Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield…
Minato stood on a tree branch, his weight causing no tremor. His gaze fell upon the enemy he'd sent flying—a thin man forming hand seals on the ground. Without a headband, it was impossible to determine his village.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!" Invisible blades appeared, rushing towards Minato. He used Swift Step, the tree he'd been standing on instantly bisected. The broken tree fell onto another.
The attack continued. "Wind Release: Gale Cutter Technique!" More invisible blades appeared, cutting down trees. Minato, agile and swift, moved across the fallen trees, evading the blades, remaining unharmed.
"Brat! All you do is run?!" the man roared, frustrated. He'd set traps and even exposed weaknesses, but Minato only evaded them, maintaining distance whenever a close-range attack was imminent. The man was forced to act as a ranged attacker.
He tossed kunai upward, then clapped his hands. "Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Countless kunai flew towards Minato, striking the trees with a flurry of "thuds."
Minato threw several kunai in return. The man used Gale Palm again, sending the kunai flying. Minato landed on a tree.
"With my current abilities, I'm no match for you," Minato said.
The man ignored him, continuing his attacks. Invisible blades flew towards Minato, who moved through them unscathed.
"Damn brat!" the man cursed, charging at Minato with a kunai.
Minato chose to hang upside down from a tree, forming hand seals. "I need to increase my strength. This is my first self-created jutsu! I hope it works!"
Wind surrounded him. The man raised his kunai defensively.
"Clang!" Sparks flew as the kunai clashed. Minato vanished, and the man kicked backward. Minato reappeared, floating in mid-air, their kunai clashing repeatedly until the man was forced to the ground. His eyes darted around, defending against the flurry of kunai, but Minato was nowhere to be seen.
"What the hell is going on?!" the man roared, blocking a kunai. Minato was always above him, just out of reach. And that speed… formidable.
"It's the wind," Minato said quietly. A faint current of air surrounded his body. If the wind generated by an attack was stronger than the wind around him, it would carry him along. This was his creation, a blend of the Four Styles and Wind Release chakra. A taijutsu-ninjutsu hybrid, maximizing evasion but lacking offensive power. He moved like a phantom, attacking relentlessly, forcing the man to defend passively. He couldn't hit Minato, rendering his attacks useless and wasting his chakra and stamina.
He used Swift Step for movement, Paper Arts to manipulate air currents, Iron Body to control his chakra, and the relatively useless Finger Gun. Finger Gun was his only attack, but it was less effective than a kunai. Creating this technique at age ten was extraordinary, relying on Jiraiya's guidance and the chakra control afforded by the Foundation Training.
But this jutsu had a major weakness.
Another kunai was blocked. Minato landed on a tree, gasping for air, the wind currents dissipating. He'd overexerted himself. A normal ten-year-old wouldn't be able to sustain this level of chakra consumption, but Minato had the Foundation Training's chakra reserves.
"Kid, you're out of steam! Wind Cutter!"
Minato remained motionless, seeming completely defenseless.
Then…
"Spirit Ball!" A small blue beam pierced the ninja's head, passing through countless trees before stopping. The invisible blades vanished.
"Jin, you're timely," Minato said, greeting Jin from afar.
"Minato, you surprised me," Jin said, appearing beside Minato. He hadn't expected Minato to create a new jutsu based on the Four Styles. It was crude, but it was a start. He might create even stronger techniques. It was all thanks to the upgraded cheat. Previously, knowledge was directly downloaded; now, it was like a search engine combined with a malfunctioning AI.
"I'm still not as good as you," Minato said sadly, despite being the Academy's top student. He was still a long way from becoming the future Yellow Flash. He was just a boy.
Normally, Jin would offer comforting words, but…
"You've got a long way to go," Jin said smugly. He'd received a little help from the cheat, but it was his technique. It was effectively his talent.
"I wonder how Kushina's doing," Minato said, trying to change the subject.
"Don't worry about her," Jin said. "That idiot thinks she's being subtle."
Minato realized the truth, his face falling. Jin was a prodigy, like the Second Hokage. He couldn't compete, but Kushina… was surprisingly strong. Though she thought she was being discreet, they both knew…
Kushina was the strongest of the three.
"Boom!" A massive energy dome appeared, followed by a powerful gust of wind, forcing Minato and Jin to grab a tree for support.
They stared at each other in disbelief. Kushina's battle had been a chase.
"Don't run!" Kushina shouted, her three chains wrapping around trees, propelling her forward like Spider-Man. Her enemy leaped through the trees, using Fire Release to propel himself forward.
The man looked back, terrified. " A perfect jinchuriki! What is Konoha doing?!" Kushina was enveloped in golden light.
Kushina lunged, a giant golden fox paw emerging. The man jumped, narrowly avoiding it. The paw turned a tree to dust. He had to run. This wasn't a battle for a chunin. He used his Fire Release, increasing his speed. Why not use a clone jutsu to escape? Because Kushina could sense the difference.This Konoha's jinchuriki was from the Uzumaki clan, known for having sensory jutsu.
He had to escape!
"Damn it! Everyone else is gone! This mission is a complete failure," the man gritted his teeth, heading for a weak point in Konoha's barrier.
"You're not getting away!" Kushina's anger intensified. A dark red orb formed in her hands—a Tailed Beast Ball.
"Die!" She threw it, expending her chakra reserves and even borrowing some from Kurama.
(Kurama: Someone help! She's robbing me!)
The orb expanded, creating a massive blast and a powerful gust of wind. A massive crater appeared. Kushina, her face pale, grinned.
"Turns out I'm this strong! Hahaha…" Her laughter gradually faded.
Because, one by one, figures dressed in green vests appeared in front of her. She looked at the elderly man leading them, wearing a straw hat.
"Third Hokage, what a coincidence! Haha."
As expected, Naruto takes after his mother. Like mother, like son.