Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, two streaks of light in contrasting colors seemed to flash across everyone's vision before crashing violently into each other.

This battle—long in the making—had finally erupted at last!

"That guy… his speed is insane!" Satoshi Miyazaki, Rina Takeuchi, and others exclaimed. They hadn't even caught how these two warriors had closed the distance and engaged just now.

They all knew just how fast Minato was—having spent three days with him.

Earlier, when he fought against Genin, he overwhelmed them purely through speed, leaving his opponents no time to react at all.

So when they saw Yu Akasaka possessed a speed rivaling Minato's, they couldn't help but wear expressions of indescribable shock.

Even the Genin watching from the stands were stunned by how fast they moved.

With that level of reaction speed alone, if they were down there fighting, they'd likely be crushed instantly.

Gaining the initiative in battle could mean the difference between victory and defeat!

Even Kiba and Sarutobi Ao, whose earlier fight had shocked the crowd, couldn't help but narrow their eyes slightly at the sight.

The two clashed head-on, locking eyes—each stunned for entirely different reasons.

"You really are a formidable opponent."

Minato said. A year ago, during his fight against Yan Uchiha, he had only managed to win thanks to a speed advantage. Back then, his techniques and fundamentals still lagged behind someone born into the Uchiha clan...

Over the past year of training under his teacher, although Minato hadn't deliberately focused on increasing his speed, his fundamental training had refined his abilities far beyond what they once were.

At this moment, Yan Uchiha was equally unsettled. He had analyzed his previous battle with Minato, so over the past year, his training had concentrated solely on improving his speed.

Yet despite that, his current speed didn't seem to offer any real advantage over Minato.

But even so, he still had the edge in this clash.

Yan Uchiha extended his other hand forward, aiming to grab Minato's wrist and restrain both of his arms first.

However, his intention had already been seen through. Minato also reached out his own hand.

Their movements were lightning-fast. While most spectators were still struggling to follow what was happening, the two had already locked onto each other—arms entwined, each holding firmly onto the other.

Clearly, this was merely the prelude. With their arms interlocked, both launched simultaneous attacks toward the lower body using leg sweeps.

This technique may have seemed simple, yet in this situation, it proved more effective than any Ninjutsu or Taijutsu move.

From the other side of the arena, White Fang watched with keen interest. Much of his strength came from swordsmanship, which heavily incorporated physical martial arts—he was also extremely skilled in speed.

Both fighters on stage displayed levels of movement and velocity far beyond standard Genin capability.

One was Jiraiya's student—a prodigy even recognized by The Third Hokage; the other was a rising star within the famed Uchiha clan.

Their battle, in a sense, symbolized the confrontation between the two existing factions within the Hidden Leaf Village.

Bang! Bang!

In the arena, the two fighters, still locked hand-to-hand, continuously attacked each other's lower bodies. However, after a period of stalemate where neither could effectively disrupt the other's balance, both instantly made the same judgment—simultaneously releasing one hand and launching decisive strikes toward each other's vital points.

Jiraiya once said that a ninja's strength isn't determined by ninjutsu alone; reaction speed was also extremely important.

When someone repeats the same movement multiple times, the brain's ability to make new decisions naturally slows, making it hard to adjust the ongoing action immediately.

Minato Namikaze and Yan Uchiha were both deliberately waiting for such openings.

Yet, apparently, they had reached the same realization at the exact same moment—nearly throwing punches at the same time. Under those circumstances, exchanging blows would have been completely pointless.

At this moment, both fighters suddenly pushed with all their strength using the arms still locked together, shoving each other away.

Shhh!

The sound of their shoes screeching across the ground filled the air as the two separated, now standing nearly ten feet apart.

"Lightning-fast reactions… razor-sharp judgment…"

Sarutobi Ao had previously felt puzzled about why Nawaki would place so much importance on Minato Namikaze, but after watching his fight against Yan Uchiha, he now understood.

Their battle instincts and real-time decision-making simply didn't resemble those of regular Ninja Academy students.

Although the fight appeared to be just basic taijutsu exchanges, even the slightest hesitation would instantly get exploited and crushed.

That kind of opponent was truly terrifying in combat…

As they pulled back, Yan Uchiha had already prepared his next move. Knowing he couldn't gain the upper hand purely through taijutsu, he decided to play to his strengths.

[Uchiha Clan's Unique Shuriken Jutsu!]

Hiss! Hiss!

As soon as he stabilized his stance, the shuriken he'd already prepared flew from his hand. A normal ninja would need to observe their opponent's movements, position, and distance before launching any projectile techniques.

But for Yan Uchiha, this wasn't necessary.

From several meters away, with his wrist strength, the attack would reach Minato's face in less than a second—it should have been too fast for even his reflexes to handle.

However, if Uchiha had prepared his shuriken while retreating, Minato would've already moved to counter.

Yet, without even looking, Minato effortlessly evaded all of them, needing no special countermeasures.

Though these weren't Yan's full-strength throws, Minato's casual evasion caused his pupils to involuntarily constrict.

Even Sarutobi Ao and Nawaki couldn't understand how Minato had dodged them.

If it had been purely about reaction time, that would have been impossibly fast…

"It's not reaction," Sakumo Hatake murmured thoughtfully. "It's habit... Once the body is accustomed to something, it can react automatically, even without input from the brain."

This was known as muscle memory—a natural instinct developed through repeated training, a trait found almost exclusively in taijutsu-specialized ninja.

None of those present knew the intensity or nature of Minato's rigorous training over the past year. Jiraiya would often ambush him without warning, even as he moved at full speed.

Minato had lost count of how many times this had left him in pain—even with a few scars to show for it. But now his body could react autonomously. Just like Yan Uchiha could launch shuriken without looking, Minato could also dodge most attacks instinctively—of course, as long as the attacks were within his ability to handle.

Yet while avoiding Yan Uchiha's assault, Minato wasn't simply dodging passively. His hands flashed through hand seals at an equally astonishing speed.

[Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!]

The roaring flames coiled into a blazing dragon, surging toward Yan Uchiha. The Dragon Fire Technique wasn't particularly hard to learn, and Minato had quickly mastered it.

Its scale and power matched those of Sarutobi Ao's earlier attack.

However, Yan Uchiha couldn't help but sneer at this moment.

Using fire-based ninjutsu in front of him?

Instinctively, he began forming seals himself—a sequence he had practiced countless times.

It was also the seal for the Dragon Fire Technique. He aimed to turn his opponent's technique right back on him.

"This Minato Namikaze actually dares to use fire release in front of a member of the Uchiha clan?" one genin couldn't help but laugh.

But right now, Sarutobi Ao and Nawaki were both staring intently at Minato's hands.

After casting the Dragon Fire Technique, he hadn't stopped moving his hands—he was already forming new hand seals again!

...

...

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>