Malphegor
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HGBW: Ch. 68
🕑 Added 2025-03-07 16:37:31 +0000 UTC"Minato?"
Hiruzen was clearly tempted by Jiraiya's suggestion, but after some thought, he ultimately rejected it.
It had been difficult enough to push Minato into the position of ANBU commander despite opposition. Right now, he had yet to fully gain the trust of others. If Minato were to be defeated by Tanaka at this moment, how could he continue serving as the ANBU commander?
Even though he knew the likelihood of this happening was very low, he still had to be cautious.
After all, space-time ninjutsu was far too unpredictable.
In a world without Observation Haki, any kind of space-time ninjutsu had the potential to overwhelm an opponent through sheer dimensional superiority.
"It's better to have someone else gather intelligence on him first. Once we have a full understanding of his abilities, Minato can face him then. That way, we can ensure nothing goes wrong."
Before long, Hiruzen made his decision.
He had high hopes for Minato.
Replacing Sakumo as ANBU commander was only the first step.
His ultimate goal was for Minato to succeed him as the Fourth Hokage.
Before that happened, he would not allow Minato's reputation to be tarnished.
"Shinnosuke, you will do it. You will be the one to test Tanaka in this assessment." After some deliberation, Hiruzen decided to let his eldest son pave the way for Minato.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Upon hearing this, Shinnosuke showed a trace of displeasure beneath his mask, but he quickly suppressed it.
No one understood better than he did how much Minato meant to his father.
When it came to Minato's future, not only was he expected to step aside, but even Orochimaru would have to yield as well.
In fact, Hiruzen had already made such decisions in the past.
"Old man, why don't you let me handle this instead?" Jiraiya saw through Hiruzen's intentions and didn't want his teacher and his son to develop resentment toward each other, so he volunteered.
For Shinnosuke, having to pave the way for Minato was too cruel.
Moreover, if this happened, Minato would forever be indebted to Hiruzen.
"You are one of the Sannin. Fighting a kid seriously? Is this a jonin exam, or a Hokage exam?"
Hiruzen was still in his prime and not yet as shrewd and cunning as he would become in his later years.
Especially since the assessment would be watched by many clan leaders.
Having Shinnosuke test Tanaka was already raising the difficulty of the assessment to its highest level.
If Jiraiya stepped in, people would only criticize him, suspecting that he was deliberately preventing the A-rank forbidden technique from leaving the village. They would believe that he sent one of the Sannin to suppress Tanaka and completely block his path to becoming a jonin.
"Jiraiya, if you dare to test Tanaka yourself, Tsunade will make sure you end up in the hospital." At that moment, Orochimaru, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, instantly extinguishing Jiraiya's idea of stepping in personally.
"Minato, you know the Flying Thunder God. If you were in Shinnosuke's position, how would you deal with Tanaka's space-time ninjutsu?"
As soon as Hiruzen posed this question, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Shinnosuke all turned to look at Minato.
Especially the latter.
Although he was unhappy with his father for making him clear the path for Minato, he also did not want to become a stepping stone for Tanaka.
Therefore, Minato's insight was of great importance to him.
"Create distance and test the upper limit of his teleportation range. Doing so will force him to expend more chakra."
"Since the further a teleportation technique reaches, the more chakra it consumes."
"Stay vigilant of the surroundings, especially blind spots that can't be seen directly. Because from what we've observed so far, his space-time ninjutsu doesn't require using a marked object as a coordinate for activation. This means his technique is even more flexible than the Flying Thunder God."
"Always be ready to use a Substitution Jutsu and rely on shadow clones to continuously probe and exhaust him."
"There is also one crucial factor: I trained in the Flying Thunder God, so I have mastered all the combat techniques derived from it, such as the Flying Thunder God Slash, which was passed down by the Second Hokage."
"But Tanaka is different. He developed his space-time ninjutsu on his own. Considering his young age, he most likely hasn't mastered advanced combat techniques that complement his abilities."
Minato's gaze sharpened as he placed himself in Shinnosuke's position and provided his analysis.
After listening, everyone else also tried to put themselves in Shinnosuke's shoes and soon realized that Minato's assessment was incredibly thorough.
This was already the best possible strategy for a jonin without space-time ninjutsu when facing an opponent who possessed it.
Beyond that, any adjustments would simply depend on the specific jutsu one had mastered and how they could be adapted to counter such techniques.
"Shinnosuke, how confident are you?"
Though Hiruzen had chosen his own son to pave the way for Minato, as a father, if there was even the slightest chance that Shinnosuke could surpass Orochimaru or Danzō, he would not have hesitated to carve out a path for him to become Hokage instead.
He would never have let him become just a stepping stone on Minato's road to the top.
"If my opponent were Minato, I wouldn't stand a chance. But he isn't. The boy has one fatal weakness."
"Chakra."
As the ANBU commander, Shinnosuke had earned his position not just because he was the Hokage's son, but because he stood at the pinnacle of non-bloodline jonin. Naturally, he had his own strategies for dealing with opponents.
"His limited chakra will be the reason for his defeat." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable confidence.
"That's absolutely true."
Jiraiya agreed with Shinnosuke's reasoning.
Space-time ninjutsu was undoubtedly powerful, but it was also extremely chakra-intensive.
From his perspective, if Shinnosuke was willing to put aside his pride as ANBU commander and adopt a war-of-attrition strategy, his chances of victory would be very high.
As for whether or not Shinnosuke would actually be willing to lower himself to such tactics, he never even considered it an issue.
After all, which ninja prioritized pride over survival in battle?
Especially an ANBU operative, whose entire role revolved around assassination and deception.
"Is it really that simple?" Minato furrowed his brows slightly, clearly unconvinced by the reasoning.
He glanced at Shinnosuke. Even though his face was hidden behind a mask, Minato could still sense the faint traces of dissatisfaction and jealousy radiating from him.
After hesitating a few times, he chose to remain silent.
He feared that if he voiced his disagreement, it might stir up emotions in Shinnosuke, which could in turn affect the upcoming battle and lead to an unnecessary loss.
"Heh… hehehe!" Orochimaru caught Minato's fleeting expression changes from the corner of his eye, noting every subtle reaction. His lips curled into a faint smirk, and his tongue flicked out like a snake's.
This will be interesting to watch. Arrogance might be your downfall.
Watching Shinnosuke's back, he chuckled to himself.
As the only one among the Sannin who had personally tested Tanaka's abilities, Orochimaru knew his true strength better than anyone else.
Even better than Minato, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God.
