Zenkichi put his hands in his pockets and looked at Namikaze Minato calmly as he spoke:
"As long as I don't want to fight seriously, no one in the world can do anything to me."
"Namikaze Minato! Even though you're called the Yellow Flash, you're still no match for me in terms of speed. The Flying Thunder God Technique may be fast, but..."
Zenkichi glanced at the Flying Thunder God kunai scattered around with a playful smile.
"Your space movement requires the Flying Thunder God mark. You can only teleport to places where that mark exists."
"As long as I don't appear near a mark, you can't teleport next to me."
"Sure, you could try throwing one of your kunai at me, but..."
Zenkichi raised a hand and looked at the kunai Minato had just thrown at him. A golden laser shot from his fingertip, slicing the kunai cleanly in half.
"It's useless."
His tone was casual, yet the calm emphasis sent a chill down Minato's spine.
With Zenkichi's enhanced perception and laser abilities, Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai couldn't even get near him.
"You were attacking just now, right? Now it's my turn. Better be careful."
A surge of intense golden light sparked at Zenkichi's fingertips. The cross-shaped glow rotated rapidly, and then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lasers erupted and bombarded Minato. The only thing saving him was the Flying Thunder God's instant teleportation.
The auditorium fell silent. The villagers of Konoha felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
As proud residents of Konoha, the mood among the locals turned grim and oppressive.
The Third Hokage wore a stern expression. Although it was still uncertain whether sealing techniques worked on Zenkichi, the overall outlook was anything but optimistic.
Uzumaki Kushina's face was full of worry. It was the first time she had seen Namikaze Minato in such a state.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku's mood noticeably improved.
Maybe he wasn't weak after all. Maybe Zenkichi from Kirigakure was simply too strong.
In contrast to the gloomy air on Konoha's side, Elder Genji and the others from Kirigakure were all smiles. Zenkichi's impressive performance had given them more leverage in their negotiations.
"Young Namikaze Minato! The match… is over."
Zenkichi smiled, watching as the continuous laser bombardment destroyed all of Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai. A thick golden beam shot straight toward him.
Minato sighed. With a flash, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to a nearby high platform.
Whoosh!
"You win," he said, having stepped out of the match arena — effectively conceding defeat.
"You either get rescued or forfeit outright. So willful, Konoha," Zenkichi remarked lazily, shaking his head.
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked – Defeated Namikaze Minato!]
[Template Character – Kizaru, unlock progress: 23%!]
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked – Won the Konoha Tournament!]
[Template Character – Kizaru, unlock progress: 25%]
...
A series of system prompts sounded as Zenkichi's strength grew further.
With the unlock points from defeating Uchiha Fugaku and now Namikaze Minato, Zenkichi had achieved 25% synchronization with the Kizaru template.
Thanks to his mobility and destructive capabilities, Zenkichi now believed he could match 90% of the shinobi in the ninja world.
(If you can't touch him, there's no way you'd beat him, If Armament Haki were to be known by people in the Naruto Verse,then that'd be an entire diff matter.)
The Konoha-hosted tournament ended with the home team's defeat.
The local audience, witnessing their ninja lose, felt disheartened. The ending had been nothing short of humiliating.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. No backbone at all. Is this how Konoha reacts when their ninjas lose? Pathetic."
Zenkichi leaned lazily back in his seat, watching as Konoha's villagers quietly dispersed. He raised a middle finger at them with disdain.
Seriously? I win the final and not one of you has the decency to acknowledge it? So petty. No wonder Konoha's in decline…
Zenkichi scoffed to himself, shaking his head.
"Hahaha! Well done, Zenkichi!"
"You all take your time here in Konoha. I'll be off dealing with the Hokage."
Watching the dispirited Third Hokage and the disappointed villagers, Elder Genji couldn't help but laugh heartily.
---
Hokage's Office
The Third Hokage had summoned Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Fugaku. Present in the room were also Hatake Sakumo, leader of the ANBU, and the village elders — Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu — as well as the Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Fukuyama.
"You all saw the match. Minato and Fugaku were directly involved."
"Now we need to prepare for potential battlefield encounters with Kirigakure's Zenkichi."
The Third Hokage spoke solemnly as he lit his pipe.
"Based on what we've seen, Zenkichi possesses an ability similar to the Hydrification Technique."
"It's unclear whether this is a kekkei genkai or a clan technique like the Ghost Lantern Clan's Water Transformation."
"Let's call it the Light Style for now and analyze its abilities and weaknesses."
Hatake Sakumo spoke first:
"Light Style can release intense light. It's similar to the Lightning Illusion Techniques used by shinobi from Kumogakure — enough to blind enemies."
Uchiha Fugaku added:
"It could be countered using tinted lenses or sunglasses. But if an Uchiha wears them, their Sharingan's visual prowess is limited."
Uchiha Fukuyama frowned:
"Fugaku, did you try using genjutsu on him?"
As noted in canon, the Uchiha clan's relationship with the village wasn't completely hostile before the Nine-Tails' Attack. There was tension, but nothing irreconcilable.
Fugaku nodded.
"I used Sharingan genjutsu, but it didn't work well."
"He either resisted it or dispelled it immediately."
The Third Hokage's face turned grim.
"I had Yuhi Mahong try genjutsu on him earlier. He dispelled it with ease."
"It seems genjutsu is ineffective against him."
...
Should I keep naming chapters?
Cos, I'm not really good at it.
Anyways Send Powerstones for Bonus Chapters.