Chapter 32: Real Combat, This Kid's So Fast

"Why, Takuya, what are you doing?" Minato clutched his head, leaping up high in surprise.

Takuya laughed heartily: "I'm just trying to cheer you up, you know?"

"You could say thank you, at least. Look, you're all better now, right?"

"..." Is this your idea of cheering someone up?

Minato was at his wit's end.

He swore, if only he could beat Takuya, he'd definitely give him a thrashing.

The method for the combat exam was straightforward—fight one-on-one against the village's examiners.

As long as you could last a certain amount of time against them, you'd pass. And if you were strong enough to defeat an examiner outright, that was also acceptable.

The three of them went to draw lots for their turn.

Minato was up third, Takuya was twenty-eighth, and Uchiha Mikoto was fifteenth.

"Contestant number three, please proceed to Examination Arena Six!"

The announcement blared over the loudspeakers, calling out the order of combatants and their respective venues.

"Good luck," Takuya nudged Minato, rooting for him alongside Uchiha Mikoto.

"I'll be back soon," Minato said, flashing a confident smile.

Having watched the previous two assessments, Minato was confident in his abilities.

At Examination Arena Six, the proctoring jonin said to Minato, "Come on, kid, let's see what you've got. Someone as young as you coming to take the test must be pretty strong."

"The uncle seems pretty strong too," Minato responded like an obedient child, his trademark sunny smile on full display.

He scratched his head, looking every bit the harmless sunny boy.

This guy's in trouble, thinking he can shake Minato with words.

He doesn't know who he's dealing with; this is the little sun.

"Uncle..."

The jonin was flabbergasted.

He might look a bit rushed, but he's only eighteen years old! What's with the uncle nickname?

As the jonin was taken aback, the referee shook his head in disbelief and announced the start of the assessment.

No sooner had the referee declared the start than Minato charged forward.

"Uh oh!" The crafty kid, I let him get to me.

Damn it.

The jonin had planned to use words to fluster Minato, but it was he who ended up distracted.

A single "uncle" hit him harder than any physical attack could.

Throwing several shurikens at his opponent, Minato quickly followed up.

This kid's speed is incredible.

Whispers of awe spread through the crowd, many feeling embarrassed.

Here they were, grown men, unable to keep up with a kid's pace, as if they'd lived their lives for nothing.

What they didn't realize was that Minato's most terrifying attribute wasn't his speed but his nerve reaction speed.

Many ninjas were faster than Minato, but few could match his reflexes—not even Takuya could, and finding someone comparable to Minato was a challenge.

So it could be said that Minato was uniquely gifted, born to master techniques like the Flying Thunder God.

"Kid, don't underestimate people," the jonin yelled, dodging a shuriken from Minato and aiming one right back at him, trying to force a change in his tactics.

But what the jonin didn't expect was the confident smile on Minato's face as his unmatched reflexes let him easily dodge the counterattack.

A swift hit to the back of the jonin's head followed.

"Thud!"

It was over—the jonin's eyes widened as a sharp pain shot through the back of his head, and he fell face down to the ground.

A muffled sound, and the loud-mouthed jonin was down on the ground, with Minato winning effortlessly.

It hardly took any effort.

Other contestants looked at Minato as if he were a monster.

How did he dodge that?

It's not scientifically possible.

"Contestant number three wins!"

The referee hadn't expected the fight to end so quickly, from start to finish, it hadn't even been twenty seconds.

Having passed the exam smoothly, Minato ran out, eager to high-five Takuya.

But as he raised his hand in excitement, he realized Takuya had no intention of returning the gesture.

"Pfft—"

Uchiha Mikoto couldn't help but laugh at the awkward sight of Minato standing there, not knowing where to put his hand.

Takuya, arms crossed, glanced at him and shook his head.

"You're too old for high-fives."

"..."

I really want to hit you!!

"Ha ha ha, okay, I'll stop teasing you," Takuya laughed and finally gave Minato a high-five.

"Contestant number fifteen."

Aside from Minato, the rest of the assessments proceeded without much noteworthy action; each one was by the book.

The skills of the ninja being assessed were mediocre at best, and the examiners went a bit easy on them.

It wasn't long before it was Uchiha Mikoto's turn.

"Good luck!"

Minato waved cheerfully as Uchiha Mikoto, giving a 'no problem' gesture, entered Examination Arena Three.

"A girl from the Uchiha clan, huh?"

Noticing the clan emblem on Uchiha Mikoto's clothing, the examining jonin became cautious.

Ninjas from major clans usually had no lack of skill, and he couldn't afford to underestimate Uchiha Mikoto, or he might seriously regret it.

"The assessment begins!"

The referee announced the start of the test.

Uchiha Mikoto didn't bother hiding her strength; activating her Sharingan, she charged forward.

"..."

Damn! How am I supposed to fight this?

I'm just an ordinary jonin who got dragged in to fill numbers. Does she have to be so serious, using Sharingan and all?

This guy's panicking.

Takuya knew the moment he saw this that the assessment was over.

Despite Uchiha Mikoto's Sharingan being only a single tomoe, the insight it provided, combined with her innate strength, allowed her to easily overpower her opponent, almost as quickly as Minato had.

Facing such candidates, the examining jonin really had bad luck.

"I passed."

The battle ended easily, and Uchiha Mikoto ran out happily, raising her hand for a high-five.

Minato instinctively raised his hand to meet hers, only to find Uchiha Mikoto being swept up and spun around by Takuya, her cheeks flushed as she struggled and pushed him away.

"..."

Am I being ignored again?

Takuya, are you deliberately opposing me?

The assessments continued.

Minato and Uchiha Mikoto's impressive performances had many people whispering, casting frequent glances their way.

"Contestant number twenty-eight, please go to Examination Arena One for your assessment."

Soon, it was Takuya's turn.

Surprisingly, the jonin assessing Takuya was an attractive young woman, although her looks were average.

"Quite the handsome young man."

"And you're very beautiful, ma'am," Takuya politely complimented her in return.

"You sure have a way with words, little brother," the examining jonin revealed a surprised expression, smiling through narrowed eyes. Takuya's words clearly pleased her.

"..."

What are you two doing? This is supposed to be an assessment!

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 70 at patreon.com/Emik01.