STIN: Chapter 10/11

Chapter 10: Friends Share?
A few days passed in a flash.

At the Ninja Academy, aside from the last five minutes before class ended, the liveliest time was when the lunch bell rang.

The usual spot at the back of Classroom 3-A, by the window, was Kushina and Ryo's "battlefield."

However, this battlefield was a war for food.

Ryo had just placed his coarse cloth bag on the table, and before he could even untie it, a fiery red little shadow zipped over from beside him.

Kushina's eyes were as bright as light bulbs, fixed on the cloth bag, her small nose sniffing like a puppy.

"Hehe, Ryo!" Kushina's cute round face bloomed into a smile, and she casually tugged at his arm. "What good stuff did you bring today? Is it still that braised pork hock? Or those crispy pork ribs?"

She was drooling so much she could barely hold it in. She had not even glanced at the bento box Grandma Mito packed for her that morning, just waiting to snatch Ryo's.

Ryo did not even bother to lift an eyelid, swatting away her paw. "Go, go, go. Eat your own. If you try to snatch mine again, I will get mad."

As he spoke, he deftly untied the cloth bag and lifted the large bamboo lunchbox lid.

Golden, fragrant, crispy roasted pork ribs were neatly arranged, sizzling with tiny bubbles of oil.

Beside them were thick slices of smoked pork, glistening with oil and exuding a rich, dominant aroma.

There were also a few strips of cured meat that looked incredibly tender.

The insulation was excellent. A waft of rich, hot steam whooshed right into Kushina's face.

Kushina gulped a big mouthful of saliva, her eyes wide, and her stomach protested on cue. "Grrr… Ryo, look. My tummy is protesting. It says it wants those ribs." Her little face crumpled, feigning pitifulness with remarkable skill.

Ryo did not fall for it. He picked up the fattiest rib and brought it to his mouth, biting into it with a satisfying crunch, his words muffled. "Protesting? Let it protest by itself. I calculated this perfectly. It is just enough for me. No share for you."

As he chewed, he pointed to Kushina's lonely bento on her desk. "There. That is yours."

Kushina glanced at her "simple and elegant" little lunchbox, her mouth pouting so much you could hang an oil bottle from it. "Hmph. Grandma Mito packed it for me, so it is definitely light-flavored again. It is not as fragrant as yours."

Suddenly, her eyes darted, revealing a cunning smile. Her small hand shot toward Ryo's lunchbox. "I will just try a tiny piece. Just one tiny piece. We are friends, what is wrong with sharing?"

"Ah. Not a chance." Ryo was quick-eyed and quick-handed, dodging with his lunchbox like a mother hen protecting her chicks, almost getting oil on his clothes.

"Kushina, how many times have I told you? Friends are friends, but if you try to snatch my food again, I will get angry." His face was sour. This little redhead was really pushing it.

Last time, a big pork hock did not just open her appetite, it also unleashed her "bandit" nature.

Kushina missed, but she was not angry. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and declared righteously, "Stingy Ryo. I compensated you with my bento last time, did I not? And you ate it too. Exchange. This is fair exchange."

Her "exchange" was purely forced buying and selling.

Ryo had to pinch his nose to eat her fresh and light bento. As a carnivore, he found it completely unsatisfying.

"Who cares about your grass leaves…" Ryo grumbled, but his movements slowed slightly.

In that instant, Kushina seized the opportunity.

With lightning speed, her small hand swished into the corner of the lunchbox, precisely pinching away the most beautiful slice of smoked meat.

"Got it!" Kushina cheered, the meat slice instantly disappearing into her mouth. A look of immense satisfaction bloomed on her cute little face. "Ooh, ooh, ooh, delicious. Ryo, your cooking is absolutely amazing." She even exaggeratedly smacked her lips.

Ryo looked at the missing slice of prime smoked meat in his lunchbox, feeling his heart bleed.

Kushina did not care, happily licking the oil from her fingers. "Hehe, it is your fault for being my first friend in Konoha. What is wrong with a friend eating a piece of your meat?" This line had practically become her catchphrase and invincible excuse.

Ryo rolled his eyes at her "friend" logic, a knot of frustration tightening in his chest.

