke closed the distance between them. Just before reaching Minato, he flicked his wrist and hurled his kunai at the Hokage, then immediately retrieved another from his pouch.
Minato effortlessly tilted his head to evade the first kunai, but at that exact moment, Sasuke lunged forward with his second kunai, aiming for Minato's chest.
Although the feint was well-executed, it was far too basic to deceive Minato. Without even looking back, Minato instinctively raised his right hand and caught Sasuke's wrist, halting the attack mid-thrust.
With a smooth motion, he pivoted and lightly pushed Sasuke's chest with his left hand.
Rather than panicking, Sasuke reacted instantly—rolling in the direction of Minato's push to evade the counterattack. His quick thinking allowed him to catch a momentary opening in Minato's stance.
Seizing the chance, Sasuke planted his foot firmly on the ground and launched a kick toward Minato's waist.
However, Minato, as if having predicted Sasuke's move, turned his head with a smile. Before Sasuke's kick could connect, Minato grabbed his ankle and effortlessly flipped him into the air.
"Not bad. He's already learned to capitalize on openings during battle. That's an improvement over Karin."
"As expected of Fugaku's son."
Minato watched as Sasuke was tossed into the air, satisfied with the boy's performance. But before he could finish his thought, his expression suddenly shifted in astonishment.
Sasuke—while mid-air—was rapidly forming hand seals!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Still airborne, Sasuke finished his seals, puffed out his cheeks, and unleashed a blazing fireball straight toward Minato.
Though the fireball was only two to three meters in diameter, its downward trajectory ensured that the flames would engulf the entire area where Minato stood.
"A Fireball Jutsu?!"
"It's rare to see a child this age already mastering a C-rank ninjutsu!"
Minato narrowed his eyes, but just before the fireball reached him, he activated the Body Flicker Technique, instantly reappearing below Sasuke—waiting for the boy to fall.
"What?!"
Sasuke, expecting his attack to land, was momentarily stunned when the Hokage disappeared. The exclamations from the spectators made him snap his head downward—only to see Minato calmly standing beneath him.
Realizing his mistake, Sasuke reacted swiftly. He pulled a smoke bomb from his pouch and hurled it at Minato.
"Poof!"
The bomb detonated mid-air, enveloping both of them in a thick fog. Moments later, a small figure burst from the smoke, sprinting to the edge of the arena before skidding to a stop and turning around, kunai at the ready.
"In that case… I only have one option left!"
Sasuke pulled several shuriken from his pouch. As he did, faint streaks of metallic light flickered between the shuriken and his ninja pouch.
They were all connected by thin steel wires.
"Oh?"
Before Sasuke could act, Minato's gentle voice suddenly sounded right behind him.
"That's enough for today, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke's body froze. His eyes widened as he turned his head—only to find Minato crouched behind him, smiling as he curiously examined the ninja pouch on Sasuke's waist.
"Mechanical shuriken? Impressive—you're already using such advanced tools at your age."
"Without a doubt, Sasuke-kun, you're a genius."
Minato lightly tugged the steel wire hanging from Sasuke's pouch and offered a word of praise.
Sasuke's expression wavered. After a brief pause, he sighed, then turned and respectfully bowed to Minato.
"Not bad at all," Shikaku commented, nodding approvingly.
"Sasuke's precision and handling of actual combat far surpass Karin's. Not to mention, the log Minato substituted with was pinned with over a dozen shuriken."
Hiashi also gave a rare compliment, "Indeed. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, shuriken technique, and combat awareness—Sasuke excels in all areas. Fugaku, your youngest son is undeniably a genius."
However, Fugaku simply folded his arms and replied in an indifferent tone:
"Hmph."
(End of Chapter)