Uchiha En's punch was lightning fast—far beyond what any academy student should be capable of. Even Kushina could only instinctively stumble back. There was no way she could counter it in time.
No matter how you looked at it, she had just enrolled recently. She couldn't possibly compare to someone like Uchiha En, who had been trained by elite clan members since childhood.
Bang!
But just as En's punch was about to slam into Kushina's face, a pale, slender hand—faster even than En's strike—caught his fist midair, halting it cold.
The classroom fell silent except for the crisp snap of impact echoing through the air.
Minato's gaze turned glacial. Rising from his seat, the usual gentle demeanor vanished from his face. His eyes locked onto Uchiha En with a piercing chill that made even the arrogant boy's heart skip a beat.
"Heh… So it works. You're angry now, huh?" En sneered, grinning with satisfaction.
"This is between you and me. You had no right to drag someone else into it." Minato's voice was like ice.
En just shrugged, completely unfazed. "Then fight me. Or are you going to keep hiding behind a girl?"
Off to the side, Mikoto's usually calm face twisted in fury. "Uchiha En, you're despicable!"
Smart as she was, she instantly understood what was happening—En was using Kushina to provoke Minato into fighting. It was shameless, manipulative, and cruel.
Kushina, now snapping out of her shock, clenched her fists, her face flushed with rage. She charged forward, but Minato calmly raised his other arm to stop her.
His bright blue eyes stayed locked on En. "You shouldn't have used Kushina to get to me."
"As long as it gets you to fight, I don't care how it's done," En replied, the competitive fire in his eyes blazing. Winning was all that mattered.
"Fine," Minato said coldly. "I'll fight you. Anyone who tries to hurt her… I won't let them walk away."
For a moment, a flicker of joy passed through En's black eyes. He yanked his fist back and said, "Then let's take this outside to the training field. There's not enough space in here."
With that, he turned and strode out of the classroom, ignoring the stunned gazes trailing after him.
Minato said nothing. He simply followed.
Kushina and Mikoto both tried to stop him, but Minato's mind was already made up. Nothing was going to change it now.
Back in the classroom, only Akasaka Yu wore a mocking smile, thinking no one would notice. But a second later, Minato glanced back at him with a cold, unreadable look.
Though Minato was furious, his mind was still clear. How had En known about his feelings for Kushina? That wasn't something he'd told anyone.
The answer was obvious.
Akasaka Yu. The same boy who had threatened him not long ago, though Yu clearly knew he couldn't beat Minato himself. So instead, he'd played to En's pride and goaded him into picking this fight—using En's fists to do his own dirty work.
Minato didn't confront him. Not yet. He just gave him a look. But that look alone was enough to make Yu instinctively back against the wall, eyes wide, his nerves unraveling.
Mikoto noticed everything. She frowned slightly but didn't dwell on it. Her mind was too consumed with worry. Quietly, she broke away from the gathering crowd and headed for the teachers' office.
She might not like Uchiha En, but she couldn't deny his strength. According to some elders in the clan, En had already reached—or even surpassed—Genin-level combat ability.
Minato was strong too, but could he really stand up to someone raised and trained by the Uchiha elite?
At the academy training field, Minato and En faced each other, several meters apart. Around them, a crowd had formed—students from all grades, drawn by the promise of a rare spectacle.
After all, one of the fighters was a genius from the Uchiha clan.
The other? Just some no-name kid called Namikaze Minato.
Kushina stood nearby, worry written all over her face. The crowd, the tension—it all made her uneasy. She tried once more to stop him. "Minato… maybe just let it go? Don't blow this out of proportion for me…"
Minato's cold eyes softened as he looked at her. A warm smile spread across his face. "Don't worry, Kushina. I know what I'm doing. This isn't about showing off."
His calm, confident tone stunned her—and left even the watching students whispering among themselves.
Where was this confidence coming from? Was Minato really that strong?
Or was he just putting on a brave face?
"Minato," En said, voice full of disdain. "Today, I'll show you what the gap between talent and mediocrity really looks like!"
With that, he lunged forward. Minato's eyes sharpened, his muscles tensing—
"Stop right there!"
A voice barked from between them, halting both boys in their tracks.
It was their teacher—Shiroda Moto.
"What do you two think you're doing?" he scolded.
But En had clearly prepared for this. Calmly, he replied, "Teacher, this is just a traditional spar between classmates. Nothing more."
The academy did have a tradition of allowing students to spar under supervision. After all, combat experience was crucial for a ninja's growth.
Shiroda's glare shifted to Minato. As long as Minato denied the challenge, he could shut this down immediately.
A spar could only happen if both parties agreed.
But Minato said nothing. He simply stood there, quiet and unmoving.
"Minato… You're the one who always said this village is like a family. What are you doing?" Shiroda asked, trying to reach him.
Minato nodded and smiled faintly. "Exactly. And even family has its fights sometimes, right? Don't worry, Sensei. I know my limits."
Shiroda's pupils contracted. He could see the determination in Minato's eyes. No amount of persuasion would change his mind now.
All he could do was step aside.
Mikoto arrived just in time to see it and could only clench her fists in frustration.
En sneered. "So much for 'family.' What a naive little fantasy."
He leapt back nimbly, putting distance between them. By the time he landed, several sharp, glinting shapes had appeared in his hands.
Shuriken.
Real ones—not the rubber training models.
Under the midday sun, the dark metal gleamed with a dangerous sheen. The crowd gasped in unison.
Everyone knew: the Uchiha clan was famous not just for their Sharingan or their fire-style jutsu—but also for their unmatched shuriken techniques.
Every Uchiha ninja was a master of the blade and star. Their precision and speed were second to none.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
En moved with effortless grace, hurling the weapons with deadly accuracy. The shuriken spun through the air, black blurs whistling toward Minato at impossible angles.
Even Shiroda's expression changed. He knew just how advanced this technique was.
For a seven-year-old… Uchiha En was terrifyingly skilled.