Fierce Fight

"What? A spar?!" Minato exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.

Even offering his high-level Body Flicker Technique wasn't enough, so he couldn't imagine needing a fight to settle things. He'd originally braced himself for a school intervention, but Aizen's request was unexpectedly simple, yet strange.

"Exactly!" Aizen confirmed with a solemn nod.

"May I ask why?" Minato inquired, curiosity piqued. Accepting the duel implied his willingness to fight. Today's situation was entirely his fault. If it did escalate to school involvement, even as the top student, Minato anticipated some form of punishment.

"As the acknowledged strongest in your class, aren't you the one everyone wants to challenge?" Aizen asked rhetorically with a chuckle.

"Is that so?" Minato offered a noncommittal smile.

However, he knew deep down that wasn't the real reason. Despite this being their first meeting, Minato had a hunch the person before him wasn't driven by mere fame.

And Minato's intuition was spot on.

Aizen's challenge wasn't impulsive. In the upcoming semester's combat class, he'd inevitably have to face Senju Nawaki. Battling Minato, currently more renowned than Nawaki, would give Aizen a baseline for the upcoming fight. Additionally, Aizen also desired to test his combat prowess in a real fight.

While he possessed centuries of memories from Shinigami Aizen, including rich combat experience, he still needed actual combat to integrate these memories.

Regardless of Aizen's motives, as long as it meant resolving the situation peacefully, Minato wasn't concerned.

Following the ninja academy's etiquette, the two formed a seal of reconciliation, officially initiating the spar.

Despite his cheerful demeanor, Minato transformed into a fierce and decisive presence on the battlefield!

His previously gentle eyes hardened. In a flash, he whipped out several shurikens and hurled them at Aizen. Simultaneously, Minato swiftly grasped a kunai in each hand and charged towards Aizen at a speed belying his age!

Minato's shurikenjutsu was impressive, most aimed at Aizen's vital points. But Aizen remained unfazed. With his exceptional physical fitness, he dodged the shuriken with a nimble somersault.

However, Minato's shuriken wasn't so simple! The deflected shuriken unexpectedly collided behind Aizen, then ricocheted back towards him at a sharp angle.

"Uchiha clan's shurikenjutsu?!" Aizen expressed mild surprise at this impressive display.

He hadn't anticipated Minato possessing a throwing technique unique to the Uchiha clan.

Indeed, Minato, the top student with a unique personality, enjoyed a close friendship with his classmate, Uchiha Fugaku. Minato learned this particular Uchiha shuriken technique from Fugaku.

In the Uchiha clan, this throwing technique wasn't a closely guarded secret. The difficulty didn't lie in skill, but exceptional perception!

Without a Sharingan, replicating this technique was nearly impossible for a ninja. Minato's mastery stemmed from his naturally superior neural reflexes.

However, at that moment, Aizen had no time to ponder how Minato acquired this technique.

Because Minato was already upon him, kunai raised high and poised to strike!

A brutal assault! Aizen was almost immediately cornered!

"Worthy of being the top student!" Even Aizen couldn't help but exclaim, impressed by Minato's complex and swift attack.

However, underestimating Aizen would be a grave mistake.

"Water Style: Water Barrier!"

Aizen's hands formed a rapid seal. The surrounding moisture condensed and swirled around him in an instant, forming an airtight wall of water. Whether it was the shuriken ricocheting from behind or Minato charging from the front, all were repelled by the turbulent water barrier.

A gentleman doesn't fight fair, and Aizen wasn't about to simply defend against Minato.

"Water Style: Water Rush!"

Aizen clenched his hands tightly in front of his chest. The rotation speed and volume of the surrounding water walls drastically increased, surging to a height of three meters before crashing outwards in a massive wave.

Despite his exceptional reflexes, Minato couldn't dodge such a wide-area attack at his current speed.

"Incredible! Not only did you dismantle my three-part combo in an instant, but you countered with such a stunning display!" Even drenched, Minato couldn't help but admire Aizen's skill. Truly, a master reveals their talent with a single move!

Minato recognized from Aizen's two jutsu that the bespectacled brown-haired man before him possessed immense power.

Despite being at a disadvantage, Minato remained calm. He channeled chakra around his body, leaped with his feet, and burst free from the water's hold.

However, Aizen, ever vigilant, had anticipated this moment.

The moment Minato emerged from the water, Aizen drew his long sword and lunged, aiming a ruthless slash at Minato's back.

This wasn't a noble attack!

Faced with Aizen's unsportsmanlike sneak attack, Minato's incredible neural reflexes finally came into play. This terrifying ability to react quickly even while moving allowed his body to respond decisively.

With a lightning-fast backhand swing of his kunai, Minato deflected the long sword just before fully turning around. Simultaneously, he lashed out with his left hand, aiming a kunai at Aizen's throat!

An instantaneous reversal of offense and defense!

But Aizen, possessed reflexes no less impressive than Minato's. He swiftly retreated to avoid the deadly blow.

Not only that, but with a backhand maneuver, he retained control of the deflected long sword and slashed at Minato's left wrist from an unexpected angle!

Once again, the offense and defense shifted!

These two, Konohagakure's strongest teenagers, were locked in a magnificent taijutsu battle! While their power might appear childish compared to Jōnin, the ferocity and danger of their duel would leave even Kage-level masters stunned.

After a tense exchange, both Aizen and Minato realized victory wouldn't be achieved through taijutsu alone. They both backed away, standing on the water a distance apart, facing each other once more.