Chapter 12 Kadoya Vs Minato

Loud, booming laughter erupted from the small medical tent where Tsunade was stationed. Students nearby flinched at the unexpected outburst, exchanging curious glances.

Inside, Orochimaru stood with his usual cold expression, watching as Tsunade clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. Before her, Jiraiya lay sprawled on a cot, unconscious.

"So let me get this straight—" Tsunade wiped a tear from her eye. "He got knocked out by a student?"

Orochimaru crossed his arms. "That wasn't a student-level jutsu."

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow, but Orochimaru remained serious. His mind replayed the scene—Kadoya's execution of the Rasengan, the sheer force behind it. He glanced at Jiraiya's torn jonin vest, holding it up for Tsunade to see. The damage was clear.

"That boy is a true genius," Orochimaru murmured. "To create a jutsu capable of this at his age… He's on a completely different level."

Tsunade's laughter died down as she studied the vest, her expression thoughtful.

"So it was that kid, huh?" she mused. A memory surfaced—her grandmother, Lady Mito, once mentioning a promising Uchiha brat.

A smirk tugged at Tsunade's lips. "Maybe I should take him as a disciple."

Orochimaru stiffened.

"…Tsunade," he said slowly, his tone unreadable. "I'd advise against that. I've already decided to take him as my personal disciple."

Tsunade shot him an amused glance. "Oh? I never expected you to be interested in training an Uchiha."

She leaned forward, chin resting on her hand. "Fine. I'll back off—for a price. Two million ryo, and he's all yours."

Orochimaru's expression remained neutral, but internally, he was done with this woman.

"…Tsunade," he said flatly, "can you at least repay the mission rewards you owe me first?"

Tsunade visibly flinched. The memory of her… misplaced gambling funds resurfaced.

"Ahem!" She coughed into her fist, turning away. "Let's not focus on unnecessary details. I'll pay you back later."

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "Just heal that idiot so he can get back to running this event."

Arguing with Tsunade was pointless. He knew her well enough—once she made up her mind (or lost money), there was no reasoning with her. Besides, this was temporary. The winner of the event would return to the Academy once a week passed, and when he eventually graduated, Orochimaru could officially take him as a disciple.

Minutes later, Orochimaru and a very awake Jiraiya returned to the stage.

Jiraiya looked pissed. His usual carefree attitude was gone, replaced by a mix of embarrassment and burning frustration. As he stepped forward, his sharp gaze locked onto the Uchiha boy chatting casually with a Hyūga girl and a commoner boy.

Jiraiya's eye twitched. His fists clenched.

I swear I'm gonna—

Before he could take a step, Orochimaru firmly grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't do anything reckless," Orochimaru warned, his voice low. "It was an accident."

Jiraiya let out a loud snort but didn't argue. After all, as much as he hated to admit it, if a jonin like him suddenly went after a six-year-old because that six-year-old knocked him out…

Well. The villagers would never let him live it down.

Still.

Jiraiya crossed his arms, watching Kadoya closely.

Fine. He wouldn't attack the kid.

But he sure as hell would take him as a disciple—if only to personally teach him a lesson.

Congratulations! Hidden Quest Complete: "The Student of the Three Sanin: Act 1"

Reward: + Skill: [Free Spirit] + Skill: [Photographic Memory] + Skill: [Golden Rule]

"Heh!?" Kadoya was confused, not knowing how this hidden quest was suddenly complete, besides knocking out Jiraiya, how the hell did he manage to become a student of the three Sanin?

But he decided not to pay too much attention to this matter, and focus on the skills he obtained from the system.

[Free Spirit], like the name suggests, makes him independent, open-minded, and unconstrained by societal norms or expectations which reminded him of Jiraiya later on in the story.

[Photographic Memory], which gave him a photographic memory that could let him remember things with practised ease and without struggle, reflecting Orochimaru's dream of mastering all ninjutsu.

[Golden Rule], let him be fated to a life that is filled with riches. This is Gilgamesh's skill, which was somewhat ironic, seeing how Tsunade always lost in her bet. Is the skill telling him to rob Tsunade of all her belongings and wealth?