But strangely, even though he truly regretted losing his meat and grumbled incessantly, he never actually got angry enough to push her away.

Every night when he cooked, he would inexplicably add more meat to his lunchbox.

Ryo himself pondered, "Damn it. What am I doing this for? Is this not asking for trouble? My cursed hands." He cursed, but the meat slices were added nonetheless.

It seemed watching the little redhead's eyes curve into crescents of joy just from getting a bite of something delicious did not seem so bad.

Ryo felt incredibly conflicted, as if his principles were slowly being gnawed away by a certain red-haired little squirrel.

Ryo sighed, resigned, pushing his lunchbox slightly toward the middle. He gruffly said, "Finish your own portion quickly, and stop staring at mine." His words were fierce, but his actions seemed to tacitly approve of Kushina's bandit behavior.

Kushina was sharp. She immediately caught this tiny softening. She cheered and practically glued herself to him, beginning a new round of foraging.

"I know, I know. Ryo is the best." Her words were sweet, and her hands were just as quick.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 11: Minato’s Speed

Minato stood opposite him, his lips pressed tightly together. His usually gentle and sunny face was now exceptionally serious, and deep within his azure eyes, a defiant glint flickered.

There was also a hint of unutterable reluctance. Kushina was watching not far away, yet she seemed detached, always clinging to Ryo, with eyes only for him. Minato was unwilling to accept this.

He wanted to prove something.

Ryo shook his arm, which had gone somewhat numb from sleep, and did not even bother to look his opponent in the eye. His tone was filled with the annoyance of having his sweet dreams disturbed. "Tsk, hurry up. I can still catch a nap after this."

He had little interest in this match. In his eyes, the little blond boy in front of him was no different from the noisy cicadas in the trees. Even if the little blond boy was the future Yondaime, they were all just sources of noise preventing him from sleeping.

"Both sides, form the Seal of Confrontation." Kimura Shū called out somewhat nervously, afraid he would not be able to control the situation the next second.

After the seals were formed.

"Begin."

Minato moved.

His figure flickered, so fast it left an afterimage in the air, and his hands instantly formed seals.

This was his pride, his speed and sealing technique far exceeding his peers.

With two soft bang sounds, two Minato clones identical to him appeared on his left and right. The three of them, in a triangular formation, lunged fiercely at Ryo.

One of the clones even mimicked a low kick.

The exquisite coordination and precise timing made many students secretly gasp.

So fast. Such skilled Three Body Technique. Few peers could probably block it.

However, "Is that all?"

Ryo almost instantly caught Minato's movements the moment the original started to speed up. His lazy eyes were now filled with pure combat instinct.

He did not even use chakra. His body simply shifted naturally to one side, and his left hand casually reached out and grabbed forward, as if swatting a fly.

Clap.

A crisp sound echoed across the training ground.

Minato, as fast as a gust of wind, had his swift wrist precisely gripped by Ryo like an iron clamp. Minato's charge abruptly stopped, all the illusions instantly dissipated, and his face was filled with incredulous shock.

He struggled with all his might to break free, but the immense force on his wrist remained unmoving, as if cast in iron and stone.

Ryo gave Minato no time to react at all.

He did not use any complex moves. He simply used the momentum of grabbing Minato to pull him forward, while simultaneously arching his knee sharply.

Thud.

A dull, heart-pounding thud echoed.

That seemingly casual knee strike landed squarely on Minato's abdomen.

"Ugh."

Minato's eyes instantly bulged. His entire body arched upward uncontrollably, as if struck by a speeding rhinoceros, and intense pain and a sense of suffocation instantly overwhelmed all his senses.

Saliva mixed with stomach acid spilled from the corners of his mouth.

All his calculations and techniques were instantly shattered in the face of absolute power.

But this was not over yet.

Ryo's hand, gripping Minato's wrist, suddenly slammed him downward.

Plop.

Minato could not even let out a cry of pain. His entire body was slammed heavily onto the hard dirt of the training field, sending dust flying.

The immense impact shook his internal organs as if they were dislocated, and his bones seemed to wail.

