Yukari Uchiha (English)

Chapter 45

Minato doesn't hesitate for a moment. Before I can even take my next breath, three kunai shoot toward me at incredible speed.

I know exactly what he's infamous for—Hiraishin no Jutsu. He could teleport to the kunai in the blink of an eye and overwhelm me before I could react. My gaze locks onto the trajectory of the weapons. The first kunai is aimed straight at my head, while the other two take seemingly random paths. But I know there are no coincidences with Minato.

I remain calm and let the first kunai get as close as possible. In a precise moment, I analyze it carefully—the engraving on its handle, the chakra I can sense within it. As it closes in dangerously, I let my own kunai glide upward to intercept it. The metallic clang echoes across the clearing. But before I can catch my breath, I leap backward, aiming to alter the path of the other two kunai.

Just as I reach for the kunai to my left, I suddenly feel his presence—he's already there. Minato. His appearance is so fast that I can barely react. I barely manage to dodge his kick, but my attempt to counterattack is cut short when a hard kick strikes my side, throwing me off balance.

"He lives up to his legend," I think, gasping to recover from the blow. But an unsettling thought immediately follows: "And this is him holding back significantly."

I push the pain aside and force myself to focus. My Genjutsu are useless against my summons. Even my Yūen, the phantom flames, can't latch onto them. My Sharingan abilities are essentially powerless in this fight.

But Minato doesn't give me time to think further. Once again, he hurls kunai in my direction, with the same precision and speed as before.

"Not this time!" I grit my teeth and leap to the side, dodging the middle kunai. With a fluid motion, I propel myself into the air, aiming to position myself above Minato. But as expected, he's already waiting below me—exactly where I plan to land. In his hands gleam two more kunai, which he effortlessly throws upward.

"I won't allow this!" My heart pounds faster as I quickly form hand seals. "Tenshōha!" My voice echoes across the clearing as I unleash the jutsu. A powerful shockwave explodes around me, intercepting the kunai mid-air. Their trajectory is halted by sheer force, and they drop harmlessly to the ground. But my shockwave doesn't stop there. It crashes into the ground beneath me, catching Minato directly and slamming him backward into the dirt.

For a moment, I feel a flicker of triumph, but it doesn't last. Before the dust can settle, Minato vanishes—teleporting back to his original position. The legendary Hiraishin.

I land on the ground and lift my gaze, locking onto him again. Minato stands there, completely unscathed, as if nothing had happened. His calm smile feels almost like a provocation.

"Well done," he finally says, his voice warm yet firm. "You've overcome the first challenge. But you need to react even faster, Yukari. In a real battle, your enemies won't hesitate to exploit even a moment's hesitation."

I take a deep breath, my muscles tense, my thoughts racing. This fight is far from won—but I can feel how it's pushing me, testing my limits. It's the beginning of training that will either break me or shape me.

The clearing is littered with kunai, scattered in seemingly random patterns. But I know there are no coincidences with Minato—each of these kunai represents a strategic advantage. A meticulously prepared battlefield for the legendary "Yellow Flash of Konoha." But I'm not helpless. A plan begins to take shape in my mind.

Minato is fast. His teleportation makes his speed untouchable, but I'm fast too. Not in his way, but in a way I can use to my advantage. It's time to go on the offensive—his eyes won't be able to follow my movements. I recall my Denko Sekka, the lightning-fast technique even Kitsune couldn't track with her sharp senses.