The other matches progressed swiftly until finally, the last match of the second-year bracket arrived.

Kadoya and Minato stepped onto the arena, facing each other under the watchful eyes of their peers.

Minato stood confidently on the platform, his bright smile unwavering. Yet, as he opened his mouth to speak—

"...Ahaha."

He blinked. Kadoya had already taken control of the conversation.

"Minato, take my advice," Kadoya said, his tone casual yet firm. "Right now, you're not my match in terms of strength. If you want to avoid unnecessary injuries and save your energy for your next opponent, it'd be smarter to surrender early."

Minato didn't waver. His blue eyes gleamed with determination.

"Thanks for the concern," he said, still smiling. "But I want to fight you." He tilted his head slightly. "Besides, there's always a chance you could lose, right?"

Kadoya smirked, his black eyes glinting with excitement.

"Nah, I'd win." He said, cracking his knuckles. 

The battle began with both combatants charging at each other, exchanging a rapid flurry of punches and kicks. Their movements were fast, fluid—each testing the other's reactions.

Minato hesitated for a moment, eyeing his pouch. He knew Kadoya had a habit of—let's say—recycling ninja tools mid-battle. If he pulled out his shuriken and kunai now, there was a high chance Kadoya would "acquire" them for himself.

'I really need to make custom-marked kunai,' Minato thought grimly. 'At least that way, he'd have to think twice before pick-pocketing me during a fight.'

"Water Style: Bubble Stream Jutsu!"

Kadoya weaved through multiple hand seals before releasing a torrent of bubbles toward Minato, each shimmering ominously in the air.

Minato's response was immediate.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

Slamming his palms to the ground, he unleashed a powerful gust of wind that dispersed the incoming bubbles, sending them harmlessly away.

Kadoya smirked, recognizing the jutsu. He had been the one to teach Minato after discovering his chakra affinities were Fire, Wind, and Lightning.

Before Minato could capitalize on his opening, he formed another set of seals.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

A massive ball of fire roared toward Kadoya, its heat distorting the air.

Without missing a beat, Kadoya countered.

"Water Style: Water Bullet!"

He expelled a high-pressure blast of water from his throat, colliding with the incoming fireball. The two opposing jutsu met in a violent explosion of steam, quickly blanketing the battlefield in a thick mist.

Within the thick mist, the sharp clang of metal rang out as Kadoya and Minato clashed again—Minato wielding a kunai, Kadoya gripping his Zanpakutō.

Minato barely managed to lean back in time, the blade slicing just past his face. A few strands of his blond hair drifted to the ground, and a thin red cut appeared on his cheek.

"Damn it, Kadoya, were you actually trying to kill me!?" Minato complained, though he showed no signs of backing down.

It had been a while since they last fought seriously, and Minato knew the truth—right now, he couldn't beat Kadoya. With only the Academy's three basic jutsu and a handful of C-Rank techniques that Kadoya taught him, his chances were slim. Meanwhile, Kadoya had unlocked Sealing Jutsu, developed a knack for creating his own techniques, and was a borderline menace with how fast he picked things up.

Still, that didn't mean Minato would just give up.

Rolling back, his hands blurred through a series of hand seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The signature Uchiha technique—a massive fireball—roared toward Kadoya, illuminating the mist with its intense flames.

Kadoya smirked.

"Water Style: Bubble Capture Seal!"

A massive Hamon-infused bubble, covered in intricate black sealing formations, materialized before him. As the fireball crashed into it, the bubble absorbed the flames, trapping them inside like a fiery ornament before floating harmlessly into the air.

The watching students stared in disbelief.

"Did… did he just seal a fireball inside a bubble!?"

One of them muttered, "That's cheating! Is he even an Uchiha? First, he teaches our clan ninjutsu to outsiders, now he is using water style jutsu against our own clan jutsu."

Minato groaned. "I hate that stupid bubble jutsu…"

The students watching from below were awestruck. The exchange of elemental jutsu, the seamless counters—it was nothing short of spectacular.

