"Aoshi-nii, who do you think will win—Nagato or Minato-senpai?" Faced with Yahiko's question, Aoshi gave it a moment's thought before answering decisively.
"Nagato will win."
If any Konoha ninja had heard that, they would've immediately objected.
Minato had long been known as a prodigious talent among Konoha's civilians. The fact that he was accepted as a direct disciple by Jiraiya after graduation spoke everything.
After all, Jiraiya was a student of the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi. Not just anyone is qualified to become his apprentice.
Even those who had once doubted Minato had long been convinced by his performance. In their eyes, there was no shinobi more gifted than Minato.
But there's always someone better. And Nagato was, without a doubt, a genius in his own right.
From Aoshi's perspective, even though Nagato had only trained under Jiraiya for just over a year, he was already stronger than Minato, who was a few years older than him.
After all, Nagato had the blood of the Uzumaki clan—and more importantly, the Rinnegan.
"But I still think Minato-senpai is pretty amazing," Konan added cautiously, unsure about Aoshi's certainty.
Of course, that didn't mean she wanted Nagato to lose. Though all three of them were Jiraiya's students, it was obvious she felt closest to Nagato.
"Let's wait and see," Aoshi said, gently patting Konan's head instead of explaining further.
"Begin!" As Jiraiya gave the command, Minato vanished from his position instantly.
Body Flicker Jutsu!
After spending the past few days together, Minato understood one thing clearly—Nagato's chakra reserves were overwhelming, almost inhuman. A prolonged battle would put him at a disadvantage.
So Minato's strategy was simple: win with speed. It was his greatest strength, after all.
Almost the moment Jiraiya's words faded, Minato was already in front of Nagato. He slashed forward with a kunai, aiming straight at him.
However, Minato underestimated Nagato's perception. Even though the Rinnegan didn't grant dynamic vision like the Sharingan, its insight far exceeded that of normal eyes.
And Minato, still young and not yet in possession of the Flying Thunder God Technique, had limits.
Just as the kunai was about to land, Nagato swiftly drew his own and blocked it in time.
Clang!
The crisp clash of metal rang out, and surprise appeared on Minato's face. He hadn't expected such a fast and precise attack to be neutralized so effortlessly.
In his mind, even if this move didn't finish the fight, it should've at least injured Nagato and tilted the fight in his favor.
"Minato underestimated Nagato." Aoshi, watching from the sidelines, shook his head.
With his perception, it was clear what Minato had tried to do. His plan wasn't wrong—it just exceeded what his current power could execute perfectly.
"Aoshi-nii, what do you mean?" Yahiko asked in confusion, Konan also showing a puzzled expression.
Both of them still lacked real combat experience. Only after Aoshi explained did they finally react with surprised expressions.
Meanwhile, after blocking Minato's strike, Nagato quickly launched a counterattack.
After several close exchanges, Minato realized he couldn't gain the upper hand in taijutsu either. He promptly retreated to create distance.
Then, in one fluid motion, he flung more than a dozen shuriken at Nagato.
As they flew through the air, they collided and deflected off each other, shifting trajectories—approaching Nagato from all sides like a tightening net.
It resembled the legendary shuriken jutsu of the Uchiha clan.
At the same time, Minato began forming hand seals, planning to follow up with a ninjutsu to finish the battle.
Aoshi watched with a look of approval. In just a moment, Minato had already devised a second strategy.
"This isn't good. There's no way Nagato can dodge all those shuriken," Yahiko said anxiously.
But Aoshi quickly reassured him. "Don't worry. That's not enough to stop Nagato."
Though Minato appeared to have the upper hand, Nagato had been in control all along.
Almost as if to prove Aoshi's point, the next second, without Nagato making a single move, the approaching shuriken were blasted away in all directions.
Shinra Tensei!
After training under Jiraiya, Nagato had become proficient in using some of the Rinnegan's basic abilities.
"What the—?" Minato stared in shock.
He hadn't expected Nagato to have such a bizarre and powerful technique. But there was no time to process what happened. He'd already completed his hand seals and released his jutsu.
Wind Style: Wind Cutter!
This was a wind jutsu Jiraiya had taught him after he mastered Wind Release nature transformation. It converted wind into razor-sharp blades, powerful enough to slice through flesh and bone in an instant.
"Minato's Wind Cutter is pretty refined—on par with a seasoned chunin," Aoshi commented. He could tell Minato's mastery of the jutsu exceeded his own.
"Then doesn't that mean Nagato will lose?"
"Minato's Wind Cutter is powerful, yes—but he's still not Nagato's match."
As Aoshi spoke, Nagato also finished forming hand seals and countered with Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.
Aoshi had used the same jutsu previously to dispel the Hidden Mist Technique during a mission against Mist-nin rogues. Its power was directly tied to the chakra of the user.
And with Nagato's chakra reserves, the resulting blast was anything but ordinary. Sure enough, the terrifying wind he exhaled completely overpowered Minato's Wind Cutter, shattering it instantly.
And it didn't stop there. The gust surged toward Minato.
Even though Minato dodged swiftly, the area of effect was too wide—he was still caught by the attack.
"Nagato wins!"
Jiraiya's voice echoed as he announced the final result of the match.
"Yes! Nagato won!" Yahiko beamed with excitement at his friend's victory.
Konan was just as happy, though she toned down her reaction to spare Minato's feelings.
"Minato, you didn't lose because of a lack of strength—it was mostly due to a lack of information," Aoshi said while healing him.
Minato had lost so quickly largely because he didn't know about Nagato's Rinnegan abilities. But that didn't mean knowledge alone could've secured him the win. Against overwhelming power, even the best strategies could be rendered meaningless.
"I know, Aoshi-nii. Don't worry, I'm not that fragile," Minato replied with a smile.
[Treatment of Namikaze Minato completed. Reward: 1 Blue Orb.]
[Congratulations, you gained 50 Chakra points.]
After completing Minato's treatment, Aoshi turned to Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama, this is a rare opportunity. I'd like to challenge you—please don't hold back!"