Chapter 26: Completing the Training

In the intense physical exertion, Minato had to maintain his speed while being prepared for potential attacks from all directions.

For his first training session, Jiraiya had Minato complete this highly challenging exercise. Even Jiraiya himself did not have high expectations that a seven-year-old child could run forty laps around Konoha before noon under such demanding conditions.

The grueling test, which taxed one's stamina, willpower, and reflexes, was as arduous as the Chunin Exams. It seemed overly harsh for a seven-year-old like Minato.

At noon, the streets of Konoha were relatively empty, and since Minato was running laps around the village's outskirts, there were not many people on the roads.

Initially, the attacks coming at him were not very frequent. Minato's body quickly adapted to the rhythm.

This was due to his highly developed visual-neural abilities. Although lower-ranked and chunin-level ninjas possessed extraordinary speed, few focused on adapting to that speed.

When the surrounding environment becomes rapidly faster, visual perception tends to become sluggish and blurred.

However, Minato had consistently trained in this manner, enabling him to evade Jiraiya's attacks solely through his visual-neural coordination with his body movements.

Remarkably, Minato adapted to the speed at an astonishing rate. Within half a lap, he could evade various attacks while maintaining an even faster pace.

Moreover, Minato's sense of fatigue gradually dissipated, and he did not use chakra to recover his strength.

Jiraiya observed all of this covertly, and his expression gradually changed.

"Strange," Jiraiya muttered, even doubting his own past abilities, as he had undergone similar training.

During his first attempt, he had been overwhelmed by the concealed attacks, and even his peer at the time had significantly reduced their running speed, ultimately failing to complete the exercise.

While Jiraiya's current skills might not match the Third Hokage's prime, they should not be too far behind.

Moreover, back then, Jiraiya had to train three students simultaneously, whereas now he only had Minato as his disciple.

The disparity in their training progress was too significant.

Minato believed he was evading the attacks through visual-neural coordination with his body movements, but Jiraiya could discern that the primary reason for his success was not due to conscious control.

Rather than relying on conscious physical control, Minato seemed to be reacting instinctively.

It was akin to those who had experienced life-threatening situations developing an acute awareness of killing intent from ill-intentioned individuals – a reaction honed through years of hardship.

However, Minato was only seven years old and had barely been in the Ninja Academy for a year. Even prodigies like Uchiha Homura, who trained rigorously with the Uchiha clan elders from a young age, could not possess such abilities.

"Jiraiya-sensei, your attacks have become sluggish," Minato remarked with a smile, indicating that Jiraiya's recent offensives had slowed due to his distracted thoughts.

"Perhaps this can only be explained as his innate talent," Jiraiya mused, ultimately concluding that Minato possessed an extraordinary natural gift for speed, akin to his own instinctive mastery of the Body Flicker Technique.

This affirmed that Jiraiya had chosen the correct training approach for Minato.

Perhaps Minato could become the new "Fastest Shinobi in the World" after the Second Hokage!

Refocusing his attention, Jiraiya's covert attacks regained their ferocity.

Despite the sweat on his cheeks, Minato maintained a smile, seeming to relish the process.

"Huff, huff!" 

This training, which involved high-speed running while evading attacks, consumed even more stamina and energy than simple running. By the thirty-ninth lap, despite his recovering strength, Minato began panting heavily.

Yet, he gritted his teeth and maintained his pace, his body bearing traces of dirt, as Jiraiya's attacks included not only kunai but also randomly thrown rocks and other projectiles.

Despite Minato's agile reflexes, he had been struck a few times. Although Jiraiya had held back, the impact points still ached.

Enduring the pain, Minato persevered until, three minutes before Jiraiya's prescribed time limit, he completed the forty laps around Konoha.

Minato's eyelids drooped, his expression weary as he bent down, supporting his trembling body with one hand on the ground.

Although exhausted, Minato did not immediately allow his body to relax, as abruptly resting after intense exercise could lead to discomfort.

As he gradually eased his body, Jiraiya approached, supporting Minato by holding one of his arms.

"You did well," Jiraiya said with an approving smile.

However, Minato gave a wry smile, saying, "I still have a long way to go. You were accompanying me during the training, Jiraiya-sensei, yet you don't seem tired at all. I'm still too weak."

While Jiraiya had to conceal his presence and launch covert attacks, he showed no signs of fatigue – a testament to his superior strength compared to Minato's current abilities.

"Heh, is that so? Your performance, on the other hand, gave me a sense of defeat I haven't felt in a long time," Jiraiya sighed, acknowledging that his current achievements resulted from decades of training. During his first attempt at this exercise, he had fared far worse than Minato and failed to complete it.

Surprised by Jiraiya's words, Minato smiled, realizing that no other Konoha jonin or sensei would speak so humbly when teaching a student.

Only his teacher could be so candid.

"Sensei, what about the afternoon training?" Minato asked, undeterred by his apparent fatigue and eagerly anticipating the next session.

"Heh, have you forgotten the three conditions I set for you?" Jiraiya reminded him, as the training volume was already substantial for a child of Minato's age.

By stating those conditions beforehand, Jiraiya aimed to pique Minato's curiosity and test whether he had committed the rules to memory.

Minato laughed sheepishly, admitting that he had momentarily forgotten.

Seeing the anticipation in Minato's eyes, Jiraiya smiled and said, "We'll call it a day for your training. However, you can accompany me to meet someone – he's actually your senior."

(End of Chapter)