I started a cult in Naruto world Chapter 13

Chapter 14: Taijutsu Showdown

"Sarutobi-sensei, did you not dismiss us just to watch these kids fool around?" 

Inside a vacant classroom of the ninja school's teaching building, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, with his three diligent Hokage aides by his side, looked down at the scene on the playground. Orochimaru was somewhat displeased.

"Don't be hasty. The main characters I want you to see haven't appeared yet. I've arranged a match between them. Watch carefully and see if it sparks your interest in taking on apprentices," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, waving his hand dismissively. Orochimaru frowned and said, "I can't. I've already promised Tsunade to take care of her brother. Given our current workload, taking on another apprentice would be a distraction."

Hearing Orochimaru's direct refusal, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't press further. Instead, he glanced at Jiraiya and Tsunade before saying, "I do want to take on an apprentice. After all, I'd make a good teacher. But it depends on who it is. I'm not interested in everyone, hahaha~"

Jiraiya's words brought a smile to Sarutobi Hiruzen's face. He then looked at Tsunade, who raised an eyebrow and said, "Jiraiya said he wants to take on an apprentice. Why don't you just let him have them?"

"Tsunade, the inheritance of the Will of Fire is not the obligation of a single person or a single generation. It's the obligation of every Leaf ninja, and even every villager in the Leaf Village.

Just like how I inherited the Will of Fire from the Nidaime, and passed it down to you all, your Will of Fire should continue to be passed on, to the new generation."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke with seriousness. However, Tsunade shrugged indifferently. At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed the two kids had arrived, so he stopped trying to convince Orochimaru and said, "It's those two kids. Watch closely. They might be the ones to inherit your will."

Seeing how important Sarutobi Hiruzen regarded them, even Orochimaru, who initially stated he wouldn't take on any apprentices, focused a bit more, looking down at the playground.

Jiraiya lounged on the windowsill, watching intently, while Tsunade fiddled with her hair, showing impatience.

On the playground, Tatsuma and Minato, who had entered the designated defense match area, didn't wait for Sarutobi Heppu to give the signal. They immediately formed their respective combat seals, focusing on channeling chakra. 

"As expected of you!" Tatsuma still used his catchphrase as an opening, then continued, "Even after training so hard last night, you managed to consecutively defeat Choza and Hyuga Chidou. But this time, I still want to win."

"It's not that simple, Tatsuma. Don't forget you expended more energy than I did last night."

Minato smiled. He had noticed Tatsuma's fight against Uchiha Tenpu and realized that Tatsuma's approach, which aimed for swift victory, wasn't his usual style. There was a reason for this: Tatsuma's stamina was probably worse than his own. This was Tatsuma's current weakness.

And as long as Minato exploited Tatsuma's severe lack of stamina, dragging the pace of the match, he could win!

After hearing Minato's words, Tatsuma fell silent. Indeed, his stamina was quite poor right now. Although he had better talent realization in various aspects compared to Minato, his talent's upper limit was lower. For example, in terms of physical strength and chakra control, he had felt his recovery rate improving, whereas Minato's talent had a higher upper limit at the moment.

In other words, within the same time frame, Minato could recover more stamina than Tatsuma. As a result, Tatsuma had no real advantage.

Seeing their demeanor, Heppu reminded himself to keep an eye on these two. He couldn't afford any surprises, as the Hokage seemed to be watching.

"Begin!"

Once Heppu announced the start, he quickly stepped aside, kunai in hand, ready to intervene if needed.

*Clang clang clang~*

Tatsuma and Minato, having already completed a round of projectile jutsu, their respective specialties—Tatsuma learned from Minato, and Minato learned from Tatsuma—were already in the air, ready to collide.

To summarize this situation in one sentence: "Students that master the same moves can't break each other's moves!" 

However, this was only limited to projectile jutsu. In other aspects, while their cooperation was solid from practicing together for so long, there was still room for maneuver beyond projectile jutsu.

After their projectile jutsu were thrown, Tatsuma dashed forward quickly, aiming to close the distance and use his superior physical strength to defeat Minato. But Minato had realized this beforehand and quickly retreated.

"Hmm? Quite spirited, these two."

Seeing that they weren't just practicing test strategies like the others, Jiraiya became a bit more interested. His words also caught the attention of Tsunade, who turned her gaze towards the playground.

Minato, who had created space, swiftly pulled out another kunai and aimed it at Tatsuma's advancing movement, launching it directly. Tatsuma didn't stop moving his feet and produced two kunai in his hands, deflecting the incoming kunai.

"We can't drag this out any longer."

Tatsuma pursed his lips, his eyes quickly darting around. He threw the kunai in his left hand, accurately predicting Minato's next move. Minato had to halt and deal with the incoming kunai.

Noticing that Tatsuma was still pursuing, Minato immediately caught the thrown kunai and tightened his grip to counter Tatsuma.

*Clang~*

The kunai collided, a small spark igniting. Minato quickly retracted his right hand, which held the kunai, and thrust it forward again. Tatsuma saw the opportunity and dodged Minato's kunai with a sidestep.

Tatsuma used his left hand to seize Minato's wrist holding the kunai, while his right hand slipped under Minato's arm. His aim was Minato's throat, using the flexible maneuver of Wind Through Leaves.

However, Minato, who had practiced countless times with Tatsuma, knew this move all too well. He also leaned his head and body to the side, narrowly avoiding Tatsuma's kunai that grazed his shoulder, ultimately causing no harm.

At the same time, Minato pulled his right hand back and attempted to create distance again. But Tatsuma wasn't willing to give Minato that chance. He gripped Minato's restrained right hand with both of his, then pressed down abruptly while simultaneously using his knee to strike Minato's face.

"Hiss~ Ruthless!"

Jiraiya, who was watching, suddenly shuddered. Of course, it wasn't that he hadn't seen such tactics before, or even things a hundred times more brutal. But Minato and Tatsuma were merely kids not yet six years old.

Even among the students of the ninja school, such decisiveness was extremely rare. For instance, the previous groups seemed to treat it like a ninja game, lacking the real intent to fight.

Facing the incoming knee strike towards his face, Minato had no choice but to use his left hand to barely block it. It wasn't about maintaining his image; his face was just too vulnerable. Any random hit would have a significant impact on his state of being.

The first attempt at a collision failed, and Tatsuma swiftly switched the pivot foot, raising his other knee, aiming for a consecutive strike. However, Minato wasn't foolish. He lunged forward, grappling Tatsuma in a bear hug, and threw him to the ground.

The sudden imbalance caused Tatsuma to release his grip on Minato's right hand. Minato swiftly pulled back his right hand, unwilling to give Tatsuma another chance. He thrust the kunai downward.

Tatsuma abandoned defense for other areas, gripping Minato's right hand with his left and manipulating his thumb. Meanwhile, his right hand secured Minato's left hand, preventing him from using both hands.

"They're not stopping yet?"

Seeing the kunai just a few centimeters from Minato's eye, Jiraiya furrowed his brows and spoke. However, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, saying, "For these two little rascals, it's just the beginning."