Ryo released his hand and looked down at the little blond boy, curled up on the ground and painfully retching. His face still showed impatience. "Still fighting? Just concede and get it over with." In his eyes, this battle was already over, and there was no need to drag it out.

"Ugh…" Minato convulsed with pain, but the stubborn spirit of youth was completely ignited.

Kushina was watching from the side.

No. It absolutely could not end like this.

"I… I have not lost yet." Minato squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, using all his strength, swaying unsteadily, and struggling to get up.

His small, dust-covered body trembled, seeming as if it could fall again at any moment, but his eyes were fixed on Ryo.

"Tsk." Ryo clicked his tongue in annoyance. He did not understand where this kid got his stubbornness, but since his opponent still wanted to fight, he would not hold back.

Minato gritted his teeth and charged again, his speed much slower than before, but every punch and kick used his remaining strength, aiming directly at Ryo's head, chest, and other vital points.

He was desperately searching for even the slightest flaw.

Unfortunately, all of this appeared as slow motion in Ryo's eyes.

Ryo did not even bother to dodge much.

Minato's full-force punches landed on him with only faint thump-thump sounds, like a tickle.

He retaliated with extreme simplicity and directness.

He blocked Minato's punch aimed at his head and slammed a punch back at his opponent's shoulder.

Crack. A clear sound of dislocation rang out, and Minato's left shoulder instantly dislocated.

He dodged a side kick, casually grabbed the incoming ankle, and lightly flipped it.

Thump. Minato awkwardly fell back onto the dirt again.

He struggled to get up and lunged again. Ryo sidestepped, and his elbow followed through with a precise backward strike.

Thud. Minato felt his vision go black, a shattering pain in his back, his breathing completely stopped, and a metallic taste rose in his throat.

A punch. A knee strike. A slam. A dislocation. A flip. An elbow strike.

The battle was completely one-sided, purely unilateral.

The training ground was dead silent.

Every dull impact sound made the students' eyelids twitch.

Watching the usually gentle and cheerful, academically excellent Minato being casually knocked down, slammed, and sent flying by Ryo like a lifeless sandbag, only to stubbornly struggle to get up again and again, then be beaten even more severely, many people turned pale and instinctively covered their eyes.

Finally, after being kicked in the abdomen by Ryo once more, flying a few meters like a broken kite, Minato fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and then completely went silent.

He lay there like a pile of mud, his body covered in dust mixed with sweat, his small face pale and ashen, having completely lost consciousness.

Silence.

The entire field was as silent as death.

Only the rustling of wind through the leaves and the slightly annoyed panting of the red-haired boy in the center of the training ground, who had loosened up his limbs, could be heard.

He glanced down at the unconscious Minato on the ground, his eyes showing no emotion, as if he had merely crushed an annoying insect.

What he was thinking now was that he hoped the remaining classes would be as easy as this warm-up, or even better, that school would simply end so he could go back to sleep.

Kimura Shū snapped back to reality with a start, frantically rushing into the field to check Minato's injuries, sweat beading on his forehead. "Quick. Medical team. Carry him to the infirmary."

Several students timidly stepped forward, carefully lifting the unconscious, badly injured Minato, and hurried away from the training ground.

As they passed Ryo, they did not even dare to breathe loudly.

Ryo did not even look at Minato being carried away. He leisurely stretched, then slowly strolled back to the old oak tree. He adjusted himself into a comfortable position and leaned back, his eyelids heavy as they drooped.

As everyone's complex and reverent gazes focused on him, this red-haired tyrant who had just displayed absolute crushing power so nonchalantly and quickly re-entered his charging mode.

On the training ground, the still-shaken people looked at each other. This short yet brutal battle once again thoroughly confirmed Ryo's fearsome reputation as being at the top of the Ninja Academy food chain, and extinguished the last lingering thoughts of challenge hidden in countless hearts.

Minato's stubbornness and excellence instead became the best backdrop to highlight Ryo's monster name.

The sun was still dazzling, but the temperature of the training ground seemed to have quietly dropped a few degrees.

Top floor of the Hokage Building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen silently put down his pipe. The crystal ball reflected the red-haired boy who had fallen back asleep in the corner of the training ground.

Behind him, his three disciples, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, watched all of this with varying expressions.

(To be continued.)