Naruto: Minato Namikaze, born evil

Chapter 71 The Seal of Opposition

"Kato-senpai, you misunderstand. I was not questioning your teaching ability."

Minato shook his head slightly, his tone still calm, yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"However, each ninja's talent and lineage are different. For example, Kato-senpai, are you proficient in the Senju clan's traditional ninjutsu?"

Kato's expression froze for a moment, and Minato paused, his calm gaze meeting the shadow in the other's eyes as he continued.

"Or perhaps the Third Hokage's five elemental ninjutsu? His teacher's medical ninjutsu and monstrous strength? The summoning traditions of the three sacred lands? The Uzumaki clan's seal? Or even guiding him to discover the Wood Release power that might exist within his bloodline?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment after he said that.

Kato Dan's gentle smile froze completely, a flash of offended anger and barely concealed embarrassment crossing his eyes.

The pride of being a Jonin, and the mask of ease he had maintained in interpersonal relationships for so long, seemed to be gently torn open by Minato's words.

Kato Dan is a Jonin, but only a commoner Jonin.

The ninjutsu he can practice is extremely limited, as mentioned before, he has no background.

Without a background, there is no power, and without power, the intelligence he can obtain is very limited.

For example, he didn't know that this blond-haired kid in front of him had single-handedly wiped out the entire Root organization, including Danzo, with swift and decisive action, nor did he know the truly terrifying extent of his strength.

In his preconceived notion, he, an experienced Jonin, was already being considerate of an eight-year-old child by patiently communicating with him, thanks to the child's Wood Release and Tsunade's influence.

Judging from Minato's unyielding attitude, he clearly has no intention of backing down easily.

Moreover, the other side seemed to know that he was unwilling to let Rope Tree leave the team.

Could it be that he figured out my intentions?

Kato's pupils trembled slightly, and in the depths of Minato's azure eyes, there seemed to be a hint of a mocking smile.

Looking at the blond-haired boy in front of him, a surge of suppressed anger suddenly rose in his chest.

That damn brat keeps provoking me!

Relying on talent and background is far too disrespectful to one's seniors!

Taking a deep breath and trying to suppress the surging emotions in his heart, Kato Dan attempted to keep his voice calm, but anyone could hear the stiffness in his voice.

"Minato-kun, it seems that with us each sticking to our own opinions, it will be difficult to reach an agreement."

As he spoke, he glanced at Nawaki, who seemed somewhat lost, before fixing his gaze on Minato's face and making his final decision—since reasoning wouldn't work, they would resolve the issue through the most direct methods of ninja.

"How about this? To avoid unnecessary arguments and to ensure we're both convinced of each other's abilities, how about we have a simple sparring match?"

At this point, Kato Dan's tone became even more composed: "If Minato-kun can demonstrate strength that I acknowledge in this sparring match, then I will fully cooperate with Nawaki's decision to leave the team without any objection."

"in turn……"

Kato's tone turned slightly somber: "If I manage to win by sheer luck, then Minato-kun, please... refrain from interfering with Team 7's normal missions for the time being, okay?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kato Dan breathed a sigh of relief.

He absolutely cannot let go of Nawaki; she is now his only way to get close to Tsunade.

He had given up on his plan to get close to Tsunade through Minato. Minato gave him a very strange feeling; those azure eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, making him feel a little uneasy.

However… that's all for now!

Minato is indeed a genius, but he is only eight years old.

Chakra reserves, combat experience, ninjutsu reserves... which of these can compare to him, a Jonin at the peak of his combat power?

This was entirely based on his common sense judgment!

In this way, he could both teach this arrogant brat a lesson and maintain his authority as the team leader Jonin, and also keep Nawaki in the team.

Although it might seem like bullying the younger generation, Minato interfered with their mission first, so he could explain it as a way to appease the children, which isn't unreasonable.

Moreover, ninjas ultimately have to rely on their strength to prove themselves.

Kato Dan's suggestion surprised everyone present.

Mikoto's beautiful eyes widened slightly, then filled with intense curiosity.

She had just personally experienced only a fraction of Minato's terrifying strength, and now a Jonin was actually proposing a sparring match.

She held her breath, secretly anticipating to see just how powerful this genius, whom even Orochimaru admired, had become.

"what?"

Compared to Mikoto's expectations, Nawaki was completely stunned.

He looked at Kato Dan, who seemed to have everything under control, and then at Minato, whose face remained calm and expressionless, his face full of astonishment.

Nawaki didn't know Kato Dan's exact strength, but he knew all too well how outrageous Minato's strength was!

Tsunade had complained long ago that Minato's strength had surpassed hers, making her feel no sense of accomplishment as a teacher.

Then look at Minato's calm, almost indifferent expression.

Brother Duan, you're practically walking into the line of fire!

Thinking that Kato Dan had been quite considerate to him these past two days, Nawaki opened his mouth, about to speak and stop him, when he saw Minato slowly raise the Seal of Opposition!

"good!"

For ninjas who primarily use assassination, the opposing seal is actually a very formal invitation to battle.

It represents politeness, but also implies that it is beyond question.

You either admit defeat or you accept the challenge; there are only two choices.

Minato stepped forward and said calmly, "Okay, that's fair."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating his golden hair, and his handsome face showed no trace of anger.

But Rope Tree could clearly sense a hint of coldness deep within the other person's overly calm eyes.

Oh no, this guy is definitely angry!

Nawaki swallowed back the words of advice that were on the tip of his tongue, and awkwardly looked at Kato Dan, who was confident of victory, and dryly whispered a reminder: "Then, Dan-nii... you... you should be careful."

His tone was sincere, but his eyes held a complex expression, as if he had already foreseen what was to come.

Kato, with his eyebrows drooping, watched Nawaki's reaction, his mind filled with confusion.

I agree!

He actually agreed!

Is this kid really that confident that an eight-year-old can beat a twenty-five-year-old?

Thinking of this, a surge of anger at being looked down upon welled up in his heart, and he also raised his seal of opposition with a cold face.

Kato Dan said to Nawaki and the other two, "You guys should stand back a bit."

Regardless, Minato is, after all, a legendary genius of Wood Release. If the others stand here, they might get caught in the crossfire.

On the other side, without Minato's prompting, Mikoto had already appeared in the treetops not far away in a flash.

"I won't hold back, Minato-kun."

As Kato spoke, his figure suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Minato in an instant.

He's still just a child...

Looking at Minato's back, which seemed to be still in a daze, Kato Dan sneered inwardly and reached for Minato's neck with his kunai.

That's it, kid!