Chapter 46: In a Flash
Minato's POV:
The next day, I went to the same stadium as yesterday. I saw many people above, watching us from the stands. I was the third one to arrive at the stadium behind Rasa and Hiashi. A few minutes later, all of us are now in the stadium waiting for the Kages to formally start the battles.
"Welcome all of you here for the last part of Jonin Exams. As you may already know, we will be having one on one battles to determine each Chunin who reached this moment if they have what it takes to be a Jonin. All battles will be done one by one and all of it will be finished today. The proctor for this battle will be a Jonin of Konoha, Maito Dai."
Dai was also promoted months after his battle with Sakumo with the Suna ninjas. Though he is very powerful, his experience is still lacking at that time because he only received most of his missions inside Konoha. But after months of doing difficult missions, he is now promoted to being a true Jonin. He was also recognized by many by his moniker, "The Blue Beast of Konoha". I should probably get one too after the Jonin Exams.
"For the first battle, Namikaze Minato VS Biwa Juzo. Please stay at the center. For the other participants, please step out."
I then stayed at my position and faced Juzo. He is smiling at me and his intentions are clear. Well, he won't know what hit him when we start the match.
"START!!!"
Dai waved his hands down and that started the match. Juzo dashed forward at me while pointing his sword at my head. He licks his lips with his tongue and a creepy smile was present on his face. As I was about to be slashed to the head, before anyone even blinked, I was gone and appeared at Juzo's back at the same time. With a Rasengan formed on my right hand, I smashed it at Juzo's back, and a crater was created and a body of blood was lying in it. His blood only came from his skin and not from internal injuries. I controlled my Rasengan and just wanted to try it out to an opponent. He is just lucky that it was him this time. This will teach him a lesson. I wonder what my title will be...
"Winner, Namikaze Minato."
Hiruzen's POV:
I was a bit surprised at how Minato handled the battle. I knew him as a humble kid so I did not expect him to humiliate his opponent like that. To think that he used the Rasengan to him. But from what I saw, he weakened the strength of his Rasengan to prevent Juzo from dying and having life-threatening injuries. Maybe he did have broken bones but the crater that was created was just from the momentum of the swing of his sword earlier. But that does not matter to anyone watching, especially civilians. Juzo just looks like a weak Genin that was sent to war and encountered a Kage. His reputation will be damaged. Basically, he looks like a cannon fodder during their battle. That will teach him a lesson.
He was taken by the Medical Ninjas and was sent to backstage. I am sure that his reputation will now be at its lowest ever.
On the other hand, the two Kages beside me were very shocked at what just happened. Well, I can't blame them, can I? The match just ended faster than in a blink of an eye.
"What just happened? All I saw was that the moment Juzo's sword was about to touch that Minato, he just disappeared and appeared at the same time at his back. I know that what he used is the Hiraishin but I did not see and marker on the battlefield. How did he do it?"
The Kazekage asked and was confused. Even the Mizukage was confused on how and when Minato placed his marker. I then started to explain how Minato did it.
"About the marker, I think he placed it when he shook hands with Juzo yesterday. And what he did not violate any of the rules because technically, they are still in the second part of the exams at that point. He also did not steal a scroll because there is no scroll to be taken. He was the only one who noticed the condition we set. He just took that condition and made it for his own advantage.
Both my fellow Kages were surprised at what Minato has done. It really feels good seeing their faces like that.
Kakashi's POV:
The battle that just happened was not surprising for me at all. I have seen Minato doing that all the time back then in my past life. The crowd is silent for a good few minutes before they started to question what just happened. I heard some civilians say that Minato cheated, especially from the other villages. But I also heard older civilians and ninjas explaining that Minato used the Second Hokage's Hiraishin. I guess they managed to witness the Hiraishin of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
I also looked at the participants of Kiri and Suna to guess their reactions. They all have the same reaction as the civilians, except for one. Rasa just stood there with a stone-cold face as he stared at Minato. He seems to be thinking about how he would beat Minato at this point.
Rasa's POV:
I was a bit surprised at how the first battle ended. I expected Namikaze Minato to win from the start the moment the Kazekage said that he could use the Hiraishin. But I expected it to be longer than that. That Juzo guy just made a mistake by charging ahead without any plan in mind. But I am different. He may be fast but he won't be able to hurt me because of my Gold Dust. I can just protect my body with sand and wait for the right timing to attack him.
"You seem to be thinking of how to beat Minato-kun, correct?"
A girl with a black hair and eyes approached me and glared at me. I believe she is my next opponent, Uchiha Mikoto. And I got to admit that I got ahead of myself earlier. She is from the Uchiha Clan who is renowned for their Sharingan and Genjutsu on the battlefield. They are also the leading clan in the world in terms of fire jutsus. I must first focus on my next fight before thinking of others.
"I apologize for that. I look forward to our fight, Mikoto-san"
We both came down to the stadium and the cheers from the crowd were all I could hear.
"The Second Battle, Kazekage Rasa VS Uchiha Mikoto. START!!!