I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 57 Nara Rinkazu vs. Namikaze Minato!

[A-rank ninja battle mission detected!]

[Rank A Mission: Minato Namikaze]

[Mission Objective: Defeat/Kill Konoha Jonin Minato Namikaze]

[Mission Reward: Rank A Ninja Scroll]

The battle with Minato Namikaze allows no room for distraction.

Nara Rinka had no spare time to browse the A-rank mission information on the panel. Seizing the precious opportunity that Namikaze Minato had offered up, he decisively activated the [Shadow Strike].

After hearing Nara Rinkazu's words, Minato Namikaze was still wondering about the other party's behavior.

However, when he felt the strong, almost tangible binding force transmitted through his body, Minato Namikaze realized that he had willingly walked into the trap of the "Shadow Technique".

"Given my speed, Nara-kun shouldn't have had time to form hand seals... Besides, I didn't see him make any hand seal gestures."

Minato Namikaze's mind was racing, completely unaware that the solidified, pitch-black hand formed by the Shadow Hanging Technique was groping upwards along his lithe calf.

"The Nara clan's shadow techniques fall under the category of Yin Release techniques, which have relatively low requirements for hand seals, but they are not entirely unnecessary. Could it be... that Nara-kun has already mastered the ability to perform shadow techniques without hand seals?"

A dark hand was about to choke Minato Namikaze by the neck.

But with just a thought, his figure vanished from the spot, escaping the powerful restraints of the Shadow Hanging Technique.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

Nara Ranka clearly felt that the [Shadow Hanging Technique] had lost its target effect.

His gaze suddenly blurred as a figure appeared out of thin air.

"Was that a spell that Nara-kun prepared in advance?"

Minato Namikaze stood beside the kunai that had just landed, his calm expression tinged with curiosity and a sense of exploration.

"A very fast activation speed."

"Jonin Namikaze can speculate freely, but now... watch this move!"

The shadow beneath Nara Rinkazu's feet flowed like waves, tightly surrounding him. This was a defensive strategy that had to be adopted to counter Minato Namikaze's close-range tactics.

"The technique of sending all the shuriken flying outwards!"

Using a strange and unusual name, Nara Rinkei took out a large stack of shuriken from his ninja tool bag and threw them all out indiscriminately.

The scattered shuriken looked like a shower of flowers, drifting freely in mid-air.

Hidden behind this deceptive "Shuriken Flying Outwards Technique" is a special kunai with an explosive tag attached, which Nara Rinkei pulls out from his ninja tool pouch at his lower back using the "Shadow Gathering Technique".

"Nara-kun, there's a lot of room for improvement in the name of this ninjutsu!"

Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up at first, then his vision blurred again.

"Well, and also, it lacks a bit of accuracy."

The scattered shuriken blocked the kunai's attack route.

When Minato Namikaze noticed the special kunai with the explosive tag attached, it was already close in front of him, its cold light magnifying in his azure pupils.

Although you can use Body Flicker Technique or Flying Thunder God Technique to dodge this ninja tool throwing attack.

However, the awareness of conserving chakra was already ingrained in the ninja genes of Little Sun.

With a mere nimble sidestep, Minato Namikaze dodged the direct attack of the explosive tag kunai with minimal energy expenditure.

However, this was not a normal explosive tag kunai.

The explosive tag stuck to the end of the kunai is a fake that will not explode.

The intense presence of the detonating tag was merely to conceal the thin, almost transparent thread attached to the back!

Just as Minato Namikaze chose to sidestep the fake explosive tag kunai attack.

The square shadow of the fake explosive tag briefly overlapped with his own side profile, and connected to Nara Rinka's feet via the transparent thread.

Shadow Binding Technique, successful!

At that very moment, the slender shadow tentacles pulled out a smoke bomb from the ninja tool pouch and hurled it forward.

Compared to the more clearly felt Shadow Hanging Technique, the Shadow Binding Technique doesn't provide as strong a sense of physical oppression.

However, Minato Namikaze, whose perception was already exceptional, immediately realized that he had been controlled by the Shadow Binding Technique again.

Bang!

The smoke grenade exploded with a bang, and billowing black smoke instantly filled the entire battlefield, completely obscuring the vision of both sides.

"Ahem! First, we used ninja tools to create the effect of shadow contact."

Minato Namikaze remained calm under pressure.

"Then you'll use smoke bombs to create a visual obstruction... so Nara-kun, your next attack shouldn't be a shadow technique, right?"

Rustling sound!

As soon as Minato Namikaze finished speaking, a series of dense, close-knit sounds suddenly came from the grove of trees surrounding the third training ground.

With a series of "whooshing" sounds piercing the air.

