At the training ground—
Namikaze Minato and Nawaki stood facing each other, both watching the other with caution.
Hyuga Arin stood between them, slowly raising his hand.
"Begin!"
The moment his voice fell—
His body turned into flames and vanished.
Minato moved first, rushing forward with a kunai.
Nawaki met him head-on with his own.
Their kunai clashed rapidly, fists and kicks following in quick succession.
"Impressive talent," Arin commented, sitting on a wooden post as he watched.
In close combat, Nawaki had the edge in technique.
But Minato's reaction speed surpassed him.
For a moment—
They were evenly matched.
Seeing he couldn't overwhelm Minato quickly, Nawaki shouted:
"Super Strength Punch!"
Minato instantly retreated, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Nawaki spun and followed up:
"Heavenly Kick of Pain!"
BOOM!!
Minato immediately used the Substitution Technique, leaving a log behind as it smashed into the ground.
Midair, Minato flipped and rapidly formed hand seals.
Nawaki did the same.
Landing, Minato inhaled deeply and exhaled:
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!"
A powerful gust surged toward Nawaki.
Nawaki slammed his fist into the ground.
"Earth Release: Shaking Earth Fist!!"
BOOM!!
A slab of rock rose up, blocking the wind.
"Heh." Nawaki grinned and suddenly raised his fist.
A spike of earth shot up beneath Minato—
But the moment the ground shifted, Minato flipped backward and avoided it.
Nawaki spread his hands outward, dissolving the stone wall back into the ground.
Two massive stone fists rose beside him.
"This is my trump card."
He punched forward—
The stone fists extended rapidly, smashing toward Minato.
Minato placed his palm against one of them, using its force to propel himself backward while throwing several shuriken.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!!"
The few shuriken multiplied into countless projectiles, raining toward Nawaki.
Nawaki raised both arms—
The stone fists shielded him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every shuriken was blocked.
Landing, Minato began circling quickly.
Nawaki controlled the stone fists, repeatedly striking at him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each attack—
Just a step too slow.
Arin stroked his chin.
"Minato's talent is ridiculous."
He had only become a ninja this year—
Yet he could already fight Nawaki evenly.
That came from both his natural talent and his rapid mastery of advanced techniques.
With his superior reaction speed—
Minato could counter effectively every time.
At that moment—
Nawaki charged forward.
The two stone fists rose high above and smashed down.
Minato had no room to retreat—
So he rushed forward instead.
Nawaki leapt up and punched down.
"Super Strength Punch!!"
Minato took a deep breath and charged straight in with a kunai.
BOOM!!
Minato was sent flying, crashing into the ground.
Nawaki wiped the blood from his cheek—there was a cut across his face.
He walked over, grinning brightly, and extended his hand.
"Didn't expect you to catch up to me. I underestimated you."
Minato smiled just as brightly, grabbing his hand and standing up.
"And thus begins the love story of two young boys," Arin's strange narration echoed.
"DON'T ADD WEIRD NARRATION!!!"
Nawaki and Minato shouted in unison.
Arin dug at his ear.
"Next time, next time. Winner—Nawaki."
He looked up at the setting sun.
So Nawaki hadn't died—
And had even formed a bond with Minato.
The plot of Naruto…
Was completely messed up now.
No idea what the future would look like anymore.
Minato and Nawaki competing for Hokage?
Nawaki's chances seemed… slim.
…
The next morning—
Arin yawned as he walked into Konoha Hospital.
The night before, Minato and Nawaki had dragged him into discussing jutsu.
It went on very late.
Both of them had incredible talent—
And Arin's knowledge surpassed the current ninja world.
Which left him… very sleepy.
As for why he came to the hospital—
He had no missions publicly.
No missions secretly.
And his application to become a medical ninja had just been approved.
He walked straight into the director's office.
"Yo, Tsunade-sama," Arin waved.
Tsunade looked at him in shock.
"You actually applied to become a medical ninja?"
Wasn't this guy supposed to be out killing people everywhere?
When she approved his application—
It felt like letting an executioner become a doctor.
"Orochimaru-sensei is busy experimenting in Root, the Third isn't assigning me missions, and our Root team has nothing to do," Arin shrugged. "So I figured I'd find something to do."
And earn some experience on the side.
Tsunade sighed helplessly.
Who would've thought—
This executioner was actually a highly skilled medical ninja?
"Perfect timing. There's a surgery waiting. You handle it."
She had reviewed his frontline medical records.
Aside from one Hyuga incident that worsened due to complications—
Everything else had been excellent.
Even difficult cases were handled well.
"What position do I get?" Arin asked.
On the surface, he was a jōnin.
In Root, a team leader.
Surely he wasn't just a nobody here.
"Vice Director," Tsunade rolled her eyes.
His medical skills more than qualified him.
"Straight to such a high position?" Arin's eyes lit up. "So when are you stepping down for me?"
Tsunade's eyes suddenly sparkled.
"If you want, right now."
Wait—
He could actually take over.
That meant she could go gamble freely!!
"I was just kidding," Arin laughed awkwardly.
Konoha Hospital was way too busy.
He didn't want to be tied down.
Tsunade looked heartbroken.
She suddenly appeared beside him, hooking an arm around his shoulder.
"Kid, the hospital director is a very important position. I'm offering it to you immediately—you should think carefully."
At that moment—
BANG!
The door slammed open.
"So bright!!"
Both Arin and Tsunade raised their hands to shield their eyes.
Arin squinted—
And saw a shining bald head.
"…Not a lightbulb."
The bald man roared angrily:
"Didn't you say I was the next director?!"
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