"As for the Flying Thunder God technique, Teacher Minato still has the upper hand," Kakashi was dazzled by Minato's full-force Flying Thunder God flash.
No wonder Minato could so effortlessly kill a Jonin; Kakashi felt that if he didn't open the Transparent World, he might also be killed in an instant by Namikaze Minato.
But as the light faded and the dust settled, only Mokgetsu's figure remained, along with the huge pit beneath him.
Observers finally noticed that Namikaze Minato had already used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to return to the position previously attacked by the Vacuum Orb. At this moment, Namikaze Minato looked quite battered; his right hand, which had just used the Rasengan, was uncontrollably trembling, and parts of his clothing had been damaged by the explosion.
When people carefully looked at Mokgetsu standing in place, they found that Mokgetsu's clothes were merely stained with some dust and mud, with no signs of injury on his body.
Clearly, Mokgetsu won the earlier confrontation.
"It looks like Minato can only come in second; Mokgetsu managed to block that," Kushina thought to herself, secretly acknowledging Minato's defeat.
In truth, Kushina didn't mind who won or lost. After all, Namikaze Minato was her boyfriend, and Mokgetsu was her good friend. She would be happy regardless of who won.
Kushina was mainly curious about the outcome of the battle, wondering who truly had the stronger overall abilities to be Konoha's strongest of the new generation.
"In that case, Mokgetsu is undoubtedly the strongest of the new generation. I should prepare a lavish dinner to celebrate," Kushina couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva at the thought.
Although it felt a bit unfair to Minato, Kushina thought it might actually be a good thing if Minato lost.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Kushina with a heavy heart, considering a celebration for Mokgetsu before Minato had even lost.
"But how lavish is this dinner going to be?" Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled the delicious meal from that night.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that as someone who had taught Mokgetsu Ninjutsu, he played a part in Mokgetsu becoming the strongest of the new generation and couldn't miss out on the celebration dinner.
Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly suppressed his thoughts and continued watching the battle, realizing that Kushina had influenced him. Minato hadn't lost yet; the final result was still unknown.
"Just because there's a high chance of losing doesn't mean an absolute loss."
"It's a good thing I didn't approach Mokgetsu to discuss Ninjutsu progress, or else it would have been a bit unfair to him," Namikaze Minato thought as he took a deep breath.
In the recent Chakra Ball clash, Mokgetsu's Chakra Ball was noticeably more powerful than his own, suggesting that Mokgetsu's development progress was ahead of his.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The injured Minato didn't call for a halt to the battle. Instead, he threw out several Shurikens to continue using Ninjutsu, believing he hadn't lost yet and still had a chance to win.
With the power of Chakra, the few Shurikens that Minato threw multiplied into many, splitting into twelve, transforming into a swarm of black Shurikens shooting towards Mokgetsu, like a barrage of arrows.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Mokgetsu also threw out Shurikens to execute Ninjutsu. The rain of Shuriken collided with each other, creating a strange, beautiful scene with sparks of metal clashing in the air.
Namikaze Minato didn't expect this Ninjutsu to cause Mokgetsu much trouble; his hope of victory lay in the Flying Thunder God Kunai concealed by the Phoenix Fire.
With such dense attacks, Mokgetsu shouldn't have seen that he'd left a Flying Thunder God Kunai behind.
Namikaze Minato distracted Mokgetsu by throwing additional Flying Thunder God Kunai to mislead him, while he rapidly rushed towards the Flying Thunder God Kunai hidden in the Phoenix Fire.
At the same time, Mokgetsu pursued Namikaze Minato, his eyes rapidly darting around as if trying to remember all the landing points of Minato's Flying Thunder God.
Perhaps due to his injuries, the distance between Namikaze Minato and Mokgetsu gradually closed.
Namikaze Minato leaped over the scorched ground blasted by Phoenix Fire, while Mokgetsu continued to chase him at full speed, perfectly passing by the charred land.
"Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three!"
Namikaze Minato suddenly pulled out a Flash Bullet and a Flying Thunder God Kunai from his Ninja Pouch. He detonated the Flash Bullet and then threw the Flying Thunder God Kunai towards an irrelevant side, making Mokgetsu think he would use the Flying Thunder God to shift to the side.
Boom!
The Flash Bullet exploded, emitting blinding yellow lightning, turning Mokgetsu's vision into a yellow world.
When the sound of the Kunai slicing through the air occurred, Namikaze Minato silently appeared behind Mokgetsu using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, raising once again a brilliant blue Chakra Ball.
"How did Teacher Minato get there? Isn't the Flying Thunder God Jutsu only possible by moving to objects with a Flying Thunder God seal?" Obito wondered, confused. He remembered that Mokgetsu wasn't standing on any Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Seeing the scene, Obito instinctively wanted to warn Teacher Mokgetsu to be careful, but remembering it was just training, he held back.
"When leaving with the final Flying Thunder God, Teacher Minato managed to sneakily leave a Flying Thunder God Kunai," Kakashi explained.
To learn from their battle, Kakashi had kept the Transparent World open and noticed the various subtle details between the two.
However, Kakashi wasn't sure if Mokgetsu noticed, as those in the fight tend to miss things, unlike the observers, and he didn't know whether Mokgetsu had activated the Transparent World at that moment.
"Sure enough, the Flying Thunder God Kunai left here was a deliberate setup," Sarutobi Hiruzen showed an approving expression.
Given his full view of the battle, Sarutobi Hiruzen had noticed the Flying Thunder God Kunai that was engulfed by the attack from the start, which is why he always believed the battle's outcome wasn't certain.
A ninja battle isn't a simple comparison of stats. Even a ninja with strong Ninjutsu skills may not necessarily win against a weaker opponent. Too many factors can influence the outcome, and one's combat strategy and intelligence play a big role among them.
Yet, just as everyone was still astonished by Namikaze Minato's strategy to reverse the situation with the Flying Thunder God Kunai, another reversal happened.
The moment Minato appeared, Mokgetsu stabbed backward with the Kunai in his hand. Before Minato's Chakra Ball could reach Mokgetsu, the blade of Mokgetsu's Kunai was already pressing against Namikaze Minato's heart and chest.