Some of the sharper observers started whispering among themselves.

"Hey… isn't Minato using a lot of Uchiha-style jutsu?"

"Yeah, but look at Kadoya—he's spamming Water Style like he's a Senju."

A few chuckled.

"Maybe we've got this all wrong. Minato's secretly a Uchiha, and Kadoya's secretly a Senju."

And just like that, the joke of Minato Uchiha and Kadoya Senju began spreading among the nosy students.

Exhaling sharply, Minato gathered the last of his chakra. His mind flashed back to the times when Kadoya had guided him through the intricate steps of creating the Rasengan—a powerful A-Rank ninjutsu they had both worked tirelessly to perfect.

Kadoya had done so much for him—training together, sharing techniques that most civilians their age could only dream of learning. Minato wasn't just grateful; he was determined. He wouldn't let Kadoya's efforts go to waste.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A single clone materialized beside him. Without hesitation, Minato thrust his right palm forward, his clone assisting in molding and compressing chakra into a rapidly spinning sphere.

The moment the Rasengan stabilized, Jiraiya instinctively stepped back, memories of his own unfortunate encounter with the jutsu flashing in his mind.

Kadoya's eyes widened slightly in surprise before his expression shifted into a proud smirk. Minato had done it—he had mastered the Rasengan to the point of even surpassing him in its refinement. Although this level is still far from the future hand-seals-less version of the Rasengan, this was an improvement.

But that didn't mean Kadoya was out of options.

With practiced ease, Kadoya formed a rapid sequence of hand seals. Then, gripping his left wrist with his right hand, he channeled an immense surge of lightning chakra into his palm. Sparks crackled violently, the piercing sound of a thousand birds chirping echoing through the arena.

Gasps rippled through the spectators.

Two six-year-olds. Both wielding A-Rank self-made jutsu.

Minato and Kadoya locked eyes, sharing a grin filled with unspoken words. They both knew—this moment, this battle, was just a glimpse of the future.

Then, without hesitation, they charged.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

The two jutsu clashed, triggering a violent explosion that shattered the battlefield. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring everything.

As the dust settled, Minato lay on his back, his right arm aching, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. Yet, despite the pain, a contented smile stretched across his face as he stared up at the vast blue sky.

A few feet away, Kadoya remained standing, his left hand trembling from the recoil of the clash. He, too, was smiling.

Minato had lost the match.

But he wasn't disappointed.

Because today, he had proven himself.

He had shown Kadoya that his faith in him had not been misplaced. That every effort, every lesson, every moment spent training together—had meant something.

And one day, he would stand as Kadoya's equal.

Stylish Ranking: Sick Skills!!

Reward: + 1500 Ninja Points + 1500 Evil Points

Congratulations! Hidden Quest Complete: "Shadow Hokage: Act 2"

Reward: + 2 System Points + Skill: [You're The Light and I'm The Shadow]

[You're The Light and I'm The Shadow] - As the shadow of the future Fourth Hokage, the user and the future Fourth Hokage now have a form of sixth sense, connecting the two together. The user can select one person as the future Fourth Hokage to create this link, this skill will lose its effect if the targeted individual fails to become the future Fourth Hokage.

Kadoya smiled as he examined his newly acquired skill—his reward for completing the chain quest. With this, his bond with Minato had deepened, and their strength had taken yet another step forward.

Of course, there was a catch. If Minato failed to become the Fourth Hokage, this skill would become useless.

But Kadoya had faith.

As long as Minato ascended to the Hokage's seat, he would stand beside him—not as his rival, but as his shadow.

Like Danzo to Hiruzen.

Like Jiraiya to Tsunade.

Like Sasuke to Naruto.

He would be Konoha's unseen guardian, the Fourth Shadow Hokage.

Reaching out a hand toward his friend, Kadoya grinned.

"Come on. The future Hokage shouldn't be lying around like a salted fish."

Minato chuckled before grasping Kadoya's hand. With a firm pull, Kadoya helped him back to his feet.

Their journey was far from over.

It was only just beginning.