The three arrived at the Root training base. Minato and Mikoto stood facing each other. Orochimaru, standing nearby, spoke with a raspy voice, offering a faint reminder: "Mikoto, Minato's strength is immense. Give it your all, and never entertain any thought of underestimating him."
"Yes, Teacher!" Mikoto replied softly, forming the necessary Hand Seals. Her gaze, hidden behind the mask, was focused: "Please guide me."
"Please guide me as well." Minato's voice was clear and calm.
The moment his words fell, a pair of scarlet Sharingan quietly appeared in Mikoto's eyes. Upon meeting Minato's gaze, she instantly unleashed a Genjutsu! However, almost simultaneously, Minato's internal Chakra rippled slightly, and the Genjutsu vanished without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea.
Such fast reaction speed! He managed to detect and break it instantly? Mikoto inwardly tensed. There was no time for surprise; she flipped her wrist, several Shuriken already clamped between her fingers, and threw them out in a series of intricate arcs. The few Shuriken collided in mid-air, then shot towards Minato at an even faster speed from all directions.
"Uchiha Style Shuriken Jutsu, truly beautiful!" Minato praised, slightly sidestepping a few Shuriken. Then he reached out his right hand, inserting his index finger into the center of the last spinning Shuriken. Simultaneously, he formed Hand Seals with his left hand and casually flicked it, sending the spinning Shuriken back.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!" Swish-swish-swish—
In the blink of an eye, countless Shuriken shot towards Mikoto like a torrential downpour!
One-handed Hand Seals?! Mikoto's expression changed. Despite her internal shock, it didn't stop her from reacting; she swiftly formed Hand Seals with both hands: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Boom! Intense heat erupted, and a massive fireball spanning over ten meters in diameter completely swallowed the incoming Shuriken, continuing its momentum toward Minato. Watching the giant fireball rush towards him, Minato clapped his hands gently, and a thick Earth Wall immediately rose from the ground, easily blocking it.
Genjutsu initiated first, followed by Shuriken Jutsu, which was executed very well. The Ninjutsu application was proficient, and the speed of forming Hand Seals was also quick. Her response to the enemy's movements was timely; even among Chunin, this level would be considered good. Minato silently evaluated internally.
Next up is... Taijutsu!
The next instant, Minato burst out from behind the Earth Wall, appearing in front of Mikoto in a flash. Mikoto seemed prepared for this, drawing a Kunai and meeting Minato's advance. Dodging a straight thrust from the Kunai, Minato raised his hand and punched Mikoto's right ribcage.
A flicker of pain crossed Mikoto's eyes, but her movements didn't falter in the slightest. Her fingers moved subtly, changing the Kunai from a standard grip to a reverse grip, stabbing towards Minato's neck. Minato raised his right hand to block, then kicked her backward, sending her flying. Mikoto cried out in pain, tumbling awkwardly across the ground twice before quickly scrambling back up, her brow furrowed beneath the mask.
Such fast movements... The Sharingan couldn't keep up!
Minato secretly nodded. Her Taijutsu was decent; she could at least barely keep pace with his intentionally weakened speed. If it had been Nawaki, he would have been on the ground after the first punch. Judging from the exchange so far, her Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu development were well-balanced.
"Do you have any other techniques?" Minato asked gently.
Mikoto clutched her right side, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air as she struggled to stand up. Staring at the boy who was half a head shorter than her yet could so easily crush her, her feelings were incredibly complex. Early this morning, the Clan Chief had appeared at her doorstep with Orochimaru. The man spoke solemnly, telling her that in order to ease the long-standing friction between the Village and the Family, the Clan needed a sufficiently outstanding junior to take on the responsibility of bridging the gap between them.
And now, Orochimaru-senpai, the leader of Root, had chosen her from the younger generation of the Uchiha and expressed his willingness to take her as a Disciple. Safeguarding the relationship between the Clan and the Village was a noble enough reason. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, she held deep affection for her Family and was willing to undertake this responsibility. Not to mention that Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's Disciple and the leader of Root; becoming his Disciple was a tremendously precious opportunity in itself.
So, she agreed almost without hesitation, followed them to the Root Base, changed into the standard armor and short sword of the Anbu, and decided on her mask and codename: Cat! However, before she could even begin her first mission, she met Minato. This individual, whose strength drastically contradicted his appearance, had nearly rendered her incapable of fighting in just two moves.
This left her feeling quite dejected. She had only just become Orochimaru's Disciple, yet she was so easily defeated by a child four years younger than her in just a few exchanges. Although she could tell from her Teacher's reaction that his strength was far superior to hers. Still, such a swift and humiliating defeat made her worry that she might disappoint her Teacher, leading to her being expelled from the discipleship or kicked out of Root. Being kicked out less than half a morning after joining would truly be too embarrassing.
"That's enough, let's stop here." Orochimaru clapped his hands lightly and walked forward, interrupting her spiraling thoughts.
"I'm sorry, Teacher, I disappointed you." Mikoto lowered her head, not daring to look at Orochimaru.
"Quite the opposite, your performance was excellent. Your Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu abilities are balanced, with no obvious weaknesses, and your defensive measures against my attacks are flawless." Sensing her anxiety, Orochimaru smiled and gently reassured her. "You will understand later that losing to Minato-kun is nothing to be ashamed of. If it were me, I would only struggle a bit longer. Look on the bright side; at least you had a chance to fight back."
Hearing this, Mikoto's pupils constricted, and she looked at Minato in shock. She had already overestimated Minato's strength as much as possible, but she never imagined he was this powerful! It makes sense that he has the privilege to enter and leave the Root Base at will...
Orochimaru looked at Minato: "Then, Minato-kun, I am entrusting Mikoto to you for this period. Have her serve as your guard."
"I still need a guard?" Minato hesitated: "Wouldn't that be inconvenient? I could send a Clone to the base to provide guidance."
"War is approaching, and there might be people attempting to assassinate you because of your Wood Release Bloodline Limit during this time. Minato-kun is very strong, yes, but we cannot guarantee the enemy won't target Nawaki and Kushina." Orochimaru explained, "Furthermore, Mikoto was only recently promoted to Chunin, and her strength does not yet meet Root's requirements. Keeping her at the base might lead other members to feel I am being unfair. But following Minato-kun, helping look after a burden is certainly manageable. You can also assign her tasks, like surveillance or running errands and delivering messages."
"Is that so? Fine then... Alright." Minato nodded. He planned to follow Orochimaru's suggestion and start intensive training for Nawaki, letting him experience the threat of death up close so he could understand what it means to survive. Teaching one person is the same as teaching two. It's just that for some reason, he felt Orochimaru seemed intent on sending Mikoto his way. But he didn't voice this thought; otherwise, it would sound like he was being overly narcissistic...
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