Sharp wooden spears flew out from the forest, firing in a sweeping pattern at the area shrouded in black smoke—one of the traps that Nara Rangatsu had set up in advance.

Amidst the smoke, Minato Namikaze listened intently, his figure vanishing once more as he dodged the attack.

Tap! Tap! —

The sharp wooden spear pierced the ground, creating a series of dull, resounding thuds.

Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the area covered by the smoke bomb and enter the surrounding forest, concealing his whereabouts.

The mark of the Flying Thunder God Technique will never disappear.

Leaving his mark wherever he goes is a good habit of Minato Namikaze.

Many places in Konoha were "scouted in advance" by Minato Namikaze, including the Third Training Grounds.

"I didn't take this challenge too seriously. I planned to finish the battle quickly and then go on a date with Kushina..."

Minato Namikaze hid in the branches and shade of a large tree, secretly observing the situation on the third training ground.

"But now it seems I greatly underestimated the strength of this young-looking child from the Nara family..."

Minato Namikaze looked up at the sky.

At 10 a.m., the sun was hanging in the southeastern sky.

The next moment, a hand emerged from the shade of the tree and fell into the sunlight, its dark shadow landing on the lush green leaves.

To avoid direct contact with the shadow, the correct route of attack is...

Minato Namikaze was constantly refining his next offensive plan.

"From Nara-kun's side!"

On the training field.

"Yongdai-mei, you've already used the Flying Thunder God Technique twice!"

Nara Rinkazu stood silently, awaiting Minato Namikaze's next attack.

"Next time, how will you fight? Plan One? Plan Two? Or... an unexpected plan?"

Before the battle, Nara Rinkei comprehensively considered the information about Minato Namikaze's abilities, conducted multiple battle simulations, and developed specific countermeasures for each scenario.

Now it all depends on what Yongdai-sister chooses...

Just then, Minato Namikaze emerged directly from the forest and darted forward at incredible speed, approaching Nara from the right.

It seems...

Nara Rinkazu's reflexes had only just been upgraded to D- level, so he only had time to roll his eyes and use the corner of his eye to catch Minato Namikaze's figure.

"It's according to the first sub-plan of the second plan!"

Minato Namikaze landed almost immediately.

A flashbang, which had been placed underground behind him, was pulled up from the ground and detonated directly by Nara Rangsuke's [Shadow Gathering Technique].

hum-

A burst of intense light erupted instantly.

Even though it was under the sun.

However, the intense light from the flashbang briefly changed the direction of Minato Namikaze's shadow.

The two shadows, which were originally parallel, overlapped at this moment.

Nara Rinkachi decisively seized this fleeting opportunity to fight and immediately activated the Shadow Binding Technique, once again restricting Minato Namikaze's movement.

The next moment, the explosive tag, which had been buried underground along with the flashbang, was detonated by Nara Rangsuke.

boom!!

The violent explosion, accompanied by scattered dust, spread in all directions.

Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique for the third time to dodge and returned to the spot where he had just hidden, but his clothes were still inevitably covered in some dust.

"Flashbangs and explosive tags prepared in advance... even this attack was within your expectations?"

Minato Namikaze's sunny and handsome face hardened with a serious expression; he became completely focused at that moment.

"From the very beginning of the battle, every step I took fell into your trap... Is this the mind of the Nara clan?"

In the recent rounds of combat, from a tactical perspective, Minato Namikaze was almost completely overwhelmed by Rangsei Nara.

Minato Namikaze put aside his last trace of contempt and regarded Nara Rangsuke as an opponent of equal caliber.

What offensive strategy should I adopt now?

Minato Namikaze narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Should we adopt the conventional methods used against the Nara clan? Or...do the opposite?"

Chakra gathered in the soles of his feet, and Minato Namikaze skillfully used the Body Flicker Technique to approach Nara Rinka from the side once again, landing in the same spot as before.

"The flashbangs and explosive tags we planted here have been used up! So—"

hum-

The flashbang that erupted from Nara Rinkazu's side informed Namikaze Minato.

The former did not place two flashbangs in the same location.

However, the opponent placed a flashbang on each of their left and right sides, symmetrically positioned around themselves!

Under these circumstances, Minato Namikaze had no choice but to use his fourth Flying Thunder God Technique and return to that familiar shady spot once again.

But this time, it was right there in the shadow of those trees.

A slender, paper-thin figure gradually emerged and used the [Shadow Technique] to firmly control Minato Namikaze, who had just landed and was standing very close.

[Shadow Technique]!

Nara Rinkazu's Shadow Clone appeared behind Namikaze Minato.

"Got you again, Jonin Namikaze."

(End of this chapter)